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.

When "the patient" is a member of your family

Every day we step into the hospital and we experience the realities of life. The rawness of human emotion, of pain, of joy, of family, of living, of dying. We have endured years of training in able to cope with these complexities of the human condition. With more experience we learn what to say and how to act. This is how we daily participate in the lives of others, our patients.

My goal as a physician is treat each one of my patient's as if they were someone in my family. This ensures that for each new person that I greet I do so at my very best. The bottom line though is that my patients are not really members of my family. What happens when the patient is? When someone of utmost significance in your life is the one in the gown?

I have seen it in medical school and in residency where colleagues of mine have had to very impressively push through the academic rigor while going through personal devastation with a sick/dying relative. This has happened to me as well. We, as doctors (along with our families), are NOT immune to the very thing that we spend our careers chasing after (PERFECT HEALTH).  Where in all of our training are we prepared to deal with that?

This past week I lost my grandmother to COPD. She was such an example of strength and all that is good in this world. She was an accomplished nurse (trained during world war II) and one of the reasons that I went into medicine in the first place. My mother is also an AMAZING nurse practitioner and human being. These two women have taught me more in my life than most.  It is through watching them, that I have become who I am.

My mother really deserves all of the credit of what I am about to say, because she has lived it these past few months/weeks. As she demonstrated, we as healthcare practitioners, have an advantage for ourselves and our families in that we TRULY understand what is going on. We are realistic and accustomed to facing grave issues of life and death and prognosis and hospitalizations.

However, what I have learned in the past few weeks is that first and foremost you must be there for your loved one as FAMILY. You must remove your MD/RN title and way of being. Listen. Care. Laugh. Cry. Help. Contribute. Ask questions. Be a part of the healthcare decisions, but know when to step back. 

When the patient was my grandmother, all she really needed was for me to put ICY HOT on her legs, and I did just that.

My dear Grandma,
Thank you for your kindness, love, patience, and all the things that you have taught me. You will be missed! XO

I will forever greet each new patient as if they were you...

Sail Away with HOSPITALstyle

If you are in medicine you are likely in need of a vacation, desperately! Some time away from the constant buzz of cardiac monitors and IV fluids, the demands/pain/and high emotions of your patients, and the realities of life/sickness/and death that we deal with on a daily basis.

A HOSPITALstyle approved vacation idea is a week aboard your own YACHT in the caribbean.

Amaryllis

This is a great idea because it is an easy destination to get to from all airports in the US, it can be done in a cost effective manner, you can spend quality time with people you rarely see, you may have your own captain and cook aboard in order to maximize your rest and relaxation.

The good news is...that I am leaving for my sailing vacation aboard AMARYLLIS in less than 2 weeks and having organized this trip in the midst of intensive care rotations I can attest to the ease of making this dream vacation a reality.

• Step 1: Decide when you can escape the hospital
• Step 2: Stir up some interest with friends/family
• Step 3: Set aside some money
• Step 4: Contact the following people with your price range and your dates

 http://www.mainsailcharters.com/  (kevin@mainsailcharters.com)
 http://www.bvicrewedyachts.com/ (cysofbvi@surfbvi.com)

They will email boats who have availability during your dates and then it is up to you to decide.

• Step 5: Send out an email to your friends recruiting them for a week aboard a yacht in the Caribbean (believe me this adventure sells itself).

• Step 6: Decide where you want to sail (British Virgin Islands is recommended for first time sailors. The islands are closer together and the water is calm. I have also sailed in The Grenadines, which are further apart, less populated and more exotic)
• Step 7: Place a deposit, and iron out details on MENU/PRICES/FLIGHTS

I  booked our boat through Mainsail Yacht Charters and Kevin ( a former airline pilot) as been an amazing guide through this process. He is highly recommended. Contact him Kevin@mainsailcharters.com or me @ HOSPITALstyle@gmail.com with any questions.

I set sail on February 28th and will be sure to tell you all about it when I return. Can't wait to escape the Hospital!

HOSPITALstyle Feature: Winter Accessories

It is that time of year when the winter is starting to sink in. Lots of snow on the ground. Less daylight. Lots of fractures seen in the ER secondary to slippery ice. Winter is one of my favorite seasons for fashion. Here are a few winter fashion finds that make the cold a bit more bearable.

I am obsessed with the open finger gloves.
These are from American Apparel (12.00).
http://store.americanapparel.net/ 



UGG Lynnea clog boots. 
Great for navigating snow-laden sidewalks in comfort. (180.00)
http://www.uggaustralia.com/womens/index.aspx

Kenneth Lane Jewelry.
Perfect for adding some color to a dreary day.
http://kennethjaylanesales.com/kjl-the-story/








Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay fashionable.

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.

5 Tips for Planning a Wedding During Residency

Shauna and Matey

My dear friend Shauna (who I met on an orthopedics rotation) recently married in the last month of her intern year. I asked her to share 5 Tips for those of you who are also planning your big day amidst the craziness of residency. This is what she writes...
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SHAUNA:
Planning a wedding during residency might not seem like the best
timing, but in medicine (especially in my field of Emergency Medicine) we know all too well that life can be unpredictable.  I met my fiancee in my fourth year of medical school, he proposed soon after, and we didn’t have much time to plan a wedding before our big move across the pacific ocean and to New York City for residency.

We wanted our wedding in Hawaii where our families still live and to have it in the summer (during my only vacation). The challenge was ahead... planning a wedding thousands of miles away during my intern year.  Sound impossible? I thought so at first, but it ended up being better than I could have imagined. Here are some tips that I picked up along the way...

1. OUTSOURCE, OUTSOURCE, OUTSOURCE.
As a doctor; you are probably accustomed to not asking for help and handling situations all on your own; however, this is not the time. There is no time to do it all, so I suggest you use your friends and family as much as possible. Get in contact with that friend from college who majored in communications, design or fashion and now, while you are working 80 hours a week, seems to somehow have all the time in the world. The one who is talking about the awesome art exhibit going on, or being FACEBOOK tagged while doing tequila shots at that new bar that you can never make it to.. This allows you to utilize your friend’s skills and at the same time creates an opportunity to see him/her . I had a friend who works in fashion help me scout out the best boutiques for wedding dress shopping, and she also did my alterations for free. Another friend, who majored in web design created our wedding website; and my chef friend designed our menu. Also, get your physically fit friend to be your personal motivator/trainer to stick to your wedding diet and exercise regime. Tell them that their help and time is the only wedding gift you will accept. Make sure to schedule any meetings about wedding details at that great new bar or restaurant they have been raving about so you can finally have a glimpse of their glamorous lifestyle while working on the wedding.


2. AS A PHYSICIAN YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN TO CALL IN A SPECIALIST. 
It is essential that you hire a “day of” wedding coordinator. I initially thought I could get away without one, but I am so glad I eventually came to my senses. Most charge $1000-2000, which seems like a lot to spend for one day of work, but my day-of coordinator was worth her weight in gold. Talk to friends that have hired a day-of coordinator for their own weddings, or find a good one on yelp.com or wedding websites like theknot.com. My coordinator prevented many disasters from happening, and pulled together all the
details of the wedding day beautifully.

3. CHECK IN WITH YOUR FIANCEE AND DIVIDE THE TASKS. Often when wedding planning one person finds themselves taking the reigns, while the other partner may end up feeling left out or under-represented. You already have very little time with your fiancee as it is being a resident; don’t let the wedding become a third wheel. Even if your partner states he or she has very little interest in the wedding planning; give your fiancee free reign over aspects that they find most interesting. For instance, my fiancee could care less about place settings, or flowers, but he wanted to be in charge of the band, the play list, and the alcohol. Make sure that both of you are involved, and try your best not to let wedding details become a source of discontent on the home front.


4. YOU MUST SPEND SOME TIME NOT WORKING AND NOT PLANNING.
Balance is important; you don’t want to expend all of your energy on one day and hate the other 364 days in the process. Your free time is vital and limited; use some of it doing something totally unrelated to work, or
wedding planning to develop the other aspects of your life and relationships.


5. DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF.
Seriously, you work in an environment where people live and die every day, you have witnessed much more in the last few years than most people will see in their entire lives. Your experience in medicine gives you a unique insight that allows you to see beyond the minutia (to put the inner bridezilla at bay). Yes, you might be a type A personality; partially how you got through medical school, but remember your patient’s need your attention to detail, so let the wedding planning be the more relaxed and enjoyable part of your life.

In retrospect, the time I spent on insignificant details was not really worthwhile at all. I can’t recall what color the ribbons around my roses were. I don’t really remember what font I used for the program, or who sat where and how many forks each person had… what I do remember is the look in my fiancee’s eyes when I walked into the church, the words my dad whispered to me as he escorted me down the isle, and the crazy dance moves that my 90 year old great uncle bill threw out on the dance floor to “sexyback”.

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Congrats to Shauna and Matey!
Thank you for contributing to HOSPITALstyle.

(If you would like to write for HOSPITALstyle send me an email to HOSPITALstyle@gmail.com)

The Perfect Christmas Gift for a Doctor you know...

 It is that time of year again, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, filled with anticipation and holiday parties. Meanwhile, there are even more patients in the hospital and you are working extra hard with the hope that you will have at least one of the holidays with your family and not on call in an intensive care unit. What do you do with little time to shop? I think that for many of us, online shopping is really the way to go. And for the doctor-(friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, sister/brother, mother/father, son/daughter, fiancee, not really defined colleague) in your life I have the perfect no-fail HOSPITALstyle approved x-mas present.

Buy them a pair of TOMS shoes to wear with their scrubs!


The story behind TOMS (shoes for tomorrow) is that their founder Blake Mycoskie after a trip to Argentina decided to form a company that is socially driven by the concept ONE for ONE. He designed a shoe inspired by the traditional alpargata shoe in Argentina and decided that for every shoe he sells, that he will give away one pair to a child in need around the world.

I have had a pair of TOMS for 3 years and love wearing them with my scrubs. I have given them as gifts and they are always a BIG hit! We spend our lives helping people on a daily basis within hospital hallways, so why not help one more child while shopping for Christmas presents.

TOMS shoes website www.toms.com

TOMS shoes are good for the sole and integrate a great cause into your HOSPITALstyle. They prevent injury to feet, prevent disease, and allow kids around the world to go to school in shoes. The perfect Christmas gift for the doctor you love!