My older sister Nancy and I walk down the street together. In our hands are plastic grocery bags that smell like shame and old onions. We are going trick-or-treating. I know we're getting too old fo ... [+]
The Chair in the Bathroom
Nature is calling. As a new intern in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) my bladder is not yet trained to resist this instinctual human need. The team has been rounding for six hours, discussing the problems and plans for some of the sickest patients in the hospital. But my 6:00 a.m. green tea doesn't care that we are not close to finishing. I've got to go.The MICU is a polarizing place for many first year residents, commonly called interns. For some personalities it is the holy grail, where the critically ill patients provide opportunities for procedures aplenty. For others it is a place