You can't be a doctor if you don't have patients. Plain and simple. Luckily, this week, I have actually started to interact with some! Due to obvious privacy policies, I can't give a ton of specifics. BUT I can say that I got take part in interviewing a cystic fibrosis patient about the "patient experience" on Tuesday.
Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that primarily affects the lungs and pancreas. It creates a mucus layer on the surface of the lungs that makes breathing difficult. Unfortunately, though much progress has been made, the median age at death for CF patients is 35-38 years old.
Getting to interact with a CF patient, hearing the stories of doctors visits, and trying to understand the perspective of the one receiving care was extremely meaningful.
It's so important for me to keep in mind over the next four years that no matter what science I have to learn or which test is coming up, I am ultimately here to help other people. I am here for my future patients. I'm grateful that my medical school makes that such an obvious lesson from the beginning. It would be so easy to jump right into anatomy and get lost in memorization, but the time spent reflecting on those we will ultimately be serving is well worth it.
I have two more patient experiences this week. Tomorrow, I will get to meet diabetes patients and on Friday HIV/AIDS patients.
I also have some significant updates on my emotional public health experience today - look for that entry tomorrow.
Until then,
Brittany
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Near Death Experience in Raft 8.7
Today was the final day of orientation social week activities, and we went out with a bang: whitewater rafting. I have been whitewater rafting twice before. The first time, I was in junior high and went with Girl Scouts. The second time, I was in junior high and went on a family reunion. Conclusion: It has been a long time for me!
I, along with two med school girls, headed down to Ohiopyle, PA, around an hour and a half outside of Pittsburgh. We met up with the rest of the PittMed-ers and formed groups of six. My group of six was five girls and one guy, and our assigned raft was number 8.7. Of the fifteen other groups, no one else had a "decimal-point" raft nor had our five girls:one guy ratio. From the beginning, we stood out.
The rafting started out OK; we got stuck on a few rocks. Before departing we were taught this technique in which everyone in the raft moves to opposite of the section caught on the rock and bounces up and down really hard to wiggle the raft free. I could not take this seriously AT ALL and just burst into a fit of laughter every time we tried the bounce technique.
Around 2 hours into the trip, we came up on the "Dimple Rapids." There were posted signs along the river that walking was an option at this particular point, which automatically made me wary. The guides then described the way we would approach this rapid, saying that we needed to follow the hand signals of one guide who would be standing visibly on a rock. They also explained that we might capsize and go underneath a rock, but that we would likely "come right back out." UM, WHAT??
Before tackling the "Dimple Rapids," raft 8.7 tried to build up some positive energy. We were about in the middle of the pack and had the opportunity to watch other groups go before us. As we watched, we decided that it didn't seem too difficult and that we could definitely make it through.
When our turn came, we paddled hard toward the rapid. Up ahead, a guide was flagging commands at us. "Paddle left! Paddle right! Stop paddling! All forward!" Then, all of a sudden, he got this look on his face that read, "Oh shit, there's nothing else I can tell them to do." With a huge force, our raft struck the rock that the guide was standing out and catapulted vertically. We all spilled out into the cold, rushing, scary water. I could feel my raft mates fall on top of me and panicked that I was feeling the underside of a rock. Luckily, I surfaced pretty quickly. Unluckily, I now had to save myself. Before I had any idea what was happening, a rope bag was thrown my direction, and I grabbed on along with one of the girls from my raft. I allowed myself to be pulled in. That is, until raft 8.7 broke free from the rock, tore through the rapid, and smacked the two of us in the head. It didn't really hurt - I was wearing a helmet, and it was only a blown up raft, but it was really uncomfortable and made holding onto the rope impossible. I let go, and tried hard to remember "Nose and Toes," a saying the guides went over during training that meant we were to keep our heads and feet above water. As I bumped down the rapid, my hiney scraped on roughly 6 rocks. It was seriously unpleasant. Finally, one of the guides had me grab onto her kayak and she paddled me to shore, where I waited for the rescue boat to pick me up. At the bottom of the rapid, when the water had calmed down, we were reunited with raft 8.7.
The rest of day, I was very wary of falling in and unemployed a new general strategy: "If the water gets rough, fall into the boat, not out of it." Raft 8.7 finished the trip strong, and after the "Dimple Rapids" we didn't have any issues.
Now, I'm completely exhausted and ready to rest up for the first day of actual class tomorrow.
Until then,
B
I, along with two med school girls, headed down to Ohiopyle, PA, around an hour and a half outside of Pittsburgh. We met up with the rest of the PittMed-ers and formed groups of six. My group of six was five girls and one guy, and our assigned raft was number 8.7. Of the fifteen other groups, no one else had a "decimal-point" raft nor had our five girls:one guy ratio. From the beginning, we stood out.
The rafting started out OK; we got stuck on a few rocks. Before departing we were taught this technique in which everyone in the raft moves to opposite of the section caught on the rock and bounces up and down really hard to wiggle the raft free. I could not take this seriously AT ALL and just burst into a fit of laughter every time we tried the bounce technique.
Around 2 hours into the trip, we came up on the "Dimple Rapids." There were posted signs along the river that walking was an option at this particular point, which automatically made me wary. The guides then described the way we would approach this rapid, saying that we needed to follow the hand signals of one guide who would be standing visibly on a rock. They also explained that we might capsize and go underneath a rock, but that we would likely "come right back out." UM, WHAT??
Before tackling the "Dimple Rapids," raft 8.7 tried to build up some positive energy. We were about in the middle of the pack and had the opportunity to watch other groups go before us. As we watched, we decided that it didn't seem too difficult and that we could definitely make it through.
When our turn came, we paddled hard toward the rapid. Up ahead, a guide was flagging commands at us. "Paddle left! Paddle right! Stop paddling! All forward!" Then, all of a sudden, he got this look on his face that read, "Oh shit, there's nothing else I can tell them to do." With a huge force, our raft struck the rock that the guide was standing out and catapulted vertically. We all spilled out into the cold, rushing, scary water. I could feel my raft mates fall on top of me and panicked that I was feeling the underside of a rock. Luckily, I surfaced pretty quickly. Unluckily, I now had to save myself. Before I had any idea what was happening, a rope bag was thrown my direction, and I grabbed on along with one of the girls from my raft. I allowed myself to be pulled in. That is, until raft 8.7 broke free from the rock, tore through the rapid, and smacked the two of us in the head. It didn't really hurt - I was wearing a helmet, and it was only a blown up raft, but it was really uncomfortable and made holding onto the rope impossible. I let go, and tried hard to remember "Nose and Toes," a saying the guides went over during training that meant we were to keep our heads and feet above water. As I bumped down the rapid, my hiney scraped on roughly 6 rocks. It was seriously unpleasant. Finally, one of the guides had me grab onto her kayak and she paddled me to shore, where I waited for the rescue boat to pick me up. At the bottom of the rapid, when the water had calmed down, we were reunited with raft 8.7.
The rest of day, I was very wary of falling in and unemployed a new general strategy: "If the water gets rough, fall into the boat, not out of it." Raft 8.7 finished the trip strong, and after the "Dimple Rapids" we didn't have any issues.
Now, I'm completely exhausted and ready to rest up for the first day of actual class tomorrow.
Until then,
B
Friday, August 13, 2010
Not So Glamorous (Yet)
So far, medical school hasn't been what one might picture. This is mostly due to the fact that I'm only technically in orientation right now. Instead of learning about the human body or working on medical interviewing, I've been spending my days sitting in a lecture hall listening to financial aid or honor code presentations or engaging in diversity training. While I recognize that most of it is necessary, this set-up doesn't really create any exciting medical moments for me to share.
My evenings have been devoted to 1) napping, primarily because I have had to wake up at 6:00 on multiple occasions this week; 2) social events, such as last night's dinner cruise on Pittsburgh's three rivers; 3) wrapping up work in my lab.
Tomorrow night our social event is a night out at the Hofbrahaus, which I am eagerly anticipating. On Sunday, I'm going whitewater rafting with a group of 40 or so students, which I am even more eagerly anticipating.
I promise that when exciting, doctor-related things start happening, my updates will become more exciting. For now though, this is all I've got.
Signing off from the 'burgh,
Britt
My evenings have been devoted to 1) napping, primarily because I have had to wake up at 6:00 on multiple occasions this week; 2) social events, such as last night's dinner cruise on Pittsburgh's three rivers; 3) wrapping up work in my lab.
Tomorrow night our social event is a night out at the Hofbrahaus, which I am eagerly anticipating. On Sunday, I'm going whitewater rafting with a group of 40 or so students, which I am even more eagerly anticipating.
I promise that when exciting, doctor-related things start happening, my updates will become more exciting. For now though, this is all I've got.
Signing off from the 'burgh,
Britt
Sunday, August 8, 2010
It's Official: I'm a Med Student!
This weekend was WHITE COAT WEEKEND.
On Friday, I had my very last day of lab work. It was actually bittersweet. On the one hand, I was super excited to have one lab rotation behind me and was definitely ready for medical school to start. On the other, I really liked my lab and the people in it. I'm planning on staying in touch and am seriously considering the lab as an option for my year-long research project (which will take place during my third year overall).
Friday night, my mom came! I was such a good daughter, too - I cleaned all of my floors, washed my sheets, and ran the dishwasher in anticipation of her arrival. She got in around 8:45, and we walked down to Walnut Street for gelato. Even though it didn't taste like real Italian gelato, it was pretty freaking good (especially my scoop of raspberry truffle - yummm).
On Saturday, we packed in a LOT of activities. First up was breakfast at Pamela's (sadly, not the same thing as breakfast at Tiffany's). Pamela's is the breakfast place that Andrew and I tried, and the pancakes were still delicious the second time around. After stuffing ourselves full of breakfast food, we went to to the Andy Warhol Museum. I feel like I'm finally able to get around this city; I got us there without a map or printed directions, and we didn't get lost at all. The Andy Warhol Museum was unlike any museum I've experienced. There was a really neat mix of his video/photography/pop art work. More impressively (or at least I think so), the museum also has over 600 "time capsules" that Warhol created. They contain everything from letters to paintings to newspaper headlines. The staff there is working on archiving them. I don't know when they started, but they won't be done until 2014! The museum also has some pretty weird rooms, one whole collection was entitled "Sex Parts and Torsos" - my mom's reflection, "Andy Warhol was one strange dude."
Following the Warhol, we went to the Strip (a recurring theme when I have visitors). Then, we went out to Ikea so that I could get a loveseat. My living room was looking pretty empty, and I needed more seating. This was mostly a good idea. I say mostly and not completely because my mom and I didn't really think through "getting the loveseat into my second floor apartment." It was heavy, and we are not very strong. When we were trying to get it out of the car, this nice guy and his wife pulled their SUV over and asked if we needed help. em-bar-ras-sing. We finally managed to come up with a roll maneuver that got the damn thing up the stairs.
We capped off Saturday with shopping on Walnut, sushi, and Julie and Julia. All of which were very enjoyable :-)
Today, my dad, Sean, and Andrew all arrived around 11:00. We did lunch nearby, after which my dad had to drop me off for the ceremony. For some ridiculous reason, the students had to arrive at 1:00 for the 3:00 ceremony. The school wanted to take official pictures of us, but that only lasted until around 1:40, leaving us around an hour to "talk amongst ourselves."
When the ceremony finally started, we processed into the auditorium and filed into rows alphabetically. There were a couple of remarks; the keynote speaker was actually fantastic - the best I've heard at any graduation/ceremony like this one. Then, the Dean of Student Affairs read our names off and we "got coated." I feel like a real medical student now! We also took the Hippocratic Oath (again, very medical-student-like) and I took a ton pictures with my family. After we went out for a celebratory dinner, everyone headed home, leaving me here, ready to start school tomorrow!
I'm sure you all want to know what I look like in a white coat, so here are some pictures :-)
On Friday, I had my very last day of lab work. It was actually bittersweet. On the one hand, I was super excited to have one lab rotation behind me and was definitely ready for medical school to start. On the other, I really liked my lab and the people in it. I'm planning on staying in touch and am seriously considering the lab as an option for my year-long research project (which will take place during my third year overall).
Friday night, my mom came! I was such a good daughter, too - I cleaned all of my floors, washed my sheets, and ran the dishwasher in anticipation of her arrival. She got in around 8:45, and we walked down to Walnut Street for gelato. Even though it didn't taste like real Italian gelato, it was pretty freaking good (especially my scoop of raspberry truffle - yummm).
On Saturday, we packed in a LOT of activities. First up was breakfast at Pamela's (sadly, not the same thing as breakfast at Tiffany's). Pamela's is the breakfast place that Andrew and I tried, and the pancakes were still delicious the second time around. After stuffing ourselves full of breakfast food, we went to to the Andy Warhol Museum. I feel like I'm finally able to get around this city; I got us there without a map or printed directions, and we didn't get lost at all. The Andy Warhol Museum was unlike any museum I've experienced. There was a really neat mix of his video/photography/pop art work. More impressively (or at least I think so), the museum also has over 600 "time capsules" that Warhol created. They contain everything from letters to paintings to newspaper headlines. The staff there is working on archiving them. I don't know when they started, but they won't be done until 2014! The museum also has some pretty weird rooms, one whole collection was entitled "Sex Parts and Torsos" - my mom's reflection, "Andy Warhol was one strange dude."
Following the Warhol, we went to the Strip (a recurring theme when I have visitors). Then, we went out to Ikea so that I could get a loveseat. My living room was looking pretty empty, and I needed more seating. This was mostly a good idea. I say mostly and not completely because my mom and I didn't really think through "getting the loveseat into my second floor apartment." It was heavy, and we are not very strong. When we were trying to get it out of the car, this nice guy and his wife pulled their SUV over and asked if we needed help. em-bar-ras-sing. We finally managed to come up with a roll maneuver that got the damn thing up the stairs.
We capped off Saturday with shopping on Walnut, sushi, and Julie and Julia. All of which were very enjoyable :-)
Today, my dad, Sean, and Andrew all arrived around 11:00. We did lunch nearby, after which my dad had to drop me off for the ceremony. For some ridiculous reason, the students had to arrive at 1:00 for the 3:00 ceremony. The school wanted to take official pictures of us, but that only lasted until around 1:40, leaving us around an hour to "talk amongst ourselves."
When the ceremony finally started, we processed into the auditorium and filed into rows alphabetically. There were a couple of remarks; the keynote speaker was actually fantastic - the best I've heard at any graduation/ceremony like this one. Then, the Dean of Student Affairs read our names off and we "got coated." I feel like a real medical student now! We also took the Hippocratic Oath (again, very medical-student-like) and I took a ton pictures with my family. After we went out for a celebratory dinner, everyone headed home, leaving me here, ready to start school tomorrow!
I'm sure you all want to know what I look like in a white coat, so here are some pictures :-)
I'm getting "coated"
Walking off stage, wearing my coat
Walking up the steps, in my coat
Not an alumnus yet, but someday!
Andrew and I
The O'Neill clan
Friday, August 6, 2010
This Could Only Happen to Me....
Yesterday, I was planning to work primarily from my apartment. I'm essentially done with lab work, but I need to finish up some write-ups and I need to get some forms filled out for medical school orientation. I was working on all of that from home when I got a call from one of the rotation students in my lab. Here's how the conversation went:
Him: Hey Brittany, are you coming in for the lab picture today?
Me: Um, what picture?
Him: The lab picture at 1:30
Me: (Looks at clock, it is 1:12 and I have wet hair and am wearing sweat pants) I don't think I can make it by 1:30
Him: Well, the boss wants everyone it, so pretty yourself up and get here as soon as possible.
I tore through my apartment, threw on some clothes, slapped on some make-up, and headed out of the door.
While I was driving there, I was innocently sitting in a right turn lane at a red light, when a lady side swiped my car! I didn't even realize what was happening until my side-view mirror popped inward (they're collapsible, thank goodness), and I laid on my horn. The lady said there was another driver she was trying to avoid when she hit me, but I wasn't really aware of what was going on to my left. Luckily, there was no obvious damage to my car (my dad is going to look at this weekend to make sure). We exchanged info, and I still made it work in time to have my picture taken!
Him: Hey Brittany, are you coming in for the lab picture today?
Me: Um, what picture?
Him: The lab picture at 1:30
Me: (Looks at clock, it is 1:12 and I have wet hair and am wearing sweat pants) I don't think I can make it by 1:30
Him: Well, the boss wants everyone it, so pretty yourself up and get here as soon as possible.
I tore through my apartment, threw on some clothes, slapped on some make-up, and headed out of the door.
While I was driving there, I was innocently sitting in a right turn lane at a red light, when a lady side swiped my car! I didn't even realize what was happening until my side-view mirror popped inward (they're collapsible, thank goodness), and I laid on my horn. The lady said there was another driver she was trying to avoid when she hit me, but I wasn't really aware of what was going on to my left. Luckily, there was no obvious damage to my car (my dad is going to look at this weekend to make sure). We exchanged info, and I still made it work in time to have my picture taken!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Born-Again Athlete
Here are the headlines from the world of Britt:
I'm a born-again athlete! For those of you who didn't know me in high school, I used to be a cross-country and track athlete. I was never great, but I was also never terrible, just kind of somewhere in the middle. As a result of those activities, I did a lot of running. So much running, in fact, that I was voted "Best Legs" by the marching band my senior year (forget medical school - that is a lifetime accomplishment!) Since high school ended, though, I have only sporadically exercised. I've gone to the gym every once in a while, and played REALLY low-impact "D" league rec soccer. All of that is about to change - I'm going to run a 10K! There's a race in Pittsburgh in eight weeks called the "Great Race" which is almost entirely downhill (my kind of race). I found an on-line training program for novices that maps out eight weeks' worth of work-outs. I also have been using an awesome tool - mapmyrun.com - that uses google maps and allows me to draw in routes and determine their distances. So far, it's day three of training, and I'm chugging along - updates will follow.
This week is also important because it's my last week in the lab. Doesn't it seem like it's gone by so fast? I'm currently wrapping up all of my work and drafting an abstract and poster for an upcoming presentation at my program's annual retreat. The last week in the lab is also significant because it means THAT I START MEDICAL SCHOOL NEXT WEEK.
(Side note - The amount of emails that I am getting from the medical school is beginning to rival the amount of email that I got from the University Ambassadors. Yikes.)
Final headline - I put up new wall art - pictures will follow tomorrow!
Until then :-)
Britt
I'm a born-again athlete! For those of you who didn't know me in high school, I used to be a cross-country and track athlete. I was never great, but I was also never terrible, just kind of somewhere in the middle. As a result of those activities, I did a lot of running. So much running, in fact, that I was voted "Best Legs" by the marching band my senior year (forget medical school - that is a lifetime accomplishment!) Since high school ended, though, I have only sporadically exercised. I've gone to the gym every once in a while, and played REALLY low-impact "D" league rec soccer. All of that is about to change - I'm going to run a 10K! There's a race in Pittsburgh in eight weeks called the "Great Race" which is almost entirely downhill (my kind of race). I found an on-line training program for novices that maps out eight weeks' worth of work-outs. I also have been using an awesome tool - mapmyrun.com - that uses google maps and allows me to draw in routes and determine their distances. So far, it's day three of training, and I'm chugging along - updates will follow.
This week is also important because it's my last week in the lab. Doesn't it seem like it's gone by so fast? I'm currently wrapping up all of my work and drafting an abstract and poster for an upcoming presentation at my program's annual retreat. The last week in the lab is also significant because it means THAT I START MEDICAL SCHOOL NEXT WEEK.
(Side note - The amount of emails that I am getting from the medical school is beginning to rival the amount of email that I got from the University Ambassadors. Yikes.)
Final headline - I put up new wall art - pictures will follow tomorrow!
Until then :-)
Britt
Monday, August 2, 2010
Home Sweet Home
Britt went to Columbus! Here are the top four highlights from my trip in chronological order:
Night out on the town with fellow University Ambassadors (shout outs to Shawn, Corey, and Vince as promised!) A group of us went to the Short North Tavern, obviously located in the Short North - too much fun was had by all.
My roommate Amanda's bridal shower was Saturday. It was the last "roommate" thing of the summer, which is kind of bittersweet, but the food was delicious, I won a game, and Amanda got great presents, which all made it better.
Saturday night was a dinner with some of my favorite Pickerington favs followed by hanging out with Andrew. I got a spinach and artichoke dip filled deep dish pizza - whoever created it had me in mind! (I'm telling you, I'm obsessed!)
My mom and I went to check out the Titanic exhibit at COSI on Sunday. It was a little pricey, primarily because they make you buy full museum admission on top of the ticket to the exhibit. That aside, it was awesome! When you get there, they give you a boarding pass of an actual person who was on the Titanic with some facts about his or her life. Then, at the end of the exhibit is a list of all the survivors and deceased - you can see if you made it, and I did! The exhibit also featured a life-size replica of the main staircase and the front page of the Columbus Dispatch immediately following the sinking. If you live in Ohio, check it out before Labor Day :-)
As you can see, it was a pretty good weekend! Now, panic is setting in as medical school begins in exactly one week - yikes!
Until tomorrow,
B
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