Midterms, already?

Well, it's already midterms and I haven't done my traditional list of classes with commentary. Where does the time go?


First of all I'm in 8/9 quarter, otherwise known as Split II. For those unaware, we are allowed to take 8th and 9th quarter and split them into three quarters. I'm smack in the middle of that right now. I have Mondays off, and half days on Fridays! Lovin' it! So... here is a list of my classes I'm currently taking:


Gastrointestinal - Essentially, it's a survey of the disorders/diseases/discomforts that can go on in the GI tract. There's been a lot of talk about poop so far. Who'd-a-thunk your poop could tell you so much about your health! Well, it can if you'll just listen. Anyhoo, we've covered the esophagus and the stomach. Ulcers are not your friend. Aspirin is not your friend, either... unless you are experiencing a heart attack.

Bone Path II - Well, if you'll recall (and I'm sure you will) Bone Pathology I was geared toward recognizing anatomical anomolies, fractures, and other bone injuries on x-ray. Bone Path II is tumors and infections of bone. Holy cow. There are nearly 16 thousand tumors that it could be, they all look exactly the same and they all sound the same! Osteoblastoma, Chondroblastoma, Chondrosarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Endochondroma, Chordoma, Osteoid Osteoma, etc., etc. Ergh! It gets very frustrating. We've just started infections (after having gone through many tumors) and they all look/sound the same too! There are tons of tumors specific to bone itself (the above named for starters) and then there is the possibility of the tumor being a metastasis from another primary tumor (kidney, lung, prostate, thyroid, etc.)! It's a big mix of tumor soup!

Radiographic Technology II - Well, last term we learned how to actually take the x-ray. This term we're learning how to position patients and the standard series'. Fairly boring, but essential none-the-less. Our teacher is a 60-something year old who plays in a Jazz band and talks just like Rocky Balboa. "Yo, you gotta use the bucky, you know. If you don't use the bucky, you know, you get a lot of the scatter radiation... and... you don't want scatter radiation, you know. So I'm sayin'... use the bucky." He keeps it interesting sometimes.

Clinical Nutrition - My last nutrition class was... four terms ago (one calender year!). Then, we learned about the physiologic needs of the body and how the actual different nutrients/vitamins/minerals contributed to fulfilling those needs. This quarter, we're looking at nutrition from a therapeutic aspect. I.e.: treating different diseases/symptoms using natural herbs and things. It's pretty interesting stuff and certainly practical for me as I plan on doing quite a bit of nutritional councelling in my practice, but... gosh... the instructor is so doggone boring!

NMS IV (Clinical Neurology) - I thought I was done with the NMS series, but I was wrong. We hadn't yet fully covered the 'N' in NMS. Perhaps I've gone into the wrong field, cause I just get a kick out of Neurology. I find it completely facinating that what appear to be vague symptoms (for example: trouble enunciating 'b' or 'p', blind spots, numbness on my left thumb, or shuffling feet vs. slapping feet, for example) can lead a clinician to a very precise lesion of the nervous system. It is such an intricately organized... machine. It is fun for me to see those neurological pathways coordinate with the symptoms. You'd think I'd be doing better with how much I like it. Well, again, the instructor is quite lack-luster. It's a shame, really. So, how does this course differ from the two neuro courses I've already had? Wonderful question, thank you for asking. The other two were geared toward the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. Now we're taking all that knowledge (which was over a year ago) and correlating it to different diseases with their presentations, signs, symptoms and progression. We've talked about certain dementias, different strokes, concussions, bleeding in the brain (hematomas), seizures and the like. Cool stuff (to study, not live through)! We'll see videos of people who have suffered some of these things and it's almost harder to watch than seeing someone with crippling back pain. Why is that I wonder? It's easier to deal with someone in extreme pain when they can speak to you coherently and comprehend what you tell them, someone who can scream and cry with pain. Someone who can rejoice with feeling better and actually see a positive progression of their condition. With people who have had damage to their nervous system via any one of the above mentioned mechanisms, they can seemingly become so detached. Like I said, it's almost overwhelming just watching a video with them. I don't know, maybe it's better I didn't try to get into that field. Maybe dealing with it to the very limited level that I will be dealing with it is just enough for me. We'll see. I'll keep you posted. Check back in 10 years or so.

Adjustive Tech. VII - Pretty much a review of adjustments with some pointers and helpful hints thrown in. The lecture has actually been geared towards a business aspect, which I've appreciated since the only real business class we've had so far was pretty much a joke.

Sports Medicine - This is actually an elective class. An expensive one at that! It actually kind of prepares us for being sport team physicians. Upon completion of two terms of classes (I'm in the first term) we can go and treat atheletes at certain WSCC sponsored events. What sort of events, you may be wondering? Well, how about the Portland Marathon, for one. There's a beach volleyball tournement that we do. Tons of other races. Mixed martial arts competitions, tough-man contests, and a couple of small, lesser known events like the Dew Action Sports Tour and the X-Games. Yeah, how cool would it be to treat Shaun White for a sprained ankle. "So, Intern Green, am I going to be able to finish the competition and kick everyone elses butt," he'll question imposingly. Gulp, "yes sir, Mr. White, sir, just let me finish taping your ankle so it doesn't end up breaking if you were to attempt your slammin' 1080 axle grind with split legged twist and a goofy return." Gulp.

That's about it, I suppose. Hope you enjoyed. If not, then I'm surprised you actually read the whole thing. That just looks worse for you than it does for me.