On Tuesday I watched as, so far as anybody knows, ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) was performed for the first time ever on a patient with a cochlear implant. Based on the complete turnaround in the kid's condition, I am now an ECT believer. Oh, and it's not nearly as dramatic as its portrayal on TV or in movies. (Nothing in medicine is, I've found.) In fact, the first time I saw ECT done, I had to literally bite my lip to keep myself from blurting out, "That's it??" I got more of a rush out of striding purposefully through the OR suite before and after the procedure.

Wednesday was remarkable for being my last day in the hospital, and a day in which I didn't have to do much. The attending was in meetings all morning, and the fellow had teaching conference from noon to 2pm. I had lectures from 2-5pm. So by the time all three of us could actually get together, the day was all but over.

On Thursday morning, I only had to attend morning report and Grand Rounds. Before morning report, the other students sat around the table and had a good laugh at yet another hilarious story about the wacky hijinks of the psychiatry clerkship. I, along with the other student who did the winning combo of Addictions and Child Consults, literally sat off to the side in a corner of the room. Instead of joining in the laughter, we were talking about how we've both needed to see counselors due to nightmares, insomnia, etc. since starting the rotation. I feel compelled to warn future generations of third years not to believe the hype. Psychiatry isn't a time for fun and hilarity, though many, many people will say otherwise.

Yesterday, I took the Psychiatry shelf exam. I thought it was okay. It seemed like every other question was about the indications for the different kinds of psychotherapy, which I didn't study as much as drugs, diagnostic criteria for the various conditions, etc. Nothing to be done about it now! After the exam, each of us had an individual exit interview in which we discussed our experiences with the clerkship directors. He didn't seem too perturbed by the fact that both of the Addictions/Child Consults students were emotionally crushed by the rotation. He said it's really "the luck of the draw," and sometimes other services are slammed with really emotionally tough cases. I have my doubts about that. But anyway, it's over now. As is third year!! I'll share my thoughts on the year as a whole a little later.