And so it begins

First day of Internal medicine today. Mostly orientation, getting new schedules and the like. The first six weeks will be in outpatient medicine, with different clinics and preceptor meetings. Just keeping all the requirements for my presence straight will be a challenge.

I am quite excited that I will be working in Cardiology one morning a week, and that my attending for that won the "best teacher" award from the class which graduated last summer. It will be quite difficult, I imagine, but ultimately rewarding. Tomorrow I start off with Rheumatology, and it looks like I'll be working up a patient who may have lupus, followed by an older man with knee pain. According to Dr. Sears, that may net us a procedure, which should be fun.

So overall, I've got one morning of cardiology clinic, one morning of rheumatology clinic, one morning of walk-ins, one morning of general medicine, one full day at a satellite clinic, two afternoons with a preceptor discussing papers I'll write, and two free afternoons. Not a bad schedule.

So far I am concluding that internal medicine guys are far, far nicer than their surgical collegues. Dr. Sears called me in, showed me the schedule for tomorrow, told me what to read, and offered to meet half an hour before clinic starts to give me a run-down on what to expect in my first patient. The focus is on learning and teaching, and they are excited to help the process along.