Classes, Research, and Clinic

This week we have two stats classes and two epi classes. Both stats seminars are being led by the guy who throws the silver dollars, but he didn't bring any in yesterday. He still had a good seminar though. I was supposed to go shadow a physician yesterday afternoon, but he thought I was coming next week instead of yesterday. I wound up spending the afternoon reading for my research instead.

We had a patient for our study this morning, so I had to come in at the crack of dawn again. We got everything ready and randomized the patient, and it turned out that she was a control. Since the controls just receive standard care (no intervention beyond what is normally done for them during surgery), that was basically the end of our involvement. Of course, it was kind of disappointing for us after we got all ready for a case, but at least it gave me time to finish reading the second chapter for class.

Today's epi class covered clinical trials, and it was very good. Afterward, I studied stats for a while and then went to clinic. Originally, I was planning to go to clinic next week, but I switched to today because of the shadowing snafu. I saw four patients: one with a sinus infection, one with back pain, and two who were just here for physicals. One of the people getting physicals also needed a Pap smear, but my preceptor did it since we were way behind schedule. I also found out that my favorite nurse is transferring to another department. Not that the other nurses aren't just as nice, but this particular one has always been especially cool about teaching me how to do things. It's obvious that she really likes to teach.

We have another set of epi CAPPs and SAQs due again this Friday. I have started working on them, but I didn't get as far with them as I would have liked. It's hard to do much in the evenings during the week because I basically feel completely exhausted every night when I get home. The days are all really full and long, and it doesn't help that surgeries start so ridiculously early....