Everyday I'm Shuffling - a day in the life of test week

We're in the midst of test week. For those of you who don't know, how med school at MUSC works is - we have about 4 weeks of class followed by a whole week of nothing but studying. That's test week. It sounds great, but in real life it's incredibly stressful and crazy. To give you an idea - I'm usually home and asleep with my wonderful wife around 9 or 10 PM. This past week I've been at the library past 11 PM, twice. And I'm not even close to the craziest study week studiers. I swear it's the most anxiety-provoking thing they could have come up with. Anyways, here's what the library looks like at 10 PM on a Monday night of test week. Hope you enjoy. PS - bonus points to anyone who knows all the empty carrels. 

still has coffee

just saw these two come back with
something called Full Throttle

happiest person here, must be the triscuits

study fort

not sure if awake

claiming islands

staying warm

doing it right

sad and alone

together and laughing

like a model

#lmc

my thoughts exactly

OK quick quiz - how many people had Beats?

see you on the other side, 

from ken

enjoy sidenote in 140 characters or less @kensidenotelife.

Everyday I'm shufflin - photo running diary

Please forgive me for the poor quality of photos. This is an experiment. Let me know if you like it. In twitter/instagram style. 

4:55 AM - Wake Up

4:55 AM - Arrive studying cave/craft room/storage.

4:57 AM - Commence Anki. 

6:07 AM - Make breakfast. The only chore I still do. #greatwife

6:30 AM - Car pool arrives.  Depart MUSC.
Still dark. #smh

6:46 AM - Morning routine. Maintain mental sanity. 

8:03 AM - Second breakfast + caffeine fix #1.

9:05 AM - I don't always come to class, but when I do
it's for a professor that controls $2.5 million in research grants.

9:47 AM - Watching video about monkeys controlling robot arms with their brains. They are developing it to allow quadriplegics to kick the opener of the 2014 World Cup. Wow, I love science. 

11:07 AM - Med students practicing for a comedy sketch.
Keais doling out wisdom on comedy. Regular life.

12:17 PM - Med students skit lead by Keais - Faculty Comedy Sketch. 

12:47 PM - Free lunch. Cobb salad. Pretty salty. Still, can't beat free.

1:03 PM - Caffeine fix #2.

2:25 PM - Enter anatomy lab. #thingsIhate

4:05 PM - Finally leaving anatomy lab. #WeR1

4:11 PM - ?

4:13 PM - Back in the libs.

4:21 PM - Following #prayforboston news on facebook.
In this day and age social media CANNOT be underestimated. 

5:02 PM - MD/PhD seminar, free dinner. What a day.

6:12 PM - Running across 17, fearing for life, thrill of the day.
#yolo

6:21 PM - Ride home. Thanks Kate!

6:34 PM - Ken does the dishes. Big day. Pats self on back. 

6:40 PM - Beer, because at some point you have to stop drinking coffee. 

see you on the other side,

from ken

enjoy sidenote in 140 characters or less @kensidenotelife.

Everyday I'm Shufflin #6 - anatomy practical day running diary

#6

3/12/13 Tuesday

5383, wow

6:00 AM: Alarm goes off. 

6:02 AM: 5 push ups. 

6:35 AM: Depart for MUSC.

6:52 AM: Arrive at gym. Elliptical while listening to "This American Life." They are playing Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E." in the background while talking about prohibiting lap dancing in Tampa. The topic was Rosa Parks. I bet Ira Glass has a good life. Fun facts about Ira - is a staunch atheist and his college major was semiotics. 

7:51 AM: Arrive at library. Check fantasy basketball team - "Linsane in the Membrane." Realize I forgot to set my lineups. Test week. [shakes head]

8:05 AM: Start Anki flash cards. 

8:27 AM: This flash card comes up: When is the villous stage? 

What the f..? I hate placenta. 

9:02 AM: Finish flash cards. Post on blog. 

9:30 AM: Reread placenta lectures. Still doesn't make sense. 8 months into med school and I still don't understand amnion and yolk sac folding. 

10:40 AM: Where is BPH? The middle or the transition zone? Oh, it's the same. Different lectures just call it different things. Thanks.

10:47 AM: Need break.. First lunch. Overhear conversations about anatomy practical. I keep hearing things I don't know. Could be a bad sign. Not sure yet.

12:19 PM: Library push ups. Too many people that the regular 4th floor overlook spot is overflowing. Expand to floor 3.5. Epic. Only during test week. 

12:30 PM: Pre-practical coffee break. 

Keith: What's your TPP? (tough pin predictions)

My pick was puboprostatic ligament. 

Someone had the half-baked idea to ask every person their TPP so we could have a comprehensive list of every possible hard pin. It made perfect sense at the time, except the time might be better spent scanning through the anatomy class notes. Everything that could be pinned is in there.. right?

1:00 PM: Practical begins. I hope ganglion impars is pinned. 

tunica albuginea

1:07 PM: Pretty sure that's a vagina, but it could definitely be a rectum.

1:45 PM: Leaving the practical. Took the stairs for the first time. 6 floors is long. Following the guy in front of me in a daze. What just happened? All I remember is a lot of obturating. 

1:48 PM: Back in the locker room. Everyone complaining about this and that pin. ..I really don't want to hear about the ten questions I just missed. Can't we just forget about it and move on? Is this what happens in the girls locker room?

2:15 PM: I hate studying after the practical. Instead, with Sudeep - en route to Bojangles.

2:21 PM: mmm. Fried chicken biscuit. 

2:58 PM: Now at Walmart. Looking at Easter Candy selection. mmm. Jolly Rancher jelly beans. 

3:28 PM: Heading back to campus, but it's not 4:30 yet so we can't park in the close lot. Still need to kill time. Guess we should go for a romantic walk at Colonial Lake.

3:30 - 4:30 PM: Did about 5 or 6 laps around Colonial Lake, breaking down life with Sudeep. If I was a girl I would definitely date Sudeep.

5:07 PM: Finally back at the library. I feel guilty, like I need to do some studying. It is test week. 

5:09 PM: Sitting around with four pissed off students complaining about the practical. I should really study.. Fighting urge to study for honors. Although.. if we're going to sit around and do nothing, we might as well drink beer. 

5:23 PM: Sitting around with four pissed off students complaining about the practical. While drinking beers at Fuel. Great post-practical tradition. I mean, you aren't getting anything done after the practical anyways. 

6:45 PM: Back at home. Hanging out with wife friend. Loving UG block - taking procrastinating to the max. 

See you on the other side,

from ken

enjoy sidenote in 140 characters or less @kensidenotelife.

everyday I'm shufflin #5: clinical breast exam

 #5

These past two weeks we've had to learn the breast exam. I'd say this is the first block we've started to encounter awkward clinical situations like taking a sexual history, saying the word orgasm in a patient interview, conducting clinical exam of the breasts. sidenote - I dare you to say orgasm ten times fast without laughing. Anyways, thought this might deserve a running diary. 

--

10:00 AM: I should probably learn how to do a breast exam before I have to do it on the standardized patient. 

lawnmowing

10:01 AM: Just googled breast exam.

10:02 AM: Regoogled clinical breast exam.

10:10 AM: Watched a breast exam on youtube. That was awkward. Is that appropriate for youtube?

Should it be awkward? Should it feel normal? No, I'm pretty sure it should feel awkward. Why is anything related to sex so uncomfortable to talk about? Think about it, when's the last time you talked about sex with anyone? Even with people you have sex with?

1:30 PM: Staring at pictures of placenta. I hate the placenta. I wish I knew what a chorion was. Every day I study embryo I move farther from a potential career in the NICU. 

3:15 PM: Pelvic exam training at the simulation center. Shove fingers into rubber vagina. This seems brutal. I can't imagine doing this on an actual woman. "Howdy ma'am, let me just cram my gloved fingers up your vagina."

4:40 PM: Dean's reception. Tons of free food. Tons of med students flocking there. Best food - chicken fingers and artichoke dip. Observing some flirting going on. sidenote - I wonder how many intermedschool couples we'll have?

4:55 PM: Only rumors I've heard about the breast exam. Not as long as scheduled. Not that bad. 

5:10 PM: Arrive for breast exam. Hope I get a dude.

5:15 PM: Everyone is super chatty before we split up to go to the exam rooms. Overcompensating for being nervous?

shoutout

5:25 PM: Break into individual groups and walk over to rooms. 

5:26 PM: Our preceptor is sick and not happy about it. She does not want to be there. Our standardized patient is in good spirits though, and she's joking around with us. Apparently, she's the infamous standardized patient who was told her breasts are "not remarkable" by a student last year. Not pleased. 

5:30 PM: After the preceptor runs us through the breast exam she asks who's going first. Greeted with silence. 

5:32 PM: First student goes. To no one's surprise, it's a woman. Guys are too nervous. 

5:43 PM: Guess I'll go next.. Ken: I'm just going to inspect your breasts.

Patient: Don't use the word inspect, it sounds too sharp.

Ken: Yeah sure, sorry about that.

sharp

5:45 PM: Ken to patient: Can I ask you to move your gown so I can inspect your breasts? 

Ken to self: every damn time..  

5:47 PM: [touches breast] That wasn't so bad. Pretty much like touching any other tissue. Talking about breasts is by far the most awkward part.

5:53 PM: Next student goes. He'd actually seen this standardized patient last week in small group when we took sexual histories, which lead to this conversation:

Patient: Oh I remember you you're the student who helped me with my sex problems.

Student: Oh right, hope you're orgasming well.

Patient: Yep, it was fixed in a week. Thanks for your help.

Student: I do what I can. 

Doctor patient relationship, violated. 

6:07 PM: Student: So what words should we not use?

Patient: When you're observing the breasts, don't say "sag" or "droop." Especially with older women. "Feel" is also awkward. Just use examine. 

must have been epic

Talking about breasts is awkward. I feel like there's a half-baked idea here. We should be trained in talking better. Especially good for introverts. 

6:18 PM: Guys in peanut gallery whispering inappropriate breast jokes. Woman student not laughing. 

6:32 PM: Last guy finishes up his exam: "Ok, I'm going to go over and tell your doctor that nothing looks remarkable here." 

6:40 PM: Leaving. Not as bad as everyone thought.  

See you on the other side,

from ken

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