Finals are here! Snow is here!

Today is the last day of my psychiatry clerkship, as well as my Justice Ethics class.

Due to the… ah hem… inclement weather, our exams were postponed by 2 hours. Fortunately, I only have to drive three miles to school, so I should be able to make it on time. I just want this exam to be over so I can check off the psychaitry box of life.

The rotation was a good experience for what it was. I am so glad that there are angels out there who are driven by that type of medicine. Mental health is a much bigger problem than many people acknowledge. Knowing all that, I know that it is not the field of medicine for me.

I’m so ready for vacation! I don’t go back to school until January 5! I can’t believe how much time we get off. We’re soooooo lucky!

Surgery Clerkship

I had intended to journal throughout my surgery clerkship, but the hours have been so extensive and I have been so tired that I haven’t done so.

That said, 10 weeks into a 12 week rotation: I LOVE surgery. I have had so much fun with it. It has been a great service to start out with. I love to operating room, scrubbing, wound care, cutting, sewing, etc.

More to come later, but it’s been a very positive experience and I hope that I have half as much fun on my future rotations.

I have family medicine next (after a much needed week long vacation, of course). I have signed up to rotate at a Spanish speaking clinic.

Big Tests Tomorrow

I have three tests tomorrow in pharmacology (drugs), pathology (diseases), and behavioral medicine (mental illness). This is a bit overwhelming, so I am pleased to say that tomorrow evening, it will be over. Then I can get back to life – like finally picking up my contact lenses, sending off packages, cleaning my house, etc.

For now, however, I must study my brains out.  There are over 50 drugs to learn, but there will only be 14 questions on that exam. There are also hundreds of bacteria, parasites, and helminths (worms), but only three questions on each topic. There are tons of abdominal diseases to remember and symptoms to associate. This is all somewhat disconcerting, but I hope my efforts will pay off.
Also, let me tell you that intestinal worms are gross. I know that that should be intuitive, but believe me, ignorance is bliss, because it is worse than you might think. I’m not even going to post a picture because I don’t want to spoil your next meal. There’s lots of things wrong in America, but God bless our sanitation system. Seriously, the next time you look at your toilet, I want you to thank it for helping to prevent fecal-oral transmission of disease. Then go wash your hands.

(N.B. If you’re into gross stuff, do a Google image search for “ascaris”)

Fun fact: Giardia (which hikers can get from drinking unpurified stream water) is kind of funny because it looks like a face with a mustache: