This past week was another remarkably full one, but also great!
The stress level has been a bit higher among my classmates recently. The week before me is full of exams and the exams are mysterious enough that I, and most of my first-year classmates, am frantically studying and attempting to evaluate just how much sleep I need to sacrifice to pass our exams.
Last week had some refreshing moments that allowed me to reconnect with the real reason I am here. We had several occasions that reminded us of the healing art of medicine, the delicate balance between health, medicine, technology, and compassionate care. On Monday, we had a patient presentation regarding an unusual bone cancer. The patient presenting is a professor emeritus and Nobel prize winner. His story was incredible and it was wonderful to have him share so much with us. On Wednesday, we had a vital signs workshop where I honed my skills related to taking blood pressure, respiration rate, and pulse, testing for blood glucose levels, administering TB tests, performing intramuscular injections, and drawing blood. Much of that I had never done before and I successful drew blood from my fellow classmate on the first try (although he was so hydrated, my vial filled quickly - so I surpassed the couple of milliliters I was supposed to collect; as compensation I gave him a lollipop). I felt so happy after that workshop. I know that those skills are fairly mundane, but I am well-armed for being more useful at the free clinic and that is exciting.
On Thursday, the mother of a woman who had passed in June due to extremely aggressive metastatic lung cancer came and spoke with us about her experience sharing the diagnostic odyssey with her daughter and the challenges of a rapidly evolving terminal illness. She brought up several issues pertaining to doctor-patient communication, health team-family communication, and the confusion triggered by discontinuity in care plans among different health care providers (not enough cross-talk). She brought all of us back quickly to the emotional side of healing and reminded us that there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of how we treat the patient and their family. She had a positive experience, overall, with how her daughter's illness had been handled by the health care team and she was so warm with us. To her, speaking with us and sharing her daughter's story was a privilege. I felt the same way about her being there.
The rest of my week consisted of wrapping up lectures, concocting various study groups and settings to help me and my classmates organize and synthesize all of the material we are accountable for.
Yesterday, Alex and I drove to Monterrey (Pacific Grove) to help celebrate his uncle Tom's 60th birthday. I studied on the way there and took an online molecular biology quiz at a lovely cafe (after having lunch on Cannery Row), which allowed me to relax a little bit. Having a midnight deadline hanging over my head during the birthday shindig would have been a bummer. After getting that out of the way, I was introduced to so many friends and family of Alex's uncle that my head was swimming. Still, I had a wonderful time - good food, great conversation, and an incredible view (right on the water, with the entire of Monterrey Bay before us).
Another perk of our Saturday excursion was having a taste of weather in the 60s. Overcast skies, sea mist, and a cool breeze - I was in love! Take me back to the northwest! :)
We drove back home late last night, both Alex and I tutored in the morning and afternoon, and more studying commenced. Now...more studying!!! Histology exam tomorrow, Cells to Tissues on Tuesday, and Molecular Foundations of Medicine on Thursday. In the midst of that, I will participate in the Multi-Mini Interview for the first medical school admissions interview on Wednesday. Go-go-go!
This coming weekend will be a nice treat. Practically no homework. My words will be leaping off the page next weekend.
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