A Caribbean Adventure

A few short weeks ago I was in desperate need of a vacation and I posted an article about how to escape the HOSPITAL by planning a week aboard a yacht in the Caribbean. I am back this week, refreshed, and well-tanned.

British Virgin Islands

A special Thanks goes out to Bruce and Laura (The owners of Amaryllis) for making it a week to remember!! And to Kevin at Mainsail Yacht Charters for helping me organize amidst a very busy schedule in the hospital.

Our Itinerary:

Friday Feb 25: Flight to San Juan
Saturday Feb 26: Jeep rental, drive through rainforest, surfing in Rincon (on the west coast), salsa dancing
Sunday Feb 27: Flight to Saint Thomas, lounge by pool, nap, fancy dinner @ Havana Blue
Monday Feb 28: Board Amaryllis @ noon. Meet friends on board. Unpack. Sail to St. John
Tuesday March 1: Run on St. John. Sail to Tortola and then to Norman Island.
Wednesday March 2: Scuba dive in Norman Island. ( Saw a shark!). Boat to Cooper's Island with Dinner ashore.
Thursday March 3:Run/ Explore Virgin Gorda.
Friday March 4:Virgin Gorda. Dock in Tortola. Dinner & Live Music ashore.
Saturday March 5:  Morning Yoga on the boat (Thanks Steph!). Jost Van Dyke. Snorkel with sea turtles. Dinner and live music @ FOXY's.
Sunday March 6: Morning swim. Clear customs in St. John. Sail to St. Thomas. Bid farewell to Amaryllis. Fly back to NYC.

This was a vacation that surpassed expectations. Having lived and traveled extensively in the Caribbean, this is by far the best way to see and explore the islands. There are many options to consider when planning such an adventure. To see my earlier post about how to plan your own click the following link:

 http://hospitalstyle.blogspot.com/2011/02/sail-away-with-hospitalstyle.html

Neil, Eric, Me, Steph, Courtney, Matt

Virgin Gorda

Aboard Amaryllis

As Healthcare professionals we are always taking care of everyone else and their needs are before our own. Take time to travel, to explore, and to marvel in the beauty of something outside of the operating room. It makes us better for our patients, our families, and our friends. Take your HOSPITALstyle outside to play!

Email me HOSPITALstyle@gmail.com for more information on setting up your own Caribbean adventure.

2011: A New Year for HOSPITALstyle.

Happy New Year from HOSPITALstyle!

I ended 2010 with two months in the ICU. This meant that I had to create a miracle to get time off for Christmas.  In the world of medicine, especially during residency, making it home for the holidays is quite a daunting task.  With that said, let me tell you why.

I had requested the December 24, 25, and 26th off  in order to fly home to be with the people I care about.  The ICU schedule was to come out December 15th and flight prices were climbing steadily so I preemptively purchased a flight for December 24 in hopes that a miracle would take place. Miracle = post-call on Christmas Eve.

When the ICU schedule arrived, I had been granted the 23-25th. In order to make XMAS flight I switched 7 days of my schedule with another resident (Thanks Alex!). This is how it played out..

Thursday Dec. 23rd: Arrive @ hospital 7 am, work all day, on call overnight.

Friday Dec. 24th: Sign out patients early @ 6:30 am, rush to La Guardia to make 9 am flight.

Sat Dec. 25th: Celebrate XMAS.


Sun Dec. 26th: Blizzard in NYC. Flight canceled. Spend night in airport hotel.

Mon Dec. 27th: Supposed to be back in ICU. Rescheduled flight again canceled. Unable to fly into New York City until Thursday December 30th. Fly into D.C. arriving @ Midnight. Take overnight train @ 3 AM into NYC. Arrive in city @ 7 AM. Go directly to hospital with luggage.

Tues Dec. 28th: Work Full day in ICU. Public transport delayed. Walk to 1.5 miles to subway station in 6 feet of snow (uphill..just kidding) with luggage for a 2 hour commute to my apartment (not kidding).

This example is a quick snapshot of my 2010. If you are like me, we are so busy taking care of our patients that there is little time to take care of ourselves.  My goal for 2011 is more sleep, more exercise, more balance.  When we are able to take better care of ourselves, we are able to better care for our patients.

More sleep: Most important time spent outside of the hospital. Get a sound/white noise machine. Invest in a new bed. Set a schedule as if you were still in grade school (8:30 pm lights out).


More exercise: Keep your cardiovascular pump in shape. Quality over quantity. Try and integrate a 30 minute workout/run into your routine at least 3-4 times a week. Mix it up. Go dancing. Go skiing/snowboarding. Try and pick activities to do with your friends outside of the hospital that require activity.


More balance: Less street corner Gyros on your 15 min break during your day. More salads and making healthy meals ahead of time to bring to the hospital. Leave 10 minutes earlier than normal in order to avoid commuter stress. Plan ahead. Take vacation. Avoid being entirely consumed by hospital happenings.

Let's get 2011 started the right way. The HOSPITALstyle way.