As an activity for the group, Dr. Parekh showed us different cases that we had to decipher using the data provided. While definitely a very complicated task, we got to see interesting charts and pictures that a pathologist would view on an everyday basis! The image above shows a slice of the appendix and was used to diagnose appendicitis. Thank you for the fascinating lesson Dr. Parekh!
In the Fischer clinic, we learned about the importance of personalized primary care and the loss of this personalized care in the medical industry. Doctors today are expected to churn through patients as quickly as possible, diagnosing then moving on; however, Dr. Fischer finds that returning to a focus on the doctor-patient relationship (as was more common a few decades ago) is much more fulfilling for the doctor and patient. He hopes that future doctors will find the proper balance and bring back this more traditional doctoring style (and we certainly hope we can find this balance too!). Thank you for opening our eyes to the differing styles of doctoring!
During the thoracic surgeon meeting, Dr. White showed us a surgery that included the removal of cancerous lymph nodes in the lungs. This got Emma and I thinking, shouldn’t the removal of lymph nodes devastate the immune system? Emma hypothesized the removed lymph nodes would grow back but I firmly disagreed. I originally visualized the lymph nodes as bumps around our body, and that we have probably 6? Maybe a few more? And if there are so few, removing one should be like removing a kidney! Emma assumed much more, around 50 or 100, so removing one lymph node should be nothing if they’re like little skittles around the body, removing something so small would probably regenerate anyway. After a quick google search, we discovered there are actually 500-600 lymph nodes in the body, distributed around every part of us including our face! Additionally, the lymphatic system can regenerate itself, which makes Emma’s hypothesis correct. Emma and I learned a lot!
Dr. Limkakeng explained the basics of ER medicine and how he found his passion for quick and serious situations that he can solve to make a difference. He explained that many students find med school very difficult and stressful but it is rewarding in the experiences with patients during residency and the future career in medicine. While I may not want to go into ER, the exciting and fast-paced nature of this career is definitely an interesting side of the medical field that is always good to keep in mind, thank you Dr. Limkakeng!
Dr. Brayboy explained the incredible impact he is able to make on his community in a Native American reserve. He explained that he followed his passion for his culture and was able to provide care for an often overlooked portion of the population. Medicine allows a doctor to serve and benefit any population which can change the world for that community. Thank you Dr. Brayboy for giving us a look into the wonderful and philanthropic world of doctoring!
We started our rotations Thursday with a visit to CA with two gynecologists and watched as they simulated the delivery of a baby with different types of equipment. One instrument, the forceps (shown in the picture), are put around the baby’s head and allow the baby to gently be removed. The doctors explained that people view forceps as outdated and barbaric yet in the right hands, forceps are a completely valid way of removing the baby. Thank you for the exciting event, Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Rhee!
This is a screenshot of the meeting we did with Ms. Houston, a med student. Ms. Houston gave unique insight into the differences between different medical fields and why she chose to be an osteopathic doctor. We learned a lot about the importance of priorities in a future medical career: What day-to-day activities would you enjoy? Would you prefer a holistic or medicinal side for aiding patients? And much more! We also met with Dr. Zipkin who among many other things, explained her perspective to the medical world as a primary care doctor. She described her role in the hospital compared with other doctors as well as the values that led her to choose primary care. This was a fun day!
Emma, Julia, and I (Kat) visited Dr. McElveen’s clinic today to shadow him during a few appointments and procedures. One procedure that stood out among the others was when a patient came to the clinic with fungus in his ear. When the doctor found the fungus and alerted the patient, the patient was surprised which amazed us as he wasn’t even aware that the fungus had grown after his surgery. We watched as Dr. McElveen extracted the fungus which highlighted the both gross and fascinating sides of medicine (that fungus can grow in your ear without you even knowing!!).
