Internet Dysplasia

I am a first year Pathology resident, but even before that I am a Mommy. So when I get home at night I dont often get a chance to just hit the books for a while. I jump right into being Mommy and try not to think to much about the friable mucous-y lung carcinoma case I grossed in only an hour earlier. We eat dinner, play or read, and then I do a little studying outside the door to their room while I put them to bed each night. If I get to work a few hours early, I can preview my slides then instead of staying late every night like my co-residents. Another trick I have been using is just looking through my cases and getting an idea of topics I can read about the night before while I am waiting for my boys to fall asleep. But anyway, who cares about that. This post is about trick or treating. (only a week and a half late now...) We had lots of fun on Halloween. B-s line was "trick or treating!" - so cute! Both B- and N- were scared to ring the doorbells until they...

The other day I was at the store and some older gentleman was apparently watching me sign my name. He said I should have gone to medical school with a signature like that. Hmmmm... Today is my last day of cytology. The subtleties are completely lost on me. Luckily I get to give a presentation on Monday. I am planning on Exfoliative Lung cytology, i.e. BAL, Sputum, Bronch brush. If it is any good, I will post it here.

Oscar the cat predicts patients' deaths PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live. * Read the full article at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120AP_Death_Cat.html

So some people on the bus today were talking about work. Apparently a cat in the Nursing Home lays down with some of the residents, and then shortly after they will die. Kind of freaky... but then how sick are the people in the nursing home? and what if the cat is carrying some sort of illness? Cats have always been cast as supernatural in ways... so it is easy to imagine some bad sign. I just know I wouldnt be letting that cat near me! Speaking of riding the bus. One of our attendings had an interesting way of comparing neoplasia in Epithelial vs. Stromal vs. Hematopoetic cell lines. Think of Epithelial neoplasia as a teenager stuck in a house, and a metastasis is when they sneak out. You can tell that they sneak out because they get dirt on their shoes, their jacket gets wet (hey, its Seattle).... Stromal neoplasia is like a teenager who lives outside the house. Their shoes are always dirty..so you have to look at other features to determine if they are metastatic. Hematopoe...

I got real comfortable calling myself Doctor today. My beeper and phone were going like crazy all morning. Doctor LaPointe is much quicker than First year Pathology resident. Anyhow, I probably should change the title of my blog, or should I? I want to keep this up as a site that Med students (especially at UND) can turn to, but I also want to share my experiences... So, today was day 2 of my program officially starting. We have a few hours of training in the morning (like how to use the computer system, dictation, blah blah..) Then start getting and looking at slides for the day. I'm doing GI and Liver right now. It is very interesting. UW has a big transplant service and I have seen a lot of liver biopsies to evaluate for rejection. Today however I diagnosed my first patient with cancer. Delivering bad news. They gave us sample cases in med school. They test us on it. And even though I dont have to look the person in the face, there is still quite an impact. Okay ...

From a XY classmate: While on rotations during the fourth year, I have finally realized just how much I learned during the third year of medical school. I have compiled a list of the top things I have learned over the past year. Here they are, enjoy! 1. Surgeons have the innate ability to know what you have read about and what you haven't and will inevitably ask you about everything except what you read 2. Chicks don't dig the diphallus or microphallus and they definitely don't like the combination (P.S. I am crying a little while I write this) 3. I finally have an answer to "Why not Minot?" 4. It's possible to become jaded even before graduation (does this bother anyone else?) 5. The third year of medical school increases your sperm count, ova production and overall fertility (we had lots of babies in our class 3rd year) 6. 8 of 10 Internal medicine patients emit the most rancid smell when I roll them over to listen to their back but I have yet to f...

So I'm waiting for all that paperwork to print right now and Ive really been slacking on my blog. Here I am. About a week after the match I recieved a gigantic box in the mail full of paperwork to read, sign, and fill out. I also recieved a long list of online presentations and tests that I needed to complete. Around the world there are hundreds of thousands in my same boat, but it does seem quite overwhelming. We are trying to pack our home, find a place to live, keep the kids fed and within earshot, and figuring out all that financial aid crap. Im just going to put all that aside for a while so I can do some paperwork... La De Da.... Upstairs I hear Guitar Hero... so Im not the only one taking a break from the slew of what needs to get done today. At least I know my HIPPA and privacy rules..

The cardinal rules of ICU - Blood goes round and round - Air goes in and out - Oxygen is good - Steroids are good, except when they're bad - Pee before procedure - Thou shalt be awake or have a trach "Friendship requires more time than poor busy men can usually command" -Emerson In God we trust, all others need data.

Opthamology was really interesting. Eyeballs and the thought of anything near them (let alone anything sharp) is really gross to me- so thats why I did this rotation. I dont know if I am more comfortable or not, but I wish I had been exposed to more opthamology earlier on because it is so AWESOME. I asked the Dr. I was working with what he thought of that Lasik and if it was a bad idea for myself - because my career is basically based on my vision and ability to look at cells through a microscope. He kind of gave me this look and said,"well whose career doesn't depend on their ability to see?" Anyhow, I was busy taking notes - mostly about the little one liners that sounded funny or interesting to me. Anyhow, I hope someone finds these interesting. I must have found enough interest to write them down... Jan 1, 1966 marked the end of Medicine as a Profession - this was the year that Medicare was started... You can walk someone straight to the morgue on steroids... TB...

Hi all, Here are a few websites I found useful for housing search: http://www.neighboroo.com/ (details neighborhoods on school performance, safety, average rent, avg home prices, and more) http://www.housingmaps.com (combines craigslist listings and google maps) www.trulia.com (real estate guide and homes for sale with google maps) more sites like this at www.programmableweb.com later, Jenn

Ah Yes, Medical School This is a fun blog I found. I can actually relate. Scary.

So I ranked this program and they ranked me. Neither of us matched (NRMP mistake?). By some "twist of fate" as some put it (I prefer - "Act of God"), I was able to get in contact with the program director and get one of two unmatched spaces before they even knew what hit them. If I had to do it all over again, I would have been more prepared. I was thrilled when my top choice program had openings. I interviewed there, I spent a month long visiting rotation there, so as long as they still liked me, I should have no problem getting in - if, of course I can get past the voicemail... Then I had the bright idea to find the number and call the program director directly. BINGO. I have matched on Scramble day in less than an hour. I was going to write tips and such, but I found a phenomenal wealth of information just by googling "residency scramble 2007" (should have done this yesterday... duh) What I did learn and would do different if this was all a dream ...

I have had the supreme privilege of working alongside a 3rd year student during my MICU rotation. I havent quite figured this person out. I think she is sharp, but I just cant figure out how she can see three ICU patients in 15 minutes and be totally up to date and ready to present. The only possible way would be to Only read the nursing notes, have the nurse tell you everything they know, only glance at the labs that got printed and placed on the chart, and Not examine the patient. The part that really really annoys me though is that this person gets away with it! The plan is to talk about nothing and skillfully avoid any pimping. I have picked up on this bs-ing during rounds. Whenever the attending asks about a lab, she never knows and grabs the chart. Whenever the attending mentions a lab, CT, CXR whatever she agrees, but I can see in her eyes she has no clue. Whatever, I tried giving her some tips, but she will slack her way through another rotation. At some point this w...

Found a great site. Now at least I know Im not the only one. http://upalumni.org/medschool My ICU patient I have been following had a Hemoglobin of 10.1 this morning, not particularly up or down than it has been. Here the guy has blood hanging. The weekend doc ordered two units to be transfused. Now even I know better than that. At least my patients hemoglobin is a shining 14.1 now. "Better is the enemy of good"

I was speaking with some classmates about things it would be helpful to know that no one ever tells you. 1. When to apply and look for away rotations: Early Early Early. As soon as you have any inkling of an idea what you want to do with the rest of your life. The away rotation has a few roles. You get to experience a program you are interested in, the program gets a preview of what an awesome resident you will be, it can also be a source of some recommendation letters. Places like Mayo clinic have a lengthy application process: including personal statement, letters of recommendation and even immunization records. The earlier you start,the sooner you can go. Some places have deadlines and some merely say 4 weeks before you plan to start. 2. How to schedule your 4 th year. No one tells you anything about 3rd year, why would 4 th year be any different? When the deadline comes to submit your schedule, at least schedule your acting internships - those are the hardest to change l...

This week has been interesting. It hasnt been much of an "acting internship" but I have learned a lot. I've been watching 4 patients and for being so overwhelmingly complicated, that is plenty. Hmm, I dont know what else to say really

David E. Rogers Fellowship Program: The David E. Rogers Fellowship Program is a national fellowship for medical and dental students in support of a project initiated during the summer between the first and second years of medical or dental school. Up to twenty-five fellowships of approximately $3,500 will be awarded. The Fellowship is meant to enrich the educational experiences of students through projects that couple medicine and dentistry with the needs of underserved or disadvantaged patients or populations. Click HERE for More information . This could be a very reasonable project for an interested UND student. The website has examples of previous fellows and it looks like any reasonable research question related to the underserved has potential. In addition, there is a group called the NORTHERN VALLEY DENTAL HEALTH COALITION. They have been working on providing a dental clinic to the underserved here in Grand Forks. For an interested Student, this could be an exciting opportuni...

This patient is a 68 year old male whose chief complaint is "My left cheek has a 'pins and needles' sensation and I have L ear pain, decreased hearing and bleeding from my ear" Approximately 3 days ago, the patient noticed some vesicles on his chin, which coalesced then scabbed. He also noted a 'pins and needles' sensation on his left cheek, in the V3 distribution, and then extending to his ear and into the external auditory canal. Late this evening he describes a worsening of the sensation in his Left ear as well as hearing loss and bleeding. He denies fever, chills, vertigo, lightheadedness, tinnitus, eye pain, or discharge. He had chickenpox as a child. Physical exam: Vitals: No fever, Pulse, respirations and blood pressure are wnl Skin: There is a diffuse papular rash extending from the left chin onto his cheek and along the mandible, into the ear. There is a 2 cm in diameter crusted area on his left chin. There is a single vesicle on the left side...