SI-- WEEK FORTY THREE

I officially completed my last over-night / 28hr shift as a medical student! It was also (by far!) the best call night we've had this month. What makes a call night a good one? The admissions we had were fairly evenly spaced through the shift, I was able to eat dinner at a time most people would consider "normal", our last admission was around 1am or so, new patients were generally aware of the medical problems and medications, I was able to take a 1 1/2 hour nap on the couch in the lounge before morning rounds, no one left "against medical advice" or required "medical holds", no one that wanted an attempt at resuscitation died, and the other patients in the hospital had very few needs!

It's amazing how different it feels when you get a nap overnight and you work at a fairly normal pace! I came home and only need a 2 hour nap before I was able to get up and be functional. Instead of lounging the rest of the evening on the couch, T and I were able to go out for dinner and spend some more time researching the cities we will visit next month. I think call nights must give me an extra appreciation for food because these are a couple of the iPhone pictures over the past 24 hours since my last shift:

late-night snack  |  Salween Thai

One of our big debates on our trip is whether to visit Piazza dei Miracoli & climb the Torre pendente di Pisa:

Has anyone been? Is it worth the day trip from Florence? Or should we maximize our time there?

It's still so crazy that this Thursday will be my last day I work as a student. Although I've been essentially functioning as a resident for this past year, it's still surreal. I am so thankful I've had this "tweener" year to better prepare me for June 1 when I start signing my own orders and writing my own prescriptions. I've never been one to appreciate graduation ceremonies, the post-ceremony celebration has always been where I find closure, but I'm starting to look forward our hooding and commencement ceremony. I'm even more excited that my sister will complete her degree at the same time! She is such a hard worker and will make the best Speech Language Pathologist

Have a great week!

xo,

Krista