Friday was supposed to be a short day, with class only from 9-11 but we had anatomy review in the room with the skeletons and bones from 1-3, for extra time with it. But it paid off! I studied a bit over the weekend, though not Davis Library kind of studying. And I made an A on my first exam! Bones just come easy to me now, for some reason. I don't have the same feeling about this next section, but I do feel better about it now that we are a couple days into it. I did get up an hour early (6:00!) to go early and study, but it turned out well. However, Monday was such a long day because I did get up early, I had my exam, right after the exam we went to the cadaver lab for the first time, had class from 1-3, and then CPR training and certification from 3:30-7! But I can save your life now, if you happen to fall out while I'm around. We even learned how to use the AED (automatic external defibrillator). It was such a long day, all I wanted to do when I got home was veg out. Which kind of happened while I was trying to read for Tuesday's anatomy class. But once I got through that, I started reading about Positioning Principles! That is some stuff that I can get into, because it actually will apply to my daily life.
The cadaver lab was something...We were only in there for about 15 minutes, because we had just taken an exam. My body didn't like the smell, though. I was fine, until the professor said that if you feel faint, just sit down or you can leave. Right then, I felt faint and lightheaded. So I got a stool and sat and was fine after that. I still refused to touch it or get extremely close to the cadaver, though. Today was much better! We were in there for a little over an hour, and though I still didn't touch, I did get pretty close and the smell didn't bother me too much. Except the male cadaver. Today we did the female first, and she was fine, but then we moved to the male to check out the pelvic region and he was kind of rank. In all seriousness. I do have to admit that it is fascinating, but maybe we can invent a way to do it so their smell is contained and I don't have to touch.
We had our first exam today in Patient Assessment and Care, Infection Control, and Medications and Contrast. I wasn't sure how I felt about it before we went in, but while I was taking it and right after I felt really good about it. But then I realized I think I was the first to leave. Which may not matter but I don't ever really like to be the first to leave. But I was. Whatever. Hopefully we'll get those back soon. After the exam I bought some scrub bottoms from the heatlh affairs store (carolina blue!) to wear to the cadaver lab. I don't do laundry enough to wear jeans there everyday! And in doing so, I think I might have found the style and size I need, and I can order my scrubs from allheart.com! I'll do that soon because I have to get them embroidered with the RadSci logo.
I'm going to veg out now, until 6:15 when I'm going to Zumba!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Role Play
Today was the last day of the Musculoskeletal section of Anatomy. Our first exam is Monday morning, on the enitre musculoskeletal system. AHH! No, really, I'm not expecting it to be that bad. Yesterday we studied the pelvis and lower limb, and finished up the lower limb today. When we first came in, we played a little game with Mrs. Renner, the director, and pretended the articulated skeleton was a patient, and we had to role play the RT. We had to introduce ourselves, get the "patient" to give their name and DOB to verify their identity, and then make sure what the requisition (order) we had received was what the actual patient needed. We were given a slip of paper with an anatomical name of what we were radiographing, which was the quiz part since we were in anatomy. The patients were people like Simon Cowell, Roy Williams, Holden Thorpe, Erskin Bowles, Paula Abdul. And Coach K was one of them too. I said he's unfixable. For the rest of the class, we reviewed. Primarily the lower limb and pelvis, but a little of the rest of the body, too. I feel pretty good about the exam so far, but once I actually start studying we'll see how much I really know!
Today in RadSci we had lab and we also did role play in there! Some of us were patients and had to give signs and symptoms to our "caregivers" and they had to figure out how to help us, which included figuring out what was wrong with us. I was hypoglycemic. It was pretty fun! I didn't expect it to be, I'm not a good actress. Though we did get to see the lab for the first time, with all the equipment in it, which was pretty cool. My friend and I found a back way to the lab, which we shouldn't have been able to do because our badges shouldn't be able to open some of those doors, but they did! It was an adventure.Tomorrow we finish up talking about medications and contrasts, and start catheters, lines, and patient care accessories. We've been looking at contrasts and different ways to give them, the side effects, etc. After our first year of the program, we choose a modality to work with in our summer internship and I believe our whole senior year. I had originally thought MRI (it IS only the second week!), but the downside of that is administering the contrast. I'm not sure how I could handle patients vomiting everyday. And sometimes in MRI you have to give enemas (in common terms, put stuff up the butthole). But besides that, it seems pretty cool! A couple of the other people I eat lunch with mentioned MR, too, so that would be fun to be in it together. Okay! Now you are up to speed.
Today in RadSci we had lab and we also did role play in there! Some of us were patients and had to give signs and symptoms to our "caregivers" and they had to figure out how to help us, which included figuring out what was wrong with us. I was hypoglycemic. It was pretty fun! I didn't expect it to be, I'm not a good actress. Though we did get to see the lab for the first time, with all the equipment in it, which was pretty cool. My friend and I found a back way to the lab, which we shouldn't have been able to do because our badges shouldn't be able to open some of those doors, but they did! It was an adventure.Tomorrow we finish up talking about medications and contrasts, and start catheters, lines, and patient care accessories. We've been looking at contrasts and different ways to give them, the side effects, etc. After our first year of the program, we choose a modality to work with in our summer internship and I believe our whole senior year. I had originally thought MRI (it IS only the second week!), but the downside of that is administering the contrast. I'm not sure how I could handle patients vomiting everyday. And sometimes in MRI you have to give enemas (in common terms, put stuff up the butthole). But besides that, it seems pretty cool! A couple of the other people I eat lunch with mentioned MR, too, so that would be fun to be in it together. Okay! Now you are up to speed.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Play-doh
Public Service Announcement: I do not have TB! Not that I thought I did or anything. We went and got our TB tests checked out on Friday, and then met with the Radiation Safety Officer (who is actually a graduate of our program). He talked to us about radiation safety obviously, which includes dosimeters/radiation badges, shielding, pregnancy, etc. It was interesting stuff, but mainly because I don't want to die from radiation so it's pretty important. Over the weekend I had some reading to do (anatomy) but mostly I worked on Medical Terminology, because our first quiz is due tomorrow. I did it today though and I passed!
Yesterday in Anatomy we worked on the Upper Limb and Thorax. Mainly we focused on the vessels and nerves of the upper limb and the rib cage. It is amazing how much stuff goes into anatomy, and also how much stuff I can remember and have already learned! Today we did the back, which most of our time was spent on the spine and the vertebrae. We did arts and crafts to help us remember:
This is a typical vertebra. Blue = body, Green = pedicles, Purple/Pink = transverse processes, orange = luminae, Brown = spinous process. I'm quite proud of our artwork. I also made a weiner dog (no picture available). Our first exam in anatomy is next Monday, less than a week! I'm sure I'll be prepared by then, but not yet!!!!!
Intro to Radiologic Science is going fairly well, too. I really like this professor - but she's pregnant so she will be leaving us mid-July to October. :( We started Infection Control today so we're learning about sterile procedures, how to keep a sterile field clean, the difference between medical asepsis and surgical asepsis, how to put on a sterile glove, differences between precautions (standard - everyone is potentially infections, airborne, droplet, contact, etc). Tomorrow we start meds and contrast, yay. I had my first lab today, and I learned how to take blood pressure! I do it better on the manakin than I do on a real person, but that's because it's electronic. I just need to practice more. I have low blood pressure, which I already knew.
Yesterday in Anatomy we worked on the Upper Limb and Thorax. Mainly we focused on the vessels and nerves of the upper limb and the rib cage. It is amazing how much stuff goes into anatomy, and also how much stuff I can remember and have already learned! Today we did the back, which most of our time was spent on the spine and the vertebrae. We did arts and crafts to help us remember:
This is a typical vertebra. Blue = body, Green = pedicles, Purple/Pink = transverse processes, orange = luminae, Brown = spinous process. I'm quite proud of our artwork. I also made a weiner dog (no picture available). Our first exam in anatomy is next Monday, less than a week! I'm sure I'll be prepared by then, but not yet!!!!!
Intro to Radiologic Science is going fairly well, too. I really like this professor - but she's pregnant so she will be leaving us mid-July to October. :( We started Infection Control today so we're learning about sterile procedures, how to keep a sterile field clean, the difference between medical asepsis and surgical asepsis, how to put on a sterile glove, differences between precautions (standard - everyone is potentially infections, airborne, droplet, contact, etc). Tomorrow we start meds and contrast, yay. I had my first lab today, and I learned how to take blood pressure! I do it better on the manakin than I do on a real person, but that's because it's electronic. I just need to practice more. I have low blood pressure, which I already knew.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Radiologic Science
The adventure has begun! I moved into the house Rachel and I are subleasing on Monday in Chapel Hill and had orientation on Wednesday. The orientation lasted from 9am to 4pm, with an hour lunch break. We had an introduction to the program, which included:
After the clinical stuff, we went and got TB test shots, got our School of Medicine ID badges (I'm official now!) and then had some lunch. They are building a cafeteria right behind Bondurant which should be open sometime around the beginning of the Fall Semester - that should be very convenient!!
After lunch we had overviews of the two courses we are taking this summer, which actually turn out to kind of be 3-ish courses wrapped into 2. The first is Human Gross Anatomy, which will be divided into 3 sections taught by 3 professors. The good news is that I actually don't have to work on cadavers! I had been worried about that. Instead, while we are in class, someone will have been prosecting the cadavers so when we get into the lab, we don't have to spend time doing it ourselves and can just look and observe exactly what we need to be seeing. Lucky me!
The second/third course is Introduction to Radiologic Science (which also includes Radiological Health and Imagining Physics). We will be learning about Patient Assessment, Isolation and Infection Control, Medications and Contrast Materials, Catheters, Tubes, Lines and Patient Care Accessories, Body Mechanics, Positioning Principles, Communication, Medical Ethics, and Legalities, Imaging Principles, and Radiation Protection. On top of that course that is split between two different professors and 3 different broad topics, Medical Terminology is a sort of side-course that we must do completely outside of class. We have a textbook for it and every few days there is a quiz on the new med terms.
Finally, after those intros, we had an orientation checklist of paperwork and tutorials we had to complete. This included: contact information, healthcare disclaimer form, immunization records, confidentiality statements, Honor Code, Glutaraldehyde test, Radiation Safety packet, pregnancy student disclaimer, health insurance, formaldehyde test, radiation protection worker registration form (to get our dosimeters), environmental health and safety test (4 of them), and HIPAA training. After we finished we were free to leave and go buy our textbooks!
So after the all-day orientation, I went home and read for seven hours. Then went to bed :) Thursday was the first day of class and I have to say it went quite well. So far it hasn't seemed to be extremely hard but I know that will change and the information load will get bigger. But for now I am grateful it seems doable. On top of getting the program started, my phone decided to become stubborn and pretty much paralyzed. It froze almost everytime I tried to use it, so I had to go to the Verizon store Thursday after class to get it fixed. Luckily it IS fixed, for now. We'll see..
- introducing ourselves
- getting the professors' contact information
- housekeeping like immunizations and insurance
- parking permits for Duke and Alamance
- the Honor Coe
- behavior and performance
- policies and procedures
After the clinical stuff, we went and got TB test shots, got our School of Medicine ID badges (I'm official now!) and then had some lunch. They are building a cafeteria right behind Bondurant which should be open sometime around the beginning of the Fall Semester - that should be very convenient!!
After lunch we had overviews of the two courses we are taking this summer, which actually turn out to kind of be 3-ish courses wrapped into 2. The first is Human Gross Anatomy, which will be divided into 3 sections taught by 3 professors. The good news is that I actually don't have to work on cadavers! I had been worried about that. Instead, while we are in class, someone will have been prosecting the cadavers so when we get into the lab, we don't have to spend time doing it ourselves and can just look and observe exactly what we need to be seeing. Lucky me!
The second/third course is Introduction to Radiologic Science (which also includes Radiological Health and Imagining Physics). We will be learning about Patient Assessment, Isolation and Infection Control, Medications and Contrast Materials, Catheters, Tubes, Lines and Patient Care Accessories, Body Mechanics, Positioning Principles, Communication, Medical Ethics, and Legalities, Imaging Principles, and Radiation Protection. On top of that course that is split between two different professors and 3 different broad topics, Medical Terminology is a sort of side-course that we must do completely outside of class. We have a textbook for it and every few days there is a quiz on the new med terms.
Finally, after those intros, we had an orientation checklist of paperwork and tutorials we had to complete. This included: contact information, healthcare disclaimer form, immunization records, confidentiality statements, Honor Code, Glutaraldehyde test, Radiation Safety packet, pregnancy student disclaimer, health insurance, formaldehyde test, radiation protection worker registration form (to get our dosimeters), environmental health and safety test (4 of them), and HIPAA training. After we finished we were free to leave and go buy our textbooks!
So after the all-day orientation, I went home and read for seven hours. Then went to bed :) Thursday was the first day of class and I have to say it went quite well. So far it hasn't seemed to be extremely hard but I know that will change and the information load will get bigger. But for now I am grateful it seems doable. On top of getting the program started, my phone decided to become stubborn and pretty much paralyzed. It froze almost everytime I tried to use it, so I had to go to the Verizon store Thursday after class to get it fixed. Luckily it IS fixed, for now. We'll see..
Friday, May 8, 2009
Darlington
My mom and I are getting ready to leave for a weekend trip to Darlington. I looked on the all-knowing Google for pictures of Darlington, and here's what I found:
This is Darlington in England.
This is the Darlington Brick Train:
There's even a Darlington Nuclear Power Plant.
Oh, and there's a racetrack.
Which one are we going to? Well, we're going to Ireland later this month so two trips to Europe in one month doesn't make sense. I don't know where the brick train is, and we're probably not allowed in the nuclear plant, so we're going to Darlington racetrack in South Carolina, meeting my brother of course. I will return lobster-fried and deaf, but happy :). Wish me luck!
This is Darlington in England.
This is the Darlington Brick Train:
There's even a Darlington Nuclear Power Plant.
Oh, and there's a racetrack.
Which one are we going to? Well, we're going to Ireland later this month so two trips to Europe in one month doesn't make sense. I don't know where the brick train is, and we're probably not allowed in the nuclear plant, so we're going to Darlington racetrack in South Carolina, meeting my brother of course. I will return lobster-fried and deaf, but happy :). Wish me luck!
Monday, May 4, 2009
I'm no pair of dancing shoes..
So yeah, I saw Gavin DeGraw. And met him. He is a phenomenal performer. He has such a stage presence and you can really tell by his facial expressions and how he gets into his singing that he really loves what he's doing and it's not just some performance. It's what he loves. It was amazing!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Disappearance
This is my life for the next week and a day. Looks kind of like a prison doesn't it?
See you on the other side...
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