Intern Year

Wow. I can't believe that it's been 3 years since I've updated this blog. I will never blink again. It seems that when I do, time hiccups and burps away. I am no longer in medical school. 

To summarize: I finished my last 2 years of school and loved all of the clinical aspects. I decided to pursue internal medicine with a casual eye on pulmonary-critical care medicine. I interviewed across the US, including residency programs in California, New York, Louisiana, Virginia, Florida, Illinois and Colorado, Washington, Texas and Pennsylvania. 

I was so very fortunate to match at my first choice. I now live in paradise.  Intern year has been kind so far.  Further updates to follow. Cheers. 

Contest

Hey loyal readers. My apartment was selected for the AT small cool contest so if you want to hop over there and vote for me, I'd really appreciate it!  



Here's the link:  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/katherines-tropical-sanctuary-small-cool-contest-203758  


Thank you!!!

Boards Study Day 5

I'm in the middle of my 4 day review of all things neuro. Tomorrow starts a 2 day cardio-intensive section.  After that, 4 days of micro and so on until the 1st week of June. I'm wishing that I had studied more during the year.  Ugh.

Here are pics from my spring break trip to Puerto Rico.  I wouldn't mind being there now.

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And Things Escalate....

Spring Break is over but spring hasn't yet decided to arrive.  We have 5 weeks left of classes, 14 exams, 2 papers and 6 independent learning nodules to complete.  Then the studying really begins, the school gives us 4 weeks for intensive independent cramming for the boards. One week off  (during which- I'll be helping my brother move into his new house- Jeez, he has several tons of stuff) and then I start my 3rd year clinical rotations.  It'll be a kick-off into Ob-Gyn. 

If I had time to think about it, I'd be so excited/terrified to start. 

This week, one of our professors was hospitalized. A hospital chaplain stopped by our lecture hall and lead a class prayer for recovery and our class president sent around a collection for flowers & a card to sign.  Later that afternoon, during a small group study session, I asked Prez how Prof was doing. He said that Dr. P was doing much better & was being discharged the next morning. 

I then asked what he was hospitalized for.  Prez flew off the handle. He raised his voice (in the library- which was embarrassing) and told me that it was none of my business and completely inappropriate that I had the balls (his word, not mine) to ask. He then gave me a mini lecture on HIPAA and suggested that I think a little more about the ethics of the field that I was training for. 

Though I was completely taken aback (and annoyed) by his (dickish) reaction, it made me reflect. I know that the prof's illness is none of my business and that chipping in $10 for flowers doesn't give me any right to information about it.  I certainly wouldn't have approached one of his caregivers and I would have respected my classmate's reluctance to share if he was uncomfortable sharing what the prof told him in private.  I'm quite offended though to have been told off for being nosy and unprofessional.  They (the school and our class prez) solicited my prayers and money regarding this hospitalization. They engaged me in this. It is a medical school and we're all (supposed to be) curious about medicine. Was I out of line to ask?

What do you think, dear Internets? 

Here are some photos of my Seattle trip:

 These 'reeds' are just north of the Needle in Seattle Center.

 A sculpture in the center of the universe (Fremont)

 Apparently, Seattle has no zoning limitations on some farm animals.

 Le Pichet is, hands-down, one of my favorite restaurants in the world.  It's a perfect example of the casual-French bistro without the French Attitude.

 A view from McCaw Hall.

Downtown Seattle from across the way @ the Harbour Pub on Bainbridge.

Hello Again

I can't believe that I haven't posted since October.  Things have been busy- great- but busy.  School is going really well and I'm loving pathology.  Pharm- not so much.  I think that most of the last year & half, I've studied how to study.  I've stopped going to most lectures. Not being an auditory learner, it's easier to read the material and then listen to lectures on double speed to catch any unwritten tidbits.  I think that most of our class has a similar approach- I peeked into the lecture hall yesterday and there sat only 35-40 students out of 150. 

I did discover that we lost a classmate (as in dropped out- not deceased) over the last year.  It seems to me that that point of no return has passed though. 150K debt tells me that I can't change my mind until I finish and practice for a few years.  Not that I want to- it's just scary to have the option fade away. 

Anyway-  I have a SP exam in 2 hours so here is a procrastination photo of furniture/decor rearrangement. And the cat. Until next time....

New Living Room Layout

From the start, I've been adamant that my bedroom be a 'for sleeping only' sanctuary but finding myself doing schoolwork there in the evenings and then studying in bed most mornings,  I finally caved and moved my desk there.  The room is still very much a work in progress but it is surprising how functional it is.  Because the kitchen door is my main entry, it's convenient to have my drop spot right there (as opposed to walking the length of the apartment).

Sorry about the crappy photos. My camera can't do anything but bright light.

This rearrangement really opened up my main room.  I pushed the loveseat against the wall, rearranged the chairs and brought out the bench that had lived in my desk's new home.  Looking at the photographs, I realize that I've actually done a ton of stuff since the last decorating post.

I framed the mirror squares with some molding from HD, took down the ribbon and added a 'sari-wainscoting' with an old Indian souvenir and painted the top of the table white.  The jungle has been culled (my watering time has halved!) and Sami, the sad lion lithograph that had watched over my great-grandma's house, now watches over mine.  The round Danish chair and the bar in the corner had also graced her home.
 

Overall, the apartment feels much larger and the space better utilized. An offering to the gods of procrastination well spent.

Quick Note

It's been two months since I've posted. Shit. Huh. I don't really feel that guilty because this blog has always seemed more a self-indulgent exercise that has really benefited only me and my ego.  The last few months have been busy. School dominates, I returned home for a visit after 4 long years, extended my social group and re-arranged my furniture several times. The academics are treating me well. My new mentor for our longitudinal 'doctoring' class has given me amazing feedback about my interactions with SPs.

Over our autumn break, I slipped into a sleep in on PST habit and re-adjusting to my normal CST schedule has been challenging.

It's 8:30 on a Friday and I'm exhausted.  Maybe tomorrow I'll post photos of my recent furniture rearrangement. It's pretty awesome.