Getting It All Down...

You never get too old to follow in your big sister's footsteps, do you? I saw she created a blog this week along with my brother-in-law, Mark. I've been thinking about it for awhile so why not? 

I am one section away from finishing my first year of medical school. I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone! I don't want to forget one minute of it so I think this blog will be a great way for me to keep track of my life at KCUMB. I'd also like to communicate more with my loved ones about my schooling in general.

Here goes nothing!

Bioethics Class

I am nearly finished with my first semester in the Bioethics Masters Program at my school. I don't think I've done the best job explaining what this program is about to my loved ones. Bioethics is a quickly emerging field that is gaining more attention due to all of the ethical issues presented in the media in the healthcare setting. The most famous example is the Terri Schiavo case from the early 2000s. There was a great deal of controversy about her being taken off of life support. Learning about these types of issues I will undoubtedly encounter as a physician now will help me handle them better. 

I have enjoyed this part of my education immensely!! It's a great release getting to use the other side of my brain and engage in discussion over relevant bioethical issues. There are 12 of us in the program and each contributes something different to our discussions.

Tonight we discussed the most recent book we read: How Doctors Think by Dr. Jerome Groopman. This book is written for both patients AND physicians to read and learn from. Please please please consider reading this book! It is a very easy read with countless interesting stories he shares about his own patients, his own health and those of his colleagues. There is great value in understanding how physicians in general think through their diagnostic process. I learned valuable lessons reading this book, both in how I want to treat patients but moreso in how I want to be treated AS a patient. 


My classmates also started presenting their class projects. Our professor, Dr. Moller, gave us complete creative control over the topic and manner in which we present. It's definitely new to have complete freedom regarding a project. I have not started on mine yet but am giving serious thought to what I'd like to present. I will definitely take suggestions!

One of the presentations really shook me. So much so that I feel compelled to share what I learned with all of the women in my life. We had discussed it briefly in a previous class but we learned that one of the ways medical students learn how to perform a pelvic exam is while a patient is anesthetized before a surgical procedure. Usually WITHOUT consent! When we discussed it in class I was under the impression that this "method" was fazing out over the years but I learned tonight that it is standard practice at teaching hospitals. It still goes on! We discussed what we would do in that situation. While on rotations we are expected to do everything our attending physician asks, no questions, no buts about it. I can confidently say 100% that I will never violate  a female patient this way. It is wrong to perform unauthorized, invasive procedures on an unconscious, unconsenting patient. It seems so simple to me that I can't believe that this is "standard." Not for this girl. 

So ladies, if you are ever hospitalized and must be put under, ask the physician AND nursing staff if it is customary for students to perform exams while you are unconscious. I think that if I knew it was an option I would consent because I know how important it is for students to learn. However, I absolutely would NOT want it to happen without my consent. 

Onto less serious subjects...

Since I'm in class Wednesday nights until 7:30pm it is usually Reuben and my night to catch up some TV. I miss the nights we used to snuggle on the couch watching TV when we lived in Omaha. Back to our recorded episodes of Bones :-)

Thanks for stopping by!