Day Two

This morning I woke up with sore legs due to yesterday's scavenger hunt. However, my legs got better throughout the day. I had to dress professionally because I was going to attend a clinic as a part of my class. During our walk to class, it started raining. I was prepared, though, because I had brought an umbrella.

I had a lot of fun in my class because I was able to shadow a nurse practitioner in the Children's Hospital. I really enjoyed the shadowing because I am interested in becoming a pediatrician. The nurse practitioner's name was Anne Williford. She is specialized in the ear, nose, and throat. She attended Vanderbilt University and received a Master's Degree in nursing school. I was able to meet some of her young patients. One of them was a baby who was tongue-tied, so I was able to experience a minor surgery. First, the baby was given an injection underneath the tongue to make the area numb. Then the surgeon used scissors to pry the tongue apart. I also visited other patients and learned interesting medical facts. For example, one of the patients had an ear infection that prevented air from reaching the middle ear; the surgeon had to enter tubes that would allow the passage of air and prevent a moist environment that attracts bacteria.

This is a part of the Children's Hospital.

After I was done shadowing, I headed to lunch. I sat next to most of my members from the proctor group as well as other students from my class. Once we went back to class, we had to share our experiences at the clinic or the OR. Some of the students went to the OR. They were able to see lung transplants and tumor removals. I am very excited to visit the OR next week.

During the latter part of class, we had a lecture on heart diseases and how to diagnose them.  We learned how to analyze the EKG. We had to interpret the heart rate as well as the rhythm. We completed some practice problems, and I was extremely confused at first. However, I think I understand it a little more now.

Towards the end of class, we got into small groups to prepare for a presentation we will do on Friday. We have to choose a specialty and present on it. My group and I decided to present on neurosurgery; we  were all interested in learning more about the field. 

This is the chart we had to analyze.

Afterwards, I had Arete class at 4:15 PM. I actually improved my Henna skills. I was able to make better drawings on paper; however, I did not do any on my hand yet.

Once Arete class and dinner were over, we had "Soft Night" which refers to the idea that we can go off campus as long as we are in a group of three. I decided to stay in my dorm because I was tired, but I do feel relaxed and ready for my class tomorrow!