The House of God

The book, The House of God, is one that many medical students, residents, healthcare professionals, and people all over the world have noted as being a standout read regarding the trials of internship. Sure it's dated - since it was first published when I was born - but it's still considered a benchmark against which many medical writers are compared and is often listed as a "must read" for medical students and wannabes.

But I don't see it.

I've been trying to get through this book the last couple days and have just tossed it aside more often than I'd have thought. I find it infantile, neurotic, sloppily constructed with poor transitions, and just not a book that I must finish.

Perhaps I want to understand more what's going on than having a skim-job whereupon the author enters into emotional turmoils over the latest "insult" yet will go into florrid detail about their sexual achievements. I know intern year sucks, but some more information related to the actual crushing process might have been nice rather than learning how nuns teach nurses to deal with erections. Instead I feel that the reader is merely shown a glimpse and then ferried away hurriedly - as though it's more than we could handle.

And another item: was there really that much sex going on in hospitals back then? I can begin to comprehend where some of these TV shows developed the lustful nurse-doctor relationships after reading pages upon pages of bawdy behavior and descriptions. It seems like a pubescent fantasy rather than a beacon of light into the process of medical training.

I don't know if I can finish reading this book. I'm halfway through, but it just grates the nerves to continue. I should be reviewing other items anyway - like movies that I've not seen in a while...and perhaps a medical chapter here and there.

Sexual Harassment

An interesting topic was generated by Hoover over at MedSchoolHell. It discusses some of the sexual harassment that many medical students have to endure during their clinical years. While I've seen some forms myself (and been a victim once) I don't recall anyone reporting the events. All too often I've found that surgeons tend to be the greatest offenders (lots of inuendos during surgical cases - what with the "suck this" and all), but many other professions are also culpable. What I find interesting is the SDN feed that he links - the mindset of many students is to just let it go and be "professional".

You know what? I'm really sick of that catch-phrase being tossed around to shame medical students into submission.

I agree with the suggestions of going to the legal department and risk management. Your dean's office or coordinators are not going to be able to help you. They'll sweep the incident under the rug.

Crazy Bitch

I’d heard that you can run into people that you’ve seen at external rotations or at other interviews on the interview trail. Certainly I've had a few encounters beyond the initial, but the other day I ran into a female student whom I’d interacted with during my 1st external rotation.

She, being on a Psych rotation, had been in the ORs occasionally when ECT treatments were being administered. We had talked, because we were curious of the process, and during that time our interactions were professional, brief, and pleasant. Running into her during a prolonged wait in an airport somewhere in the US, however, had a very different feel.

Now, I must inform you that she was quite comely. She also held the rare ability to take over a room upon her entrance and smells great. She is, essentially, a siren of healthcare. Patients loved talking to her, having her around, and she was always loved by the healthcare team. When I ran into her she still held this essence. What changed, though, was her demeanor.

She was nuts. Not just a little, either, but full blown crazy! She began by yelling "HI!" loudly, trying to hug me, which I deferred, then ran into a non-stop regurgitation of her interviews. She talked with great enthusiasm about the other candidates and what she thought about each and everyone, her voice reaching levels so high that I found others watching us. As I tried to get a word in edge-wise she launched into her time at the external hospital, how much fun she had, and the (here it comes) intimate interactions she had during that rotation.

I wanted to stop her, but she continued. Continued to let me know that she had met several nice people, they’d partied, and ultimately fucked. Hard - and long – and over and over again. She was detailed to the point of obscene at points, and I finally had to tell her my flight was close, said goodbye, and walked away. She again tried to hug me and I walked faster. A small crowd of lustful men and astonished women had formed a semi-circle around us, making my departure even more frustrating.

My mind was screaming – what the hell was that! Why did she feel that she needed to inform me of her “activities”? Why did she keep trying to hug me? Damn!

Thankfully I did not see her again, as I still had 3 more hours of waiting before my flight boarded, but I was looking around like mad. I didn’t want another encounter, with an X-rated description of her debauchery, and the expected attempts at physical interaction. Yikes!

Sex in Medical School

WAIT! Before you go running to Blogger to flag this blog as inappropriate let me state a couple things here: I will not be discussing my sex life or anyone else's encounters in the hospital here. Rather I want to discuss the decline in sexual desire and relationships during medical training.

What's that? Doctors and medical students aren't hot and bothered stud and studettes who are humping each other and patients at a rabbit-like pace? Well, no. I’ve heard several times recently and within the last year or so how people have no energy. They have nothing left once they are released from duties and subsequently go home only to fall flat on their faces with exhaustion. Daily routines are disturbed, bills left unpaid, family and friends become strangers while the student or resident recuperates. Couple that with a relationship of any level in which physical intimacy is expected and you can see where hard times can result.

Case in point involves a resident who took it upon herself to discuss married life and residency training with me (I guess as a teaching tool since I’m married and all). She stated that there had been plenty of times where her husband and she fought over a multitude of items including their bawdy behaviors (or lack thereof). All of these were related to her extreme level of fatigue. She was in her 3rd year and had been dealing with this her entire residency and she worried about the impact it was having on their marriage. She had 2 more years to go and her husband had mentioned divorce more frequently as he became more and more frustrated with the life. I’ve heard this same sentiment echoed by numerous residents (both male and female) in various forms.

Medical students as well talk about their normally “impervious” libidos being sapped whilst on arduous rotations – i.e. Surgery, Internal Med, and OB/GYN. Many students who had what they thought were strong relationships found their partner lost because of their sudden asexual behavior. Coming home or waiting patiently for weeks or months (depending) for someone to have the desire to attempt sexual intercourse is enough to bring any relationship aground.

Call it ridiculous, call it chauvinistic, call it shallow, call it implausible, but sex is a real problem for residents and students. We’re a population of young, vibrant, energetic, and intelligent individuals who should be at their sexual prime. However, the rigors of training cause many to become devoid of any such ability. It’s just too much effort when all you want is to rest. Think about that the next time you discuss improving your sexual function or desire with your doctor. Just like sleep, good eating habits, and reducing stress levels, we're as or more guilty when it comes to these unhealthy behaviors.