Finally?

I think everything is set with my transfer and classes. I say that hesitantly, because experience dictates that nothing is easy at this city school. But, I can gladly report that I received permission from the Chemistry Dept. Chair for Orgo Chem. Now, I can officially transfer and pay the cheaper per credit tuition. Tracking down the Chair wasn't easy (none of this process seems to be). After sending an email, calling, and leaving a message, I decided to stop by after work to see if he was still around. Fortunately, he was, and I had a really pleasant conversation with him. He was really interesting in knowing why I was taking the class. He had no problems approving me for the class and wrote down several things I should review in preparation. I felt he really wanted to help me succeed, and that was such a great feeling after the roller-coaster registration process.

As twisted as all this running around has been, I've found the people I've encountered to be incredibly helpful, pleasant, and really care. I think they can tell when someone is serious about furthering their education and when they meet them, they want to do what they can. Let's hope this attitude continues when classes begin!

More School Maze

It just doesn't end. I had been all set to officially transfer for the fall semester, and I stopped by to check that everything moved properly and I was still enrolled for Organic Chem in the fall. They seemed not sure if my two semesters of General Chem in college were really General Chem I and II because it said General Chemistry for both semesters. Nevermind the courses were 103 and 104! They called someone on the phone to confirm. Thankfully it was fine. But just as I was wrapping things up, I opened my big mouth and said, "Yes, it's been a while". *BIG mistake* They noticed it had been more than 5 years since these classes and therefore, I needed to get the Chemistry Chair to approve taking Organic Chem.

I really wanted to throw in the towel at that point. I had been visiting the school almost every day for the past week, and haven't even described on this blog the previous little hiccups that necessitated each one. I just want to get these classes done! If I have to take Chem 101 all over again, it will throw off my schedule. I bemoaned all this to M, who asked if I needed a prescription for Prozac. Ha ha. I wasn't truly about to give up, but it gave me pause and reinforced those days I wonder if this is worth all the headache. Sometimes I cannot fathom what the hell I'm doing. All this effort for a *maybe* shot to getting into this *one* school's PA program. My weekends are almost non-existent. I'm so exhausted, I come home from the hospital volunteer days and nap. I am already chewing off my nails wondering how I'll handle the summer accelerated classes. Will I be the only one who is working full time while also taking a crazy class meeting every evening of the week, save one? Can I keep this up for another year? I'm too tired to figure it out.

Itching for the Next iPhone

I want the next iPhone. I have been waiting patiently until my mobile contract expired in January, and I'm glad I did. The next one looks amazing! Sure, it's going to be pricey and ATT sucks. But I've wanted an all-in-one phone/pda for a while. I've even been adding apps to my iTunes wishlist as I find/learn of them. As you can imagine, I've listed a number of medical ones like, AnatomyLab, MedicalCalculator MD, and epocrates. I also have some fun ones: Backgammon, Brushes, and Pandora. The announcement of the new iPhone is June 7 at the WWDC. I just hope it won't take too long before I can buy one. It would sure be handy to have for my A+P I class!

Feel free to send me an iTunes gift certficate. :)

Another Trip Through the School Maze

Today was Summer/Fall registration for classes. I only had to spend 2.5 hrs in the school maze this time. But it was frustrating to find that no matter how prepared I tried to be, I seemed to have asked the wrong questions and ended up with an obstacle course. It didn't help that I was also still recovering from the tail end of a lingering cold with a hacking cough and congestion I couldn't shake.

I was trying to become a matriculated student by officially transferring. However, I didn't realize it required a recent official transcript for a certificate I earned long ago. The work-around was to continue as a "non-degree student" which would allow me to register and reserve a spot in the classes. However, to be matriculated means vastly cheaper cost per credit.

Although I arrived early to register, it turned out I still had to stand in an admissions line to roll over my spring non-degree status to summer non-degree status. Sigh. It never gets easier.

Buuuuuut.... it was all worth it! I got registered for Anatomy and Physiology I and II for the summer, evenings. They are 1 month long each. I'm excited but nervous of just how difficult it will be when juggling it with my work schedule. Oh well. I'll deal with it as it comes. In addition, I registered for my fall semester class: Organic Chem I. So I feel better now that things are squared away with classes. It's one thing off my checklist and so far.... things are going on schedule as planned. Next spring semester, I'll take Microbiology and be done with my requirements! But, for now, I although one worry is off my plate, I now need to be concerned with getting a good grade in my intensive summer classes. :-/  Wish me luck!

A Dream Deferred

My English Comp class assignment now is to write a research paper on a poem of our choosing. In trying to find a poem I could connect to, I recalled a short poem by Langston Hughes, "Harlem", sometimes known as, "A Dream Deferred". I first read it in high school. And I found it applied well to my situation these days. Keep pursuing those dreams!

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
     like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
    And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
     like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Geek

I've become a geek. Well, maybe I've always been one and never knew. In an effort to keep my "back to school" anxiety at bay, I've been spending some free time trying to get a head start on some class subjects. Organic chemistry is one of them. I'm terrified of it! Mainly because I know nothing about it except for the horror stories back in college days. A volunteer acquaintance who is headed to med school gave me her study aide book used for her Org Chem I class. I started reading it and doing the exercises a couple months ago. Surprisingly, I actually found it made more sense and was more interesting then General Chemistry in college. Maybe I just haven't gotten too deep into the subject yet, but it helped soothe my nerves.

Another class that I'm nervous about, solely for the sheer amount of information to be memorized, is Anatomy + Physiology. With any luck, I'll be taking both I and II this summer. With greater luck, I'll survive the condensed schedule without losing my mind. To help with that, I've scoured iTunes for anything useful in getting an edge. I found a great iTunes U vodcast of instructional lab classes going over each of the anatomical systems. They're basic and straight forward, easy to follow with helpful mnemonics and other tips. Excellent for a beginner like me. Let's hope the info sticks.

More Hospital Opportunity

I was accepted in Hospital1's volunteer program this week! I was getting nervous because I hadn't heard back. I don't start until mid-August so I'll wait to do Orientation, medical, ID (and fingerprinting!) in July. It's all good; I welcome seeing how different hospitals work and just mixing up exposure to other experiences. Of course, I don't plan to end my relationship with Hospital2 as they've been good to me. I may find I have to cut down a little from their program, but I'll still spend a good amount of time there.

Midterm Essay

I got the results of my midterm essay. I was a bit (happily) shocked to find I managed to eke out a 90. I am horrible at writing under time constraints. And while I knew the general topic of the essay, it didn't quite match what I had carefully outlined in my head to write. I was literally sweating bullets toward the end because I have to do revisions too many times in order to get my thoughts all in order. Just a short "research" paper and final exam left!

Team Leading with Cupcakes

I'll be starting to Team Lead an event for New York Cares. I'm finalizing the details with the hospital coordinator; we'll be doing a party for the pediatrics wing with cupcakes and ice cream. Yum! How I wish I had time to make the 60 some odd cupcakes for the event each month! I am one of those who loooooves cupcakes. Years ago, I had a dream to have a cupcake shop. But it was so unrealistic to think it would make money. Since then, I've seen everything "cupcake" pop up all over the city!

Missing... Weekends

It was a beautiful day out today. And I spent it at the hospital, of course. Last weekend was also gorgeous weather, and for the first time since I started this direction in my life, I felt a little disappointment of all the warm weekends I'll miss and having a real break from work. I didn't do that much before, but I enjoyed having no plans and letting the weekend unravel as I liked. Now, I won't have much time to bike ride in Prospect Park and throughout Brooklyn. I miss swimming at the pool (I canceled my membership as I just don't have the time to go). I'll miss the Five Boro Bike Tour and Summer Streets biking (weekends). And though I'm doing all this for a worthy goal (so I keep telling myself!), it's hard not to feel a little jealous as others enjoy their weekends.

Since volunteering (which I do enjoy on the most part), I have been waking up at 6:15a weekend mornings to arrive at the hospital at 8a. It's not far, but with our lousy MTA and pokey trains, I always seem to just get there on time. Weekends are like work days. And since I have a full time job that I need to pay bills, mortgage, etc., my only available time to volunteer, is weekends. It's amazing how being on your feet all day can literally exhaust you. If there are errands to run, I attempt to tackle them them immediately after the hospital. There's a running joke with my co-volunteer in the Caregiver program that my plans for the rest of the day involve a run to Target. Sadly, it's true. If I go home, forget it! I cannot move and sometimes take a quick nap. One thing for sure, if (no, when) I make it through, I'm taking a nice, long vacation!

Gross Link of the Day

Don't listen if you're easily grossed out. Act III of This American Life's episode of "Enemy Camp 2010" is amazing. In a nutshell: man has extreme allergies, finds hookworm is a possible cure, goes to West Africa to stomp in about 30 latrines to become infected, comes back home and is cured, then starts harvesting hookworm from his own poo to sell to others as a remedy.

As disgusting as it sounds, the segment suggests it could be helpful for many autoimmune diseases like Crohn's disease and MS. Act II is equally interesting about parasites in nature.

Enemy Camp 2010

Act II starts 24:36
Act III starts 34:22

Suspended Animation

I am a total TEDTalks fanatic. There are so many inspirational videos, I literally lose sleep and time glued to them. This one connects to a story you may have read. A Norwegian med student had literally frozen to death for 80 minutes but was brought back to life. It has challenged the medical field of what is possible in hypothermia and inspired other ways to "suspend" trauma victims long enough to be treated.

Taking Ourselves for Granted

"Coding" is a term doctors use for someone in cardiopulmonary arrest. A couple of weeks ago, a nurse on the floor had coded in the evening. She was attending to a patient when she collapsed on him in cardiac arrest. Supposedly, he tried the call button, but no one came (a lesson for hospitals to be extra vigilant of those call buttons!). Fortunately, the patient was young and managed to wriggle out from under her to alert the nurses' station. Immediately, the nurses (in tears, as it was one of their own) and doctors were working on the now-blue nurse. They had worked 45 minutes on her and managed to get her breathing again. She was in ICU and managed to say some words a week later. This weekend, she visited the floor walking slowly with her parents on either side and smiling. She was tall and slim. The nurses welcomed and watched while she made her way like a new toddler making first steps, apparently lucid and without the damage a lack of oxygen can incur.

It must be amazing to be able to bring someone back like that. I was told by M, that a very low percentage of people who code, actually survive. Pretty grim statistics. The amazing fact about this nurse was that she's only 24 yrs old! I was shocked when I heard this. But as M said, it's probably her young age that really helped her survive. And who knows what the circumstances were surrounding her condition. Perhaps it was an undetected problem found only now.

Still, it's awe-inspiring to think of all the systems in each of us that make us "tick", so to speak. Many processes and systems continue it's work without a bit of thinking on our part. It would be best if we did our part in taking care of ourselves, the best we can.

Medical Books

Since last summer, I tore through a lot of books on medicine. I really enjoy reading the ones highlighting specific cases. Blame it on my PA friend, M. He started it by telling me of a book he was reading (How Doctors Think).

1. How Doctors Think
   
2. The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness
3. Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
4. Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
5. The Anatomist: A True Story of Gray's Anatomy
6. Doctors
7. How We Live
8. Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God, and Diversity on Steroids

My favorites were those by Atul Gawande (Better, Complications). Really interesting (and scary) stories. Also inspiring. I'm always looking for more of those type of books to read, but with little time, it's probably a good thing I haven't found more. Doctors was a favorite of M PA. It's fiction but is a good look at the med school experience; although some details are now a little dated, the experience is pretty accurate (so I hear).

I'm still slogging through How We Live (a bit old fashioned in writing, in my opinion) and Hospital. Hospital provides some insight into how a Brooklyn hospital runs (not far from my neighborhood, in fact!). The Anatomist was a fun read. It follows a journalist on two journeys: his experience in a couple Gross Anatomy classes and his quest to find more about Henry Gray, the British anatomist famous for his ground-breaking book. The first two listed, by Jerome Groopman, are equally fascinating for their look into how patients can make more out of a doctor visit and the different ways hope can factor into our healing process. All good reads.

Oh, and here's another one that I really enjoyed, but has nothing to do with medicine: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Opportunities

It wasn't that long ago I was frantically searching hospitals willing to take me as a volunteer. I applied to Hospital1 but never heard back. Hospital2 replied immediately, and I've been there since. It's been great because it's near where I live and I have a great schedule working around my school and full-time job.

A couple days ago, I heard from Hospital1. They apologized for the delay due to large volume of applicants and quality screening standards. Could I come in for a group volunteer interview? There are several pros: it's one of the best hospitals in the country and would look great on my volunteer list, I could make more connections, learn another hospital's operations, and perhaps, receive more varied patient care opportunities. There's only one major con: it's incredibly far to get to from home. Another dilemma is whether they're willing to work around my summer classes, provided I get into them. I'm going to try to take Anatomy + Physiology I and II this summer. Which means, they are fitting 1 semester into 4 weeks. Which means, I will have class every evening after work, M-Th. Which means, I can't do any volunteer work in the summer. I've already notified Hospital2 and they had no problem with it. In the end, I decided it doesn't hurt to go to the interview to complete that step and find out more. It's possible I could do one evening a week after work (when I would be much closer to the hospital), while continuing at Hospital2.

Meanwhile, another hospital opportunity surfaced today. I've been a volunteer with New York Cares for some months now, even going through the process of becoming a Team Leader so I could start a new project at Hospital2. As it turned out, the coordinator at the hospital left and I had no idea if the project would be implemented sooner or later. But my contact at New York Cares called today to ask if I were still interested in the project. Originally, the idea was to have a movie night for the pediatrics in patients. Since this would be a more involved project and the hospital was eager to restart an event, they've altered it to sort of a cake party for the kids. Over the last several months, I've been attending a New York Cares project like this at Hospital1 in the Psychiatric Facility, and it's a lot of fun. I was definitely interested, but in the back of my mind I was reconciling how to take advantage of all these great opportunities at a time when things are in flux and soon to be more hectic in the summer when classes begin.

Like the Hospital1 opportunity, I decided: at least go and find out. New York Cares is only once a month. It would be great to have another volunteer project (and hours) that allows me to demonstrate leadership. So let the chips fall where they may. When you think of it, everything is in flux.