This week I took my first patient history (with a real patient, isn't that scary?). At least this time the fourth-year medical student did the interview. We just took notes, but next time we have to come up the questions ourselves - I'm terrified. You would think it would be easy, but just randomly asking a person about how they feel with no medical knowledge is really intimidating. I'm sure I will write more about this later, it's amazingly complex.
My lab group removed the lungs from our cadaver (after sawing open the rib cage, which almost made me faint - and I'm not a queasy person). We also got lectured for not being able to tell the difference between arteries and veins...oops. In fact, they look extremely different. Veins are really thick and dark in cadavers because they don't have the musculature that arteries have, so the blood was never pumped out of the veins after the person died. After the professor showed us what an artery looks like, I felt really dumb. Oh well, now I know.
Other random firsts: I took a tango class for the first time. I made stuffed peppers for the first time. I also tried Peruvian fusion cuisine and Bosnian food, both firsts. I skipped my first medical school class - you might be able to guess it - Histology! (Studying for an hour instead was way more effective, I should add.)
Life is good, though really busy. I think I need to slow down a little bit, but it's hard when life's this exciting, isn't it?
Oh, we also inflated the lungs with a turkey baster. It was awesome. Hope that's not too gross for anyone. And you don't want to know the actual purpose of the turkey baster in lab. It's too gross.
ReplyDeleteThank you for not giving full details on the turkey baster. I'm eating my dinner.
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel better, my dad was working with med students at a free clinic and said there's no way a first year student can know how to take a good history. so it's expected ;)
ReplyDelete