Step 2s outta da way

This week was filled with obstacles yet i managed to survive and am proud of myself for it.

I took the COMLEX II on Monday consisting of 8 blocks of 44 questions, with an hour to finish each block. They are kind enough to give us a 40 minute break in the middle. I finished with a upbeat attitude knowing I did my best.

I then spent Tuesday hiking on the beach in SD and swimming in the ocean. My first full day off with no books for MONTHS.

Then came USMLE Step II on Wednesday, another 8 blocks with an hour to do each, ranging from 40-46 questions in each block... This test was no freaking joke. I was sweating through each block finishing with 30 seconds to spare. I got worked. I walked out feeling like I did not study enough and spent the next 2 hours driving back to LA in a fog of 'what the fuck just happened'. Needless to say, I am a little concerned about my score.

Now, I sit in the Salt Lake City airport [with free wifi thank you baby jesus]. I am on my way to Grand Blanc, Michigan to spend a month at a level 1 trauma center emergency department with a highly ranked emergency program. I am staying with a resident. Trying to not be nervous, think i am more tired than anything else considering i didnt get to much sleep last night. oops.

Interview Invitation #2

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

AKA the county hospital of San Bernardino County. the BUSIEST emergency department in California [LA County is second...]. Over 130,000 visits a year.

 Pretty. damn. excited.

Quotable Quotes

Im gonna start by saying I really dont know if I like Dr Oz or not, but either way, i was watching the show NY med and he had a pretty good quote in there that made me think. He was talking about his mail and reflecting on a thank you note from a patient and said:

"the fact that she wanted to say thank you is all i needed to know, i think thats what drives most doctors to do what we do. and thats why it hurts doctors so much when they get sued, because they feel like they did all this work, and they really did think they were doing it for the right reasons, and yet someone disliked them so much they sued them" -Dr. Oz

Needles and Tubes

4 weeks with Dr. G are over and let's just say I am not ready to intubate by myself anytime soon. Good thing i have 3-4 years of residency to perfect the art. In brighter news, my last shift was today [he gave me Friday off] and it was an Obstetrics day. So we spent the morning in the OR doing C sections which are always great, we had 1 scheduled and then had 3 crash [emergency] sections. All turned out well. Babies crying all over the place. I did a bunch of stuff, started IVs, did a spinal, did an epidural. Epic way to end a rotation. It was a great month and I loved everyone I worked with. Will probably be returning to do another 2-4 weeks in October.

Next up, COMLEX and USMLE Step 2.

as med students we joke about "saving lives" because most of the time, this has nothing to do with us. but today i can say, i actually saved a life.

Interview Invitation #1

I just got an email with the title "Invitation to Interview"!!!!

First interview invite is from St.Barnabas Hospital. An AOA emergency med program in the Bronx, New York. Date to be scheduled.

Could not be happier right now :) Still in shock that it happened so fast! Hopefully there are more to come!

The little things

Pure happiness is such a powerful feeling. Moments of true and pure joy do not come very often. Yes, you can be always be 'happy' but there are those moments when something just rushes through you and you are smiling uncontrollably and just feel on top of the world.

I had that rare feeling today. After 3 weeks of observing, assessting, and repeatedtly failing. Finally, things went just the way they were supposed to, I did just what I was supposed to, and with a Miller blade, I saw vocal cords and intubated all on my own. No help with adjustments, no help with the tube, nada. After I pushed the tube in, i waited to see condensation [to make sure it was in the trachea and not the esophagus] and then looked up at the monitor. I saw the CO2 waveform and I knew i was in. "wait, I did it?" I asked the doc. At this point Dr. G and the surgeon were continuing on, pushing meds and prepping the patient, at one point I heard Dr. G say to the surgeon "thank you for your patience" and he said back "no problem, we were all beginners at one point, right" ...and i just stood there in awe, not really listening to anyone, just looking at the monitor and totally forgetting any other responsibilites i had to do at that time. I was pre-occupied with smiling and savoring the victory.

After things settled down, I looked over at Dr. G and he gave me a 'good work' nod. I smiled and said I was so excited, I had finally got it. The surgeon overhead and said, "now dont forget to call mom tonight and tell her."

 Miller intubation blade. Gotta put the blade in a see vocal cords before you can pass the endotracheal tube: