got my first two patients!

I technically got them yesterday, and I still haven't seen them yet, but I'm still pretty happy about it. We actually see patients every day, and I've been able to talk to any that I've felt like. But, these are the first two that I'm assigned to, and I'll be interacting with them more than any others. Each week, we'll be getting one more added to the list. So far, I've only read their charts. But, since the patients on my unit have usually spent years in and out of psych units, they have long charts! It's amazing how normal some of these people seem, until you get into their chart. With some of them, the psychosis comes out quickly, once you start talking to them. And, there are a couple that never seem normal, even when they're just walking around. The King of Africa guy has now changed his story...he is now the king of the world, an 8-zillionaire, and has white, black, chinese, and martian children. No, I am not lying about that last one and yes, he was serious. This is just a small sampling of what we hear in a day.

But, despite their psychosis, many of them are very friendly. When I walk in in the morning, I am almost always greeting by a couple of them, and many of them make sure to say goodbye when they see me walking out. Most of them are also usually more than willing to talk to you and answer just about anything you ask. Their answers may or may not make any sense, but they'll do their best.

I'm also liking my attending more. Although he does assign us homework nearly every night, it's not difficult or time consuming, and it seems like he's mostly concerned that you put a little effort into it, not so much if it's right or wrong. He also allows us more interaction with the patients than other attendings I've heard of. You do have to ask to do things and you kind of figure things out on your own, but he hasn't said no yet, and is always more than willing to answer questions or let you talk to patients. And, while I don't love any lecture, the few we've had so far have been useful and mostly interesting (we get 1 or 2 a week, and they're about 2 hrs).

Also, head on over to Trixie's site, to make sure she doesn't up and disappear!