Calling all Med Students/MDs?

[MakingTheGrade]

Just wondering if there are any other med students out there!

I know there are a lot of full fledged docs on these boards, and was wondering if there were any other fledglings like me! Or am I the only bad med student who procrastinates instead of studying for the next shelf? Hehe.

For those of you who are practicing physicians, what field are you in and do you wear your rings to work? I usually just wear a wedding band because I hate the idea of getting purel sanitizer and powder (from gloves) on my diamonds or gemstones.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Well I am less than 6 months out from residency, so I am still making the transition from carrying out someone else''s decision to making my own.

In residency, I wore my RH sapphire ring and it was fine. But it got too grimy when I became an attending doing the q20 min apts. So now I just wear my e-ring and clean it in soap and water every week. I plan on wearing my e-ring even when I am married. My diamond is not too big (in the real world it is a good sized stone, but on PS it is probably an ave stone) so it really does not get in the way, even when I put gloves on. I used to want pave, but I am concerned it will get to grimy. I am between a shared prong wedding band or a bead set one (which might not be better).

I know you know what I do, I probably talk about it too much. Although now that I am in the clinic all day, and holding the "advise phone" every couple weeks, I find myself not wanting to talk about medicine outside of work.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I know, I'm happy my hubby isn't in the med field. It's nice to come home and not think about that stuff....except that when I come home, I really should be studying that stuff

He's also a nice change from the meticulously politically correct medical environment. I was recently told that we should no longer use the phrase "incompetent cervix" because it's not PC, the new phrase is "insufficient cervix". Oy.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 3/5/2010 6:55:07 PM
Author: MakingTheGrade
I know, I''m happy my hubby isn''t in the med field. It''s nice to come home and not think about that stuff....except that when I come home, I really should be studying that stuff

He''s also a nice change from the meticulously politically correct medical environment. I was recently told that we should no longer use the phrase ''incompetent cervix'' because it''s not PC, the new phrase is ''insufficient cervix''. Oy.

Yeah, I remember the lectures your using "un PC terms"

My FI is not medical either, but he still like my stories from work. I find I need to read more than I used to at home (because I don''t get daily lectures anymore).

 

[chiquitapet]

I`m 3rd year out of med school and still remember very well hours procrastinating on PS instead of studying for my finals (I discovered PS in my last year)!

I wear both my e-ring and w-ring to work every day. I love them too much to leave at home!!

When I was wearing gloves, I just spinned my rings around. When I had to go to surgery, I`d put my rings on a chain or pinned them to my scrubs. This year I was lucky enough to get into specialty training in anatomical pathology. On cut up days I put my rings on a chain as I have to triple glove on my left hand including a thick cut-proof glove, so there''s no space for my bling.

My DH is not in medical field either, which I find quite refreshing!

 

[rosetta]

thank goodness i didn't know about PS before graduating, (i joined late last year) i'd have never made it through!

i almost made it to the age of 30 before sarcrificing all spare pennies on gems

but there's no hope now

i do wear rings to work, but take them off for procedures, and put them in my pocket, otherwise i'd lose them.

good luck making the grade, there's no substitute to just getting your head down and doing the hard slog

(seven years out from med school, no desire to go back thanksverymuch

)

ETA: my SO is medical, but in a different field. We never talk about work, but i find it a great relief to be with someone who understands your work pressures completely and without explanation.

 

[pancake]

I''m in paediatrics (or pediatrics, for the American PSers). I absolutely LOVE it and wouldn''t switch specialties or professions for anything, but need a bit of a break after doing my hurdle exams last year - so my partner and I are travelling around Europe for 4 months, then working in SE Asia for 4 months in medical education before returning to full-time work and subspecialty training here (he''s a paed too).

I only got engaged 2 weeks ago but so far I have been wearing my ring to work - I may change my mind eventually but at the moment I kind of feel like there''s no point in having this lovely ring if I don''t wear it, and I am proud to wear it as a symbol of our relationship! Work was definitely a consideration in choosing rings (given the opinion I just stated!), but my tastes are fairly sleek and spare anyway.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 3/6/2010 9:06:12 AM
Author: pancake

I''m in paediatrics (or pediatrics, for the American PSers). I absolutely LOVE it and wouldn''t switch specialties or professions for anything, but need a bit of a break after doing my hurdle exams last year - so my partner and I are travelling around Europe for 4 months, then working in SE Asia for 4 months in medical education before returning to full-time work and subspecialty training here (he''s a paed too).


I only got engaged 2 weeks ago but so far I have been wearing my ring to work - I may change my mind eventually but at the moment I kind of feel like there''s no point in having this lovely ring if I don''t wear it, and I am proud to wear it as a symbol of our relationship! Work was definitely a consideration in choosing rings (given the opinion I just stated!), but my tastes are fairly sleek and spare anyway.

What are you sub specializing in? I am giving general peds a try, but I am not sure I could do it forever without burning out.

 

[pancake]

Hi LF, I''m heading into paed endo. I love gen paeds too but after I have kids I think it will be a long time before I return to full-time work and I''m not that interested in doing community/sessional outpatient work in gen paeds.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 3/6/2010 4:26:23 PM
Author: pancake
Hi LF, I''m heading into paed endo. I love gen paeds too but after I have kids I think it will be a long time before I return to full-time work and I''m not that interested in doing community/sessional outpatient work in gen paeds.

I hear you, I am hoping to go part time once I have kids, but I am not sure how hard that is.

 

[drk]

I''m 9 months out in practice as an anesthesiologist. Best profession ever IMO. No office, no overhead, decent hours, good call schedule in the right group (I would do about 2-3 per month, but haven''t since Sept when I had some complications with my pregnancy). I get to put needles into people, take away their pain, do lots of procedures, and then shoot the breeze with the nurses/surgeons and relax (usually) while they''re having their operation. And then I go home at the end of the day and don''t have to worry about my patients either, nor do I have any who are long-term problem patients. It''s the best of everything for a type A control freak who''s all about instant gratification like I am.

I wear my rings to work, though someone was telling me they''re muttering about banning all jewelry, nail polish etc etc. I''ll believe it when I see it. I specifically wanted a very low-profile e-ring so that I can wear gloves over it easily (got a very low-set semi-bezel). I do take off my rings when I do sterile/aseptic procedures like blocks, art lines, epidurals/spinals. I used to put them and my gold bracelet into my scrubs breast pocket, until I managed to forget the bracelet in there one day and tossed it in the laundry. Never saw it again. Thank God I''d already put my rings back on. Others tend to put them on a safety pin and stick the pin in the pocket and through their bra strap, so that they can''t get changed at the end of the day without having to put the jewelry back on. I just string my rings onto my necklace and have them dangling there for the day if I''m going to do lots of procedures. If it''s a one-off thing, I''ll leave them on top of my anesthetic cart for the couple minutes I need them off for, and put them on again before I proceed with the rest of the case.

I''m so glad I''m done with all the studying and exams! And there are a few people in my group (and across the city) who work part-time, so it''s a good profession for balancing work and family life too.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Haha drk, you''re making quite a convincing argument for anesthesiology! I haven''t decided on a specialty since I''m only on my second core rotation, but I gotta tell you, all of that sounds great! At our hospital, some of the departments are really serious about the "no jewelery, no nail polish" rule about scrubbing in. Other departments will let wedding bands and short manicured nails slide. It seems to depend on the attending.

Yeah, I''m thinking of resetting my ring into a semi bezel (I really adore DT''s sholt). My current solitaire setting seems to high and always snags the gloves (and I wear the smallest size gloves).

Do any of you feel self conscious about your "bling" when working in certain areas? Sometimes I wonder if it''s insensitive for me to wear really nice jewelery when working in clinics for the under-served. (I don''t feel awkward about it working in the main hospitals though, the nurses often have bigger rocks than I do!

)