Updates

Hello November...so nice to see you!

I'm counting down the days to the end of the semester. I'm amazed at how quickly time has passed. We have been extremely busy lately, as usual. And grades are on the rise! Woo-hoo!

So, what's been going on? Well, lots! We began our POME module two weeks ago. This is our version of problem-based learning, where we are given a chief complaint and must come up with a differential diagnosis and primary diagnosis with only the use of a history and physical exam findings. I love learning this way! It forces you to commit to a disease process, even when you don't have all the answers. It forces you to think. It forces you to ask yourself some serious questions. The bottom line is you must know your diseases. If you don't know a disease exists, you won't consider it. You must know how to perform a thorough physical exam. If you don't you will miss important findings that may steer you in the wrong direction. And finally, you must know how to take a good history. It's true when they say that most diagnoses can be figured out based on the history alone!

This weeks' CC was abdominal pain. As a class we rattled our brains to come up with diseases that would manifest in abdominal pain: neoplasm, GI bleed, acute pancreatitis, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's, AAA, pyelonephritis, peritonitis, appendicitis, ishcemic bowel, biliary ostruction, cholecystitis. We ended up with 99 potential diagnoses! We were split up into three groups and were given a history based on the questions we asked. If we didn't ask the question, we didn't get that part of the history. The next day in lab, we asked for physical exam findings. I'm happy to say that our group got the diagnosis correct. I'm even happier to say that the correct diagnosis, acute pancreatitis, was my primary diagnosis even before getting physical exam findings. The history was textbook acute pancreatitis! I love this stuff!

I think what I love most about PBL is the feeling of really becoming a clinician! PAs are sleuths, detectives, investigators. They ask questions, and use their senses (ears, eyes, nose, etc.) to detect disease. It's amazing what we are able to do without the help of sophisticated diagnostic equipment. Thank goodness we have it to confirm our suspicions, but we do quite well without it most times.

We had no class last Friday, so salsa was definitely on the list of things to do last weekend. And Salsa y Control, Boston's top salsa crew, came through to give workshops and to perform. I had a ball, and I shared a dance with both brothers! AMAZING! A few dancers from neighboring states came by also, and I got a chance to dance with brand new dancers...and they were fabulous!!! It's always fun meeting and dancing with new people.

Two exams down this week, and one more left to go tomorrow. The next few weeks should be smooth sailing, but the weeks leading towards finals week will be hellish for sure. I look at it as my rite of passage. If/when I emerge victoriously, I will have 6 whole weeks of bliss to look forward to. I can't wait!