This morning my wife and I scheduled quite possibly the most important test we will ever take…STEP 1.The testing slot is allotted for 8 hours but I here that folks usually finish within 6 hours. Now that I have a date I think that I’m going put a countdown on my blog. Anyways, back to […]
Blog Archives
Step 1 has been scheduled
February 18, 2009Updates
February 14, 2009I tell you, I’m doing a terrible job this year of blogging. Trust me that its constantly on my mind, but this year is just alot busier, and there is nothing I can do. We just finished tests today, and although we only had 4 tests (Pathophysiology, Pathology, Microbiology, and Pharmacology) it felt just as […]
Recent Happenings
January 24, 2009Wells the folks at the USMLE now have $495 of my money, so Step 1 is paid for…now I just have to pass the thing. I must admit that this test tends to be on my mind a lot. You learn so much during your second year, and you have to try your best now […]
Back at It
January 10, 2009It was really hard to get back into my groove after 2 weeks of Christmas vacation. It didn’t help that I bought like 5 Blu-Ray movies and started watching them this week. I bought Transformers, The Incredible Hulk, Patriot Games, and The Sum of all Fears. I was content with my slow transition back into […]
Finally done
December 20, 2008In all honesty, this test week truly sucked. They made us take a crazy amount of tests in 1 week, while last year they gave the 2nd years 2 weeks to take these tests. You know, I can truly see how folks can get jaded in medical school. Yes, doctors have the amazing opportunity to […]
The Grind
December 6, 2008Well I’m on the grind right now and that is all I can really say about medical school. In 2 weeks Christmas break starts but before I can enjoy any of it I have to go through a test week which also includes 2 subject board exams (Neuroscience and Psychopathology). I technically have 1 more […]
Thanksgiving Break
November 26, 2008I’m so glad its finally here…and unfortunately, the biggest reason for my joy is that I will be able to study more and possibly catch up. Such is the life of a 2nd year medical student. You know, last night it really hit me that I will be taking Step 1 very very soon. I […]
Behind
November 24, 2008Sunday was supposed to be the day that I finally caught up. What a stupid goal. I don’t think that I’ll be caught up until I take Step 1. Thanksgiving break starts on Wednesday, so I’ll really have to use that time to catch up.
Not a Doctor Yet
November 20, 2008This week so far has been a painful but helpful reminder of my title for this post. This week I had my Integrative OSCE and my Complete Physicial Exam. The Integrative OSCE is where they have a standardized patient (an actor) who you have to see. They give you a little sheet with their 1) […]
I’m I a hypochondriac?
November 14, 2008I’m kind of scared. For the past week I have been feeling short of breath (dypsnea). Now it could be a case of med student hypochondriasis, but there may be something to this. I have to do a complete physical exam with my classmate on Monday, and when we were practicing for it he noticed […]
It’s Over
November 8, 2008Test Week You know, you would think that I was talking about finals week; but honestly this test week that we had was harder than my finals week last year. The sheer amount of information was amazing. Here is what it looked like: As usual, I’ll give you my breakdown: Neuroscience: I truly do think […]
Psychopath and Biochem
November 6, 2008I went to sleep at 10:10 last night, and this morning I woke up at 1 a.m. I’m a little less incoherent than I was last night. Psychopath is turning out to be alot more work than I thought it would be. The problem is that its not all that scientific, yet it is. So […]
Tired
November 6, 2008I am so sick and freaking tired of school right now. This week is our test week and I honestly think its criminal how much information they want us to remember for the tests. Studying this much stuff just isn’t healthy. The only thing keeping me from giving up and going home is that I […]
Wow!
September 27, 2008I can’t believe that it has taken so long to post again on this blog. I’ll try to hit everything that has happened. Vajay jay Time continued So as I mentioned in my last post, this year is wrought with countless labs. I guess they don’t want us to study all day and actually master […]
Vajay jay Time!
September 8, 20082nd year has started and I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. This is our second week and it is twice the work we had last year and they give us less time to study. They require so much lab time outside of class that its hard to actually study. Part of that […]
Baby Town
July 4, 2008Monday and Tuesday are national holidays for the country of Zambia and every mother that was in our OB ward today decided to give birth before the long weekend started. Everyone got to catch a baby today. I actually got some great video footage of Jessica and Brittany delivering a baby, and I will upload […]
I finally got one
June 30, 2008So yeah, I definitely ate something I shouldn’t have because today I woke up with explosive diarrhea. After taking some Cipro I went to the hospital to see if anything was going on. There were 3 OR cases today, 2 of which needed spinal anesthesia. The first spinal anesthesia stick I did the nurse anesthetist […]
Outreach Day
June 29, 2008Today was outreach day, so we piled into a bus and set off. Its truly a wonder to me how the people that live in these remote villages make it to the hospital for emergencies. The roads are really just that bad. I honestly think it would be easier to ride a bicycle than to […]
Sabbath and Visitations
June 28, 2008The story of Zaccheus can be found in Luke 19. You know, Zaccheus hadn’t exactly lived a good life. He wasn’t an upstanding Christian or Jew. But when Jesus toldhim that He was coming to his house that day, Zaccheus was overwhelmed. That Jesus thought enough of him to visit him melted Zaccheus’ heart and […]
June 27, 2008
June 27, 2008Today was pretty good (I say that alot huh, lol). We rounded on the OB ward first, seeing all the patients who had a C-section done. The lady who I did the sub-cutaneous suture on is in pain from the surgery but she is doing fine. Her would looked beautiful if I should say so […]
June 26, 2008
June 26, 2008Today was a good day. I woke up nice and late after being called in for the C-section and praying with Mr. Myembe. My wife and I started rounding in the Peds ward. We checked the two kids that we operated on yesterday (the forehead cyst and the inguinal hernia). Then we went to the […]
Long Day
June 25, 2008Today was actually a pretty good day. I woke up, had personal devotion and then prayer with my wife (something that husbands as priests and heads of the household should strive to do). Today was Dr. Ang’s last day in the OT (operating theater as they like to call it here; we call it the […]
More Rounding
June 24, 2008So today was pretty routine except that we rounded in the Peds ward today. The theme of the Peds ward is MALARIA, MALARIA, MALARIA. Almost every kid presented as, “This is Jane Doe, age 2years, who presented with vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and splenomegally.” The Lord is good and most of the children service, but some […]
Monday at Mwami
June 23, 2008Today was pretty great. Of course I was up since 3 am because my circadian clock is still completely off. So I continued to read Jesus, M.D. for about 3 hours. I really praise the Lord for his book because it has helped me overcome many of the fears i had about being a missionary […]
Sunday Rounds
June 22, 2008Since today was Sunday, rounding started a little later today. While we were waiting for D.r Peduche to arrive I had a chance to chat a little more with the clinical officer students (physician assistants). Their training is pretty rigorous and similar to medical student training except they don’t get into as much basic science […]
Sabbath at Mwami
June 21, 2008Today was my first Sabbath at Mwami and I truly enjoyed it. We woke up in the morning and had devotion. I have been reading the book Jesus, M.D. and it encouraged me to take myself away from everyone else and go on rounds with the Great Attending (Jesus Christ). I would recommend that book for […]
Our First Day
June 20, 2008So it is currently 18:00 hours and I just woke up after taking a nap. Of course the nap didn’t help me switch over to this time zone, but it felt oh so good. Today was our first day in the hospital. Since it was Friday, the whole hospital got together and had worship. There […]
More Travel
June 19, 2008I woke up at 2 in the morning today which is about what I expected. My body thought it was really 4 p.m. and thought it was time to wake me up from my afternoon “nap”. The travel to get to Chipata was quite intensive: Los Angeles to London: 10 hours 20 minutes London to Nairobi, […]
Finally in Zambia!
June 18, 2008I ACTUALLY GOT INTERNET ACCESS HERE SO I’LL BE TRANSFERING MY JOURNAL ENTRIES ONTO HERE. I CAN ONLY UPLOAD THE PICTURES FROM AFRICA. I’LL UPLOAD THE VIDEOS WHEN I GET BACK ON JULY 23. At the end of each post, I’ll add some pictures that were relevant to the day. _____________ So after leaving the […]
What to Take on a Mission Trip
June 14, 2008So you plan on going on a medical mission trip? That truly is great, but you need to be prepared. In my last post you saw all the medical supplies that we are taking over. Below is a description of personal items I think are essential and helpful to have on the mission: 1. Old […]
Mission Preparation
June 7, 2008So my wife and I and one of our classmates leave for our mission trip to Zambia, Africa in a little over a week. When we e-mailed the surgeon at the Mwami Adventist Hospital in Chiapata, Zambia, asking him for any needs that the hospital had, he responded that they needed some basic supplies and […]