Hospital Medicine

Last week concluded my time on Internal medicine. I am going to miss the inpatient experience roaming the hospital and seeing patients bedside. Despite the early, long and late hours, I am quite certain I want to work in the hospital as a physician.

Feeling at Home

I remember as a child the occasional visit or field trip to the hospital. As the doors would open, the aroma of sterility hit and the white of the halls shone. It was an environment like no other that I had experienced and it somehow seemed different. Wheelchairs, oxygen tanks and rolling beds, it was enough to get me thinking of the day I would be working in a similar place. Little has changed since then. I still feel the thrill as I step through the doors and walk the halls. Perhaps it's the nerd in me coming out, but I like to think it's my inner child telling me I am in the right place.

Knowing I wanted to be a doctor is old news. What type - is now the topic of discussion.  My usual response is to be a "good" doctor, which is possible, but I still have to choose a field of interest. At least if I am not yet decided, I can rely on knowing I want to work in the hospital setting. That decision alone eliminates a significant number of specialties. Hopefully in the next few months there will be more aha moments to clarify the path.

Question of the Week

While monitoring a 50 year old male who is short of breath, you notice his 12-lead ECG shows tachycardia and pre-excitation of the QRS complex as evidenced by a delta wave. Which of the following is the definitive treatment?

A. Cardiac glycoside (Digitalis)
B. Beta-Blocker (Metoprolol)
C. Calcium Channel Blocker (Verapamil)
D. Catheter Ablation
E. Coronary Angioplasty

Answer & Explanation