November 2011

I've been feeling kind of guilty about not writing any posts for about a month, so I figure I'll just write a brief update on my life since my last post (late October).

Let's see... a lot of what I've been doing has been the same old stuff: class, studying, sleeping and hanging out with friends. Some weeks are more sleep-deprived than others but it's all pretty standard. Right before Thanksgiving was our 3rd round of tests, consisting of arm/leg anatomy, microbiology (bacteria/parasites/fungi), and immunology. The anatomy exam was actually really fun, as the custom at Penn is to dress up in costume for the practical exam and participate in a costume competition. Our team dressed up as the Addams family, and even won a bottle of wine! In terms of grades, I passed (yet again), and afterwards got a much needed break home for Thanksgiving. It was really nice to see the family and my high school friends, and also pretty funny to see how people react to me being in medical school. Though I have learned a lot since starting school, I really don't yet know much about practical medicine and I found it quite hilarious that people kept asking me about their medical problems. They simply don't know what we do here (you wouldn't unless you're actually participating), so it's absolutely understandable that they expect me to give medical advice. I just tell them that I don't know anything, but I'd be happy to give liability-free advice, given that I am not licensed to treat anybody yet.

Anyway, November's been a great month. In addition to just baseline med school survival, I have done things like the 'Watch-a-birth' program, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) emergency dept. shadowing, playing frisbee when it's warm, and hosting interviewees. I absolutely love the opportunities I get to go into the hospital. Watch-a-birth was awesome, as I've never seen a live birth before. I actually got really lucky because there was a lady ready to 'pop' right when I arrived, and I witnessed the birth within an hour of arriving to the floor. (I've heard from other people that you can be around for hours.) The baby was extremely healthy, and it was so nice to see a family form right in front of my eyes. The CHOP ED shadowing experience was also really cool. I was paired with a resident physician, and I got to follow him and talk with him as we went around seeing patients. Unfortunately, nothing too crazy came in that night (except for a trauma patient who was hit by a car, which was a wild sight), but at least the resident (Dr. Bui) was really nice and interested in teaching me things. As far as hosting interviewees goes, each one is a cool experience and it's cool to see people in the situation I was in last year. Their excitement and fervor is equal parts hilarious and heart-warming.

So, that's all that I can think of for November right now. I'm pretty content. The only thing I feel somewhat pressured about is finding a job for the coming summer. I have decided that I want to do research/shadowing with a surgical faculty member. I've sent out a number of emails and hopefully one of them comes through before I leave for winter break in a little less than 3 weeks. Here's hoping!

Mark