It's hard to believe that my second year at UT Dallas is almost halfway over already. Midterms just ended, and that realization came to me in tandem with the relief that comes with finally (finally!) being done with exams. For our sociology class this semester, our midterm exam was a paper wherein we had to choose a character from Jurassic Park, pretend they were recently diagnosed with symptoms of tuberculosis, and write a quick character sketch, history of present illness, and create a treatment plan. This paper required us to incorporate many of the major concepts and theories that we've studied in class, and I personally had a lot of fun writing it. I chose Dr. Hammond, the creator of Jurassic Park, as my character, and wrote a total of five pages. When we got our papers back during class last week, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I made an A on it! Our professor also wrote in her note at the end of my paper that I have a talent for writing, and that made me really happy. I love when my writing skills are validated :)
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
volunteering is honestly the best
Last week, I volunteered with UNICEF at the Genesis Children's Theater. At the theater, we helped the staff prepare for their show "The Drowsy Chaperone," which they were to be putting on in a few weeks. I worked from noon to 5 pm, helping set up chairs for the audience seating, organize and clean the backstage storage areas, and paint the stage. This experience made me aware again of how much I really love volunteering. Giving back to the community is honestly such a rewarding experience; it feels so good to help people and have them express their gratitude for what you've done. It makes you feel like you've really done something worthwhile. The staff at the theatre were absolutely charming and great to work with, and the children who came in the afternoon for voice lessons and practice were so happy and thankful for what we'd done that day. I hope that all my volunteering experiences are as fun and memorable as this one was.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
thoughts on the memoir
I'm sorry for the brief hiatus - I had to take a break from writing these journal entries because I was sick for the past week and a half, and I simply couldn't muster up the strength that was necessary to write. This and the following several entries will pretty much be me catching up on the things I missed out on during my temporary absence.
In our sociology class, we have continued to read Dr. Verghese's memoir, My Own Country, and I'm continuing to enjoy it. I love Dr. Verghese's style; his writing is so engaging and he's so good at telling stories that I find it hard to put down the book after I've finished the required chapters for each class meeting. Though his narratives about the lives of the patients he treats and his encounters with the rest of the health care staff are fascinating, what particularly strikes me most about his writing is his description of his family life.
There were two incidents that really stood out to me in relation to this: the first was the part where he talks about his young son Stephen and how he had to rush home from the hospital late one night because Stephen was inconsolable and refused to go to sleep unless his daddy was with him. The moment when Dr. Verghese walks into the room and his son runs over, throws his arms around his neck, and starts to sob angry tears actually made me start crying. It reminded me so much of my own younger brother, who at 3 years old, is significantly younger than me, and how he feels every time I leave home and go back to college for the week. That really hit home for me. I empathized so strongly with Stephen there, but also at the same time with Dr. Verghese, because at a point in life when you have certain responsibilities to uphold and commitments to meet, you are forced to choose between that and your personal life, and by maintaining your integrity, you sometimes have to sacrifice time with loved ones. This is obviously relevant for physicians, and I know that I will definitely have to deal with this in the future myself. It's a difficult thing to consider, especially because as I continue reading this memoir, I see Dr. Verghese repeatedly make references to how he makes time for his patients and in doing so, sometimes neglects his familial duties.
The other instance of this that really stood out to me was when, at the end of some chapters, Dr. Verghese talks about his relationship with Rajani, his wife, and how at one point, he says something relating to his practice that upsets her, or the time he is late to a dinner party they're having with another Indian family because he was talking with one of his patients for a long time. These incidents are touched upon pretty lightly, and Dr. Verghese doesn't spend a significant amount of time talking about them - indeed, there's a lot that goes unsaid in those pages, and I think it says a lot about the dynamic of this marriage, and how his career affects that. That is also something about this book that really piques my curiosity.
In our sociology class, we have continued to read Dr. Verghese's memoir, My Own Country, and I'm continuing to enjoy it. I love Dr. Verghese's style; his writing is so engaging and he's so good at telling stories that I find it hard to put down the book after I've finished the required chapters for each class meeting. Though his narratives about the lives of the patients he treats and his encounters with the rest of the health care staff are fascinating, what particularly strikes me most about his writing is his description of his family life.
There were two incidents that really stood out to me in relation to this: the first was the part where he talks about his young son Stephen and how he had to rush home from the hospital late one night because Stephen was inconsolable and refused to go to sleep unless his daddy was with him. The moment when Dr. Verghese walks into the room and his son runs over, throws his arms around his neck, and starts to sob angry tears actually made me start crying. It reminded me so much of my own younger brother, who at 3 years old, is significantly younger than me, and how he feels every time I leave home and go back to college for the week. That really hit home for me. I empathized so strongly with Stephen there, but also at the same time with Dr. Verghese, because at a point in life when you have certain responsibilities to uphold and commitments to meet, you are forced to choose between that and your personal life, and by maintaining your integrity, you sometimes have to sacrifice time with loved ones. This is obviously relevant for physicians, and I know that I will definitely have to deal with this in the future myself. It's a difficult thing to consider, especially because as I continue reading this memoir, I see Dr. Verghese repeatedly make references to how he makes time for his patients and in doing so, sometimes neglects his familial duties.
The other instance of this that really stood out to me was when, at the end of some chapters, Dr. Verghese talks about his relationship with Rajani, his wife, and how at one point, he says something relating to his practice that upsets her, or the time he is late to a dinner party they're having with another Indian family because he was talking with one of his patients for a long time. These incidents are touched upon pretty lightly, and Dr. Verghese doesn't spend a significant amount of time talking about them - indeed, there's a lot that goes unsaid in those pages, and I think it says a lot about the dynamic of this marriage, and how his career affects that. That is also something about this book that really piques my curiosity.
Friday, October 2, 2015
toxoplasmosis, TB, and other fascinating topics
Our last class discussion was inspired by several diseases that we examined in various ways. We received a packet about toxoplasmosis, examined the CDC tuberculosis modules, and ended with a discussion about Dr. Verghese and his experience with caring for AIDS patients in My Own Country.
The chapter we read in My Own Country for this week mentioned toxoplasmosis, so we examined this disease in greater detail by reading about it. This week's TB module focused on incentives and enablers, so as our in-class activity, we were given a list of incentives and enablers and asked to distinguish between the two, as well as examine the list more closely and decide which ones to remove and what to add to it. This part was actually a lot of fun, because we thought a few of the things listed were pretty ridiculous (e.g. crickets) and we had some better ideas that we came up with collectively.
Near the end of class, our professor posed the following question to us: is it realistic for us, as future physicians, to expect to practice like Dr. Verghese does in his memoir? Personally, I think it depends on a number of factors - your specialty, the number of patients you have on average, and the kind of environment in which you practice. The specialty of medicine you choose determines a lot of things, including lifestyle, the number of hours you work, and the nature of the relationship you will have with your patients. Physicians who work in specialties that consist of patients with a chronic condition that continuously needs management (and thus who come into the office on a regular basis) are more likely to have a stronger relationship with them than physicians who work in specialties where they see patients on more of a "one and done" basis, and may not see them again after one visit.
The number of patients a physician sees is also important to consider; doctors who have fewer patients to see in a day can spend more time with each of them, thus learning about their stories and getting to know them really well not just as patients, but as human beings. The chapter mentioned that in the clinic, Dr. Verghese had only 2 or 3 patients to see that day, so he had the luxury to spend as much time as he wanted with each of those individuals. On the other hand, in medicine today, doctors who often have 20-30 patients to see in a day can't afford to spend too much time with any one of them, as there will always be more patients waiting to be seen.
The environment in which one practices has an impact on the physician-patient relationship as well. Working in a large public hospital means having to deal with bureaucracy and typically a greater number of patients to see, so doctors who work in this environment will have less flexibility. In contrast, doctors who work in private practice or own their own clinic are more likely to know their patients more intimately and have greater freedom to decide what they want to do.
The chapter we read in My Own Country for this week mentioned toxoplasmosis, so we examined this disease in greater detail by reading about it. This week's TB module focused on incentives and enablers, so as our in-class activity, we were given a list of incentives and enablers and asked to distinguish between the two, as well as examine the list more closely and decide which ones to remove and what to add to it. This part was actually a lot of fun, because we thought a few of the things listed were pretty ridiculous (e.g. crickets) and we had some better ideas that we came up with collectively.
Near the end of class, our professor posed the following question to us: is it realistic for us, as future physicians, to expect to practice like Dr. Verghese does in his memoir? Personally, I think it depends on a number of factors - your specialty, the number of patients you have on average, and the kind of environment in which you practice. The specialty of medicine you choose determines a lot of things, including lifestyle, the number of hours you work, and the nature of the relationship you will have with your patients. Physicians who work in specialties that consist of patients with a chronic condition that continuously needs management (and thus who come into the office on a regular basis) are more likely to have a stronger relationship with them than physicians who work in specialties where they see patients on more of a "one and done" basis, and may not see them again after one visit.
The number of patients a physician sees is also important to consider; doctors who have fewer patients to see in a day can spend more time with each of them, thus learning about their stories and getting to know them really well not just as patients, but as human beings. The chapter mentioned that in the clinic, Dr. Verghese had only 2 or 3 patients to see that day, so he had the luxury to spend as much time as he wanted with each of those individuals. On the other hand, in medicine today, doctors who often have 20-30 patients to see in a day can't afford to spend too much time with any one of them, as there will always be more patients waiting to be seen.
The environment in which one practices has an impact on the physician-patient relationship as well. Working in a large public hospital means having to deal with bureaucracy and typically a greater number of patients to see, so doctors who work in this environment will have less flexibility. In contrast, doctors who work in private practice or own their own clinic are more likely to know their patients more intimately and have greater freedom to decide what they want to do.
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