Zach from Water, to Water

[ZachPSU]

Hello Druids:

 

Well, I've been a First time challenger, a 2-time rebel, a warrior, and now a druid.  

 

The past 5 challenges have taken me from being a student on my final clinical rotation, that rotation being terminated prematurely due to COVID, boards being postponed due to COVID, being unable to work, ultimately fighting to get a seat for boards, passing boards, navigating a tumultuous healthcare job market, and finally (last week) landing a full time job.  I feel like I have been tossed by an angry sea for months and have finally been heaved onto shore somewhere, the sun is shining, but my clothes dry with salt-water stiffness and I am weary.  I'm thankful to have been washed to some sort of stability, and I am solemn for the majority of my classmates, friends, and former bosses in the clinical settings because most of them are still unemployed or furloughed.  

 

Still, I am exhausted.  My patience is short at home, and I am not at my best.  I want to cleanse and start my new profession off with my best foot forward.  I start next Monday once my insurance credentialing pushes through for billing and whatever they have to do.

 

I figure Druids is as good a place as any to go now as I continue my tour around the guilds.  

 

GOALS

1) Meditate, or otherwise chill-the-hell-out.  By the end of the day with the 2 kids I have been at my wits end, and zone out with some blue-screen stimulation. Either a show, a sporting event, or my phone.  That's okay, but I know I also need to just clear my mind.  This is my best time to do it.  I'm going to try to start with babysteps of being conscious of my phone use at night and limit it to no more than 5 minutes per hour, consolidated.

 

2) Journal.  I've learned about something called Imposter Syndrome lately.  It is apparently very common in the medical professional community where we just start to feel like we don't actually know the things we need to know, that we actually aren't qualified, etc.  Maybe its first job jitters, but I think journaling to be honest with myself about these feelings will be good.  I will try to score at least 5 days a week of a post here identifying a feeling I felt today.  A win, and a not-win.  "I felt great when I identified 2 special tests that were positive for this patient", or "I felt like a total noob when I couldn't generate more than one differential diagnosis for a case."

 

3) Workout/Nutrition.  I've been steadily fitness pal'ing with my wife and lost about 12 pounds or so and I am nearing a happy point for me, so i can resume a clean bulk soon.  Going to stick with the cut for another 2 weeks though, because technically this was to be my 10th week of the cut, we really went off the rails last weekend and I'm feeling it.  So I want to work that back out.  In addition to that, continue with my 3 day/week maintenance PPL program which is generally not a struggle for me, and then in 2 weeks switch to a 5 day/week PPL bulk.

 

 

It's nice to meet all of you and I look forward to us all sharing our success and struggles.

 

 

[iatetheyeti]

I don't envy you being in the industry you are at a time like this, no wonder you're exhausted. Your plans for combatting it, however, look sound. I particularly like your journaling plan. Always got to acknowledge the wins, however small they may be

 

[Scaly Freak]

On 10/20/2020 at 12:58 PM, ZachPSU said:

I figure Druids is as good a place as any to go now as I continue my tour around the guilds.  

 

Another Warrior visiting the Druids! Excellent, welcome, welcome.

 

There is a nice and peaceful grove right over there, that's very restful for journaling  and meditation.

[darkfoxx]

Hello and welcome! Glad to have you Druid-ing along  

[ZachPSU]

Welp, I've been busy!

 

First check-in after missing a few days.

 

Win for the day: Made great connections with both of my evals today on a level that should bring them back to therapy when we can do more fun stuff.

 

Not-a-win (NAW): Felt totally deer-in-the-headlights chasing a shoulder impingement on the first eval.  There is a whole lot of rust getting knocked off right now, but I'm going to get my head around it.

 

Here's to doing better!

[ZachPSU]

Win: Did some IASTM (scraping tendons with what looks like a wicked butterknife) for the first time, didn't kill anyone and didn't get cussed at.

 

NAW: Got the different approaches for hip replacements mixed up with my boss just as I was going through someones second visit after their THA.  I was doing the right things, just couldn't identify the right approach.  He wasn't quizzing me like a jerk or anything, but it was just something that came up and then I wished I had known them better given I was currently working with someone with their new hip.

[ZachPSU]

Win: Generated some new creative exercises for a post-op ACL that had a failed hamstring graft from too-aggressive PT at a prior location.

 

NAW: Have not been communicating well at home, maybe had my head in the sand with the new job and sponging up everything at work.

[Scaly Freak]

How's the new job treating you? Still getting settled in?