Electricity

Have you ever felt abused by the electricity company? This month we felt a gash in our sides (and our wallets) when we received our bill. Let me preface this story with the fact that we only run 1 AC, which is in our bedroom, from approx. 5pm-6:30am. We are good about keeping lights off, and we run our fans throughout the house always (if we didn't we would be nothing more than piles of sticky sweat on the tile floor). Well our bill was $400 this month. I can barely type the total I am so flabbergasted. How can this be possible you ask? I wish I knew. It's unbelievable how one month it is $150 then it doubles and now this. I can't wait until "winter". So the next time you receive an expensive bill..remember us. We are surely paying more than you and are not half as cool as you in your central AC home! Ok I'm done ranting. As my dad would say "it is what it is".

Our friends Gina and Max came in on a Royal Caribbean cruise yesterday. We picked them up and took them to lunch, to see my school, and then back to our house. It was so fun seeing them and hearing about cruise life. We get so excited when new people come to the island. It makes us appreciate the paradise we live in. Despite how expensive it can be!

This weekend I am studying for pathology. Our test isn't for 2 more weeks, but its 8 weeks worth of information! I figured I'd get started. Oh and we have started a Friday tradition at Mullet Beach. Ryan plays on a v-ball team and Allison and I play paddleball. We have so much fun. Bentley usually comes and plays in the water. She is becoming quite the swimmer! Alright well I better stop writing..Ry says not to get too over zealous about my comeback to the blog. I shouldn't get everybody's hopes up that I will write every week. Which is true...but I'm trying!

Please go on...

So these past couple of weeks we have been learning in Behvioral Science how to talk to patients. We practice role playing with each other and then everybody critiques each other. Its somewhat strange because its new, but I'm happy that we take the time to learn the art of speaking and interacting with patients. We are told to start the medical history with a typical statement such as "What can I do for you today?" or "What brings you here today?" We are then supposed to listen to the patient's story. 85% of a medical diagnosis comes from an adequate medical history. I find that amazing. Another crazy, but not unbelievable fact is that Dr's interrupt the patient in an avg time of 18seconds! So as a medical student we are suppposed to sit there and hear the whole story and when we feel like interrupting, we don't. Then when we feel like we can't take it anymore and we need to speak, we still stay silent. We do this 3x. During this time we say facilitating comments like "please go on", "hmm hmm", "I see". I wonder how often these "rules" are used.

We took the first written exam for this class on Friday. It was detailed with crazy topics like how to be culturally competent Dr. We have to know that Buddhists don't like to be touched on the head, don't offer your left hand to Muslims because its unclean, and that Jewish ppl don't get autopsies. I realized how much I didn't know about other cultures. I missed an A by 1 question, and the correct answer to that question (which I now know) is that 25% of patients that see their family physician leave the appt feeling like they weren't heard and their needs weren't met. I thought it would be higher.

This weekend all I've done is study pharmacology. Drugs, drugs and more drugs. I am running out of mnemonics to remember then by. I don't understand how pharmacists do it. To all my pharamacist friends reading this, I highly respect your work and your ability to remember thousands of 12-15letter words that I can barely pronounce. Say some prayers for the exam on Tuesday.

4th Semester

I realize that I left 3rd semester with a headache, a feeling of relief but accomplishment, and some regret for never writing in my blog. I guess I thought since I was so busy that you guys would understand. I realize now, with the help of my husband, that a blog is a responsibility. And I am sorry for letting all my readers down. The least I can do now is summarize the events that happened after my last post back in June.
3rd semester to sum it up was intense. I honestly did not have one weekend to spend doing nothing. Everyday was the same, wash, rinse, repeat with studying. I ended up with better grades than either 1st or 2nd semester. My grades put me on the Dean's list at school. There is only 15 people in the school on this list. You have no idea how great that makes me feel after working my butt off. Don't worry, I'm not letting it go to my head. I have my friend Allison who constantly keeps me trying to do better. She is probably the smartest person at my school, and by far the most humble. I respect her so much for those qualities. We ended 3rd with a much needed trip back home. We almost didn't think we'd make it because of Hurrican Dean. But we did and were able to catch up with mostly everyone and I even was able to fly to LA to see Tiff and Ashlie! Luckily Pat and Allan Stam built a new house with a "wing" for Ryan and I. It was absolutely fabulous!
The past 3 weeks of 4th semester have been a nice breath of fresh air. I only have 3 classes and get done with class at 11:20 each day (except thursdays we go till 1). I am taking Behavioral Science/Med Psych, Pharmacology, and Pathology II. On Wednesdays we have a Behav Science lab that meets to work on our patient interviewing. We have to dress professional and wear nametags. You have know idea how exciting it feels to wear the whitecoat! It makes me realize that soon (June) we will be starting clinical rotations. The interviewing is definetly somewhat intimidating. We have professional patients that we practice with. They give us feedback on how we did and how we made them feel. Its good practice.
So far no exams. My first exam is on Friday then Tuesday. I have started studying for the USMLE step 1 board exam that I will take next April. I'm not going to lie...its scary. Think of it as a giant cumulative exam of everything you learn in the first 2 years of medical school. Yikes! Well on that note I'm going to start studying again. I'm sorry for making ya'll wait to hear what we are doing. We are all very happy, Bentley included. :)