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.

And We're Off!

School's started back up and we're already in 6th gear.  I read 250 pages of patho, pharmo & Bates' before the first day of lectures which seems to be about par for reading assignments for the rest of the term.  Yay.  Today is the second day and I'm already behind. 

Last year, our doctoring course was a fou fou easy-pass write off. Not so this time around.  I'm nervous about it.  We have our first OSCE- neuro in less than two weeks.

Yesterday during our third class, the lecturer started off with several slides of a Canadian study not related to the material but demonstrating the 'time saved' by 'traditional' clinicians who put their stethoscopes in pockets as opposed to around the neck (the 'cool' clinicians).

Slide 1:  decreased TB transmission
Slide 2: breakdown of Canadian workers (Drs, RNs etc) who wear it around neck and, with an average 0.32sec slower retrieval, totally Canadian economic loss = some 5 million dollars/year.
Slide 3: BIG LETTERS: women 2x more likely to fall into the 'cool' (as opposed to 'traditional') category.
Slide 4: If this lecturer sees anyone wearing their stethoscope around their neck during his rotation: automatic fail.

I was so pissed off by the unabashedly sexist 'mini' lecture, I couldn't pay attention to the real material.  What a jerk- what a way to perpetuate the impression of women doctors (in 3 slides no less!) being less capable, less efficient, more dangerous to their patients, more concerned with image than being a good doc and less deserving of respect! 

1. Ties (that men ubiquitously wear) are much more likely to transmit infections. Stethoscopes can be wiped down after leaving infected rooms. I have yet to see any man change his tie.
2. The 'unisex' lab coats are really mens' coats that women wear. Many of us larger hipped folks have to deal with a tighter fit around the waist making it much easier for things to fall out of pockets. And having big bulky metal things banging against hips is much less comfortable.
3. We tend to be smaller- certainly smaller than this lecturer's 6ft+ height. Smaller coat = smaller, shallower pockets= increased likelihood of things falling out.
4. Nurses, at least at the hospitals that I've worked, don't typically wear coats so the data is completely skewed.
5. There was no cross study of folks switching to the other method to determine if the 'savings' of 0.32 secs/use is accurate. 

Oooh, writing this, my level of 'pissed-offedness' has just skyrocketed.

Here are some photos of the Fields Museum  and the little sushi place where I had dinner in Chicago: