Economic Stimulus Plan: An AMA Point of View

Apparently the American Medical Association has weighed in on the new economic stimulus package....

The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception. Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, 'Oh, Grow up!'

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing. The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the a**holes in Washington.

See For Yourself!!!

My blogger has been messed up for a while. Or, should I say, I might have messed it up myself! Regardless, I haven't been getting emailed when people leave comments on my blog. Thank you for those of you who check up on me and have left kind comments! I appreciate your support and enjoyed finally reading those comments tonight! I think I have the settings changed and hopefully will receive notification a little sooner in the future!

While my comments were messed up, some of you stumbled upon "D.O. vs M.D." Congratulations - some of you have now become COMPLETE IDIOTS in my mind...not deserving the white coat you are gloriously sporting around.

I'd like to introduce you, kind readers, to Idiots 1, 2, and 3 in the comment section of this infamous blog.


And I quote:

Idiot 1 says: I am a clinician, and DOs spent their time manipulating while MDs learned how to treat the patient properly. DOs do not know what they are doing.
12:50 AM, September 13, 2008

Idiot 2 says: i have no confidence in d o s. They are mostly poorly qualified undergrads or professionals that want to be doctors. This is their only path.
12:39 PM, November 14, 2008

Idiot 3 says: DOs seem to be called second rate Doctors. They are wannabe MDs. I would have my health checked with a MD rather than a a glorified DO who wants to be called an MD. MDs are more skilled, properly trained and have excelled in School/Residency. It is clear that you get into MD program because you have done well in School. I can sleep better knowing well that an MD is taking care of me.
3:52 AM, November 16, 2008

It is quite clear why D.O.'s have such an uphill battle when there are people out there who truly believe the above comments. I have one word: KARMA. Someday, you will get sick. Someday, the doctor who comes into your room to take care of you may have the letters D.O. behind their name. Someday, one of your family members will be treated by a D.O. in the emergency room (maybe me!). Someday, you will feel like the idiot you are for writing these comments.

I have NEVER spoken negatively about M.D.'s. Go ahead and read every single one of my blogs and you will see this. Like I have said in multiple posts, there are good doctors and bad doctors...regardless of their distinction. The above comments are what I would like to call "bad doctors". The sort of people who are on their high horse and loving every minute.

If you 100% want to stand behind the comments you are making, why post the comments anonymously? Take ownership for your beliefs. Let my readers see the kind of comments that are thrown at D.O.s every single day.

We are definitely the underdogs...yes we are. But guess what? That is the position I'd love to be every single day!

If you are a pre-med student applying to medical school, GOOD LUCK!!! Whether you choose D.O. vs M.D. is up to you. Make the choice that is right for you. Don't let the above idiots sway your beliefs. I can only vouch for my own experience in a D.O. school - and I can honestly say that I have LOVED every single minute of my time. I feel like my education can stand up to any M.D. out there. And, no M.D. out there should take offense to that comment.

We are all in the same career for the same reason - because we want to make sick people better, because we want to be a part of life's greatest miracles, because we want to make a difference. In the end, it doesn't matter what letter distinction we have - we are trying to accomplish the same goal. Shouldn't we be more concerned about our patients and less concerned about letters? My original post was not a "Battle of the Letters" but rather a blog distinguishing the 2 for my curious readers. Instead, it turned into a hotspot for anonymous people to slam my profession.

In closing, please read what this AWESOME M.D. has to say - someone who is truly deserving of the long white coat he or she is wearing:

Awesome M.D. says: I got my MD last year at Harvard and my twin sister got her DO at VCOM about the same time. Since grade school I have always been behind her academically... and so was my MCAT. Just because I have the letters MD next to my name does it mean I have the right to look down on DOs or any other profession... or any other human being? For those low life MDs who look down on DOs and other human being, I want to let you know that you don't deserve to wear that white coat. And for your information, you low life MDs, my sister got 36 for her MCAT and 3.91 overall GPA for undergrad...she rejected Johns Hopkin and Yale MD programs for VCOM DO because Hopkin and Yale's interview only mention about her research and her scores instead of her personality and the caring aspects of a physician.
8:14 AM, January 12, 2009

Difference in Generations

Unfortunately, I am part of the generation this comedian is making fun of....but he makes a GREAT point in this video!!!

This video is hilarious!

Sleeping Dog Runs Into Wall - Watch more Funny Videos

My Proposed Plan

We had a patient come in today for a check up. She was a nice lady, but a smoker with a lot of health problems. She needed all her medications filled - and, oh by the way - "I don't have insurance. I can't pay for my visit today. Do you have samples of these medications? I can't pay for them."

The doctor was very nice with the patient and gave her a big sack full of medicines to take home. Other than the fact that she was a smoker, I felt bad for the patient that she couldn't afford the medicines she needed.

The patient left and the doctor pulled me into her office.

"A few weeks ago, my friend and I went to the casino. Guess who was there? HER! She was at the slot machines playing....smoking her life away."

WHAT!!!???!?!

It made me really mad that this patient had portrayed herself as being someone who couldn't afford these meds she needed....but had enough disposable money to be playing the slot machines. And cigarettes are $4-5 a pack!

My proposed plan (although it would never fly with the casinos): In order to get into a casino, one must show I.D. which is hooked to a computer system. If that person "can't afford" insurance or a $15 copay, or is living on government assistance like welfare, they can't get in to the casino. Is that harsh? Yes, probably. But good grief...

Match Results

I am OFFICIALLY going to be an Emergency Medicine resident.....................

***DRUM ROLL PLEASE***

in Columbus, Ohio!!!!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!!! This was my 1st choice program...and I couldn't be happier!

Match Day

Hello Faithful Readers (or those who have just stumbled upon this blog....)-

Tomorrow is Match Day. Tomorrow I find out where I am going to be practicing Emergency Medicine for the next 4 years!

I didn't think I would be THIS nervous....but my stomach is already feeling the butterflies!

Please keep your fingers crossed!!!

Results will be posted for me at 11:00am!

I Can't Remember What I Forgot!

I got slammed by the anesthesiologist today.

Not in a bad way - but in a wow-I-know-I-learned-this-at-some-point-but-I-can't-for-the-life-of-me-remember-the-answer sort of way. It made me realize that I need to go back and review basic physiology.

When on medical rotations, you sort of get into a groove. Everyone gives (well, most of the time) Versed, Fentanyl, and Propofol to put people to sleep. Then we use Sux before we intubate. I can pretty much guess the exact drug the doc is going to pick.....but today he asked me "why?". Darn.....he had to ask that question. So there I go, searching for the answer in the only book I carry these days.....my Emergency Medicine Manual. Guess what? An appropriate answer can't be found there.

Needless to say, I have done a lot of reading up on my anesthesia drugs tonight. Hopefully I'll have the correct answer in the morning!

Life is Short

It's not too often that you speak to someone at 7am and pronounce them dead at 4:31pm. I am currently on an anesthesia rotation...and that is just what happened to me last Thursday.

Long story short, this patient was having a CABG/MVR (coronary artery bypass graft/mitral valve replacement). The patient was already in bad health....and had been on long term steroids, making the tissues harder to work with. We came off bypass (the first time) just fine...but when the surgeon spotted an area that needed more work, we had to put the patient back on bypass. Unfortunately, the patient didn't come off the second time as well. The grafts that the surgeon had just placed starting breaking apart. No matter how much blood we gave and how quickly the surgeon tried to fix things, the tissues couldn't take it - the patient died on the table.

This is the first time this has happened to me during medical school. I performed CPR once before...and the patient left the ER alive, only to die 12 hours later....but this happened right before my eyes.

Surprisingly, it didn't hit me as hard as I thought an experience like that might. I think I've had so much experience doing autopsies that death seems a huge part of LIFE to me. Actually, when I first met the patient at 6:50am that morning, I already had a bad feeling for the day....I think I had already prepared myself that the outcome may not be very good. Unfortunately, my prediction was correct.

Residency Update

Hey Ya'll-

I've been in Tennessee for the past month and the Southern drawl is wearing off on me!

This hasn't been updated since November...and a lot has happened since then.

I received a VERY NICE phone call from the residency director in Columbus that left me feeling confident that Columbus was the right choice for me and my fiance. I ranked my choices last week....and will get the "for sure answer" on February 9. I am confident I will get into my first choice Emergency Medicine residency, but will feel much better when I see the contract! Exciting times are ahead!