Okay, so I didn't conquer THE world per se, but I did finish USMLE World question bank. It's ~2300 questions long, and pure misery. I finished it late last night. I know, I know, I said I was going to finish it before the wedding last weekend, but there were just things that needed to be done before the festivities began. Then I needed a day or 2 to recover it seems like.
I take the big test Monday. So what will I do until then? Well I've just used my most OCPD characteristics and made a list of the subjects I did the worst on in World. I'm going to start my review by reading those sections in a review book, then reworking the questions I missed for that subject. Maybe that will help me learn just a few things in the next 3-4 days. Wanna know what I suck at? Here 'tis:
WORST SUBJECTS:
1. Poisonings - don't come to me if you overdosed. I will likely kill you in the process of trying to save you. Sorry.
2. Infectious Disease - don't come to me if you're um, well... sick? But really, if you do come to me and you've got pneumonia I'll likely just look up the most appropriate antibiotic at the time. Or ask my attending. Then I'll write the order for it. Then I will have learned it. I can't learn all this crap by skimming it on a page, but I digress...
3. Genitourinary - but Allison, I thought you wanted to be an Ob/Gyn? Don't worry guys. That section is separate. This section is a little more Urology-ish.
4. Endocrinology - I just don't think organ systems should exist that have little pieces in the brain, above the kidneys, and in the throat.
5. Gastroenterology - I'm kind of surprised about this one. It's one of my favorite subjects (it's just a long tube y'all). I think I've gotten better at it as my studying has progressed and I get really relieved once I realize it's a GI question being asked.
Okay, so now y'all know what I suck at. Do you wanna hear what I'm good at? Well I don't care if you do or not. This is my blog and I'll do what I want :)
BEST SUBJECTS:
1. Psychiatry - I'm betting this is everyone's best subject.
2. Dermatology - I'm as surprised as you are.
3. Preventive Medicine - I'd rather prevent you from getting sick than have to pick the appropriate antibiotic once you've gone off and gotten sick.
4. OB/GYN!!! - See, I told you not to worry.
5. Biostats - This makes me laugh. Because we took this class 2nd year. And my grades speak quite the contrary to this being on the list of things I'm good at. I think I still remembered some of this because I had to study so hard for that last test. You know, to pass the class.
So that's that. I guess I'm about to study some poisonings and infectious disease. I've already made a list of things I want/have to do once this test is over and I can't wait to tackle some of it.
Showing posts with label M3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label M3. Show all posts
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
"Lett-ush"
I just ate a BLT.
And I grew the L part in my backyard.
Because I wanna be Martha.
But just a little bit sassier :)
And I grew the L part in my backyard.
Because I wanna be Martha.
But just a little bit sassier :)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Have you Heard This?
Because I really don't appreciate Lady Gaga's music very much, but I LOVED this song that the geniuses behind Glee deconstructed. Here 'tis:
Also a good Lady Gaga redo by Pomplamoose:
Back to stupid board studying. Should've been an interior designer. For realz.
Also a good Lady Gaga redo by Pomplamoose:
Back to stupid board studying. Should've been an interior designer. For realz.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Runner's Log
Since I didn't feel like studying or watching tv - I went for a run. Then I had to give Penelope a thorough scrubbing to get all the mud out of her fur. Now she smells like strawberries though. Win win :)
4.15 miles; ~42 minutes
4.15 miles; ~42 minutes
In a Funk
I'm feeling in a funk today. I don't feel like studying. I don't feel like watching tv. I can't fall asleep. I'm in limbo. I'm not sure if it's from the 2 Benadryl I took last night and the lingering congestion and postnasal drip I've got going on or what. I just feel completely foggy-headed and can't quite get situated. I tried to study earlier today to no avail. 2 diet cokes, 2 cups of coffee - no effect yet. I read 3 words and get distracted. Getting distracted is not too unusual for me, but my goodness - drifting off in the middle of a sentence... That's just bad. It almost feels like I've forgotten how to study thanks to all this scutwork I've been busy with all year.
Good thing that test tomorrow is only 10% of our final grade.
Good thing that test tomorrow is only 10% of our final grade.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
White Cloud?
All year I've been stating I'm a black cloud. This means I have bad luck. If something can go wrong, it will. It's been proven time and time again throughout the year. But I'm beginning to think being in a sister group full of white clouds has rubbed off.
My partner and I were supposed to be on call yesterday. We came in scrubs, with books and computers and lean cuisines, prepared to be at the hospital all night. We saw our patients in the morning before class (well, my partner did... I was lucky and didn't have a patient. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me the ENTIRE year.) I skipped class because I slept in and got there at about 8:10. Didn't want to walk in late. We rounded at 9:30 as usual. After rounds our chief/attending looked at all of us and told us what a good job we'd done, how he'd taught us all he could, and that he didn't need to see us back. Oh lucky day! Our intern made us sweat it out though. She looked at my partner and I several times and told us to "run it by our upper level." Great. We knew we'd be stuck there all night.
Somehow, by the grace of God, she decided to be cool for once in her life and let us get the heck out of there! We still had to meet with our preceptor at 1:30 and didn't end up leaving until 3:00, but what a wonderful day. We didn't have to come back for call. We have no more clinical duties this year! We have a test Friday, 2 boards next week, 2 boards the week after, Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS, and we're officially 4th years. For now this means:
No more 5:00 am awakenings.
No more waking up sleeping babies.
No more Saturdays spent at the hospital.
No more call nights.
No more mile long treks from the stadium parking lot in the blazing heat.
No more busy work. (Hallelujah!!!)
No more patient logs to keep track of.
No more tests.
Best of all - no more putting on that filthy "white" coat. (I used to love putting it on. Before I had stuff in all the pockets that causes it to weigh 50 lbs. and terrible neck and shoulder pain.)
Some of these will return for parts of 4th year, such as the 5:00 am awakenings during certain rotations and the mile long treks from the stadium, and call nights and Saturdays spent at the hospital. And of course this summer isn't going to be super fun since it will be spent studying for boards, STEP exams, etc... but it's such a relief to have this year over with. It was a lot of fun, but mostly it was a whole lot of work and sleep deprivation. All that said, I've got to get back to finishing up some busy work for the Peds department... At least I'm in my pajamas at home though :)
My partner and I were supposed to be on call yesterday. We came in scrubs, with books and computers and lean cuisines, prepared to be at the hospital all night. We saw our patients in the morning before class (well, my partner did... I was lucky and didn't have a patient. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me the ENTIRE year.) I skipped class because I slept in and got there at about 8:10. Didn't want to walk in late. We rounded at 9:30 as usual. After rounds our chief/attending looked at all of us and told us what a good job we'd done, how he'd taught us all he could, and that he didn't need to see us back. Oh lucky day! Our intern made us sweat it out though. She looked at my partner and I several times and told us to "run it by our upper level." Great. We knew we'd be stuck there all night.
Somehow, by the grace of God, she decided to be cool for once in her life and let us get the heck out of there! We still had to meet with our preceptor at 1:30 and didn't end up leaving until 3:00, but what a wonderful day. We didn't have to come back for call. We have no more clinical duties this year! We have a test Friday, 2 boards next week, 2 boards the week after, Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS, and we're officially 4th years. For now this means:
No more 5:00 am awakenings.
No more waking up sleeping babies.
No more Saturdays spent at the hospital.
No more call nights.
No more mile long treks from the stadium parking lot in the blazing heat.
No more busy work. (Hallelujah!!!)
No more patient logs to keep track of.
No more tests.
Best of all - no more putting on that filthy "white" coat. (I used to love putting it on. Before I had stuff in all the pockets that causes it to weigh 50 lbs. and terrible neck and shoulder pain.)
Some of these will return for parts of 4th year, such as the 5:00 am awakenings during certain rotations and the mile long treks from the stadium, and call nights and Saturdays spent at the hospital. And of course this summer isn't going to be super fun since it will be spent studying for boards, STEP exams, etc... but it's such a relief to have this year over with. It was a lot of fun, but mostly it was a whole lot of work and sleep deprivation. All that said, I've got to get back to finishing up some busy work for the Peds department... At least I'm in my pajamas at home though :)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Runner's Log
5.03 miles, 50"45'
Took Penelope and ran down by the reservoir again today. It's just so pretty at sunset! She did pretty well considering she just had surgery (of the fixin' variety) less than 3 weeks ago. I did pretty well considering walking 1/2 a mile 2 days ago had me exhausted. I think I'm beating this little sinus infection I've got going on.
Countdown:
Calls left: 1
Days on the Ward left: 3
Peds Test: 1
Clinical Skill Exam: nada; completed that one today. It wasn't quite as painful as I thought it would be, but probably because I'd taken a Benadryl and Aleve and just didn't quite care.
Took Penelope and ran down by the reservoir again today. It's just so pretty at sunset! She did pretty well considering she just had surgery (of the fixin' variety) less than 3 weeks ago. I did pretty well considering walking 1/2 a mile 2 days ago had me exhausted. I think I'm beating this little sinus infection I've got going on.
Countdown:
Calls left: 1
Days on the Ward left: 3
Peds Test: 1
Clinical Skill Exam: nada; completed that one today. It wasn't quite as painful as I thought it would be, but probably because I'd taken a Benadryl and Aleve and just didn't quite care.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
I am Le Sick and Le Tired
And I'm pretty sure those darn rugrats are to blame. Nearly every single one of their parents that I've talked to have said - "Oh yes, this is little Johnny's 1st week at daycare. He's had a runny nose and sore throat for 3 days!!!" Awesome. Pure awesome.. With that, I leave you: "The End of the World"
P.S. - last full week of M3 year!!! I only have to do scutwork for 3 days this week, have my last call of M3 year, and my clinical skills exam (with fake patient actors) tomorrow. What a week. Can't wait for it to be over.
P.S. - last full week of M3 year!!! I only have to do scutwork for 3 days this week, have my last call of M3 year, and my clinical skills exam (with fake patient actors) tomorrow. What a week. Can't wait for it to be over.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Rounds - the Highlights
I'm currently on Peds Wards. We got a new team this week which means new residents, new attending. Same old M3s :) Anywho, it's always interesting to see what the team's dynamic will be. The first day people are usually polite and try to feel each other out. As an M3 you try to determine what style of patient presentation your attending likes, whether you will be pimped to no end, etc... Our current team makes rounding a little less painful than usual. I still dread it, but there are some funny bits tucked in here and there that make it a little less painful. Sometimes these funny bits are provided by the patients, and are sheer luck. And with that, I leave you this week's highlights:
#1 Whenever our rather large team (at least 12 M3s, residents, an M4, and chief) approaches another team in the hall while rounding, an all out snapping battle a la West Side Story breaks out. (See video below if you're my sister and didn't get that reference.)
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#2 During day #1 of rounds we managed to discuss Kurt Cobain, Miley Cyrus, and Courtney Love while standing outside a patient's door.
#3 While in a patient's room, discussing the child's treatment plan with the parents and grandmother, grandmother's cellphone goes off. That's not abnormal. The ringtone was. Then she says: "Grandma got a GOOD text!" It was just a bit unexpected from a little old white lady. Here it is:
#4 Today on rounds I managed to completely piss off a patient without speaking any words, in approximately 1 second, with one motion. No, I didn't flip her off. It was a young-ish mother who rolled over on her baby 2 nights ago and nearly killed it. After receiving a lengthy lecture on putting your kid in their crib, on their back, EVERY TIME they, or you are falling asleep, the student checking on her this morning found her and the baby snuggled up together again in bed. Long story short, we all come in as a team and our chief/attending begins explaining to her how she had a close call and the importance of placing the baby in the crib to sleep. The mom just stares at the tv the whole time, trying to drown out his words, not caring to hear a bit of how she can keep from KILLING her kid. So I walked over, reached up, and flipped off the tv. I got the biggest "go to hell" look ever. It was SO worth it. I just smiled back and then turned my attention to our chief, showing her how she should be behaving.
#5 Today my resident was eager to finish rounds and start working on discharging all of our patients going home. We got to one pt with a really straightforward issue and she gave me 30 seconds to present it. I finished in 27 seconds. Wish they could all be like that!
#1 Whenever our rather large team (at least 12 M3s, residents, an M4, and chief) approaches another team in the hall while rounding, an all out snapping battle a la West Side Story breaks out. (See video below if you're my sister and didn't get that reference.)
">
#2 During day #1 of rounds we managed to discuss Kurt Cobain, Miley Cyrus, and Courtney Love while standing outside a patient's door.
#3 While in a patient's room, discussing the child's treatment plan with the parents and grandmother, grandmother's cellphone goes off. That's not abnormal. The ringtone was. Then she says: "Grandma got a GOOD text!" It was just a bit unexpected from a little old white lady. Here it is:
#4 Today on rounds I managed to completely piss off a patient without speaking any words, in approximately 1 second, with one motion. No, I didn't flip her off. It was a young-ish mother who rolled over on her baby 2 nights ago and nearly killed it. After receiving a lengthy lecture on putting your kid in their crib, on their back, EVERY TIME they, or you are falling asleep, the student checking on her this morning found her and the baby snuggled up together again in bed. Long story short, we all come in as a team and our chief/attending begins explaining to her how she had a close call and the importance of placing the baby in the crib to sleep. The mom just stares at the tv the whole time, trying to drown out his words, not caring to hear a bit of how she can keep from KILLING her kid. So I walked over, reached up, and flipped off the tv. I got the biggest "go to hell" look ever. It was SO worth it. I just smiled back and then turned my attention to our chief, showing her how she should be behaving.
#5 Today my resident was eager to finish rounds and start working on discharging all of our patients going home. We got to one pt with a really straightforward issue and she gave me 30 seconds to present it. I finished in 27 seconds. Wish they could all be like that!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Runner's Log
Just completed a wonderful run over by the Reservoir. Nearly the whole run had a gorgeous view of the water. Started over on Breakers Lane, then wound around a few curves and went out to the little lookout point that jets off into the middle of the water. Very fun. Penelope enjoyed it too, but got VERY tired.
4.05 miles, 40'25", 9:58 per mile (wahoo! that's a personal best!)
The funny part - saw my next door neighbor (the man who complained about the dog) walking as I was running back to my car. Then as I'm pulling into my driveway, he pulls into his at the exact same moment. Weirdness. I immediately shut the garage door and scurried into the house to avoid conversating with him. Just not on my list of things to do today.
As for my March running total, it came out to 29.5 miles or some nonsense like that. Typical that the goal was 30.0 and I'd come out to 29.5. This seems like the perfect occasion to "curve" that score to an even 30. Don't you think?
4.05 miles, 40'25", 9:58 per mile (wahoo! that's a personal best!)
The funny part - saw my next door neighbor (the man who complained about the dog) walking as I was running back to my car. Then as I'm pulling into my driveway, he pulls into his at the exact same moment. Weirdness. I immediately shut the garage door and scurried into the house to avoid conversating with him. Just not on my list of things to do today.
As for my March running total, it came out to 29.5 miles or some nonsense like that. Typical that the goal was 30.0 and I'd come out to 29.5. This seems like the perfect occasion to "curve" that score to an even 30. Don't you think?
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Peds Wards and Wedding Season
My partner and I just wrapped up our 1st week of Peds Wards yesterday. For those who wonder what the heck "Peds Wards" means, it means we take care of kids that have been admitted to stay in the hospital overnight. It could be due to an infection, asthma exacerbation, or any problem which necessitates multiple tests and consults. It can be one night or multiple nights. We check on them every morning, bright and early, see how things have been going, and then make appropriate changes to their therapy or send them home. There's no clinic (hallelujah!) and most of our residents are pretty nice.
You know wedding season is getting started when you go to 2 showers in 1 weekend. Friday night I got to go to my cousin Carrie's shower. It was a small family get together with BBQ, flip flops, kids playing in the pool, and banana pudding (recipe to follow). It was nice to sit back and visit with family.
Saturday began bright and early with call. My partner and I were at the hospital at 6:30 and left the hospital at about 7:00 that night. It ended with our resident saying - "Oh yeah, I probably should have let y'all go about 2 hours ago. Go home." I hear that one a lot unfortunately. I'm really going to try to remember not to torture my M3s when I'm a resident. Not that staying there that long was torture - I got a good bit of studying done, much more than I would have at home. That's the optimistic view I guess. Came home, ate, popped 2 Benadryl, and hit the hay for a solid 12 hours. It was bliss. I really needed to catch up on some sleep. Wards is nice, but it starts early. I'd only been clocking 4-6 hrs every night for the last week. Weekends are essential for catch up!
As for today, I woke up around 10:30, cleaned a little, sipped on some coffee and caught up on tv shows and then headed to a shower at 2:00. It's for a girl who is marrying one of K's cousins and she is great! I'm super excited to have someone else my age to goof off with at family Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Easters. Plus, they're just a really fun couple. I see a lot of dinners eaten together in the future.
Since then I've been at home, listening to the rain, cutting coupons, and catching up on the 6th season of Lost. Such a productive day, ha ha. Really need to go run, but might have to take a raincheck. It's kind of nasty out there.
With that, I leave you a no-fail recipe for banana pudding. I make this often and always get compliments on it:
BANANA PUDDING
2 bananas
1 box Nilla wafers
1 large box vanilla pudding mix
2.5 cups cold milk
1 tub frozen Cool Whip
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Combine 2.5 cups cold milk with pudding mix. Beat for a minute or so. Let sit about 2 minutes. Add Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix it all up. Alternate layers of Nilla wafers, pudding, and bananas. Top with wafers.
P.S - Sometimes I make it with NO bananas and extra Nilla wafers. Scandalous, I know!
You know wedding season is getting started when you go to 2 showers in 1 weekend. Friday night I got to go to my cousin Carrie's shower. It was a small family get together with BBQ, flip flops, kids playing in the pool, and banana pudding (recipe to follow). It was nice to sit back and visit with family.
Saturday began bright and early with call. My partner and I were at the hospital at 6:30 and left the hospital at about 7:00 that night. It ended with our resident saying - "Oh yeah, I probably should have let y'all go about 2 hours ago. Go home." I hear that one a lot unfortunately. I'm really going to try to remember not to torture my M3s when I'm a resident. Not that staying there that long was torture - I got a good bit of studying done, much more than I would have at home. That's the optimistic view I guess. Came home, ate, popped 2 Benadryl, and hit the hay for a solid 12 hours. It was bliss. I really needed to catch up on some sleep. Wards is nice, but it starts early. I'd only been clocking 4-6 hrs every night for the last week. Weekends are essential for catch up!
As for today, I woke up around 10:30, cleaned a little, sipped on some coffee and caught up on tv shows and then headed to a shower at 2:00. It's for a girl who is marrying one of K's cousins and she is great! I'm super excited to have someone else my age to goof off with at family Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Easters. Plus, they're just a really fun couple. I see a lot of dinners eaten together in the future.
Since then I've been at home, listening to the rain, cutting coupons, and catching up on the 6th season of Lost. Such a productive day, ha ha. Really need to go run, but might have to take a raincheck. It's kind of nasty out there.
With that, I leave you a no-fail recipe for banana pudding. I make this often and always get compliments on it:
BANANA PUDDING
2 bananas
1 box Nilla wafers
1 large box vanilla pudding mix
2.5 cups cold milk
1 tub frozen Cool Whip
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Combine 2.5 cups cold milk with pudding mix. Beat for a minute or so. Let sit about 2 minutes. Add Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix it all up. Alternate layers of Nilla wafers, pudding, and bananas. Top with wafers.
P.S - Sometimes I make it with NO bananas and extra Nilla wafers. Scandalous, I know!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Considering...
buying an iPod Touch. Not an iPad. No, I like to stay 2-3 years behind current technology, thankyouverymuch.
As for school, things are kind of blah right now. I am currently on Peds Ambulatory which means Heme/Onc clinic in the morning (that's kids with sickle cell anemia or lymphomas, leukemias, etc... for those who don't know) and then general Peds clinic in the afternoon.
I haven't enjoyed this week as much as my counterparts but that's all my bad. I just don't enjoy clinic, period. I'm sure it would be different if these were my patients that I'd seen before and built a relationship with but they're not. Plus, heme/onc is kind of depressing to me personally. The kids don't seem depressed at all for the most part. Even though they have fragmented lives, they are really resilient and have surprised me at how well-developed they are socially. I'm glad someone out there can do it, like my friend twotinyletters over @ http://twotinyletters.blogspot.com but it certainly isn't for me.
As far as general Peds clinic there's a lot of well-child checkups which are incredibly easy but these appointments drive me nuts. I feel like they're a waste of time. I know they're not, but I just feel worthless having made a parent take off work, come to the hospital, wait for an hour or longer, just so we can say - "Yep, baby looks great." There are certain things that need to be done, such as shots given, etc... but I guess it's more of a surgical mindset I have. I want a problem and a solution. I just want to get in there and fix something. I had the same issues in family medicine clinic. Drove me nuts every time I saw a chief complaint of "3 month f/u." These go something like this:
Me: "Hey Mr. Smith, how have you been the last 3 months?"
Mr. Smith: "Great, I have no complaints."
Me: "Good. See you in 3 months"
Now this is not how it actually happened. First of all these visits end up dragging on forever because they have to tell you about you know - their low back pain or that funny looking bump on their left toe that their cousin's aunt says is a spider bite because she knew a guy her 4th cousin twice removed works with that has the same thing on his exact same toe. I know this guy went to the lab for a routine blood draw. I know it's important to check his HbA1c. I know you want to see him when he's well so you can know when he's really sick. But still, these visits bother me. That's a big hangup of mine. Don't know where my malfunction is. Maybe I've got some kind of chromosomal translocation that predisposes me to clinic hatred? That's my excuse for now.
As far as studying, things have been incredibly lackluster in that department as well. The weather has been so beautiful and I've had a lot of projects going on around the house. All I want to do is PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!!!! I find myself reading things and not remembering them an hour later.
Figured out my learning type, finally, but not exactly what to do with it. I'm a mostly kinesthetic or tactile learner with some visual components. What's that mean? I learn by doing - or drawing a picture of something, etc... That means all those lectures I sat through, there's a reason I didn't get much out of them. All those books I try to read, worthless unless I find a way to incorporate the knowledge other than reading it. All the things I've gotten to do on wards - I'll never forget. Some of the suggestions for kinesthetic learners online are pretty comical though. Pretty sure I'd be "that girl" if I partook in a lot of these. They include:
* Take your notes and repeat them to yourself while walking. If you’re in a rush, walking faster or bouncing while you walk can sometimes help, though this method’s effectiveness might vary with subject. When space is limited (or you’re in a hallway awaiting a test), a few-step pace back and forth can suffice instead of a wide circling you might prefer when you have room.
*As crazy as this might sound, some people have their best results from this one: studying while yo-yoing. The motion and sound (the yo-yo has a type of buzzing sound while twirling on the string) make this method especially useful to audio-kinesthetic learners. If you try this one, you’ll probably find yourself walking while studying, as well.
Tips above are from http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/study-tips-for-kinesthetic-learners/
With that, I leave you to go pace around my house while yo-yoing and talking to myself.
As for school, things are kind of blah right now. I am currently on Peds Ambulatory which means Heme/Onc clinic in the morning (that's kids with sickle cell anemia or lymphomas, leukemias, etc... for those who don't know) and then general Peds clinic in the afternoon.
I haven't enjoyed this week as much as my counterparts but that's all my bad. I just don't enjoy clinic, period. I'm sure it would be different if these were my patients that I'd seen before and built a relationship with but they're not. Plus, heme/onc is kind of depressing to me personally. The kids don't seem depressed at all for the most part. Even though they have fragmented lives, they are really resilient and have surprised me at how well-developed they are socially. I'm glad someone out there can do it, like my friend twotinyletters over @ http://twotinyletters.blogspot.com but it certainly isn't for me.
As far as general Peds clinic there's a lot of well-child checkups which are incredibly easy but these appointments drive me nuts. I feel like they're a waste of time. I know they're not, but I just feel worthless having made a parent take off work, come to the hospital, wait for an hour or longer, just so we can say - "Yep, baby looks great." There are certain things that need to be done, such as shots given, etc... but I guess it's more of a surgical mindset I have. I want a problem and a solution. I just want to get in there and fix something. I had the same issues in family medicine clinic. Drove me nuts every time I saw a chief complaint of "3 month f/u." These go something like this:
Me: "Hey Mr. Smith, how have you been the last 3 months?"
Mr. Smith: "Great, I have no complaints."
Me: "Good. See you in 3 months"
Now this is not how it actually happened. First of all these visits end up dragging on forever because they have to tell you about you know - their low back pain or that funny looking bump on their left toe that their cousin's aunt says is a spider bite because she knew a guy her 4th cousin twice removed works with that has the same thing on his exact same toe. I know this guy went to the lab for a routine blood draw. I know it's important to check his HbA1c. I know you want to see him when he's well so you can know when he's really sick. But still, these visits bother me. That's a big hangup of mine. Don't know where my malfunction is. Maybe I've got some kind of chromosomal translocation that predisposes me to clinic hatred? That's my excuse for now.
As far as studying, things have been incredibly lackluster in that department as well. The weather has been so beautiful and I've had a lot of projects going on around the house. All I want to do is PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!!!! I find myself reading things and not remembering them an hour later.
Figured out my learning type, finally, but not exactly what to do with it. I'm a mostly kinesthetic or tactile learner with some visual components. What's that mean? I learn by doing - or drawing a picture of something, etc... That means all those lectures I sat through, there's a reason I didn't get much out of them. All those books I try to read, worthless unless I find a way to incorporate the knowledge other than reading it. All the things I've gotten to do on wards - I'll never forget. Some of the suggestions for kinesthetic learners online are pretty comical though. Pretty sure I'd be "that girl" if I partook in a lot of these. They include:
* Take your notes and repeat them to yourself while walking. If you’re in a rush, walking faster or bouncing while you walk can sometimes help, though this method’s effectiveness might vary with subject. When space is limited (or you’re in a hallway awaiting a test), a few-step pace back and forth can suffice instead of a wide circling you might prefer when you have room.
*As crazy as this might sound, some people have their best results from this one: studying while yo-yoing. The motion and sound (the yo-yo has a type of buzzing sound while twirling on the string) make this method especially useful to audio-kinesthetic learners. If you try this one, you’ll probably find yourself walking while studying, as well.
Tips above are from http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/study-tips-for-kinesthetic-learners/
With that, I leave you to go pace around my house while yo-yoing and talking to myself.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Runner's Log + Peds Day 1
I'm a little delinquent on updating my running log. Ran 4 miles today, 2 miles Saturday in Kosy, and 4ish miles on Thursday. Finally getting into the swing of things. I think it's the gorgeous weather we've been having lately. Took Penelope with me today and ended up running into my cousin A going the opposite direction on the trail. She was very proud of my "technical gear" running shirts I believe she called them...
Today was Day #1 of peds. Everyone seems to really enjoy this rotation, so let's hope it can overcome a serious case of Spring Fever/I'm sick of living at the hospital/M3-itis. I'm not even at the hospital that much anymore and I still can't get away from that place fast enough. Everyone else seems to be feeling the same way fortunately... or is it unfortunately?
6 more weeks.
Bring it.
Today was Day #1 of peds. Everyone seems to really enjoy this rotation, so let's hope it can overcome a serious case of Spring Fever/I'm sick of living at the hospital/M3-itis. I'm not even at the hospital that much anymore and I still can't get away from that place fast enough. Everyone else seems to be feeling the same way fortunately... or is it unfortunately?
6 more weeks.
Bring it.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Runner's Log
2.25 miles; 20 minutes - around da neighborhood
My fellow partners and I started on Gyn Onc today. However... the only gyn onc attending is out of town all week and we have 1 patient who is just hanging out and waiting to be discharged. All this adds up to a pretty slim workday. I won't post the hours I actually worked today for fear that a few of my classmates might actually assassinate me.
Anyways, all that free time lead to lots of time to exercise my credit card at Wal-Mart and Academy Sports. I finally got some proper running shorts (Cousin A, are you proud?) I have been wearing old Soffe cotton shorts from high school and sometimes even tennis skirts to run in for the last few years. Terrible, I know. Also got some moisture-wicking shirts. T-shirts are probably the worst thing you can wear to run in (besides maybe a sweater?) because they trap all that hot air and moisture and just don't let go but I wear those a lot too. Maybe all this new gear will improve my running times. Ha ha. Also got a new Nike + system since my last one bit the dust and got lost.
I'm going to have to pack my lunch for the next 2 months to justify all the money I spent to run today :)
My fellow partners and I started on Gyn Onc today. However... the only gyn onc attending is out of town all week and we have 1 patient who is just hanging out and waiting to be discharged. All this adds up to a pretty slim workday. I won't post the hours I actually worked today for fear that a few of my classmates might actually assassinate me.
Anyways, all that free time lead to lots of time to exercise my credit card at Wal-Mart and Academy Sports. I finally got some proper running shorts (Cousin A, are you proud?) I have been wearing old Soffe cotton shorts from high school and sometimes even tennis skirts to run in for the last few years. Terrible, I know. Also got some moisture-wicking shirts. T-shirts are probably the worst thing you can wear to run in (besides maybe a sweater?) because they trap all that hot air and moisture and just don't let go but I wear those a lot too. Maybe all this new gear will improve my running times. Ha ha. Also got a new Nike + system since my last one bit the dust and got lost.
I'm going to have to pack my lunch for the next 2 months to justify all the money I spent to run today :)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Running Log
4.0 miles; ~1 hr. Beautiful day!!!
Trying to do at least 30 miles this month. Gotta break down the big goal into smaller goals.
Trying to do at least 30 miles this month. Gotta break down the big goal into smaller goals.
Big Decisions
Well folks, a decision has been made. I am going to do Ob/Gyn. I know this might be a shock for a few of my classmates who read.
I went into OB/GYN thinking I would love it immediately. Then I was overwhelmed by their language made entirely of abbreviations. Ex: "Mrs. S is a 37 yo AAF G5P4 here to r/o PROM, h/o PreE, DM; GBS+" It goes on and on. There are tons of abbreviations. I also was intimidated by the deliveries and afraid of screwing something up. I got nervous that I couldn't feel the dilation of the cervix, etc... I started thinking about malpractice insurance and focusing on all the bad in order to talk myself out of it as a career option.
Now the last 2 weeks I've gotten a bit more comfortable, learned the lingo (mostly), and finally learned how to correctly do a bimanual pelvic exam (your fingers go BEHIND the cervix and push up), and seen some incredible surgeries.
During one of the surgeries this past week I just so wanted to be the one digging in and doing the work. It was a fibroid removal aka "myomectomy" and it was amazing. Plus, they use a ROBOT to do surgery - a robot!!!
The other pros on my pro/con list I made:
*no incredibly detailed H&Ps to be taken; just a general PMH, PSH, and then detailed OB/GYN history which consists of a few precise questions. When I was considering Internal Medicine the though of having to do thousands and thousands of detailed H&Ps over the years made me want to jump off a cliff. Those patients' medication lists alone are enough to turn me away. (For those of you not in the medical profession, H&P is the entire medical history and physical exam performed on people when they're admitted to the hospital. It takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on how sick the patient is and gets really old asking people the same questions over and over again.)
*surgeries! I've started really enjoying the OR (as long as I remember to eat before I go in so I don't get all hypoglycemic and cranky) Plus, most of these surgeries are SHORT (aka less than 3 hrs) and there are just fewer surgeries to perfect compared to general surgery. But still, you get to be a surgeon - you're just a surgeon with dangly earrings (amiright Ewok???) Ha ha. Threw that in just for you. I've found that when I don't know our schedule for the next day I find myself really hoping it's a surgery day and not clinic. There are only 2 specialties where that's an option. Ob/Gyn and General Surgery. So that really narrows it down.
There's more pros than this, I just can't think of them right now. There's also some cons of course but a lot of those are true for all specialties. The main difference is malpractice insurance. I'm pretty sure the amount that Ob/Gyns make is more than enough to cover that and live comfortably though, so I'm not worried about it. I'm often quite surprised to see how much people in my class freak out over their future income and paying back loans. I mean honestly - I've never seen a POOR doctor who doesn't have enough to support their family. And since I'm not the type that's going to buy a new BMW every year I really don't stress about it. We could be in a lot worse shape people!
Anyway, now that I've gotten that out I feel better. Think I'm about to drink some coffee, go for a run in the sunshine, and then get ready for a Crawfish Wedding Party for a very special friend of mine. Have a great Easter weekend everyone!
P.S. - My running total for March was 15 miles. Geez. I think that puts me at around 45ish miles run for the year. I'm going to have to pick it up this month if I want to hit 300 by 2011...
I went into OB/GYN thinking I would love it immediately. Then I was overwhelmed by their language made entirely of abbreviations. Ex: "Mrs. S is a 37 yo AAF G5P4 here to r/o PROM, h/o PreE, DM; GBS+" It goes on and on. There are tons of abbreviations. I also was intimidated by the deliveries and afraid of screwing something up. I got nervous that I couldn't feel the dilation of the cervix, etc... I started thinking about malpractice insurance and focusing on all the bad in order to talk myself out of it as a career option.
Now the last 2 weeks I've gotten a bit more comfortable, learned the lingo (mostly), and finally learned how to correctly do a bimanual pelvic exam (your fingers go BEHIND the cervix and push up), and seen some incredible surgeries.
During one of the surgeries this past week I just so wanted to be the one digging in and doing the work. It was a fibroid removal aka "myomectomy" and it was amazing. Plus, they use a ROBOT to do surgery - a robot!!!
The other pros on my pro/con list I made:
*no incredibly detailed H&Ps to be taken; just a general PMH, PSH, and then detailed OB/GYN history which consists of a few precise questions. When I was considering Internal Medicine the though of having to do thousands and thousands of detailed H&Ps over the years made me want to jump off a cliff. Those patients' medication lists alone are enough to turn me away. (For those of you not in the medical profession, H&P is the entire medical history and physical exam performed on people when they're admitted to the hospital. It takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on how sick the patient is and gets really old asking people the same questions over and over again.)
*surgeries! I've started really enjoying the OR (as long as I remember to eat before I go in so I don't get all hypoglycemic and cranky) Plus, most of these surgeries are SHORT (aka less than 3 hrs) and there are just fewer surgeries to perfect compared to general surgery. But still, you get to be a surgeon - you're just a surgeon with dangly earrings (amiright Ewok???) Ha ha. Threw that in just for you. I've found that when I don't know our schedule for the next day I find myself really hoping it's a surgery day and not clinic. There are only 2 specialties where that's an option. Ob/Gyn and General Surgery. So that really narrows it down.
There's more pros than this, I just can't think of them right now. There's also some cons of course but a lot of those are true for all specialties. The main difference is malpractice insurance. I'm pretty sure the amount that Ob/Gyns make is more than enough to cover that and live comfortably though, so I'm not worried about it. I'm often quite surprised to see how much people in my class freak out over their future income and paying back loans. I mean honestly - I've never seen a POOR doctor who doesn't have enough to support their family. And since I'm not the type that's going to buy a new BMW every year I really don't stress about it. We could be in a lot worse shape people!
Anyway, now that I've gotten that out I feel better. Think I'm about to drink some coffee, go for a run in the sunshine, and then get ready for a Crawfish Wedding Party for a very special friend of mine. Have a great Easter weekend everyone!
P.S. - My running total for March was 15 miles. Geez. I think that puts me at around 45ish miles run for the year. I'm going to have to pick it up this month if I want to hit 300 by 2011...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Obsession
You see this room? More specifically the paint color? How the white trim POPS off it? How everything looks so crisp and perfect? I'm BEYOND obsessed. I've been looking no less than 1 hour for the perfect color of grey with just enough brown or is it more brown with just enough grey? I can't tell. Anyway, I've been looking for that color to paint our bedroom. If anyone has any clues, I'll gladly pay you in cookies.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Runner's Log, REI
Went for a run Monday - 4.0 miles on the Natchez trail again, this time in 50ish minutes instead of an hour - woohoo! I stopped less this time too. Just for the water break at the 2 mile mark and Penelope's inevitable potty breaks.
Then went for a run today - ~2 miles. Can't be sure of how far I went but it was around 30 minutes so I think that's a conservative estimate. I've got to get a new Nike+ set so I can be accurate! The weather has just been so gorgeous lately I'm really hoping to catch up to my 300 miles in 2010 goal. It's not completely hopeless yet :)
As for school, my 2 partners and I started Reproductive GYN this week. It's actually been pretty great. Monday was a piece of cake. I scrubbed for a TVH (transvaginal hysterectomy - a surgery where they remove the uterus through the vagina, meaning no giant incision or scar). It was pretty cool except for the 1.5ish hours I spent retracting straight UP. I don't mind retracting the abdomen. I pretty much stick a retractor in there, steady my feet, and lean back with most of my body weight. It's kind of like water skiing. Retracting the vah-jay-jay on the other hand... It's not quite as forgiving. Not to mention I was pulling straight up. That's always harder. When the case was over I was dripping with sweat. The oh-so-intelligent attending looked at my scrubs and said, "what is that on your scrubs?" It's sweat you dingbat!!! That's what I wanted to yell, but of course I didn't. I swear they forget what it was like to be the lowly 3rd year med student...
We went home after that surgery because our resident said "she'd call us." We'd heard a rumor that she doesn't care too much where the students are. At 1:00 that afternoon we had a Clinical Skills Exam. These are the tests with actors who pretend to be patients. The whole encounter is set up like a clinic. There's a chart on the door, the whole works. We have 12 minutes with the patient and then a few minutes to write a note. Then we get a grade on the whole encounter, what we remembered to ask, what we remembered to put in the note, etc... 12 minutes with a patient just isn't very much time. These 2 cases weren't bad at all. The 1st one was discussing the results of a mammogram and the possibility of breast cancer with a patient, the other was spousal abuse. It's kind of tough because you have to notice subtle clues like "bruises" painted on with eyeshadow and decreased eye contact. After all that was over I took Penelope for that 4.0 mile run I talked about earlier. Then K and I went and ate at Little Tokyo. I got veggie hibachi and a veggie sushi roll. Safe choices right? Apparently not...
Yesterday was not so pleasant. I didn't even make it to the hospital. Woke up about 4:30 am incredibly nauseous. I usually have a stomach of steel. I can eat anything, drink anything and I never get bothered. I proceeded to vomit 3-4x. Yuck. Not fun. I was supposed to be the student in clinic that day but fortunately one of my nice partners, R, volunteered to take my spot so I could stay home and recuperate.
Today I scrubbed into a tubal ligation and watched 4 or 5 others. They all kind of ran together. Really quick procedures. Then it was time for lunch. Then a meeting with one of the attendings at 3:00 to discuss various sundry chromosomal and hormonal problems that we'll probably never see. It was interesting though. Came home around 5, dug up a bush, ran 2 miles and now I'm typing this. What a long and incredibly boring post. I can't believe you're still reading this. The end.
Then went for a run today - ~2 miles. Can't be sure of how far I went but it was around 30 minutes so I think that's a conservative estimate. I've got to get a new Nike+ set so I can be accurate! The weather has just been so gorgeous lately I'm really hoping to catch up to my 300 miles in 2010 goal. It's not completely hopeless yet :)
As for school, my 2 partners and I started Reproductive GYN this week. It's actually been pretty great. Monday was a piece of cake. I scrubbed for a TVH (transvaginal hysterectomy - a surgery where they remove the uterus through the vagina, meaning no giant incision or scar). It was pretty cool except for the 1.5ish hours I spent retracting straight UP. I don't mind retracting the abdomen. I pretty much stick a retractor in there, steady my feet, and lean back with most of my body weight. It's kind of like water skiing. Retracting the vah-jay-jay on the other hand... It's not quite as forgiving. Not to mention I was pulling straight up. That's always harder. When the case was over I was dripping with sweat. The oh-so-intelligent attending looked at my scrubs and said, "what is that on your scrubs?" It's sweat you dingbat!!! That's what I wanted to yell, but of course I didn't. I swear they forget what it was like to be the lowly 3rd year med student...
We went home after that surgery because our resident said "she'd call us." We'd heard a rumor that she doesn't care too much where the students are. At 1:00 that afternoon we had a Clinical Skills Exam. These are the tests with actors who pretend to be patients. The whole encounter is set up like a clinic. There's a chart on the door, the whole works. We have 12 minutes with the patient and then a few minutes to write a note. Then we get a grade on the whole encounter, what we remembered to ask, what we remembered to put in the note, etc... 12 minutes with a patient just isn't very much time. These 2 cases weren't bad at all. The 1st one was discussing the results of a mammogram and the possibility of breast cancer with a patient, the other was spousal abuse. It's kind of tough because you have to notice subtle clues like "bruises" painted on with eyeshadow and decreased eye contact. After all that was over I took Penelope for that 4.0 mile run I talked about earlier. Then K and I went and ate at Little Tokyo. I got veggie hibachi and a veggie sushi roll. Safe choices right? Apparently not...
Yesterday was not so pleasant. I didn't even make it to the hospital. Woke up about 4:30 am incredibly nauseous. I usually have a stomach of steel. I can eat anything, drink anything and I never get bothered. I proceeded to vomit 3-4x. Yuck. Not fun. I was supposed to be the student in clinic that day but fortunately one of my nice partners, R, volunteered to take my spot so I could stay home and recuperate.
Today I scrubbed into a tubal ligation and watched 4 or 5 others. They all kind of ran together. Really quick procedures. Then it was time for lunch. Then a meeting with one of the attendings at 3:00 to discuss various sundry chromosomal and hormonal problems that we'll probably never see. It was interesting though. Came home around 5, dug up a bush, ran 2 miles and now I'm typing this. What a long and incredibly boring post. I can't believe you're still reading this. The end.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Runner's Log
I've been slacking when it comes to updating my running on here, but oh well. I've been keeping up with it in my planner.
Went for a run yesterday on the Ridgeland Multipurpose Trail near my house. It's a 2 mile run to the craft center, then 2 miles back to the car. The goal was to change it up from my usual intervals of run/walk/run/walk, so I just ran incredibly, almost painfully, slow at the beginning and managed to make it the whole 1st 2 miles without stopping! Hooray! Then Penelope and I stopped for a water break at the craft center on the Natchez Trace and started the run back. I had to stop one time because Penelope got all tangled in a thorny branch and then during her flipping out session she swung it over to me so we were both tangled. Every time I tried to move another thorn would get caught in my legs. Ouch!!! Managed to get untangled and then stopped and walked 2 more times for about 1 minute each. Here's the breakdown:
4.0 miles run, 55 minutes, 1 thorny branch entanglement
Also, if you like running with a dog that happens to pull you, you might want to buy this thing:
It looks a little scary, but it's wonderful! The mouth part stays nice and loose as long as the dog is relaxed. It even allows them to drink water. The second they lunge forward (after a bird, fellow dog, whatever) it cinches a little tighter around their snout so they can't bite. It also keeps them from pulling you off over into the bushes or putting strain on your arms while running. It's fabulous. It doesn't hurt Penelope at all and she's gotten so much better about running beside me and not trying to drag me! Makes running much easier. I got mine for about $15 at Petsmart. It's black and blends with her fur so it doesn't look like I have a crazy muzzled dog :)
Went for a run yesterday on the Ridgeland Multipurpose Trail near my house. It's a 2 mile run to the craft center, then 2 miles back to the car. The goal was to change it up from my usual intervals of run/walk/run/walk, so I just ran incredibly, almost painfully, slow at the beginning and managed to make it the whole 1st 2 miles without stopping! Hooray! Then Penelope and I stopped for a water break at the craft center on the Natchez Trace and started the run back. I had to stop one time because Penelope got all tangled in a thorny branch and then during her flipping out session she swung it over to me so we were both tangled. Every time I tried to move another thorn would get caught in my legs. Ouch!!! Managed to get untangled and then stopped and walked 2 more times for about 1 minute each. Here's the breakdown:
4.0 miles run, 55 minutes, 1 thorny branch entanglement
Also, if you like running with a dog that happens to pull you, you might want to buy this thing:
It looks a little scary, but it's wonderful! The mouth part stays nice and loose as long as the dog is relaxed. It even allows them to drink water. The second they lunge forward (after a bird, fellow dog, whatever) it cinches a little tighter around their snout so they can't bite. It also keeps them from pulling you off over into the bushes or putting strain on your arms while running. It's fabulous. It doesn't hurt Penelope at all and she's gotten so much better about running beside me and not trying to drag me! Makes running much easier. I got mine for about $15 at Petsmart. It's black and blends with her fur so it doesn't look like I have a crazy muzzled dog :)
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