Sunday, April 29, 2012

ECG Action!

It's wierd how you can try to change the name of a thing. Like you can make everyone call tissues 'Kleenex', and then it ceases to be tissue and becomes Kleenex. Or how people in the South call soda 'Coke' - but then again, that is the South. Anyway, someone is trying to get those small oranges to be called 'Cuties', and this is my contribution to that campaign. Creative Commons License
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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Simplified Algorithm

They're big on oral tests in the Emergency/Trauma realm. Two in two weeks. I'm pretty good at saving hypothetical patients with non-hypothetical algorithms. The sorts of cases where I can just wave my hand, say that I'm administering 2L warm lactated ringer's, and it is so. It makes one feel at once both powerless and in charge - ruler of a tiny, imaginary realm. Kind of like playing Legos... Creative Commons License
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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Marketing III


I had this thought when we were infusing someone's bladder with methylene blue to check for surgical damage. There wasn't any, but it's neat to watch the foley drain thing fill up blue. Unusual, even.

I just want to capture that brand of fun!

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Dreamcatcher


Still putting tubes into larger tubes. And then drugs through the tubes. Truth be told, I wish I was more consistent at it. I'm good at getting the drugs thorough the tubes - I kind of like using syringes. And I'm okay at the native tube using parts, ie masking. But it's still a little bit of a toss up whether or not I'm going to be able to get that intubation or catheter. I suppose you probably need to do about 100 before you feel secure about it.

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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Marketing II


There are special syringes for use with glass ampules of drugs. The idea being that in cracking open the drug vial, you might accidentally crack off some tiny splinters that could maneuver through the needle, into the syringe, and then into the patient. My resident pointed out, correctly, that not only are bits of glass not good in your bloodstream, they are not good almost anywhere.

Or, at least, the minuses outweigh the pluses.

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Captain's Log


I used to call myself premed. Then I was a medical student. Soon, I figure I'll be a resident.

The barber has no clue what any of these classifications mean.

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Monday, April 9, 2012

An Observation


I've noticed that some of the patients don't like the mask. I think this must be a claustrophobia thing, which I get, even though it doesn't really cover your eyes. Just a face/pressure thing. I would think, however, that the positive valence associated with that 'PVC toy store' smell would mean that my generation would be more accepting of the mask.

More testing to follow...

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Puppies!


I like the OR well enough. The parts I really didn't care for was the part where I had to stand the entire damn time. Anesthesia folk not only get to look at the patient's face when they want, but they also get stools. So that's super awesome. Mainly, I've been sitting in the stool and brainstorming ideas about things that might be fun to do when I'm not otherwise occupied. On the stool.

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Outmassed


I have determined that I am currently in the midst of, and nearing the end of, a platinum weekend. Not only do I not work, but I also have nothing to study for, as I am finished with the last round of NBME shelf tests that I will take ever. So that's pretty sweet. Naturally, I am filling my time with constructive ventures that will bolster my resume and better prepare me for interview season, my internship, and beyond.

Kidding! I've been playing Mass Effect 3 (a game made by a studio run by some physicians) - and it's super-fun. I'm going to save the galaxy!

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