Since I had to drive in the opposite direction than I'm used to at 8:30am, I was not expecting the amount of morning traffic that I encountered. And of course, knowing that I would look completely irresponsible if I showed up late to my first day of shadowing, I completely wigged out in my car. There is nothing more frustrating than bad traffic... Thankfully, it picked up once I got on the highway and I made it to Dr. A's office at about 9:06. Whew.
I got off on the 6th floor and told the secretary that I had an appointment with Dr. A.
Was I nervous? Of course. Did I show it? Tried not to.
The secretary immediately thought that I was a patient, pulled out a clipboard, and tried to find my name. Her attitude was a bit cold, but I suppose if I had to deal with cranky patients all day, I would be slightly bitter as well. I quickly explained that I was a student and I was there only to observe. I've never seen an attitude change so fast. She immediately was much nicer to me (I think because she thought I was a medical student...as you will see, that ended up being the recurring theme that morning..)
I sat down and waited for about 5 minutes in the waiting room until I saw a lanky older man peek through the double door.
"Victoria?"
"Yes..Thats me."
"Good. Come on back." And he disappeared behind the door again.
I followed him into his office. The yellow walls were bare except for a black, plastic file holder that hung on the wall. I imagined hanging up some of my paintings... There was an exam table and two blue chairs behind his rectangular desk. We sat down and chatted for a little bit. I told him about myself, about my goals, and my interests. He told me about his practice, his interests, his experiences with his patients, and his experiences having studied and worked at Columbia University. Ah, a fellow New Yorker.
"You know, over at Columbia...you have the elite of the elite. World renowned scholars, professionals, physicians. Below them, you are still elite." He flicked his hand in the air while he spoke, "Even at the bottom of the elite, you are still some degree of elite. But here? Here *insert name of University hospital where I was*there is simply a top layer of elite, and the rest is a sea of mediocrity...." He went on to tell me that most of the physicians these days dont take the time to really listen to their patients. "The administration, they've been telling me to squeeze in more patients. Run 'em through. I cant do that. I know some doctors that already have the prescriptions written before the patient walks in! I dont believe in that. I take the time to look my patient in the eyes, talk with them, listen to them. Id sooner quit than do otherwise."
Dr. A's pager went off, cutting the conversation short. It was time for the first patient of the day.
Patient #1:
A middle aged man, came in complaining of cluster headaches. Dr. A asked about his sleep history and apparently this patient had suffered from sleep apnea, which apparently causes/aggravates clusters. I couldnt pick up on 60% of what they were talking about because every other word seemed to have been the name of a prescription that I've never heard of. Dr. A ended up writing two more prescriptions. Before the patient left, Dr. A did a series of neurological tests as well.
Patient #2:
A female radiologist who worked at the hospital. Apparently, when Dr. A and I were talking, he told me that her symptoms were consistent with inhalation rabies. (????) He explained that over the past few months, the patient had been in the bahamas and was doing some cave diving/hunting... spelunking? The bats must have crashed the party.
She was in her late 30's (although she looked no older than 25)... I was sitting on one of the blue chairs when she walked in, dressed in pajamas, clutching a large pillow. She didnt seem to mind that I was there, thankfully. Dr. A introduced me as "the student." The patient (and her mother who was now in the room) asked me if I was a med student. I told her, "hopefully in the near future..." The mother and Dr. A stepped out for a few seconds and as the patient laid down she whispered good luck to me, which I thought was very nice. She insisted on laying down on the exam table because she "felt better if her head was down." She actually came in because of an adverse effect she had after a lumbar puncture (and I'm not sure why she got the lumbar puncture. Diag testing for MS? ). The minute I heard she had an LP I thought spinal headache for sure!! (I was correct, by the way.. *bows *)
Sure enough, Dr. A scheduled her for a blood patch procedure.
I thought the neurological tests he'd done were interesting. I'd never seen them performed in person, so that was especially intriguing. I must say, for the two hours that I was there, I learned a thing or two. I'm really looking forward to going back again. I"m not going to go this week because he'll be out of town, but once he returns, I'll start again the following week.
I had a big gin on my face when I left :) Cant wait for next time!
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