is interesting to say the least, be it the packs of stray dogs and wild horses, the long abandoned boarded up houses and stores or the ER escapee patients carrying their IV bags, the Rez is like no place I've ever been before.
First things first let's break down my living arrangements
I live in a trailer or mobile home on hospital property it is 656 steps door to door ( I know this because I counted them... why you ask, I guess because I was curious, moving on) The trailer itself is much more spacious than I had thought it was going to be, it is on the other hand not the cleanest of places, but livable (there is no housekeeping staff so it is up to the rotating students who cycle through here monthly to keep it clean). There are 6 bedrooms and a common living room and kitchen space. When I first arrived there were 3 Pharmacy students and a Dental student all of whom have now left, a 4th year Medical student from Israel arrived the same day as I did and will be here for 4 weeks.
I walk to the hospital every morning and so far the weather has been really nice, I don't even need a jacket. Although I'm told this is really unusual weather, it's apparently something to do with the warm "Chinook winds" that come down from Canada. Speaking of wind it is really very windy here everyday all day long the wind blows, it's like living in the gorge, and according to the locals this is MILD wind. Anyway I get to watch the sun come up over the plains to the east and looking to the west I see the giant mountains of Glacier Park. It's the best commute I've ever had :)
Even though the hospital is pretty small it took me about two days of scavenger hunting to find all the different departments and be able to navigate from one side to the other without getting lost. It's mostly one level but there are a 3 main corridors with different places off each one, once you get those down your golden.
Every one has been very friendly (aside from the podiatrist, who really isn't even that bad, he just makes a horrible first impression) Dr. Obied (FM) and Dr. Masterton (OB/GYN) have been the best right from the start. It was difficult to get going at first because this is really a self directed rotation as in it's supposed to be my Primary Care rotation but I can go to any department I want. This is a wonderful opportunity but could also be it's downfall, when they say "self directed" they mean it, from start to finish! Granted the orientation is good and they give you a schedule for every practitioner in the hospital but the leg work is all up to you. There is no one to check in with, no one keeps track of your hours, who you work with, what time you leave ect.... you could work 80hrs/wk or 15hr/wk and I doubt anyone would know the difference. So it's completely up to me to make my own schedule with the different Doc's each week. I've watched/assisted in a few surgeries and done some clinic work in FP, Peds, OB/GYN, Rhumatology. That's the coolest and hardest thing about this rotation, just setting up my schedule.
This is my first weekend here and I'm trying to take advantage of the nice weather while it lasts. Today I drove around to the other side (west) of Glacier National Park to drive on the "Going to the Sun" road through the middle of the park but it's closed 16 miles in and it was 25$ entry so I turned around and did some fishing instead. Even though I didn't catch anything it was still very rewarding to spend an hour or two by the side of the Flathead river, breath in that crisp fall mountain air and relax. Tomorrow the medical student and I are driving up to St. Mary's on the east side of "Going to the Sun" road so we can drive up to Logan Pass and hike up to hidden lake.
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