Chip Away

Well, after Thanksgiving break it's been full speed through the final stretch. In the 2 days we've been back, we have covered 5 lectures and a lab. Monday we learned about the eye and lacrimal apparatus, and then dissected the region out that very afternoon. Today, we learned about the prevertebral region, palate/nasal cavity/sinuses, and the ear. A ton of info to get down in a very short period. Also, we had an excellent presentation in humanities today... an ex-military doctor came and spoke on the topic of insecurity among soon-to-be physicians. A great talk from a brilliant man. Despite the heavy workload, this week has gotten off to an enjoyable start.

Here in My Room

The title pretty much says it all. I didn't do much of anything over the break, which is precisely what I had hoped for. Mostly I just sat around with my dog and listened to music, as a ton of great albums came out this past week. I also started reading "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" which is a pretty awesome murder-mystery tale. Aside from that, I ate and slept. A lot. Tomorrow I fly back home for the final stretch. Crazy to think that in just 2 weeks, we will be finished with Phase I of medical school. We then have a week to study for the NBME (National Board of Medical Examiners) exam, which we must pass in order to continue on to Phase II, which will last 18 months. The exam will cover everything we learned in Phase I... except histology, which pisses me off because we dedicated so much time to it. It's a lot of material to review, but apparently the exam is very easy and all the M2s keep telling us not to be worried. So I'm not.

Oh, and I got back my Exam III grade and I got an 89. They just don't wanna give up that "A". Sigh. Oh well, now it is time to go back into a food coma from all I've eaten in the past week.

Freedom

The test went well, and actually felt like the easiest one so far. I'm not sure if that is because the test was not as complicated as I expected, or because I studied for a nearly continuous 24 hours prior to exam time. Either way, it is over now and I am heading home tomorrow for Thanksgiving break. I will not be doing any studying or school-related work during that time. Tonight everyone is going to Northgate to celebrate... it is much-needed.

Head Like a Hole

Yesterday was awesome. We had a genetics panel in the morning, which was not nearly as interesting as the first one. We had a few patients come in whose children had various neurological disorders. In the afternoon we had what is now my favorite lab. After removing the scalp, we sawed open our cadaver's skull and removed his brain. The skull is much thicker than you would think, so it took a while to cut through it with a Stryker saw (same thing they use to remove casts). Once we got through, the brain was visible through the meninges (membranous sac) which we had to cut through in order to expose the brain itself. The brain was then pulled back and a special extended scalpel was used to reach deep inside the skull and sever the cranial nerves as far from the brain as possible. Eventually we reached the spinal cord, and once that was cut, the brain came right out. It felt somewhat like a plastic bag filled with Jello... it was much softer than I expected. It was an awesome feeling to hold it in my hands, and it will be one of the only times I ever get to do so (aside from neuroscience next year). All in all it was an intense and exciting lab, and it was unique in that all of the lab groups were present (it was pretty crowded). Also, due to the tedious nature of dissecting the facial muscles, we did not have to do it ourselves. There was a prosection set out for us already pinned and labeled... we will have to know all the structures for our test on Monday. This is going to be a crazy weekend.

Eight Days a Week

Haven't posted in a while due to the crazy workload this week, so here is a summary of the week:

Monday - In the morning we had 3 lectures. The first was an overview of the skull bones and foramina (holes). The second was over superficial muscle groups in the neck. The third was over deep structures of the neck (vessels, nerves, deep muscles and membranes). In the afternoon, we had a lab where we dissected the superficial muscles we just learned about in the morning.

Tuesday - In the morning we had two lectures. First, we went over the embryological development of the central nervous system (brain/spinal cord). This was followed by a lecture over Facial Nerve VII, one of 12 cranial nerves. We went over all of its branches, and the function of each branch. The afternoon was devoted to humanities. We also got our Exam II grades back, and I got my highest test score so far. Still not an "A" though... but I am inching ever closer.

Wednesday - Clinical skills in the morning; we went over how to finish up writing a patient history. This was followed by a lecture over the lymphatic drainage of the head. In the afternoon, we had a lecture over the facial muscles, how they contribute to facial expression, and how the face develops embryologically. After lecture we went to lab, where we dissected the deep structures of the neck.

Thursday - We had the afternoon off, so both lectures were in the morning. First we had a lecture on the scalp, cranial cavity, meninges (membranes surrounding the brain), and sinuses that drain blood from the brain. The second lecture was a basic overview of the brain itself, including major internal/external features, and all the cranial nerves.

In short, it was a busy week. And it isn't over yet.

One Week

For once, this weekend consisted entirely of Northgate excursions, sleep, meeting up with old friends, and playing some Call of Duty: Black Ops. It was a much-needed mental vacation. The test went well, I thought it was much more straightforward than the previous one, and it was roughly 85% anatomy (which was a big help). This next week seems like it will be pretty hectic, since we have a test next Monday over the material we learn this week. It is only worth 15%, but we have 9 lectures and 3 labs jammed into the next 5 days that we have to know by then. And that is on top of the old material we have to review. This week will be interesting to say the least.

Every Day is Exactly the Same

Been a while since my last post, due to the fact that we have a test the Friday following a Monday exam... So, this past Friday night was spent celebrating the end of Exam I out on Northgate... the rest of the weekend was spent sleeping and studying. We got our exam grades back on Monday, and I did excellent, ending up with a mid-B (which is much better than I expected). Monday morning we went over lymphatics of the main body trunk and then had an orthopedic surgeon come in and show us some of the surgeries he has performed on the lower extremity. Nothing new for me since I already shadowed an orthopedic surgeon for a good while. In the afternoon we had anatomy lab, where we dissected the leg flexor muscles in the thigh. This was a straightforward lab and we got out after about an hour and a half. Tuesday morning my tankmates had to dissect the "leg" region; Abby and I had the morning off and got to sleep in, whoop! In the afternoon we had our humanities discussion, this time over professional boundaries, which was a pretty awesome topic. This morning we had clinical skills where we learned about performing basic exams to test for neurological disorders. We had the rest of the day off, but at some point before this Friday's test, we have to go into lab to study foot prosections (feet that have been dissected and labeled with pins for us by professors). I'll probably go look at those tomorrow afternoon after I finish studying the foot muscles. There's much to cram in the next 36 hours, so I probably won't be posting for a while.

The Good Life

Wow, what a great week. We got our test grades back much sooner than I thought, and I am happy to say that I did surprisingly well. I am quite satisfied. Lectures have also been very interesting, and they are all enjoyable since they are all anatomy lectures, which are my favorite. Wednesday morning we had our clinical skills class, where we got to interview an actual patient with bipolar disorder. It was fascinating listening to her talk about her condition and how it has affected her life, as well as some of the underlying causes. It was the most interesting clinical skills session we've had so far, and when it was over everyone wanted to keep going. Unfortunately we had lecture immediately following it and we had to cut the interview short. The lecture that followed covered the thigh muscles responsible for extending the knee (i.e. quads). After lunch we had lab, during which we dissected the gluteal region. There are many muscles, nerves, and vessels that pass through this region on their way to the thigh, so it was a slightly long lab. Thursday morning we had back-to-back lectures. The first covered knee flexor muscles in the thigh (i.e. hamstrings), while the second covered the leg muscles. In anatomical terms, hip to knee is called the thigh, while knee to ankle is the leg. What we commonly refer to as the "leg" is actually the "lower extremity". We then had the entire afternoon off, which was quite nice.

This morning, we went over the foot, which is packed with bones, muscles, tendons, arteries, veins, and nerves... not quite as complicated as the hand, but still rather formidable. This was followed by a lecture on the hip, knee, and ankle joints. This one was packed with enough material to fit a two-hour lecture, yet they managed to cram it into a single hour. This will definitely require a good deal of study time. Thankfully we only have one more lecture next week, so I can look forward to a nice, leisurely weekend.

Vertigo

Well, Monday's test was rather difficult. First of all, the test was only a two-parter, consisting of a multiple choice section and a powerpoint section. There was no anatomy lab practical, which is usually where I garner the most points. The genetics questions were fairly difficult, and there were quite a few tricky histo questions from past lectures as well. I'm not really sure what to think, as I think the multiple choice went very well and half of the powerpoint went well. The other half of the powerpoint felt like a disaster, however. I don't know when we will get out grades back, but hopefully it will be before next week.

After the test our class rented out Paddock Lane, a bar on northgate, and we had a private Halloween party for the med school. Some of the costumes were pretty awesome... I went in a white coat drenched in blood. My personal favorite was the group of 4 guys who went dressed as Chilean miners, complete with hard hats and dirt-smudged faces. It was the wildest night we've had in a very long time, and we all got drivers to take us home since we were incapacitated, hehe. This morning we had a lecture over anatomy of the gluteal region. From now on, all we have are anatomy lectures, which is very nice. However, we will still have 20% review material on our exams, most of which will be histo, which sucks. In the afternoon we had an interesting humanities lecture over the regional impact of medical missions trips.

I haven't gotten much sleep lately, so now it is time for a long nap.