Stiffs: the dead and political kind

Man, it's been a busy week. I've had classes to attend, cadavers to dissect, debates to watch, and most importantly, a chance to play doctor. That's right, after 5 weeks in medical school I finally got a chance to do something remotely related to being a doctor. I spent 2 hours at the hospital learning skills involved in the basic physical. You know, taking blood pressure, listening to the heart, looking in the eyes and ears, etc. Well, I figured this would all be really easy since I have experience taking vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respirations) when I worked as a CNA. Actually, it's not as easy as it sounds. I looked in the eyes and ear and I seriously couldn't see anything. I felt like an idiot. I mean, how hard can this be. Plus, you know how they "thump" on your back to listen to your lungs? Yeah, I couldn't do that either. I mean, who doesn't know how to thump? It turns out that the other students couldn't either, but this made me think. In a year and a half, I will be doing rotations and in 3 and a half years I will be a doctor. Scary, huh? Good thing I'll be getting a lot of practice between now and then.

I've also been spending a great deal of time in the cadaver lab studying the heart and lungs. Man, it's really cool. I wish everyone got the experience of seeing the human body this way. I know many may think it's disgusting, but I truly find it amazing to be able to hold a heart in my hands. It's really cool. It makes you appreciate how remarkable and intricate and perfect the human body really is. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.

Okay, so I'm going to try not to get too political because I realize my comments may offend some (see previous entry). I hope everyone got a chance to watch the debates, whether you have decided who you are voting for or not. It's a great way to hear the candidates views straight from their mouths, and I think it gives a sneak peek into what they are really like. So, watch the Vice Presidential debates Oct. 5th at 8pm and the 2nd Presidential debate Oct. 8th at 8pm. That's all I have to say about that.

well, I'm heading back to the my parents house this weekend to visit with the family and extended family so I'll talk at y'all in a couple of days.