• Beginning the Neurology Rotation

    The clerkship director for neurology, a very well known professor in the neuroscience blocks of the basic sciences, shared an interesting pearl of wisdom during last Monday’s orientation lectures – “memories are created, not recorded.” He remarked on the fact that when people were asked where exactly they were during…

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  • End of Surgery Rotation

    It’s the rotation that I was waiting for since January… the three months which would show me whether or not the career I wanted to pursue coming into medical school was really my best fit. In retrospect, I think it is. :-)

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  • Thorough Ear History and Exam

    Hearing loss, “ringing” in the ears, and dizziness/vertigo are three of the most common things I’ve seen in the ENT clinic, and a proper workup during the initial encounter can provide valuable information regarding the etiology. In the case of unilateral or asymmetric pathology, the question that always arises: “Why…

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  • Total Parotidectomy

    A brief walkthrough of a total parotidectomy (removal of the parotid salivary gland). You can easily visualize the sternocleidomastoid and masseter muscles, carotid artery, and the major branches of the facial nerve – a structure for which great care is taken to protect. 

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  • Ophthalmology Exam

    Ophthalmology. O-p-h-t-h-a-l-m-o-l-o-g-y. Yes, the word has two ‘h’s in it. Apparently, this fact is very high yield for testing purposes. :-D

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  • “Aren’t You Burned Out Yet?”

    After leaving clinic on Friday, I went to Baylor Med’s interview day to talk to prospective students about life as an MS3 and give them a tour of the Texas Medical Center. During the afternoon, an applicant asked me how I still had the energy to be so enthusiastic about…

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  • First Week of ENT

    I’m halfway done with my ENT surgery selective, and as expected, I’m really enjoying the experience! A classmate and I recently watched a stapedectomy, a procedure in which the stapes, the smallest bone in the human body, was masterfully excised out of the middle ear and replaced by a prosthesis.…

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  • Third Year Medical Student Schedule

    The confines of a lecture hall are now a thing of the past. You are now on clinical rotations, which means you are no longer permitted to skip lectures in favor of streaming the recordings. You have to be at rounds. You have to see your patients everyday. You have…

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  • Finished With General Surgery

    I’ve not written anything for a long… long time. It’s probably the longest I’ve gone without reflecting about my encounters on the wards, but for those who’ve rotated through general surgery, you already know why this is the case – the long hours. I would routinely get home, find any…

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  • End of Pediatric Surgery

    End of Pediatric Surgery

    Since there were no procedures scheduled for the operating room yesterday morning, I was dismissed after morning rounds – my last day of pediatric surgery. :-) I’ve summed up most of my thoughts regarding pedi surg in a prior post, so I’ll leave you with a frame that I will…

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