Family Medicine

When I started medical school, I was not a fan of family medicine. I had no issue with it for run of the mill care, but I had a very difficult time seeing how one person could know enough to manage complicated issues from such a wide variety of patients. Sore throats, physicals and blood pressure? Okay fine. Pregnancy? Sorry, that's not something that I have an easy time accepting. (Disclaimer: everyone is entitled to their own opinions -- if you want to, you can love family practice and let them deliver your babies. It's just not a choice I would make).

In medical school you are required to do rotations in a large number of specialties, and that includes family medicine. And I have spent the month of October doing, you guessed it, family medicine. Which I have to admit has been a different experience than I was expecting.

I expected to hate it.

And, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things that I am not crazy about. But I also have to admit that I don't hate it like I thought I would. The days are easy, low stress and pass (reasonably) quickly. Lunches are catered almost every day (thank you, pharmaceutical reps!), and there are no nights and no weekends.

I still have no idea what I want to do with my life once I am does with school, but if nothing else, not hating this rotation like I thought that I would is helping me keep an open mind about the different options that are out there to pick from...


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Final

628 days

11 sections

12 midterms

11 finals

12 OCS practicals

52 hours of pathology lab

72 hours of anatomy lab

128 hours of OCS lab

1055 hours of lecture

3000 hours of studying

And this is the last weekend (with any luck) that I will spend studying for a medical school final. The last day of lecture is over, the last lab is done. I still have a lot of studying left to do, both for next week and for boards in June (YIKES!), but when I look at all the other numbers, a little bit longer doesn't seem so bad.

If you would have told me what all of this would be like before I started I never would have run screaming in the other direction never believed you. What a journey.

Whew.

A Little of This, A Little of That

I think that one of my biggest problems with not posting more often is that I don't feel like my day to day life is that exciting. And that if nothing earth shattering happens that it isn't worth a post. But if I subscribe to that theory, I won't have a post more often than every six months.

But I just read Kimberly's most recent post and decided that I rather liked the little snippets. So here's my own version. I'm such a follower. But at least I follow in the footsteps of awesome people. :)

This is what I will be doing for the next six months. Studying for boards. And doing regular school. And working. Because obviously I have a death wish. But seriously...the thought of studying for a test for six months makes me want to throw up just a little. Okay, sometimes a lot.

My sister got me this mug for Christmas, and I find it absolutely hilarious. I laugh every time I see it. And since it makes me laugh, I haven't actually used it yet. I just keep laughing every time I see it in my bag and then I don't want to use it and get it dirty, so I use a different mug. I'm also just a little afraid I'll drop it and break it. And yes, I have heard of that crazy invention that you call dish soap...I've even heard that you could use it to make things that are dirty (like said mug) clean again. Don't ask me why I haven't looked into this further, perhaps by actually using the mug...

I bought myself this little beauty. And I have to admit...I love it. I use it every day. I bought it for two main reasons. The first (and probably largest) was because I wanted one. Hey - at least I can admit it. And second, to study with -- it's small enough that I can fit it in my purse and carry it with me, making board studying able to fill even the smallest snippets of time. Or to use to check my google reader or facebook with...

This is how far I've gotten taking down my Christmas decorations. They are (mostly) boxed up. And stacked in the living room. I just can't bear to take them to store in the garage...okay, or to take down the naked tree. I love Christmas, and I am seriously sad that it's over. I'm not turning on the lights anymore though...I don't want the neighbors to know what a slacker I am...

We have FINALLY gotten our first snow of the year! I don't really like cold weather -- at least not frigid cold weather -- but I LOVE snow. I just think it's so pretty and peaceful. I really don't even mind driving in it, although I don't go out and drive around in it just for fun. But I've never gotten snow days from work, so it isn't like I hide in the house. Okay, so I did stay home from school on Monday and said it was because of the snow. But it was really because I wanted to sleep in and not go to lecture. It's not my fault the people that they had scheduled to lecture weren't any good! Besides, I studied at home, so I think that still counts...right?!

Oh The Guilt...

When you start down the path for medical school, there are lots of things that people tell you.

"You should totally do it! Go to medical school!"

"You have got to be out of your *(&$% mind!"

"Seriously?! Are you nuts?!"

"You can do it!"

People tell you all about the stress and the time and the studying and the feeling of drinking from a fire hose going full blast.

But no one mentioned the guilt. The guilt that you aren't studying enough. The guilt that you aren't doing enough work or that you aren't smart enough and didn't really deserve to be there.

And all the other guilt -- that you are neglecting your friends (you are, although they will understand, at least for a while) and your family (you are, and they might understand, or at least they will pretend to) and your coworkers if you are dumb enough to think that you can still work and the things that need to be done around the house (you are, and your neighbors probably are wondering when your yard turned into a jungle and when you might do something about that).

And I was prepared for the stress. And the studying. And the feeling like my brain would explode if I tried to cram one more little factoid into it.

But I was completely and totally unprepared for the overwhelming guilt.

Dreaming...

...of vacation...






But instead of vacation, I'm spending the weekend studying for my neuroanatomy final. And if you don't think that sounds like a good time...well, you'd be pretty much right about that...

Making Time

After what feels like the blink of an eye, school started again today. And it wasn't any of the 'just review the syllabus on the first day' thing either...it was eight LONG hours. Which, after only a couple of hours of sleep, seemed to last FOREVER.

Of course I should probably mention that the lack of sleep was totally my own doing. And totally worth it. But it still means that it's barely after 8 pm and now I am counting down the minutes until I can hit the sack tonight.

Even though summer was over in the blink of an eye for goodness sake rather abbreviated, when I think back on it I did manage to fill it with quite a bit. There was lots (and LOTS) of working...July ended up being a record breaking month for # of deliveries, and we wrapped up with 361. My coworkers are definitely amazing. I also took a summer elective -- sign language for health care providers -- which turned out to be a great class. I even went on vacation! I just got back and haven't sorted any of my pictures yet, but it was nice to get away for a few days.

And...I have been taking some pictures. I have a few coworkers who had previously asked me to take some pictures of them and their sweet kiddos...and I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with how they have been turning out. These are a few from Joey turning one...I can't believe how much has changed and that its already been a whole year!

Adding It Up

What do you get when you add:

• 32 weeks of lecture

• 620 lectures

• 6 midterms

• 5 anatomy practicals

• 6 section finals

• 1 Cumulative final over then entire year, also known as the test that tried to kill me

• 2100+ hours of studying

• 1700+ hours at work

• 1500 (or less) hours of sleeping

• 1 new puppy

• 1 big move to a new house

• Countless friends

• 259 classmates

• A few stress induced mental breakdowns

One incredible, busy, crazy, frustrating, enlightening, whirlwind FINALLY OVER first year of medical school!

Weekend By The Numbers

Jodifur shared her numbers for the weekend. And since I love things like that, I figured I would follow suit...although I'm pretty sure that none of my numbers are too exciting...

5: minutes I was able to stay home on call before my phone rang and called me in to work.

11: hours worked Saturday night, after being called in.

1: number of patients I delivered while at work on previously mentioned Saturday night.

90: minutes spent at the dog park on a GORGEOUS Easter Sunday.

1.5: number of totally exhausted pups after trip to dog park. Technically I do have two dogs, but the puppy is so small I'm not sure she counts as a whole dog just yet...

18: hours spent studying for my finals this week. Don't be impressed, if it hadn't been for working Saturday night the number would have been much, much higher.

2: number of hours remaining, at this very moment, until the first Cardinals game of the season. Hooray for baseball!

3: number of finals I have this week.

9: weeks left before I am completely finished with my first year of medical school. Surely I can survive that much longer...right?

7: consecutive hours of sleep I got last night. Which, I will have you know, is a MAJOR thrill and accomplishment for me. I am clearly still learning to sleep through the night.

Best Shot Monday: Back to the Daily Grind

And it's over...despite the snow, ice and FRIGID temperatures, Christmas break is over and it's time to go back to school...

So answer me this, why does break time always go some much faster than school time?!

Hope everyone's 2010 is off to a fantastic start!

Looking Around

Because I have the attention span of a gnat Because I am highly interested in people watching, I spend a lot of my time at school looking around and watching the people in my class.

I realize that this might sound creepy, but I promise it isn't. Or it isn't supposed to be.

But as I sit and look around at my classmates, it occurs to me that in just a few short years, these people will be physicians. Who are supposed to make decisions. And deal with patients.

And there are a lot of people that I have no trouble picturing in that type of role - caring for patients, meeting with families, making decisions. But then there are the 'other' ones...

Yikes.

There are some people that I simply can't picture walking into a room as a physician. Let alone doing any of that other doctor-type stuff.

And then I realize that in just a few short years someone is going to want me to do that doctor-type stuff.

Double Yikes.

Medical School - 3 Weeks In

It's only been three weeks and we've only had one midterm, but I can say, without a doubt, that I now know what they mean when they say that information in medical school is like trying to drink from a firehose.

Oh. my. word.

The shear VOLUME of information is seriously unbelievable. Everyone said it would be, but really, you never really believe people until you're there yourself. But believe me. It's HUGE.

I think that maybe part of the reason that it's so surprising is simply because I haven't ever really been a studier. I would review material for tests and finals, but that was about it...studying was never a part of my normal school routine. I went to class, I did the work, and that was that.

This is totally different. I feel like I am studying ALL THE TIME. And if I am not studying? Well, I'm thinking about studying. Or I'm reviewing things in my head. All. the. time. The shower, the car, making dinner, trying to fall asleep.

It's only been a few weeks, and I am still trying to find the right routine to get everything done. But I have passed my first section's midterm (thank heavens) and have even managed to all the posts in posts in my google reader catch up in blogland (sort of) and get the number of unread posts in my google reader down below 500. I have even done the dishes and some laundry...I know, I'm on FIRE!

I don't regret going, even when the studying sucks. Because while I am constantly reminded of all the things I don't know....I'm starting to surprise myself with the amount of things that I have been able to learn too...

White Coat

My school has a week of orientation for incoming first year students. Several days of the normal orientation stuff: meet and greets, introductions, expectations, community service and rules, rules, rules.

Then, at the end of the week, is White Coat.

And, at my school, white coat is a BIG DEAL. There are rehearsals and tickets and a huge party afterwards.

It's not complicated, really. It's actually just like it sounds - all the newbies show up, and they get...a white coat. A short one (which signifies a student rather than someone who actually knows what they are doing), but still -- a coat that is white. That people associate with doctors. That people will associate with us as actual medical students.

251 of us, all with white coats. All well on our way.



I have a feeling it's going to be one heck of a ride...

Can You Believe They Let Me Graduate?!

My parents and both my sisters came to town for graduation.
















And my best shot:

Way Behind

I don't think that words "way behind" even do justice to just how far behind I actually am.

Case in point? This is my first post since July 6th -- egads, I don't know how that happened!

It isn't, of course, that I had nothing to write about -- that's never the case, is it? It's simply that life is BUSY...same for me as for everyone else. Work, school, family, friends, life...it all seems to get in the way.

But the low down on what I have been up to is this:
*3 weeks of full time medical school type stuff. Which was overwhelming (but helpful).

*Friends...or rather attempting to make sure that at least a few of them remember who I am. Which, if they do, won't be thanks to any ability to get together on my part. As expected, my schedule sucks.

*Work. People never stop having babies. Which means that I never stop having to go to work. Not that I am complaining (not really anyway) - a secure job is a nice thing to have!

*Life...you know, the really exciting things like dishes, laundry, and grocery shopping. Well, at least dishes and laundry - I actually really do like to go grocery shopping!


I am going to attempt to get some of my hum drum life adventures written down...I'm sure that you all just can't wait to hear about them...

Oh! Hi!

Oh! Hi!

I apparently have a serious memory problem, where I mean to post and then don't quite get to doing so. It's a terrible thing, really, seeing as how I am quite sure that all of you are just DYING to know what I've been up to.

Which, by the way, hasn't really been all that exciting.

My biggest news is that I have successfully written and defended my thesis, so now you can all feel free to call me Master. :) Graduation isn't for a few more weeks, but that certainly doesn't make me any less glad to be done. Unfortunately there was no real summer vacation fir me - we started classes to prepare fir medical school this past Monday. Which I assure has absolutely caused me to ask "what in the world was I thinking" on a daily basis.

As you can see, I am still a total insomniac being given frequent opportunities to catch up on my DVR, as it is after midnight and I am still awake. And warning: anyone who tells me that being awake so late gives me lots of time to study may very well be physically harmed.

I am, however, pleased to report that (assuming this post is viewable) I have figured out how to post from my phone. I know - now you are all hoping to be spared the daily live blogging of all my lectures. I promise, you will be...

You're Never Too Old For Pinatas

The secretary for the Bioethics Department is AMAZING. And we're all pretty sure that without her, nothing would ever get done.

So on her half birthday we decided that a celebration was in order...Deb Day!

There were decorations:

There was food:

There was cake:

There was a pinata!

And there were good times had by all. Proof that you're never too old for a little bit of pinata fun!

Summary Saturday 2009: Project 365, Week 15

April 4:

April 5:

April 6:

April 7:

April 8:

April 9:

April 10:

Friday Funny

I have a sister. Two actually. One of them is a first grade teacher. And, while I have never seen her class or met any of her students, they tend to provide me with quite a bit of entertainment anyway.

This is one example.

Her class was working on nonfiction pieces about penguins. The kids were supposed to write their facts and illustrate their pages for the class book. Innocent enough, right? The student is the penguin on the right side, saying "I love Tess". Tess is my sister -- why her first graders know and use her first name I have no idea. My sister is the penguin on the right.

With a fish in her stomach.

Ahem.

Does that look like a fish to you?

Somehow I don't think this one made it into the class book...

Maybe sleep isn't so overrated after all...

My life is busy. But so is everyone else's.

I don't get much sleep. Sometimes it's because I have other things to do and sleep falls on the back burner. And sometimes it's because I am the WORST sleeper ever, and can't get a few hours of shut eye to save my life. Whatever the reason, I try not to complain about it too much. I picked this crazy life of mine, and I do enjoy it.

Yesterday morning when I got off of work (after working five looooong nights in a row) I had a few things for school that I was quite sure HAD to be done before I slept for a few hours. So being the diligent student that I am I sat down with my computer to write a prospectus for a final paper. Most of it was already done, I just needed to add a quick thesis statement and I would be all done.

So I sat down and puttered around, reading various articles and things that I had saved, so that I could make sure I picked a thesis that I could actually support with research. Sounds easy, no? And finally I found the perfect article - it said exactly what I wanted to say, and was going to support my thesis PERFECTLY.

And then I realized that I was reading my own paper.

And shortly after that, I realized that perhaps sleeping BEFORE turning in something that would receive an actual grade might be a better idea.

And I started to think that maybe sleep wasn't quite as overrated as I originally thought...

Best Shot Monday: Summary Saturday - Project 365, Week 38

Once again, I didn't get it together on Saturday to get this posted. Friday was my first night shift in a few years, and by Saturday morning all I could think about was getting some sleep. What's that? Plan ahead you say? Ahh, if only I had been that together on Friday....

But I wasn't. But I am now. That counts...right? I could always blame Kimberly for making me see things that weren't there -- if I hadn't been staring at the almond, maybe I would have been more on top of my own posts!

September 27:





September 28:





September 29:





September 30:





October 1:





October 2:





October 3:





For great shots from last week, see what everyone else has to share for Best Shot Monday!