High Stress

Somehow I missed the whole month of February. Wow! Since then I have started, and finished, a parenting class. It has been an interesting class because it comes from a secular point of view. Without God there is no compass for behavior. I don't understand how you are supposed to tell your kids not to do something without a reason - especially when the common trend is no spanking or any other adverse consequence, besides a "time-out". Several people in my class mentioned having their mouths washed out with soap to deter bad words - evidently this is not supported either. I really don't think I would have been very obedient if the only consequence was sitting in a corner. The class was a great way to learn what parents are learning these days, even if I don't agree.

I am also in a "Psychosocial" class that talks about the "Softer" side of medicine - family background and personal impacts, especially on kids. I am even more confident that pure pediatrics is not my gifting. Did you know that a lot of pediatrics is dealing with school, home and friend issues. I had no idea that parents turn to their Pediatrician first! I feel I have so many other people in my life I would ask first.

Next week I start "Long-term Care". The next 2 weeks will be the busiest of the semester. I will learn a lot through hands-on experience and high stress. Hopefully I can rise to the occasion :-)

Then it is Spring Break - that is the light at the end of this stressful "tunnel". I am really looking forward to it!

Kindergarteners

This month I am volunteering in a Kindergarten class not too far from my apartment. If you are ever feeling bad about yourself and want a little boost, go into a Kindergarten classroom to help out! The second I walked in, small children got out of their seats to say hello, give me hugs and ask me to sit with them. Throughout the morning, I repeatedly received random hugs and requests to participate in their activity. For example, going to music class with the children was optional because the teachers often need help prepping in the classroom but I was "dragged" into music class to sing songs and dance around the room - the dancing/skipping/jumping was a little awkward...

Next week I have a final in one of my classes. This is not a typo and it is not a midterm. My last day in Neuro is next Thursday. Kind of excited about checking one more class off the list.

One more week of volunteering with small children....I think I will miss it.

Spring Semester 2010

So I have started another semester...actually we started January 4th with only one class: Neuroscience. It sounds pretty dry but we have a great professor that makes the information very practical and fun. She allows us to ask all sorts of questions: i.e. why are some sounds soothing? We have looked at nerves throughout the body, including motor and sensory and the nerves to special senses (i.e. hearing). We have also looked at reflexes and then some of the pathology that goes along with all of these areas. It is very interesting. Neuroscience will end February 4th, which will be nice. One less thing on my plate! Considering this semester has 22 credit hours – anything off the plate helps!This semester we are doing something called "Lifespan" which means we will do rotations with newborns and the elderly. Each month is something different. This month, I start with volunteering. My program allows us to pick an area of interest and spend 20 hours helping out, but we have to work with people! We can't just sit in a corner stuffing envelopes :-) I have chosen to volunteer in my church nursery and help a friend in her Kindergarten classroom. I will also be helping at a soccer clinic for a local elementary school and possibly helping with a science day at a school in Colorado Springs. A lot of opportunities and I am looking forward to them!

My next rotation will be in parenting classes. It might sound odd but my program focuses on pediatrics. Many parents ask their health care provider for advice with child behavioral problems. I am not sure how these classes will go because I don’t agree with modern discipline techniques but I need to know what I am allowed to tell parents. It doesn’t mean I would have to treat my own kids, one day, like this.

After that I spend 2 weeks in Long-term care, 2 weeks in the nursery, and then 4 weeks in Palliative/hospice care. It will be nice to have something different each month, but my schedule will always be changing. That is life in the medical field though! I am most looking forward to the nursery. I love newborns and I look forward to doing assessments on them.