Impressions of Cardiology

Shadowed Dr. A in Cardiology consultation today. Rounded with two residents and the attending cardiologist for about 3.5 hours, saw several patients in both the wards and the ICU. The cases were exciting and the pathophysiology was complex. For instance, saw one patient who had non-small cell lung carcinoma that had caused fluid to accumulate in his pericardium (called tampinade) which was restricting his cardiac output. The treatment

I saw several really positive things about cardiology which I liked:
First, the attending was an EXCELLENT doctor, perhaps one of the best that I have seen in action. He genuinely cared about his patients and his students, even noticing and changing minute details that would help the patient feel more comfortable while receiving care (such as allowing a patient to use an innocuous nebulizer because she thought it helped her breathe better). Second, I liked the intellectualism and problem-solving. I liked the applicability of it all, that the concepts in physiology we learn in class were really used to diagnose and model what was going on in someone else’s chest and body! I also liked the importance and meaningfulness of it all. The cardiologist or internist is like the brain and the mouth of medicine. Without their diagnosis, achieved through careful observation, reasoning and testing, there is no telling what kind of heart treatment or surgery to give. There is the opportunity and risk of making decisions that have a high impact on a patient’s well being. Innovation in technology have made “seeing” the heart much more easy although diagnosis remains a real challeng. There is the opportunity to deliver very important news in a very simple way to a patient or a patient’s family which itself is an interesting and fascinating prospect.

Overall, I was very intrigued by this experience and it makes me want to seek more in the way of examining speciallties closer to internal medicine.

Xmas break itinerary

My holiday travel itinerary, lemme know if anyone will be overlapping with me.

12/18 arrive in Taipei
12/21 Taipei-Shanghai
12/25 Shanghai-Cambodia
12/30 return to Taipei
1/3 depart for US

Happy Holidays all!

To the joys of cubicle-dom

In the last three hours, I reviewed two weeks of biochemistry, reviewed a business plan for a fuel cell company, set up meetings for a book publishing company in China, finished a budget for a clinic in Burundi and collated names for a gift exchange I’m organizing. All in the name of productivity.

Somehow in the midst of thinking about what specialty I want to do, memorizing detailed biochemical pathways, writing outlines to organize elusive physiology concepts and digging around in cadavers to find obscure arteries and nerves, it is refreshing to feel productive writing emails, reading business plans and advising entrepreneurs. Business concepts seem to come so much more naturally to me than being a med student.

I like multitasking. When life seems too simple, I complicating the heck out of it. I like feeling like I am a part of a thousand different things, relationships, opportunities at once. I like networking. The thought of finding suitable business partner for people, doing favors for someone else so that they may someday help me. I like believing that friends can be business partners and I love making introductions that work. Most of all, I like the thought of being a part of something that is being created. I like starting new things, meeting new people, brainstorming new ideas.
As I build a new life around being a med student, learn new knowledge and meet new people headed in a wholly new direction, I am reminded on days like this what I liked most about business, working in a cubicle, cranking out emails and making phone calls . . . Is it more important to spend little effort, “feel” important and make a small difference to society or to spend lots of effort and actually accomplish something really meaningful for other people??

Well, here I am, pencil in hand with a laptop on my lap and a stack of notes on my desk putting in a lot of effort. Isn’t life crazy?