I am now 1 month into my OB/GY internship and it seems that the grapevine was indeed true. While my medicine rotation made me feel responsible and a reasonably competent physician, my job in OB/GY is pretty much redundant. But of course that doesn’t mean that I am not enjoying my rotation, its actually pretty smooth going but just a tad disorganized. Other than that it’s fun and pretty easy with “humane hours” (but inhumane work!!)

So lets start by describing the organization (or disorganization!!) of the department e OB/GY in my LNH. So there are basically around 8 units with each unit having around 8 doctors (needles to say all females!!, for the belief is that एक औरत का दर्द एक औरत ही समझ सकती है So that makes for a humungous 64 doctors – that’s a crowd. Add to that interns (that me) and paramedical staff and suddenly OB/GY seems like a stronghold of doctors. All this in a moderate 3-floor building.

Now comes the hard part. Each unit doesn’t have separate wards where all their patients are accumulated. Rather there is a common septic ward (on ground floor, a weird notion gives it its name. Any pt. with fever is presumed to be in sepsis in our OB/GY. He…He…), post operative (on first) and clean maternity ward (on second, though its cleanliness has always been a matter of debate!!). Now the patients of 8 different units are scattered all over the building. So one ends up climbing up and down the whole day during working hours!! This system is prevalent in many good hospitals like Mayo, with pts. scattered all over the floors, but then the workload is not that huge at such centers as compared to our hospital. And that’s a fact, no denying that. And if that’s not enough, add to that a totally separate gynecology ward in an altogether different building!! So in a day’s job the poor intern (that’s again me) ends up short of breath with legs aching and only one goal in mind, to go home and sleep.

That obviously leaves very little time for studies or other leisurely activities (did I just say that study is a leisurely activity!! Damn so wrong ) But of course that’s compensated by generous post duty offs and offs on holidays and Sundays. But damn when these women get hold of your neck, they suck you dry (double meaning intended!!!).

So what an intern is supposed to do in OB/GY. Easy;

Intern, Intern, yes mama
Taking BPs, yes mama
Telling lies, no mama
Where’s your steth, ha..ha..ha..

(An obituary to “unknown” पीड़ित intern)

That pretty much sums up an OB/GY interns job. So an intern takes morning/evening BPs of around 20-30 patients, sampling daily of around 10 patients, that too at anytime of day and last but definitely not the least… yes you guessed it right (my fellow intern of MAMC) rushing back and forth between blood bank to get the blood released under tat dreadful clause of “urgent life saving”! L And then comes the bonus features – duties in labor room, gyne OT and OB OT (for weirder reason known as septic OT, because its close to septic ward. Huh…) Labor room deserves a mention. That’s one place where I won’t spend rest of my career. Women screaming, paramedical staff shouting as if thunder has descended into them and how can we forget that song of OB/GY residents (लगा..लगा..लगा…) Good thing is that we interns are supposed to roam quietly only making oxytocin, setting IV lines and infusions and making delivery notes. God save from such horrid experiences. The other OTs are relatively smooth going but then no day is complete without a leisurely visit to blood bank.

At no point can one get to assist in OT procedures or deliveries. Not that anyone is interested in OB/GY (at least to my limited knowledge) but the workload is too stupid and too much that at end of day your are glad to be let off and NO I don’t want to be a gynecologist because I personally don’t think it’s a field with good mixture of medical and surgical practice (as is often cited in resumes!!). Quite often one ends up getting medicine referrals for anything and everything not related to mother/fetus, often even controlling PIH!! This of course is a sure shot recipe for confrontation between OB/GY and Internal Medicine and those stupid childish fights are often fun to watch…as long as you are not dragged into it

With such hectic schedules, disorganization, tussle and daily up/down no doubt OB/GY people at end of day tired and irritated. Perhaps that explains the notion that “gynecologists have worst sex lives”!!

And as my Medicine resident commented, its not the OB/GY resident’s fault its just that having to concentrate on such a small perineal area day in and day out does have a toll on mind. Hmm…I hope I would get Scott free of this “perineal syndrome”. Still have a month to go.

BTW Freud’s anal personality stuff seems so apt for gynecologists!! And the way they are in our department, that sure sounds logical, at least to me