Saturday, May 28, 2005
No Sun in Sight
Well, here it is - Memorial Day Weekend - and there is no sun in sight. How depressing. I was hoping for a fun weekend out in the park riding my bike and maybe getting in some photography. Now it is raining, and there is rain forecast for all weekend.
On a brighter note, I don't have to go in to clinic on Monday, because it is a holiday. I think this is the first holiday (besides Christmas) I've had off all year. I'm so excited. I'm probably going to sleep all day!!
So, now I'm on my Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) rotation. It hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The patients are mostly healthy, and only have a few musculoskeletal complaints. It's nice to see someone come in complaining of pain and leave feeling considerably better and to think, "I did that." It's a very empowering feeling.
In other news, I've been asked to work on an article for the EMRA web site about Osteopathic medical students and the choices we have to make in going into Emergency Medicine. Many of these are common to all Osteopathic medical students, but there are some differences. Right now, I'm in the data-collection phase and will hopefully open the paper soon. Of course, I also have to write a case report for the OMM rotation - I'd like to find some way to tie OMM to EM: Maybe, "The Use of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Non-cardiac chest pain," or other such topic.
I've also been looking at internships/residencies recently (as always). I'm still looking to go up to the northeast - where I would like to end up eventually. I still have a favorite 1 or 2 programs I'd like to enter, but I've widened my search a bit. I now have a half-dozen or more other programs I could thrive in. Most of my criteria are met in each of these, and they have only one or two flaws (in my eyes), so I am willing to train there, if need be. So, now I have roughly 8 programs to apply to.
The internship search is stalled at 3 programs, however. Each of these are larger institutions with a few ACGME programs that also have AOA internships offered each year. So, the plan is to apply to one of these internships during the 2006 match and then apply to my EM programs during the 2007 match season.
Sure, that will extend my training to 4 years, but I think it will be worth it to insure that I can practice in any state in the United States in the end. I, like Matt M., am unwilling to completely sever my ties with the AOA at this time (although I think about just saying "F*** them" almost every day). I hope that in years to come, the AOA hierarchy comes more to the middle and is willing to discuss issues important to ALL members, not only those so ingrained in the osteopathic philosophy that they cannot see past their own nose. I'm hoping and praying for that day to come. Maybe we can all say a little prayer. ¶ 7:14 AM
On a brighter note, I don't have to go in to clinic on Monday, because it is a holiday. I think this is the first holiday (besides Christmas) I've had off all year. I'm so excited. I'm probably going to sleep all day!!
So, now I'm on my Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) rotation. It hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The patients are mostly healthy, and only have a few musculoskeletal complaints. It's nice to see someone come in complaining of pain and leave feeling considerably better and to think, "I did that." It's a very empowering feeling.
In other news, I've been asked to work on an article for the EMRA web site about Osteopathic medical students and the choices we have to make in going into Emergency Medicine. Many of these are common to all Osteopathic medical students, but there are some differences. Right now, I'm in the data-collection phase and will hopefully open the paper soon. Of course, I also have to write a case report for the OMM rotation - I'd like to find some way to tie OMM to EM: Maybe, "The Use of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Non-cardiac chest pain," or other such topic.
I've also been looking at internships/residencies recently (as always). I'm still looking to go up to the northeast - where I would like to end up eventually. I still have a favorite 1 or 2 programs I'd like to enter, but I've widened my search a bit. I now have a half-dozen or more other programs I could thrive in. Most of my criteria are met in each of these, and they have only one or two flaws (in my eyes), so I am willing to train there, if need be. So, now I have roughly 8 programs to apply to.
The internship search is stalled at 3 programs, however. Each of these are larger institutions with a few ACGME programs that also have AOA internships offered each year. So, the plan is to apply to one of these internships during the 2006 match and then apply to my EM programs during the 2007 match season.
Sure, that will extend my training to 4 years, but I think it will be worth it to insure that I can practice in any state in the United States in the end. I, like Matt M., am unwilling to completely sever my ties with the AOA at this time (although I think about just saying "F*** them" almost every day). I hope that in years to come, the AOA hierarchy comes more to the middle and is willing to discuss issues important to ALL members, not only those so ingrained in the osteopathic philosophy that they cannot see past their own nose. I'm hoping and praying for that day to come. Maybe we can all say a little prayer. ¶ 7:14 AM
