Bridge Week Day 1

Today was the first day of the clinical part of my third year. This week is Bridge Week for Case UP and CCLCM students who are doing clinical rotations this year. We only had a half-day of orientation today, although I went over to school early to do some required online modules and run other errands. Tomorrow I absolutely must get over to the Case student health center to get my PPD (tuberculosis skin test) done. I won't be allowed to start my rotation next week if I don't get this done.

Our orientation session today was fun. We went over to the Mt. Sinai Simulation Center on the Case campus. Probably about 50 or 60 students were there, mostly Case and CCLCM third years and some CCLCM fourth years who did research last year. There were four stations: one for reviewing how to read EKGs, one for tying surgical knots, one for reading chest x-rays, and one for stitching cuts. We were divided into four groups, and we spent about an hour at each station. The doc at the EKG station was the same one who taught us about EKGs during our cardio blocks at CCF. I had to be reminded how to tie the surgical knots at the second station, but after I did it once, it came back quickly. I am very glad that I went to that Surgery Interest Group knot-tying session last year. The chest x-ray station was run by an emeritus doctor who was absolutely hysterical. Now I will always remember that alveolar lung infiltrates are patchy, while interstitial lung infiltrates are grainy! The last station was fun too. First, we stitched a quilt, and then we stitched cuts that had been made into mannequin arms. That was pretty weird. The mannequins even had red interiors when the rubber skin on their arms was cut, although they didn't actually bleed!

I had a really good time today, and I am more excited than ever about starting my rotations.