Well, I'm in Chattanooga, Tennessee!!!
It's 8:15, I don't have to be at work yet, and I'll get off by 4:45....this is the life! Radiology is the life!!!
I'm at Panera right now. Not quite the same as my Panera....but that's just because they don't know my name yet! I'm eating a BACON, EGG, AND CHEESE Sandwich here....freshly grilled on Ciabatta bread. It's AWESOME!!!
Since I'm not there to do it, will one of my Panera peeps ask Tana when our Panera will get these? The funny thing is that I first tried those Crispanis here....and now I get to first sample this sandwich here. Panera Iowa must just be a little behind!
Anyways, I'm having fun so far!! I'll keep you all updated!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Dear Anonymous
I've had four, count them, FOUR anonymous responses to a post I had written called D.O. vs M.D.. Why it took people this long to start responding, I don't know. I wrote the post on March 1 of 2007. Whatever the reason, it has sparked some good discussion. Maybe people will respond to this post by 2009! We'll see!
To anonymous person #1 who decided to respond by writing up a bunch of statistics: I'm not sure what your point was. You've used statistics from a medical journal that is 2 years old....in order to point out that D.O.'s make up only 6% of the total population of doctors. And??? I mean, maybe you were saying that D.O.'s were few and far between...and that is the reason people have a tough time finding one even if they are looking. Or it may have been a snide way of pointing out that there are a ton more M.D.'s, therefore, making M.D.'s better. I'm not sure. But, again, I'm not sure what your point was.
To anonymous person #2 who responded to the above mentioned comment: It is completely true that there are fewer D.O.'s in general. (I don't know what the above person was trying to point out!) However, I would like to respond to your comment that "M.D.s do their clinical rotations in a teaching hospital affiliated with their medical school, while D.O.s do their clinical rotations in community hospitals and local doctor's offices." This isn't actually true. Some D.O. schools have affiliated hospitals for students, some do not. My school, Des Moines University in Iowa, does not. Therefore, we do rotations at other hospitals. I guess it just depends where you go to school. I'm not really sure where you pulled that information from, though.
To anonymous person #3 who responded to the above mentioned comment: You said the same as me. Or, shall I say, I said the same as you. Well done! Doing well on your COMLEX or USMLE is important, as is doing well on rotations.
To anonymous person #4 who, to be honest, ticked me off: Congratulations on getting into medical school. That is a major achievement! (I promise, I'm being genuine.) Whether you were in the M.D. program (as you mentioned) or a D.O. program, you have worked hard to get to this point. You had to have done well on the MCAT and I'm sure you'll do well on your boards.
Thank you for prefacing your comment with "I don't know much about D.O.s." That, in fact, was why I wrote the post in the first place.
You were offended by my comment that D.O.s treat the patient and not just the symptom. But, I was not meaning that M.D.s thought differently. In fact, I led out my entire post that it is dumb to think one is better than the other. I don't think I'm better because I'm a D.O. I don't think I'm better, period. I just think I have one other thing in my "pocket", so to say, that an M.D. doesn't. I don't use OMT (osteopathic manipulative treatment) very often. In fact, I use it rarely. However, there have been those occasional patients, coming in complaining of low back pain, that I have been able to fix. The hands of a 3rd year medical student have fixed the problem, not the numerous shots of steroids they have received in the past. Actually, I use my OMT skills more on the M.D.s I am learning from, than I do on patients. Mostly because 1) they are curious 2) their necks, shoulders, backs, etc hurt 3) they want to see if I really can "pop their neck" in the exact place it has been bothering them for the past 2 weeks. (And, YES I CAN!)
You wondered when we were trained in OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine) if we are taking the same curriculum as you. Well, we do the same as you....2 years of didactics/patient encounters....and the following 2 years doing rotations in hospitals/clinics. But our schools shove the OMM into the first 2 years. So, we're taking all the basic sciences and systems courses, but ALSO taking OMM. We typically had one or two lectures a week...followed by a one and half hour lab based on that lecture. Therefore, anywhere from 3-5 hours per week, for two years, of OMM. Not a whole lot more time commitment each week (because I can manage lab the day before a test), but a TON of information learned over the course of 2 years.
I do find it funny that you asked that question in this way: "What is your schedule? Is it the same as medical schools..." Which implies to me that D.O.s weren't really in medical school. Maybe that was just a mistake....but maybe it wasn't. When my brother-in-law mentioned to his M.D. friends that I was going to a D.O. school, their response was, "Oh, so she's not in medical school." Hmmmm..... YES. I'm in medical school. Ask all my friends at Panera - they see me studying and working my buns off. We, as D.O.s are working VERY HARD in MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Also, you mentioned that 3x as many D.O.s failed the USMLE compared to M.D.s. First of all, the USMLE isn't our board exam....we take the COMLEX. And just as M.D.s would have a tough time with all the OMM on our exam, we would have a tough time with the M.D. exam. Sure, we learn the same information.....but we are taught to look at things a little bit differently. I'd like to know where you got that statistic though.....I'd be interested to see that. Actually, I'd be more interested to see how the M.D.s would do on our exam. I'd bet you'd find 3x as many M.D.s failing the COMLEX vs D.O.s. Not because you are less educated....but because you have learned differently. But, that will never happen. M.D.s have never been made to take the COMLEX..... Hmmmm.
Finally, you said that the D.O. entering MCAT score was 26 while the score for M.D.s was 31. I can't speak for all schools, I can only speak to the program I am in at DMU. As a student interviewer for 2 years, we saw MANY excellent candidates come through the doors. MCAT scores ranged anywhere from 23 - 42 while I was interviewing. Probably similar ranges to M.D. schools. The 23 might be a little lower....but, still similar. Anyways, I remember one day interviewing this guy who scored A+ all the way through college and had a 42 on his MCAT. Sounded like a good guy on paper. But talking to him? The guy was looney! He had no character to him. He had no spark. In fact, he was outright weird. He couldn't communicate with the interviewing panel and only had one-word answers. Needless to say, we all rejected him. He did not come to our school.
At DMU, I always thought we did a good job admitting good people...not just how they looked on paper....but how they were in person. If this meant they had an MCAT score that was a couple points lower, who cares??? My class still had a 96% pass rate on the first attempt of boards. Must have chosen good candidates........
You're right to say that D.O.s have an uphill battle. That's because there are so few of us!!! (Please refer back to my response to anonymous person #1).
Man, what good conversation!
To anonymous person #1 who decided to respond by writing up a bunch of statistics: I'm not sure what your point was. You've used statistics from a medical journal that is 2 years old....in order to point out that D.O.'s make up only 6% of the total population of doctors. And??? I mean, maybe you were saying that D.O.'s were few and far between...and that is the reason people have a tough time finding one even if they are looking. Or it may have been a snide way of pointing out that there are a ton more M.D.'s, therefore, making M.D.'s better. I'm not sure. But, again, I'm not sure what your point was.
To anonymous person #2 who responded to the above mentioned comment: It is completely true that there are fewer D.O.'s in general. (I don't know what the above person was trying to point out!) However, I would like to respond to your comment that "M.D.s do their clinical rotations in a teaching hospital affiliated with their medical school, while D.O.s do their clinical rotations in community hospitals and local doctor's offices." This isn't actually true. Some D.O. schools have affiliated hospitals for students, some do not. My school, Des Moines University in Iowa, does not. Therefore, we do rotations at other hospitals. I guess it just depends where you go to school. I'm not really sure where you pulled that information from, though.
To anonymous person #3 who responded to the above mentioned comment: You said the same as me. Or, shall I say, I said the same as you. Well done! Doing well on your COMLEX or USMLE is important, as is doing well on rotations.
To anonymous person #4 who, to be honest, ticked me off: Congratulations on getting into medical school. That is a major achievement! (I promise, I'm being genuine.) Whether you were in the M.D. program (as you mentioned) or a D.O. program, you have worked hard to get to this point. You had to have done well on the MCAT and I'm sure you'll do well on your boards.
Thank you for prefacing your comment with "I don't know much about D.O.s." That, in fact, was why I wrote the post in the first place.
You were offended by my comment that D.O.s treat the patient and not just the symptom. But, I was not meaning that M.D.s thought differently. In fact, I led out my entire post that it is dumb to think one is better than the other. I don't think I'm better because I'm a D.O. I don't think I'm better, period. I just think I have one other thing in my "pocket", so to say, that an M.D. doesn't. I don't use OMT (osteopathic manipulative treatment) very often. In fact, I use it rarely. However, there have been those occasional patients, coming in complaining of low back pain, that I have been able to fix. The hands of a 3rd year medical student have fixed the problem, not the numerous shots of steroids they have received in the past. Actually, I use my OMT skills more on the M.D.s I am learning from, than I do on patients. Mostly because 1) they are curious 2) their necks, shoulders, backs, etc hurt 3) they want to see if I really can "pop their neck" in the exact place it has been bothering them for the past 2 weeks. (And, YES I CAN!)
You wondered when we were trained in OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine) if we are taking the same curriculum as you. Well, we do the same as you....2 years of didactics/patient encounters....and the following 2 years doing rotations in hospitals/clinics. But our schools shove the OMM into the first 2 years. So, we're taking all the basic sciences and systems courses, but ALSO taking OMM. We typically had one or two lectures a week...followed by a one and half hour lab based on that lecture. Therefore, anywhere from 3-5 hours per week, for two years, of OMM. Not a whole lot more time commitment each week (because I can manage lab the day before a test), but a TON of information learned over the course of 2 years.
I do find it funny that you asked that question in this way: "What is your schedule? Is it the same as medical schools..." Which implies to me that D.O.s weren't really in medical school. Maybe that was just a mistake....but maybe it wasn't. When my brother-in-law mentioned to his M.D. friends that I was going to a D.O. school, their response was, "Oh, so she's not in medical school." Hmmmm..... YES. I'm in medical school. Ask all my friends at Panera - they see me studying and working my buns off. We, as D.O.s are working VERY HARD in MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Also, you mentioned that 3x as many D.O.s failed the USMLE compared to M.D.s. First of all, the USMLE isn't our board exam....we take the COMLEX. And just as M.D.s would have a tough time with all the OMM on our exam, we would have a tough time with the M.D. exam. Sure, we learn the same information.....but we are taught to look at things a little bit differently. I'd like to know where you got that statistic though.....I'd be interested to see that. Actually, I'd be more interested to see how the M.D.s would do on our exam. I'd bet you'd find 3x as many M.D.s failing the COMLEX vs D.O.s. Not because you are less educated....but because you have learned differently. But, that will never happen. M.D.s have never been made to take the COMLEX..... Hmmmm.
Finally, you said that the D.O. entering MCAT score was 26 while the score for M.D.s was 31. I can't speak for all schools, I can only speak to the program I am in at DMU. As a student interviewer for 2 years, we saw MANY excellent candidates come through the doors. MCAT scores ranged anywhere from 23 - 42 while I was interviewing. Probably similar ranges to M.D. schools. The 23 might be a little lower....but, still similar. Anyways, I remember one day interviewing this guy who scored A+ all the way through college and had a 42 on his MCAT. Sounded like a good guy on paper. But talking to him? The guy was looney! He had no character to him. He had no spark. In fact, he was outright weird. He couldn't communicate with the interviewing panel and only had one-word answers. Needless to say, we all rejected him. He did not come to our school.
At DMU, I always thought we did a good job admitting good people...not just how they looked on paper....but how they were in person. If this meant they had an MCAT score that was a couple points lower, who cares??? My class still had a 96% pass rate on the first attempt of boards. Must have chosen good candidates........
You're right to say that D.O.s have an uphill battle. That's because there are so few of us!!! (Please refer back to my response to anonymous person #1).
Man, what good conversation!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Strange Wilderness
Does this movie look as funny to you as it does to me? I just get a kick out of this trailer!!!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Strong Woman? More Like PUSHOVER!!!
Give me a break!
I don't care what your political view may be. Democrat? Fine. I'll just counteract your vote. Republican? Fine. More votes for my side. But voting aside, I have to tell you what this patient said on Friday.
Pretty quickly into the conversation, she knew I was NOT a Hillary fan. Never have been, never will be. Just can't stand her to be honest.
Do you know what she had the audacity to say????
And I quote: "Hillary is a STRONG woman! It takes a STRONG woman to stay with her man. When she entered into that vow of marriage, she took that to heart. She stuck by her man despite what he did. That is one STRONG woman! Young girls should learn from her example!"
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Standing by "her man" after he did what he did? What a joke! That's a PUSHOVER in my book. She should have been a "STRONG" woman by sticking to her guns....and telling her husband that he couldn't treat her that way. Fooling around with another woman in the White House is NOT a good role model. I don't care what anyone says. Hillary Clinton is NOT a strong woman for that!!! Young girls should NOT learn from that kind of example. This isn't the 1950's. This is 2008. Get real!!!
Phew.....needed to get that out!
I don't care what your political view may be. Democrat? Fine. I'll just counteract your vote. Republican? Fine. More votes for my side. But voting aside, I have to tell you what this patient said on Friday.
Pretty quickly into the conversation, she knew I was NOT a Hillary fan. Never have been, never will be. Just can't stand her to be honest.
Do you know what she had the audacity to say????
And I quote: "Hillary is a STRONG woman! It takes a STRONG woman to stay with her man. When she entered into that vow of marriage, she took that to heart. She stuck by her man despite what he did. That is one STRONG woman! Young girls should learn from her example!"
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Standing by "her man" after he did what he did? What a joke! That's a PUSHOVER in my book. She should have been a "STRONG" woman by sticking to her guns....and telling her husband that he couldn't treat her that way. Fooling around with another woman in the White House is NOT a good role model. I don't care what anyone says. Hillary Clinton is NOT a strong woman for that!!! Young girls should NOT learn from that kind of example. This isn't the 1950's. This is 2008. Get real!!!
Phew.....needed to get that out!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!
This is one AWESOME Christmas choir! If you get bored, keep watching! It is REALLY GOOD!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Another New Career Path!
That's right ladies and gentleman...you heard it here first. I'm 2 days into Anesthesia....and now....that's what I want to do!
Forget Pediatrics - school physicals get old...and I don't think my immmune system can take it.
Forget Psychiatry - I've psyched myself out of that. Alzheimer's is sad - I don't like that.
Forget Plastic Surgery - Too many demanding patients with body dysmorphic disorder.
Forget OB/Gyn - Okay, just joking!!! This is still WAY up there on my list. But man, oh man, they work HARD!!!
I'm drawn to anesthesia (which I didn't think I would be) because 1) they DO actually perform procedures 2) they seem to work WAY BETTER hours than OB 3) they get to experience all sorts of medicine but don't have to deal with crappy patients - they just put them to sleep.
Who knows. I'm so lost in this process. Everyone says that in less than a year from now I need to know what to do. When I mention OB, everyone says, "Don't do that!!!" I haven't mentioned Anesthesia to any of the doctors yet...maybe that will be my experiment tomorrow! It is just so hard! Maybe now I am feeling what all my friends felt after college - What do I do with my life? All my friends - or most of them - have steady jobs at big companies - and are already making good money. Then here comes me....still in school....not sure what to do....not making ANY money....and extremely in debt. Quite overwhelming.
I'm going to try to update my blog more frequently. I'm sure I have many avid readers....and I remember how it felt waiting for the final Harry Potter to be written. I don't want my readers to feel that way.... =)
Forget Pediatrics - school physicals get old...and I don't think my immmune system can take it.
Forget Psychiatry - I've psyched myself out of that. Alzheimer's is sad - I don't like that.
Forget Plastic Surgery - Too many demanding patients with body dysmorphic disorder.
Forget OB/Gyn - Okay, just joking!!! This is still WAY up there on my list. But man, oh man, they work HARD!!!
I'm drawn to anesthesia (which I didn't think I would be) because 1) they DO actually perform procedures 2) they seem to work WAY BETTER hours than OB 3) they get to experience all sorts of medicine but don't have to deal with crappy patients - they just put them to sleep.
Who knows. I'm so lost in this process. Everyone says that in less than a year from now I need to know what to do. When I mention OB, everyone says, "Don't do that!!!" I haven't mentioned Anesthesia to any of the doctors yet...maybe that will be my experiment tomorrow! It is just so hard! Maybe now I am feeling what all my friends felt after college - What do I do with my life? All my friends - or most of them - have steady jobs at big companies - and are already making good money. Then here comes me....still in school....not sure what to do....not making ANY money....and extremely in debt. Quite overwhelming.
I'm going to try to update my blog more frequently. I'm sure I have many avid readers....and I remember how it felt waiting for the final Harry Potter to be written. I don't want my readers to feel that way.... =)
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Amazing Tribute
Even though I don't drink alcohol, I do want to pass this video on. Budweiser produced this commercial soon after 9/11. It was only shown one time during the Super Bowl in 2002 as a tribute to those people whose lives were touched by the tragic event.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Well, Now I Want to be a Pediatrician!
Great. Just great! What am I going to do when the time comes for me to choose an area of medicine to practice? I'm not like some other students....who go into med school knowing EXACTLY what they want to become (know-it-alls!!!). I'm one of those students who likes EVERYTHING they try. In fact, ask either of my parents and they will tell you that once I start something I like, my undiagnosed OCD kicks in and I will keep doing it until the next activity comes along.
Case in point: Pediatrics. I LOVED IT! Despite the fact that I battled a bout of bronchitis, a raging sore throat, and croup for 3 out of the 4 weeks I was in peds, I STILL loved it. Working with kids was awesome! And cute. Even while they coughed in my face with runny green snot coming out their nose, they were cute.
So here is the battle playing out in my head...
I have loved both OB/Gyn AND Pediatrics. I thought I would love Psych.....but I psyched myself out of that one with my stint in Corpus Christi. Even though I'm not in this whole thing for the money, it DOES sort of play a role in the decision making process....just being honest. If you take two things you love, why not choose the one that sets you up better in the future? But then think of lifestyle.....and this is where the battle comes for me......because I think more about the LIFESTYLE than I have ever thought about the money I could make. Do you choose the mega salary that takes you away from your family? Or do you sacrifice a big chunk of that salary to have a family life too? It seems like an easy answer to me. I would choose my family every single time. (Hi Mom!!!!) But then why does everyone always say, "Don't do pediatrics!" I don't get it. The doctors I worked with only worked 4 out of 5 days....and they only had call time (from home) maybe 3 days a month. Sounds like a pretty good lifestyle to me.
Can anyone shed some light on this? Honest, I think I could make a pretty good pediatrician....
Saturday, October 13, 2007
7 Year Old Sings The National Anthem
What amazing talent!!! And just like my Aunt Bobbie mentioned when she sent this video to me, someone needs to teach these basketball players some "Anthem Etiquette"...
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