Sunday, October 21, 2007

Asteroids and Renal Stones

Week of: 2007-10-14


Abstract: I complain and I give thanks.


Mood: I'm just Ok


What went well: I did several cases in the OR solo.


What needs work: I need to fine tune my systems of approaching each case.


Elucidation: I've been in the OR at clinical. It was a successful week. I did several exams solo: cysto, laparoscopic cholangiogram, patella and a lot of hands and wrists.


The cystogram case was interesting for the use of lasers to burn out renal stones. I was able to watch it happening on a live color monitor. It reminded me of the Asteroids video game as shards of stone went tumbling around in the calices.


The doc requested live fluoro during the cholangiogram. He asked me to save some of the images. I repeated his requests as he made them communication is key in the OR. You need to repeat the request as you comply.


I had exams this week in both of my lecture classes, Pathology and Biology: Evaluating radiographs for their diagnostic capacity and learning how radiation effects human tissue. The pathology test seemed to very well. There was no ambiguity in the questions of either exam. I'm eager to see how my study skill are shaping up.


We experienced turnover in a instructor position this year. I can say that it's nice to have the same instructor for the program because you can easily do well. Predicting a result is harder when you are breaking in a new instructor. The change is universally positive as she is a good educator. Up till now we've had very good stability in staff. That said it's challenging to see how a new instructor will lectures and study materials to tests.


I'm beginning to see how spoiled we are. Up till now, instructors have been willing to release an outline and power point to the lecture. We were tested to those. It made it a breeze to study. One of the instructors still does it that way.


A thousand apologies for people who read the blog. I'm just about overwhelmed with school. I can tell you that after three months of full-time clinical I wasn't in the mood for lectures, studying and tests. Tough, you may say, just do the blog. Well it's been challenging in the least to get into the flow but I'm almost there. I'm experiencing many of the ins and outs of being a student.


Getting back into routine has proved challenging. I'm an artist. During the Summer I was able to explore my interests in photography, song writing and poetry. For the past three weeks it's been back to grind.


I told my instructor how thankful I'm am to be in this program. How I feel gratitude for the superlative instructors and associative staff. I'm also grateful for the lead techs in my hospital. I love where I am at.


Goals for next week: I'm doing an outside rotation at a children's facility. I want it to be productive.

2 Comments:

At 11:50 AM, Blogger Mary said...

Sounds like you are doing well. Have fun working with kids next week :)

When you say you preform the surgery cases solo, do they let you go in alone? or do you still have a tech watching over? our site has conflicting feelings about this because our state rules regarding students and fluoro are very hazy.

 
At 5:33 AM, Blogger paradise.found said...

Thanks Mary. After I show I can do a type of case competently, the techs let me do it solo from start to finish.

 

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