Easter weekend

It was almost like I was married to someone with a normal job this weekend (read: it was awesome).  Husband got home on Saturday morning after a 24-hr Friday shift--his family was in town visiting, so he toughed it out with a short nap and then joined us the rest of the day.  After a good night's sleep, we spent all day Sunday together with his brother's family and kids, and had an amazing time.

He was off.  On a holiday.  As an intern.  

Gotta count the blessings when they happen!  

Sometimes, it's worth it

Got an e-mail from the intern husband today, in the middle of the worst week yet of internship (hours wise). We've been like two ships passing in the night in our house since this past Sunday. E-mail says:

"I am thinking of you and all that you do for our family. I'm sorry you get the short end of the stick all the time. I love you."

Ahh. Just to be acknowledged for raising the kid/taking the trash out/paying the bills/walking the dog/doing the laundry feels pretty darn good.

I think I'll keep him around.

Intern vs. resident vs. attending

I know, they all wear long white coats.  It's hard to determine who is who.  But I laugh when people say, "You're married to a doctor," as though this is some glorious designation.  Let me be a little more precise--I am married to an intern.  Basically, the intern is one step up from medical student (now, the medical students are easy to spot--they wear the short white coats and have a look of bewilderment on their faces).  The intern is the bottom of the barrel on the "team"--which is made up of interns, residents, fellows and attendings.   The intern is the bitch.  The one who works all the holidays.  Does all the scut work.   Makes approximately $10/hr.  

While some of the working conditions improve slightly throughout the course of residency (in my husband's program, this means working closer to 80 hours a week instead of 100), the pay gets only a smidge better--about $1,000 a year.   Here's the confusing part--an intern is a resident.   But a resident is not necessarily an intern.  (Wasn't there some sort of similar square-rhombus-parallelogram issue in geometry class?)

So, I'd like to clarify.  I'm married to an intern/resident.  Which is why it is 9 pm, and he's still at the hospital!