Typical Day

A day in the life of a medical student:

8 a.m.-10 a.m. Class - we watched a radiologist, surgeon, and GI internist approach the hypothetical case of a 57-year-old woman with a sudden onset of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Most students really enjoy these 'simulations' that allow them to watch experienced clinicians in action (mentally, that is).

10 a.m.-11 a.m. Class - a lecture on how to approach geriatric patients and how we all have misconceptions about the elderly.

12-1 p.m. Meeting for PedPALS, an informational session on pediatric palliative care for pediatric oncology patients. I have never really thought about how to approach children with terminal illnesses, and this session was very interesting and memorable.

2-3 p.m. Practice clinical session with Carson, a fellow medical student, in which we interview a standardized patient (SP) (a standardized patient is a paid actor/actress who is playing a role). The SP had an abdominal complaint and we performed an interview and directed physical exam. Then she gave us feedback on our performance, which is very helpful. Once, again, I forgot to screen for depression and abuse history during the patient interview, which are two items that I am trying to consciously include in my work-up after attending the domestic violence conference and failing to pick up on depression in a previous (real) patient.

Today was a relatively light day in terms of content and hours, but I still feel pretty unmotivated to study. :-p The weather in San Francisco is fabulous!