Today is my first thanksgiving at home in 5 years!!! And already my family is annoying me :) :) My mom is barking about the Macy's parade and how she has seen more of the today show hosts than the actual parade. Fur is popping blocks. Dylan just woke up (almost 11:30am). Randi and Garry just showed up. And I have to cut the dogs nails....possible go for a run, especially if I will be gorging myself today...and help my mom as much as I can with today (although she has to do EVERYTHING her way ;) I also get to eat some delicious food and stuff myself absolutely silly. I love this day!
My weekend was awesome...I had a very special friend come and visit. I had not seen her for almost 2 years and it was really nice to see her and talk with her. I miss her tremendously. Unfortunately, I forget sometimes who is visiting me. Usually I have friends that come to stay with me who have no idea where they are, how to get anywhere, and need my internal GPS for guidance. Kate needs none of that...which means I annoyed her for 4 days with my insistance of helping her navigate the big city which she is capable of doing by herself. I think by the last day I had gotten that fact in my head but then she left to go back home....sorry!! Other than that, it was fun to walk the city and eat and talk and I enjoyed every moment she was there.
Tuesday I traveled on the train home....I'm glad I left the city early before the onslaught of travelers. Good news: no pat down for me at the train station as they never search anyone taking an Amtrak train. Bad news: no pat down shows how vulnerable our trains really are.
I have been thinking about the pumpkin pie that is in the fridge...I think I am going to go and steal a piece....hee hee!! I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe thanksgiving. Have a great day!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I'm Bored!!!!
Actually, I have lots of cleaning to do before my special guest arrives on friday. But cleaning is boring without good music so I am busy looking for songs on Itunes to add to my collection. The reference of the title of this post is partly a joke. I am off from rotations until January 4th and I partly rubbing in to my friends who still rotating :) Of course, without the structure of something to do everyday I am a tad bit bored. So, I decided to log on and get typing since I have some recapping to do anyways...
I finished Cardiology on friday!!! :) It was a nice chill and relaxing morning and after rounds I said my goodbyes to everyone. I then headed into the city to Macy's to find some blouse tops. I scored big time by finding a nice pink and a classic white one ($24.95 each). I then headed home to rest up for the big birthday weekend. On Saturday, I met up with Daniel, Patrick, Yoshie, and the birthday girl herself, Ishie, for a wonderful weekend in Atlantic City!!! LOVED IT!! Lunch was at a nice Seafood restaurant where my 3 sliders (crab, lobster, salmon) were fantastic. Then we had some really bad $2 shots (hee hee). Then we walked the boardwalk, took photos, and avoided pigeons. After playing $20 in the machines and losing (no afternoon luck) we headed back to the hotel for wine and prepping for the evening. Then, off to the Borgata for an amazing buffett dinner. I housed 4 plates of food and dessert!!! Then, tried my luck again with Wheel of Fortune slots. I did manage to turn my $20 into $50 before I lost it all :( Then, it was back to the hotel for some more late night drinking and passing out. Woke up at 10:30am, checked out of the hotel and headed to breakfast at this cute diner around the corner. Then, back to NYC. It was a really nice weekend away with friends....I should do that more often :)
Monday was game face day. I had to travel to New Brunswick, NJ for my first interview (actually my 2nd but my first during interview season). I went out with the residents for their invitation social. The ones I met were very laid back and chill. The next morning, was my interview. The program director was great. The program looks amazing. And almost all of my interviews went really well, except for the one question from the Vice Chairman that threw we off for about 10 seconds but I think I recovered enough to not look like a total idiot :) I really, REALLY liked this program and would love to match there and I sold myself as hard as I could to show them this. Hopefully, it worked!!
So, today I am cleaning and writing post interview thank you notes. Good news: I received another interview offer. Bad news: SUNY Upstate (a top of the list program for me) did not offer me an interview :( That's twice I have been rejected from them, once for medical school and once for residency. Well.....their loss!!!
I finished Cardiology on friday!!! :) It was a nice chill and relaxing morning and after rounds I said my goodbyes to everyone. I then headed into the city to Macy's to find some blouse tops. I scored big time by finding a nice pink and a classic white one ($24.95 each). I then headed home to rest up for the big birthday weekend. On Saturday, I met up with Daniel, Patrick, Yoshie, and the birthday girl herself, Ishie, for a wonderful weekend in Atlantic City!!! LOVED IT!! Lunch was at a nice Seafood restaurant where my 3 sliders (crab, lobster, salmon) were fantastic. Then we had some really bad $2 shots (hee hee). Then we walked the boardwalk, took photos, and avoided pigeons. After playing $20 in the machines and losing (no afternoon luck) we headed back to the hotel for wine and prepping for the evening. Then, off to the Borgata for an amazing buffett dinner. I housed 4 plates of food and dessert!!! Then, tried my luck again with Wheel of Fortune slots. I did manage to turn my $20 into $50 before I lost it all :( Then, it was back to the hotel for some more late night drinking and passing out. Woke up at 10:30am, checked out of the hotel and headed to breakfast at this cute diner around the corner. Then, back to NYC. It was a really nice weekend away with friends....I should do that more often :)
Monday was game face day. I had to travel to New Brunswick, NJ for my first interview (actually my 2nd but my first during interview season). I went out with the residents for their invitation social. The ones I met were very laid back and chill. The next morning, was my interview. The program director was great. The program looks amazing. And almost all of my interviews went really well, except for the one question from the Vice Chairman that threw we off for about 10 seconds but I think I recovered enough to not look like a total idiot :) I really, REALLY liked this program and would love to match there and I sold myself as hard as I could to show them this. Hopefully, it worked!!
So, today I am cleaning and writing post interview thank you notes. Good news: I received another interview offer. Bad news: SUNY Upstate (a top of the list program for me) did not offer me an interview :( That's twice I have been rejected from them, once for medical school and once for residency. Well.....their loss!!!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Veteran's Day....
Happy Veteran's Day! A big giant support hug goes out to all who have or currently are serving in the military. Without you, we would all be british......
Today meant a day off from work because city hospital employees do not work on national holidays and my boss told me not to bother making the trip in. Which means tomorrow is my last day of cardiology...YAY!!! Going to miss it...sort of. But, on to better and bigger things like interviews.
I have my first official interview on Tuesday in New Brunswick, NJ. I spent all day today preparing by researching the program and thinking about what I want to portray to my interviewers. I honestly have no idea what questions they will ask me so I pretended that I was an interviewer of potential applicants to my emergency medicine program and I thought about the things that I would want to know about the applicants. I am so happy I still retain some of my imagination from my childhood days.....it certainly came in handy today!!
After my last day tomorrow I am going shopping.....I need to buy 2 new dress shirts for my interview outfit. Then, this weekend its off to Atlantic City to celebrate my good friend's 30th b-day (hopefully I win some money).
Quickly....a big congrats to my friend Jesse for finishing the NYC Marathon. I am so inspired that I am thinking of running it myself next year. Of course, the minute my knee starts acting up I reserve the right to change my mind.
I just noticed that this blog seems to be all over the place tonight. That is what happens when you are not prepared!!! Which is why I need to get back to preparing for my big day on Tuesday. I hope everyone has a good night!! :)
Today meant a day off from work because city hospital employees do not work on national holidays and my boss told me not to bother making the trip in. Which means tomorrow is my last day of cardiology...YAY!!! Going to miss it...sort of. But, on to better and bigger things like interviews.
I have my first official interview on Tuesday in New Brunswick, NJ. I spent all day today preparing by researching the program and thinking about what I want to portray to my interviewers. I honestly have no idea what questions they will ask me so I pretended that I was an interviewer of potential applicants to my emergency medicine program and I thought about the things that I would want to know about the applicants. I am so happy I still retain some of my imagination from my childhood days.....it certainly came in handy today!!
After my last day tomorrow I am going shopping.....I need to buy 2 new dress shirts for my interview outfit. Then, this weekend its off to Atlantic City to celebrate my good friend's 30th b-day (hopefully I win some money).
Quickly....a big congrats to my friend Jesse for finishing the NYC Marathon. I am so inspired that I am thinking of running it myself next year. Of course, the minute my knee starts acting up I reserve the right to change my mind.
I just noticed that this blog seems to be all over the place tonight. That is what happens when you are not prepared!!! Which is why I need to get back to preparing for my big day on Tuesday. I hope everyone has a good night!! :)
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Rally for Sanity!!
I know I should have blogged about my amazing weekend on Monday, but I was recovering!! Today, I have the energy to tell you all about my adventure to DC and making history...so here goes.....
Jesse (my partner in crime) was gracious enough to allow me to stay at his place the night before our journey since the bus left from a place not too far from him. At 6:15am on Oct. 30th, we left the apartment and walked to where the unmarked chinatown bus would whisk us away. The bus stop was PACKED, but we made it on the bus and at 6:50am we were off. The ride down was not too bad....lots of people sleeping...and talking. The only negative was the 2 idiots directly behind us who were yapping at the top of the lungs. The whole bus could here their moronic, immature talk. Eventually they fell asleep which meant peace for the next 2 hours :)
We arrived in DC at 11:30am and walked towards the National Mall. Not even a few blocks in and we already started seeing the signs.....some of them were hilarious, like "Down with zippers!". Some poked fun at the teaparty...some at Obama....some were serious signs about real world problems...but most were just clever, funny, and obviously thought up over some drug induced state the night before. Jesse and I tried to move through the masses on the Mall, trying desperately to make our way near a speaker or even the stage. No such luck. Too many people crammed into one spot and no one wanted to move. There were people there who obviously had been there for hours with there blankets and lawn chairs out and they locked arms and would not let anyone through the crowd. Eventually, Jesse and I became tired of this and decided to leave the giant ball of human flesh and head to the outskirts of the Mall. We walked for a ways, taking in all the signs, and costumes and then we came to the spot where history would be made in DC. The construction site!!! We decided to join about 30 others in trespassing onto this site, climbing a retaining wall....then a whole house, to sit on the roof and have the best seats in the house! That lasted about 30 minutes when A) More people than the roof could hold were up there and I became paranoid that I would end of in a newspaper article about a roof collapse and more importantly B) The police showed up....since we were all trespassing. So, we got chased out of the construction site. And instead of trying to rejoin the crazy crowd, we walked through the National Mall, seeing the sites....Washington Monument, White House, the new World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial. Then, Jesse and I walked to a corner bar and did the most American thing ever....had a beer, a burger, and watched the rally on TV!!!!
We then headed to our hotel and rested. An old friend stopped who now lives in DC, so I got to spend some time with her before she headed back out to the streets to protect the citizens of DC (she's a cop there). Then, Jesse and I headed out on the town to take in the Halloween craziness in DC. Lots of crazy costumes....and cheap drinks. And then, it was back to the hotel for bed. On Sunday, we walked through DC chinatown (much cleaner than NYC's), saw some of the 35,000 runners of the Marine Corps Marathon, and walked through the National Aerospace Museum. Then it was back on the bus (with sandwiches and beer in our bags) to head back to NYC.
Overall, it was an amazing weekend....I had an awesome time and I owe a big thank you to Jesse for going with me. I would post pictures but blogger is acting up, so I will try to add them next time.....
Everyone have a great night!!
Jesse (my partner in crime) was gracious enough to allow me to stay at his place the night before our journey since the bus left from a place not too far from him. At 6:15am on Oct. 30th, we left the apartment and walked to where the unmarked chinatown bus would whisk us away. The bus stop was PACKED, but we made it on the bus and at 6:50am we were off. The ride down was not too bad....lots of people sleeping...and talking. The only negative was the 2 idiots directly behind us who were yapping at the top of the lungs. The whole bus could here their moronic, immature talk. Eventually they fell asleep which meant peace for the next 2 hours :)
We arrived in DC at 11:30am and walked towards the National Mall. Not even a few blocks in and we already started seeing the signs.....some of them were hilarious, like "Down with zippers!". Some poked fun at the teaparty...some at Obama....some were serious signs about real world problems...but most were just clever, funny, and obviously thought up over some drug induced state the night before. Jesse and I tried to move through the masses on the Mall, trying desperately to make our way near a speaker or even the stage. No such luck. Too many people crammed into one spot and no one wanted to move. There were people there who obviously had been there for hours with there blankets and lawn chairs out and they locked arms and would not let anyone through the crowd. Eventually, Jesse and I became tired of this and decided to leave the giant ball of human flesh and head to the outskirts of the Mall. We walked for a ways, taking in all the signs, and costumes and then we came to the spot where history would be made in DC. The construction site!!! We decided to join about 30 others in trespassing onto this site, climbing a retaining wall....then a whole house, to sit on the roof and have the best seats in the house! That lasted about 30 minutes when A) More people than the roof could hold were up there and I became paranoid that I would end of in a newspaper article about a roof collapse and more importantly B) The police showed up....since we were all trespassing. So, we got chased out of the construction site. And instead of trying to rejoin the crazy crowd, we walked through the National Mall, seeing the sites....Washington Monument, White House, the new World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial. Then, Jesse and I walked to a corner bar and did the most American thing ever....had a beer, a burger, and watched the rally on TV!!!!
We then headed to our hotel and rested. An old friend stopped who now lives in DC, so I got to spend some time with her before she headed back out to the streets to protect the citizens of DC (she's a cop there). Then, Jesse and I headed out on the town to take in the Halloween craziness in DC. Lots of crazy costumes....and cheap drinks. And then, it was back to the hotel for bed. On Sunday, we walked through DC chinatown (much cleaner than NYC's), saw some of the 35,000 runners of the Marine Corps Marathon, and walked through the National Aerospace Museum. Then it was back on the bus (with sandwiches and beer in our bags) to head back to NYC.
Overall, it was an amazing weekend....I had an awesome time and I owe a big thank you to Jesse for going with me. I would post pictures but blogger is acting up, so I will try to add them next time.....
Everyone have a great night!!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Restoring Sanity!!!
I just purchased my bus tickets, $35 round trip from NYC to Washington DC. Killer deal courtesy of the Chinatown bus system. Never rode on one before, but the asians and broke college students do it all the time so I figure why not. I'm just hoping that the ride is smooth and that I don't get car sick (dramamine packed and ready to be taken at 6:30am tomorrow morning). And why I am trekking to DC....to RESTORE SANITY....or march for fear, I haven't really decided yet ;)
Since watching Jon Stewart live and hearing about his march on the capitol, I have waited for this weekend with excitement. How many other time in my life will I have the time to hop on a bus for fun and do something totally crazy like partake in a Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert march. I know its Halloween weekend, but I will have plenty of other halloweens to attend, but only one march for sanity. So, my bag is packed (very lightly) and my friend Jesse and I will be heading out tomorrow.....2 medical students on a simple mission to bring sanity to the world/DC!! :)
In other news....this week in Cardiology went quickly....slowly while there, sitting in the conference room waiting for something to do...but quickly now! Two more weeks of cardiology and then a very long break where I focus on my interview skills and selling myself to all programs that walk past my street corner (5o dolla make you holla).
Speaking of programs....I received an interview at St. John's hospital in Detroit. REALLY looking forward to it because I hear its a great program. Also received an interview at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. I am still patiently awaiting monday when my application will be complete and then I can expect 50 interview offers waiting in my inbox. Although not from Medical College of Georgia or LSU New Orleans, sadly they rejected me this week. Can't win them all on paper I guess.
Last bit of news, and this may be shocking to all who further read this....but I changed my name. Yes, you read that correctly. I spent almost 7 hours today in a court in Brooklyn, NY. I furnished all my papers (birth certificate, passport, address), filled out the necessary paperwork, paid $65 and waited. Lots of cases today before the judge, mostly banks vs. the common person who does not pay their outstanding credit card bills. Finally, my name was called and my paperwork was complete and I didn't have to go before the judge at all...7 hours not to go before the judge!! I know, it really sucked especially because I left my book at home in my other bag :( So, on paper furnished by the civil court in Brooklyn NY, my name has changed. I now have to have a legal notice printed in the newspaper, The Brooklyn Eagle next week, and return to the court with the affidavit of the printing, and then I will officially be Jill Marie S______. I'll fill in the blank for you all later :)
Have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend. I will post all about my wonderful DC adventure on Sunday night! Take care :)
Since watching Jon Stewart live and hearing about his march on the capitol, I have waited for this weekend with excitement. How many other time in my life will I have the time to hop on a bus for fun and do something totally crazy like partake in a Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert march. I know its Halloween weekend, but I will have plenty of other halloweens to attend, but only one march for sanity. So, my bag is packed (very lightly) and my friend Jesse and I will be heading out tomorrow.....2 medical students on a simple mission to bring sanity to the world/DC!! :)
In other news....this week in Cardiology went quickly....slowly while there, sitting in the conference room waiting for something to do...but quickly now! Two more weeks of cardiology and then a very long break where I focus on my interview skills and selling myself to all programs that walk past my street corner (5o dolla make you holla).
Speaking of programs....I received an interview at St. John's hospital in Detroit. REALLY looking forward to it because I hear its a great program. Also received an interview at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. I am still patiently awaiting monday when my application will be complete and then I can expect 50 interview offers waiting in my inbox. Although not from Medical College of Georgia or LSU New Orleans, sadly they rejected me this week. Can't win them all on paper I guess.
Last bit of news, and this may be shocking to all who further read this....but I changed my name. Yes, you read that correctly. I spent almost 7 hours today in a court in Brooklyn, NY. I furnished all my papers (birth certificate, passport, address), filled out the necessary paperwork, paid $65 and waited. Lots of cases today before the judge, mostly banks vs. the common person who does not pay their outstanding credit card bills. Finally, my name was called and my paperwork was complete and I didn't have to go before the judge at all...7 hours not to go before the judge!! I know, it really sucked especially because I left my book at home in my other bag :( So, on paper furnished by the civil court in Brooklyn NY, my name has changed. I now have to have a legal notice printed in the newspaper, The Brooklyn Eagle next week, and return to the court with the affidavit of the printing, and then I will officially be Jill Marie S______. I'll fill in the blank for you all later :)
Have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend. I will post all about my wonderful DC adventure on Sunday night! Take care :)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
And there goes the weekend.....
I'm sick.....and it's that time of the month. Could my life be anymore crappy? I can pinpoint the exact time when I thought to myself "I'm going to be sick soon". It happened Thursday night, when I was out in Gowanus at a Burlesque show with some of my friends (by the way, the show was fantastic!!!). I felt this slight tickle in my throat, grabbed my beer, took a few sips yet the tickle remained. I sipped some more and swallowed hard....tickle still present. That is when I first thought about it. By friday morning, the tickle was more like a small Gillette razor blade. Of course the cramps on the other end weren't helping. By friday night, full blown head cold...hardly any sleep. Saturday, still sick and still not a good night sleep. Today, throat is much better....but my nose is another story, and the entire box of tissues I have used has made me look like Rudolph! I am just really hoping for some sleep.
Okay, on to more positive things:
- Did I mention that the burlesque show was awesome!! It was intermixed with german polka music, dancing, beer, and of course bratwurst.
- I am currently on my Cardiology rotation which so far is very good (1 week down). Lots of ekg reads, and I'm getting good at it :) On friday, I had my very own ekg done and a echocardiogram...results of both were very good.
- I did make it out of the house briefly yesterday morning for my first volunteering session at Prospect Park. I helped to clean up Lookout Hill for this coming Saturday's Halloween Spectacular. I won't be able to volunteer for that because I will be in DC!! Have to March to Keep Fear Alive and Restore Sanity :)
- Today, I managed to venture out of the house for my tanning session. Have to look good for my interviews; no pasty whiteness here.
- I got an interview offer on Friday....WOOHOOO!! Traveling to Detroit on December 7th.
Speaking of interviews, this whole process is crazy. I spend all my time throughout the day checking my phone/email for interview offers. So far, I have 3 offers, and 2 rejections. But the real bulk of the offers will come after Nov. 1st when the Dean's letter is released. And I can only imagine the phone checking OCD that will occur when that happens. I may have to charge my battery every night!! Or, bring my charger to the hospital and charge it there!! I will have to go into more crazy detail about this whole interview process another night. I'm starting to get tired, and its only 8pm!! Hopefully, I can sleep tonight. Take care everyone :)
Okay, on to more positive things:
- Did I mention that the burlesque show was awesome!! It was intermixed with german polka music, dancing, beer, and of course bratwurst.
- I am currently on my Cardiology rotation which so far is very good (1 week down). Lots of ekg reads, and I'm getting good at it :) On friday, I had my very own ekg done and a echocardiogram...results of both were very good.
- I did make it out of the house briefly yesterday morning for my first volunteering session at Prospect Park. I helped to clean up Lookout Hill for this coming Saturday's Halloween Spectacular. I won't be able to volunteer for that because I will be in DC!! Have to March to Keep Fear Alive and Restore Sanity :)
- Today, I managed to venture out of the house for my tanning session. Have to look good for my interviews; no pasty whiteness here.
- I got an interview offer on Friday....WOOHOOO!! Traveling to Detroit on December 7th.
Speaking of interviews, this whole process is crazy. I spend all my time throughout the day checking my phone/email for interview offers. So far, I have 3 offers, and 2 rejections. But the real bulk of the offers will come after Nov. 1st when the Dean's letter is released. And I can only imagine the phone checking OCD that will occur when that happens. I may have to charge my battery every night!! Or, bring my charger to the hospital and charge it there!! I will have to go into more crazy detail about this whole interview process another night. I'm starting to get tired, and its only 8pm!! Hopefully, I can sleep tonight. Take care everyone :)
Friday, October 15, 2010
MICU OUT!!
Today at 1:30pm marked the last time I would set foot in MICU as a 4th year medical student in an elective on the 7th floor of Coney Island Hospital...can you tell how happy I am?? ;) The fellows were great, the patient diversity in terms of disease was great, the attendings were great but the 4 hour rounds in the morning were dreadful. The only good thing...I found a new game on Itunes called Pocket Frogs and now I am addicted!! Basically you have to grow and tame frogs, then breed them, then sell them for money. Its like the stock market for medical students on ICU rotations!! So far I am up to 4 scenaries and 32 frogs!!
Monday, I start Cardiology and I am hoping for the best. My main goal is to become more comfortable with reading ekg's and knowing which medications to use for the different cardiac pathologies. I will keep you informed of my progress...
By the way, I am celebrating my end of the 4 week rotation in MICU by drinking (and finishing) the half a bottle of Saki in my refrigerator while simultaneously cleaning up my external hard drive from the endless crap I have stored over 4 years. Panic set in at one point when I thought I deleted an entire file of really, really, REALLY important information.....only to realize that in my buzzed state I had the wrong file open....haha!!!
Tomorrow is a very busy day which includes: getting up, drinking coffee, eating breakfast, working out, going to the post office, tanning, taking my suit jacket to the tailor, and eating lunch. And that is all before 1pm, so the remainder of the day has yet to be determined. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe friday night!!! :)
Monday, I start Cardiology and I am hoping for the best. My main goal is to become more comfortable with reading ekg's and knowing which medications to use for the different cardiac pathologies. I will keep you informed of my progress...
By the way, I am celebrating my end of the 4 week rotation in MICU by drinking (and finishing) the half a bottle of Saki in my refrigerator while simultaneously cleaning up my external hard drive from the endless crap I have stored over 4 years. Panic set in at one point when I thought I deleted an entire file of really, really, REALLY important information.....only to realize that in my buzzed state I had the wrong file open....haha!!!
Tomorrow is a very busy day which includes: getting up, drinking coffee, eating breakfast, working out, going to the post office, tanning, taking my suit jacket to the tailor, and eating lunch. And that is all before 1pm, so the remainder of the day has yet to be determined. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe friday night!!! :)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
That sucked....
So, last night I was in the middle of blogging about my weekend and my Columbus Day off, when a giant storm composed of thunder, lightning, rain, and hail swept through Brooklyn. I didn't lose power (Go National Grid) but Comcast was not so reliable....internet gone....blog gone. I really can't remember my entire blog and don't want to spend the time trying to remember, so today is a new day which means a new blog.
First things first...I hate my school. Even more now then ever before. On Friday I got a nice email from my clinical coordinator informing me that the Family Medicine elective I scheduled in Schenectady is out of network. That basically means that I would have to spend a ton of time, energy, and money trying to get the elective approved. Family medicine is in very high demand because you need the elective to practice in California and Texas AND there are not enough spots for all the students that want it. I was a little pissed, so I emailed the associate director of ClinEd who back in March had told me about this rotation and asked her what was going on. I heard back from her today. Good news....the elective is still an affiliated elective and I should have no problems with paperwork. Although I am happy everything has worked out, I still feel like making a voodoo doll of my clinical coordinator and poking it about 100 times for the scare she gave me!! If only I knew what she looked like....
This is my last week in Medical ICU. I'm kind of happy about it because these daily rounds that take 4 hours are killing me. Although, I have found a way to make the time go by alot faster. I downloaded Angry Birds from the Itunes Store last night and spent all morning playing. I am on level 14....and the time flew by!!!
Tonight I am in a mental tug of war as to what to do with myself...specifically where to eat. I have been extraordinarily good in my eating and thanks to Insanity I have slimmed down and I am looking good :) Tonight is an off day where I get to rest and I am thinking that sushi is in order. Of course, where there is sushi there is saki!! My other option is to order in some chinese (steamed of course) and watch a movie...and I have saki in my fridge as well :) :) Right now....sushi is winning.
Well, I hope everyone as a great night. Talk to you soon.
First things first...I hate my school. Even more now then ever before. On Friday I got a nice email from my clinical coordinator informing me that the Family Medicine elective I scheduled in Schenectady is out of network. That basically means that I would have to spend a ton of time, energy, and money trying to get the elective approved. Family medicine is in very high demand because you need the elective to practice in California and Texas AND there are not enough spots for all the students that want it. I was a little pissed, so I emailed the associate director of ClinEd who back in March had told me about this rotation and asked her what was going on. I heard back from her today. Good news....the elective is still an affiliated elective and I should have no problems with paperwork. Although I am happy everything has worked out, I still feel like making a voodoo doll of my clinical coordinator and poking it about 100 times for the scare she gave me!! If only I knew what she looked like....
This is my last week in Medical ICU. I'm kind of happy about it because these daily rounds that take 4 hours are killing me. Although, I have found a way to make the time go by alot faster. I downloaded Angry Birds from the Itunes Store last night and spent all morning playing. I am on level 14....and the time flew by!!!
Tonight I am in a mental tug of war as to what to do with myself...specifically where to eat. I have been extraordinarily good in my eating and thanks to Insanity I have slimmed down and I am looking good :) Tonight is an off day where I get to rest and I am thinking that sushi is in order. Of course, where there is sushi there is saki!! My other option is to order in some chinese (steamed of course) and watch a movie...and I have saki in my fridge as well :) :) Right now....sushi is winning.
Well, I hope everyone as a great night. Talk to you soon.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
7:19am
Here I sit, all dressed up at my computer, trying desperately to convince myself that I should get on the subway and go into work. I'm not too convincing right now. I haven't been too convincing over the last hour. I've been up since 5:30am....showered....full of delicious breakfast (eggs, english muffin, coffee). I have even checked every email account, all my regular internet pages (ESPN, uticaod.com, CNN, Facebook, Foxnews, nylottery.org) and I have searched wikipedia for Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, Mark Zuckenburg, Jon Stewart, and some atheist (see below). I have also searched for all the scoop regarding Mark Sanchez and listened/read all the gossip. I was about to leave and get on the subway when I thought "I should blog". So, here I am...:)
Why Mark Sanchez you ask? Well, I went to the Daily Show last night and it was awesome!! I love Jon Stewart and although the whole process was long (waiting in line, going through security, waiting for the show to start), it was worth it. Of course, he talked about the whole Sanchez fiasco, poked some fun, had everyone laughing. Then he had some atheist on to talk about his new book. Don't misrepresent my last comment....I myself am an atheist, I just felt that this guy did not represent me AT ALL!! He was stiff, like a deer in headlights during the 10 minute interview. I really don't recall what he said because I sort of zoned out, although I was brought back to laughter when Jon made a comment about the 10 commandments being put on Styrofoam for easy toteability! After the interview I thought, "I should read his book maybe it will be more entertaining" but then I forgot the name of the book and spent this morning searching the internet for the details which I found easily because I am a super internet sleuth. His name is Mark Harris and the book is entitled The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values. All this effort makes me want to read the book more.
Of course, after the show I got some really good Thai food at a place whose name escapes me...I tried to google "Thai food in NYC" and got like 500 restaurants...maybe I should google "Thai food 9th ave".......nope, still can't find it. The food was really good and the wine was even better ;) I thought on the subway ride home that I should blog not only about last nights adventure but my super fun weekend in the city. On saturday I went kayaking at Pier 40, had a homemade ice cream cookie sandwich at Milk and Cookies in the West Village, and then proceeded to lose my metrocard, got really angry, ordered some chinese, bought a bottle of Sake and went home and drank my $89 investment away (currently working on getting reimbursed by MTA). Sunday felt better, worked out, went to the movies to see The Social Network, had really good pizza and a cupcake and went home.
So the point of this entire blog today is to point out the fact that 4th year medical students really have way too much time on their hands because not only can they leave their rotation at noon to get into the Daily Show line but they can also sit in front of the computer and search endlessly for things just to fill time and blog about their NYC adventures so they can put off getting on the subway to go to work. Okay, 7:42am....time to get going. Have a great day.
Why Mark Sanchez you ask? Well, I went to the Daily Show last night and it was awesome!! I love Jon Stewart and although the whole process was long (waiting in line, going through security, waiting for the show to start), it was worth it. Of course, he talked about the whole Sanchez fiasco, poked some fun, had everyone laughing. Then he had some atheist on to talk about his new book. Don't misrepresent my last comment....I myself am an atheist, I just felt that this guy did not represent me AT ALL!! He was stiff, like a deer in headlights during the 10 minute interview. I really don't recall what he said because I sort of zoned out, although I was brought back to laughter when Jon made a comment about the 10 commandments being put on Styrofoam for easy toteability! After the interview I thought, "I should read his book maybe it will be more entertaining" but then I forgot the name of the book and spent this morning searching the internet for the details which I found easily because I am a super internet sleuth. His name is Mark Harris and the book is entitled The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values. All this effort makes me want to read the book more.
Of course, after the show I got some really good Thai food at a place whose name escapes me...I tried to google "Thai food in NYC" and got like 500 restaurants...maybe I should google "Thai food 9th ave".......nope, still can't find it. The food was really good and the wine was even better ;) I thought on the subway ride home that I should blog not only about last nights adventure but my super fun weekend in the city. On saturday I went kayaking at Pier 40, had a homemade ice cream cookie sandwich at Milk and Cookies in the West Village, and then proceeded to lose my metrocard, got really angry, ordered some chinese, bought a bottle of Sake and went home and drank my $89 investment away (currently working on getting reimbursed by MTA). Sunday felt better, worked out, went to the movies to see The Social Network, had really good pizza and a cupcake and went home.
So the point of this entire blog today is to point out the fact that 4th year medical students really have way too much time on their hands because not only can they leave their rotation at noon to get into the Daily Show line but they can also sit in front of the computer and search endlessly for things just to fill time and blog about their NYC adventures so they can put off getting on the subway to go to work. Okay, 7:42am....time to get going. Have a great day.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
MICU adventures
Last week I started in MICU. Fortunately, the motto of MICU is "we only take them to our service if we can improve there quality of life". Throughout the day, many consults come in from attendings on the floor for patients that may need extra help. The consult team has to decide, do we take this patient or not? Last week, an 85 year old man with 4th stage laryngeal cancer was turned down because coming to our floor wouldn't benefit him at all....the guy is on his deathbed and palliative care is a much safer option than bringing him to a floor that does all they can to save people. I am sure there are some in the hospital that do not like the fact that MICU is so picky when it comes to taking patients, but when you have limited resources and staff, you can afford to be picky.
Yesterday was the start of week 2 and it was nothing but exciting (from a medical standpoint). Because of my love of emergency I was given the 23 y/o patient who accidentally overdosed on iron pills. It was quite interesting to see her progression throughout the day....the iron was destroying her liver, GI tract, and kidneys....she was slowly dying before us. My superior senior resident was on the phone with all of the major hospitals (Mt. Sinai, NYU, Columbia) trying desperately to transfer her out because what she really needed we couldn't provide....a liver transplant. The problem: the patient was not a citizen of this country and therefore does not qualify for the $500,000 procedure. As the day progressed she looked worse and worse. The critical care fellow had a great idea to rectify the situation....have the patient sign out AMA (against medical advice) and drive to either Mt. Sinai or NYU and go to the emergency department. Sounds weird but it happens all the time and it works because of federal law....once a patient shows up at the ED care has to be given and if that patient happens to be in liver failure and she shows up at the ED of a liver transplant hospital, well then guess what?? Her chances of receiving the necessary care just increased. The problem with this....the patient was just too unstable even for her family to drive her. Unfortuntely for this patient, she just picked the wrong hospital to come to that morning. Eventually, by mid afternoon, NYU agreed to take her and she was quickly whisked away to their medical ICU. But whether or not she gets the liver transplant is anyone's guess...she may just spend her last days in the MICU at NYU instead of Coney Island.
Oh, I also got to show my superior CPR skills yesterday on an elderly patient who coded on our floor. We got her back....but only long enough for her family to come to the hospital and say goodbye....she passed away about an hour later :(
Okay, back to work. Have a great day!
Yesterday was the start of week 2 and it was nothing but exciting (from a medical standpoint). Because of my love of emergency I was given the 23 y/o patient who accidentally overdosed on iron pills. It was quite interesting to see her progression throughout the day....the iron was destroying her liver, GI tract, and kidneys....she was slowly dying before us. My superior senior resident was on the phone with all of the major hospitals (Mt. Sinai, NYU, Columbia) trying desperately to transfer her out because what she really needed we couldn't provide....a liver transplant. The problem: the patient was not a citizen of this country and therefore does not qualify for the $500,000 procedure. As the day progressed she looked worse and worse. The critical care fellow had a great idea to rectify the situation....have the patient sign out AMA (against medical advice) and drive to either Mt. Sinai or NYU and go to the emergency department. Sounds weird but it happens all the time and it works because of federal law....once a patient shows up at the ED care has to be given and if that patient happens to be in liver failure and she shows up at the ED of a liver transplant hospital, well then guess what?? Her chances of receiving the necessary care just increased. The problem with this....the patient was just too unstable even for her family to drive her. Unfortuntely for this patient, she just picked the wrong hospital to come to that morning. Eventually, by mid afternoon, NYU agreed to take her and she was quickly whisked away to their medical ICU. But whether or not she gets the liver transplant is anyone's guess...she may just spend her last days in the MICU at NYU instead of Coney Island.
Oh, I also got to show my superior CPR skills yesterday on an elderly patient who coded on our floor. We got her back....but only long enough for her family to come to the hospital and say goodbye....she passed away about an hour later :(
Okay, back to work. Have a great day!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
2 more days
My time at Methodist is almost over. Only 2 more days of work in the peds ED and and exam left, where has the time gone?? I was going to blog about my Tuesday morning shift last night, but I was so exhausted that I fell asleep around 6pm :) So, it was not surprising to wake up at 5am today :) I have to go in at 8am, so I have some time to write now. Lets start with sunday's shift, then I'll fill you in on Tuesday's.
Sunday, I was in the peds ED with Micah another 4th year student. And unfortunately, it was very slow. The shift was 4pm-12am (I missed the final episode of True Blood, although Chelsea and Matt were kind enough to let me make it up Monday night :). I have come to the realization that I just don't like peds ED. As you all know, I am not much of a "kid" person, but its more than that. I get so annoyed when parents know nothing about their kids illness: when it started....how high the temperature was (most don't even own a thermometer or know how to use it)...how to dose medication properly...or the worst, waiting until the child looks like death before coming in to see someone and then getting mad at us because their child needs to be admitted and that would cut into their precious time. Seriously??
So, I have a 13 year old girl on Sunday who is having knee pain and swelling. Very bright and intelligent girl, answered all of my questions with complete sentences, not just "I don't know" unlike Mom who seemed to be bothered by the whole experience of being away from home and the television. Anyway, I find out that this young girl was run over by her cousin on a bicycle one week ago. Over the last 7 days she has been limping and the pain and swelling have increased. So, what does her mother do....she brings her into the Emergency Department at 9:30pm on a Sunday. We send the girl for x-rays....the mother complains about everything (putting the gown on (her daughter, not herself), going across the hall, waiting for the radiologist to read the films). We tell the mother there is no sign of fracture....the mother complains (what a waste of time, this ED is horrible and I'm not coming back, how much longer do I have to sit here). We ace wrap the knee and give the girl some crutches to use for the next week AND the mother complains (how is she supposed to go to school with crutches (I seriously almost laughed in the mom's face for this statement). My daughter needs a note to stay home from school, what?? you aren't giving one, fine then one for gym for the next month. What do you mean for only 2 days until I follow up with ortho I am not taking her to no ortho doctor. How am i supposed to get her to the bus stop, I want a voucher for a taxi company for the next month....etc, etc, etc. This went on for almost 20 minutes, until finally the doctor gave the mom all of the paperwork and told her to leave. Interestingly enough, the daughter was fine with the directions and fully understood everything we were saying. I almost felt bad for the girl having to put up with a mom like that.
So, my final adult ED shift was Tuesday morning 12am-8am. I was hoping it was going to be busy and was it ever, the time flew by and I was so happy, although the night had its moments, specifically with the nursing staff. We were so slammed that patients were waiting 6 hours to be seen by a doctor. I was working with a 2nd year resident who did a great job for having so many high acuity patients at one time. Unfortunately, the nurses were not doing a great job at all. I had to do most of the IVs and blood draws on our patients, and was asked by one nurse to do her job because "I am too busy right now" and then she proceeded to sit down and talk to another nurse for 15 minutes. Then, at one point our patient needed pain meds so the resident asked me to go to the nurse and inform her the order was just placed and to give the medication. As I am telling the nurse this, she says "I am going on break, it will have to wait" and she walks away. I was floored. I understand you haven't received a break yet, but neither have I...or my resident....or the attendings for that matter because its so froggin busy. Luckily I found a nurse willing to give the meds for our patient.
The one thing about Emergency Medicine that I love is the team atmosphere. It really takes effort from everyone in that department for a successful night. The clerks...the nurses....the transport team....the xray techs...the residents....the doctors....and even med students. What sucks about Emergency are those nights when this system falls apart.
So, today I have a peds ED shift 8-4pm. Tomorrow is my written final and oral presentation. And my final shift is Sunday from 8-4pm. Soon, it will be Monday and I will be back at Coney Island, my first home, doing medical ICU :)
Sunday, I was in the peds ED with Micah another 4th year student. And unfortunately, it was very slow. The shift was 4pm-12am (I missed the final episode of True Blood, although Chelsea and Matt were kind enough to let me make it up Monday night :). I have come to the realization that I just don't like peds ED. As you all know, I am not much of a "kid" person, but its more than that. I get so annoyed when parents know nothing about their kids illness: when it started....how high the temperature was (most don't even own a thermometer or know how to use it)...how to dose medication properly...or the worst, waiting until the child looks like death before coming in to see someone and then getting mad at us because their child needs to be admitted and that would cut into their precious time. Seriously??
So, I have a 13 year old girl on Sunday who is having knee pain and swelling. Very bright and intelligent girl, answered all of my questions with complete sentences, not just "I don't know" unlike Mom who seemed to be bothered by the whole experience of being away from home and the television. Anyway, I find out that this young girl was run over by her cousin on a bicycle one week ago. Over the last 7 days she has been limping and the pain and swelling have increased. So, what does her mother do....she brings her into the Emergency Department at 9:30pm on a Sunday. We send the girl for x-rays....the mother complains about everything (putting the gown on (her daughter, not herself), going across the hall, waiting for the radiologist to read the films). We tell the mother there is no sign of fracture....the mother complains (what a waste of time, this ED is horrible and I'm not coming back, how much longer do I have to sit here). We ace wrap the knee and give the girl some crutches to use for the next week AND the mother complains (how is she supposed to go to school with crutches (I seriously almost laughed in the mom's face for this statement). My daughter needs a note to stay home from school, what?? you aren't giving one, fine then one for gym for the next month. What do you mean for only 2 days until I follow up with ortho I am not taking her to no ortho doctor. How am i supposed to get her to the bus stop, I want a voucher for a taxi company for the next month....etc, etc, etc. This went on for almost 20 minutes, until finally the doctor gave the mom all of the paperwork and told her to leave. Interestingly enough, the daughter was fine with the directions and fully understood everything we were saying. I almost felt bad for the girl having to put up with a mom like that.
So, my final adult ED shift was Tuesday morning 12am-8am. I was hoping it was going to be busy and was it ever, the time flew by and I was so happy, although the night had its moments, specifically with the nursing staff. We were so slammed that patients were waiting 6 hours to be seen by a doctor. I was working with a 2nd year resident who did a great job for having so many high acuity patients at one time. Unfortunately, the nurses were not doing a great job at all. I had to do most of the IVs and blood draws on our patients, and was asked by one nurse to do her job because "I am too busy right now" and then she proceeded to sit down and talk to another nurse for 15 minutes. Then, at one point our patient needed pain meds so the resident asked me to go to the nurse and inform her the order was just placed and to give the medication. As I am telling the nurse this, she says "I am going on break, it will have to wait" and she walks away. I was floored. I understand you haven't received a break yet, but neither have I...or my resident....or the attendings for that matter because its so froggin busy. Luckily I found a nurse willing to give the meds for our patient.
The one thing about Emergency Medicine that I love is the team atmosphere. It really takes effort from everyone in that department for a successful night. The clerks...the nurses....the transport team....the xray techs...the residents....the doctors....and even med students. What sucks about Emergency are those nights when this system falls apart.
So, today I have a peds ED shift 8-4pm. Tomorrow is my written final and oral presentation. And my final shift is Sunday from 8-4pm. Soon, it will be Monday and I will be back at Coney Island, my first home, doing medical ICU :)
Monday, September 06, 2010
PS Done
With the help of my sister and her amazing english language skills, my personal statement is done!! I uploaded it to my application on Saturday and sent it to all 76 programs. So, everything on my end is complete. I am just waiting on 2 letters of recommendation, one from Maimonides which should be sent out at the end of this month and the other from Methodist, my current rotation. So now I just sit back, relax, and wait. Of course, I am busy preparing myself for interviews, formulating answers to questions that may be asked. I want to come across as very confident with no signs of stress or nervousness as if this interview thing is something I always do in my spare time. Hence, the preparation now.....
So last night I went out in the big city with a friend for drinks and sushi. While walking towards Washington Square we come upon a jumper. Easy to pick out because A) Everyone was looking up B) There were 8 police cars and 2 firetrucks C) There was red tape blocking the area off D) There was a gigantic inflatable device waiting to catch said jumper (almost looked like the ones used in movies for the stunt men). I didn't see the jumper, although everyone on the ground watching this scene were pointing saying "There he is....." "Look, I see him...." "He is going to jump...." And of course, they were pointing in all different directions and areas of the building, so I am not sure exactly where he was. But I would say he was at least 30 stories or higher in this building.
But, then it occurred to me what SHOULD happen next. The police should just push the guy off the building onto the giant bouncy thing. Why you ask?? Well, here is my explanation. First, it is obvious that this jumper has been up there for a while since the police had time to unroll red tape everywhere and blow up a giant inflatable bouncy device directly underneath him. Second, the police should be getting their money's worth for all of the time and energy spent on this one person by at least using the giant bouncy. And lastly, if this person was really serious about committing suicide they would have jumped already, long ago, BEFORE the police got a chance to respond. I don't doubt that this man is depressed or has issues, but he is crying out for help and attention and not at all interested in killing himself. So, push him off the building onto the bouncy. That drop alone (and the almost heart attack like scare that comes from it) in a person who really doesn't want to jump will prevent any future ideas of jumping. He will land safely....think "Holy Shit, I will never do that again" and will be taken to a psych facility for treatment. Of course, there is a small chance he is serious about jumping and in that case, next time he will do it well before the police get an opportunity to use their toys. I would hope though that the time spent in a psych ward for his "push" and the help from psychiatrists would lead to treatment of his disease and prevent any future episodes.
So, tonight I work 8pm-8am. I am hoping that we get more than intoxicated patients on this Labor Day. Have a great day, oh and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister. I don't have a present for you this year, but I promise in a few short years to make it up to you ;)
So last night I went out in the big city with a friend for drinks and sushi. While walking towards Washington Square we come upon a jumper. Easy to pick out because A) Everyone was looking up B) There were 8 police cars and 2 firetrucks C) There was red tape blocking the area off D) There was a gigantic inflatable device waiting to catch said jumper (almost looked like the ones used in movies for the stunt men). I didn't see the jumper, although everyone on the ground watching this scene were pointing saying "There he is....." "Look, I see him...." "He is going to jump...." And of course, they were pointing in all different directions and areas of the building, so I am not sure exactly where he was. But I would say he was at least 30 stories or higher in this building.
But, then it occurred to me what SHOULD happen next. The police should just push the guy off the building onto the giant bouncy thing. Why you ask?? Well, here is my explanation. First, it is obvious that this jumper has been up there for a while since the police had time to unroll red tape everywhere and blow up a giant inflatable bouncy device directly underneath him. Second, the police should be getting their money's worth for all of the time and energy spent on this one person by at least using the giant bouncy. And lastly, if this person was really serious about committing suicide they would have jumped already, long ago, BEFORE the police got a chance to respond. I don't doubt that this man is depressed or has issues, but he is crying out for help and attention and not at all interested in killing himself. So, push him off the building onto the bouncy. That drop alone (and the almost heart attack like scare that comes from it) in a person who really doesn't want to jump will prevent any future ideas of jumping. He will land safely....think "Holy Shit, I will never do that again" and will be taken to a psych facility for treatment. Of course, there is a small chance he is serious about jumping and in that case, next time he will do it well before the police get an opportunity to use their toys. I would hope though that the time spent in a psych ward for his "push" and the help from psychiatrists would lead to treatment of his disease and prevent any future episodes.
So, tonight I work 8pm-8am. I am hoping that we get more than intoxicated patients on this Labor Day. Have a great day, oh and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister. I don't have a present for you this year, but I promise in a few short years to make it up to you ;)
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
September 1st!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I am aware that the title of this blog has alot of exclamation points. Its just my way of saying that today marks the official upload day for residency applications...and I just electronically sent my application!!! YAY!!! Of course, that was after ERAS conveniently subtracted $1525 from my bank account. Wow....applying for a job is very costly.
I have been lucky in that my application process has gone fairly well. I think it has alot to do with my preparation skills. I had most of my application completed in mid August and certified MyEras on August 27th. All of my letter writers are marked in the system, and so far, two letters are in the gate ready to go. My photo is uploaded....my transcript is sent. I also spent 1 week at the end of August researching all of the Emergency Residencies throughout this country and narrowed my list to 76 programs this past weekend (thank you to Microsoft and their wonderful product called the spreadsheet :).
There is only one thing I am missing. My personal statement....the paper albatross that has been swinging around my neck since March. I have tried and tried with numerous attempts and countless drafts to get it just right with no such luck. This is my opportunity to really shine and sell myself and I want it to be absolutely perfect. So, I called in some help in the from of my sister, who is not only a speed-reading demon (hello, I finished the final book of Harry Potter in 2 1/2 hours) but an equally fantastic writer. I am hoping she can help me bang out the last little details leaving me with a concise, polished, and striking statement about myself that will quickly draw the reader in and make them think "Wow, I need to meet this girl". And once that is uploaded, my application will be complete.
And then....I wait....for interview invites to roll in. I hate waiting.
I have been lucky in that my application process has gone fairly well. I think it has alot to do with my preparation skills. I had most of my application completed in mid August and certified MyEras on August 27th. All of my letter writers are marked in the system, and so far, two letters are in the gate ready to go. My photo is uploaded....my transcript is sent. I also spent 1 week at the end of August researching all of the Emergency Residencies throughout this country and narrowed my list to 76 programs this past weekend (thank you to Microsoft and their wonderful product called the spreadsheet :).
There is only one thing I am missing. My personal statement....the paper albatross that has been swinging around my neck since March. I have tried and tried with numerous attempts and countless drafts to get it just right with no such luck. This is my opportunity to really shine and sell myself and I want it to be absolutely perfect. So, I called in some help in the from of my sister, who is not only a speed-reading demon (hello, I finished the final book of Harry Potter in 2 1/2 hours) but an equally fantastic writer. I am hoping she can help me bang out the last little details leaving me with a concise, polished, and striking statement about myself that will quickly draw the reader in and make them think "Wow, I need to meet this girl". And once that is uploaded, my application will be complete.
And then....I wait....for interview invites to roll in. I hate waiting.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
12 hours shift...here I come
Today is shift #3 at Methodist ED....12 hours. No big deal as long as there are patients today.
My last shift was Wednesday, overnight....12am-8am. I was lucky to see 5 patients. Nights like that are wonderful for the residents...chill, relaxed. But for me, I would describe it another way: long! At some point during the night, you start to feel like a stapler...a piece of equipment just waiting to be used. Every once in a while someone glances over and sees you sitting there, waiting... yet they quickly continue their conversation about nothingness with the other residents while you continue to stand there. I had nights like these in 3rd year as well. Terrible nights. I would rather have patients coming out of the woodwork with shady complaints of back pain....or a drunk patient. At least they are entertaining and make history gathering fun. Unfortunately in medicine, and especially in the emergency department you never know how a night will turn out...whether it will be extremely busy or painfully slow. My luck turned into the latter.
Let me stop being a downer and say that there were 2 positives for the night. One, I was able to do an abdominal ultrasound on a gentleman with right upper quadrant pain. The 2nd year resident could not locate his gallbladder and after about 15 minutes gave up. He did allow me to continue to try, and after about 5 minutes of my own skilled probe work, I found it!! (Thanks Maimo for the skills you taught me). Unfortunately, I did not know how to use the U/S machine...they are all different. So, I could only save pictures....no measuring...no sweeping pictures. The resident was very impressed though :)
The second positive....got to see my resident sew a tongue laceration on an elderly lady with possible tongue cancer. She was hemorraging from the mouth, coughing up blood....after 3 sutures, no more blood. I never saw that before, so it was a nice experience. Now I am ready to conquer my own tongue lac in the future!!!
I am hoping that today makes up for Wednesday night. I'm thinking Sunday, nice day out, bound to be some accidents requiring suturing....and residents ALWAYS seem to want the medical student to suture. Not sure why that is but I love suturing. I can see myself as a resident doing all my own sutures...sorry medical students but this is all mine!!! HAHA!!
Of course because I am working until 11pm I miss out on True Blood. Now I have to wait until tomorrow to see Sookie :(
My last shift was Wednesday, overnight....12am-8am. I was lucky to see 5 patients. Nights like that are wonderful for the residents...chill, relaxed. But for me, I would describe it another way: long! At some point during the night, you start to feel like a stapler...a piece of equipment just waiting to be used. Every once in a while someone glances over and sees you sitting there, waiting... yet they quickly continue their conversation about nothingness with the other residents while you continue to stand there. I had nights like these in 3rd year as well. Terrible nights. I would rather have patients coming out of the woodwork with shady complaints of back pain....or a drunk patient. At least they are entertaining and make history gathering fun. Unfortunately in medicine, and especially in the emergency department you never know how a night will turn out...whether it will be extremely busy or painfully slow. My luck turned into the latter.
Let me stop being a downer and say that there were 2 positives for the night. One, I was able to do an abdominal ultrasound on a gentleman with right upper quadrant pain. The 2nd year resident could not locate his gallbladder and after about 15 minutes gave up. He did allow me to continue to try, and after about 5 minutes of my own skilled probe work, I found it!! (Thanks Maimo for the skills you taught me). Unfortunately, I did not know how to use the U/S machine...they are all different. So, I could only save pictures....no measuring...no sweeping pictures. The resident was very impressed though :)
The second positive....got to see my resident sew a tongue laceration on an elderly lady with possible tongue cancer. She was hemorraging from the mouth, coughing up blood....after 3 sutures, no more blood. I never saw that before, so it was a nice experience. Now I am ready to conquer my own tongue lac in the future!!!
I am hoping that today makes up for Wednesday night. I'm thinking Sunday, nice day out, bound to be some accidents requiring suturing....and residents ALWAYS seem to want the medical student to suture. Not sure why that is but I love suturing. I can see myself as a resident doing all my own sutures...sorry medical students but this is all mine!!! HAHA!!
Of course because I am working until 11pm I miss out on True Blood. Now I have to wait until tomorrow to see Sookie :(
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Methodist minus 1
Last night was my first shift at Methodist, 8pm - 8am....very busy! Here are some of the things I got to do:
- ABG on a gentleman with COPD
- Vaginal ultrasound on a woman 5 weeks into her pregnancy
- Biliary ultrasound on a young woman with abdominal pain
- IV placed successfully followed by 2 not so successfully (a little out of practice ;)
- 8 sutures in a right medial wrist laceration from a young man who went to dunk and shattered the backboard...he miss the dunk
- Thumb spica placed on a gentleman who couldn't decide if his right or left wrist was injured more (he kept changing his story). So, the resident finally told me to put it on his right
I am on again tonight from 12am - 8am and I am hoping it is equally as busy as last night. I will let you know tomorrow :) Everyone enjoy your night!!
- ABG on a gentleman with COPD
- Vaginal ultrasound on a woman 5 weeks into her pregnancy
- Biliary ultrasound on a young woman with abdominal pain
- IV placed successfully followed by 2 not so successfully (a little out of practice ;)
- 8 sutures in a right medial wrist laceration from a young man who went to dunk and shattered the backboard...he miss the dunk
- Thumb spica placed on a gentleman who couldn't decide if his right or left wrist was injured more (he kept changing his story). So, the resident finally told me to put it on his right
I am on again tonight from 12am - 8am and I am hoping it is equally as busy as last night. I will let you know tomorrow :) Everyone enjoy your night!!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Back in Brooklyn.....
Wait...how can I be back in Brooklyn if I never left??? Well, I have been MIA the last 5 weeks and never posted that I went home for 3 weeks. The busy life of a medical student...no time to blog ;)
Okay, so where did I leave off....oh yes, I was at Maimo for emergency medicine. Well, that ended. My last day was July 30th. Overall, the rotation was awesome and I enjoyed everything from the environment, to the people, to the patient population. I could definitely see myself as a resident at that program. Lets just hope they could see me as that too!
On the 30th, Furry made a surprise visit to NYC!! Not a surprise for me, but for him. Mom had told him I was coming to Albany on the train and they were going to pick me up. Once they got to Albany, mom gave furry his ticket to NYC. Only problem, she gave it to him like 15 minutes before the train was departing....he freaked!!! Furry's entire world was turned upside down...he took the surprise well though. We spent the weekend walking around...saw the Intrepid....saw the Natural Museum of History...saw the WTC....saw True Blood! Then on monday we headed back home.
I get home to find my dog does not look good. In short, I took him to the vet...vet finds enlarged lymph nodes all over his body....vet takes blood work....blood work shows liver and kidney failure...vet is highly suspicious of malignancy....we decide as a family to make him comfortable with medication and food....one week later Geddy can barely stand and vomits all of his food...I have to put my dog down :( Very sad day, but I am happy I had the chance to see him and to be with him when it was his time. He was a very good dog....my buddy...and he will be greatly missed.
I though mom would take Geddy's death poorly but Z-dog has been a wreck. She wouldn't go outside unless once of us went outside too. She wasn't eating. She wasn't moving much. She looked depressed. So, my mom got a new dog!! I didn't get a chance to see it in person because she got it the day I left (today), but it apparently is a very sweet, docile dog and that is exactly the kind of friend Zoey needs. Hopefully they hit it off and Zoey gets back to being the fun loving dog she was before Geddy departed.
Of course, while home I got to see some friends....Mit, Alana, Laura and many others :) I went to Enchanted Forest with my family for my mom's birthday. I saw Dr. Hess and Lynn...love seeing them!! And I relaxed a little...but not too much because I also had to finish my application for residency, which I am almost done with. Just need to nail down that Personal Statement...
So tonight is off to True Blood at Professor Thom's :) :) And tomorrow, I start my next rotation, Emergency Medicine at Methodist. I am really excited!! Although the 3 week vacation was much needed, I secretly miss the hospital....shhhh, don't tell any of my 4th year friends ;)
Everyone have a great night and I will talk to you all soon!
Okay, so where did I leave off....oh yes, I was at Maimo for emergency medicine. Well, that ended. My last day was July 30th. Overall, the rotation was awesome and I enjoyed everything from the environment, to the people, to the patient population. I could definitely see myself as a resident at that program. Lets just hope they could see me as that too!
On the 30th, Furry made a surprise visit to NYC!! Not a surprise for me, but for him. Mom had told him I was coming to Albany on the train and they were going to pick me up. Once they got to Albany, mom gave furry his ticket to NYC. Only problem, she gave it to him like 15 minutes before the train was departing....he freaked!!! Furry's entire world was turned upside down...he took the surprise well though. We spent the weekend walking around...saw the Intrepid....saw the Natural Museum of History...saw the WTC....saw True Blood! Then on monday we headed back home.
I get home to find my dog does not look good. In short, I took him to the vet...vet finds enlarged lymph nodes all over his body....vet takes blood work....blood work shows liver and kidney failure...vet is highly suspicious of malignancy....we decide as a family to make him comfortable with medication and food....one week later Geddy can barely stand and vomits all of his food...I have to put my dog down :( Very sad day, but I am happy I had the chance to see him and to be with him when it was his time. He was a very good dog....my buddy...and he will be greatly missed.
I though mom would take Geddy's death poorly but Z-dog has been a wreck. She wouldn't go outside unless once of us went outside too. She wasn't eating. She wasn't moving much. She looked depressed. So, my mom got a new dog!! I didn't get a chance to see it in person because she got it the day I left (today), but it apparently is a very sweet, docile dog and that is exactly the kind of friend Zoey needs. Hopefully they hit it off and Zoey gets back to being the fun loving dog she was before Geddy departed.
Of course, while home I got to see some friends....Mit, Alana, Laura and many others :) I went to Enchanted Forest with my family for my mom's birthday. I saw Dr. Hess and Lynn...love seeing them!! And I relaxed a little...but not too much because I also had to finish my application for residency, which I am almost done with. Just need to nail down that Personal Statement...
So tonight is off to True Blood at Professor Thom's :) :) And tomorrow, I start my next rotation, Emergency Medicine at Methodist. I am really excited!! Although the 3 week vacation was much needed, I secretly miss the hospital....shhhh, don't tell any of my 4th year friends ;)
Everyone have a great night and I will talk to you all soon!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Night shift
Tonight is my 4th shift at Maimo in the ED, starting at 11pm and going until 7am. I have another night shift tomorrow, 7pm-7am. Over the last couple of days, several non medical friends have asked me how I can do this?? How can I shift from day shifts to nights shifts and then back to days?? Well, its not easy especially when I am the type of person that loves a schedule (to bed at the same time, to rise at the same time). Fortunately, the people that make my schedule are generous....they schedule a few nights and then give me a day off. And, it helps that the place I work at currently is very, very, VERY busy! I know for certain that from the time my shift starts until it ends I will be on my feet doing everything and anything and that always makes the time fly. In fact, its not during my shift that I am tired, its immediately after as I slog to the subway and fall asleep at the station waiting for the train....then snooze on the subway to Atlantic/Pacific where I transfer to the Q....and then snooze some more until my stop :) As long as I am busy, I am perfectly content and awake. If I was working overnights with little/nothing to do, well then I would not be choosing emergency medicine as my future career.
Over the last 3 shifts I have seen many things to numerous to name. So I will just concentrate on one case, which occurred wednesday. An 80+ year gentleman was brought in from the nursing home after falling out of his wheelchair. Unfortunately, he has dementia and it was difficult to obtain any pertinent info as to how the accident happened. A CT scan of the head was ordered to rule out a bleed in the brain. In addition, he had 2 large lacerations, one on his scalp and one on his right forearm....and the best part...I got to do all the suturing and stapling :) The scalp wound was simple, with clean edges which only needed 6 staples. The arm laceration was a different story. It was very complicated, jagged edges, and deep. So, my chief resident suggested placing vertical mattress sutures which I had never attempted before. So, I pulled up the internet, did some reading, watched as my chief put the first suture in, and then, I was on my own to finish. I placed 3 more vertical mat. sutures and then 3 interrupted sub-cutaneous sutures. It took me almost 40 minutes because I was trying desperately to make it look pretty, and anyone that has attempted to suture 80+ year old skin knows how impossible that task is. The best part, both my chief resident and attending looked at my work and said I did a beautiful job!!! In addition to the great compliments that totally went to my head (LOL), I learned a new suturing technique which I know will come in handy in the future!!
As I said, I have many more stories but not enough time or patience to type tonight. I hope on Sunday I will have the energy to type some more. I hope everyone has a great night!!
Over the last 3 shifts I have seen many things to numerous to name. So I will just concentrate on one case, which occurred wednesday. An 80+ year gentleman was brought in from the nursing home after falling out of his wheelchair. Unfortunately, he has dementia and it was difficult to obtain any pertinent info as to how the accident happened. A CT scan of the head was ordered to rule out a bleed in the brain. In addition, he had 2 large lacerations, one on his scalp and one on his right forearm....and the best part...I got to do all the suturing and stapling :) The scalp wound was simple, with clean edges which only needed 6 staples. The arm laceration was a different story. It was very complicated, jagged edges, and deep. So, my chief resident suggested placing vertical mattress sutures which I had never attempted before. So, I pulled up the internet, did some reading, watched as my chief put the first suture in, and then, I was on my own to finish. I placed 3 more vertical mat. sutures and then 3 interrupted sub-cutaneous sutures. It took me almost 40 minutes because I was trying desperately to make it look pretty, and anyone that has attempted to suture 80+ year old skin knows how impossible that task is. The best part, both my chief resident and attending looked at my work and said I did a beautiful job!!! In addition to the great compliments that totally went to my head (LOL), I learned a new suturing technique which I know will come in handy in the future!!
As I said, I have many more stories but not enough time or patience to type tonight. I hope on Sunday I will have the energy to type some more. I hope everyone has a great night!!
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Happy Independence Day!!
Happy July 4th to all!!! While friends and family back home are grilling hamburgers/hot dogs, boating on the lake, hanging out on the back deck......I will be eating Brunch at noon....maybe going to Jones Beach....and definitely skipping the fireworks on the Hudson!! I have come to the conclusion that there are just too many people down here in NYC, and on a holiday weekend it is very wise to participate in low key events!!
So, I am done w/Peds emergency at Lincoln. Overall, it was a great rotation. I saw alot of fever, or "My child felt warm and no I don't have a $4.99 thermometer at home but I did just get my nails done for $40" LOL. I also had the opportunity to sew some lacerations....a few scalps....a forearm, but the best was the adult lac I closed. What?? Adult you ask?? Well, here is the story:
I was working on Sunday when a peds trauma came in, 8 y.o. boy was hit by a bicycle while standing on a fire hydrant and he fell. Luckily, the only trauma was to his face, a 2 cm laceration that transected the lower portion of his right nostril from his face. So, the oral maxillary surgeon had to come in and sew it back on and I got to watch!! :) After that, the surgeon says "Student, follow me" and away I go to the adult side where he has 5 people w/broken jaws anxiously awaiting him, and 1 guy who was jumped last night at the bar. He turns to me and says "Can you please sew up that guy" and I say ABSOLUTELY!!! The young man spoke very little english, but I find out that he went out to the bar, got really drunk, was jumped by 4 guys, had a bottle broken over his head, returned home around 3am, passed out, awoke at 4pm in a pool of blood, came to ED. The surgeon was called because the cut was just above the eye, through the eyebrow, about 6-7 cm in length. I was instructed to place 3 internal stitches first, to bring the wound edges closer, and then to sew it up. Then the surgeon left to attend to the jaws. So, about 23 sutures later, I was done. And it was AMAZING!!! The surgeon came and looked at my work and said it was excellent!! By this time it was 8pm, and my shift had been over for 2 hours already....so I packed up my stuff from the peds ED and strutted out of the hospital feeling like a rockstar!!! Then, I headed to Professor Thom's for True Blood, and blabbed my entire story of the day to my friends who were amazed and awed :) Actually, they are medical students too...so there reaction was much more subdued because like all 4th year medical students, they have been there and done that. But still....overall it was an awesome experience for me!!!
What have I been doing since my rotation ended on Tuesday. Well, my application for residency!! I bought my $90 token on Tuesday for use on July 1st...the official day of ERAS opening. ERAS is the service me use to send programs our application. I started filling out some of the tabs of my application. I have until Sept. 1st to complete it...on that day it gets released to the hounds (programs that I am applying to). My biggest challenge right now is completing my personal statement which has been a work in progress since January. I have imposed a deadline of August 1st for the final draft, lets hope I can do it!! I am thinking of employing a secret weapon in my quest to finish this damn statement...of course, I can't tell you what because then it wouldn't be a secret :)
Tueday starts my next rotation, adult Emergency at Maimonides in Brooklyn. I am so excited for this rotation to start....4 weeks is going to fly by!!! Hopefully, I have some good stories and I keep up with the blogging this month!
Well I hope everyone has a great day with family and friends! And I just want to give a big thank you to all of the men and women, present and past, who have put on a uniform and defended this country!! I am very grateful to them and everyday I am proud to say that I am an american!!! Everyone have a happy and SAFE 4th of July!!!
So, I am done w/Peds emergency at Lincoln. Overall, it was a great rotation. I saw alot of fever, or "My child felt warm and no I don't have a $4.99 thermometer at home but I did just get my nails done for $40" LOL. I also had the opportunity to sew some lacerations....a few scalps....a forearm, but the best was the adult lac I closed. What?? Adult you ask?? Well, here is the story:
I was working on Sunday when a peds trauma came in, 8 y.o. boy was hit by a bicycle while standing on a fire hydrant and he fell. Luckily, the only trauma was to his face, a 2 cm laceration that transected the lower portion of his right nostril from his face. So, the oral maxillary surgeon had to come in and sew it back on and I got to watch!! :) After that, the surgeon says "Student, follow me" and away I go to the adult side where he has 5 people w/broken jaws anxiously awaiting him, and 1 guy who was jumped last night at the bar. He turns to me and says "Can you please sew up that guy" and I say ABSOLUTELY!!! The young man spoke very little english, but I find out that he went out to the bar, got really drunk, was jumped by 4 guys, had a bottle broken over his head, returned home around 3am, passed out, awoke at 4pm in a pool of blood, came to ED. The surgeon was called because the cut was just above the eye, through the eyebrow, about 6-7 cm in length. I was instructed to place 3 internal stitches first, to bring the wound edges closer, and then to sew it up. Then the surgeon left to attend to the jaws. So, about 23 sutures later, I was done. And it was AMAZING!!! The surgeon came and looked at my work and said it was excellent!! By this time it was 8pm, and my shift had been over for 2 hours already....so I packed up my stuff from the peds ED and strutted out of the hospital feeling like a rockstar!!! Then, I headed to Professor Thom's for True Blood, and blabbed my entire story of the day to my friends who were amazed and awed :) Actually, they are medical students too...so there reaction was much more subdued because like all 4th year medical students, they have been there and done that. But still....overall it was an awesome experience for me!!!
What have I been doing since my rotation ended on Tuesday. Well, my application for residency!! I bought my $90 token on Tuesday for use on July 1st...the official day of ERAS opening. ERAS is the service me use to send programs our application. I started filling out some of the tabs of my application. I have until Sept. 1st to complete it...on that day it gets released to the hounds (programs that I am applying to). My biggest challenge right now is completing my personal statement which has been a work in progress since January. I have imposed a deadline of August 1st for the final draft, lets hope I can do it!! I am thinking of employing a secret weapon in my quest to finish this damn statement...of course, I can't tell you what because then it wouldn't be a secret :)
Tueday starts my next rotation, adult Emergency at Maimonides in Brooklyn. I am so excited for this rotation to start....4 weeks is going to fly by!!! Hopefully, I have some good stories and I keep up with the blogging this month!
Well I hope everyone has a great day with family and friends! And I just want to give a big thank you to all of the men and women, present and past, who have put on a uniform and defended this country!! I am very grateful to them and everyday I am proud to say that I am an american!!! Everyone have a happy and SAFE 4th of July!!!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Passed and Passed
It is official....I passed CS and CK!!! I am very excited right now and i wish I could come up with the proper way to show my enthusiam on a blog :)
I was particularly worried about CS. I know I am good with patients, with information gathering, and note taking. But to do all of that in a timed setting is tough. Its great to know that I passed, and that I will never have to pay $1200 to take that test again!!!
My CK score surprised me. I came out of the test very confident knowing that I had done at least as good as my Step I score. I got 6 points less :( A little disappointed. But, I can't do anything about it now because its done and over with. The only thing left to do is kick butt in my 4th year electives and get awesome letters of recommendation.
I started my 3rd week of Peds ED in the Bronx. So far it is going well. I am learning alot. Yesterday I was able to suture 2 head lacerations. And last week I stapled 2 scalp lacerations. Its interesting to think that in about 2 weeks I will be done with this rotation completely and on to the next. That, to me, is the best part about 4th year :)
Okay, I am working the 8pm-8am shift tonight so I have to eat dinner and get ready. I hope everyone has a great night!!!
I was particularly worried about CS. I know I am good with patients, with information gathering, and note taking. But to do all of that in a timed setting is tough. Its great to know that I passed, and that I will never have to pay $1200 to take that test again!!!
My CK score surprised me. I came out of the test very confident knowing that I had done at least as good as my Step I score. I got 6 points less :( A little disappointed. But, I can't do anything about it now because its done and over with. The only thing left to do is kick butt in my 4th year electives and get awesome letters of recommendation.
I started my 3rd week of Peds ED in the Bronx. So far it is going well. I am learning alot. Yesterday I was able to suture 2 head lacerations. And last week I stapled 2 scalp lacerations. Its interesting to think that in about 2 weeks I will be done with this rotation completely and on to the next. That, to me, is the best part about 4th year :)
Okay, I am working the 8pm-8am shift tonight so I have to eat dinner and get ready. I hope everyone has a great night!!!
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Where is the time going??
Wow, already June 2010. Before long it will be June 2011 and I will be graduating :) :) :)
I had every intention of blogging while home and for some reason, I just never did it. Its all kind of funny how it works in my head; as I sit at the computer in the morning sipping my coffee I think "I should blog, but I'll do it later". Then later comes and I'm doing something else. And soon it is bedtime and as I am about to fall asleep I remember I was supposed to blog and I think "I'll do it tomorrow". Multiplied by a few days and you get long blogging draughts (as many of you have noticed). Again, I will try to blog more....but I can't promise you anything ;)
Where did I leave off?? Oh yes, I successfully sat for Step 2 CK on May 18th!! I was hoping that all of my brain cells would show up. Many did....a few stayed home. Its really hard to know what a test like this will ask. I tried to study and know all, but sometimes that seems like an overwhelming task. In the end I go into tests like these saying to myself "you are prepared, you will kick ass" but deep down I just hope that the test asks me something I know....and can answer. For many questions I knew the answer, but then there were some that I was like "what the f***???" I get my results in 2 weeks so lets hope it is good news. Note to anyone wanting to take the test at Penn Plaza....apparently you can not eat in the building, except at the coffee shop on the ground floor (building management policy). So, for food breaks I was to get into the elevator, go down 19 flights, walk to the coffee shop, and eat. Since that would cut into my precious break time, I did what all the other testers were doing that day....going to the bathroom and eating in there. Although there were signs posted everywhere saying "NO EATING, NO DRINKING", none of us really cared.
After the test, I packed up my things and headed home for 10 days!!! It was awesome, seeing everyone.....family, friends, 2 stupid dogs!! Here is a quick run down of everything I did:
- I was able to see Dr. Hess and Lynn (I loved seeing both of them, I missed them so much)
- Saw 3 of Mit's softball games which allows me to see basically everyone I know all in one convenient place :)
- Saw my Uncle Dave and his girlfriend Debbie who has been dating my uncle for years but because of this medical school thing I have been unable to meet
- Went to the Mohawk field days and saw Gridley Paige and my favorite bass player :) :)
- Went to a Saranac Thursday (first one in about 4-5 years)
- Had a really nice lunch at Red Lobster courtesy of my grandmother
- Did some major gardening for my mom (the spiders in upstate NY are getting bigger and bigger)
- Had a coffee date with an old friend
- Played with my puppies ALOT, and of course gave them both a bath
- And many more things that I'm sure I am forgetting right now, but also enjoyed :) :)
And now, I'm back in Brooklyn. I am starting my 1st official rotation of 4th year (by the way, let me just say I'M A 4TH YEAR!!!!!!!!). As soon as my urine tox comes back I will be working at the Pediatric emergency department at Lincoln hospital. Lets hope that I keep you all informed of my progress throughout 4th year, because knowing me, my next post could be "I'm graduating"!!! HAHA. I hope everyone has a great day.
I had every intention of blogging while home and for some reason, I just never did it. Its all kind of funny how it works in my head; as I sit at the computer in the morning sipping my coffee I think "I should blog, but I'll do it later". Then later comes and I'm doing something else. And soon it is bedtime and as I am about to fall asleep I remember I was supposed to blog and I think "I'll do it tomorrow". Multiplied by a few days and you get long blogging draughts (as many of you have noticed). Again, I will try to blog more....but I can't promise you anything ;)
Where did I leave off?? Oh yes, I successfully sat for Step 2 CK on May 18th!! I was hoping that all of my brain cells would show up. Many did....a few stayed home. Its really hard to know what a test like this will ask. I tried to study and know all, but sometimes that seems like an overwhelming task. In the end I go into tests like these saying to myself "you are prepared, you will kick ass" but deep down I just hope that the test asks me something I know....and can answer. For many questions I knew the answer, but then there were some that I was like "what the f***???" I get my results in 2 weeks so lets hope it is good news. Note to anyone wanting to take the test at Penn Plaza....apparently you can not eat in the building, except at the coffee shop on the ground floor (building management policy). So, for food breaks I was to get into the elevator, go down 19 flights, walk to the coffee shop, and eat. Since that would cut into my precious break time, I did what all the other testers were doing that day....going to the bathroom and eating in there. Although there were signs posted everywhere saying "NO EATING, NO DRINKING", none of us really cared.
After the test, I packed up my things and headed home for 10 days!!! It was awesome, seeing everyone.....family, friends, 2 stupid dogs!! Here is a quick run down of everything I did:
- I was able to see Dr. Hess and Lynn (I loved seeing both of them, I missed them so much)
- Saw 3 of Mit's softball games which allows me to see basically everyone I know all in one convenient place :)
- Saw my Uncle Dave and his girlfriend Debbie who has been dating my uncle for years but because of this medical school thing I have been unable to meet
- Went to the Mohawk field days and saw Gridley Paige and my favorite bass player :) :)
- Went to a Saranac Thursday (first one in about 4-5 years)
- Had a really nice lunch at Red Lobster courtesy of my grandmother
- Did some major gardening for my mom (the spiders in upstate NY are getting bigger and bigger)
- Had a coffee date with an old friend
- Played with my puppies ALOT, and of course gave them both a bath
- And many more things that I'm sure I am forgetting right now, but also enjoyed :) :)
And now, I'm back in Brooklyn. I am starting my 1st official rotation of 4th year (by the way, let me just say I'M A 4TH YEAR!!!!!!!!). As soon as my urine tox comes back I will be working at the Pediatric emergency department at Lincoln hospital. Lets hope that I keep you all informed of my progress throughout 4th year, because knowing me, my next post could be "I'm graduating"!!! HAHA. I hope everyone has a great day.
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