GRE vs ACRP

Back in October I briefly talked about studying for the GRE. Yeah, that hasn't happened. I'm still vacillating between studying for the GRE or for the ACRP exam. Eh, I'm young I've got time.

Eat your heart out Martha

I found accent pillows for my bedroom, that also tie in with the bathroom colors. Who knew I could get so excited about pillows?

I really like the tree and how the orange ties in with the other pillows.

Bathroom towels

It's off to work we go

In the clinical world I have been keeping busy with multiple studies and have taken (been given) the responsibility of writing and rewriting job aids. I've also been given the go-ahead to cross train on phlebotomy; something I'm very excited about. I've been a pin cushion for nurses and other phlebotomists recently and have been wrapped up to my eyes in a rainbow of colors of Coban. Fortunately, arms were ordered so I will no longer have to endure anymore sticks. This past week, I was allowed to observe a muscle biopsy. To some, this is nothing more than routine, but for others, myself included, its something you don't get to see everyday. There is also some juggling of resources going on at work. People are being transferred in and out and there will definitely be changes. Expect a post about it later.

No Matches

"Let us leave this depressing foundation; for we have much to do and less time to do it in."

-Robin Hood Men in Tights

Side note: The above is one of my favorite lines from this movie. If you ever need a laughing fit, I highly suggest watching Robin Hood Men in Tights. Now for the intended purpose of this post...

My sister-in-law made an account for me at eHarmony. I reluctantly answered the questions of my 29 dimensions as she sat beside me. Every few seconds she would chime in, "I wouldn't have put that for you." Or the ever subtle "mm, hunh, yeah, that sounds right." After I submitted my answers, s-i-l says all too enthusiastically, "Let's see who you matched with!" I, knowing full well that there wouldn't be any matches .02 seconds after I submitted my answers, clicked on the match tab and when the page came up with "You currently have no matches", I wasn't surprised. My s-i-l however casually mentioned that I may want to go back and change a few of my answers so that I would match with at least one person. The next day though I had 18 matches. Currently, they are sitting unread in a folder marked eHarmony. I'm saving them for a rainy day.

The Land of Frustration

Today was the first day that I was beyond my realm of workload capacity. Maybe it was because I was the only one in the lab today or because I was working with a computer system that I'm only semi-confident with or because two studies were happening at the same time or if the combination of it all threw me for a new one.

I found myself standing at the lab bench not able to move while my mind was racing at 100mph. I wanted so badly to throw in the towel and to walk away from it all, to leave it for someone else. I felt trapped between a rock and a hard plate, not knowing which way to turn and asking myself if I was really cut to to be doing what I loved. In the span of 15 minutes I had forgotten how to prioritize, process, and manage multiple projects.

After it was all over I walked through the lab checking, double checking, and triple checking all the while knowing that I did the best I could. I suppose some part of me wanted to find some absurdities or a mistake and correct it right then. I simply wasn't satisfied.

Now I know that experience is not something that can be taught. It must be tried over and over again that it is so comfortable that it becomes uncomfortable. Only then can the wisdom be passed on.

Things that go bump in the night

Yeah, so my first overnight stay at work went fairly well. Since I didn't have any prior experiences, I suppose that this wasn't a bad start. I went to the lab and settled in for the night; not a whole lot to do until 2am. I busied myself with some housekeeping tasks and listened to music, checked e-mail , etc, etc. I brought a snack. Wheat Thins with cheese, granola bars, yogurt, and a lot of water. All I was missing was a glass of wine and some live music.

Two minutes before study activity started a security guard knocks on the door and tells me that the head nurse was trying to get a hold of me. I go downstairs to find this nurse whom I've never met before and we exchange pleasantries and she tells me that she didn't page me because she didn't know if I was asleep or not. Um, okay, you don't page me but you send a guard for me? Whatever floats your boat. I go back upstairs only to find that the pneumatic tube system is not working. Now I have to go down two flights of stairs every 10 minutes for 1 hour in order to process the samples on time. After all said and done I sleep for an hour and wake up cold. It's about 4:30am now and I grab a snickers, ok a king size snickers and for the next 72hrs. I feel like crap. I end up leaving at 10am. Three hours later than what I had originally planned for. I sleep at home for 4 hours. It would have been more, but the neighbor kids feel the need to scream and run around outside.
The next time I have to work in the wee hours of the morning I 'll remember not to eat a king size snickers for breakfast.

Hiatus

This is my 3rd draft. I'm trying to be witty and write interesting thoughts from last night, but my brain will not allow me. Better luck tomorrow. In the mean time, here's something pretty to look at.

(Inner monologue): I wish you were here.

Me: I wish I was there too.

1st Over-nighter

Tonight is my first overnight shift at work. I've been pretty excited about it up until now. Now I'm just partial to the whole idea of it all. If anyone is still up from 2200-0100 or 0330-0730 and you're feeling benevolent I could probably use a Red Bull by then, or coffee. I'll update tomorrow...if I make it.

In Spite of Nancy, But Because of Norm

We knew as we walked down the hall and saw the nurse’s smirk and nod, we were in for it. Dr. T’s reaction was immediate. His shoulders sank only momentarily then it was back to business. “Here we go,” he said right before we entered the room. Her dime store perfume, applied liberally that morning engulfed the exam room. I don’t think we got both feet fully through the door before she started. Norm, her timid and weary husband, didn’t even make the attempt to describe his symptoms. Nancy had it covered for him. The list she pulled out of her pocketbook rolled onto the floor like a child’s Christmas list. As she rounded out her litany of Norm’s complaints, I swear I may have briefly nodded off. It’s doubtful that Dr. T actually heard every word she said, however, every time I glanced his way, I would swear he was as attuned as if he were watching Woods teeing for the last hole in the Masters. When the break came, the moment she stopped reciting and waited for feedback, he did it. He identified the key ailments, linked them together into a diagnosis and recommended a course of treatment. He didn’t miss a beat. He was even able to tactfully dissuade her from the prescription painkillers she so adamantly demanded for Norm and steer him toward a course of nonmedicated pain management. We left the room, never having heard Norm utter a sound. As we got into the hallway and I was able to breath the fresh air and reflect, what had transpired actually hit me. I was just witness to the worst and the best of what medicine and patient care can mean. And I saw it handled by a master.

I spent the last semester** in a mentorship program with Dr. T at [Medical Center]. I saw my future and I am more committed to it than ever. Shadowing Dr. T showed everything I love about medicine. I’m inspired by the ability to restore a sense of normalcy to a life that has been shattered by injury or disease. I relish the challenge to pull together seemingly unrelated complaints and devise a diagnosis and treatment. The problem-solving aspect of the career excites me. Formulating the why’s, what’s and wherefore’s of an injury requires knowledge of human anatomy and medicine and an understanding of the scientific approach. The sureties of it, that there is a physiological answer out there somewhere, if you can only find the right pieces and put them together. That’s what I enjoy. Despite my love of the academics and research aspects of medicine, the patient impact is what inspires me. I know from my experience that I would never want to be solely a research doctor toiling away in a laboratory. I love the kinesthetics, getting patients to learn through a hands-on approach and take part in their own care. I did experience that patient care can be challenging, but even at its worst – with Nancy and Norm – it is the best part of medicine.

Dr. T inspired me with his ability to bring patience, humor and balance to medicine. I had a picture in my mind of a doctor -- a drab, scientific, coarse individual without the ability to see beyond dusty medical books and charts, to see the person beyond the patient. Dr. T broke the mold. He is funny. He is fun. He has a life. He has a family. He has hobbies. He didn’t have to give up his life for his love of medicine. He is one person, not two separate individuals split by a career and a life.

The semester I spent at [Medical Center] opened a window on the world of medicine for me. It is everything I thought it would be and so much more that I never could have imagined.

Thanks Dr. T!


*all names have been changed
**read:6yrs ago

A New Year

That is all.