C blood

Conversation after a preceptorship:

Husband - So today we were at the Sim Center... The blood made my fingers red because it was high C blood.
Wife - High C? What is High C blood? I thought there was just A, B, AB, and O.
Husband - haha, no they use Hi-C juice as fake blood on the dummies.
Wife - Oh...

Look Who's Talking

The other day I thought about how I haven't gotten sick (as in a virus or something) during my pregnancy yet. And a few days later, BAM! Woke up with an itchy throat and stuffy nose and the next week was filled with sneezing, coughing, nasal spray, and benedryl. To top it off, I got sick the day before we left for our summer vacation to visit my parents in Santa Fe. Luckily, I felt fine and it didn't slow me down anymore than she already does. But everytime I sneezed, my funny father would scream "poor Sophia!" because he wanted to know what me sneezing must be like for Sophia. And the first thing that came to mind was the intro of "Look Who's Talking" where they film the baby in the uterus commentating alongside Kirstie Alley's every move. Remember this movie? And now I can't stop wondering what she might be saying/thinking in there. Well, I'm sorry Sophia for my outrageous sneezes, but I hope you are nice and cozy in there!

Other than being sick, we had a great time in Santa Fe. Filled with relaxation, good food, and time with the soon-to-be-grandparents! My mom and I are sewing a lot of things for baby girl's nursery, so we began working on those too. Stay tuned for those projects! Can't wait to share! :)

12 Types of Med Students

My Walking WebMD

Me: My back really hurts. Like sharp pains.
Hubs: (starts thumping on my back) Does this hurt?
Me: Well, yeah.
Hubs: If it hurts than it's kidney stones.
Me: Oh great...
Hubs: I mean... it's probably not. I bet you don't have anything to worry about.
Me: Yeah, ... gee thanks!

Lucky me - I have a husband who tries to put all his knowledge to good use every chance he gets. Good practice for him, but he's like a walking WebMD. You know, where you type in one little symptom and the first thing that pops up is the worst thing you could have, like cancer. I'm so lucky.

What to Expect When You Are Expecting

Everytime we see this movie preview, we laugh out loud.

I'm not sure if the movie will be good, but the preview is pretty funny. Watch for yourself:

Awkward moments

Being a medical student is FULL of awkward moments...

Every medical student is required to learn how to give a physical exam. Each student had to recently give a breast exam. Five students crammed in a room, performing in front of each other. If you mess up a small part, you have to start all over.

A few days after, my husband runs into his breast exam lady in line at the grocery store. He says he had three options: awkwardly get out of the middle of the line and leave, say hi and then if she doesn't remember you than you have to spend time explaining why you know her, or just pretend you don't recognize her. He chose to just pretend he didn't recognize her.

The funny thing is, his awkward moment wasn't the only one. A couple of students have mentioned that they recently ran into breast exam lady too. Here's to awkward moments and many more to come...

Have you ever ran into your doctor outside of the hospital before??? Some friends shared some awkward moments with me. And now we know why doctors live in small towns outside of their practice!

What people think I do...

Medical Terminology: Gunner

Gunner - (n.) a hyperactive medical student; an overachiever; a student who sits in the front row, answers every question, and is considered annoying to his/her classmates; doing whatever it takes to match for the residency you want

Sometimes it is not a good thing to be called a gunner by a classmate. But other times, students use it pretty losely - "are you gunnin' tonight?" "I was gunning it all weekend." "after dinner, I'm gunning hard til the test." Some students choose a specialty that doesn't require a high test grade, board exam, and so forth. Therefore, they may not need to "gun" as hard as the other students. Some study habits include slacking off and "gunning" right before a test. So when you are surrounded by medical students (or law students) and they say these phrases, do not be alarmed. It takes some getting used to.


PS: my husband is a gunner.

Bridging the gap

How is it going to feel after you have stuck your nose in books 24/7 for 2 years and then jump in to a hospital room and start diagnosing a patient?

As a breakdown, medical school is 4 years. The first 2 years are filled with lectures and textbook material. The last 2 years are rotations. Your 3^rd year is consisted of mandatory rotations: surgery, family medicine, medicine, psych, obgyn, and pediatrics. Your 4^th year is filled with elective rotations, audition rotations, and applying for residency.

One thing that has been brought to light by a lot of institutions is answering this question: Are student’s prepared for 3^rd year rotations? This is when students are required to put everything they have learned in 2 years in to practice (and that’s A LOT of information). Students will be required to answer all of the doctor’s questions quickly and correctly (constantly being tested on the spot). At the same time, they are to remain calm and collected enough to have good bed side manner towards the patient.

Funny story: my 16 year old sister-in-law was in ICU at a children’s hospital this past summer. This happened to be a teaching hospital, where she was bothered every hour, asked the same questions by rounds of medical students, residents, nurses, and doctors throughout the entire day. One medical student was asked to check the discoloration of her finger nails. The student politely asked to look at her hands, told her what he was looking for, and studies her finger nails for quite some time. Writes something down and then stares at them again. My sister-in-law looks up at her mom and they are in disbelief that this student cannot figure out that she has on fake nails! Whether he was extremely nervous or he never had a girlfriend with fake nails before (or any girlfriend for that matter – just kidding!), the family got a good laugh from it all.

Anyways, institutions are trying to better bridge the gap between 1^st and 2^nd year to 3^rd year. Some faculty/doctors have a hard time providing an accurate and consistent curriculum for the students for multiple reasons:

1.      Medicine isn’t a field where every day you see the same things. Students are only able to learn from whatever patients came in that day. It is possible that some students receive a variety of cases and can learn much more, where some might get bored with the routine cases.

2.      Every institution is different. A teaching hospital will get a variety of students from different colleges. With this being said, each college teaches their students differently. Some might have more/better clinical skills than others. Therefore, the doctor teaching might have to ‘dummy down’ to the basics and bring one student up to speed or choose to move on his or her own pace.

3.      Every doctor teaches differently. There is not necessarily a uniform curriculum (due to reasons 1 and 2) the doctor abides by. Some doctors allow their students to get more hands on experience than others. Whoever the student is assigned to can make or break the experience for them. This leaves those ‘Type A students’ upset and dissatisfied that someone else was able to do more than them.

On top of the curriculum, faculty feels that students are just not as prepared (or too timid and uncomfortable) when entering their 3^rd year. Here is an article that might better describe the gap: MedicalEducation as a Process Management Problem

This school notices this gap and has already implemented programs to build bridges and better prepare our students for their first career exposure in 3^rd year. This year was the first year that they introduced a program called “The White Coat Project.” This program gives 1^st years an opportunity to “job shadow” (a term for those business majors out there!) for a few hours about once every few weeks. It is an opportunity for them to basically shadow a doctor of a certain specialty without the stressful environment that 3^rd year brings. Students have been enjoying this program because it serves as a reminder as to why they are studying so hard, will give them a better glimpse of what to expect, and calm the nerves come 3^rd year.

Funny story: a student came in yesterday morning asking me to borrow a pen. I gave him one without a second thought. A few hours later after he was done studying, he generously gave my pen back. But when he handed it to me, he was only touching the ends of the pen with his fingertips and says “here, let me rub some hand-sanitizer on it because I have been sucking on it all day.” SUCKING ON IT??? First of all, who says that? Biting yes, sucking no! Second, I understand people bite on their pens, but don’t actually admit it when you are handing it back to me. In this case, ignorance would have been a bliss for me. Anyways, he holds the pen ever so gently, uses my hand-sanitizer on my desk, and douses it. Not one squirt, but two or three for just a small pen – seriously!? My pen (after being ‘sucked on’) is now dripping with hand-sanitizer. As he is doing this, I repeatedly tell him “No really, you can keep it!!” and he insists on giving it back to me. He notices I refuse to reach out and grab my wet pen so he walks over to the side of my desk (still carefully holding the ends of the pen with his fingertips) and lays it in my drawer on top of all my other pens. Thanks dude!! I ended up throwing my pen away.
One of the services my office offers, is mock interviews. I will definitely be emailing this kid and saying the he NEEDS to come in for a mock interview and work on his social skills. Rule number one on your interview for residency: do NOT borrow their pens! Ha!

How to date a med student

Fox News wrote an article "How to Date a Med Student" A new friend of mine (also dating a med student here) shared this article with me and we got a few laughs out of it. Some of these are VERY true!

1. Don't expect to see them. Ever.
2. Accept the fact they will have many affairs. With their books.

3. Learn to hide your “ew, gross” reactions when they tell you all the stuff you never wanted to know about your bodily functions.

4. Support them when they come home after each test, upset because they failed—and gently remind them after they get their well above passing grade how unnecessary the “I’m going to fail out of medical school and never become an MD” dramatics are.
5. Each week they will have a new illness. Some will be extremely rare, others will be more mundane. Doesn’t matter. They will be certain they have it (no second opinions necessary.) Med school can, and will, turn even the sanest into a hypochondriac. Date them for long enough, and you’ll become one too.

6. There will be weeks you'll forget you even have a boyfriend—friends will ask how he is and you'll say, “What? Who? Oh....right. He's well...I think.”

7. They'll make you hyper-aware that germs are everywhere and on everything. Even though you used to walk into your home with your shoes on, and sit on your bed in the same clothes you just wore while riding the subway, or sat on a public bench in, you'll become far too disgusted to ever do it again. Believe me, it's going to get bad...you'll watch yourself transform into the anal retentive person you swore you'd never become. And when you witness others perform these same acts that, before you began dating your med student, you spent your entire life doing too, you'll wince and wonder, “Ew! How can they do that? Don't they know how many germs and bacteria they're spreading??!”

8. Romantic date = Chinese take-out in front of the TV on their 10 minute study break.

9. A vacation together consists of a trip down the street to Walgreens for new highlighters and printer paper.

10. Their study habits will make you feel like a complete slacker. For them, hitting the books 8-to-10 hours a day is not uncommon, nor difficult. You'll wonder how you ever managed to pass school on your meager one hour of studying per night.

11. They're expected to know everything. Everything! The name of the 8 billion-lettered, German sounding cell that lives in the depths of your inner ear, the technical term for the “no one's ever heard of this disease” disease that exists only on one foot of the Southern tip of the African continent. But ask them if your knee is swollen, or what you should do to tame your mucous-filled cough, or why the heck your head feels like someone's been drilling through it for oil for two weeks straight, and they won't have a clue.

12. “My brain's filled with so much information, I can't be expected to remember THAT!" will be the standard excuse for forgetting anniversaries, birthdays, and, if you get this far, probably the birth of your first-born.

13. You'll need friends with unending patience who pretend never to get sick of listening to your endless venting and complaints. Or, you'll need to pay a therapist who will pretend never to get sick of listening to your endless venting and complaints.

Studying in Public

As we sit in a coffee house now, StuDoc's studying and I'm making updates to our blog. A little girl is sitting behind us and I realize my hubby's studying the male reproductive system. After the little girl and her mommy leave, he tells me that he was trying to cover his computer so that she wasn't catching glimpses of his diagrams. That poor girl will probably be asking her mommy some questions when she gets home! Oops!

This also goes for our dinner conversations as well. It has now become the norm to talk about some 'interesting' medical topics while we are out to dinner. We should probably be more cautious as to who could be listening in and who might not find them that 'interesting.'

Still learning.

What would you do?

Today, my husband pointed out a doctor and said "he is a plastic surgeon that specializes in hands. once, he took someones big toe to replace their thumb." I said that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard. and we have been arguing about it ever since!! It's been a funny morning. Here are our reasons.

Her arguments:

1) when you would eat buffalo wings or ribs, you would be licking your big toe - gross!
2) it would look weird - your big toe is almost twice the size of your thumb (see picture)
3) you'd have to relearn how to walk/run and probably live with a limp.
4) why would i just switch my disability? if i lost my thumb, i'd live without a thumb. not take off my big toe and now have to relearn how to run/walk.
5) i personally think it would be easier to adjust to life without a thumb, than without a big toe. and yes, while we were eating at chipotle we tried picking things up without using our thumbs.
6) while sitting on the couch, i stick my feet in his face, to let him know this is what it would be like if my toe was a thumb and i touched your face. he didn't appreciate it very much. point made.
7) i wouldn't be able to wear cute heels! haha.

His arguments:

1) Ok, first all of those reasons are little cosmetic petty reasons. 

2) Your thumb is incredibly important.  Every little thing we do with our hands involves our thumb!!

3) Writing, eating, using tools, holding your baby!  You need your thumb

4) Yes, you would have to do some rehab on your balance but it could definitely be done.  

5) A lot of people are dependent on their hands for their livelihood so that would definitely be an instance where I dont think there is any debate.

He wouldn't let me take a picture of his toe/new thumb...

We have been laughing all morning about this, practicing not using our thumbs, and getting our friends involved for their opinion. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

So, we will leave you with this...

If you lost your thumb and the doctor suggested taking away your big toe and re-attaching as your thumb, would you agree to go through with the procedure?

***Here is an interview with a man who actually had the procedure done***

Communication is Key

W: I'm sorry I've been falling behind on the laundry. I keep saying I'm going to do it and then I keep picking up extra shifts at work.
C: It's ok.
W: Haven't you ran out of underwear or shorts yet?
C: No, I've been getting some out of that laundry basket on the floor.
W: Ummmm, thats the pile of dirty clothes I've keep meaning to wash.
C: -pause- so that's probably why people have been giving me weird looks at school

Hahahaha, I laughed so hard at lunch today! This is what happens when it's test week and we don't communicate for a few days.

To my defense, I was in the middle of doing the laundry and took an extra shift last minute. I've been working a lot the past few days (a girl just found out she's pregnant and has been calling in sick a lot).
To his defense, this is the laundry basket that I use while I'm doing laundry and usually ends up with clean clothes that haven't been folded yet.
And to his defense, since he works out everyday he goes through athletic shorts, socks, and underwear so fast sometimes I can't keep up. I just need to go buy him more of a each.


Poor guy and poor people he sits next to at school! haha. Next time, if I put off laundry halfway through I'll be sure to put a sign on it that says "still dirty!"

And now I'm off to do our laundry!!!!! =)

We aren't alone...

I have come across another blog for medical school wives and have always enjoyed reading their stories. This one in particular reminded me so much of my recent "weird" post. It makes for a good laugh, too!

Med School Tagalongs - Ruined Forever



It's nice to know we aren't alone!

Weird

Here are a few weird things that happened this evening that I found note worthy...

So, the church we go to offers a bible study/fellowship group for medical students and families. This is put on by the residents and attendings. They have dinner and a speaker (typically a doctor from the hospital sharing their faith). It's a great place to meet older students, residents, and attendings that will be the director for their rotations in MS3 & 4. We have really enjoyed getting to know all of them and will continue. .... Buuuut here are some weird things that happened tonight....

1) This is about the 3rd night we have gone now and everyone has been so sweet to me (W) and makes an effort to start up conversations with me that are non-medical (which is really hard for most of them, haha). The few non-medical spouses are more of the residents, older, and with a baby on their hip. So I'm sitting at a table with some MS1s and some MS3s. You can imagine the MS1s asking the MS3s questions like "how are your rotations? what all do you get to do?" and so forth. I have never felt so out of place... these MS3s were describing things and using words that I can't even remember, pronounce, or spell for you. One MS1 asked what a word was and when she defined it, I still didn't have a clue what it was. The only word I recognized was vaginal. So maybe it was a good thing that I don't know what they were talking about. I am following the conversation with my eyes and my mouth open, and whatever they were saying sounded really interesting! I just didn't have a clue what they were talking about! Hubby apologized and knew that I had nothing to give in to the conversation. I actually tried to partake in the beginning... for example a 3rd year said he was in his 'medicine' rotation. I think to myself "Medicine? Well isn't this all medicine? Maybe he's learning about actual medicine/prescriptions?" Wouldn't you think that? I don't know. So, to show that I was interested, I asked him "what do you do for 'medicine'? What does that entail?" He said internal medicine. (apparently 'medicine' is short for internal medicine) Oh! Well that would make more since. I am quickly learning their lingo (or their language - words that i understand atleast!) and learning which questions to ask and which questions to lean over and whisper to my husband.

2) One MS3 girl at the table was doing her surgery rotation. She was going on and on about how cool it was and using words I don't know, blah, blah, blah. She mentioned how right now she is doing her pediatric surgery and she says (get this!) that she "loves cutting open babies because their skin is so easy to cut. It's like cutting butter!" Um, ew!!! She was really enthusiastic about it too. That is weird and NOT dinner table topics. But I am the only one at the table that's not a medical student and probably the only one that thought it was weird. To her defense, she didn't know I wasn't a student and therefore wasn't holding anything back.

3) Our speaker for the evening was an obgyn doctor. He was a really nice guy and enjoyed what he had to say. However, when the other doctor (the leader of this group) introduced him as the speaker he mentioned it was his dear friend, they went to residency together, he thought of him as part of their family, and that he delivered his 3rd child and going to deliver their 4th. And the wife was sitting pregnant in the room. Um, weird! Your friend is your obgyn doctor?? That's just weird! He went on to joke 'the ladies love him and the husbands trust him.' I didn't think that was funny and leaned over to my husband and said "awkward! she's in the room!" This is ironic because just the other day we were talking about how in the future we are going to know all the doctors at the hospital and how I will refuse to have someone we know or probably even know of be my doctor. That's just weird! I know doctors view the body differently, but I, a normal person, still view my body as my body! Granted, in this situation the wife was actually an ER doctor too so she fell into the 'it's just a body' category. All of her friends and people she knows are doctors so she probably didn't event think twice. But for me, that's just weird!!

Inception Into First Year

The 2nd years made a video for the 1st years...

Inception Into First Year: A Bohemian Rhapsody Parody about Med School

A few things to keep in mind so that the video is more comical: a Foley Catheter is a catheter that goes into your urethra so that you can go to bathroom when you are unconscious. Donna is in charge of Student Affairs. The tall guy actually went to our high school. And yes, one of the guys sang the whole thing.

Enjoy! :)