Ultimate Coffee Date: April 2019

Welcome to the Ultimate Coffee Date! It’s my birthday month! :] I have a paaaaacked month up ahead, but hopefully everything will turn out a-okay!

Ultimate Coffee Date: April 2019

If we were having coffee/tea today, I’d…since our last coffee date, I’ve been to 2 on-site interviews and am headed home this weekend for another 3 interviews…and I have 2 more scheduled at the end of this month. I’ve also been trying to move sections of my apartment back to CA by way of suitcases on these trips. Between that is my boards (one day before my birthday :'( ).

To say that I’m a tad stressed is probably an understatement. I’m told I’m handling it well though and people can’t tell that I’m actually stressed though, har har.

Maybe part of it is because I keep getting to discover cool new eateries via Yelp Elite events and general curiosity! This is red velvet ice cream + fruity pebbles sandwiched between a glazed donut! #treatyoself

It could also be because I got a job offer from a place that I have loved and wanted to be involved with in some capacity since undergrad (it’s like the job version of why I went into medicine-it reminds me of Paul Hom Asian Clinic!), so I’m super happy! I do also still have the 5 other interviews to go on, so I have a lot of thinking/weighing of options to do!

If we were having coffee/tea today, I’d…tell you I’m doing an elective rotation with an attending I really liked working with back in 2017–I get lots of autonomy and she’s so pleasant/awesome to work with–I figured it’d be the nicest rotation to lead off with before I take my boards!

She’s been reading a book called The Orchid and the Dandelion, which explores temperament in children–the “dandelion” child (hardy, resilient, healthy) who can probably survive and flourish under most circumstances) and the “orchid” child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile) who can thrive better if given the right support. I’m adding it to my never-ending “to read” list (she thinks she’s an orchid and I’m a dandelion, hah).

If we were having coffee/tea today, I’d…tell you that there are definitely bad days along with the good in residency. I tend to focus on the positive on this blog because I don’t really see a point in dwelling on the negative…

Butttt I was on my second-last 25-hour call last weekend (National Doctor’s Day!) and received a call on the emergency line for a non-emergency that devolved into a whole lot of unnecessary verbal abuse directed at me by the patient’s family member for something I had no control over and that could have been remedied if he’d stopped yelling at me long enough to listen to what I/the visiting nurse/home health aide all tried to tell him. It was a frustrating call, to say the least, but I can honestly say I went above and beyond to try to help him despite how degrading and insulting he was to me. (Health care oftentimes feels very much like customer service.)

On the plus side, barring anything completely catastrophic happening, I should be finishing my residency in less than 3 months! I’m really going to miss the friends I’ve made here, and it’s been making me pretty sad having to tell my patients that I’m leaving, but I’ve been telling them that the doctor who’ll be replacing me is pretty much like the male version of me, so they should be fine!

We also actually get to be considered as real people/doctors this year and got fed by the hospital for National Doctors Day!

See past ultimate coffee dates here!

(Link-up with Coco @ Got 2 Run 4 Me & Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner!)

End-of-Week-ish Recap!

I’ve been prettttyyy terrible about blogging lately, but given everything that’s going on, I’d like to think you can understand! I’m still semi-active on Instagram, facebook, and twitter though, so if I take another break from here to finish up my interviews/studying/etc, you can find me over there!

• A Travel Tuesday to the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Vermont! (What’s your favorite flavor?!)
• Is it bad that I’m hoping my friend will get a job at Cornell so I’ll have an excuse to go visit? Check out our hike on the Gorge Trail at Taughannock Falls State Park in Ithaca!

This is her trying to extort money from me. I need her to get a job soon. :'(

• What’s been going on in your life?
• Have you read The Orchid and The Dandelion? If not, have you read any good books lately? (Add me on GoodReads and recommend some books to me! :D ) I don’t necessarily believe that every child falls under only 2 archetypes but I can definitely see how some kids might require a more supportive environment to thrive.
• Any awesome food finds lately?