Confessions of a Teenage Farm Girl

When you live on a farm, there is nothing but silence at night when you are sleeping. In the summer when the windows are open you might hear some frogs in the ditches outside, or rain coming down on the roof. In the winter, you might hear strong winds blowing snow against your window.

On the farm where I grew up, our farmyard was actually situated between the CPR and the CN railway lines. Why? Because our farm was settled in the 1800’s before these lines were even built. So trains would go by in the middle of the night all the time, and I never lost a moment of sleep. I didn’t even notice the sound of a train.

In the country, you don’t hear sirens. Unless they are coming to your house. Luckily, this never happened once in my 18 years living on a farm.

When I moved to Winnipeg there were 2 things that I just couldn’t get used to at night when I was trying to sleep. First, the orange glow of the night sky in Winnipeg. It is never actually dark in the city. Second, the sirens. In my first few months living in Winnipeg I would jump out of bed and run to the window every time I heard a siren, whether it was police car, an ambulance, or a fire truck.

Yes, I am small town like that.

So last night, when I jumped out of bed at 4am and ran to the window when I heard a team of sirens, I wondered if this weird instinct/worry would ever go away. This is my 7th year in Winnipeg! Will I ever get over it?!?

This really made me think about the things that were different when I moved here in 2003…

I am ashamed to admit that I had never seen a crossing guard at a school. These kids in orange vests on the street waving flags looked like a hazard to me. I didn’t know when it was okay to drive past them. (I know, this is embarrassing).

I thought those ice cream trucks that played music as they drove down the street were only in movies. I’m not kidding. When I heard the music one day, I was (again) confused. My boyfriend at the time said it was an ice cream truck. I grabbed money and ran in sock feet as hard as I could to find it. It think the guy driving the truck really wondered why a 20-year old was frantically chasing down his ice cream truck.

I didn’t know you had to lock the doors of your house. I had never owned a house key in my life.

I was nervous about riding my first city bus, because I didn’t know how to pay the fare when I stepped on the bus.

I couldn’t find a post office to buy stamps. I had no idea that you could buy stamps at grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores.

I was absolutely amazed that 7-11 was open all night. Who could possibly need candy and corndogs in the middle of the night?!?

These ridiculous little differences are endless, and can actually make the transition quite difficult.

Recently, I was home in Gladstone visiting my parents and I caught myself saying, “ I can’t believe the stores here are only open until 5:30!”

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Running Low on Fuel

I can’t believe I had a spring break, it feels like I haven’t stopped working since Christmas!  Yes, I am complaining, but it’s part of the deal…

My week off feels like a distant memory… I spent four days in Halifax with two of my cousins and I had a fabulous time! It was great to see my cousins. I’m glad I went away, but now I could use a week of sleep!

So it is now the second week into Block 6, which covers Gastroenterology (guts), Dermatology (skin), and Haematology (blood).

In addition, our class is madly working away in preparation for our OSCE exam. OSCE is Objective Structured Clinical Exam. This is an exam that tests our abilities to critically interview and physically examine patients in every system of the body. It is tested in consecutive stations, where you enter a room and have 7 minutes to complete certain patient history and physical exam tasks.  It is quite a lot of work in preparation, because it covers information learned over the past two years of class work. Our OSCE examination is 2 weeks away (in the middle of Block 6), and then our Block 6 exams will only be another 3 weeks after that.

I just want to press the pause button.

Today I spent the morning on the Obstetrics and Gynecology service at St. Boniface Hospital.  Although I feel like an infant on the ward right now, it was extremely exciting and cool to see what goes on there.  Four caesarean sections this morning made for a really big morning! Any little task they give me feels like a huge deal right now. My knowledge is only a tiny element compared to what I will learn over the next few years.

I hope everyone has a nice Easter weekend!

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Waiting for Spring Break

March.  In like a lamb… apparently.

I wish I could say I have enjoyed this beautiful weather, but I have been pretty attached to a desk in the library for the past month now.  I mentioned that Block 5 is a bit of a doozie, and that was no understatement.  I am finding neuroanatomy to be really interesting… spinal cord injuries, seizures, coma, dementia, and many other complex features of the Neurological system.   We are also learning about the muscular and skeletal systems, and ophthalmology (eyes).

After finishing our exams next week we have SPRING BREAK!!! I can’t wait. I am probably going to sleep for a couple of days, then I will spend some time with family and friends. I am excited to start seeing these people again and I haven’t been home for a long time!

We are also in the planning stages of clerkship, which starts next year for our class. Clerkship is the 3rd and 4th years of the medical program. Next year is a series of 6-week rotations in the hospitals, experiencing all of the core specialties in medicine.  These include Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Surgery, and a combined rotation consisting of Emergency, Anaesthesia, Ear/Nose/Throat, Opthalmology, and Community Health.  A small part of 3rd year, and all of 4th year will be elective time spent in various areas of our own interest.

A couple of weeks from now we will get our preliminary schedule of our rotations and hospital placements.  I think most people are looking forward to getting into the hospitals more next year. There has been quite a bit of book work in the first two years, and it will be rewarding to start putting that knowledge to use!
I better get back to studying.

Have a good weekend!

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Bus trip to rural Manitoba

We survived the Rural Interest Group weekend bus trip!

We had a great weekend, as we headed out to Dauphin Friday afternoon, travelled to Elkhorn Resort Saturday afternoon, then to Neepawa Sunday. I was amazed by the organization and volunteerism shown by the people in these communities! There were a lot of activities planned for us, along with incredible hospitality.  We had clinical skills sessions in both Dauphin and Neepawa, where we received instruction on casting, suturing, intubation/airways, EKG practice, IUD insertion, breast lump aspiration, and more!

Friday we pulled out of Winnipeg by 1:00pm. When we passed Gladstone we got all 50 students out of the bus to take a picture at the Happy Rock (I am sure that will make my parents proud). That night we were served an incredible Ukrainian meal in Dauphin, which was followed by a Ukrainian dance lesson. We weren’t very good at the dancing part, but we sure tried! We followed that up with a Dauphin Kings hockey game. We were pretty tired by the time we made it to our hotel.

Saturday was a clinical skills session (still in Dauphin), lunch, and tours of the health care facilities. Then our bus travelled through Riding Mountain National Park (which is beautiful to see in the winter), to the Elkhorn Resort to meet with people from the Assiniboine RHA.  Many people in our group enjoyed skating outdoors, playing in the snow, and spending time in the pool and hot tubs. We were treated to a fabulous dinner and presentations from members of ARHA, introducing us to the facilities in the region.

Sunday morning (which felt SO SO early after a late Saturday night), we boarded the bus to head to the new Personal Care Home in Neepawa.  Here, we had breakfast, presentations, and then an awesome clinical skills session.  By the time we headed back to Winnipeg that afternoon we were exhausted.

Of course, we made it home in time to watch the Superbowl!

All in all, the weekend went over very well. I hope it serves as an opportunity to show future physicians that there are incredible opportunities outside of the perimeter.

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Good Riddance to January

Good Riddance to January

It is hard to believe it is already the end of January!  Time is flying by… lectures, tutorials, labs, hospital assignments.

I am really glad we have such a variety of ways we learn in pre-clerkship because we never have to do the same thing over and over again.

Yesterday:  I spent the morning at St. Boniface Hospital doing a neurology assessment with a 93 year old patient. Then I was back at our campus for a Rural Interest Group meeting. Then we headed back down to the gross lab, continuing a dissection of a leg. Then I met classmates for hot wings. Then I went to see my cousin. Then I finished some readings for a group tutorial this morning. (In case you wonder what my day is like).

Most recently, our Rural Interest Group has been planning a weekend getaway for 50 students in 1st and 2nd year. Next weekend we will be travelling on a bus to the western part of the province to introduce students to communities and hospitals in rural areas. There will also be some practical skills sessions (suturing, casting, etc) while we are there, not to mention many awesome social activities. I am just pumped about the weekend!

This weekend I am heading to Kenora area for some away-from-med-school time. Planning to go snowshoeing and maybe skiing.  I packed enough food for a week and I wish I could stay that long!

Until next time… keep fit and have fun!

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My Holiday Season

In the spirit of the holiday season, some of the medical students organized a hamper drive for the less fortunate people in Winnipeg. Together, our medical students donated money and items to make hampers for 90-100 children!

School was finished for the holiday break on December 23rd and I headed straight home to Gladstone. I was ready for a Christmas holiday in the country. I always miss being in the country, and I am usually itching to get out of the city (no offence, Winnipeg).

My holiday was just what I needed and I did not open a text book the entire time. I spent most of my time with my family, which was so nice. My younger sister is growing up so fast!

My two favourite gifts:

A large box of frozen pigs’ feet. My relatives heard that in medical school we practice our suturing skills on leftover pigs’ feet, so they picked up a box of feet from a local farmer for me!

2. Elk hide mitts. My dad hunted an elk last year, so my mom made mitts from the hide for her three kids. I think she is planning on doing moccasins next!

I feel like I fit in most of the things I wanted to do over the holidays. I went cross-country skiing, skating on the river a couple of times, and ice-fishing. I saw almost all of my relatives over 4 different Christmas parties, and I had lots of relaxing time with my parents.

Now I feel more refreshed.

We are back to school now, and working on a great deal of anatomy. Block 5 is the heaviest anatomy block, and a lot of daily work. We are in the gross lab (with cadavers) almost every day right now, so the smell lingers in your hair and follows you everywhere you go.

Happy New Year to everyone!

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Getting into December

The temperatures have dropped and so has my ambition.  There is always a period after block exams when your brain is just not ready for new material yet. Unfortunately, neuroscience is not a light topic.

Many students in my class are currently planning a trip to Mexico for the end of block 5, which will be in March. I have chosen not to go, although I know everyone who went last year had a fabulous time! It is definitely a great way to motivate yourself through the next block, with a trip as a reward.

I have been dreaming about taking a ski trip to the Rockies this year.  I was very fortunate to go to Switzerland last Christmas and ski in the Alps and it was the greatest trip ever. Yet I haven’t gone skiing in Western Canada.  Somehow flying down a mountain seems more exciting than lying on a beach all day. Although on days like today, when it is -30 Celsius without the wind, and you are running down the street to catch your bus, a beach vacation is very appealing.
Last week we had our annual Coffeehouse, which is a showcase of musical talent put on by medical students. There was so much talent that we couldn’t fit it into one evening. So, there will be another show in the spring. It was an incredible show, with such a variety of styles. I feel like at least half of my class can play an instrument (I am not sure), but it seems like there is a great deal of talent. 

Our faculty is also planning a Winter Formal this Friday and a Christmas gift exchange to get into the holiday spirit.

So despite the cold weather and post-exam slump, we are doing a lot to keep busy and entertained.

I am really looking forward to the weekend. Winter formal on Friday, Christmas party with friends on Saturday, and Christmas tree hunting on Sunday! Yes, I said Christmas tree HUNTING. That is the way we do it in our family. We get a permit and go on a day-long trek for the perfect tree. It is a tradition with some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I cannot wait!

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Exam Psychosis

I survived Block 4!  I also survived the Block party afterwards!

On Friday at noon the students in my class felt a weight lifted off their shoulders. What a great feeling to be finished exams (for now). We celebrated at a class party and then the weekend flew by with plans for fun and friends. Then Monday we were back at it, starting Block 5, our victory dampened by the flow of new notes and textbooks.  Wow… could I ever use a couple days of sleep!

I have started to recognize my exam rituals. My sleep cycle shifts to nocturnal, my coffee maker runs at the same times every day, I wear different clothes, I eat different foods. My body starts to feel weird, filled with caffeine and sugar.  I usually freak out about 4 days before the exam, worried that I cannot possibly cover it all in time. Then I have a reality check and go into overdrive until the exam. It happens every time.

I always feel bad during exam time, because I just turn off my phone for periods of time and friends and family wonder if I have disappeared. Unfortunately, this is what I have to do to succeed. One time I left my phone on while “studying” and realized I had spent 2 hours sending and receiving text messages.  I set mini-goals like a number of pages or lectures I have to cover before I can turn my phone on or eat dinner. I am a slave to myself I guess.

It is also really difficult to have a conversation in the middle of study mode, because all my brain can think about it what it has been submersed in for the last 10 days. This time it was kidneys and endocrinology.  Oddly, my friends didn’t want to learn about renal failure and dialysis from me.

I found it very difficult to write a blog this time. I couldn’t think about anything except my exam topics.

Now, with block 4 over, it is time to punch the “reset” button. Time to become myself again! For a little while…

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Role Reversal

This week I got to be the patient instead of the doctor.  Does it ever stink to be the patient.  I have been sick all week with influenza and last night I lay in a hospital bed, IV in my arm, wondering how I ended up in this position.  Well it happens very quickly actually. For some people who rolled into the emergency room, it happened much quicker.  So I tried to soak it up, as a rare opportunity to see the medical setting from the other side.

What I have concluded: it is very confusing as a patient.

There are staff members everywhere, wearing all different colors, rushing in and out of rooms… someone registers your name, someone asks you questions, someone takes your blood, someone starts your IV, someone takes you to X-ray…

Everyone I met was helpful, courteous, and informative. But I feel sorry for patients who must feel so overwhelmed when they end up in the emergency.

It feels so different when you are part of the staff. You know what your job is and how everyone around you works together in a team environment.

As for school, I have missed a whole week of school and our Block 4 exam is in two weeks. I am really going to have to pull it together to do well on this exam.  Further, it is not just about passing an exam; it’s about learning and understanding the information so I will know it forever.

I can’t just skip over learning about the kidney!  Hahaha…

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School, School, School and Hockey

Well the days have passed quickly and I realize we are really getting down to the nitty gritty of Block 4. (First year consists of Blocks 1, 2 and 3, while second year consists of Blocks 4, 5, and 6). 

Block 4 is a menagerie of reproduction, endocrinology/metabolism, and nephrology (kidneys).  Some think it is exciting while others do not.  It is interesting how each student finds their niche in some topic along the way in medical school.  I am finding obstetrics to be very interesting!
In addition to major book work, we have started some clinical skills sessions that can be somewhat uncomfortable and challenging.  Examining male and female reproductive organs can be a very sensitive task and will take some getting used to.

I am also busy planning a social event taking place next week for our Family Medicine Interest Group and Rural Interest Group (it is a collaborative effort). It will be a mix and mingle that allows students to meet family doctors practising in urban and rural practices, as well as some rural specialists. I am very excited about the event as the date comes closer, and now that I know I have a full guest list I can breathe easier.  Phew!

The first snowflakes fell this weekend and most people cringed at the thought of a long winter ahead of us.  I went home for a turkey dinner this weekend, found out the ice was just put down in the arena and I ended up in a fast-paced game of shinny … so I decided that it was time to pull my hockey equipment out and come out of retirement.  I miss playing hockey so much!  I think I have time???  (yikes…)

“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” - Wayne Gretzky

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