Loving the Blood

We had a really great discussion in PBL again yesterday. I am the computer scribe this week, which is not a very tough job. It basically consists of sending out the discussion topics to the rest of the group at the end of the session. There was a small group seminar afterward on immunological diseases that affect the blood, which was really good. In the afternoon, I had my last acute care session on how to discharge a patient from the hospital. First, I had to read over the patient's chart. Then I went to interview the patient to see how he was doing, and discuss what other appointments and services he needed. Afterward, I briefly examined him and filled out a discharge form. I felt pretty bad for this patient--he is a young man and he has metastatic cancer. He had to have all kinds of surgeries and chemo, and I don't think his prognosis is very good. Not that you'd wish that on anyone, but I feel like it wouldn't seem quite as unfair if he were in his 80s. On the bright side, he is getting to go home at least for a while. Plus, I don't have to write up an H & P on him.

This morning, I had a small group seminar on lymphomas that was EXCELLENT. This guy is probably one of the best seminar leaders that we've had yet. I felt like he really cleared up a lot of things that I didn't understand. Afterward, I had a few hours to study (no FCM!!!), and then I went to clinic. I was supposed to do my H & P today, but my preceptor was out sick, so that didn't happen. As it turned out, one of the residents was also sick, and the place was just jammed. I think every sick person in the entire city of Cleveland was in our office today. I was working with a different preceptor, and I did another Pap smear with her help. This patient's os (the opening of the cervix) was off to the side instead of in the center, and I had some trouble finding it. But other than that, the whole thing went relatively smoothly. I don't know whether I should be glad or alarmed that I've done enough Paps that I'm actually starting to get the hang of doing them....