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PGY2 Jon Fischer

Week in the life of PGY-3, Jon Fischer, MD

MONDAY I’m on the VA consult service this month. Work starts at 8 every morning, but we usually round around 9:30, so I spend a little time in the morning reading up on new patients and updates on follow-ups. It looks like we have a new consult for someone with suspected serotonin syndrome, so I read through some UpToDate articles to refresh myself on that as well. Our team today includes a podiatry resident who takes the lead on a few patients. Dr Watts runs this service, and he keeps rounds fun and engaging for everyone. He has great tidbits of knowledge he shares during rounds today. We finish rounds around noon and break to eat lunch and write notes. Around 2 we get a new consult for depression, so we read up on her then go see her. I finish my last note around 5 and head home. A few friends come over for some evening s’mores in my backyard.
TUESDAY We don’t have any new consults yet when I get there in the morning, so I have a little time to relax and catch up on emails. Rounds, as usual, are fun and educational. One great thing about the consult service is getting exposure to lots of different topics, so I always seem to learn something new on rounds. We finish things up around 3pm and there aren’t any new consults, so Dr Watts leads a discussion about over- or under- diagnosing Bipolar Disorder. I leave around 4:30 and go to a climbing gym with another resident.
WEDNESDAY Lecture day! Right now, all our lectures are online. I miss hanging out with other residents between lectures, but I’m still very glad we get a full day of didactics each week. We get an overview of all the different tracks in the morning, then have resident meeting where we go over announcements and updates, then a lecture on quality improvement. We finish around 4 and I spend the evening at home.
THURSDAY The weather is great this morning so I ride my bike to work. We get a few new interesting consults that make for a busier day, but lead to some good teaching points. Dr Watts orders take-out for our team for lunch. I finish around 4:30 and head to the climbing gym to work on a few routes I’ve been struggling with.
FRIDAY Another busy day with several new consults in the morning as well as following up on a few difficult patients, but things go smoothly and before I know it the day is almost over. I finish up by 5 and head up Big Cottonwood Canyon until the sun sets, then get pizza with friends afterwards.
SATURDAY / SUNDAY I’m working the overnight shift tonight at the main psych hospital, so I try to sleep in as late as I can. I meet some friends for a late brunch in Liberty Park, then go climbing again and struggle through the same routes as earlier this week. My shift ends up being busier than usual for a Saturday night, but I catch a few hours of sleep. I spend Sunday at home napping and relaxing.