I am on day 3 of my rural rotation and I have a strong sense of deja vu. My intern year included 3 months in Warrnambool; a small town on the southern coast of Australia. Kincardine is a small town on Lake Huron, which might as well be the ocean. Wide streets, gorgeous blue skies and lots of leafy trees. The only difference is the accent.
The rural placement is a bizarre situation. Designed by medical schools to encourage rural practice, they are often incredibly luxurious. Right now I'm sitting in a 5 bedroom architectural gem, where sunlight streams from every window and Adirondack chairs overlook the hummingbird garden. I walk to work, have my scrubs provided, nurses prep and review each patient before I see them and I'm out on time every day. Luxury. Right?
Well. Tonight I'm running the ER overnight. Most of the time this means coughs, cuts and chest pain. Sometimes it means managing a stabbing from the local pub. Sometimes they have a 3 vehicle pileup on the freeway and send the mangled bits your way. The other Docs can be called in, but you're the first port of call.
Great luxury? Great responsibility. To paraphrase Alfred.
In the 'Bool, I coped by coming home every day and watching Friday Night Lights. Today, as I try to sleep under a blanket of anxiety, I attempted The Newsroom.
I'm gonna need another distraction.
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