Sub-I in Sioux City

"Oh. Well, how delightfully rustic."
--Sue Warner, Sioux City Sue (1946)

Today I leave for a month-long sub-internship in Sioux City, Iowa.

The preceding sentence probably raises almost as many questions for you, dear reader, as it does for me. Where to begin? I've already spent quite a bit of time in other towns and cities for various clinical rotations (or "clerkships," as they're called in medical school lingo). They have included many of my best educational experiences in med school, but they can also be stressful: learning a new discipline in an unfamiliar hospital; staying in student quarters with varying degrees of maintenance upkeep and varying numbers of fellow students; and generally being away from the comforts and friendly faces of home.

But this is not just any clerkship. This is my Family Medicine Sub-Internship. For the next four weeks I will be performing most of the duties of an intern, or first-year resident. (Hence the unwieldy term "sub-internship." To me it sounds like a character from Star Trek: "Captain, receiving transmission from the Romulan Sub-Intern.") The Sub-I is a chance to kick the tires, experience soul-crushing on-call hours, and generally get a fourth-year med student's feet wet.

So wish me luck as I pack up my white coat, stethoscope, and pocket medical references--I drive there this afternoon. Look for Northwestern Iowa bloggery coming soon....