Even with so much to do, medical students can still have a little fun. The last weekend I went to a house party, with drinking and silly stuff, then to a shooting range, then a BBQ and a turkey dinner, and then played computer games all night. It's nice to know that we can kick back occasionally, but we better enjoy it now, because it's going to get a lot worse. The number of drugs we need to memorize is steadily adding up - I wish I knew them all as well as I know drugs like tylenol or omeprazole, typical OTC drugs that I've known about most of my life.
We're getting into hypertension lectures, angina, coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF) and similar problems. It's funny, with all the talk about eating healthy, and how CAD can be seen as early as in teenagers or people in their twenties - the food I'm craving the most right now is fast food. I haven't craved it in ages, but here we are.
Every so often, the curriculum at our school throws in a "Managing Stress" class, where we are told ways to deal with stress, as well as the kinds of stress we are going to encounter (which of course gives us a lot of stress right then and there). Today, the doctor teaching the class was talking about how the first two years of medical school are a breeze compared to third and fourth years when you begin your clinical rotations and have to use whole different sets of skills (communcation versus booksmarts). Then she went on to say you think rotations are bad, wait til residency - where there will be hallways or stairwells essentially devoted to hiding and crying when your attending shouts the crap out of you. I imagine something like Dr. Cox from Scrubs, except no one is laughing. She then added how even then, you start your internship somewhere and it's just as bad - with more power comes more responsibility, which comes with more and more work. It's like being spider man except that everyone knows where you live and you're expected to work 16 hours straight.
As she talked about us being on rotations or in residencies, I couldn't help picturing how some of my classmates would be during rotations - getting picked on by the attending, or stepping into a patient room with an air of authority and asking them what the problem is and trying to help. Now that I know more about a doctor's thought processes, and my classmates' strengths and weaknesses, it is hard to picture myself as a patient of theirs - putting my problem in their hands and trusting their judgment. Though, in my mind at least, I always picture my classmates looking very proper, professional, and knowledgeable in these situations. I suppose that means I have a good amount of respect for my peers as future physicians and human beings (well, most of them - there's always a couple you wouldn't want as your doctor). Hopefully I'll pull everything together and become as awesome a physician as I picture most of my peers becoming.
Showing posts with label Classmates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classmates. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Studying, Advocating, Consoling...so much to do
Well, spring semester has been coming on fast and furious - been extremely busy. Have also had tests every other week, essentially, and our first Block exams of the semester are next week. We have had two standardized patient encounters with our small group - where we must take histories and perform a physical exam. It's amazing the things you notice yourself and your classmates doing when interacting with patients - strengths and weaknesses, the importance of listening... We have also practiced doing SOAP note write-ups (subjective, objective, assessment, plan) and worked on differential diagnoses. The ailments of the patients are in line with what we are learning, so we can apply what we learn clinically.
Tomorrow we get to explore a new aspect of the physician-patient relationship - breaking bad news. We will have 12 minutes to break bad news to a standardized patient who has been trained on how to react convincingly to the news, including shouting or crying. We will be faced with one of these: a son whose father unexpectedly died, a woman with a suspicious breast lump who needs a biopsy, a man with inoperable pancreatic cancer, a childless woman who just had a miscarriage, and a man with an STD from an affair. Should be interesting and nerve-wracking - but I imagine it will be more difficult for some of my colleagues than for me. Working in the lab, I definitely got to deal with very angry patients, and one woman I drew as a trainee had just learned her husband was going to die - that was a difficult one. You really don't know what to say to a stranger who suddenly starts crying, especially when they're still holding back so much pain and you know almost nothing about their situation. I almost cried myself that time - but sometimes all you can do is squeeze a person's hand to let them know you're there with them, even if it's for just a moment. I'm usually someone who insists on a 3 foot personal space bubble and never hugs people unless they're family (and even then not so much), but somehow I was able to recognize that at that moment, she really needed to feel physically that someone was there with her. If you're really with them, and not just going through the motion, time almost seems to stand still for you both in a good, or at least meaningful, way. They say, "You can touch patients during a bad news situation if you think they would be okay with it," and you kind of wonder, "How will I know if they would be okay with it?" Well, that was one of those moments, and I could definitely tell even with no experience - though my rule is that if in doubt, it's better NOT to touch.
On a more positive note, last Thursday we were bussed by the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California (OPSC) to the state capitol to speak with assembly members and fellows about the recent merger between the Doctor of Osteopathy and Doctor of Naturopathy boards. Essentially, bill AB X4 20 merged the boards because the governor wanted to make it look like he was cleaning up the government - busting excess bureaucracy and saving money. However, both our boards are funded by those in the profession, no tax money is involved, and they approve licenses as well as oversee malpractice issues. NDs do not prescribe medications without supervision (and even then, no category 2 drugs) nor do they perform surgeries - so having them oversee us, or even have us oversee them, is not fair to either profession. I was the designated group leader to the assembly member whose fellow we spoke to because apparently I live within the district (14). Definitely nerve wracking, but everyone seemed to think I made a very eloquent case. The fellow we spoke to seemed very supportive of our cause. One of the senators (Lee) has submitted two goldenrod bills to his boss for approval, which we need in order to get numbers on them, support, and signatures. It was really enlightening to see how the process works in state government, and that people in the offices actually will listen to you and you can make a difference. We also got to speak to one of the governor's aids right before he was going to a meeting with Mr. Schwarzenegger himself, with the promise of at least mentioning the issue with him, so that was exciting. There were a bunch of school children outside of the governor's offices as we walked in and they were all asking us to say "Hi" to the governor for them, ask for more money for schools, it was adorable. All in all, a very exciting day - here we all are in front of the capitol building!
Tomorrow we get to explore a new aspect of the physician-patient relationship - breaking bad news. We will have 12 minutes to break bad news to a standardized patient who has been trained on how to react convincingly to the news, including shouting or crying. We will be faced with one of these: a son whose father unexpectedly died, a woman with a suspicious breast lump who needs a biopsy, a man with inoperable pancreatic cancer, a childless woman who just had a miscarriage, and a man with an STD from an affair. Should be interesting and nerve-wracking - but I imagine it will be more difficult for some of my colleagues than for me. Working in the lab, I definitely got to deal with very angry patients, and one woman I drew as a trainee had just learned her husband was going to die - that was a difficult one. You really don't know what to say to a stranger who suddenly starts crying, especially when they're still holding back so much pain and you know almost nothing about their situation. I almost cried myself that time - but sometimes all you can do is squeeze a person's hand to let them know you're there with them, even if it's for just a moment. I'm usually someone who insists on a 3 foot personal space bubble and never hugs people unless they're family (and even then not so much), but somehow I was able to recognize that at that moment, she really needed to feel physically that someone was there with her. If you're really with them, and not just going through the motion, time almost seems to stand still for you both in a good, or at least meaningful, way. They say, "You can touch patients during a bad news situation if you think they would be okay with it," and you kind of wonder, "How will I know if they would be okay with it?" Well, that was one of those moments, and I could definitely tell even with no experience - though my rule is that if in doubt, it's better NOT to touch.
On a more positive note, last Thursday we were bussed by the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California (OPSC) to the state capitol to speak with assembly members and fellows about the recent merger between the Doctor of Osteopathy and Doctor of Naturopathy boards. Essentially, bill AB X4 20 merged the boards because the governor wanted to make it look like he was cleaning up the government - busting excess bureaucracy and saving money. However, both our boards are funded by those in the profession, no tax money is involved, and they approve licenses as well as oversee malpractice issues. NDs do not prescribe medications without supervision (and even then, no category 2 drugs) nor do they perform surgeries - so having them oversee us, or even have us oversee them, is not fair to either profession. I was the designated group leader to the assembly member whose fellow we spoke to because apparently I live within the district (14). Definitely nerve wracking, but everyone seemed to think I made a very eloquent case. The fellow we spoke to seemed very supportive of our cause. One of the senators (Lee) has submitted two goldenrod bills to his boss for approval, which we need in order to get numbers on them, support, and signatures. It was really enlightening to see how the process works in state government, and that people in the offices actually will listen to you and you can make a difference. We also got to speak to one of the governor's aids right before he was going to a meeting with Mr. Schwarzenegger himself, with the promise of at least mentioning the issue with him, so that was exciting. There were a bunch of school children outside of the governor's offices as we walked in and they were all asking us to say "Hi" to the governor for them, ask for more money for schools, it was adorable. All in all, a very exciting day - here we all are in front of the capitol building!
Also, on one final note, the founder of Touro University, Bernard Lander, last night at the age of 94. All the Touro campuses were closed out of respect. I don't really know what to say about it, as I never met him or knew much about him before now, but I am kind of wondering how it will affect the universities. At the least, I was productive and used the day to get more caught up on classes.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Classes and Weekly Routine
Comparing my two blogs, I'm relieved that despite the uneven posting habits, I've essentially posted the same number of posts - go me. We're starting to get into the virus lectures, which is of course one of my main interests. I never really described our general weekly curriculum, so I'll delve into that briefly - I'm not sure how they do it at other schools, but I have a feeling we're somewhere in the middle as far as weekly hours. We also get an hour for lunch from noon to 1am.
Monday - usually a long day of lectures that set the tone for the week, lasting from 8am until 3pm-5pm. Tuesday through Thursday we have small group sessions in the morning and afternoon, and 2 hours of lecture each day. There are 3 divisions for the small group sessions, groups A, B, and C - I am group A, so I'll describe that arrangement. Tuesday we have morning small-group OMM lab, where we practice techniques, diagnostics, etc. from 8-10. From 10-12, we have lecture as a whole class. From 1-3, we sometimes have no class/independent study, it depends on how many classes are slated for that slot for those three days (2 classes, we have one afternoon off, 3 classes we have something each day). Usually it is a class-related workshop, working with new equations, concepts, etc. On Wednesday, we have morning "independent study" so we don't come in until 10, for the 10-12 whole class lecture. Our afternoon class is usually doctoring, where we practice clinical diagnostic techniques, examinations, etc. On Thursday, we have histology or pathology in the morning, and in the afternoon we either have more histology/pathology or another class-related workshop. Fridays we have lectures that may end as early as noon or as late as 5pm.
A few more observations as of late - one might think that after four years of undergraduate, some masters/higher level education, and clinical work, we would be desensitized to "sensitive" medical material, like genital warts or hypospadias. Nonetheless, I still catch a few students giggling at the mention of herpes and genital conditions. I'm sure by our second year most of the gigglers will have gotten used to it - or pelvic examinations will be extremely awkward for them (moreso than us non-gigglers).
Monday - usually a long day of lectures that set the tone for the week, lasting from 8am until 3pm-5pm. Tuesday through Thursday we have small group sessions in the morning and afternoon, and 2 hours of lecture each day. There are 3 divisions for the small group sessions, groups A, B, and C - I am group A, so I'll describe that arrangement. Tuesday we have morning small-group OMM lab, where we practice techniques, diagnostics, etc. from 8-10. From 10-12, we have lecture as a whole class. From 1-3, we sometimes have no class/independent study, it depends on how many classes are slated for that slot for those three days (2 classes, we have one afternoon off, 3 classes we have something each day). Usually it is a class-related workshop, working with new equations, concepts, etc. On Wednesday, we have morning "independent study" so we don't come in until 10, for the 10-12 whole class lecture. Our afternoon class is usually doctoring, where we practice clinical diagnostic techniques, examinations, etc. On Thursday, we have histology or pathology in the morning, and in the afternoon we either have more histology/pathology or another class-related workshop. Fridays we have lectures that may end as early as noon or as late as 5pm.
A few more observations as of late - one might think that after four years of undergraduate, some masters/higher level education, and clinical work, we would be desensitized to "sensitive" medical material, like genital warts or hypospadias. Nonetheless, I still catch a few students giggling at the mention of herpes and genital conditions. I'm sure by our second year most of the gigglers will have gotten used to it - or pelvic examinations will be extremely awkward for them (moreso than us non-gigglers).
Monday, September 21, 2009
Hooray for Tools
I'm watching the House premiere, got all my test results back (beat the average, that's what matters), and have a pretty easy week ahead of me. We're starting pharmacology, cell death, immune system, etc. and we also are starting to learn how to use all these nifty items we got from various companies. Here's a picture of them all assembled in their glory:
Golly gee, what else am I up to...next week we only have three days of class, since there are two Jewish holidays. Friday's my last face zap, Saturday night I'm going to a Touro student LAN party for Left 4 Dead at a friend's house (hey, we gotta have some fun), then Monday pre-op and Friday operation. I know I keep mentioning it, but it's exciting - finally I will have clear vision! No more being a slave to contacts. By the way, our professors this week are better than the last couple weeks' professors - both are very well-educated and decent lecturers (with decent powerpoints) so this shall be good. Anyhow, back to House!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Orientation Day 1
Phew, so exhausted! So I guess everyone wants to hear the details. All-in-all, it was a long day. Orientation started at 8:30 but most people checked in and were having the continental breakfast by 8:00. First we all sat in an auditorium and the various personnel introduced themselves, their departments, and what their role will be in our lives. This mainly included the librarians, directors of student affairs, etc. We were told a little information about our class - we have the highest average GPA (overall and science) of any TUCOM class to date, but our MCAT was still about 28. Berkeley was the biggest feeder school at 22 students, the highest from any one school in TUCOM's history, and there are slightly more women than men. The school's rabbi also said a few words and a prayer.
Next we filed into one of the classrooms and heard a heartfelt speech about how great it is what we're attempting to accomplish. We were then separated into smaller groups to accomplish a few tasks. In turns we get to be assigned to clicker groups, go to the bursar's office and get our checks, get our photo IDs, do a laptop check, and go to student health to get our insurance figured out. There're probably a few other details in there I missed but meh. We heard a talk from the student government leaders and had lunch with one of them for Q&A.
After lunch we spent two hours where each of us was filmed at the podium giving everyone a couple-minute long autobiography. There are about 10 people with children, and quite a few married couples. I can't imagine attempting medschool with children - they are very brave! We are a very diverse group. At the end of all this, a couple reps from medical technology companies came to tell us about the sets of equipment Touro has arranged for us to buy at a "discount" from them. Tomorrow we get to see their stuff and make decisions for ourself - I'm rather indifferent - I'll just go with the Lithium-Ion battery set and the Littmann stethoscope unless the earpieces are too uncomfortable.
I'm really tired, and thankfully tomorrow will only last til about 2:30pm, not 4:30pm like today. I'm going to watch some True Blood now to relax...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Closer and closer
Now that it is getting closer to the orientation (August 3rd), we have our class listservs up and everyone is posting information about themselves. It is great how connected everyone can be through facebook and email - the internet is really amazing for networking. Though, it seems the hottest topic for everyone is finding roommates or comparing housing prices. This will be my smallest class since 8th grade - my high school class numbered around 400, and at UCSD over three thousand. Now? Probably between 125 and 200 students. I am really hoping to get to know a lot of people and feel an actual comradery, maybe even a sense of school spirit.
As much as I am looking forward to it, I am already having nightmares about medical school. In the first, I did not have a white coat for the opening ceremony and there were 15 minutes left before everyone was meeting in the auditorium - frantic scrambling ensued. The second dream starred me as a new physician out in the world, and I had no regular patients and couldn't even dress wounds or put my password into the computer to look up a patient chart. I thought these jitters were supposed to happen in a few weeks? July 26th is when everything begins for the most part - I officially end my employment with Kaiser and begin moving my stuff back home.
As much as I am looking forward to it, I am already having nightmares about medical school. In the first, I did not have a white coat for the opening ceremony and there were 15 minutes left before everyone was meeting in the auditorium - frantic scrambling ensued. The second dream starred me as a new physician out in the world, and I had no regular patients and couldn't even dress wounds or put my password into the computer to look up a patient chart. I thought these jitters were supposed to happen in a few weeks? July 26th is when everything begins for the most part - I officially end my employment with Kaiser and begin moving my stuff back home.
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