Patients want the best care possible when they’re in the hospital, and in a practical profession like medicine, best essentially equates to most experienced care. At a training hospital like NYP Cornell, there are young trainees — like me — who are the least experienced and therefore need opportunities to improve. They’re always monitored and guided by our mentors, but yes, at one point, we must perform a task for literally the first time ever. And yes, there will be a patient will be on the receiving end of that. Continue reading First Blood, Finally
Category Archives: Medicine
First night, first life.
At 1:33 am on Thursday February 18, 2016, a beautiful baby girl was born. It was the first delivery I witnessed and on the first night of working/learning in the hospital, and it was a wonderful introduction to real-life medical care. Thanks to primacy, I’ll remember the baby’s name (which obviously I can’t type here) and what happened in that room for a long time to come. Continue reading First night, first life.
An Ode to “High-Yield”
“High-Yield.” What a phrase. I don’t know how or when it was commandeered for medical education, but it’s the tag that study guides have adopted to mean “yo dawg, test questions ask this all the time so memorize it.” For us students with finite memories and limited study time and lots of people to impress, “high-yield” are words we cling to dearly. Continue reading An Ode to “High-Yield”
Valuating a Pillow
How much am I willing to pay for a pillow? Turns out, a lot of money. Continue reading Valuating a Pillow
Human I/O
Every computer program is, in its essence, something that takes some sort of input, executes backstage computation, and returns an output. For example: Continue reading Human I/O
Ignoring Snow
Today, snow fell on Manhattan for the first time this winter, and I almost didn’t notice! It was a pleasant white flurry that stuck on the trees for a few hours. As it drifted lazily outside my window, I ignored it entirely and continued studying for my Step 1 board exam. Continue reading Ignoring Snow
Medical Naming Madness
What the heck is “erysipelas?!” While studying for my Step 1 board exam, I’m rediscovering all these medical terms I rarely hear and definitely don’t remember. Many of them, including erysipelas, are vaguely ancient Greek- and Latin-sounding, so I wondered if learning a few more etymological roots would help anchor my memory. This has led to ponderous philosophizing about the history and nature of naming medical terms. Continue reading Medical Naming Madness
On Anaesthetics
On Christmas eve, I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy. How’s that for a Christmas gift?
My doctors and I are investigating my otherwise asymptomatic iron deficiency that we found in August. We still haven’t figured it out, but meanwhile, I’ve got to tell you about the procedure, its prep, and the anesthesia. Continue reading On Anaesthetics