Third Year Orientation

Orientation for the third year of medical has drawn to a close. The thing that I thought was going to be a big deal turned out to be not such a big deal at all, that is, the ACLS training. Seriously - would you expect someone who has had three days of training to lead a Cardiac Life Support Team? Of course not - this is but training for the rest of our careers as health care providers, and we've got to start somewhere.

ACLS Fun Facts:

1. Apparently, we don't get to inject drugs directly into the myocardium anymore. So, those of us who want to re-enact one of the most famous scenes from Quentin Tarentino's Pulp Fiction, the one where Eric Stoltz rams a syringe into Uma Thurman's chest, are SOL.
2. Did you know that Viagra (Sildenafil) has shown promise as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension? Viagra can cause dilation of pulmonary blood vessels, reducing blood pressure.
3. Did you know that Viagra may be prescribed for children with pulmonary arterial hypertension?
   

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We also got to play dress up:

This is Greg, a fellow MuD/PhuD, who is sporting the latest craze in tuberculosis (TB) mask fitting technology. Here we are trained to properly sport these fashionable TB masks. The hood is worn to test the fit - a saccharine solution is sprayed into the hood and if we can taste it, then the mask isn't fitting properly. If Greg were to wear a poorly fitted mask into a TB patient's room, he could easily be exposed to the airborne TB particle. We wouldn't wish that on Greg, right? Right?

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Phlebotomy Training

Our first needle sticks were performed on these fake rubber arms. The obvious advantage to this is that we practice what to do with our hands on a subject that won't scream or recoil in pain.

Sticking a classmate or being stuck by a classmate was optional (when did medical school become so wimpy?) Here's me probing my friend John's arm for a decent vein:

So, my first catheter insertion went pretty well. At first, John's veins were easy to see, but once I wiped down the area with alcohol, the vein submerged, I SWEAR. John's only complaint was that once I punctured his skin, I hesitated a little, causing some discomfort. I certainly had to go deeper with the needle than I expected, before I saw the flash of blood appear around the base of the needle.

I returned the favor for John:

A successful catheterization by John. Again, there was no screaming nor any blood spurting. Oh, well - there's always next time.

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What's playing now: A Night in Tunisia, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

Recommended by my high school friend Deej, the same guy who recommended ELP's rendition of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. I think we both agree that A Night in Tunisia is the more solid work.