OFF THE ROCK! Back in the USA!

MEDICAL SCHOOL LIFE UPDATE! I am back on American soil!

Things I no longer have to worry about on a daily basis:

Ross' island campus

Crabs...everywhere...in rivers, oceans, streets

"The Shacks" a.ka. dysentery dining

THINGS I WILL MISS:

So many rainbows, every time it rains!

These little (big) guys

Hand made bonfires on the beach, biolumenescent plankton in the ocean at night

Amazing sunsets over the Caribbean Ocean each day

Having passed my last year of basic sciences (first 2 years completed) I have moved to Miramar, Florida to complete my Pre-Clinical Semester and prepare for the first Board Exam. 

I am currently studying for the COMP exam, a comprehensive exam we are required to pass before being allowed to take the USMLE Step 1 (first Board Exam). I have only had enough spare time to set up my apartment and figure out where the grocery store and main campus is. I have not had the chance to go to Miami beach or any other nearby beach. I am excited to explore the beach, Miami, and the Everglades once this test is over. I really hope I pass/do well, as this has some minor influence on my future Clinical Rotation placements.

Basically life is no different than the island (apart from the obvious First world differences) because I still have that same crazy study schedule and have little time for myself. I am hoping this will change when the COMP is over and I can fully return to being "human".

I haven't decided if I will start a new blog or continue this one since I am no longer on the Island.

Stay tuned!

REBLOGGED: My Kind of Bhakti.: Peace by Vasudha

I am so proud of my friend Vasudha. As over-used as it the metaphor is, I think of her and I as yin and yang. She being the lighter, peaceful half and I the darker, conflicted half. We are both strong women, but we view life and the world around us very different. I think this mostly stems from our own life experiences, our upbringing, and our inherent personalities. I miss my other half these days. We used to have weekly coffee dates to discuss life and I miss having her more positive perspective to balance me out.

Lately I have been seriously lacking Balance. I'm starting to believe that this the ultimate goal to achieve in all aspects of ones life: Balance. At the moment there is only ONE aspect to my life: medicine. Hopefully when I get back to the States I will have a couple more, like reconnecting with family and friends, and starting a relationship. I'm at the age and in a profession where I desperately need both of these components to support me.

I like how Vasudha views Hinduism, and although she discusses it's "peaceful foundation", I also think that like Buddhism, Hinduism is about balance.

Read her latest post here:

My Kind of Bhakti.: Peace: Before I start this post, I just want to take a moment and acknowledge what happened in Wisconsin this Sunday. My heart goes out to the Sik...


More later!

DAYS LEFT ON THE ISLAND: 7

PHOTO UPDATE!

I should be doing more practice questions but instead...THIS:

Last Night Paul and I built a bonfire, on the beach, after 5 days of rain--> We are pretty proud of ourselves!

THE BONFIRE BEGINS

WE THEN INVITED SOME FRIENDS TO COOK HOTDOGS AND MAKE S'MORES

A FEW WEEKS AGO I RAN A WOMEN'S CLINIC (BREAST EXAMS) IN PORTSMOUTH:
I PUT 5 DESKS TOGETHER TO MAKE AN EXAM TABLE: 3RD WORLD INGUINITY

 TAKING PICTURES BEFORE THE PATIENTS BEGAN TO ARRIVE:

POSING/TEACHING A PATIENT and VOLUNTEERS HOW TO PERFORM A BREAST EXAM

I DREW A POSTER WITH INSTRUCTIONS WHILE I WAS WAITING FOR PATIENTS:

SOME PICTURES FROM MEDICAL SCHOOL PROM: BANQUET NIGHT AT FORT SHIRLEY

ME AND CAROLYN WAITING FOR OUR RIDE TO THE BANQUET: OUR 4th SEMESTER CLASSROOM

Tonight! Dreams Come True!

Tonight I accomplished my 2 greatest goals for life on this island:

1) my friend Paul and I built a bonfire  on the beach with our bare hands! which was particularly impressive because:
 a) it just rained for 3 days and all the wood in the jungle was wet
 b) we didn't have lighter fluid or any of the fancy stuff you have in the US
  c) we actually cooked hotdogs and made smores!

2) I swam in the ocean at night with biolumenescent plankton!!!! The most amazing swimming experience here; at night at least. They sparkle all around you!

Tonight was amazing and I am so happy that I had some really good friends to share it with! The moon was full, the weather (which has been stormy) held out, and we ended the night with a light drizzle which put out our fire for us. What an amazing time! I finally feel like I've used my experience on this island to it's full potential. :)

Tonight, I love you Dominica. But I still hope that in a month, I will never have to return again.

Til Next Time Folks!

So my big, scary, Clinical Skills Final Exam is over...

AND ALL I FELT LIKE DOING WHEN I GOT HOME WAS THIS...

PARTS OF THAT EXAM COULD HAVE GONE MUCH BETTER.

Like:
a) having the main neurology prof as my grader for the neurology/motor exam...completely froze and forgot how to perform the task, only to recover most of my points and laugh nervously as he frowned at me. I'm pretty sure, since he WROTE that task, he was thinking: "You either did not attend my lecture or have no idea how perform a neurological exam". Neither are true...but anything is possible on exam day.

b) having one of the strictest clinical skills instructors for my Scenario room/respiratory exam.

Life...

WHEN I ZONE OUT WHILE STUDYING DUE TO LIFE...

Because I Can

I am writing this post purely because I can now, with out having to go through the hassle of logging off and on different Google accounts. For I have the power to merge both accounts, and I win!

Shameless "Hunger Games" plug that expresses how I feel.

I will be writing from my new Google account from now on...not that any readers can tell the difference. But it is a large step for me and my OCD tendencies. It's so much more stream-lined this way and at this point in my life it's the "little things" that make me grin. So hooray!

I also think I am sleep-deprived again. As evidenced by my rambling and the fact that lay my head down a few hours ago and when I woke up I thought I was A) in my bed at home, B) had been sleeping for 2 hours. I had only been asleep 20 minutes and had 10 vivid dreams. In the main classroom. At my desk.

More later. Ta!

WHATSHOULDWECALLROSS

A Friend Directed Me To The Best Ross Blog Ever.

It uses Gifs to explain "medical school feelings" and experiences at this crazy university. 

One of my favorites posted below:

WHEN I SPEND ALL NIGHT
MAKING STUDY PRODUCTS.

Sun Set Bay: Snorkelling, Lobster Dinner, Relaxation

Sun Set Bay: Lobsters, Snorkelling, Relaxation

Yesterday my friend Paul and I realized that we meant to plan a trip to Sun Set Bay; a resort with beach access and a seafood restaurant. So we quickly made a plan, emailed friends and I called my Rasta friend "Charley" to give us a ride.


After getting some work done this morning, I headed over to the Main Gate to meet Charley and the others to head out. This day started out so chill and relaxed, that after getting some work out of the way I was ready to have some fun.


The restaurant is only about 30 minutes away from campus. When we arrived around 4 pm we were the only ones there, aside from some French tourists who were staying on the grounds. The sun was out and smouldering and I decided to get some food--fish soup and garlic bread--before joining Paul in the ocean. I brought Jamie's old snorkel gear along just in case we wanted to dive. I have never been snorkelling before, mostly because I'm like a skiddish cat in the ocean and in water in general. I don't trust my swimming abilities against the strong ocean currents and the fear of the "unknown great deep" always scares me too. What's out there? Will it attack me? Etc.


But today, with the sun shining on my face, surrounded by the beauty of a new part of the island, standing in the cool Caribbean waters, I decided to take the plunge. I told myself that I only have 40 days left on this island and I may as well try something different.


Paul instructed me how to use the goggles/mask--since it was cracked--with out getting water inside and showed me where he had seen some fish. I quickly caught the hang of preventing water from seeping in, but of course this involved released air through my nose, and shortening my dives. 


Just looking at the pebbly ocean floor covered in algae was so cool to me. I was estatic when I started noticing tiny fish, then swam further out to see schools of tiny black and white fish, as well as larger silver fish. The silver fish swam in a large school of 40 at least, and would turn and flee en masse when spooked. 


After snorkelling around for a while, Paul and I decided to walk to another part of the beach toward some boulders. I collected some volcanic rocks and an interesting piece of white coral.  We climbed a large boulder, that was inhabited by a few black crabs. Were they land crabs or sea crabs? I feel like there is a species for every habitat on this island. The beach was scattered with tiny hermit crabs as well. 


We noticed the sun was beginning to set so we climbed back down and joined Jadden and Will in the water again. We showed the others where we had spotted fish and Jadden mentioned seeing "a fin". We all thought he was seeing things. Then 15 minutes later when we were all planning on swimming back to the beach I spotted a large, black fin as well, around the same area that Paul and I had been standing. Now that I think about it I'm a bit scared because we had been investigating why these silver fish had been jumping out of the ocean. Now it makes sense; they were trying to escape a predator. Despite my fear of sharks, I think that the predator was probably just a large fish---some of the tuna here are 2x my weight. But still...scary


The dinner was amazing! Small lobsters with garlic cream sauce--an entire platter-ful--mussels swimming in garlic sauce, rice, salad, French fries, complimentary Chardonnay, mango juice, and for desert a Caribbean banana split. 


My corset-style dress was feeling much tighter by the end of that meal. But it was so worth it. We all agreed, it was the best food we have eaten on this island so far.


I took plenty of pictures to capture the day. Here are a few...

Me, and Paul, being weird

Sun Set Bay

Lobster dinner!

Clothing Drive, Motivation

I'm going solo now in running the Women's Health Advocacy Committee of my student chapter of Physicians for Human Rights. So I've cut back on what I want to accomplish through the org this semester. One goal was to have a clothing drive for the Women's Club down in Portsmouth (20 mins away from Picard). 

Initially I thought it would be pretty lame, but after receiving unsolicited, but much appreciated, help from the head of Student Activities, the drive turned out to be a success.


Mark Sheakley (husband of cardio-phys prof Dr. Maria Sheakley) at my university contacted me about giving me an official donation bin. This may not sound like a big deal, but considering our org is tiny compared to other "more popular" ones like AMSA and Salybia, I was surprised that he even knew who I/we were. He graciously offered to allow to have a donation bin (industrial size, yellow, recycling bin) outside the library. This is prime real estate as far as donations go, and we've encountered issues with Student Government bureacracy in the past, so I was kinda elated that we were offered this.


After sending an email to Flavia who runs the weekly email announcements to the entire university, she placed an ad I designed to run for the entire semester to announce the clothing drive. By 1 1/2 weeks the bin was full to the brim. In fact I had to put a note on it the other day that we were no longer accepting donations. How awesome is that?


The Women's Club mainly needs work-wear and uniforms that they can refurbish and resell, but I think they will pretty much take anything. Today, when me and my loyal recruited volunteers, visited the Club, Ms. Kate was asking for book donations too. Give a mouse a cookie...


She also told me that she (cryptically) "had something for me". I'm trying not to be excited because for all I know it's a receipt for the gate installations that I raised donation money for last semester. I really need to go back there and take a picture next to the murals on the outside and with Ms. Kate. Damn, should have done that today. But I was too distracted by the bags of clothing and making sure we had a ride back. The local driver--nice Rasta man--was patient though and waited for us to unload the bags of clothing, then took us back to school. I have him a 20 EC note and told him to give me whatever change he thought fit, and he also gave me a business card--as usual. Except this time it was laminated! Haha. He must be doing pretty well, eh?











We only had 4 hours of class today, which I sat through starting at 8 a.m. I'm so proud of myself for making it to class before 9 a.m. I've been sleeping at 2:30 a.m. every day, after a full day of studying til midnight. Turns out 4th semester is just as challenging i.e. insane, as 3rd. When will it get easier??? *whines* I'm thinking Never. 


Motivation, or Lack Thereof


My friend, Amy, and I had a short conversation on the ride back to campus about what made us motivated to go to medical school. She said she's always wanted to be a doctor, since she was young...I tried to explain my philosophy. It starts with my desire to work in a non-profit public health/medical organization in the developing world. Idealistic and slightly romantic, it's true, but it's about the only thing I have left to "fantasize" about for my future. It's my dream, and aren't dreams supposed to be sort of "out there"? I told her that while there are many ways of going about achieving this goal, medical school is one of the better options that gives me more skills and preparation. 


I always feel like my answer to that question is weak, and over the last 2 years my desire and motivation to get through this has dwindled. Hell, I still don't know if I'll be able to make it through. But I hope I can. So I keep working hard and pushing myself a little more each semester. My main motivation stems from all the clinical interactions I have had on this island, and the awesome jobs I have had in the past. Hopefully this profession will end up matching my expectations. I dare not think of the alternative; I've read too many blogs and discussion board posts of people regretting their decision to enter med school and medical practice because they realized too late, "I guess I really don't want to this after all". 


For now I would like to afford myself the opportunity to be able to be in the position to reflect on my decision. I think it's too early in the game to decide now. Especially since the first 2 years is Not reflective of the following 5-6 years. (Hopefully)


Only 55 days left on the island! Just gotta keep pushing until the end!


I will be blogging again after my next hospital rotation in July.

My First Autopsy, also...Princess Margaret Hospital, Dominica

Today was my first visit/clinical round at Princess Margaret Hospital, in Roseau. The theme of my first clinical round? Can you tell by the color of this font?


Where do I begin?

Super Nerd M.D.--how I look after rolling out of bed at 7 a.m. and donning my  "doctor wear".

Given the fact that my entire "study day" was dissolved by this full-day, hospital visit I have to make this post short. However, I will highlight some of the more memorable details of my first clinical round as a 2nd year medical student.


We arrived at the hospital at 9 a.m. this morning with a bag full of all the examination equipment we own, literally, wearing pristine White Coats, ID badges, and in my case plenty of nerves and excitement. This would be our first, real clinical round as 2nd year medical students!


I realized before getting on the bus that I had neglected to bring scrubs with me, which was a big problem because these are required if you are chosen for a pathology, surgery, or anesthesiology rotation. I made sure my friend would allow me to borrow hers if I was chosen and she wasn't. 


At 9: 30 a.m. I waited expectantly to hear what I'd be assigned to; "Please let it be path or surgery or obgyn!" 


Then they called my name and assigned me to Pathology! Score! I blew a kiss to my friend as they called her name for Internal Med and took her scrubs. I was so thrilled to see if this field, the one I have always been intrigued about and tested well in**, was for me!


Things didn't start out too promising as we soon found out our "preceptor"/attending MD was Cuban and didn't speak much English...at all. Me and the other student on the rotation informed her that we both speak/understand Spanish, which made things a bit easier halfway through.


Today I got to watch and learn from an autopsy of at 72 year old Dominican woman, who died of an intestinal obstruction, with a secondary pulmonary hemorrhage. Well technically, the final cause of death was pulmonary failure, but this was due to the obstruction of the mesenteric artery, supplying the small intestine. Anyways...


The first thought that crossed my mind when the technicians began the Y-incision was, "wow the human body is so fragile...a few deep cuts with a sharp scalpel and your internal organs are exposed in under a minute". The second though was, "oh dear God that smells terrible!"


I'm not sure why the body smelled so terrible (the lady had died fairly recently, either the night before or that morning)..but I suspect the loads of blood from the pulmonary hemorrhaging combined with the necrotic bowel had something to do with it. 


I had a flash back to the scene in "Silence of the Lambs" when the medical examiner offers Jody Foster some Vicks vapor rub to stave off the smell. I really wanted some Vicks vapor rub at that moment. 


This wasn't anatomy lab, with the pre-cleaned, preserved, Formaldehyde-soaked cadavers. This was a woman who less than 48 hrs ago had been living, breathing, in her hospital bed. A mother, whose daughter and son-in-law had some to ID her right before the autopsy. 


After about 10 mins I sorta got used to the smell, and knew just how far away to stand with out looking like a wimp, while still getting to marvel over the entire dissection process. 


The most interesting, fulfilling part came next, when Dr. Milagros began to examine each internal organ, slicing and sectioning so that we could see which ones contained what specific type of pathology. So cool! I finally got see so many of the pathological findings we are taught in class with image slides. 


Purulent fluid! Hemorrhaging! Atherosclerotic plaques! Ventricular wall hypertrophy! Etc! How cool is that?!


After much teaching and much observation we were given a 30 minute lecture in Spanish (by the time the autopsy began Dr. Milagros had already switched into Spanish, for our benefit, so we could actually learn something) about the virtues of the Cuban health care system, versus the U.S. system, versus all the problems with the Dominican system. AND THERE ARE MANY. 


It turns out we were supposed to observe 2 autopsies today: the elderly lady and an infant, but the infant's parents still hadn't shown up to ID the baby so this autopsy was cancelled. It probably sounds very morbid, but I was really looking forward to the infant autopsy because I wanted to see how it would be handled, if the techniques would be different, and what pathology had occurred.


After removing our booties, caps, face masks, we returned to our main quarters.


Everyone ordered pizza from Pizza Hut (a bonus to visiting Roseau) and one hour later we were off again to conduct a patient interview and full physical exam ALONE.


I was partnered with two other students and interviewed a hemophilia patient. The grim part of the exam, apart from the obvious fatigue and blindness, was the fact that he had been admitted to the hospital last weekend for a collapsed lung, and was through out the interview and physical exam coughing up blood and sputum. Like a lot of blood. And yes, some splattered onto my shoe/foot. (I went OCD after the interview and basically cleaned my entire foot and shoe with soap).


The interview and exam went well although the task was very intimidating at first. After all, this was my first interaction with a hospital patient as a medical student who is expected to know what to do and how to do it with max efficiency. But we were lucky and our patient was very compliant and kind to us.


After our interview we presented our patient to the other Cuban doctor we were assigned to, he lectured us on differential diagnoses for lung collapse, etc. and we were done. I popped a Dramamine for the ride home, passed out in the bus, and went home to take a long, hot shower. 


I'm beat but I'm also still processing the days events. I feel fortunate to see how patients are take care of in a developing nation--the wards and nurses' uniforms haven't been updated since the 1920s--and am glad that I have at least some of the skills and knowledge to get the most of these experiences now. 


Will I end up in Pathology? I dunno, but at least I can cross that off my list of experiences and store today's experience in my memory. I think if I can get over the smell I would really take to this specialty. I truly do enjoy the coursework component, and the practical component just reinforces this knowledge. But I still have many, many rotations to do in the years to come, so we shall see then.


It's already late and I have a full, 8 hours of lecture tomorrow. Time to get back to the studious-side of my life as a medical student.


Cheers!

Into the Wild

1/2 of a rainbow taken from my balcony

Sometimes I forget where I live. Most days and hours I have my nose in my notes and rarely even look up at the sky. Today I had a spare moment (island holiday) to look up and as usual it struck me how beautiful the surrounding mountains are. I sometimes forget I live on the small percentage of land that contains asphalt and buildings. The rest is lush, tropical forest, and it pretty much looms above and around our small town one one side, while the other side ends at the ocean. I can't complain.

Tonight I ended an extremely productive study day (gotta love local holidays) with a movie at my friend Paul's apartment. After several attempts at getting the laptop sound just right and picking a movie we both had remotely heard of at some point...we decided on Liam Neeson. Always the right choice.

"The Grey" is about a group of airplane crash survivors, led by Liam of course, who are gradually being hunted and picked off by a huge pack of wild, super-wolves. Yea it was pretty bad, but also quite entertaining.

After I left his apartment I realized how late it was; midnight. Although it rained on and off today the sky was surprisingly clear. The moon shined eerily bright in the sky; a large crescent hung low on the horizon above the sea. Not an unusual sight here. But what made the night so amazing was the silence. Usually the night creatures--frogs, insects, bats, night birds--sing together in a cacophany of jungle noise that is sometimes deafening. Tonight, nothing. It was unsettling but not ominous. Guess this what I get for watching wilderness survival movies while living on a remote island.

In any case, as I was walking down my steep hill, I happened to gaze up at the sky at the perfect moment. And there, for 3 seconds I saw the most radiant meteor I have ever witnessed. It was low in the sky, just above the tallest trees and I could make out the entire thing, tail to head. From the brightest yellow tip all the way to the orange, glowing neck to the burning rock that tore through the dark sky. It was spectacular. I waited on my apartment step for a few minutes to see if it was one of many in a meteor shower. I didn't see any others. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

I hate to say it, but I guess I will miss some aspects of living here when I move back to civilization.

Exploring trails with my friend Christian--Fall '11

Clear Water Does Not Equal Pure Water: Rainy Days in Dominica

This post is to report that tonight I finally had the opportunity to use my SteriPen. I'm not too happy to report why however.

I have had an upper respiratory infection a.k.a "nasty cough" for the past several days which I attribute to a dirty/broken water purifier at the one water fountain I use the most on campus. It's located right outside the 4th semester classroom and I have used it to fill up my water bottles before heading home on many occassions. The other day the water coming out of the FILTERED fountain was Brown. Needless to say I and my classmates were more than perturbed because...how long has this filtered been defective?

We are in the heart of rainy season now and although our water is brown on most days, it takes much less than dirt to cause all sorts of GI/other illnesses. What you don't see CAN hurt you. Today I ran my faucet for a good 5 minutes, turned it off, and when I came back there was a small larvae of what I suspect is a mosquito, sitting in my sink. (Thank you undergrad thesis and medical school for fueling the well-informed paranoia about infectious diseases!)


"Oh Hello! I just came out of your faucet to greet you!"


My water was Clear. Put two and two together and I am no suspicious of All tap water even if it is clear. I guess during rainy season anything is fair game.

So tonight I have prepared over a liter of water to drink through out the night (filled with coughing) that I anticipate. Thank god for technology and UV light. How many more days do I have here?

Count down: 80 Days Left on the Rock!

MUSIC!!!

MUSIC

It has been raining non-stop today. I suppose if I was "hip" or had the "latest technology" I'd easily be able to upload photos from whatever new-fangled I-whatever phone I have...but seeing as I prefer my simple island phone...no pictures. Just imagine the sound of intermittend showers--I'm talking, loud, tropical, Mansoon-like showers right outside your building. This has been going on since early this morning and doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon.

While I love a good rainy day such as this, my inner-clock and mental calendar is just thrown further into wack. I rarely know what day of the week it is anymore with out having to double check mentally. But such is the life of a med student--who cares what day it is? As long as you know Where to be and When and what to be Wearing/Carrying in your White Coat.

I have been taking more study breaks (maybe more than I should) by watching old youtube uploads of Indigo Girls concerts and interviews. It's fun to see how the two women's styles have changed over the years but how their music is essentially the same, both in quality and sound. As a real treat I try to find a trio done with Brandi Carlile (my not-so-secret lady folk heroine).

One of these days, hopefully soon, I can spontaneously learn a new song on my guitar. I'm getting sick of the old ones I play regularly. At the moment I'm trying to work on a Norah Jones guitar adaptation for "Happy Pills". The guitar seems decent but the vocals...a bit difficult.

Anyways, here's a video I thoroughly enjoyed watching today. 1 of 3 I've watched since it takes so long for anything to load on this island.

Amy Ray & Emily Saliers on David Letterman--1989

Enjoy.

*also I only have 91 days left on this island! hoorah! :) *

What is "Normal" Anyways?

When did it become so damn difficult to get out of bed in the morning? For the past 3 weeks I have had a daily conflict with myself about whether or not I really need to get out of bed, get dressed, get out of my apartment and to school. My friends and I joke that we are all showing at least 2 signs of clinical depression...any time someone comments, "man I can't getting out of bed before 9 a.m. lately"...it's follow up by, "are you feeling sadness? change in mood? have you been eating? how many hours do you sleep? have you been avoiding routine activities?"

We laugh..but frightening as it is, we all display many of those symptoms. Is it depression? Or is it just medical school? Is it normal to feel this way after we work our brains to mush and our bodies past fatigue day after day, week after week, 7 days a week? What is "normal" anyways?

I often wonder how my life will be when I move back to the U.S. Here we are all so isolated. In undergrad I simply had to turn my head towards the university tower to know what time it was and now, if I'm not wearing a watch, the only signal of afternoon or evening is the subtle changes in the Caribbean sky. The sky here looks different every single day, and often the patterns of constellations are noticeably different every night. We have a single rainbow at least once a week and a double rainbow every day during rainy season (we are in wet season right now I think...because it's just as humid but not as rainy).

(Wow what a wonderful explaination about pharmacokinetics! This is super helpful for all consumers of this product! I wish this was on my next test! *sarcasm*)

In the U.S. there are other types of people around, like real humans who have jobs and lives and know more than just studying and reading and memorizing facts. They have routines and schedules that last from 9 am-5 pm. This environment could help me regain my sense of time and space. Maybe.

Here I have to take a few seconds to remember what day it is and often panic about having forgotten to pay rent because I forget what month it is. In reality who cares? We live based on our next exam or the final. Time is only relevant in terms of when we need to be where for our next mandatory whatever. Otherwise our noses are in our books from morning til...whenever we physically can no longer process the words on the screen and/or page. Then we drag our sorry butts to the shuttle (because walking home after 8 pm these days is too risky---string of break-ins/robberies/rapes due to Carnival) We wake up the next morning and our expected to repeat. But now? I just don't care any more. My apartment is like my sanctum...and it's poisonous. If I stay here I will never leave. I have food in my fridge and no access to study notes or books. Where as "out there" I have to face reality again/another day of hard-ass work. Who wants to face that?

Inevitable, due to the profuse amount of guilt that was instilled at me at a young age by my Indian parents, I drag myself out of bed (hopefully before noon), eat something, and head out into reality.

Once I complete the sweaty, humid, uncomfortable journey to campus, set my things up, I'm in gear. I then proceed to bang out everything that needs to be done. But by midnight, the same question appears in my brain cynically, "do I really need to come back here again tomorrow?"

Is it "burn out" or depression? Or is it just medical school? Yea, probably just medical school.

Extremely Accurate

Very Accurate, especially my fantasy about being House.

Big Exam on Tuesday, but wait, more clinicals

This semester: Semester 3: "Honestly The Hardest One Yet":

Pretty Accurate, minus the desk top computer...also there would be 10 empty coffee cups!

• Clinical skills and interview skills practice every Monday and Thursday:
• ex: I volunteered for the "Special Interview" a.k.a. the head of the Behavioral Dept. acts the role of a "unique" or "outraged" patient and 3 volunteer med students must try to get through an entire clinical interview, gathering all the necessary information.
• Me and two other women in my interview skills training group happened to volunteer at the same time. We had 10 mins prior to make a "game plan"...we thought we'd surely crash and burn like all who had gone before us...we didn't.
• Dr. Abney (the Dept head...who in this scenario was an outraged, belligerent patient recently diagnosed with HIV..fun) said, "this was one of the most effective interviews I have experienced in this scenarios. He promised us Positive Professionalism Cards--at my school this is like a recommendation letter that is placed in your academic file. Yay!
• Most Mondays are exhausting:
• We either interview patients/perform examinations at local clinics in random villages (think, "3rd world clinic", nauseating bus rides, funny/interesting patients and cases you won't see in the U.S.)
• Alternatively: we practice specific, complex physical examinations (ex. measuring Jugular Venous Pressure to estimate Right Atrial Pressure...which funnily enough involves rulers; ex. taking the Femoral Artery pulse...always awkward)
• Also we still have a couple hours of class.
• Class:
• Minimum of 5 hours per day--maximum of 7 hours per day. Also exhausting..I think we have had over 100 hours of lecture since week one--> and we have a 174 question exam on Tuesday to prove it. (That is pretty much the length of our normal final exams)
• Life outside of class:
• Social Life! *crickets chirping*
• Other: Coordinator for Women's Health Advocacy Committee, part of Physicians for Human Rights (we are the only school chapter of this awesome international organization...check them/us out!
• http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/about/ 
• http://www.rossphr.org/
• I'm organizing a Women's Health Clinic with AMSA (other med org):
• recruited 2 doctors at Ross to perform breast exams, teach self-breast exam
• s and *domestic violence education* to local women
• may have to work with country's Ministry of Gender Affairs to get educational material for women about abuse, safe shelters, etc.
• I'm pretty sure I'm the first in this organization's history to address this issue (which is prevalent through out the Caribbean, oh yea, and the world)
• Also working other small events to raise funds for the Women's Club/Shelter in Portsmouth

Must get back to studying "Effective Communication Skills" as a break from "Intro. to Mycology (Fungal infections)".

More later; thanks for tuning in!

3rd Semester a.k.a. Semester of Doom

The dreaded Third semester has just begun...
and I'm anticipating the looming storm just around the corner. Starting next week we will start learning new "bugs" and it will be all down-hill from there. So far I'm enjoying both micro. and immuno.--both subjects that gave me a visceral reaction in undergrad. It's funny how your mind can change when you strongly apply yourself. Back in undergrad I was 95% humanities with a fun little 5% of biology mixed in there to satisfy my curiosity for science. Now, ha, I'll be lucky if I remember anything about anthropology or philosophy...neither apply directly to what I study. I'm officially a hard-core, science nerd.

A random thought/philosophy I hope to apply to this semester...

It is important to milk Every hour of Every day in medical school...milk each day like a farmer milks a cow, and remember to use every udder. :P

 

Also: I wore my brand, new KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD t-shirt today and got many stares and a few weird looks. I think I did my city proud. I Love and Miss you Austin.
See you in 4 months. <3





Enough of my agricultural analogies...back to medicine!