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In FCM yesterday, The Husband learned how to break bad news. Specifically, when doing so over the phone, make sure you have the right phone number.
29 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted Med School
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In FCM yesterday, The Husband learned how to break bad news. Specifically, when doing so over the phone, make sure you have the right phone number.
24 Monday Jun 2013
Posted Med School
inTags
Boot Camp, Class of 2017, FCM, Google, M1, MCV, VCU School of Medicine
I have no info on the new MCV/VCU FCM Boot Camp. It’s a new curriculum next year, so The Husband did something different. Sorry, all you Googlers.
Welcome MCV Class of 2017!
02 Thursday May 2013
Posted Med School, Regular Life
inTags
Closet, COT, Date Night, Family, FCM, Histology, Immunology, Library, M1, Maymont, Metro Richmond Zoo, Naps, Neuroscience, Organization, Physiology, Restaurant, Shopping, Storytime, Studying, The Toddler, Tour Guide, Zoo
The past few weeks have been busy! First there were final exams in Histology, Physiology, and Immunology, so The Husband is now done with all M1 subjects except Neuroscience and technically FCM, but I’m not sure that really counts since there’s no real studying for it. (FYI, “real studying” means 8+ hours per day. Anything less is kid’s play.)
Then my dad came for a visit so we were out of the house Toddler-in-Richmond style. We did the zoo, Maymont, and library story time. During nap times we got some house projects out of the way (including my personal favorite, installing a new closet system with a tie/belt rack), so that was super helpful and a nice reminder to get some other projects in the pipeline started. That Friday night, The Husband took The Toddler to the Tour Guide party* so Dad and I went out for Indian food. Delicious, but they do not tone the spice down for Americans! “Medium” is the equivalent of “hot” everywhere else. You have been warned.
And now we are two weeks and one day away from the end of M1 year! The Husband has a Neuro test tomorrow, so this weekend is free and I have lots of plans! Some friends are coming over for dinner on Friday. I’d like to finish shopping for COT on Saturday. I’ve made it our mission this weekend to finally finish hanging curtains in the living room and The Toddler’s room and fix the weird curtain rods in our bedroom. One of The Husband’s classmates offered to babysit, so I think we’ll have a date picnic on Sunday and then I’ll gym it up with the workout buddy on Sunday evening.
Monday is going to be nap day.
* The Husband is a tour guide for next year’s interviewees. He is looking forward to scaring them away from med school.
28 Thursday Feb 2013
Posted Med School
inToday’s FCM small group seminar was about the pediatric exam, so The Toddler and I drove over to the Egyptian Building to meet The Husband for class.
The Toddler was a model patient for the other students to listen to his heart and lungs and palpate his stomach, but he did NOT like them looking in his ears. He also thought it was a game to not open his mouth.
However, he did not scream and cry so all the M1s were warned that he is a very unusual 18-month-old patient!
The Toddler’s favorite part was probably chatting with the M4’s 5-year-old daughter. She seemed to understand him perfectly.
15 Friday Feb 2013
Posted Med School
inTags
“It’s been a great day so far! Two people have stuck their hands down my pants!”
-The Husband on learning how to to listen and feel for the femoral pulse
07 Monday Jan 2013
Posted Air Force, Regular Life
inTags
Anatomy, Books, Breaks, Commissary, FCM, Fellow Med Students, Fort Lee, Friends, Fun, Grocery Shopping, Groupon, Gym, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Military, military discount, New Hampshire, Preceptorship, Restaurant, Sick, Weather
New semester, new adventures!
The Husband re-started classes on Wednesday, and since there were only 3 days of class to fall behind on, and despite our slow-to-return health, we went out this weekend.
Friday night we went with friends to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens to see the Gardenfest of Lights. Military Discount FTW! The Toddler enjoyed running around and staring at the Christmas lights and model trains. We also unexpectedly ran into a college acquaintance of mine who also has a toddler, so we’re going to try to meet up sometime for a playdate/catching up session.
Saturday morning was our long-awaited trip to Fort Lee for the Commissary. As we drove in we passed some very nice officer housing, a golf course, fitness trail, track and nicely manicured lawns. Allegedly the Air Force stations are nicer than Army ones, so I think we’ll be pretty happy staying on base.
The verdict on the Commissary is that it’s great for dog food and cleaning supplies, good for meat and frozen items, and about even for produce and dairy, with variation within the categories. Kielbasa and ground turkey were really cheap, chicken breasts were about the same as the local stores. Yogurt was half-price. If you already shop mostly generics though, it won’t save much money. Everything there was name brand. There was a great selection of produce, international, and luxury* items, so I’ll definitely be heading there again to stock up for parties.
I’m glad we went, but I’ll stick with the local stores for most of my grocery shopping. I’ll probably go once a month or so to stock up on meat and dog food.
As we left, we saw a platoon? (troop? brigade? About 30) of army privates sweeping the parking lot.
Finally, on Sunday we met a larger group of friends at Alamo BBQ. There was a Groupon, so we decided to check it out. It was pretty good and we’ll probably go back, so Groupon accomplished? We were a little taken aback that it wasn’t really a restaurant so much as a food stand, but there was a tent and it was gorgeous out according to the people from Canada, Seattle, and New Hampshire. To the Southern Californian, not so much. He ended up borrowing my jacket. We talked about books we read over break (Abraham Verghese seemed a popular choice), about the upcoming preceptorships (15 miles away is apparently considered “close” to school) and how we all (me included!) were glad Gross Anatomy was over.
That evening I met up with my gym buddy for the first time since early December. Today my pecs are sore!
* Fancy cheeses, salmon, etc.
13 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted Med School
inTags
Anatomy, Breaks, Dentistry, Dissection, Exams, FCM, Hiking, M1, Medical Exams, Medical Student Syndrome, Preceptorship
Hello. I’m The Husband. I’m 1/8 (or so) of a medical doctor. I’m also a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
It’s been roughly 18 weeks or so since I posted anything here, so here are some updated musings about this adventure.
I’ve completed four courses gross anatomy, biochemistry, population medicine, and genetics. Next up, histology, embryology, and physiology!
I’ve learned how to take a medical history and do blood pressure. In theory, I know how to do a knee exam, shoulder exam, breast exam, chest and abdominal exam. I say “in theory” because I’ve only practiced those once, on a standardized patient.
I’ve learned how to screen for alcoholism and counsel a patient to quit smoking.
I’ve been alone in a laboratory with 38 dead bodies.
I’ve sawed through a skull and cut open a rectum. I’ve cleaned out feces that’s been inside a cadaver for months. Note: The smell does not improve with age, and rectum dissection day was EASILY the worst day of medical school.
I’ve felt like a genius and a moron. (I think The Kate is going to post about why I felt like a moron.) [ETA 12/12: Story here. ~Kate]
I’ve held what used to be someone’s heart in my hands.
I’ve seen the blackness that covers lungs after a lifetime of smoking.
I’ve participated in cancer surgery and removed moles from a patient’s back.
I’ve visited a man whose been in the hospital for over 8 months, waiting for a heart transplant. Despite his predicament, he was in pretty good spirits, surprisingly.
I’ve given injections of saline to oranges. Despite my best efforts, the orange didn’t make it.
I’ve been told by multiple doctors that if I had any brains, I’d have gone into dentistry.
I’ve learned the difference between empathy and sympathy.
I’ve met plenty of people I would never want as my doctor.
I’ve got a touch of medical student syndrome (where when you become exposed to new diseases, you think you have them). My finger started hurting, so I diagnosed it with some sort of median nerve issue. Nope, it was just tendonitis caused by the anatomy dissection. That’s why you don’t want an M1 to do diagnoses.
Next semester, we actually work with patients. My preceptorship is at http://www.crossoverministry.org/. Should be interesting.
Before I started medical school, I heard that the other students studied 9 or more hours a day. I thought, I wouldn’t have to do that since I’m so much smarter than they are.
God, I was an idiot.
Medical school is like a cave of studying. The sheer volume of material that we get hit with is whelming. I feel like I go into my cave, then emerge hours late to see my wife and son for a bit. Then, I re-enter the cave.
In moments here and there, I’ve missed some of our friends from NH. To any of them who are reading this, we’ll be up around Christmastime. Give us a shout if you want to get together. (Brad & Jenny, Steve and Karen, Bob and Lauren, Mike and Val, Justin, Deb and Will, Diane & Dave, Evan and Carolyn (BTW, congrats to you two!)).
Exercise has pretty much gone out the window, though I manage to get a run in here and there. I’m on a three week break (THANK GOD), so I hope to get that party going again. I’m going hiking on Tuesday, so I’m excited about that.
Yesterday was our last anatomy exam before the break. I suppose I should be jubilant, but mostly, I’m just tired. Sometimes, I stop and wonder a) how I ended up here and b) why they let me in.
I had a good job that paid well and had every other Friday off, and I left it, moved my entire family, joined the military, and started med school.
I haven’t regretted it for a second.
05 Wednesday Dec 2012
Posted Med School
inTags
Blog Maintenance/Announcements, Breaks, Date Night, FCM, M1, MCV, Pulse, Romance
The Husband will no longer hold my hand. He tries to take my pulse instead.
Also, I’ve added a widget on the sidebar to count down to the next Med School break. Eight days to go!
18 Thursday Oct 2012
Posted Med School
inTags
Anatomy, Awkward!, Biochemistry, FCM, Genetics, Grades, Histology, M1, patient interviews, Physiology, Pop Medicine, Standardized Patients
Just settled into a routine and not much to report I guess.
The Husband has finished 3 classes now: Population Medicine, Biochemistry, and Genetics. Honors in the first two. Genetics is probably High Pass, but grades haven’t been posted yet, so it’s not definite.
And now it’s all Anatomy, all the time! Well, at least through Winter Break. Then it’s 2 more weeks of Anatomy, but with some Histology and Physiology thrown in for good measure.
And here’s a story for those of you patient enough to stick around the past month:
The Husband has started learning how to do patient interviews on Standardized Patients, who are actors pretending to be sick and then give feedback. Leaving the building one day, one of the SPs looked very familiar and they started talking. Finally they figured out they went to the same college and she graduated a year ahead, but still couldn’t figure out the overlap, since she was a completely different major. Until they realized she was the ex-wife of The Husband’s college friend and The Husband was a groomsman at their wedding. Awkward!