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Family Day

February 27, 2008 by 5 Comments

Last week we had Family Day for the first years. Of those who had guests on campus, some had spouses, but I think the majority had parents. My parents came out for the day. My parents and I arrived on campus just before 7:30 AM. We got out of the car and started walking towards the designated registration area.

I had my backpack on and walked slightly in front of both of my parents. It felt a bit awkward. I asked my mom when was the last time she went to school with me. “Kindergarten,” she replied.

The provided us a small breakfast. After breakfast they had 3 hours of lecture scheduled for us.

The first class began at 8:30 AM and was on micturition (urination).

Lecture two, at 9:30 AM, was an hour about eye exam. My dad actually fell asleep in this lecture. Me? I was doing my best to stay alert. After all, can’t be falling asleep during a lecture with mom nearby. Third lecture was an embryology lecture on the endocrine system.

After lectures we were scheduled to have lunch at 11:45. The large crowd headed towards the conference center below the School of Medicine administration offices. There they served some pretty good food. I don’t think any of the parents believed that the meal was any example of normal treatment for students.

That afternoon, we got a chance to show our parents/guests some of the labs. I took my parents to the Physical Diagnosis “lab.” They listened to heart sounds with a stethophone, palpated a simulated prostate, and checked out some ear models. We then went to the Simulation Center in the physiology building. That was pretty cool. They showed off all the high-tech dummies.

I thought the whole thing was fun. It was a good chance for the parents to come and see what everything was all about. The students got a chance to show off our campus and facilities.

When I started this post I thought I was going to come up with a pretty brilliant way to close the post.

Right now I’m kind of drawing a blank.

End of post.

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life Tagged With: , ,
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Slow Month

February 27, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Well it has been a very slow month — at least for this site, anyways. The school side of my life, on the other hand, has been pretty busy. Although, as I sometimes say, it’s nothing to write home about. The business has not involved anything really interesting. Not that the human body isn’t interesting, because it totally is.

I actually do have a couple draft posts that I started but I have yet to finish them. Most of the drafts are very short.

But one thing of interest that did happen this month was Family Day for the first years. But Maybe that can be another post…

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life
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It Left Me Feeling… SICKO

February 12, 2008 by 7 Comments

SICKO
Courtesy of MichaelMoore.com

I guess I’m slow. I’ve heard that before. But I finally got to see Michael Moore’s documentary on the American Healthcare System. This was my very first Michael Moore documentary. I didn’t watch bowling for Columbine or Fahrenheit 9/11.

Prior to watching this film I thought that Michael Moore was pretty obnoxious. Not that I’ve ever met the guy. He just came across that way to me. He seemed confrontational. But maybe you need to be that way to produce an effective documentary.

Throughout the film, Michael Moore introduces the audience to various Americans. We get to meet them and find out about their difficulties in the system of medicine that Americans seem to have accepted.

As a documentary about the atrocities of the American healthcare system, one would expect to see the negatives. And Mr. Moore does not fail to deliver. He presents one tear-jerking story after another and with his sarcasm points out how broken our system really is.

At one point he brings a group of Americans who have health problems resulting from their work at Ground Zero of on 9/11. These rescue workers had many problems that they just could not afford to deal with back home. Moore took them to Cuba where they were treated free of charge.

I consider this film to be an argument for Universal Healthcare. As an argument, I didn’t expect an unbiased view. Even so, Michael Moore did point out some of his critics. And one can easily find the opposing viewpoints with a quick Google search.

Without getting into a debate about the merits or pitfalls of universal medicine, I previously wrote that there are two entities that keep America from going the route of universal healthcare. Those two are (1) doctors and (2) Big Pharma. (see my post: Reforming the U.S. Healthcare System for more).

Overall, I think it was an excellent film for anyone interested in healthcare in America. Is it a good generalization of the state of things in this country? I don’t know. My mother had cancer a couple years ago and was very well taken care of by her insurance (not going to name them, but the founder is briefly mentioned in the film). Maybe my mom was the exception and not the norm? I just haven’t been in and around the hospital system to know. Nevertheless, the film does offer one viewpoint and its probably that we should take a look at.

Filed Under: My Life, Opinion, Other, Outside of Medicine Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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The Writing On The (Bathroom) Wall

February 10, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Well I’ve seen the writing on the wall. Granted, it was on the wall of a bathroom stall. And no, I won’t write about what I was doing in there (although my intelligent readers should be able to figure that one out). But this is what it said:

School Socks
Crime Spays

Man… I find the weirdest things amusing during test weeks… But some things happen with perfect timing. I saw this quote during exam week (last week). It appeared to have been written by more than one person. I don’t think the original author meant to write that crime spays — at least I hope not. And I blame the “socks” on bad handwriting. It probably did say “sucks.”

Oh, and if you were wondering, I was in the stall to get some toilet paper…. Runny nose… You believe me, right?

*****

Tomorrow is the the first day of lectures after an exam week. In a way, we’re starting fresh. Gotta try to do a better job of keeping up this time. Getting behind is sooo ridiculously stressful. It just snowballs. Because you get behind on one day. And then the next day its hard to catch up. Then you think the weekend is catch-up day but if, for some reason, you can’t catch up on the weekend… well, like i said, SNOWBALL.

I’m gonna try to sleep earlier now. I went to sleep around 10:30 PM towards the beginning of the school year. I think that worked out well. Not sure why I stopped. But I’ll try it again.

Here we go.

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life
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Hillary Healthcare 2.0

January 25, 2008 by 5 Comments

Related Posts: Reforming the U.S. Healthcare System

In the January 8, 2008 New Hampshire Primary, Sen. Clinton edged her opponent Sen. Obama by just 3 percent. With Clinton’s recent New Hampshire win following Obama’s strong showing in Iowa, the race is anything but decided.

How will the 2008 Presidential Elections affect the American healthcare scene? Should Hillary win the November Presidential Election, what can we expect?

According to Hillary Clinton’s own website, her plan, which she calls the American Health Choices Plan, would cover each and every single American and will improve “healthcare by lowering costs and improving quality.”

So far, it sounds like an excellent idea.

The Hillary Plan is has five objectives. Again, from her website, they are:

  1. Offer New Coverage Choices for the Insured and Uninsured.
  2. Lower Premiums and Increase Security
  3. Promote Shared Responsibility
  4. Ensure Affordable Health Coverage For All
  5. [Be] A Fiscally Responsible Plan That Honors Our Priorities.

Who could be against such a plan? It’s definitely an ambitious plan. Is it too ambitious? From what I’ve heard, it has been toned down a lot since HillaryCare, the plan Senator Clinton was pushing for in 1992.

One of the things she hopes to do is to guarantee access to healthcare coverage. Under this plan “insurers must offer coverage to anyone who applies and pays their premium” and furthermore, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

Fabulous, no?

I just wonder how she intends to do this. Ask nicely? I doubt it. This would have to be mandated by federal law. And will the industry kindly step back without sending their lobbyists in?

Usually, a tipping point must be reached before significant change can happen. If Americans are fed up with the current situation, and their congressional representative are in tune with their constituents, maybe this is possible. I hope that is the case. I also worry that I’m just being optimistic or that I am underestimating the resolve of corporations to keep making money.

The objectives are noble. Coverage for all. Budget savings for the federal government. Tax breaks that will help the working person afford healthcare. Guaranteed coverage.

But HillaryCare 2.0, as some have started to call it, is not without its critics. They claim that this is just socialized medicine repackaged for an American audience.

If, come Inauguration Day, we begin to say Madame President, Hillary Clinton can begin trying to implement her plan.

Details of the plan can be found at HillaryClinton.com.

Filed Under: My Life Tagged With: , , , ,
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Conversations: Learning So Much

January 22, 2008 by 2 Comments

Usually there are two kinds of conversations I listen to. The first, of course, are the conversations I am involved in. That’s easy. The second, however, are conversations that I overhear.

I wouldn’t call myself an eavesdropper. But sometimes I just can’t help it. People get all excited and into their conversations that it seems they think they are the only ones within earshot. Or maybe they just don’t care if other people hear.

One conversation I was in recently went something like this:
Me: Hi. How’s it goin?
Classmate: Great. I’ve learned so much today! [said enthusiastically with a smile]

Now, at this point I was walking into lab in the afternoon after 4 hours of lecture that morning. I was wishing I didn’t have to be in lab. I felt like my usual self — thinking about all the material that I still needed to know.

And as I stood there walking into Anatomy lab, I felt really jealous. Why didn’t I feel the same way? Why don’t I feel the same excitement over learning? Why am I just tired and feeling like there’s sooo much things to learn?

I’m truly glad for my classmate who said this.

If only I could feel the same way…

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life Tagged With: ,
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Picking Apart My Brain

January 17, 2008 by 5 Comments

I was one of the first into lab from my group of eight. On the table was a clear plastic container filled with a solution of 10% formaldehyde. The container sat on a tray — a tray that you might find in a cafeteria.

I slipped the tray out from underneath the container and carefully opened the container. The smell was strong. The liquid looked a little brownish. I reached in, my gloves on, and pulled out a human brain. Well, at least half of a human brain. It had already been cut down the middle — a clean cut separating the left and the right brain.

The day’s lab only required examining one hemisphere. Already having arbitrarily chosen one side, I placed my half-brain onto the tray and went to the special sink to rinse off the formaldehyde solution.

In line I looked around. It was a weird scene. Students waiting in line. All holding cafeteria trays that carried a human brain.

After finding and identifying all the structures on our checklist, it was time to leave the lab. The brain slices were returned to their smelly solution. Most of our nostrils burned. Someone’s eyes were teary.

Neuro lab was a little strange. Gross examination wasn’t that bad. I mean, I’d seen plenty of brains in pictures. It was the slicing that I felt weird about. It cut so easily. Almost like a kiwi, without the skin. Or maybe think JELL-O, the kind with fruit inside.

But, I think the best example, if you’re familiar with it, would be tofu. The hard kind. Not the soft tofu used for soup. It’s actually how Katrina Firlik, MD (a neurosurgeon) described the consistency of brain in her book Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, which, by the way, as an awesome book.

A classmate commented that its so strange watching it. We are cutting up someone’s brain. At one time, the cells in this brain we were now cutting up, fired off electrical impulses. It commanded muscle groups and regulated complex functions. It held someone’s memories.

Occasionally I get these moments in medical school. Moments in which I stand in awe. I am amazed at what I am holding, or touching, or seeing. I like those moments. I’d like more of them, too. I think they help me push on through the drudgery of having to study all the time.

And now, its late and I’m sleepy. So I’ll end this post here.

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life Tagged With: ,