Post-test happenings

I bet each of you have been wondering exactly what I do on my afternoons off after a morning exam. I mean, who doesn't constantly think about me and what I'm doing every second of every day? (Don't actually tell me if you do think about me that frequently...that's creepy). Lucky for you, my roommate Megan caught my happenings on camera!

I spent most of my afternoon on Skype, but there was some interweb trolling too. 

Luckily you can't see the bum imprint on the couch too. To be fair, I just ate one of the chocolates
to hold me over until I could brave the cold to get cookie dough.  

It's possible that I don't have the most healthy post-test rituals. However I think a little R & R is deserved after written essay exams (like actually written...with a pen/pencil, not even typed!). 

Part Four: Psychosocial Health

This is the random left over blog post. Honestly, this post could be much longer because there are a million awesome articles out there, but I'm trying to be concise (yeah, I realize I'm terrible at it, but at least give me some credit for trying!).

• 20 Things Poor People Do Every Day: There's lots of misinformation out there about poor people and that they are lazy and doing nothing all day. These are the things that are actually done: find food, find shelter, find warmth, try to stay safe, live in chronic pain (and poorer health outcomes), and do everything in their power to stay alive. 
• Appendectomies are Expensive in the US: This person posted his bill for his overnight stay in the hospital after getting his appendix removed on Reddit. Apparently it's about $55,000. His insurance covered the bulk of it, but still. That's a lot of monies! Our healthcare reform isn't perfect by any means, but hopefully it's a step so that people don't have to pay these enormous bills! 
• Med Students Save Lives!: Remember those OSCEs I talked about taking? Well this student at Virginia found out something that was really wrong with his fake patient during one of his OSCEs and he saved his life! Sometimes medical students are idiots (myself included), but sometimes we are awesome too! 
• Inactivity Changes Your Brain: I sort of alluded to this already yesterday. But here's some science to back it up more! Being a lazy bums changes your neurons. And not for the better. Inactivity leads to greater sympathetic nervous activation which may causes higher blood pressure (due to vasoconstriction) and ultimately leads to heart disease. So work your little body...Make Your Day Harder!
• Vaccinations...good or bad?: This is a post from someone who grew up being unvaccinated. And why she decided to vaccinate her children. And why she suggests that you do too! Her parents lived the organic, healthy lifestyle (let's be real...this is not me condemning that lifestyle. I love organic foods!) and yet she contracted measles, mumps, rubella, viral meningitis, scarlatina, whooping cough, yearly tonsillitis, chickenpox, HPV, and penicillin-resistant quinsy by not being vaccinated. She says, "If you think your child's immune system is strong enough to fight off vaccine-preventable diseases, then it's strong enough to fight off the tiny amounts of dead or weakened pathogens present in any of the vaccines." I someday will be having children and plan to vaccinate them! But here's a side of the argument that you don't often hear! 

All of these things affect health in some way. Take a look! I have lots more posts planned, so keep your eyes peeled!

Part Three: Videos

And now, a bunch of random videos that I've watched over the last month. There's a little something for everyone in this post. Educational to purely entertainment. Hard sciences to liberal arts. It's all in there!

• Tap dance + Beyonce = GOLD.....This is so ridiculously amazing! You can expect me to look this awesome at my recital...(not!)

• Let's make our day harder. This is an interesting video about technology becoming ubiquitous. And how that affects our movements (now we pride ourselves on not needing to move to change the channel, buy clothes, and to talk to people who are 1,000 miles away). This is a movement to "tweak the week" to make it harder...take the stairs, have a walking meeting, etc. Such an interesting concept, especially since I just got out of the cardiac physiology unit!

• Empathy. What is it, how you can get practice it, why is it important? This is one of the most important skills we use as doctors (and doc wannabes!). The key is being vulnerable...being fully human! 

• Halftime with Lee Brice. Okay, this is WAY cool. Pepsi filmed a commercial in Milligan, NE over Christmas break. It's about an hour and a half away from my hometown. They brought in Lee Brice to put on a show (he's a big country star, in case you didn't know that...I didn't until about September of last year). It was a huge deal and tons of free Pepsi. The York High School band and spirit squads filmed a commercial to be aired during the Super Bowl. I wussed out of going to see the concert (hello, once-in-a-lifetime experience...even if it is country music) because it was freeeeeeezing outside. But here's a sneak peak! 

• Derrick Coleman--deaf NFL Seahawks fullback did a commercial with Duracell (ignore the part about them trying to sell you batteries...focus on the part where it's super awesome that a deaf person is in the NFL!). My dear old dad (emphasis on the old) is also pretty much deaf. And the deaf community doesn't get much attention or recognition these days, so I think this is very awesome to have a high profile person representing the community in a good way! PS everyone should worry about their hearing health...ear buds and loud music are NOT good for you! :) 

• Sex Education. Are you a parent? Are you nervous about talking to your kid about sex? Just show them this video! Are you a human being? Could you brush up your knowledge about sex? Or about how to talk about to other humans about sex? Watch this video! It talks about the parts, the "who" people love, losing your virginity (with some conversations about sending naked photos of yourself), consent and rape, sex, protection, and STDs. It uses humor and is medically accurate.

• Sugar! It affects our brains. We are addicted to it! Learn about why! (I promise I will not judge you for consuming sugar while watching...) This video has a nice set of animations and diagrams to help out the scientific mumbo jumbo!

That's all for now! More tomorrow (hopefully!)

Part Two: NPR

My apologies readers, I know I promised an update-a-day until I got through all of my updates. But life and rest got in the way. Never fear, there's plenty more of me jabbering about my thoughts to come! Welcome back.

You can't be surprised that I have a whole post dedicated to NPR stories. I just love them so much!

1. 5 Simple Habits Can Help Doctors Connect with Patients: Really it's all of the things we learn in our clinical skills classes, but somehow we forget amidst all of our other training. Introduce yourself to the patient. Touch the patient: handshakes or a pat on the shoulder. Sit down. Talk to the patient. Ask open ended questions. Be respectful. 
2. Defining Death: There have been a few cases lately that have gained national attention about what the definition of death is. I'll just let you read the article (and any subsequent articles about this topic) and form your own opinions on what should have been done in each case. But we talk about the different types of death during class: lung (no breath), heart (no heart beat), brain (no brainstem activity), and neocortical (no higher level functioning...personality, etc). There is lots of crossover here with ethics and philosophy. Even religious views. It's good to be informed though, just in case (God forbid) something happens to you or a loved one. Know the medical measures your family members feel comfortable with. 
3. Talk to your Doc about Drinking: This was a surprising article to those of us in school still. They grill alcohol counseling into our education. I'm asked about alcohol consumption at every one of my doctor's appointments. So I guess I assumed that everyone got asked. But apparently not. Binge drinking (as well as alcoholism) is rampant in this country and that's why it's so important for you to know your risk! Not to mention that alcohol consumption can lead to many adverse health effects. You should all do the CAGE questions on yourself (if you answer yes to two or more questions, talk with your physician):
1. Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking?
2. Do people Annoy you when they criticize your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever felt the need to have a drink in the morning (an Eye opener) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
4. Autism as an Asset: This is a NPR story about Temple Grandin (TED Talk included!). She is an autistic woman who has used her special ability to see the world in pictures to her advantage. She revolutionized the cattle industry to keep cattle calm on the way to the slaughter house. She is a huge proponent of keeping the arts in schools because often children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are wonderfully intelligent at art. Or computer design. Others are really wonderful with words and are great at acting. If your child is obsessed with legos, use that lego obsession to build different types of buildings. Or use them in math. Just because their thinking is different, does not mean that they are any less intelligent than the "normal" kids (really, is there anything such as "normal"?). Temple suggests that these children need to have a mentor to spark their interest in something. Whatever it is. Turn these kids on to learning. And the world will absolutely be changed for the better. These brains are going to revolutionize our world! 

Okay, that's all for now! Have a great week y'all :) 

UNMC cannot be a University...

Okay, I realize that "University" is the first letter of the acronym, but I swear it just cannot be a university!

Why, you ask?

Because last night I was studying and eating some dinner at Chipotle (burrito bowls=success!) (actually I meant to go to Qdoba, but I always get the two places confused) when the administrative assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions came up to me and wished me luck on my exam today.

That sort of thing just doesn't happen at big universities.

She knew #1 that I was a student and #2 that I had a test today. I'm pretty sure that UNMC is actually a small liberal arts college moonlighting as a university.
_____________________________________________________________________

In other news, there apparently is another girl in my class who plays bassoon. I just learned this. And I have also decided that we are going to become best friends.

PS I survived the test this morning!

The things they don't tell you...

Yeah, yeah...I know I was supposed to have a whole series of posts up by now about my life. But the trouble is that life sort of got in the way. I was studying and then all of a sudden it's a week later. Well, you will have to continue waiting on pins and needles for parts 2-4 on my life updates; HOWEVER, until then, I have this to tie you over....!

The 10 things no one tells you about medical school:
(There are explanations on the link, but here's the top 10 with my input!) 

• It's more like high school than college. 
• Yes. Not only is the tiny community you've become part of in everyone else's biz, but also because you sit down and get lectured to for a longer chunk of time than college. I can't say that mornings are my favorite hours of the day anymore. 
• You lose the ability to communicate like a normal human. 
• Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family is very hard for me. Or catching up with non-medical friends from high school and college. Sometimes I can come up with some fun anecdotes about things I saw in clinic (influenza A is still on the rise in Omaha!), but I'm certain everyone around me is tired of hearing about which muscles are innervated by which nerves (and that they have a strong heart beat with no murmur, sorry Mr. Justin!). 
• Your idea of a typical conversation is actually horrifying. 
• Yeah, I talk about pretty much all of the body fluids at lots of meals. My background in sex education does not help. Just last week we went out for a dinner meeting about things to do with the jail project. The people sitting next to us at sushi gave us some strange looks, when I was yelling about the steps to put on a condom and how to appropriately teach them to students. 
• It's difficult to meet people outside of school.
• Wait, there are people outside of school? Kidding. Although truthfully, the majority of people I know in Omaha that are not medical students are either my family or ladies from dance. 
• It takes you a long time before you actually know things.
• If you like being a complete idiot 100% of the time, then this is the field for you! Kidding, it's only like 99.5% of the time. 
• You only have a 50% chance of being above average.
• P=MD...all you need is a 65% in most cases!
• Asking for help is admitting weakness
• This one hits close to home...last year when I got really sick I didn't tell anyone about it because I didn't want them to think that I wasn't capable of doing the medical school thing. It's hard on the psyche to continually feel like an idiot without asking for help! Asking for help is WAY better than the alternative, in my opinion!
• Your friends grow up around you.
• I've been trying to think about what people who aren't in school, aren't married and don't have kids do when they get off work at night? I cannot wrap my mind around that idea. I study. And then sometimes I go to dance class. On occasion I even do laundry and clean (sorry about the slacking on cleaning the past few weeks, Megan).
• Everyone will ask you for medical advice.
• Ha yeah. Jokes on you. I have no idea what I'm doing.
• Bullsh*tting your way through things won't cut it anymore.
• Someday I will be in charge of real lives. Definitely can't "fake it 'til you make it." Gotta learn a few things along the way... 

Test Thursday. Look forward to more posts this weekend (hopefully...I'm working on an abstract for a research conference just as soon as my mental faculties recover from the essay-beating I'm sure to experience on Thursday morning!). 

Part One: Me

I'm an only child which means I'm expected to be self-centered and self-concerned. Therefore, where better to start all of my updates than a discussion of what's going on with me!

The dino was mine before, but thanks to Laura
for the jellyfish, bunny, giraffe, pumpkin,
Frankenstein and snowflake! I work the snowflake
in clinic yesterday and everyone LOVED it! 

• Christmas break: Simply put, it was WONDERFUL! I'm very much so missing it! I celebrated Christmas for 8 days in a row with friends and family (I don't know how the lady survived 12 days of Christmas with her true love, cause I was utterly exhausted after 8 days!). This year was the Christmas of scarves. If you have any wonderful ideas about how to organize an overly large scarf collection, I'd welcome your suggestions! 
• ID Badge Holders: Truth be told, these were Christmas gifts. But they're so adorable that they get their own bullet point! Now I will be seasonally appropriate and stylish whenever I have to wear my ID Badge to clinic! Hugh, I know your snowman was very adorable, but you have to admit that my whole collection is quite charming!  
• New Year's Resolution: (Let me preface this to my Grandma and Captain Murphy...this is not a prior admission of guilt!) My resolution this year is to not speed when I'm driving. Let's just say that the drive from Hastings to Omaha is actually longer than I realized... It's been super hard, but I'm doing alright! I've also noticed that my (apparently) ridiculous road rage has decreased. 
• January challenge: This month's challenge is to wake up early. Soooo.... I haven't been doing super well with that. The issue is that I haven't been falling asleep until well after midnight so 6 am (or earlier) is ridiculous. BUT I'm still trying!  
• Paging God: Religion in the Halls of Medicine: I'm currently reading it! It's a tough read, if I'm being honest. It's a sociologic study of how religion and medicine are addressed in major academic medical institutions. She interviews docs, nurses and everyone in between. I'm not very far into it, so more on this later!
• EMET: Last year I talked about how I was thinking about applying for an enhanced medical education track, but I got too sick to do it. The beauty of repeating 1st year is that I have the chance to do all of the things I missed out on! So I applied to the Humanities and Arts track. We shall see if I'm accepted!
• School: We are back in session (have been for a week and a half already!). Cardiac physiology. Test a week from tomorrow (eeek!). 
• Jamaica:  My loyal readers will know that I'm heading to Jamaica over spring break for a medical mission trip. There will be 30 of us heading to Falmouth to provide services for over 400 people. We're bringing all of our own equipment and medication. In order to defer these costs, we're doing several fundraisers and here is one (shameless plug!) that you too can get involved with! Anything helps, even if it's just a small donation! 
• Shout-out: Just a special "hello" to my classmate Danny! Thanks for being such a loyal reader :) (And now, you are just as good as Hugh because you both got a shout-out today!)

That's all until tomorrow! 

Dr. Jenny: Declared MIA

Hi, hi, hi, hi. I'm here. I'm alive. My apologies for the hiatus! I have been amassing articles and things I'd like to blog about for about 4 weeks now. The trouble is that the list has gotten SO long that it's intimidating to start writing about anything.

So the plan is an installment-a-day until I get through everything! It's too late for me to start tonight (hey, a girl needs her sleep!), so until then, I leave you with this hilarious blog.

Seriously, if you are a medical student or have any interest in becoming one. You need to read it! This blogger is a doc who drew comics all through med school and journaled throughout her training. There are hilarious patient stories (all more than 3 years ago with zero identifying factors...HIPPA, duh). I have been cracking up non-stop reading it!

Go read "A Cartoon Guide to Becoming a Doctor." Do it. Do it now!