My husband starts 3rd year rotations on Monday for 6 weeks. We are starting out with a bang ladies! He is getting his surgery rotation out of the way. He has ER surgery for three, followed my trauma surgery. Definitely VERY exciting for him, but just wondering....what were you surgery rotation experiences coming from the wife/girlfriend side? I expect 80hr weeks, and very little husband. (Especially because I also work nights) If I get to see him more than I actually think I am.....GREAT! Just wondered what your experiences are?
Also....we are expecting #2 on October 19th!! (another good reason to get surgery out of the way!)I am also anticipating not having my husband around much, except for my time in the hospital. Although, looking on the bright side, he will have clinic rotations during that time! I don't really have much family that can help out. Some one have some encouragement out there?? :)
Thanks!
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7 comments:
Congratulations on #2! My husband is now a 4th year, finishing up a vacation month (yay!). We also had a baby in DH's 3rd year, our first ;-)
My husband actually ended up doing his surgery block last, which was OK, but I think you will be in much better shape as your husband is getting it out of the way pre-new baby. Of course we were lucky because my son and I essentially packed up shop and left to visit my parents in Atlanta for the last week of OB and the entire surgery rotation, so we were spared much of the gory details ;-)
Surgery/surgical subspecialty/OB was difficult, but totally doable. My husband was probably gone from about 3:30 or 4am and got home around 6:30 or 7pm. He only had to take call once or twice for each of the three rotations, which was nice.
You can do it! Be sure to ask for help from family/friends and find some fun things to do while DH is gone. It will seem like an eternity, but it will be over eventually...and before #2 which is awesome! Good luck :-D
Adam's rotations have been so varied, it's hard to say which ones will be time-intensive and which ones will be less-so. His surgery rotation was not very time-intensive...he was usually done pretty early in the afternoon after arriving early a.m.
The most time-intensive rotation for him was Internal Medicine for 3 months and Intensive Care. I think it totally depends on the hospital and his doc.
We are expecting #2 at the end of October...right in the midst of interviews, etc. Our families live like 23 hours away so I think that my Mom will come up for a couple of weeks and then maybe I'll fly down with our two boys and stay with them some, too.
My husband is starting his second year of an ER residency and it is funny, but it all seems like a huge blur to me now! I remember surgery not being bad at all. I know he had to drive 30 minutes to the place he was rotating, but some days he was off early and others he did work late. The fact that your baby is not here yet is the best thing!! Spend some time with girlfriends and start to focus on the nursery and things you need to get ready for the baby. Once that baby gets here, you will have your hands full and it will be hard to run to the mall, go to the movies and just meet friends for dinner. Take full advantage of time spent alone, because you will wish you could use the bathroom alone in a few months! : ) Now that we are into residency, I am just happy when he has a full day off!! : ) (We have a 2 year old so she keeps me busy!)
My husband is also a 2nd year resident now and I would agree with the comments that some of the other ladies have left. Every rotation is different based on which location you are at, who your staff is, etc. I know there were a couple of rotations that we were dreading, thinking that they would be super busy, and then they turned out to be not too busy. Then there were others we expected to be easy that were super busy. Also, there were certain attendings that we heard were HORRIBLE and my husband really enjoyed working with them.
You seem to have a good attitude about it though. Just enjoy your time together.
Congrats on your expanding family. Although it probably seems really busy to you at this point, my husband and I both agree that med school is the BEST time to have kids. We are having our second this year during his 2nd year of residency and I am sure we will be just fine...but, that said, your husband will still have lots of time to spend with you during most rotations. Just think...not NEARLY as much studying!
To Jeff and Lauren or anyone else: I'm just wondering...why do you say med school is the best time to have kids?
Kari,
Before I say anything more, I need to preface my comments by saying that just like med school experiences, EVERYONE's residency is different based on what hospital and what program. And like in med school, it varies month to month.
BUT, having said all that, I will say that the residency schedule is a LOT more demanding from our experience. For nine months of the first year he was on call every 4th night and had one full weekend off per month, one "black weekend" where he worked both and then one half weekend. He didn't have personal days or sick days to use, just his month off (which we just finished). On top of all that, the responsibility while he is at work is so much heavier that he comes home very tired all the time.
Scared? Don't be. People really made me worry about residency and how terrible it would be but as with anything in life, it is about making adjustments and making the best of the situation you are in. Although there are times that feel miserable and lonely, my husband makes an effort to spend quality time with us and it works.
Still, when I look back and think about how flexible med school rotations were and the the small amount of responsibility-related stress my husband had, I am SOOOOOO glad we had our first child while we were in med school.
Our second baby will be born halfway through his residency and it is going to be very busy because it is a call month for my husband. I do think that a second baby is a bit different though because with the first, there are so many unknowns and you are figuring out what to do with a small person.
Bottom line, you have to decide the right timing for YOUR family. If you decide to do it during residency when your husband is making a small income, then I am sure it will work for you! (You won't know any different anyway!!)
Wow....long comment, sorry!
My husband is now a 2nd year resident, but I remember when he started his surgery rotation. Long hours. Then when he was home he was asleep. There were a few times when I was so upset because I felt if he was home he should participate. I finally realized to just support him and love him. But it passed and eventually he was on an easier rotation!
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