Happy Teach

If you read this blog, you probably know that I have a new job. No, I am still an Anesthesiologist. That hasn't changed. I have another job. I am the Undergraduate Education Coordinator for the Department of Anesthesiology in Regina. Sounds impressive, right. Not really. There are a lot of emails, and meetings, and emails about meetings. Sometimes, I feel really frustrated that nothing is changing. See, I can't make any changes on my own. As the University of Saskatchewan is our parent program, and we are just a satellite in the "Distributive Model of Learning", I must comply with what they want and see fit. I have a lot of ideas and passion, and a lot of the time I just feel like the program is stagnant. Everyone is busy, and stuff just takes TIME.

However, lately I have felt very fulfilled with my new position. I have been fortunate to have a really great bunch of students come through our program lately. Not all of them want to do Anesthesia. In fact, not a single one lately wants to do Anesthesia, but they are all interested. They can all see the value in what we do and how it can impact the rest of their careers, and patient care. They have been keen, interested, and generally fun to be around! So, that in itself has been rewarding.

But it is even better than that! First off, I have seen that some of what I am saying to the students is actually sinking in! They are LEARNING! I worked with a resident today and he remembered a lot of what we talked about the time before. That is really what this job is about - imparting knowledge.

Then, there is the fact that by being around students, it helps me to take a look at my own knowledge and my own practice. Why do I do the things I do? How can I have forgotten that much information in such a short time (it was only 3 years since my Royal College Exam!!). It is a great motivator to continue to learn when you fear that you might look like an idiot in front of a student. Teaching forces you to stay current and in the know.

Finally, there are the other perks. I have met students who, like me, are Celiacs and are constantly in search for great Gluten Free recipes. It has been great to bond with those people and swap stories and recipes (gotta love networking, however it happens ;) ). And, last but not least, I have been nominated for Teacher of the Year in Regina!!!!!! I love to teach, but was always worried I wasn't any good. You know, sometimes you just aren't into it. Just like sometimes they aren't into learning, I get it. So, to even have the priviledge of being nominated is so incredibly flattering. When I heard that, it just made my day! Heck, I could ride that wave for months!

A conference over

Well, the weekend is over, and it was a success. We had 75 people attend the lectures on Saturday day. That is way more than I expected! The speakers were really good, and if I hadn't have been so preoccupied with everything going smoothly, I would have really learned something! ;)
The Friday night "Meet and Greet" put on by the district was also a success. It was very well attended by both the residents and the Regina staff. The food was really good, and the alcohol flowed. Even though I didn't really have much to do with the event on Friday, I still felt very proud.
The Saturday night event, however, was a flop. What was supposed to be about 46 people ended up being only 33 (paid for by 29). The food was really good, and the band was great, but it just wasn't well attended. The main problem was the residents. At the last minute, a lot of them decided not to come (even though they had told me they were and so we had to pay for that). I took it personally that they didn't want to come, but honestly, I can't blame them really. If I didn't have to go to a dinner with a bunch of staff people, would I have gone? Or, would I have just gone out somewhere with the other residents?
I decided not to attend the Resident's Research Day for the same reason the residents didn't attend Saturday night. I didn't want to. Why would I waste my time listening to boring research? I did attend the meeting (being the Secretary of the division), though, which was productive. We learned that the residents are NOT required to attend the educational day at all, but it was always linked to the research day in hopes that it would be better attended by the staff. Well, tit for tat, I say. If they attended the other stuff, I might be more interested in going to their stuff. Whatever. Anyway, I really wonder once the residents actually know this just how many of them will attend next year. I bet not ALL of them will (i. e. attendance will drop). We'll see.
Regardless, despite the bitterness I feel towards what I felt was a slight by the residents on the Saturday night, the weekend was a success. I had people tell me they thought it was the "best Bev Leech ever!", and not just my husband (who sort of has to tell me that).
It is just one more thing I can put on my not-so-impressive CV to improve it a bit.
My hard work paid off!

Brotherhood and Anesthesia

It is funny how people seem to band together about certain things. Whether they are knitting circles, 4H clubs, or the NFA, commonalities tie us together. And so it is for running. As I was running the trail that I often run, I would come across people. I am a friendly person, and I say hello to everyone, but not everyone is the same. However, you can be certain that if you are running (and seeming to work hard at it), and another runner comes across you, you will get a least a nod, sometimes a hello, and often a big smile. At first, I thought it was just a nice lady across the street from me who waved and said hello, then again and again people along the trail would say hello. By the end of my run, besides feeling tired but proud of running 12 km, I felt like I had joined some kind of elite club. No wonder people frequent places like the "Running Room", they are looking for some of that comraderie even when not on the trails (because they certainly don't have much for stock). It is almost like we know that we all share the same love-hate relationship with the mistress named running. The distance, the sweat, the blisters on our feet, and the desire to continue to strive to be faster and go farther.

On an entirely different topic, I was pleasantly surprised yesturday. We got some Anesthesia journals in the mail and I started randomly flipping through them. My interest was immediately peaked by several of the articles. I had to sit down at once and read through them, exclaiming my surprise and delight at the author's findings to my husband. Yes, I am still a geek. And yes, despite 6 weeks off, my fire is still lighted by my profession. Maybe I miss work more than I think! I think it will be good to eventually go back to work. It will be great to decide what exactly is MY practice and not have someone correct me on that. It will be an adventure, nonetheless.