October 20, 2007, Issue #2

Editor's Comments President's Corner Resident Space Laughter Therapy WIM 2008 Conference Update Donations to WIM Joys and Sorrows WIM Lavender Legacy Circle Classifieds

Editor's Comments To submit articles, announcements, or pictures please e-mail Mindy with "WIM Newsletter" in the subject heading — myoungspint@ucdavis.edu. If you have any suggestions for columns or other features, please also feel free to contact me. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this newsletter! Mindy Young-Spint, MSIV Editor

President's Corner

Welcome to our second issue of WIM News, full of updates about and musings from the WIM community!

WIM 2007 was a tremendous success, thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended — but of course! Held in Burlington, VT on the banks of gorgeous Lake Champlain, the weather couldn't have been nicer. Drs. Mara Vijups, Kim Boyman, and Cynthia Smith outdid themselves, planning and executing a scholastically stellar conference. Just a few of the academic highlights include Susan Love's plenary "Out of the Closet and Out on a Limb: Reflections of an Iconoclastic Lesbian," Beth Robertson's legal review "Freedom to Marry Update," and Nanette Gartrell's "Where Do We Draw the Line? Boundaries for Lesbian Physicians." Children and adults alike enjoyed a fun-filled evening of Contra Instruction and Dancing. Lucie Blue Tremblay serenaded us with her dulcet tones the following evening. And on the final night, we enjoyed a soothing dinner cruise on the lake, which transformed into a high-energy evening of dancing.

Currently Drs. Patty Robertson and Elizabeth Harrison are busily working on WIM 2008 — our 25th anniversary conference! It's amazing to realize that WIM has been a vital part of our lives for so many years, supporting us through our careers, enriching our relationships and families, growing and changing as we've grown and changed. WIM 2008 will be held at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA, July 9-13. Please see Patty Robinson's updates below.

We're also busy at work improving on-going communication between WIM attendees. After a few glitches, our Listserv is up and running smoothly, allowing folks to share thoughts, ideas, and updates. If you're not currently on the listserv and would like to sign up, please send an e-mail with the message "Subscribe me" to WIM-subscribe@womeninmedicine.org. Our Newsletter will be a twice-annual feature, both via e-mail and (as of this issue) via regular postal mail. Please don't hesitate to send us any submissions c/o Mindy Young-Spint, MD, Newsletter Editor, myoungspint@ucdavis.edu. Articles, ads, and announcements are always welcome.

That brings me to our Website — which needs a lot of work and energy. As an all-volunteer organization, we depend on the expertise and free-time of our Board Members and others invested in the future of this organization. We have many goals for the website — in addition to keeping it vibrant, engaging, and alive — but we don't have enough woman-power to make this a reality. If anyone is interested in helping out, please e-mail me ASAP. We'd love your insight and assistance!

Wishing everyone well -

Elizabeth Tillman, MD
President, Women in Medicine

Resident Space

RANTS OF A RESIDENT
By Mindy Young-Spint

Hopefully some of the things I have to say remind you of your days as an intern. Quick update… Now, that I am in my third month, things are much better! I am loving my time in the hospital and even more in the O.R. It has been a difficult transition at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. ;-)

TODAY (9/10/07) I did an entire hernia repair from start to finish without direction… I finally feel like a surgical intern; and it only took three months. Well anyways, below is an excerpt from my first week as a resident.

Hmmmm.... I will try not to give the huge rant that I had earlier with my mother after my night on-call, but let me paint you a picture of the last few days of my existence. I apologize that this will probably be long; but believe it or not, it could be much longer.

I never have time to eat. I realize when I get home after 14 or 16hrs that....hmmm...."I have not had any thing to eat since 7am — and it's now 9pm; but I have to be back at the hospital at 4am to see the patients on the service." So I just drink a glass of water, take a shower, brush my teeth, set my scrubs out for tomorrow, try to get an hour of reading in for the next day, and then crash.

I run around all day long writing orders, consulting on patients, answering questions, rounding, pulling tubes and drains, maintaining electrolytes and fluids, running to radiology for formal reads on CTs, working on discharges with discharge planning and social services, dealing with nurses and high-maintenance fellows and attendings… All just to get a few hours sleep, and then start all over again the next day. Oh and by the way — I also have clinic two mornings a week on top of it to pre-op the patients for the following week's surgeries and, hopefully, I get to scrub in on a surgery. Thankfully I am only on-call every 4th night (>30hr shift, but ALWAYS recorded as 30hrs).

The hierarchy of medicine is VERY CLEAR; and I am absolutely at the bottom of it. I try to be as respectful as possible, not step on anybody's toes, and just keep everyone alive while running around with my head cut off. I try to call the senior residents only when I really need their help; but sometimes worry that I should call them sooner. Of course they tell you "don't worry about calling me anytime for anything. I don't want you feel like you have no support." BUT as much as they tell you, "It isn't a sign of weakness to ask for help," you can tell that they want you to flail some so that you learn and don't bug them all the time.

Internship, as many will tell you, is about trying not to screw up; but everyone screws up. There could be fifty things to do; and if you didn't get one done, that's what everyone focuses on. Not the fact that you have been up over 24hrs, discharged several patients that you still have to dictate, had a few more that had to be transferred to intensive care and oh yeah, you also had clinic and consults to see after taking care of all the GI patients, since you are the cross-cover...

Last night's call was crappy and yet good in some ways. The worst part of being on-call is that you are covering other services with patients that you have never met and you don't even know all their medical problems. But you are "the doctor" and so you have to decide what to do when their heart rate jumps to the 220s or their pressure plummets to 55 over palp. Well, you run over after asking how the patient's urine output and vitals are and whether they are still mentating. You order a gobs of tests and try to figure out the 12-lead EKG you just ordered while reading the patient's cardiovascular history and medication list simultaneously. You call the senior to run your plan by them and let them know what you have already ordered and HOPE TO GOD YOU DID THE RIGHT THING. Thankfully, you sometimes get it right; and for a short moment you feel like " I just may be getting this."

Then your pager goes off again. Just as soon as you dial, the other pager you are carrying goes off as well. "What do I do? Who do I call first? Who the hell is paging me? Is it my patient in the SICU tanking or is the patient with a history of cardiac bypass surgery that I just transferred this morning to telemetry for hypotension and a possible inferior infarct going into a-fib? Whatever it is I am tired, thirsty, and hungry; but that will all have to wait until I return these pages, give more orders and then figure out how I am going to round on nine patients in the next two hours, give sign out to the GI service — whose patients kept me up all night and that were supposed to be "rock stable." I was told "nothing to do on this patient," "don't worry about this one — they are going home in the morning," or "you shouldn't have many calls on the patients on our service tonight." Yeah right!

So, I run around trying to get the vitals, labs, the infamous Ins and Outs, do my physical exams, come up with plans on all the patients, write the notes, copy the notes for rounds, print the lists, pull the charts so the attending can write his or her notes and, oh yeah, replete their electrolytes and complete the discharge paperwork on the other patients that are going home. "And sh*t — I still have to dictate those patients I discharged yesterday."

So, what really happens? I see the patients, write the notes, come up with the plans, and I don't have time to get the vitals and the ins/outs on three patients. Forget making copies — because the attending is early to rounds; and now I have to present everyone. "AARRGGHH!!" I totally struggle through the first three patients because — guess what — those were the ones that didn't have vitals when I saw them earlier. "God I wish I could shoot myself or just stop time, so that I could get their vitals and ins/outs." But rounds go by and hopefully the attending can at least see that my plans were on point and understand that REALLY, it is only my first week.

After rounds, I run around the floor trying to tidy things up and the other intern thankfully is on top of his game and can help out; so it all gets done quickly. But, then I am stuck — do I go to the OR and scrub in to help out? or do I go home? It's 8:30am, the surgery is booked for 4.5hrs, and I am "technically" suppose to leave at 10am (30hrs after I started yesterday morning); but I can't leave 1.5hrs early. That would "look bad;" so I scrub in. Afterall, I really screwed up this morning on rounds when I didn't have those vitals on the three stable patients (two were being discharged). Huh... so, I help retract and as I am standing there I can feel my legs falling asleep. I am having a hard time standing because I am feeling lightheaded, maybe because I have not eaten since 8pm last night and I have not had any sleep, but I stay. I keep myself awake by focusing on the dissection and staying involved in the conversation and banter with the attending and my chief resident.

Finally at 11:30 I tell my chief that I need to drop something off at medical records for another attending and then I am going home. She is totally cool with it and thanks me for sticking around longer even though I was suppose to leave. Finally, I get to go home. Phew!

However, as much as I feel this huge inadequacy, I also feel this huge responsibility to keep on learning and do better each day.

I can't totally say that this last week was completely rotten. I have had several patients thank me for helping with their illness and my choices in their treatment. It is really cool when they say, "Thank you doctor." I do receive much more respect from my patients than before; and "Yes, I do look very young, but you are in good hands."

This week I also had a few high points. I scrubbed in on a case and did my first tumor excision with a split thickness skin graft that I harvested myself from the patient's leg. So far the graft looks good, and I have to say I am pretty happy with the work I did for that patient. He also had some hypotension issues that I took care of. I ordered all of the correct tests, took care of his transfer, spoke with all of the members of his family that came in that day, and answered everyone's questions. I am his doctor and his surgeon. He trusts me.

It's scary the way that everyone believes that you should know all the answers to their questions and know what to do with each patient; but at the same time, they think to themselves that you are "just the intern." However, when the you-know-what hits the fan, they page you and you are the one to order the tests and make the decisions for the care of the patients. They look at you and say, "What would you like to do doctor?" and then you "the doctor" run the team.

This last week has been quite a change for me. I have gone from being the student with no decisional power (but the desire to make some decisions) to "the doctor" with the responsibility to make the decisions (and the lack of experience to have much confidence in those choices).

I know that some things will get better as time goes on; but I am also very aware that others will remain status quo and the possibility of kidney failure, UTIs, and ulcers increases while I lose weight from lack of intake and increase my number of grey hairs from the stress… But what can I say other than,

"I LOVE RESIDENCY!"

Mindy

Laughter Therapy
By Shay Bintliff

Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day and long weekend. Don't ya love those Monday holidays?? It is so tempting to make fun of Senator Craig; I mean everyone else in the country is. So, why not? He is insisting, "I am not Gay!" Oh no, of course not. He is, however, just a homophobic hypocrite!

One more political satire?? CELEBRATE LADIES! It is the anniversary of Women's Equality Day...the 19th Amendment...well, except in the areas of wages, elected office, and reproductive rights!! DUH!

On with the laughter!! A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon, so he proceeded to put four worms into four separate jars. Into the first jar he put alcohol; into the second he put cigarette smoke; into the third jar he poured chocolate syrup; and into the fourth jar he put good clean soil with the worm. At the conclusion of his sermon, the Minister reported the following results: The first worm in alcohol was DEAD. The second worm in cigarette smoke was DEAD. The third worm in chocolate syrup was DEAD. But the fourth worm in good soil was ALIVE! He then asked the congregation, "What can you learn from this demonstration?" Maxine was sitting in the back and quickly responded, "As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!!" That pretty much ended the service.

Some really funny ads: "FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER. 8 years old. Hateful little dog. Bites!" "FREE PUPPIES: Mother, AKC German Shepherd. Father, Super Dog, able to leap tall fences in a single bound!" And the best grand finale — "FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000 or best offer. No longer needed, got married last month and wife knows everything!"

A woman walks into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Hunting flies" he responded. "Oh, killing any yet?" she asked. "Yep, three males and two females," he replied. Intrigued, she asked, "How can you tell them apart?" He responded, "Oh that's easy. Three were on a beer can, and two were on the phone!"

That's it for today my friends. Be Well...Do a kind deed...Recycle, Re-use, and Restore our Planet!!! Aloha...a hui hou

WIM 2008 Conference Update

Asilomar, CA
July 9-13th, 2008

The 25th WIM conference will be a tremendous celebration at our very first meeting site, Asilomar, near the Monterey Bay peninsula (www.visitasilomar.com). The theme will be "Lesbian Health: the Stages of our Lives" — a fitting topic as both we and WIM continue to shift gears and mature.

• The conference will include nationally renowned speakers as well as choice presentations selected from the numerous submitted abstracts received to date.

• Drs. Jane Petro and Lesley Anderson will put together an unforgettable Herstory of WIM.

• A private evening reception and viewing will be held at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

• Lesbian comedienne Vicky Shaw will keep us laughing on another evening, followed by (something new!) WIM Karaoke. Check out Ms. Shaw's website — www.vickieshaw.com.

• Dr. Dee Mosbacher will show her newest film on homophobia and sports, while at the same time, the children will have their own film night.

• Small groups will be organized by theme: money and power, couples, transitions, retirement, coming out, significant others with children, significant others without children, singles, considering parenthood, women of color, political activism, as well as an open group.

• The Medical Student and Resident Mentoring Program will again provide much-needed support — not only for the mentees, but also for the mentors themselves.

Please join us for this HERSTORICAL celebration and register early through our website: www.womeninmedicine.org!

Donations

WIM is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization designed to foster relationships and knowledge among lesbian physicians, their partners and family. An all-volunteer organization, we depend on the kindness and financial assistance of the women who attend.

If you would like to donate to WIM you may do so by via check or via credit card (through PayPal). It only takes a few moments and keeps WIM going strong. Please use the enclosed donation envelope or visit: www.womeninmedicine.org/donate.html

All charitable donations to WIM are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Thank you.

Joys and Sorrows

2007 MEDICAL SCHOOL GRADUATES

Alicia Cohen, MD - Mount Sinai Medical School
Family Practice

Rebecca Dixon, MD - Univ. of Vermont
Internal Medicine, Univ. of Mass/Amherst

Elisa Knutsen, MD - Univ. of Maryland
Orthopedic Surgery, Univ. of Maryland

Erin Leahy, MD - Medical College of Wisconsin
Internal Medicine Prelim, Univ. Wisconsin
Anesthesiology

Katie Hecksel, MD - Mayo Medical School
Psychiatry, Univ. of Michigan

Mahoney, MD - Univ. of Connecticut
OB/GYN, Tufts Univ.

Colleen McNicolas, DO - Kirksville
OB/GYN, Atlanta Med.

Amelia Pousson, MD - Univ. of Pittsburgh
Emergency Medicine, Univ. of Delaware

Marianne Taylor, MD - Univ. of Rochester
Med/Peds, Univ. of Rochester

Mindy Young-Spint, MD - UC Davis
Surgery, UC Davis

Elena Ziarnik, MD - Medical Coll. of Wisconsin
Surgery, Tufts Univ./Baystate

UPDATES

Rebecca Canner, MD and Laura Bray, CPF
Adopted their first child, Katherine Grace Canner-Bray, from Guatemala.

Abby Fey Wurmbrand
Daughter of Joan Wurmbrand, MD and Carol Fey, JD will be called to Torah as a Bat Mitzvah on February 16, 2008.

Laura Forman, MD and Beth Cronin, MD
Married in Dedham, MA September 16, 2006.

Judy Harris, MD and Regina Matthews, JD
Married in Quebec, Canada during WIM 2007

Jane Petro, MD & Carolyn Becker, MD
Our son Noah got his PhD, got married, and got a job in DC at the Goddard Space Center. Carolyn is living in Boston, working at the Brigham; and I am in the Middle East, Dubai, working at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, as the Medical Director. I passed my boards in Cosmetic Surgery this spring, and am also the new Editor of the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. Quite a change from a life in trauma, and I love it.

Marianne Taylor, MD
Gave birth to her first child, Maya.

NEW WIM BOARD OFFICERS and MEMBERS

Elizabeth Tillman, MD - President
Christy Isler, MD - Vice-President
Sheri Task, MD - Treasurer
Elizabeth Harrison, MD - Secretary

Caroline Breeding, OTR
Jennifer Carnahan
Michelle Mertz, MD
Debra Shapiro, MD

OBITUARIES

Deborah "Dix" Dixon
Partner of Dawn Marie Wadle, MD, passed away peacefully on June 2, 2007.

Susan Freedman, DO
Partner of Bonnie Jones, passed away peacefully during the fall of 2006.

Nancy Palmer
Partner of LeClair Bissell, MD, passed away peacefully on March 31, 2007

Chastity White
Partner of Nicole Troy, MD, passed away unexpectedly May 28, 2006.

WIM Lavender Legacy Circle

At the last Board meeting in Burlington, Vermont, the Board decided to establish the WIM Lavender Legacy Circle — a group of WIM folks who have chosen to remember WIM as a beneficiary in their wills. As we all know, WIM operates on a shoestring budget from year to year; and now that we are 25 years old, it is time for more stable footing. Having an endowment or even regular funding will greatly improve the stability of WIM. It was agreed that members of the WIM Lavender Legacy Circle will be published annually in the program (unless anonymity is preferred).

To write WIM into your will, simply note that it is a 501c3 organization and its legal address is Women in Medicine, c/o Joan Wurmbrand MD and Carol Fey JD, 176 S. Merkle Rd., Bexley, OH 43209.

Please join us in this noble venture!

If you would like to have someone from the Development Committee call you to discuss this further, please e-mail Patty Robertson at pattyrob4@gmail.com.

Classifieds

Condo for Sale   Mystic River Waterfront, Mystic, CT 1800 square feet plus unfinished basement 2 stories with balconies overlooking beautiful river 2 bedrooms, 2.5 Baths Separate Garage, Central Air, Quiet Community Asking price $495,000 Contact Liz and Alice Tillman docliz@earthlink.net
Condo for Sale   Twin Springs Condominium Palm Springs, FL Tennis Courts, Pools, Jacuzzi, Club House 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths Balcony with panoramic view on 2nd floor Asking Price $275,000 Contact Diane Gabe, MD mulberryjelly@sbcglobal.net More Information