I survived OB!

And who would’ve thought I’d miss it after all?

It was our first major 4-week rotation, one that my block mates and I initially approached with dread. We didn’t know if we could keep up with the daily 7am schedule and having to face the strong personalities of some residents (we did get warned by the previous blocks). But stressful as it was, OB-Gyn 250 grew on us. In those four weeks I saw patients one on one and encountered some interesting cases, did internal examinations and pap smears for real, got the hang of doing Leopold’s maneuvers and listening to fetal heart tones, and even did my first successful IV line insertion (with the guidance of an intern that we had to call from another ward). :)

And then there’s the 24-hr duty at the labor room and delivery room. Never mind that my body clock got whacked; I had a lot of firsts during that post too:

◊ I assisted an outlet forceps delivery, where I helped get the baby out (he was slippery and I feared I might drop him!), and delivered the placenta…
◊ I also got to assist a cesarean section delivery. My main role was to retract skin and muscles and suction amniotic fluid from the baby’s mouth, and later on suction blood as the surgeon repaired the incisions…
◊ I inserted a foley catheter into a patient in the recovery room. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be…
◊ One resident let me try a bit of suturing an episiotomy, albeit with somewhat fumbling hands. :) Thank you for the patience ma’am!

After that weekend I never looked at OBAS (the OB Admitting Section) the same way again.
It used to be just a ‘fixture’ in my everyday route to the college, but after experiencing what it was like inside the LR/DR, I know I’ll be reminded of those firsts every time I pass by. :)

Ironically, I still don’t see myself as an Obstetrician / Gynecologist in the future (haha). But there’s just a sense of fulfillment with all these learning experiences, and I didn’t realize I’d miss the department until I went to the hospital yesterday morning for the orientation to Pedia 250.
Tapos na pala ang OB. Next year ulit… di bale nang mas toxic na sa susunod, ganun naman talaga eh. :)

old unpublished entry: 08-25-06

I just finished my Cardio elective and once again I was inspired to consider it as an option for my medical career. =) I’ve re-learned and learned a lot of stuff… Of course a week in CVS is not enough, but I could say it was really a fruitful elective. We saw patients and heard their murmurs (one was PDA; another was VSD [classic!], and another was ASD). We were exposed to a little of 2D Echo. We got to hear of pre-op cases being discussed by fellows and consultants. My ECG reading skills improved and I don’t think I’ll forget them again. I got a little more used to doing the PE of the heart. S l o w l y I’m becoming more confident in examining patients… and I know I’ll experience a lot more of history taking and PE in the months to come. Thank you Lord for this privilege to be trained in PGH! =)

First post :)

I remember comparing high school life to a marine voyage in our yearbook—and graduation was reaching our destination on shore. And then college life I likened to a trek up the mountains. If it were so, then med school was definitely a tough height to scale. Well, it still is. But what I used to consider too far off doesn’t seem as far now. I thought graduation is still a long way ahead, until one day it sank in that two and a half years have already whizzed by. I’m actually halfway there! It’s exciting and scary at the same time. Each day is one step closer to my becoming a real physician; each patient encounter an opportunity to hone that so-called clinical eye. May each step, then, not be in vain… Oh Lord please help me to make the most out of these years of training and be the kind of doctor that you want me to be.