VOTE FOR ME!!!

Hey readers! I'm up for the "Big D" award in med student blogging! Go vote for me (should you think my blog is the best!)

Thanks D! You rock!

VOTE HERE

~Ella

Well...

It hasn't been confirmed, but I would put money down that I just failed my biochem exam. Lots of money.

Admissions Interviews

I'm on the student admissions committee, and today I'm interviewing a med school applicant. Like I mentioned before, at my school the student vote counts for 1/3 of the admissions decision. So if you're interviewing today, good luck!

International Osteopaths

One thing I constantly hear from pre-meds is that they don't want to go to DO school because they won't be able to practice internationally. This is just a nasty rumor... perpetuated for reasons unknown to me. DO's currently have FULL privileges in 44 countries and partial privileges in another 8. Additionally, the AOA has advocates to help DO's apply for full licensing in countries who lack full privilege.

The AOA confirms this, and Wiki has a list... See for yourself...

Countries who recognize Osteopaths

Not Heartless

If you think I'm heartless for not writing about Haiti, I'm not. It's just that I despise American sensatio-journalism...and I refuse to contribute to the nonsense. Frankly, I don't have anything legit to write about, as I am not there. So I won't. Unlike most journalists, who are willing to drag some poor Haitian guy off the street on the promise of sending word to his family in Miami that he is ok, and then tricking him into discussing things on camera which they promised they wouldn't ask him. I've been through a natural disaster, and I can safely say you should never, ever believe the media. Their truth to false ratio is about 1:1000.

That being said, I think about Haitians every moment... and wish I had a real way to help. In a few years I will. Until then, I will wait. Bless Haiti.

Things That Suck in Med School

1. 600+ emails per day, all recruiting for trips, clinics, conferences, retreats, volunteer projects, parties, political movements, etc. which all sound oh-so-nice... but I don't even have time to read the freakin' email let alone actually participate. That, and I have to sort through these 600 daily emails to make sure I read the important shit... Like at 10:24 pm two nights ago I received an email informing us of a mandatory 8:30 am class and a reading assignment for the morning. Nice.

2. Endless Facebook updates from my 180 classmates verifying the 100 biochem concepts that I, indeed, have not yet studied, looked at, nor have even heard of.

3. A little class we have called Foundations in Medicine (FIM). In theory, this class should be great. Teaching future docs about ethics, death and dying, nutrition, alternative medicine, exposing them to the community, volunteering, etc. In reality, it is the biggest bane of my existence and the hugest time-waster ever. This class has hundreds of "points" you have to get in order to pass. Yet you don't get them the normal way... like 30 points for an exam. You earn your points POINT BY POINT. For instance, attending a lecture might be 1/3 of ONE POINT. An essay might be 2 points. Going on an ambulance ride is 1 point. Attending an intubation simulation is 1 point. OH GOD oh god. I'm FIM's bitch.

Our Pulmonary Phys Prof

So our pulmonary physiology professor is basically the go-to-guy in the pulmonary world. You probably studied physiology from his books. His first lecture was today... and in addition to the g-rated quote above, he came out with some doozies.

Por ejemplo, famous pulm prof says... "Wow! Your next exam is cardio AND pulmonary? Well, that would tap about 90% of all the knowledge I have. The other 10% is just some worthless sports trivia and tips on how to find naughty websites"

LOL

Football vs. Biochem.... And the Winner is...

Football.

Um, my school just postponed our biochem exam so our class could watch the playoffs on Sunday, and still have Monday to recover before our metabolic biochem exam... which is now on Tuesday...

Me=Boss Lady

Well, not exactly..... but I was chosen to be on the leadership team for the all-student run free clinic (the place where I originally presented to Dr. Kenton Hadley)... and I'm totally stoked! This way I can stalk her much more legitimately.

Juiced

Ewe. I went to my preceptorship this week. In a clinic room the physician pulled out a patient's drainage tubes. I purposely stood wayyyyy in the corner (nonchalantly of course), so as to avoid any nastiness... yet I couldn't escape. I got juiced. With I don't know what. Some sort of gastric-bypass nastiness that came flying out of the tube, across the room, from above, definitely landing on on my arm and my coat... and most probably in my hair as well. Oh well.

Oh My, Oh My

It was so much better than I expected. In fact, incredible would be an understatement. In a mere 5 hours I saw the following...

1. A multiple GSW victim
2. A stroke patient (activated @ hour 2.5)
3. Peds epileptic seizure
4. Pulmonary Embolism
5. Sickle Cell
6. 2 belligerent drunks
7. 1 missing person from the other side of the USA
8. Chest pain
9. Dehydrated
10. Gastric pain

It was awesome. And I loved every minute of it. We rounded lightning quick (no time to be bored), saw 30+ patients, 5 hours FLEW by in NO TIME FLAT, and all the residents and staff were super duper awesome cool. I'm so in love with EM it is ridiculous.

YAY! Sort of...

I'm headed out to my first shift in the Emergency Dept. and bleh, I'm sick as a dog. I'm going anyway... hoping no one will notice nor care... as I have repeatedly heard that EM docs have to have actually DIED in order to call in sick. Hopefully that's true, and I don't get my ass chewed.

Kissed, Made Up, and Together Again

Dear Anesthesiology,

I'm sorry if any of those things I said in the past hurt you. Yes, you may be a bit less exciting than EM, but I really thing that we could have a stable, happy, loving relationship. But after talking it over with friends, and doing some soul searching, I've decided that I may have judged you unfairly.

I hope you will reconsider our relationship as well. I'm not sure what I have to offer you, and visa versa... and as you know I am still in a committed relationship with EM... but maybe we could spend a little time together and see how things go? We can do a few procedures, a lot of crosswords together, drink cafe au lait, and leave the rectal exams to the internists.


Love Always,

Ella

Manners??

Here's a list of things that many people in our class seemed to have missed in manners school.

1. Putting your feet on the seats. Actually, I'm pretty ok with this... usually. But if I'm sitting in front of you and you prop your feet up next to me... they better be CUTE and NOT SMELLY. Girls, you're the worst offenders. No funk, gangreen, nasty 3 month old polish, toe jam, hairy toes, etc. Put those back in your shoes. On the floor. Luckily, the girl that normally sits behind me has lovely feet. It's when I get stuck sitting elsewhere that I get into trouble.

2. So our school costs some $51,000 odd dollars just for tuition (which in my case was a little more than I had laying around in a mayo jar in the backyard). Hence, I am really interested in hearing the lecture. REALLY. I'm not hanging out in class because of the cute med student who sits by me... or because I'm waiting for Handsome Willy's happy hour to start. So please, to those of you who TALK FOR THE ENTIRE LECTURE... it really makes things difficult on everyone else. Yes we CAN hear you. Every word. You haven't figured out the difference between whispering and talking. Does everybody talk occasionally in class? Yes, of course. But I'm talking out the endless chatter that goes on between the same people every class. And at the risk of sounding like your mama, it's seriously rude. The speaker is flustered. The course director is embarrassed. And your classmates are really irritated. At you. You there. You know who you are.

3. To the girls who knit in class, you aren't really supposed to be in this category. I think you rock. I wish I would have thought of learning to knit... long before my creative energy was sucked away by Netter. I am so envious... and always peeking over to see what new cool things you're doing.

4. Packing up on the last slide before the professor finishes. They're always practically screaming to be heard over the iphones, the zippers, the papers, rustling, etc. I mean, really.. it's like 45 seconds. Is everyone in class always 45 seconds late for something? If the speaker didn't think the last slide was important, he would have ended on the previous one. Right? Just hang out.

No Assholes Rule - BROKEN

Today at the dog park there was this guy. I knew right away, but I prayed I was wrong. Haughty. Less than mediocre looking. Cussing up a storm. Had an arrogant air about him. Throwing around his medical advice about a possibly anemic dog. Then he dropped the bomb.

Him: Well, I'm a 4th year MEDICAL STUDENT.

Me: Oh, really? How cool. You must be really smart. What are you going into?

Him: Well, I'm hoping to match here in radiology.

Me: I LOVE radiology! They get to study all those cool pictures, right? So you're at (named the local med schools)?

Him: No, I went to med school in Florida. Just moved here last week.

Me: But you don't know if you'll be here? Isn't that Match thingy in March?

Him: Well, I know EVERYBODY at (named ALL the local residency programs). I'm VERY sure I'll match here. In fact, my fiance just moved here and we bought a house, a car, and a dog (pointing to what I'm sure was a pure-bred puffy something of a dog).

Me: (Silent): Holy shit you are one egotistical maniac (Out Loud): Well GOOD for you! So you must know all the guys in Dept. X.

Him: Oh, yeah. I know them (pronouncing BOTH of their names incorrectly)

Me: (Out Loud) Good luck to you! Bye! (Silent) Arrogant prick.

Cardiology

I know that Cardiology and I broke up months ago because of the demanding schedule and on-call madness... but can I just express how much I still love it. We officially entered our cardio block today in Physiology... and it all makes so much SENSE to me. The traces, the cardiac AP's, the receptors, the stoke volume vs the ejection fraction. It's so intuitive and amazing. Too bad... we could have had a good thing....

A Decade

I'm continuing the tradition.... bloggers everywhere writing their "Decade in Review" posts. I stole the idea from Old MD Girl. Feel free to continue the madness. Here goes...

2000 ~ Year of Indecision ~ I spent the Millennium New Year's Eve being fantastically disappointed by party hopping in San Diego with people I didn't know well or didn't care about at all. All of my college friends were off traveling or home with their families, or at parties with people they were close with. I was in a sorority with many girls I didn't care about. Most years I stayed in my dorm alone (which was really my own apartment) during winter break... so the New Year was a big bust. I was a sophomore in college in a private San Diego University. I didn't know any better, and borrowed way too much to attend a mediocre liberal arts school and studied topics that never particularly interested me. I was single and for the first time ever living by myself as a grown up without roommates or parents. Which I really did love. A lot. I remember decorating. Curtains. Tapestries. Word Market. Pier One. Sewing pillows and painting pots. Susana and I were joined at the hip. We roller-bladed, pulled all night study sessions, smoked cigarettes, listened to Nat King Cole. At this point my thoughts of being a doctor were essentially limited to "maybe someday, probably not" by failing my first General Chemistry course (I had a C and didn't even show up for the final because of test anxiety). I had declared Political Science as my major not because I thought it was interesting, but because I thought it was reasonable, respectable and easy.... plus I got to spend a few months in DC.

2001 ~ Year of Italy~ I started studying Italian and found that I excelled at foreign languages. I wish I would have switched my major. That probably would have made college fantastically more interesting. Nevertheless I got A's in the first 2 semesters of Italian and spent the summer of '01 studying Italian in Perugia, Italy (same place Amanda Knox was convicted of murder). That trip changed my life, as I was 23 and it was my first trip out of the United States. I fell in love with Italy and my new found power of being able to speak a 2nd language. I drank hundreds of tiny cappuccinos, bought pasta in tiny country markets, took the train to Venice and Bologna and Rome and Capri, kissed Italian boys, and studied lots of Italian verbs on the veranda at the abbey I lived at. Reluctantly I eventually came home. Incidentally, that year I failed my first biology class as well (possibly because I only attended four times)... once again affirming that I was not going to be a physician. I was, however, elected to be Vice President of my school for the following year.

2002 ~ Year of Inspiration (and lots of Alcohol)~ Senior year of college... a little nuts to say the least. Didn't attend college much at all, in fact I didn't sleep and consumed enough alcohol to put on nearly 20 lbs. Despite all of that I met my college boyfriend Jake... who was the first boy ever I really "loved". (I guess) We graduated from college together and bought tickets to Brazil. We had a wonderful summer traveling around. While camping in the Amazon I came across an empty but beautiful white hospital building. There were banana palms and children and a huge red cross... and I then made a commitment that I now, officially, and desperately wanted to become a physician. That fall I began my post-bacc pre-med program at Harvard, lived in the South End in a pre-war brownstone with my best friend Michelle, and loved every minute of it. In Boston Michelle and I grew up. We were girls from a tiny California town, for the first time in an urban city on our own, beyond the protection of our parents or a University. We ate steamed clams and Italian food, took the subway, lunched in Harvard Square. The 20 lbs disappeared. There were hardwood floors and purple velvet drapes, ambulance sirens, cobblestones, scarves and pea-coats. It was incredible.

2003 ~ Year of Transition ~ Jake was headed to pharmacy school in Colorado and for whatever reason became unreasonably judgmental and jealous over things as insignificant as dental floss. We fought my entire year at Harvard, and finally after a "romantic" trip to Maui I broke things off with him. It ended pretty cleanly. By the summer I couldn't afford Harvard for one more minute and at 25, moved home with my parents to significantly less-sexy Phoenix. Although moving home was detrimental to my pride initially, I did get to spend time with my family. I also met the platonic love of my life. The first years I knew him we were inseparable. We finished O-Chem together, ate Thai food, drank hot chocolate and played scrabble, and lamented about pre-med and the woes of living with our parents after 25. We never dated, but we loved each other and our friendship changed me... and changed my values. I will forever cherish the time we spent together.

2004 ~ Year of Growing Up and Speaking Spanish~ I finished my pre-med classes (finally)... but was still a long way from being able to apply to medical school. I needed a paycheck. And an apartment of my own. I accepted a teaching job at an inner city Phoenix high school and moved to an uber-trendy area of downtown. My students also changed me. And my values. I went to quinceanera parties, learned spanish, taught chemistry, built a solar powered boat, practiced yoga, and found joy for the first time in employment. That year I started studying for the MCAT, and began dating Mr. Generous & Loving but Major Cultural Clash-this wont last. And it didn't.

2005 ~ Year of Katrina~ After a disastrous MCAT, I resigned from my teaching job and moved to the south to get my Masters degree in international health. I had visions of that empty white hospital building in the Amazon... and figured hey, if I can't be a physician... I might as well do something that will get me to the same place. Within 4 weeks of my MCAT results I was heading across country to my new home. And so was a hurricane. I beat her there by one day. I unloaded everything into my new apartment, grabbed a backpack with a swimsuit, 2 changes of clothes, my ipod and my travel wallet. After searching for a tank of gas for several hours I headed to Miami for what I thought would be a 2 or 3 day vacation. It turned into a 6-month vacation. I ended up driving from Miami all the way back to Phoenix and teaching at the same school I'd just resigned from. Looking back in life, this may be the only time I could say I actually "regret" a decision. I wish I would have traveled during the Katrina months. Gone to Europe. Something to take my mind off chaos. I had the money. I should have done it. I let others convince me it was a bad idea. It is said that depression ensues approximately 5 weeks after a major natural disaster. I would say that is correct. I battled with mourning my new city, my stagnation, uncertainty, and knowing I was not going to be a physician. That and I only had 3 pair of underwear.

2006 ~ Year of Tenacity ~ During this time (the evacuation) I'd met Mr. Sweet but Very Wrong for Me... and being the sweet guy that he was decided to temporarily accompany me back to the south once the city re-opened. That eventually turned into a 1.5 year Sweet but Very Wrong for Me relationship. On the first day of school in 2006, I met Dr. M, my beloved advisor who would encourage me on my path to become a physician... and who never doubted my capabilities or my tenacity. After discussing my career goals, I was convinced that I should switch from International Health to Tropical Medicine... a decision I will always be grateful for. That was much more interesting to me and it was my key to the medical school padlock. I began dating the MCAT. We went to coffee shops, had wonderful discussions and practice sessions, intellectual debates on quantum physics, and just sat around for hours on end together.

2007 ~ Year of Wonderful Things~ Dr. M had introduced me to some international malaria researchers, and I was invited to spend a summer working with them in Colombia. Which of course was amazing. I graduated from my Masters program after I returned, and had realized I had fallen in love with the south and the city I lived in. I took a research job assuming it would be temporary... but I ended up loving the job, my new single life, and the network of friends I had made over the past year. For the first time I had girlfriends who actually liked each other... which I discovered is significantly more fun than having 20 friends you only socialize with independently. I also finally had it out with the MCAT, and I won. At the end of 2007 I met Mr. Resident Physician, who turned into Boyfriend several months later.

2008 ~ Year of Insanity ~ Not sure if I was ever actually going to make it to medical school, I decided to move forward with other parts of my life. Boyfriend and I bought a house. An OLD house. Like 160 year old house. We ripped it apart and started re-building it in a way that looked historic but was modern in function. We had no idea all the things that would happen that year. A Lawsuit. A divorce. An aortic aneurism. Job lost. A murder. Three moves. Interviews. Friends lost. I got into medical school. After the insanity, exhausted by life, we packed up and moved to Miami and called it a day.

2009 ~ Year of Progress ~ After a few months of a Miami hiatus, we moved back to our house. Our old, under construction house. To one bedroom, one bathroom, and lots of walls which frame what will someday be our home. In January we huddled, cuddled, slept, and prepared to rebuild our lives after what seemed like MUCH more than we could handle had been delivered to our doorstep. February I was offered a job that I REALLY wanted as an epidemiologist. March brought a career gift better than was ever expected to my boyfriend. April brought love in the unexpected surprise package of our hound dog Luke. The year just kept getting better. I started medical school at the same school that my boyfriend is now a resident at. My brother took me to Japan for my 31st birthday. My boyfriend loves his job. I love medical school. Granted, we are broke beyond belief, we don't have a kitchen, we can't use the toaster and the hairdryer at the same time, our dishes are washed in the bathroom, and we are piled in this bedroom with our dog and a parakeet like sardines... but there are many things to be thankful for...

Bounce

I volunteered to help out over Christmas break in a clinic that does TB testing and reading for men who need PPD negative clearance to sleep in a shelter. No sweat, I figured. Pretty minimal learning curve. Inject a little PPD under the skin, it makes a tiny bubble, read it a few days later. Easy peasy.

Only when I showed up for my shift I realized it was Thursday. Vaccine day. Not PPD day. Hmmm. Ok, so I really don't know how to give IM injections... but again, I figured... how hard can it be? HepA/B twinrix and the seasonal flu shot. I quickly scanned the IM injection protocol flyer. Ok. Deltoid region. Clean the area and give a little poke. No sweat.

The first guy wanted both Twinrix and the flu shot. I tried to act like I knew exactly what I was doing so I didn't make the patient nervous. The seasonal flu vaccine went right in. "Hmmmph." I thought triumphantly. I am a total pro. I proceeded to inject the Twinrix exactly the same way in his opposite arm. Only this time, I swear to GOD the needle bounced off his arm like a basketball. I was so surprised I didn't know what to say.... so I just pretended like it didn't happen and used a little more force to pierce through this leathery skin. Eventually he made a sucking sound and a "wooo-hee, that hurt". I just shook my head like I completely understood cause it happens all the time and said, "Yeah, those Hep vaccines aren't for babies!"

The Best Compliment Ever!

And I received it on New Year's Eve. I was working in clinic tonight, and Dr. Kenton Hadley's name came up. You remember, my woman/super-hero/doctor obsession? Well, the attending that was working with us also works with her in Internal Medicine... and he said (I SWEAR) while motioning to me... "You are just like her". I was so excited I could barely even breathe. I think I saw a few stars, felt a bit woozy, and breathlessly muttered a thank you.... He doesn't know it, but he just gave me the biggest ego boost possible. Better than being mistaken for Carla Bruni (which of course has never happened to me). If this is any indication of how 2010 is going to be .... it's going to be a GREAT year!

Well Since Everyone Else is Doing It

I might as well throw out a few of my New Year's Resolutions...

1. Ok, this one is the most important. I really ReAlLy REALLY want to eat different and MORE veggies. I feel like I eat the same 5 vegetables over and over again... despite the millions of varieties on the planet. I just ate my first tomatillo (that I'm aware of) last week!

2. I should also keep an eye on my medical school slacking. I only studied for my histology exam 1 day last block. I managed to do well, but that could really get me in trouble if I'm not careful.

3. I will devote at least one full weekend a month to building my house. I've really been slacking this year. A lot. At this rate I will be living in a bedroom for the rest of my life.

4. I want to start cooking different recipes. I cook quite a bit now... but like the veggie problem I tend to cook the same 20 items. How about 3 brand new recipes a month?

5. Time to dive into EM, and see if I really like it. My elective is starting this month... so I think it's a great chance to really get involved and see if EM is for me. If not, I want to have a chance to explore lots of other fields of medicine before graduation. It would suck to get to 4th year and be like hey, EM sucks... what now???