First week in Show Low

Just got back to the family in Phoenix after a great week in Show Low, AZ.

First, the town is great. One of those hidden gems that you know will be overgrown in the next few years, but is the ideal size now. It's 3-4 hours outside of Phoenix with weather like Colorado: lots of sunny days, seasons, trees/vegetation, and skiing/mountains nearby. Only thing missing is the ocean, but even that is only 7 or so hours away (Rocky Point, Mexico).

The medical training is great as well. The surgeons are laid back, and because I've had some surgery now, they are letting me do a ton. It also helps that there's no other students or interns to share procedures with. The highlight of the week is 4 intubations, Lap dissection of a gallbladder from the liver and first assisting on some cool surgeries like Lap Nissens (wrapping the stomach around the esophagus to eliminate hiatal hernias). I'm also getting much better on my knots. Interupted knots are second nature and I'm getting the hand of fancy buried-knot, subcutaneous sutures.

I'm not managing patients or doing much clinic time, so it's mostly just OR time and reading on my own. The staff at the hospital, outpatient surgery clinic and surgeons' office are great. Even the apartment is a huge improvement over Toledo. Becky and the boys are planning to join me next weekend in Show Low to see the town and get in a day of skiing. I think Becky will love the drive. It's so scenic you begin think Arizona is a beautiful state and Sedona isn't an accident.

Lots are errands to finish up this weekend: logs, test schedules, evals and possibly a change in my last rotation this year. I'm looking pretty hard at Emergency Medicine and would like to change my last rotation, rural Family here in Show Low, to an EM rotation. My roommate is doing the rural FP rotation and I just don't think I will learn as much regarding specialty choices versus spending a month in an ER. I may even get to do a couple ER shifts in Show Low this month, then in Ft. Wayne next month to get a taste of the job.

I've had some great conversations with classmates regarding FP versus EM. My roommate this month and one of my class friends (whose wife happens to be my kids' piano teacher) are both in the same position, trying to decide between specialties and individual programs. I need to get started on the spreadsheet and phone calls regarding about 6 western and 6-10 eastern EM programs that look intriguing at first glance.

Maybe the best thing about this rotation is that I have a car and can drive to a pool every morning. I found out about it on Tuesday so only got in two swims, at a very reasonable $2 per session. But I feel so much better with even a meager two workouts. The swims felt awful (I'm horribly out of shape) but I felt great afterwards. Without mornings free until the first surgery (around 8am usually) and a car, I should be able to get in 3-4 weekday swims plus some kind of activity on the weekend.

Time to get some rest back in my own bed.