Renal Penal

So, alas, my sub-internship in internal medicine continues...continues to reaffirm my desire to do psychiatry. While pathophysiology is fascinating, and differential diagnoses are wonderfully challenging, I can say whole heartedly, "Thanks but, hell no."

This line of thinking was further exacerbated by our new attending. This guy is apparently a world renown kidney expert. The sort that breaks down complex electrolytes with a wave of his index and slight raise of his eyebrow. He is sharp, impatient, a bit sarcastic, Armenian, and prototypically old (imposingly opinionated without much censorship).

After difficulty attaining an inpatient psychiatry consult on one of our obviously depressed and attention-seeking patients, our attending pauses, glances flippantly over his shoulder than speaks.

"I have had providence. My son went into psychiatry after medical school. I will say nothing about psychiatry." This of course said everything. After a meeting with my international health mentor, a psychiatrist, my attending inquired seemingly benignly, "How was your meeting?" After my initial cordial response, he all but asserted psychiatry was a think of the past, and couldn't see why anyone, much less his psychiatrist son, would waste their time on...that.

I know enough old folk to know that I'm not going to change his opinion, and that probably has more to do with his past experiences than with me personally. Plus, how can one describe vermillion to the blind, or universal passion to Republicans. Some things can never be changed.

Speaking of crazy, I'm on night call tonight...Friday night! Aye. It was particularly poignant when I visited the psychiatry department and was sent off with a 'have a great weekend.' Ouch. Just a little more and I'll be free.

21 days and 11 hours until its over.