I have to say each day I fall into more of a routine and things seem to be improving. I had my morning coffee followed by a cool shower then breakfast. I was able to get some Skype time in with Mom and even catch the end of the Mizzou basketball game before it was time to round. Today on pre-rounds I branched out from just watching to participating. I went with the House Surgeon (Intern) and examined the patient along side her. It is interesting to hear the lung sounds and then hear them described in different vocabulary. It takes me a minute to make the translation. When I was listening to the lungs of a woman I placed my hand on her shoulder, like I wound any other patient. What happened next surprised me, her mother every so timidly stroked the back of my hand. I wish I could have known what she was thinking. While that was happening the daughter on the other side of the bed was taking my picture with her cell phone. I caught her in the act so to speak but just smiled for the picture. Part of me feels like such an imposter because this family was looking at me to figure out the diagnosis. However, you could be the smartest doctor in the world yet in this situation the socioeconomic factors limited your diagnostic abilities. There is a strong clinical suspicion this patient has lymphoma yet without solid proof you can't treat her appropriately. In the end it was recommended she see further treatment at an institution in the larger city of Hydrabad that has a hematology department. We will see tomorrow if the family agrees to this because they are poor and may not be able to come up with the money. The Professor reminded than that once they get the diagnosis they can come back here to complete their treatment.
Another experience on rounds that stuck with me today was when we were getting pimped by the Professor (this is a form of teaching where the superior asks you questions that you are expected to know and if you don't you are scolded). She was asking about Dengue Fever manifestations and classifications (luckily I was not part of the questioning on this particular topic because that is not an illness I am familiar with). The residents did not know all the answers in regards to the pathophysiology, that is when the Professor made this comment "Your eyes see what your brain knows". Implying that if they didn't know the manifestations they wouldn't be able to diagnosis the symptoms if a patient presented with them. For me this resonated in how true it is. There are time when I get reliant on resources or smart phrases, watching this morning gave me the urge to buff up on the foundation to better serve the patient's I see.
After rounds I had the pleasure of my mid morning sit down time with the Professor. This is the time we go over the topic she assigned me the previous day and really just exchange cultures. It is fascinating to me how from first glance India and America seem like polar opposite but then after discussing issues I realize that they are actually more alike than I thought. Yes there are inherent differences due to the population size of India and the variety of cultures, languages, and poverty however, people at their cores are strikingly the same. From the little things like in both cultures as a single woman over the age of 22 there is the barrage of questions about when are you going to get married to society revolving around money as the marker for success to even the lack education and literacy perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Two different countries but as humans it appears we all share similar traits.
My room that even has WiFi!!
Another experience on rounds that stuck with me today was when we were getting pimped by the Professor (this is a form of teaching where the superior asks you questions that you are expected to know and if you don't you are scolded). She was asking about Dengue Fever manifestations and classifications (luckily I was not part of the questioning on this particular topic because that is not an illness I am familiar with). The residents did not know all the answers in regards to the pathophysiology, that is when the Professor made this comment "Your eyes see what your brain knows". Implying that if they didn't know the manifestations they wouldn't be able to diagnosis the symptoms if a patient presented with them. For me this resonated in how true it is. There are time when I get reliant on resources or smart phrases, watching this morning gave me the urge to buff up on the foundation to better serve the patient's I see.
After rounds I had the pleasure of my mid morning sit down time with the Professor. This is the time we go over the topic she assigned me the previous day and really just exchange cultures. It is fascinating to me how from first glance India and America seem like polar opposite but then after discussing issues I realize that they are actually more alike than I thought. Yes there are inherent differences due to the population size of India and the variety of cultures, languages, and poverty however, people at their cores are strikingly the same. From the little things like in both cultures as a single woman over the age of 22 there is the barrage of questions about when are you going to get married to society revolving around money as the marker for success to even the lack education and literacy perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Two different countries but as humans it appears we all share similar traits.
My room that even has WiFi!!
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