And so another decade ends and 2011 begins.
I remember my 2010 new years eve - I was at Bowrey Electric in New York City with a few of my friends. It was an odd new years for me because 2010 was the year I'd start medical school - something that I'd been working on for many years. But I didn't know where that would be.
Now, for 2011, I spent a quiet New Years Eve with my parents at home (like any good new yorker, I got faaaar away from the ball drop well before New Years Eve). And I know exactly where I'll be for the next few years (yay Penn Med).
Here's raising a glass and hoping every year gets better. Happy New Year everyone. I hope and pray that everyone has a great 2011, with many more glorious years to look forward to.
For my engineering buddies out there - happy 0x07DB.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monday, December 13, 2010
And so anatomy ends (sortof)
Tomorrow - Monday 12/13 - is my last official day of anatomy lab. It's been a very long and winding road (for the second exam we had to know 99 muscles, their innervations and blood supplies... good times!) The exam a week from Tuesday will be by far the hardest of the 3 anatomy exams.
I've truly come to believe the Head and Neck regions (and I'm not even counting the brain...) were designed by God (or evolution, or whatever) for one purpose only: to drive medical students crazy. I mean... seriously. Some of the wiring makes no sense. Why exit the skull (jugular foramen), enter it again (around the ear), and then exit it again (via foramen ovale) to innervate the Parotid gland?! (thank you lesser petrosal nerve... yay for the damn glossopharyngeal cranial nerve). And on that note... who knew the skull had so many holes in it?!
I know this is more appropriate for the last exam (the Brachial Plexus was part of the second exam - the limbs exam), but the general feeling this picture illustrates is still appropriate:
Having said all that, I don't think I'll ever have another class as amazing as Gross Anatomy. I'm extremely humbled that people have donated their bodies to science so we can train to become the best doctors we can be. I wanted to take a moment to thank the people and the families who help make Gross Anatomy possible. Thank you all so much. Be assured that our class (and medical school classes around the world) have learned an immense amount from cadaver dissections. Lessons we couldn't have learned any other way. Know that any lives we improve and/or save in the future is possible because of the willingness of these selfless people and their families.
Thank you.
As always, I'm writing a blog entry instead of going to sleep. I need to figure out a better way to fit this into my schedule...
I've truly come to believe the Head and Neck regions (and I'm not even counting the brain...) were designed by God (or evolution, or whatever) for one purpose only: to drive medical students crazy. I mean... seriously. Some of the wiring makes no sense. Why exit the skull (jugular foramen), enter it again (around the ear), and then exit it again (via foramen ovale) to innervate the Parotid gland?! (thank you lesser petrosal nerve... yay for the damn glossopharyngeal cranial nerve). And on that note... who knew the skull had so many holes in it?!
I know this is more appropriate for the last exam (the Brachial Plexus was part of the second exam - the limbs exam), but the general feeling this picture illustrates is still appropriate:
Having said all that, I don't think I'll ever have another class as amazing as Gross Anatomy. I'm extremely humbled that people have donated their bodies to science so we can train to become the best doctors we can be. I wanted to take a moment to thank the people and the families who help make Gross Anatomy possible. Thank you all so much. Be assured that our class (and medical school classes around the world) have learned an immense amount from cadaver dissections. Lessons we couldn't have learned any other way. Know that any lives we improve and/or save in the future is possible because of the willingness of these selfless people and their families.
Thank you.
As always, I'm writing a blog entry instead of going to sleep. I need to figure out a better way to fit this into my schedule...
Monday, December 6, 2010
Time marches on
There were a lot of people (that I know) with birthdays this week. There were 5 within our medical school class! The older I grow, the more I understand that the passage of time isn't really dictated by the rate at which sand falls through an hour glass. It's really more about how many great / memorable events happen between t = 0 and t = x.
Better yet, it seems to have a paradoxical effect: on the one hand, when a lot of events are happening (preferably good ones), time seems to speed ahead. Like the three parties I went to this weekend - I felt like they just started, and every time I looked at the clock, at least a half hour had inexplicably disappeared into the ether. On the other hand, I look back at all the crazy things that've happened in the past few months, all the new friends I've made, all the new experiences I've... experienced (hey I never said I was a wordsmith) and it's a bit shocking to realize it's been just that - a few months. I guess I'm not used to having so many events occur so quickly: I feel like a year has passed - but nope; less than 6 months have passed.
I'm not sure I like either effect events have on the passage of time. But then again, it's not like I can argue with time (I've tried, time is very stubborn). And I definitely don't have anything to complain about. So I'll just sit back and watch the grains of sand fall.
On a side note (you didn't think I'd end without one of these did you?) - thinking about events that've passed made me reminisce about my undergrad institution. Mainly, I just think back to the 2 am Mario Kart sessions. My next thought? Well, an xkcd cartoon best explains it. To anyone out there who knows about / plays Mario Kart... you'll definitely understand this one. For those that don't - drop what you are doing and go play Mario Kart.
Damn blue shells.
Words of wisdom from a friend of mine:"Karma is when you drop a banana peel [in Mario Kart] and slip on it yourself"
Better yet, it seems to have a paradoxical effect: on the one hand, when a lot of events are happening (preferably good ones), time seems to speed ahead. Like the three parties I went to this weekend - I felt like they just started, and every time I looked at the clock, at least a half hour had inexplicably disappeared into the ether. On the other hand, I look back at all the crazy things that've happened in the past few months, all the new friends I've made, all the new experiences I've... experienced (hey I never said I was a wordsmith) and it's a bit shocking to realize it's been just that - a few months. I guess I'm not used to having so many events occur so quickly: I feel like a year has passed - but nope; less than 6 months have passed.
I'm not sure I like either effect events have on the passage of time. But then again, it's not like I can argue with time (I've tried, time is very stubborn). And I definitely don't have anything to complain about. So I'll just sit back and watch the grains of sand fall.
On a side note (you didn't think I'd end without one of these did you?) - thinking about events that've passed made me reminisce about my undergrad institution. Mainly, I just think back to the 2 am Mario Kart sessions. My next thought? Well, an xkcd cartoon best explains it. To anyone out there who knows about / plays Mario Kart... you'll definitely understand this one. For those that don't - drop what you are doing and go play Mario Kart.
Damn blue shells.
Words of wisdom from a friend of mine:"Karma is when you drop a banana peel [in Mario Kart] and slip on it yourself"
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Positive attitude
So I should be going to sleep right now (yes, I have a self imposed curfew - when you're done laughing read on!), but I saw this xkcd comic and I just had to post it.
For anyone who knows me - I'm a fountain of positiveness (and hyperness). I really loved the reverse psychology stick figure #2 uses in the comic. If only it were this easy to instill positive attitudes in everyone. There's also the slight issue that this method is probably not too ethical.
We are ramping up material in our Microbiology / Infections Diseases class. Although all of our classes are useful - they tend to form a foundation that is probably not directly used. Microbio's different - we actually learn about the various antibiotics used in hospitals and which microorganisms they work well against! It's a lot to memorize - but it is definitely very cool. I mean - this is the real stuff - the stuff we'll probably use most frequently! And it'll probably help us save lives!
Bring on the tables upon tables of antibiotics crossed with microbes they work/don't work against! Although, I'm told they already "brought it"; I'm just behind in keeping up with lectures. Doh.
In other news: partying thursday night, friday night and saturday night. I wonder why I'm behind?
For anyone who knows me - I'm a fountain of positiveness (and hyperness). I really loved the reverse psychology stick figure #2 uses in the comic. If only it were this easy to instill positive attitudes in everyone. There's also the slight issue that this method is probably not too ethical.
We are ramping up material in our Microbiology / Infections Diseases class. Although all of our classes are useful - they tend to form a foundation that is probably not directly used. Microbio's different - we actually learn about the various antibiotics used in hospitals and which microorganisms they work well against! It's a lot to memorize - but it is definitely very cool. I mean - this is the real stuff - the stuff we'll probably use most frequently! And it'll probably help us save lives!
Bring on the tables upon tables of antibiotics crossed with microbes they work/don't work against! Although, I'm told they already "brought it"; I'm just behind in keeping up with lectures. Doh.
In other news: partying thursday night, friday night and saturday night. I wonder why I'm behind?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Happy tofurkey day(s) and BABIES
Happy thanksgiving everyone! Hope everyone's holiday was awesome and the travels weren't too painfully long.
Before I left for my holiday, I had the chance to watch some babies being born through the Watch-a-Birth program at HUP (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania). Of course, I did not actually help any of the health professionals - I just stood out of their way and watched. But the first thing I did when I got home was to call my mom and say "Thanks for going through everything you went through mom, you are really amazing" - because damn was it amazing! It's amazing to me that both the baby and mother can survive the whole ordeal! Not only that... apparently it's a normal part of life. Yowza. I still don't think I want to go into gynecology/OB, but what they do is pretty freaking awesome!
For some reason, this experience reminded me of an old quote: "When you are born - you cry, and the world is happy. When you die, you are happy, and the world cries".
On a tangent: the best way to survive medical school and learn all the insanely long names for various body parts is to rely on acronyms and mnemonics. Historically, the raunchier / crazier the mnemonics, the easier they are to remember. I was trying to figure out how to explain and convey the sillyness of some of these memory aids... and then a friend of mine showed me this comic:
Yup. That's one of the ways we survive med school!
Before I left for my holiday, I had the chance to watch some babies being born through the Watch-a-Birth program at HUP (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania). Of course, I did not actually help any of the health professionals - I just stood out of their way and watched. But the first thing I did when I got home was to call my mom and say "Thanks for going through everything you went through mom, you are really amazing" - because damn was it amazing! It's amazing to me that both the baby and mother can survive the whole ordeal! Not only that... apparently it's a normal part of life. Yowza. I still don't think I want to go into gynecology/OB, but what they do is pretty freaking awesome!
For some reason, this experience reminded me of an old quote: "When you are born - you cry, and the world is happy. When you die, you are happy, and the world cries".
On a tangent: the best way to survive medical school and learn all the insanely long names for various body parts is to rely on acronyms and mnemonics. Historically, the raunchier / crazier the mnemonics, the easier they are to remember. I was trying to figure out how to explain and convey the sillyness of some of these memory aids... and then a friend of mine showed me this comic:
Yup. That's one of the ways we survive med school!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
37 hours
I've got an Immunology exam Monday afternoon, and then an Epidemiology exam Tuesday morning. I started studying early for these exams (well, one of these exams anyway). The only problem with doing that? I feel extremely unproductive the day before the exam (i.e. today)... since I don't really have much left to study.
Then again - if that's all I've got to complain about - that's a pretty good thing eh?
The stuff happening after the exams is going to be great though! After the epi exam, I'll be at the hospital watching babies being born. Partying later that evening, and then on a plane to Michigan Wednesday morning.
The rest of the week is going to be awesome!
Then again - if that's all I've got to complain about - that's a pretty good thing eh?
The stuff happening after the exams is going to be great though! After the epi exam, I'll be at the hospital watching babies being born. Partying later that evening, and then on a plane to Michigan Wednesday morning.
The rest of the week is going to be awesome!
Taking exams in monkey suits one day, and being a salesman on another day
Medical school is an... interesting experience.
Penn Med tradition dictates that for the second anatomy exam (a team exam) the teams have to dress up in various costumes. Most tend to wear costumes somewhat related to the anatomy class. My learning team dressed up as the League of Lesions - i.e. the symptoms of the most common nerve lesions in our limbs.
I dressed up as an ape (representing the ape / simian hand that happens due to median nerve / median & ulnar nerve lesions).
... and then I proceeded to take the exam. On a side note - my Penn Med class now holds two records for our anatomy class: we had the lowest average in the history of the new Penn Med curriculum (which is ~ 12-14 years old) on an anatomy exam (the first anatomy exam)... but we also got the highest average ever on an anatomy exam (first time it was over 90). Go Penn Med 2014ers!
This, oddly enough, is one of the reasons I chose Penn and boy am I happy I did. You always have to remember that life is more than just "doing your job" - be it an actual job in a cubicle, or being a professional student and studying your ass off. It's about enjoying what you do, and remembering to stop and do the other things you enjoy doing while not losing sight of your primary "job". And this sense really permeates into Penn Med's philosophy - which is really nice!
Makes my life easier... and I don't seem like (as much of) a slacker.
Switching gears:
We go through Doctor-patient courses. These are (usually) with actors who play patients, and we are put in... interesting situations so we can improve our interviewing skills. One of my recent Dr-Pt interactions was pretty hilarious. My "patient" was non-compliant with her diabetes medications (i.e. she wasn't taking them properly). She was pursuing more homeopathic remedies (lots peanuts apparently) because she didn't like the side effects from the medication. I guess this is when my corporate world training kicked in and I tried to convince her that it's in her best interest to continue her diabetes medication. Of course I start off with "our main goal is to make you feel better - and if you are feeling side effects from the medication - we should definitely see what we can do about that! We want you to want to take your medications because it genuinely makes you feel better."
But the kicker was "I really think we can work with your homeopathic remedies - I don't see why we can't try both at the same time, especially if you feel better on those remedies. I don't see why western medicine needs to be at odds with homeopathic remedies Would you like to give it a try, and see how it goes?"
At the end of the session, first thing the actor says? "Used car salesman!" But I took that as a compliment! Especially since she kinda caved and accepted my suggestion.
I've got a long way to go, a lot to learn, and quite a bit more growing up to do (although, I'm pretty sure that last part will never happen...); but I am really glad to see that my experiences in the corporate world aren't completely useless.
P.S. - I really do want to get into blogging now. I feel like putting my thoughts down somewhere can a. help me sort them out and b. be awesome to look back on (and laugh at). Also - Anna inspired me to get back into it. So if my bad grammar and sentence structure hurts your head, blame her.
Penn Med tradition dictates that for the second anatomy exam (a team exam) the teams have to dress up in various costumes. Most tend to wear costumes somewhat related to the anatomy class. My learning team dressed up as the League of Lesions - i.e. the symptoms of the most common nerve lesions in our limbs.
I dressed up as an ape (representing the ape / simian hand that happens due to median nerve / median & ulnar nerve lesions).
... and then I proceeded to take the exam. On a side note - my Penn Med class now holds two records for our anatomy class: we had the lowest average in the history of the new Penn Med curriculum (which is ~ 12-14 years old) on an anatomy exam (the first anatomy exam)... but we also got the highest average ever on an anatomy exam (first time it was over 90). Go Penn Med 2014ers!
This, oddly enough, is one of the reasons I chose Penn and boy am I happy I did. You always have to remember that life is more than just "doing your job" - be it an actual job in a cubicle, or being a professional student and studying your ass off. It's about enjoying what you do, and remembering to stop and do the other things you enjoy doing while not losing sight of your primary "job". And this sense really permeates into Penn Med's philosophy - which is really nice!
Makes my life easier... and I don't seem like (as much of) a slacker.
Switching gears:
We go through Doctor-patient courses. These are (usually) with actors who play patients, and we are put in... interesting situations so we can improve our interviewing skills. One of my recent Dr-Pt interactions was pretty hilarious. My "patient" was non-compliant with her diabetes medications (i.e. she wasn't taking them properly). She was pursuing more homeopathic remedies (lots peanuts apparently) because she didn't like the side effects from the medication. I guess this is when my corporate world training kicked in and I tried to convince her that it's in her best interest to continue her diabetes medication. Of course I start off with "our main goal is to make you feel better - and if you are feeling side effects from the medication - we should definitely see what we can do about that! We want you to want to take your medications because it genuinely makes you feel better."
But the kicker was "I really think we can work with your homeopathic remedies - I don't see why we can't try both at the same time, especially if you feel better on those remedies. I don't see why western medicine needs to be at odds with homeopathic remedies Would you like to give it a try, and see how it goes?"
At the end of the session, first thing the actor says? "Used car salesman!" But I took that as a compliment! Especially since she kinda caved and accepted my suggestion.
I've got a long way to go, a lot to learn, and quite a bit more growing up to do (although, I'm pretty sure that last part will never happen...); but I am really glad to see that my experiences in the corporate world aren't completely useless.
P.S. - I really do want to get into blogging now. I feel like putting my thoughts down somewhere can a. help me sort them out and b. be awesome to look back on (and laugh at). Also - Anna inspired me to get back into it. So if my bad grammar and sentence structure hurts your head, blame her.
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