Go Community Medicine!

I am doing a general surgery rotation right now in a small town, and it's great, because there is NO call, and NO rounding, you get to be first assist in the OR, and they send me home early if it's snowing outside, since it's a one hour commute.

Yesterday in clinic I saw a guy who was referred for right groin pain. He was kind of skeptical during our appointment and really made me feel uncomfortable. His doctor sent him to rule out an inguinal hernia, but according to his history, it really didn't sound like it. But nonetheless I had to examine him anyways. I asked him if he had shorts on underneath his pants, and he said to me sarcastically, "I've got some old white briefs". Well, he DID have old white briefs.

So...I'm trying to be all professional, all the while thinking to myself that he probably thinks I'm invading his personal space. I put on gloves, and didn't even ask him to expose himself. He starts looking at me funny, and I said, "What's the problem? I don't think it's a hernia." And I said, "Well, we have to check it out, and besides, this is how my staff would be examining you anyways" (= pushing on groin and asking to cough......I think that's pretty benign!). He said, "Well, I kind of feel stupid." Well thanks, you just made me feel REALLY uncomfortable. So I just ended the exam and said, well it's possible you just have a muscle strain, or something called a sports hernia.

So I got my staff into the room, and within 30 seconds, he had the patient's pants down, briefs down and I'm trying NOT to look at this guy's weenie. He examines him just the way I did, except WITHOUT gloves (EWWWW) and....comes to the same conclusion. And I don't recall him washing his hands either (DOUBLE EWWWW)