No Steve Perry-oral cyanosis noted.

-


Today was my first exam performed on a stranger. Granted, the "patient" was a paid actor that the school brought in. It was the final practical for our doctoring course (which means 1 out of 4 final exams is out of the way!) and as always, is a timed, monitored exam. I've grown to like these practicals, as I think one of my strengths is being able to communicate and perform under pressure. The "patient" feedback included that I made her feel comfortable and that I seemed calm and confident, which was nice to hear. However, when I asked her what arm she preferred to have her blood pressure taken from, I proceeded to take it on the other arm, oopsy. But, that was the biggest mistake I made. If I do as well on all my other exams this will be a triumphant first semester indeed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Strip away the old debris that hides a shining car -- a brilliant Red Barchetta from a better vanished time

-
Image
Rush fans are now ruling the world -- just like nerds now repay school yard bullies with pinkslips and downsizing, Rush fans take solace in the fact that they're still enjoying real music being made and performed live while fans and supporters of lesser music coprohagically binge and purge on the excrement of pop music's ghost. I am a little young to be a part of the first and original Rush fan base. The band was originally formed in 1968, and since their self-titled album was released in 1974, they have maintained the same configuration of members: Neil Peart (percussionist and primary lyricist), Alex Lifeson (lead guitar and backup vocals) and Geddy Lee (bassist, keyboards and lead vocals.). These days, one doesn't have to have much rugged individuality  nor be willing to bare ridicule in order to testify as part of Rush-fandom -- but this wasn't always the case. In part, my introduction to the music of Rush was hastened by my Canadian family. Rush
Read more

By The Stroke Of God's Hand

-
Image
I never gave much thought to the root of the term "stroke" but a recent lecture given by a neurologist enlightened me. It stems from the 1500's when "The stroke of God's hand" referred to what we now call just "stroke." I’ll also refer to it as a CVA, short for "CerebroVascular Accident,” in this article. With continued workup of a stroke, we will then diagnosis either a hemorrhage or infarction. Infarction refers to the process which begins when a blockage in blood flow occurs. The tissue that is fed by the blood will die, provided there are no other routes for the blood -- no other corollaries. Sometimes, like in the heart we can have new blood vessels grow over time in response to decreased rate of flow, due to the growing partial blockage. More specifics diagnosis are made based on the what the blockage is made of; we'll get into that, too. At most 18% of strokes are hemorrhagic. A blood vessel, often an artery in the Circle of
Read more

T-minus 6 days 8 hours

-
In less than a week I will be in medical school. Even though time has continued to march forward, and will continue to, I'm still in a place where it doesn't completely feel real. Part of it, I'm sure, is that this has been such a long process. On top of being older than the typical student (in any field) I was offered a spot nearly a year ago when I had already been on a wait-list for 9 months. So, to go from a place of suppressed hope to a place of tortured anticipation, and then to preparation is satisfying. My wife and I are feeling settled in our new home here in California, and we've definitely been enjoying sleeping in and not doing all that much for the past couple of weeks. That being said, we still managed to unpack all of our boxes and organize our new home. I am pleased to have a new cadre of house plants, as I had to get rid of all my old ones because your not supposed to bring them into California. At least I was able to find them new homes before we left
Read more