You need to get a jobby job

All three of you that read this blog already know this, but I've accepted a job here in Norfolk. I know, we've always said we weren't staying, but it just happened. During the job search, a fellowship position opened up here, and I got it. With all the years of explaining what residency means, I have now entered a whole new level of complexity. I feel this is best explained by compairing my position to those on the completely asinine TV medical dramas.

For our first 4 years in Norfolk, I was a medical student. These rarely show up on TV, but one did play a significant role on ER as one of Abby's suitors. I don't know his name, but he was on for a few shows, wound up asking her out, and caused a little inner-turmoil as she had to decide between him or Luca. At the end of my time as a med student, I had to decide what kind of doctor I wanted to be. I chose emergency medicine. At graduation, I officially became a doctor (this simply refers to a degree).

The next year, I was an intern(aka 1st year resident). This equals Meredith, Izzy, et al on the first year of Grey's Anatomy. That year is spent doing a lot of scut work, taking orders from more senior residents, and all the while trying to learn as much as fast as possible so as not to kill anybody (which is a distinct possibility).

For the next two years until residency is over, I'm a resident. This equals Meredith, Izzy, et al now. More responsibility and more leeway to kill patients (still very possible).

Here is where it gets really complicated. I am approaching the end of my residency. Up till now, I have been riding the coat tails of my attendings, working under what is dubbed a provisional license. This pretty much means my attendings are responsible for all my bad decisions. They can chew me out at their liberty, of course. However, at the end of this year (June), I will have my own license to practice medicine. I call my own shots. I'm responsible for my own mistakes. After residency, most residents go on to get a job in a community hospital, without residents, just patients. They are attending physicians.

I, on the other hand, have elected to become a fellow. I still have completed residency, I still am responsible for my own mistakes, but I've also decided to spend more time learning. The only fellow I can think of on TV was Elliot on scrubs. She took an endocrinology fellowship after residency, but then got fired and came back to Sacred Heart. My fellowship is in emergency ultrasound. I won't go into that too much. I've already written more in this blog than I ever have before. I hope that clears things up.

Note: I do not know who I am compared to the characters on House, MD. The best I can tell, those guys are internal medicine physicians, but they do a strange amount of surgery too. And I can't figure out where they are in their training. I assume the ones not named House are residents, but their job is way too cushy for that.