Well as you all know I have been (not so) patiently waiting for my final grades to be posted so I can move on with my life. :o) Well, yesterday I decided that since I was already on the computer I would check to see if anything has been posted. First I check to see what I got on my last psychology exam - 106 out of 100. Sweet, I finished with an A for the course! Total count three A's and one unknown. So I decide "what the heck, I'll see if my chemistry grade is posted as well." I click on the final grade screen and went numb. I could not believe my eyes. How in the world did this happen? The tears started to well up in my eyes, and my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't hold the phone to call Brad. He answered and told me to hang on while he put his headset on, and as I waited, I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Brad finally answered "Hi. What are you doing?" By this time I am crying and blurted out "I got an A in my organic chemistry class!" Of course he didn't understand a single word I said so I had to repeat it "I got an A! in chemistry!" He started laughing at me and told me to calm down, but he was pretty proud of me. I was so happy and shocked that I was shaking. I didn't know what to do when I saw it on the screen, it was such a rush of all these emotions, relief, and a little bit of disbelief. All I know is, I got the grade I studied so hard for and couldn't be happier.
Now, on to biochemistry!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
One More Semester Down....
I know I haven't posted much lately, but I have finished up my classes and I am now not so patiently waiting for my final grades. I'm pretty sure I ended with three A's and one B, but I'm not positive and it. is. killing. me! I hate this waiting thing!
Now that classes are over with my days consist of going to work, going to gym, and going home. It has been so nice, but boy the nights fly by! I know it doesn't help that I get home at 7 and it's already dark, but they can slow down just a little! Geesh. I have enjoyed being able to catch up on my crocheting (no I'm not 80!) movies and tv! It's so nice not having to use my brain for a little while! <-- insert blonde joke here. :o)
The only other exciting thing going on I suppose is x-mas, which I still have to shop for. At least there isn't much left to get. The stores are so crazy this time of year! We always say we are going to buy things all year long, but you know what? We never do. Maybe that is my new year's resolution.....
Now that classes are over with my days consist of going to work, going to gym, and going home. It has been so nice, but boy the nights fly by! I know it doesn't help that I get home at 7 and it's already dark, but they can slow down just a little! Geesh. I have enjoyed being able to catch up on my crocheting (no I'm not 80!) movies and tv! It's so nice not having to use my brain for a little while! <-- insert blonde joke here. :o)
The only other exciting thing going on I suppose is x-mas, which I still have to shop for. At least there isn't much left to get. The stores are so crazy this time of year! We always say we are going to buy things all year long, but you know what? We never do. Maybe that is my new year's resolution.....
Friday, December 11, 2009
High Score?!?!?!?
Ok people, I just have to share this awesome news. I took my final chapter exam in organic chemistry on Wednesday and got it back today. I was a little worried about it, but it turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. I knew I messed up a couple of parts, but still figured I did ok. Well, I picked up my test today and found out that I was one of the few people who got the high score! I about fainted. The bad thing is that the class as a whole did poorly. I feel kinda bad because I really like our professor and he genuinely wants his students to do well. There's not a lot of professors who really care how their students do, so when I don't do well I feel like I let him down too. (Thankfully it's only been one test.)
But I am excited and wanted to share my news!
But I am excited and wanted to share my news!
My Birthday - sort of
I have to admit that I have the sweetest, bestest, most awesomest husband. And I do realize that he will roll his eyes when he reads this, but oh well. Hi honey!
My birthday was this past Monday and because he wasn’t going to be home to celebrate it with me, we kinda made a weekend out of it. On Friday we rented movies and stayed up late watching them all, so of course we slept in a bit on Saturday. :o) When we got out of bed we went out for breakfast, ran some errands and then went home to study/veg out. Saturday night went to one of my favorite restaurants and had some yummy Italian food, then went home and vegged some more. Ahhhh I love relaxing! Sunday my sweet husband cooked lunch and dinner for us. He made goulash for lunch and a bean stew for dinner, both were awesome! We put up the Christmas tree and decorated a little bit around the house, and afterwards we played some Guitar Hero 5! It was a pretty enjoyable/relaxing weekend. I spent my real birthday working and then studying all night. I liked my weekend birthday better!
I wanted to share my beautiful birthday gifts with everyone:
The necklace is a black pearl – inside a real clam that we had to open to get to the pearl. The pearl symbolizes love, which I thought was pretty fitting. :o) My little stud picked that out for me.
My birthday was this past Monday and because he wasn’t going to be home to celebrate it with me, we kinda made a weekend out of it. On Friday we rented movies and stayed up late watching them all, so of course we slept in a bit on Saturday. :o) When we got out of bed we went out for breakfast, ran some errands and then went home to study/veg out. Saturday night went to one of my favorite restaurants and had some yummy Italian food, then went home and vegged some more. Ahhhh I love relaxing! Sunday my sweet husband cooked lunch and dinner for us. He made goulash for lunch and a bean stew for dinner, both were awesome! We put up the Christmas tree and decorated a little bit around the house, and afterwards we played some Guitar Hero 5! It was a pretty enjoyable/relaxing weekend. I spent my real birthday working and then studying all night. I liked my weekend birthday better!
I wanted to share my beautiful birthday gifts with everyone:
The necklace is a black pearl – inside a real clam that we had to open to get to the pearl. The pearl symbolizes love, which I thought was pretty fitting. :o) My little stud picked that out for me.
I also got a really pretty fairy paperweight that says I love you to take to work, some comfy Tinker Bell pj's and a t-shirt. It was a very nice weekend and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Look what my sweet husband did....
He bought me some really pretty flowers! He surprised me with a bouquet before Thanksgiving too. *sigh* He's such a sweetheart. :o) Oh! shhh! Don't tell anybody though, it's a secret!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yeah, it's a few days late, but I was in the truck with Brad over the holiday so I wasn't able to say it sooner. It was a pretty uneventful thanksgiving this year, which is ok really considering how busy I’ve been lately. I enjoyed having a little holiday vacation, but now it’s back to the grindstone. I thought I would share my school/work schedule with everybody so they know what the heck I’m talking about.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – I get up at 6:10, leave for work at 6:40 and arrive to work at 7:20. I then leave work to go to class from 9:30 to 10:20 then come back to work until 5:00. I then read, do homework, workout etc until 7:00pm when my next class starts (except for Fridays, I get to go home at 5). I get out around 9 or sometimes later and then get home around 10:00pm.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I get up and go to work at the same time, but I go to class from 8:00 until 9:15 and then work until 5:00pm. On Thursdays I have a lab that starts at 5:30pm and gets out between 8:30 and 9:00pm so I get home a little before 10:00pm. I usually spend Tuesdays catching up on reading/homework and once in awhile some tv. :o)
In case anyone is interested, my final tests start next week – Dec. 7, 9, 10, 14 and 16. Then I am home free for a month! Woo Hoo!!
Here’s a funny thanksgiving story for you:
I hosted thanksgiving at our house a couple of years ago because my mother-in-law and grandmother in-law were going to be out of town, I offered to cook for the rest of the family – father-in-law, sister in-law her two girls, Brad, Bo and myself. The night before, my sister-in-law and I went to the store to pick up some last minute items while Brad and his dad hooked up the new tv. We arrived home and loaded our hands full of grocery bags and headed into the house. I opened the door and stepped up to go into the house and my foot slipped. I started to fall face first and had no way of breaking my fall because my hands were loaded with grocery bags. I landed right on my nose on top of the groceries causing a bag of broccoli to explode open. So there I was, lying on a bunch of grocery bags on the living room floor laughing, unable to move because the grocery bags have my arms pinned down. Brad’s dad saw the whole thing and through his laughter, kindly picked me up off the floor and asked if I was ok. The whole thing was rather amusing really, I am laughing about it even as I type. At least I didn't burn the turkey!
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – I get up at 6:10, leave for work at 6:40 and arrive to work at 7:20. I then leave work to go to class from 9:30 to 10:20 then come back to work until 5:00. I then read, do homework, workout etc until 7:00pm when my next class starts (except for Fridays, I get to go home at 5). I get out around 9 or sometimes later and then get home around 10:00pm.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I get up and go to work at the same time, but I go to class from 8:00 until 9:15 and then work until 5:00pm. On Thursdays I have a lab that starts at 5:30pm and gets out between 8:30 and 9:00pm so I get home a little before 10:00pm. I usually spend Tuesdays catching up on reading/homework and once in awhile some tv. :o)
In case anyone is interested, my final tests start next week – Dec. 7, 9, 10, 14 and 16. Then I am home free for a month! Woo Hoo!!
Here’s a funny thanksgiving story for you:
I hosted thanksgiving at our house a couple of years ago because my mother-in-law and grandmother in-law were going to be out of town, I offered to cook for the rest of the family – father-in-law, sister in-law her two girls, Brad, Bo and myself. The night before, my sister-in-law and I went to the store to pick up some last minute items while Brad and his dad hooked up the new tv. We arrived home and loaded our hands full of grocery bags and headed into the house. I opened the door and stepped up to go into the house and my foot slipped. I started to fall face first and had no way of breaking my fall because my hands were loaded with grocery bags. I landed right on my nose on top of the groceries causing a bag of broccoli to explode open. So there I was, lying on a bunch of grocery bags on the living room floor laughing, unable to move because the grocery bags have my arms pinned down. Brad’s dad saw the whole thing and through his laughter, kindly picked me up off the floor and asked if I was ok. The whole thing was rather amusing really, I am laughing about it even as I type. At least I didn't burn the turkey!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Catching up
Sorry that it has been so long since my last post, but a lot has happened since then. My stepmom passed away unexpectedly and I went to Montana for a few days.
It’s been a whirlwind since I’ve been home and I’m really looking forward to the holiday break, but unfortunately, I will be spending most of it catching up on reading and writing a paper. I’ll be going out in the truck with Brad, so at least I’ll have company. :o)
It’s hard to believe that November is almost over with! This month has been a blur, and I’m sure next month will be similar considering the first two weeks will be full of studying and tests. Yay! Not!!
But alas, the semester is coming to an end and I am happy about that. Next semester will be light, but I’ll be studying for the MCAT so that will fill up my evenings. I am hoping to also get back on track with my exercising schedule. I tell myself that after my last final I am going to start going the gym to work out ever night, or at least three nights a week. There is no reason for me not to continue this when the spring semester starts, so I am hoping to keep it up for awhile. Life usually gets in the way, but this is my plan/goal. I could get up at 5am to workout, which would probably be better for my schedule, but I’m not a morning person.
Before I forget, I want to tell my family that it was really good to see everyone and to catch up, and hopefully we can do it soon under better circumstances. Cousins – stay out of trouble!
I will post again soon, but now it’s time for food! I’m starving!
Ciao!
It’s been a whirlwind since I’ve been home and I’m really looking forward to the holiday break, but unfortunately, I will be spending most of it catching up on reading and writing a paper. I’ll be going out in the truck with Brad, so at least I’ll have company. :o)
It’s hard to believe that November is almost over with! This month has been a blur, and I’m sure next month will be similar considering the first two weeks will be full of studying and tests. Yay! Not!!
But alas, the semester is coming to an end and I am happy about that. Next semester will be light, but I’ll be studying for the MCAT so that will fill up my evenings. I am hoping to also get back on track with my exercising schedule. I tell myself that after my last final I am going to start going the gym to work out ever night, or at least three nights a week. There is no reason for me not to continue this when the spring semester starts, so I am hoping to keep it up for awhile. Life usually gets in the way, but this is my plan/goal. I could get up at 5am to workout, which would probably be better for my schedule, but I’m not a morning person.
Before I forget, I want to tell my family that it was really good to see everyone and to catch up, and hopefully we can do it soon under better circumstances. Cousins – stay out of trouble!
I will post again soon, but now it’s time for food! I’m starving!
Ciao!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Adventures in Trucking
Some of you may or may not know that my husband is a truck driver. Currently he is hauling hay into various feedlots and dairies around Kansas. This past Friday he was supposed to pick up a load from western Kansas and take it to eastern Kansas and then come home. Well, the guy he was getting the hay from was busy trying to harvest his Milo crop and said that he didn’t have time to load Brad Friday, to come out Saturday morning and he would load him then. Not really happy about the whole situation, we got up at a bright and early 6:30 and hit the road by 7:30. The place we had to load the hay was not quite an hour away and we had to be there by 8:30 – so far so good.
Along the way we encountered many a stupid motorist, believing they were the only vehicle on the two lane highway and thus not bothering to follow highway etiquette or law. Or maybe someone put a sign on the front bumper that said, “I’m cruising at 71 mph, so please pull out in front of me and only go 65 so I have to hit my brakes to avoid driving a huge semi through the back end of your fancy Escalade. “
Another instance - as we were in the process of passing a vehicle, another happy motorist traveling on a side road decided to look left to make sure he didn’t turn in front of anyone, but decided he didn’t need to look at oncoming traffic from the right. He then made a right turn onto the highway only to see us coming straight at him. He was kind enough to pull over to the shoulder before we rudely collided with his front bumper, though. Who knew that an 18-wheeler was invisible on the highway? (It wasn’t as bad as it sounds as there was plenty of time for him to get over, but his ignorance still floors me.)
A short while later Brad noticed a state trooper following behind us and as we entered town, he turned on his lights. Now, you see, tickets come in threes for Brad, and he is notorious for getting tickets. It doesn’t matter what he is doing, where he is at, or where is going. It never fails that he gets three tickets a year. A few months ago he got one for passing in a “no passing zone”, even though he was in the process of passing and almost around the vehicle before he came into the zone, he still got a ticket.
One down, two to go.
So it was no surprise when the trooper pulled him over Saturday morning for speeding. Now I preface this with the fact that Brad had the cruise set at 70, and the speed limit was 65. The usual talk of license and registration ensued along with the inspection of the truck. This time however, there was a problem - a tire on the trailer was flat. This meant that we had to find a place in this really small town to fix the tire, or pay $400 for a service truck to drive to our location and fix it before the trooper would let us continue on our merry way. So we followed the trooper through town trying to find a place that would fix the tire and thankfully we found one. In the meantime, Brad called K, the guy we were getting the hay from, and told him we would be a little late. K said that he wasn’t really going to be able to load us today anyway because he was busy in the field and his hired hand was not at work yet. What? Are you kidding me?!
About an hour later (this guy was verrrry slooooow) we had a fixed tire and, the best news of the day, no ticket! The trooper was a pretty cool guy and sat and talked to Brad the whole time the tire was being fixed and decided that since we had such a time with the tire that he would not give Brad a ticket. He said that Brad was doing about 71 all the way up to town, but once we hit the outskirts, he sped up to 76. Not sure if the cruise was out of whack, or if Brad had cancelled the cruise and stepped on the accelerator at this point. None the less, Brad was not getting a ticket and we were very happy!
K called Brad and said that his hired hand finally showed up and could load us today… more good news! A half hour later we were finally at the hay pile, but as we pulled up, Brad noticed that the field didn’t quite look like the one his boss, S, had described. A phone call to S confirms that this is a different field. Brad then talks to the guy who is loading the trailer, J, and asked if there was another field at the different location and J said there was, but that hay didn’t belong to K. Hmmm, ok, weird. This piece of information prompts J to call K and Brad to call S and somehow lead to a weird three way phone call with Brad holding two phones, one to each ear, relaying information. It was quite funny to watch. After some discussion it was determined that S was mistaken on the location and we were going to load the hay at our current location – fine, no problem right? Wrong. When J was almost done loading the trailer, S calls Brad and said that he figured out the location of the hay he wanted. Doh! Well, by this time the trailer was already full and it would have been pointless to unload it, move to the other field and reload it, so we kept the hay that was on the trailer and headed home.
Who says trucking’s boring?
Along the way we encountered many a stupid motorist, believing they were the only vehicle on the two lane highway and thus not bothering to follow highway etiquette or law. Or maybe someone put a sign on the front bumper that said, “I’m cruising at 71 mph, so please pull out in front of me and only go 65 so I have to hit my brakes to avoid driving a huge semi through the back end of your fancy Escalade. “
Another instance - as we were in the process of passing a vehicle, another happy motorist traveling on a side road decided to look left to make sure he didn’t turn in front of anyone, but decided he didn’t need to look at oncoming traffic from the right. He then made a right turn onto the highway only to see us coming straight at him. He was kind enough to pull over to the shoulder before we rudely collided with his front bumper, though. Who knew that an 18-wheeler was invisible on the highway? (It wasn’t as bad as it sounds as there was plenty of time for him to get over, but his ignorance still floors me.)
A short while later Brad noticed a state trooper following behind us and as we entered town, he turned on his lights. Now, you see, tickets come in threes for Brad, and he is notorious for getting tickets. It doesn’t matter what he is doing, where he is at, or where is going. It never fails that he gets three tickets a year. A few months ago he got one for passing in a “no passing zone”, even though he was in the process of passing and almost around the vehicle before he came into the zone, he still got a ticket.
One down, two to go.
So it was no surprise when the trooper pulled him over Saturday morning for speeding. Now I preface this with the fact that Brad had the cruise set at 70, and the speed limit was 65. The usual talk of license and registration ensued along with the inspection of the truck. This time however, there was a problem - a tire on the trailer was flat. This meant that we had to find a place in this really small town to fix the tire, or pay $400 for a service truck to drive to our location and fix it before the trooper would let us continue on our merry way. So we followed the trooper through town trying to find a place that would fix the tire and thankfully we found one. In the meantime, Brad called K, the guy we were getting the hay from, and told him we would be a little late. K said that he wasn’t really going to be able to load us today anyway because he was busy in the field and his hired hand was not at work yet. What? Are you kidding me?!
About an hour later (this guy was verrrry slooooow) we had a fixed tire and, the best news of the day, no ticket! The trooper was a pretty cool guy and sat and talked to Brad the whole time the tire was being fixed and decided that since we had such a time with the tire that he would not give Brad a ticket. He said that Brad was doing about 71 all the way up to town, but once we hit the outskirts, he sped up to 76. Not sure if the cruise was out of whack, or if Brad had cancelled the cruise and stepped on the accelerator at this point. None the less, Brad was not getting a ticket and we were very happy!
K called Brad and said that his hired hand finally showed up and could load us today… more good news! A half hour later we were finally at the hay pile, but as we pulled up, Brad noticed that the field didn’t quite look like the one his boss, S, had described. A phone call to S confirms that this is a different field. Brad then talks to the guy who is loading the trailer, J, and asked if there was another field at the different location and J said there was, but that hay didn’t belong to K. Hmmm, ok, weird. This piece of information prompts J to call K and Brad to call S and somehow lead to a weird three way phone call with Brad holding two phones, one to each ear, relaying information. It was quite funny to watch. After some discussion it was determined that S was mistaken on the location and we were going to load the hay at our current location – fine, no problem right? Wrong. When J was almost done loading the trailer, S calls Brad and said that he figured out the location of the hay he wanted. Doh! Well, by this time the trailer was already full and it would have been pointless to unload it, move to the other field and reload it, so we kept the hay that was on the trailer and headed home.
Who says trucking’s boring?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Another Surgery
I had the pleasure of watching another open heart surgery -this time it was a bypass surgery. Here is an explanation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery, compliments of Wikipedia. I have to admit the valve replacement surgery was pretty awesome compared to this one. Don't get me wrong, open heart surgery is pretty amazing, but there is a different level of "awe." The valve replacement (I put a picture up to give some perspective) seemed to be a little more extensive and time consuming because the valve had to be sewn all the way around the base to the heart, 48 stitches to be exact.
The bypass surgery consisted of veins being removed from the leg and then sewn onto the heart before the area of blockage and after to “bypass” the blockage and allow blood to get through.
During a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), the chest is opened to visualize the heart (A). A heart-lung machine takes over the function of the heart during the procedure. A portion of the saphenous vein of the leg is removed (B). This vessel is used to bypass a blockage of the coronary artery. It is attached from the aorta past the point of blockage (C). Another option is to bypass a blockage with the mammary artery (D). The bypass increases blood flow to the area served by the coronary artery (E). (Illustration by Argosy.)
It was amazing at how the surgeons made this look so simple. I know that years of performing this procedure is the reason for this, but it was still pretty impressive to watch.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Open to the public
Well, I decided to try and see if this would work better as an open blog and allow everybody to read it. I feel so naked!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Organic Chemistry
Ok, so I got a B on my chem test. I am pretty happy about it, but I am a little disappointed at the same time. One of the questions was printed wrong and he told us to change it in the middle of taking the test. So I stopped working on the question I was on and changed the question and thus my answer. Well, I had it correct to begin with, but adding the missing information threw me off and I didn't go back to look. So I really could have received an A- or an A. Oh well. I am still looking good for the semester.
I'm sure you are wondering why I'm being so anal about my grade... well, let’s just say that my organic chem I class did not go so well. I got a D. Yep. A big fat D. The final for the class was absolutely ridiculous. Most of the class didn't even finish it. Needless to say I bombed it and it brought down my grade. Significantly. So I retook the class and finished with a B. So getting an A or A- will look pretty good to the admissions committee when they review my file to see if they want to offer me an interview or not. Plus it will really make me feel good knowing that the previous teacher was just an ass and that I am not completely lost when it comes to organic chemistry - a subject that prevents many premeds from entering med school. I have many motives for doing well in this class and I hope my hard work pays off at the end of the semester when we have to take the standardized test that covers last semester and this semester.
Organic chemistry is pretty interesting actually. It is the base for biochemistry which is basically all the chemical stuff that goes on in your body and will learn more about in med school. I am finding that I enjoy the class, but wish I could devote more time to studying and memorizing things to further understand. I hope this isn't just some sort of "sponge" learning - soak it all up, squeeze it all out for the test and forget it all afterwards. I really need to remember this stuff!
I'm sure you are wondering why I'm being so anal about my grade... well, let’s just say that my organic chem I class did not go so well. I got a D. Yep. A big fat D. The final for the class was absolutely ridiculous. Most of the class didn't even finish it. Needless to say I bombed it and it brought down my grade. Significantly. So I retook the class and finished with a B. So getting an A or A- will look pretty good to the admissions committee when they review my file to see if they want to offer me an interview or not. Plus it will really make me feel good knowing that the previous teacher was just an ass and that I am not completely lost when it comes to organic chemistry - a subject that prevents many premeds from entering med school. I have many motives for doing well in this class and I hope my hard work pays off at the end of the semester when we have to take the standardized test that covers last semester and this semester.
Organic chemistry is pretty interesting actually. It is the base for biochemistry which is basically all the chemical stuff that goes on in your body and will learn more about in med school. I am finding that I enjoy the class, but wish I could devote more time to studying and memorizing things to further understand. I hope this isn't just some sort of "sponge" learning - soak it all up, squeeze it all out for the test and forget it all afterwards. I really need to remember this stuff!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tests/Shadowing/More Tests
So yesterday I took my second Organic Chemistry II test, and of course I thought I did well on it when I turned it in, but now I am doubting some of my answers to some of the questions and I have been comparing them with my good friend Tammie. I feel a little better knowing that we put some of the same answers down, but then there are the answer's we disagreed on. ARGH! The waiting is the hardest part as he probably won't have the tests graded and ready to turn back till Monday. That means I get to worry all weekend. Yay! As Brad would say, “whatever, you did fine.” And I'm sure I did, but the anticipation of KNOWING! is killer. :o)
Yesterday I got to shadow the pathologist that I was assigned to for the semester. He seems to be a really nice guy, pretty chatty compared to the surgeon I'm shadowing. We looked at a few slides yesterday - that's what most pathologists do- and it was pretty interesting. I'm still undecided if that is what I would want to do every day, but the good thing is I know there is a lot about medicine that I haven’t seen yet and will get to experience.
I also realized that November 2 is the first day of registering for the MCAT. Wow! It made me realize that this time is flying by and how real everything is. The test isn't until March, but the seats fill up fast. The bad part is that it costs $225 and if you want to change the date of your test, they charge you $50 on top of that. I'm sure they are raking in the dough with this test. They offer 10 retired MCAT tests to use as practice, but they charge $25 per test, which is kinda bs considering they could still make a big profit charging $10 per test. This isn't even anything compared to the cost of the tests you have to take once you are in medical school or to take to get your certifications. I believe some of them start out at $1000, which again is total crap considering you are a poor med student/resident. Boy, I’m sure looking forward to those bills.
Yesterday I got to shadow the pathologist that I was assigned to for the semester. He seems to be a really nice guy, pretty chatty compared to the surgeon I'm shadowing. We looked at a few slides yesterday - that's what most pathologists do- and it was pretty interesting. I'm still undecided if that is what I would want to do every day, but the good thing is I know there is a lot about medicine that I haven’t seen yet and will get to experience.
I also realized that November 2 is the first day of registering for the MCAT. Wow! It made me realize that this time is flying by and how real everything is. The test isn't until March, but the seats fill up fast. The bad part is that it costs $225 and if you want to change the date of your test, they charge you $50 on top of that. I'm sure they are raking in the dough with this test. They offer 10 retired MCAT tests to use as practice, but they charge $25 per test, which is kinda bs considering they could still make a big profit charging $10 per test. This isn't even anything compared to the cost of the tests you have to take once you are in medical school or to take to get your certifications. I believe some of them start out at $1000, which again is total crap considering you are a poor med student/resident. Boy, I’m sure looking forward to those bills.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Surgery
Ok, I know it has been over a week since I did my shadowing and you are just dying to know how it went. :o) The surgery was an open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve with a pig valve – similar details according to wikipedia.org are below.
Aortic valve replacement is most frequently done through a median sternotomy, meaning the incision is made by cutting through the sternum. Once the pericardium has been opened, the patient is placed on cardiopulmonary bypass machine, also referred to as the heart-lung machine. This machine takes over the task of breathing for the patient and pumping their blood around while the surgeon replaces the heart valve.
Once the patient is on bypass, an incision is made in the aorta and a crossclamp applied. The surgeon then removes the patient's diseased aortic valve and a mechanical or tissue valve is put in its place. Once the valve is in place and the aorta has been closed, the patient is taken off the heart-lung machine. Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE, an ultra-sound of the heart done through the esophagus) can be used to verify that the new valve is functioning properly. Pacing wires are usually put in place, so that the heart can be manually paced should any complications arise after surgery. Drainage tubes are also inserted to drain fluids from the chest and pericardium following surgery. These are usually removed within 36 hours while the pacing wires are generally left in place until right before the patient is discharged from the hospital.
I was standing in the room at the patients head looking down at the heart. I have to say that it was pretty amazing to see a human heart beating right there in front of me. The surgeons were also amazing and made everything seem so easy. I’m still in awe.
Aortic valve replacement is most frequently done through a median sternotomy, meaning the incision is made by cutting through the sternum. Once the pericardium has been opened, the patient is placed on cardiopulmonary bypass machine, also referred to as the heart-lung machine. This machine takes over the task of breathing for the patient and pumping their blood around while the surgeon replaces the heart valve.
Once the patient is on bypass, an incision is made in the aorta and a crossclamp applied. The surgeon then removes the patient's diseased aortic valve and a mechanical or tissue valve is put in its place. Once the valve is in place and the aorta has been closed, the patient is taken off the heart-lung machine. Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE, an ultra-sound of the heart done through the esophagus) can be used to verify that the new valve is functioning properly. Pacing wires are usually put in place, so that the heart can be manually paced should any complications arise after surgery. Drainage tubes are also inserted to drain fluids from the chest and pericardium following surgery. These are usually removed within 36 hours while the pacing wires are generally left in place until right before the patient is discharged from the hospital.
I was standing in the room at the patients head looking down at the heart. I have to say that it was pretty amazing to see a human heart beating right there in front of me. The surgeons were also amazing and made everything seem so easy. I’m still in awe.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Shadowing
Tomorrow I get to watch an open heart surgery - standing right next to the surgeon in my scrubs and everything! I will actually get to see a heart beating inside a chest and be close enough to touch it. How cool is that? I’ve been to the school’s cadaver lab and actually had the opportunity to hold a heart, and yes it may sounds kinda gross, it was really neat. I didn’t realize how big the aorta really was until I looked into it. This one was about the size of a fifty-cent piece. Tomorrow will be a long day, but I promise to tell you all about it. (I’m sure some of you are thrilled and can hardly wait…Brad.)
Shadowing – what is this? Shadowing is something you have to do to show to the medical admissions committee that you know what you are getting yourself into – that you know what a dr. does. Most of the ones around here are pretty cool about letting you follow them around for a day to see what life as a dr. is really like. So far I’ve shadowed my family physician that is really wonderful, and every time I shadowed at least one of his patients complimented him. He is also kind enough to offer to write me a letter of recommendation. I have also shadowed a pathologist for a couple hours and will get the opportunity to shadow another one on Wednesday for an hour, and every Wednesday until the end of December.
Well, I’m off to study for my psychology test that is in two hours. Hopefully I won’t do too bad on it. :o)
Shadowing – what is this? Shadowing is something you have to do to show to the medical admissions committee that you know what you are getting yourself into – that you know what a dr. does. Most of the ones around here are pretty cool about letting you follow them around for a day to see what life as a dr. is really like. So far I’ve shadowed my family physician that is really wonderful, and every time I shadowed at least one of his patients complimented him. He is also kind enough to offer to write me a letter of recommendation. I have also shadowed a pathologist for a couple hours and will get the opportunity to shadow another one on Wednesday for an hour, and every Wednesday until the end of December.
Well, I’m off to study for my psychology test that is in two hours. Hopefully I won’t do too bad on it. :o)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My First Blog
Well, I have been reading some really neat blogs for the past month or so, and thought maybe I should create one for my family. I'm not really the greatest about calling or keeping in touch, so maybe this will be a good way for me to keep you all up to date since we live so far away..... So I apologize for not keeping in touch and hope you all enjoy this!
For those of you who don't really know what I am doing (yeah, cuz I do? Ha ha)
I am an office assistant at Wichita State University Foundation. The Foundation is where we raise money for the different colleges on campus to use for scholarships, maintenance and paying some faculty positions.
I am also a student at WSU, and along with working full time I am attending classes at the full time level. This semester I am taking 4 classes plus a lab, which keeps me pretty busy. This is my last full time load as I will be graduating December of 2010 and I will be studying for the MCAT next semester– explained below.
My goal is to apply to medical school next July. In order to do that I will have to take the Medical School Admissions Test, which is a 5 hour computer based examination that covers physics, biology, organic chemistry, general chemistry and verbal reasoning. It's pretty intense. I will start studying for that in January and I plan on taking the exam in March or April. Yes, three to four months of studying roughly three to four hours a night is typical for the MCAT. Another requirement to apply to medical school is to shadow physicians and volunteer in some way that helps the community. This semester I get to shadow a pathologist - someone who looks at slides through a microscope to see if they are normal or abnormal, and a cardiothoracic surgeon.
I will be applying to the University of Kansas, School of Medicine in Kansas City. If I’m accepted I will be in Kansas City for two years doing classroom work, and then I will be back in Wichita doing my clinical rotations. Medical School is four years, then I graduate and move on to residency where I am basically learning on the job. Residency is anywhere from 3-5 years depending on the field of medicine I choose to go into.
Yes, this is a huge undertaking and a very big commitment and frankly, I couldn’t be happier that I made this decision. My plans were to apply to the FBI after graduating, but I didn’t want to risk having to relocate several states away from my husband and step-son, so I decided to pursue my other dream career. Going to medical school was something I have tossed around off and on ever since I first studied psychology and after deciding law school wasn’t right for me. Now that I have the opportunity, I am going to take it.
Hope you enjoyed my first post - stay tuned for more! If you know of anyone else who would like to read, e-mail me at triciawhite2008@hotmail.com with their e-mail address and I will make sure they can read it.
For those of you who don't really know what I am doing (yeah, cuz I do? Ha ha)
I am an office assistant at Wichita State University Foundation. The Foundation is where we raise money for the different colleges on campus to use for scholarships, maintenance and paying some faculty positions.
I am also a student at WSU, and along with working full time I am attending classes at the full time level. This semester I am taking 4 classes plus a lab, which keeps me pretty busy. This is my last full time load as I will be graduating December of 2010 and I will be studying for the MCAT next semester– explained below.
My goal is to apply to medical school next July. In order to do that I will have to take the Medical School Admissions Test, which is a 5 hour computer based examination that covers physics, biology, organic chemistry, general chemistry and verbal reasoning. It's pretty intense. I will start studying for that in January and I plan on taking the exam in March or April. Yes, three to four months of studying roughly three to four hours a night is typical for the MCAT. Another requirement to apply to medical school is to shadow physicians and volunteer in some way that helps the community. This semester I get to shadow a pathologist - someone who looks at slides through a microscope to see if they are normal or abnormal, and a cardiothoracic surgeon.
I will be applying to the University of Kansas, School of Medicine in Kansas City. If I’m accepted I will be in Kansas City for two years doing classroom work, and then I will be back in Wichita doing my clinical rotations. Medical School is four years, then I graduate and move on to residency where I am basically learning on the job. Residency is anywhere from 3-5 years depending on the field of medicine I choose to go into.
Yes, this is a huge undertaking and a very big commitment and frankly, I couldn’t be happier that I made this decision. My plans were to apply to the FBI after graduating, but I didn’t want to risk having to relocate several states away from my husband and step-son, so I decided to pursue my other dream career. Going to medical school was something I have tossed around off and on ever since I first studied psychology and after deciding law school wasn’t right for me. Now that I have the opportunity, I am going to take it.
Hope you enjoyed my first post - stay tuned for more! If you know of anyone else who would like to read, e-mail me at triciawhite2008@hotmail.com with their e-mail address and I will make sure they can read it.
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