Guest Blog: ToMAYto, ToMAHto
I work with with thirty-three different attendings. Who want patients managed, needles held, stitches thrown, lacerations repaired, knots tied thirty-three different ways. It was part of the learning curve, at first, learning which attending liked what, remembering who to call about different problems and learning to not be upset when I didn’t remember who preferred...
Guest Blog: Thank You
Here is a story of probably the nicest thing any patient has ever said to me. I wanted to write it down before I forgot, so I can look back at it on the days that I feel like my work doesn’t matter, an attending berates me, the nurses undermine my work, or there is...
Guest Blog: My White Coat
I was so excited to get my white coat. The White Coat Ceremony was the beginning of medical school, the confirmation that yes, I was going to be a doctor, and I couldn’t wait. As the dean of the program called my name and placed the coat on my shoulders, I smiled…and then noticed that...
Guest Blog: Porcupines on a Plane
As a veterinarian, I like to share my crazy animal stories. This one does not involve me directly, but my husband Max, and our friends, Drs. J and V, fellow veterinarians. J. owns a single engine 6 seater Cessna, and we enjoyed many fun flights together a few years ago, when we lived in Nevada....
Guest Blog: It’s a Man’s, Man’s World
My pants fell down today. I was listening to the lungs of a patient, and she had a toddler, about waist high, who tugged on the drawstring of my scrub pants to tell me something. They puddled on the floor, leaving me to examine my patient in my pink polka-dot panties. How professional. Nobody wants...
Guest Blog: Cat carriers and other torture devices…
There are many reasons why cat owners dread taking their favorite feline to the vet. It is actually difficult to safely get a cat to the clinic. All cat people will agree on that. Cats are smart and they will try to sabotage the operation in any way they can. Placing your cat in a...
Guest Blog: The Imposter
I’m still a little surprised that my name badge says Doctor. I’ve seen prescriptions filled that I’ve written, pausing momentarily to look with surprise and marvel that my name- Dr. A. Kennard- is on the label. And not as the patient. It’s in the top corner; the doctor’s spot on the label. I’m always surprised...
Guest Blog: And it looks like that!
As all medical professionals know, we have some long and stressful days, but we also get a few special moments that make it all worth it. Let me start this story by saying that I am a veterinarian, trained in animal diseases. It is my last appointment of the day. “Check skin,” according to the...
Guest Blog: Lessons can be learned anywhere
The other night I woke to the sound of my 16 month old German Shepherd puppy named Dio clacking my Kiehl’s lip balm top around in his mouth & immediately thought, ‘This would be a good Medelita blog topic: adverse drug reactions.’ After I wrangled the punctured plastic from his mouth, I wondered how much...
Guest Blog: A Month on Labor and Delivery
Day 1: I feel great. Excited for labor and delivery, have my lunch packed and my latte in hand. Hair is brushed, lipstick-ed mouth is smiling. Bring on the month. Day 4: Kinda tired. Thirty-two people are now in the world that were not only a few days ago, and since it was my hands...
Guest Blog: A Few Stories From Labor and Delivery
Once in awhile, the residents get together and just laugh. We have to, with some of these patients. Here are a few stories from this past month’s work: A kind resident goes to evaluate a woman that has presented for multiple times for drug seeking behavior, on the premise of chronic pain. She probably does...
Guest Blog: Snake bite
Hectic Friday morning at our animal hospital. The waiting room is already full with wagging tails and nervous meows, but first I have to make sure that “Bandit” a brave 14 year-old Border Collie mix, fresh from a night at the animal emergency clinic, is in stable condition after he got bit by a Copperhead...
