One year down, how many left to go?

Yesterday I finished my first year of med school. Whew! I think on the whole it was a bit harder than I expected going in, but I'm excited about progressing further into my medical career. I feel very relieved to be able to have some time to relax, especially since I won't be having any more summers off in the future.

Here's a brief overview of my summer plans:

Going to be a volunteer at a muscular dystrophy camp here in Virginia. This will be for one week next month and I will be a camp councilor for kids who suffer from this disease.

In July Melyn and I are going to the Florida Keys, Miami, and Orlando. We are going to scuba diving for sunken treasure and then search for the fountain of youth, just like in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie!

Before school starts again I will be participating in a psychiatric institute at VCU. This is a week-long program for med students that covers the various aspects of psychotherapy. Psychiatry and Neurology are my interests, so I'm doing a little of both this summer.

Well, I'm looking forward to having nothing to do on Monday! If you want to get a hold of me, there's never been a better time than now.

Preceptorship

As part of my medical school education I get to work along real live doctors during my first year. They call this a "preceptorship". I was assigned to work with a pediatrician in a clinic a couple miles from downtown. What this preceptorship entails is that once every other week during the Spring I go to the clinic for the afternoon and see patients and write up what they are there to see the doctor for. I ask the basic questions like "where does it hurt?" and "how long have you noticed it?". I also do basic physical examination stuff like listening to the lungs and heart, taking blood pressure, and checking eyes, ears and mouth.

What's a little unique about my preceptorship is that it's in a clinic where 90% of the patients are hispanic. This means that a lot of the parents bringing their children in to see the doctor speak only a little English and not very well. This is great because I speak only a little Spanish and not very well. Time to start brushing up on the espanol! Because I served my mission in Brazil, I have a lot of experience speaking Portuguese, which is closely related to Spanish. I also took 3 years of Spanish during high school, though most of it went in one ear and out the other. So now I have a real opportunity to build up my conversational Spanish skills. As extra practice, I signed up for a medical spanish elective at school that meets once for week for about 6 weeks. I need to get my Spanish going real fast though, because until I'm fairly fluent I won't be much use to the doctor.

In fact in my first two visits I mostly followed the doctor around. I can understand a good 90% of what people say, but speaking back is harder. I do see whatever English-speaking patients he has on my own (one so far) and that was a cool experience to do actual doctorly things with real people. So far it's been a lot of check-ups, runny noses, coughing and vomiting (not in the clinic on that last one, thankfully).

The doctor I'm working with is very experienced, in fact, he's set to retire this Summer. He did a summer internship at Primary Children's way back when he was in med school, so he already knew quite a bit about Utah even though he went to school in Arizona.

Hopefully in the coming weeks I'll be able to talk about more about this experience as it develops.

I Have a Hobby

My life is so interesting, I know. I study during the day (and at night) and on the weekends, too. But I also get to spend precious moments with my wife. I've since been looking for new things to fill up my time, especially now that Melyn spends most nights working. Rather than just "fill" my time, I've been wanting a project I could continue throughout the year. The problem is, fun and interesting projects cost money, like restoring cars or flying airplanes. Those don't come cheap. So I've been wanting a cheap-er project that would also be useful for my education. Like building a computer.

I've been wanting a new computer for a while. My family seems to think I'm always wanting a new computer, and in some ways that's true. One of the downsides of buying a computer at a store is that they can never make it exactly the way I want it. Plus, store-bought computers are generally hard to upgrade, so they have a habit of staying "old". That's where building a computer comes in. The problem is I've never built a computer nor do I have any formal computer training. And I come from a family of Mac users, so they're probably wondering why on Earth I want a PC anyways. But I've learned that building a computer isn't incredibly difficult, it's sort of like putting together a Lego set. Sort of.

Melyn has posted a bunch of recipes, and I'm going to post my own: How to build a computer.

A CPU (This is the processor, or rather, the part that does all the thinking)

A few RAM modules (this is the memory, it stores the programs that you are running)

A Video Card ( this is what translates everything into an image on your computer screen)

A Hard Drive (this is long term storage for your documents, files, and programs)

A DVD/CD drive

A Power supply (as its name implies, it supplies power to your PC.)

A Motherboard (very important, this is where all the different components above plug into)

A Case to fit everything inside

Lastly, the Operating System (Windows) to run all your programs

And a few other odds and ends, like a internal fan to keep things from over-heating.

Another nice thing about building a PC from scratch is that I could salvage all the parts from my old computer that still worked fine, like the hard drive and DVD drive. Another way to keep costs down. So, after doing a bunch of research, I ordered the rest of the parts I wanted and started puting things together.

After several hours of putting things together, I realized that one of the parts I ordered was wrong: The Power Supply didn't have all the connections I needed. I was very heartbroken. My only option was to ship it back and order a different one (and wait a few more days in the mean time). Unfortunately, most of these parts can really only be found online, not at your local Wal-Mart. Well, after a few more days of waiting, I got the last part connected and here was the result:

"What is that." The computer here looks unusual because I chose a clear acrylic case to put all the parts inside. I thought it looked cool, plus when I see all the mess of wires and junk inside I can say "I built that!". The last part was scary: Turning it on for the first time. When you spend this much time and money on a Lego set like this, you kind of want it to work. Well, i hit the power switch, and waited for something to appear on the computer monitor. Nothing did. I looked at the motherboard and it shows a flashing red light. Not a good sign. The red light indicates something is wrong, but it won't tell you what exactly is the problem. The next part was a lot of trial and error. To make a long story short, it turns out I hadn't jammed the RAM modules all the way into the right sockets. After I solved that problem the computer come online for the first time and I was able to install the software. And then I had a fully functional computer

But this isn't a one week project. There's still lots of fiddling around with the computer I can do, you know, to make it go faster and stuff. But that's the story so far. I spared you lots of the details.

Welcome 2011!

It's been a great year already! I've made my new year's resolutions and I'm excited. I love setting goals and seeing what it's possible to achieve. My inspiration for setting goals and making them are here and here and here!!

We've been going to Gold's Gym a lot - and I did the yoga class today and it was so good. I LOVE yoga! Jordan's been doing a lot of running, something he hasn't really been able to do since we moved because of the humidity and then the cold. I love going to the cardio cinema and watching a bit of some great movies.

I've set up a plan to learn new pieces in the piano AND to learn the organ. I plan on learning a new piece in each instrument every two months. I'm also going strong again in the Richmond Mormon Chorale, and we have a performance in three weeks!

That's just a couple of my goals. Jordan says he didn't make any new goals, but I know that he wants to get honors in his classes. He's begun embryology, physiology, and histology!

I'm going to start browsing for new jobs and applying only to jobs I REALLY want. Like psych or oncology jobs. So far, none are really available. There was this sweet promotion put on by Bon Secours that if you applied between January and March and got hired, you would get sent on a vacation of your dreams or given $3,000. I was so excited...and then found out that you have to have two years experience! Boo!

Oh, and I just finished reading "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. It is SO good! I loved it - it's the same kind of genre as "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen, one of my other favorites. So if you're looking for a good book, read it :) I'm now reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, an American classic.

That's all for now folks!

At least we don't have snow

Believe it or not, things have been pretty good for Melyn and me. I'm going down the career of my dreams and Melyn is a working nurse. Although things do sound pretty tough lately, more so for Melyn than me. As Melyn has mentioned in her previous post, her new job has been quite an adrenaline rush. It's super busy and a rehab care facility is a much different working environment from a hospital which she is used to. Still, I'm super proud of the work she's doing and I know she's the best nurse in the world. Plus, we finally have a real source of income for the first time in our marriage (yay!). I've been trying to help out more around the house to compensate for her being at home less. In other words, I'm cleaning up after myself more.

As for me, I've been really enjoying school, but I just wish I was smarter. The hardest transition to medical school from college is the fact that you can no longer coast to get by... ever. You are in a large group of students who are way smarter than you and it feels like a struggle to keep my head above water at times. The hard part isn't getting a passing grade on an exam, but rather performing favorably compared to my peers. The fact is, the classes we have now are just preparation for the boards we will take at the end of second year. When you apply for residency positions, the score you got on your first board exam will be the largest factor (usually) that they take into consideration. And so if you score below the national average, then your chances at getting the residency you want don't look so good. And so, I'm working really hard to perform well now so I can perform well when I take the boards.

Right now I'm taking gross anatomy. This course is known at my school for being the first real challenge for medical students. The hardest part is simply memorizing every little muscle, nerve, and artery in the body. I feel like my brain hasn't been absorbing very well all the names and details I'm throwing at it while I'm studying. My first anatomy exam is in two parts, one on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday. The first part is called the practical. This is where they have each cadaver marked with a few points and you have to name the muscle, nerve, etc that the marker is pointing at. The second part is the written exam, which is simply a list of questions that you have to answer regarding gross anatomy. I'm not putting too much detail into describing all this information, but really I'm just writing to take a break from studying.

Also, I've been biking to school. We live about 7 miles from the medical campus and it takes me about 30 minutes to get there from our house. We're limited to one car, so me taking the bike allows Melyn to drive to work and do whatever errands needed to be done (like shopping for groceries). To me, the real advantage in riding a bike is that it's basically free. I don't have to pay for parking, yearly registration, insurance, gas, repairs, and the inevitable parking/speeding ticket. All those reasons are why I hate owning a car. Plus, in the rare event that my bike gets stolen, it simply means I'm going to be browsing the yard sales for another $20 bike. I'm also considering getting a scooter, at some point in the future when we've put a decent amount into our savings. Sometimes it feels just too cold or rainy to bike, so having something motorized would be nice. With the laws here in Richmond, I don't need a motorcycle license or insurance to drive a scooter (as long as it's a scooter that doesn't go faster than 35 mph, which is fast enough for the route I usually take to school). And I can park it next to where all the bikes are which means I don't need an expensive student parking pass ($120 a semester). I will have to pay for gas, but at 90 miles to the gallon, they are quite efficient. This, however, is all just a dream of mine. We really won't have any money to spend on such a luxury for a good long time, but it keeps me motivated.

Although biking has been pretty good, today I had my first crash. Coming home, I was riding a little to close to the outside of the lane and I hit my right handlebar right smack on a parked car's side door mirror. I crashed and burned pretty bad (lots of cuts on my palms and shoulder) and banged up the front wheel. The wheel now runs a little crooked. With this happening and also the stress of a major test that I don't feel ready for; it hasn't been a good day. But when things are real bad, I remind myself "it's snowing in Salt Lake right now. I'm so lucky to be here."

I love you all, thank you for reading. Sorry for the spelling and grammatical errors, I'm too lazy to proofread. Also, please comment on Melyn's entries when she blogs, she feels like no one reads them.

October

Well, not much has been happening here in the past couple weeks. Jordan has begun his anatomy course and is working with a small group on a fresh cadaver, dissecting it and learning all the different parts of the body. He enjoys it, but complains that the fat that they have to cut out is very greasy and slimy. Yum. :)

I've gotten my official work schedule and I work 40 hours a week, 5 days a week. It's been a good learning experience. I had 5 days of orientation and now I'm working by myself. To be totally honest...I am not truly enjoying working at this place. The patients see me as a "pill-pusher," which is really sad. As a nurse, you do SO much more than give medications. The problem with working with over 20 patients is that half of your shift, literally, is spent giving medications. Then you have to complete tons and tons of paperwork for everyone. It's very frustrating and really a lesson in time management and multi-tasking. I hate multi-tasking, because I always feel like I'm missing something. In addition to all the paperwork and medication passing, I need to keep track of the work of 5 CNA's, and they don't really communicate what's going on. A few are decent, but below standard work is so frustrating. I can't stop dreaming about work and Jordan has witnessed me sleep-walking and sleep-talking about stuff I've forgotten to do at work. It's exhausting! This is really why I haven't written a post for a couple weeks, because I don't really have anything good to say about work.

I've committed myself to work there for at least a year, and then I'll start looking for a job in a hospital environment. They'll for sure hire me after I've worked somewhere for a year.

We haven't decorated for Halloween, but I'm going to decorate for Thanksgiving. Our finances have been extremely tight. Imagine two poor college students living on nothing anyway, moving across the country, and living on meager savings for 2 months while paying exorbitant amounts of college tuition and trying to find a job. Not a pretty picture. Things will be tight for a couple more months, but then we'll be ok.

Since Jordan is going to school in the mornings, and I'm working in the evenings, we don't really see each other except for the days I have off. And even then, Jordan sometimes has school in the afternoons. Jordan suggested that we have "Family Home Afternoon" instead of FHE :) He also suggested that we have our meals Brazilian style, where the biggest meal is lunch, not dinner. On the days he gets out of class early, we'll have a big lunch and then I'll go to school. I loved his suggestions!

We've been trying to find a way to come out to Utah for a weekend in December. We'll keep you posted, but since the only weekend both of us have off is the weekend of Christmas, it may not happen. I might be able to switch weekends with the previous week though. We're crossing our fingers, because we want to see everyone. We miss you all so much and love you!

Job Hunting, Jump Start Med School, and Orientation

There are basically three hospitals that I would love to work at.

1. St. Mary's Hospital. It holds Magnet status, which essentially means it's an amazing place to work at. (There are only 3 Magnet hospitals in Utah, all IHC and in Provo, American Fork, and Orem.) Plus, it's only 1.5 miles away from my house, which means I could bike and Jordan could then drive to school. Or I could take the bus or walk if I was in a pinch. Plus it's so quaint looking :) The only downside is that they've rejected me from all but five jobs, but since I got my VA nursing license, that should change.

2. Henrico Doctor's Hospital. This is also about 1.5 miles away from us. Apparently, after talking to lots of locals, this is a great hospital.

3. VCU Medical Center. Oh how I would love to work here! First of all, it's literally across the street from Jordan's school. Jordan will be having clinical work and seeing patients here. Plus they are considering me for a New Grad Program in psych, which I love, and which would give me guaranteed employment for at least six months. Plus then Jordan and I could drive together whenever I work and he has school. It's only a 15 minute-ish drive.

On to other things. Jordan attended a Jump Start Medical School for the week of August 2. It was comprised of an introduction to how med school functions as well as a biochemistry class, which Jordan has already taken, so it was easy. They also had a ton of club introductions, and lots of free food. Yay!

The week of August 9, Jordan attended orientation for med school. He thought the majority of it was a waste of time, but that's ok. They mainly talked every day for hours about how to study and not be a failure in life. He's confident that he isn't a failure, and I am too :) This was also the week that Jordan's parents came into town to see us! More on all our adventures later. They were mainly here for Jordan's White Coat Ceremony, which is basically where they are given their white coats they will wear to clinical rotations and where they take the Hippocratic Oath.

Walking in with all the students

Wendy, Jordan, and Jim

Me and Jordan

I tried to upload videos of Jordan getting his white coat on and taking the Hippocratic Oath, but Blogger is being stupid. I'm sorry!