Today, Carson and I made the trek to Chanute. I got up very early (well, early for a fourth year; third year, I would have called 6:30 AM sleeping in) to get an oil change and then left in time to meet my preceptor for his afternoon clinic. I love the town, and my preceptor is wonderful. So far, it's a win-win!
During the fourth year of medical school, every student is required to complete a rural rotation. It has to be in a small-ish town, not in Johnson, Wyandotte, or a few other counties. It also must be over 45 miles away from a tertiary care center to "eliminate the urban influence." Most students go to a family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics or general surgery position. I was lucky enough to be matched with an OB/GYN. Chanute is also only about two hours away from Kansas City (some students have to travel at least 6 hours away). I was already familiar with the town since I went to college in Southeast Kansas. The physician I am working with is one of two OBs in town, and does many deliveries along with gynecologic procedures, with a special interest in urogynecology. He stated I can do whatever I feel comfortable with. Within two hours of arriving in Chanute, we were already delivering a baby. He also has two surgeries scheduled tomorrow that I am able to scrub in for. Being away from home is hard, but significantly less so when babies are being born and the operating room is calling my name! (When he let me know I could eat for free in the cafeteria, I realized I had hit jackpot in terms of rural rotation assignments!) He is a very laid back, intelligent and enthusiastic OB who I know I will learn a ton from. It's going to be a great month!
I was also pleasantly surprised to arrive at the house the hospital provides for medical students and residents. It is a nice sized home across the street from the hospital, with a lower level and separate second level apartment. The walk from the house to labor and delivery is shorter than from ANY parking spot I've ever had at KU Med! I am the lucky one who gets the two bedroom, one bathroom lower level, stocked with a big kitchen, huge living area with cable, and a washer and dryer! I did have to laugh when I saw the fireplace mantle though. Apparently, I have some reading to do:
I must apologize for the poor quality. My camera died and I had to rely on the not-so-excellent Blackberry camera. Either way, you get the drift. Two books about George Bush's faith and one about the journey of self discovery. I think I will stick to ACOG practice bulletins or The Other End of the Leash, a great book about dog AND human training that my friend Erin recommended (for any dog lovers out there, I highly recommend it!)
Speaking of dogs, I suppose I will end with the mandatory Carson pictures. Here he is, enjoying some snuggle time with me in Chanute:
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