Block 1- Done...

So today was the end of my first rotation on the EMTALA service, which is a team of doctors that cover the "no doc" patients in the hospital. It was a fairly interesting rotation, and certainly I learned a lot. However, today was the culmination of a few things- first of all, I did an admission for a very sick guy obviously dying of Pancreatic Cancer and my attending applauded me for my admission and notes. He said my medical knowledge is top notch but I need to work on being more efficient, which comes with time for sure. Secondly, I discharged two people in the course of an hour, coordinating their dicharge, follow-up appointments and medications, including difficult tapers and substitutions. Then, I met with a lady of mine who came in with some cellulitis, and we got her to quit smoking. Today was day #5 without a cigarette, and she said that she feels like a new person- we have helped her "change her life". And on top of that, she wants ME to be her personal doctor. Me, her doctor. WOW. What an honor to be chosen. And before I left her room today she gave me a big hug for getting her an appointment to see me in 2 weeks at my clinic. That hug made my day.