It’s funny to think that this time a year ago I was starting my Med/Surg rotation. It turned out to be one of my favorites because I felt like I got to use a bunch of different parts of my clinical brain. I remember wondering what the year would bring, how much I’d learn, where I’d be, how (or if) I’d be using that knowledge. It was both daunting and exciting to think about.

I know I’ve been mentioning it here and there, but I just started a new job this week. It was one of those things that happened really quickly. It’s a slightly different setting than what I spent most of 2012 doing, but I’m looking forward to  something different. I loved acute care, but I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy working somewhere I can follow up with the same patients over time. I’m also excited that I’ll still be faced with a lot of challenging cases—I really wanted an opportunity to learn more on my feet, and I’m really happy to be getting a chance to do so.

On a slightly less sappy note, one of the “perks” of this job is free breakfast and lunch. I learned a long time ago not to expect restaurant-quality meals from hospital cafeterias, but I did kind of giggle to myself over the doctored-up salad I ate for lunch on Monday. Underneath the beans, grilled veggies& egg, there’s some iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, and shredded carrots. Not exactly nutrient-dense, but a few add-ins can help. Free lunch is free lunch, but it should be interesting to see how creative I can get with that.

How do you get creative at meals?