This week's return of Action Comics (after a 3 and 1/2 month hiatus) climaxes with Superman's banishment to the Phantom Zone by General Zod. How will the Man of Steel escape from a prison that exists outside the realm of time and space? What will happen to the new child from Krypton, the murderous Zod, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and Metropolis itself? And where the heck did all those new Kryptonese travel pods come from?
I cannot bear to wait any longer. Someone get me those last 9 issues of 52 pronto.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Good Stuff (or Not So Much ... )
Today's topics of study: gastrointestinal cancers, constipation, and the many varied causes of diarrhea. For some reason, the words "secretory diarrhea" or "infectious diarrhea" used in combination seem as if they should be stricken from the record and purged from the collective social conscience. Not that many among us have our minds on diarrhea at any given time ...
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Chugging Along
Today marks the beginning of my foray into gastrointestinal pathophysiology -- I finished reading through the endocrinology course packet yesterday and have been working on "Disorders of the Esophagus" this afternoon.
My new Rowenta iron got a good workout last night and this morning with well over two hours of use. I think my entire wardrobe has been freshly pressed, and perhaps every pair of Sula's dress pants has had the same fate.
Late night at The University tonight; Sula's teaching and I'm slaving away under fluorescent lighting that makes my skin look like some fantastic shade of yellowish purple. Jaundice with diffuse ecchymoses -- could be liver cancer ... or hepatobiliary obstruction ... or ...
Self-diagnosis is a dangerous thing, especially for students ...
My new Rowenta iron got a good workout last night and this morning with well over two hours of use. I think my entire wardrobe has been freshly pressed, and perhaps every pair of Sula's dress pants has had the same fate.
Late night at The University tonight; Sula's teaching and I'm slaving away under fluorescent lighting that makes my skin look like some fantastic shade of yellowish purple. Jaundice with diffuse ecchymoses -- could be liver cancer ... or hepatobiliary obstruction ... or ...
Self-diagnosis is a dangerous thing, especially for students ...
Monday, February 26, 2007
Time to Rock My World
Tonight's undertaking: season 4 of '24.' Jack Bauer is what every red-blooded American male dreams of being.
Typical Study Day
A "normal" study day for me usually consists of two different phases: at school (anywhere from 3-10 hours a day) and at home. Longer days at school translate into longer study days -- it's not uncommon for me to spend 12 hours studying one day, then only four hours the next day. This breaks up the monotony of deciphering hundreds and hundreds of pages of medical-ese in order to finish a page or two of notes.
Since the ISP pathway has no lecture-based learning for the main portion of the medical sciences, my daily reading becomes my "lecture," and I have to prepare for that much in the same way a professor would prepare to deliver a talk on a given topic. On average, three to four hours a day are spent reading the material, and another three to four are spent making notes, reviewing pertinent x-rays/MRIs/CT scans/angiograms/etc., and printing flash cards for rapid review of more difficult subjects. Long days at school are divided between a computer lab in Sullivant Library and the ISP library in Meiling Hall; the change in scenery provides a much-needed breath of fresh air and the chance at a 20-minute walk across campus on a daily basis.
Monday will be a medium-length day (about 6 hours on campus), though the plans are to study for 10 hours tomorrow. Actually, most days from here until the end of May will be at least 10-hour workdays, as prep time for Step 1 demands an even tougher schedule than what I already have in place.
Since the ISP pathway has no lecture-based learning for the main portion of the medical sciences, my daily reading becomes my "lecture," and I have to prepare for that much in the same way a professor would prepare to deliver a talk on a given topic. On average, three to four hours a day are spent reading the material, and another three to four are spent making notes, reviewing pertinent x-rays/MRIs/CT scans/angiograms/etc., and printing flash cards for rapid review of more difficult subjects. Long days at school are divided between a computer lab in Sullivant Library and the ISP library in Meiling Hall; the change in scenery provides a much-needed breath of fresh air and the chance at a 20-minute walk across campus on a daily basis.
Monday will be a medium-length day (about 6 hours on campus), though the plans are to study for 10 hours tomorrow. Actually, most days from here until the end of May will be at least 10-hour workdays, as prep time for Step 1 demands an even tougher schedule than what I already have in place.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Two Big Wins!
#1/#2 Ohio State knocked off #2/#1 Wisconsin this afternoon in Columbus, 49-48. Two Big Ten championships in a row!!
Sula took me to the Predators vs. Blue Jackets game tonight at Nationwide Arena, and we had a great time. The arena itself is a beautiful, clean facility, although the scheduled entertainment during timeouts and at intermission leaves much to be desired.
The Predators jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Paul Kariya goal, but Columbus tied the game on a power play a little over a minute into the 2nd period. Nashville came right back, scoring two goals to close out the 2nd, and had a 3-1 lead 5 minutes into the 3rd. Two quick Columbus goals tied the score again, and the Predators looked absolutely lost on offense throughout the remainder of the period. Overtime was much the same, as Nashville had zero shots on goal and gave up several scoring chances to a lesser team. But, in the end, goalie Chris Mason turned away all three of Columbus' shots in the shootout, including Rick Nash's fabulous backhander to win the game, 4-3.
It's kind of a shame that we've never taken the time to go to a Blue Jackets game in the three years we've been in the city. Glad I have a wife who helps me stop and smell the roses every once in a while ...
Sula took me to the Predators vs. Blue Jackets game tonight at Nationwide Arena, and we had a great time. The arena itself is a beautiful, clean facility, although the scheduled entertainment during timeouts and at intermission leaves much to be desired.
The Predators jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Paul Kariya goal, but Columbus tied the game on a power play a little over a minute into the 2nd period. Nashville came right back, scoring two goals to close out the 2nd, and had a 3-1 lead 5 minutes into the 3rd. Two quick Columbus goals tied the score again, and the Predators looked absolutely lost on offense throughout the remainder of the period. Overtime was much the same, as Nashville had zero shots on goal and gave up several scoring chances to a lesser team. But, in the end, goalie Chris Mason turned away all three of Columbus' shots in the shootout, including Rick Nash's fabulous backhander to win the game, 4-3.
It's kind of a shame that we've never taken the time to go to a Blue Jackets game in the three years we've been in the city. Glad I have a wife who helps me stop and smell the roses every once in a while ...
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Marvel's Civil War
This past week Marvel concluded its famed 7-part Civil War miniseries with a showdown between Captain America and the Iron Man in the streets of Midtown Manhattan. What had the chance to be a dramatic send-off for one or the other of Marvel's all-time greatest characters ended with the arrest of Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) after a "change of heart" in the middle of the battle. After several months of exciting buildup, the denouement of the Civil War absolutely fizzled, paling in comparison to the epic Superman/Superboy Prime clash in chapter 7 of DC Comics' Infinite Crisis. Color me biased toward Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, but I am wholeheartedly disappointed with Marvel's cop-out conclusion (and wouldn't mind having my money back).
Q-Bank
A big part of Step 1 preparation involves hours and hours of online practice questions designed to simulate USMLE testing conditions. The largest provider of such materials, Kaplan's notorious Q-Bank, consists of over 2,000 practice exam questions and costs $499.99 for a 3-month subscription. My subscription to Q-Bank begins on Thursday, March 1, and between this time and May 30 (my Step 1 testing day), I will have spent the better part of 150 hours reading, reviewing, and memorizing aspects of every single item. And just think -- that's less than half the study time required to really score well on the exam.
Did I mention your doctor had to pass THREE different USMLE Step Exams simply to become eligible to sit for even more specialized examinations?
Did I mention your doctor had to pass THREE different USMLE Step Exams simply to become eligible to sit for even more specialized examinations?
Huge Predators Win
Nashville vs. Detroit, first place on the line -- and a 4-3 OT win. Tomorrow night we're going to the Preds vs. Blue Jackets game here in Columbus, so hopefully another win is on the way.
Renal/Respiratory Exams Finished
I had a big testing week this past week -- respiratory pathophysiology and renal pathophysiology are now finished. I did exceedingly well on the respiratory exam and better than average on the renal test, so all's well that ends well.
Next up are endocrinology, gastrointestinal pathophysiology, and reproductive pathophysiology. The Independent Study Program at Ohio State allows for multiple tests to be taken on one exam day, and finishing all three within a relatively small amount of time is imperitive is you want to stay on schedule. I almost always take all the exams for a given block on the same day; spreading the material out over two days is more of a hassle than it's worth.
The most frightening part of second year is the ever-looming presence of the USMLE Step 1 Exam. This beast of a test is an eight-hour examination of all the knowledge a medical student accumulates over the entirety of the first two years -- everything from biochemistry and anatomy to pathophysiology and pharmacology. Finishing all the school requirements before late spring is essential if enough study time is to be had for the Step 1 test.
Next up are endocrinology, gastrointestinal pathophysiology, and reproductive pathophysiology. The Independent Study Program at Ohio State allows for multiple tests to be taken on one exam day, and finishing all three within a relatively small amount of time is imperitive is you want to stay on schedule. I almost always take all the exams for a given block on the same day; spreading the material out over two days is more of a hassle than it's worth.
The most frightening part of second year is the ever-looming presence of the USMLE Step 1 Exam. This beast of a test is an eight-hour examination of all the knowledge a medical student accumulates over the entirety of the first two years -- everything from biochemistry and anatomy to pathophysiology and pharmacology. Finishing all the school requirements before late spring is essential if enough study time is to be had for the Step 1 test.
Ohio State vs. Wisconsin TOMORROW!
I'm a sports fanatic. Football, baseball, basketball, hockey ... you name it, I'll find something to get rabid about in a hurry. For 12 weeks this fall I had a dream existence -- #1 Ohio State rolling through a relatively subpar Big Ten schedule all the way up to a showdown with then-#2 Michigan in Columbus last November. Over 900 yards of offense and 81 points later, Ohio State emerged as the conference champions and secured a berth in the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, AZ.
Then reality struck back. After getting blistered by a less-talented but substantially more hungry Florida Gators team for 41 points on the sport's grandest stage, the mass of scarlet-clad humanity here in Columbus entered a period of mourning. The very next day, our basketball Bucks went up to Madison and got smoked by a better and more experienced Badgers squad. It couldn't get much worse at that point.
Which brings me to tomorrow afternoon -- what makes me think OSU stands a chance against a Wisconsin team coming off a humiliating conference loss at Michigan State? Call it loyalty, stupidity, intelligence, intuition -- whatever you want, really -- but know this: it's the exact same thing that drives my confidence of a Bucks-Gators title game rematch next season. Except this time, we're scoring 60.
Then reality struck back. After getting blistered by a less-talented but substantially more hungry Florida Gators team for 41 points on the sport's grandest stage, the mass of scarlet-clad humanity here in Columbus entered a period of mourning. The very next day, our basketball Bucks went up to Madison and got smoked by a better and more experienced Badgers squad. It couldn't get much worse at that point.
Which brings me to tomorrow afternoon -- what makes me think OSU stands a chance against a Wisconsin team coming off a humiliating conference loss at Michigan State? Call it loyalty, stupidity, intelligence, intuition -- whatever you want, really -- but know this: it's the exact same thing that drives my confidence of a Bucks-Gators title game rematch next season. Except this time, we're scoring 60.
25 Alive
My wife, who just finished successfully defending her monstrosity of a master's thesis, turns 25 today. Happy birthday B!!!
I purchased a new Rowenta AutoSteam iron this afternoon. Pure happiness.
I purchased a new Rowenta AutoSteam iron this afternoon. Pure happiness.
End of an Era
Approximately 20 minutes ago my old Apex 20" flat screen TV died during the middle of a very violent Gears of War session. I bought the thing when I was an undergrad in Nashville (in 2002, to be exact) from Wal-Mart for $125.00, so I guess I'm fortunate it lasted this long. Still, to have a primary mode of entertainment fizzle out in the middle of winter is a harsh reality, indeed. Now I really have no excuse not to be studying all the time.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Welcome!
First post, first blogging attempt -- I'm still not quite sure what the big deal is, but perhaps I'll catch on at a later time. Until then, you're privy to a few glimpses into life in medical school. Want to know what your doctor really went through to be able to care for you? Click back often!
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