Another plug for the Sharewood Project...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/abradio/2011/03/12/the-sharewood-project
I just wrapped up doing a radio interview on Asian Boston Radio about the Sharewood Project (the free health care organization outside of Boston, affiliated with Tufts, that I'm currently the Administrative Director of) and it is now on the "series of tubes" known as the internet. I was joined with the previous president of the undergraduate board as well as our current head of publicity. It was pretty fun. We didn't know what to expect when we walked into the room where we recorded the interview... At this point we discovered that it would be live, and last 30 minutes! omg! crazy... it went by really quickly, and for the most part I think it went really well.
This was my second time being on the "radio" - the last time was with the band I was in back in college, Get Dressed, when we played on the UW radio... pretty sweet gig.
Anyway, I'm about to go to an interview to get a grant from the Alumni board of Tufts Med to help fund the sharewood project... :)
Spring break... only one week away!!!!!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
CC
The Chief Concern (many physicians still call it chief complaint) is the very short description, typically in the patients words, of why they are at the hospital. Examples include: "Swollen leg," "Chest pain," "SOB" (shortness of breath), "Diarrhea," "Stomach pain."
My favorite that I've heard thus far:
CC: Plan to kill self with a rocket launcher...
The patient was then searched by security and did not have any weapons on them.
My favorite that I've heard thus far:
CC: Plan to kill self with a rocket launcher...
The patient was then searched by security and did not have any weapons on them.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sacrifice
Medical school makes you give up many of the things you love. I thought I'd find more of a balance... the unfortunate truth is that it's very difficult to do. I lost my soccer community - I went from playing 3 times a week, with a great group of friends, on three separate teams, to playing once every one or two weeks. I used to play guitar daily - I now sit down and play maybe once a week - sometimes I'm lucky and play twice a week for a total of 30 minutes!
After going to our medschool's multicultural performing arts show this past friday and watching dances, music, and other performances by students at our school (a talented bunch, which makes sense... med students are busy and involved with lots of stuff before getting to med school), I remembered how much I miss my passions that make me who I am (primarily soccer and music). I also remembered that many of the most talented individuals lack creative talent (many of the most skillful performers/singers/instrumentalists lack the ability to create interesting things). Both frustrated me.
I miss the band I used to play in, and I miss playing soccer. These aren't things that can be substituted. Soccer is a type of exercise that requires you constantly be assessing the game around you, the players, the ball, the flow, and at the same time communicating with players on the field, anticipating the play, all while running around, constantly. It's a great workout, mentally and physically. Med school gives you a good mental work out, and going to the gym gives you a good physical workout, but it's really not the same, and it's frustrating. Boston doesn't have much of a soccer culture either, making it that much more difficult to play.
I decided to start sitting down and playing more guitar. I started today. Instead of studying straight through the day, I took three hours to play and write some music. It felt good, and I think I'll continue doing it.
It's february 13th, so I hope tomorrow brings a great valentine's day for all five of you reading this :)
Seriously though, have a great day, a great week, and remember the many people who love you for who you are, they make life pretty awesome.
After going to our medschool's multicultural performing arts show this past friday and watching dances, music, and other performances by students at our school (a talented bunch, which makes sense... med students are busy and involved with lots of stuff before getting to med school), I remembered how much I miss my passions that make me who I am (primarily soccer and music). I also remembered that many of the most talented individuals lack creative talent (many of the most skillful performers/singers/instrumentalists lack the ability to create interesting things). Both frustrated me.
I miss the band I used to play in, and I miss playing soccer. These aren't things that can be substituted. Soccer is a type of exercise that requires you constantly be assessing the game around you, the players, the ball, the flow, and at the same time communicating with players on the field, anticipating the play, all while running around, constantly. It's a great workout, mentally and physically. Med school gives you a good mental work out, and going to the gym gives you a good physical workout, but it's really not the same, and it's frustrating. Boston doesn't have much of a soccer culture either, making it that much more difficult to play.
I decided to start sitting down and playing more guitar. I started today. Instead of studying straight through the day, I took three hours to play and write some music. It felt good, and I think I'll continue doing it.
It's february 13th, so I hope tomorrow brings a great valentine's day for all five of you reading this :)
Seriously though, have a great day, a great week, and remember the many people who love you for who you are, they make life pretty awesome.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
First day flying solo
Last Tuesday was the first day of running the Sharewood Project (the free, Tufts, student-run, health care initiative outside of Boston) as the Administrative Director without the help of the previous board members. Within the first hour of the clinic opening I had already apologized to roughly 25 patients in the waiting area - Great start to my year? Yep.... awesome.
Because of a misinformed decision that I made, the patients weren't able to check in and be triaged until after the clinic had opened - this meant them waiting in a long line and setting the entire schedule of the clinic back over 30 minutes. When your peers are counting on you, it's one thing, and when attending physicians are expecting things to run smoothly, thats another, BUT when patients are counting on you, there is an entirely new element added to the equation. The patients are the element that trumps everything else. It felt terrible to have the first 30 minutes of the night gone to hell.
What I learned: Apologize, always. In health care I will be running late almost all the time and it doesn't matter why, it is always my fault. I will be taking blame for being late the rest of my life. Even if it is one minute and entirely not my fault, it is still my fault. This is part of building a patient report, and being a good healthcare provider.
After my first night, running around non-stop, feeling overwhelmed and constantly being asked questions, I realized a few things. I know that many students take part in the Sharewood Project to improve their history taking and diagnosis skills, to develop their leadership skills, or to just "do good" in the community around their medical school. I can appreciate this, but at the end of the day the real reason we are there is for the patients. Many of the patients that come in have no insurance, and if they do they probably can't afford the bills from a medical appointment, or blood work, or STI testing or a flu shot or other vaccines... That means that we are the only health care they may have. This is why I'm no where near satisfied with the state of clinic. I fear some of that patient-centered sentiment and attitude being lost when many of the board members don't show up to clinic because there is an exam that week.
It's amazing to me that some how what I did as an undergrad and after graduating (working with the UW Dream Project has been directly translated to experiences in medical school. Back then it was how is what you are doing going to help more high school students get into college? Now the mantra has changed... but not much. Instead of helping students, it is, "How is what I am doing going to best serve the patients and give them the best health care possible?"
This tuesday will be the second week of running Sharewood. Hopefully things run more smoothly and I get home before midnight this week...
LASTLY, IF YOU ARE GOING TO PURCHASE SOMETHING THROUGH AMAZON.COM, PLEASE GO TO THE SHAREWOOD WEBSITE AND CLICK ON THE AMAZON LINK, THEN BUY WHAT YOU PLAN ON BUYING ON AMAZON. USING THE LINK ON THE SW WEBSITE WILL GIVE US 6% OF THE SALE (it will note affect the cost of what you purchase, just help fund the clinic). THANKS!!!
Because of a misinformed decision that I made, the patients weren't able to check in and be triaged until after the clinic had opened - this meant them waiting in a long line and setting the entire schedule of the clinic back over 30 minutes. When your peers are counting on you, it's one thing, and when attending physicians are expecting things to run smoothly, thats another, BUT when patients are counting on you, there is an entirely new element added to the equation. The patients are the element that trumps everything else. It felt terrible to have the first 30 minutes of the night gone to hell.
What I learned: Apologize, always. In health care I will be running late almost all the time and it doesn't matter why, it is always my fault. I will be taking blame for being late the rest of my life. Even if it is one minute and entirely not my fault, it is still my fault. This is part of building a patient report, and being a good healthcare provider.
After my first night, running around non-stop, feeling overwhelmed and constantly being asked questions, I realized a few things. I know that many students take part in the Sharewood Project to improve their history taking and diagnosis skills, to develop their leadership skills, or to just "do good" in the community around their medical school. I can appreciate this, but at the end of the day the real reason we are there is for the patients. Many of the patients that come in have no insurance, and if they do they probably can't afford the bills from a medical appointment, or blood work, or STI testing or a flu shot or other vaccines... That means that we are the only health care they may have. This is why I'm no where near satisfied with the state of clinic. I fear some of that patient-centered sentiment and attitude being lost when many of the board members don't show up to clinic because there is an exam that week.
It's amazing to me that some how what I did as an undergrad and after graduating (working with the UW Dream Project has been directly translated to experiences in medical school. Back then it was how is what you are doing going to help more high school students get into college? Now the mantra has changed... but not much. Instead of helping students, it is, "How is what I am doing going to best serve the patients and give them the best health care possible?"
This tuesday will be the second week of running Sharewood. Hopefully things run more smoothly and I get home before midnight this week...
LASTLY, IF YOU ARE GOING TO PURCHASE SOMETHING THROUGH AMAZON.COM, PLEASE GO TO THE SHAREWOOD WEBSITE AND CLICK ON THE AMAZON LINK, THEN BUY WHAT YOU PLAN ON BUYING ON AMAZON. USING THE LINK ON THE SW WEBSITE WILL GIVE US 6% OF THE SALE (it will note affect the cost of what you purchase, just help fund the clinic). THANKS!!!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Triaging
Med school has taught me how to triage...
No, I don't mean that in the sense of assessing a patient's condition and treating the most severe or critical first (Actually, I did learn that in emergency medicine, if there is a major distaster, a bomb or some sort of huge event, you usually leave those who are least likely to survive and treat those that have a better chance of pulling though...). I mean triage as in: You are getting tested on 4 subjects, the anatomy of the thorax, physiology of heart and lungs, pathology of circulatory issues and cancers, and physical diagnosis for the heart... and you have to decide which subject(s) will only get a short 5 or 6 hours of studying for. It's frustrating to realize that it's not because you aren't trying hard, or using your time effectively, its that you literally don't have time to study everything - there is so much content. With that, I put minimal effort into anatomy because it was only 10 percent of our overall anatomy grade, and lots of time into pathology because this test contained 50 percent of our path grade...
You might be thinking that it could be a problem that future physicians aren't learning everything they are expected to in their first year - but don't fret. Much of what we learn (or don't learn) comes back into play 2nd year, when we learn about all the clinical applications and pathologies of the topics we cover. Plus, the most important years are 3rd and 4th when you spend all your time in the hospital doing rotations and seeing patients.
On top of the core content continually coming back, we also have to take the Step 1 of the board examinations at the end of our second year. This is an exam that people start studying for a couple months in advance. It's pretty intense and covers all the subjects from 1st and 2nd year.
The terrifying part of the step 1 of the boards is that it can determine what specialty you go into. To pass you need a score of 180, but to be competitive for most specialties you need a 225 or above (average board score is about 220). For some specialties, a 235 is the minimum requirement to even be considered. Crazy. This means you need a backup plan.
Always have a plan B... Mine is family medicine, I think.
No, I don't mean that in the sense of assessing a patient's condition and treating the most severe or critical first (Actually, I did learn that in emergency medicine, if there is a major distaster, a bomb or some sort of huge event, you usually leave those who are least likely to survive and treat those that have a better chance of pulling though...). I mean triage as in: You are getting tested on 4 subjects, the anatomy of the thorax, physiology of heart and lungs, pathology of circulatory issues and cancers, and physical diagnosis for the heart... and you have to decide which subject(s) will only get a short 5 or 6 hours of studying for. It's frustrating to realize that it's not because you aren't trying hard, or using your time effectively, its that you literally don't have time to study everything - there is so much content. With that, I put minimal effort into anatomy because it was only 10 percent of our overall anatomy grade, and lots of time into pathology because this test contained 50 percent of our path grade...
You might be thinking that it could be a problem that future physicians aren't learning everything they are expected to in their first year - but don't fret. Much of what we learn (or don't learn) comes back into play 2nd year, when we learn about all the clinical applications and pathologies of the topics we cover. Plus, the most important years are 3rd and 4th when you spend all your time in the hospital doing rotations and seeing patients.
On top of the core content continually coming back, we also have to take the Step 1 of the board examinations at the end of our second year. This is an exam that people start studying for a couple months in advance. It's pretty intense and covers all the subjects from 1st and 2nd year.
The terrifying part of the step 1 of the boards is that it can determine what specialty you go into. To pass you need a score of 180, but to be competitive for most specialties you need a 225 or above (average board score is about 220). For some specialties, a 235 is the minimum requirement to even be considered. Crazy. This means you need a backup plan.
Always have a plan B... Mine is family medicine, I think.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Boston Winter
Yep - It's 10 degrees outside, with wind chills of -15...
I have never been in temperatures that low... This is ridiculous.
On the bright side (literally) it's sunny!
I also found a new place to study - The Boston Public Library. The reading room, Bates Hall, looks just like the reading room at UW, aka the "Harry Potter Room," because it makes you feel like you're studying at Hogwarts!
Themes to take away: The northeast is cold. Studying in new environments makes learning fun!... actually what makes learning fun is understanding the physiology and pathology of the heart. I feel comfortable doing a basic cardiac examination, I've cut open and dissected a human heart, and I'm understanding many of the common diseases and mechanical and systemic issues that cause cardiac problems. I'm excited about it.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Purchase a northface...
It gets cold in Boston. The wind cuts through your clothes way too well, which is why a month ago I purchased a wind-proof, water proof, insulated, awesome coat from northface. No longer am I a cold, stressed out, sober, and busy med student. Instead I'm a stressed out, sober, and busy med student! :)
I've noticed that my last few blogs have been an indication that I just completed an exam... With that, I in fact, just had an exam on the anatomy and physical diagnosis of the upper limb! That includes your shoulder, a few parts of your back and chest, and the entire arm, forearm and hand. Holy crap - the hand is amazing. Seeing the way muscles, tendons and nerves run down your arm, how they can affect movements in your hand, and just how it all works together is so cool. I definitely appreciate my guitar playing ability a lot more, and carry a new respect for how much damage can be done by seemingly simple injuries to your upper extremity. Classic example: Knife fight (Yep, that came up a few times in class, haha). If you get a stab wound in your arm you could lose sensation and muscle movement in much of or all of your arm, forearm and hand. Even just landing on your elbow and messing up your ulnar nerve (the funny bone) can cause damage all the way up your hand.
Funny bone (don't hurt yourself doing this, attempt at your own risk... just saying that so I don't get sued) - Lift your arm up as if doing a curl with weights, and bring your elbow up a little bit - then put your other hand under your elbow - find the main bump that you would think of as your elbow (the olecranon) and then find the little bump next to it on the inside of your elbow (medial epicondyle). You'll notice a little groove that is soft between the those two bony parts of your elbow. If you tap that soft spot you can feel a tingle or burn sensation travel up your arm to your little finger (sometimes you have to do it with a little bit of force). That's what happens when you hit your "funny bone." That's your ulnar nerve and damaging it can cause loss of sensation up to your little finger, and motor impairment in your hand - crazy.
Oh yeah - It snows here, a lot. Seattle shut down with a couple inches... Boston functions on a foot of snow. I can walk on sidewalks and streets the day after a snow storm in running shoes because they do such a good job of clearing and shoveling the snow. Fantastic!
Oh, also, if you visit Boston in the winter, bring long underwear. It's pretty rad, and warm.
Off to an improv show with some friends!
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