November 2018

Even with a week spent with my family in Nashville, TN, November still proved to be a heavy load from an academic perspective. We dove into the second half of the Cardiovascular (CV) block to begin the month and examined how to treat arrhythmias, benign prostatic hyperplasia, erectile dysfunction, and urinary tract infections. The antiarrhythmic overview was particular insightful as we tackled the topic in a problem based learning (PBL) exercise. By engaging each student in a discussion format, PBLs are effective at helping the students not only learn about how to handle arrhythmias but also gain an understanding of how their peers approach each case study. I believe this is an important skill to have as aspiring physicians because soon we will have to treat patients as a team, and its imperative to be able to combine multiple angles at a diagnosis to develop a personalized, appropriate treatment plan for each patient. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Elma LeDoux, we also had the privilege running through a simulation of a patient experiencing a myocardial infarction. It gave us the opportunity to apply what we had been learning in the classroom to as close to a real-life scenario as possible. However, what I appreciated the most was that Dr. LeDoux understands the importance of bedside manners. She made it a point to teach us how to comfort the patient and assure him or her that they were in the right place and would be taken care of. If the situation was more complicated, she told us that we should take the patient's family members out of the room to explain any concerns. It is essential to keep the patient as comfortable and hopeful as possible no matter how dire the patient's condition is. I believe that physicians should be empathetic towards their patients rather than just see them as another number with a list of symptoms. I think that being a "good doctor" is more than just being smart and being able to retain information learned in lectures. I believe that your ability to understand your patient's emotions (fear, confusion, etc.) is just as important as your test scores.




Service hours in November: 15
Total service hours: 27

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