Summer 2008 - Creighton University
Transcription
Summer 2008 - Creighton University
Volume XI, Number 4 Summer 2008 It’s Nagao’s World By Brian Nagao I n my tenure at Creighton, I have evolved from a naïve enthusiastic M1, to a cynical M2 malcontent, to an M3 greenhorn, to a more confident and efficacious M4, and come May, Brian Nagao, M.D. First year was all about checking my ego at the door (I think the hatcheck girl lost mine). Because medical school classes are formed from the cream of undergraduate premed students, many elite undergrads will eventually wallow in academic mediocrity. I was no exception. My undergraduate study buddies called me the Baron of Knowledge, but in the M1 year I was simply barren of knowledge. That year, particularly anatomy, was so tough that I bought a self-help memory power book and planned to read it over Christmas break. It was a noble plan except that after purchasing the book, I lost it forthwith. Equally of token value were the tedious anatomy lectures, for which I rarely remained awake. With the double sawbuck I squandered on the memory book, I should have bought a pair of these: They would have gotten a lot more use. These glasses should be standard issue for all M1s or at least come in those M1 survival packs. In reality, I probably didn’t need them. My eyes are so distinctly Mongoloid that the eyelid space difference between awake and asleep is a matter of microns (To sleep secretly at any time is my gift…and my curse). I hated many things about first year but the Bone Room takes the cake. I can tolerate “femur” and “humerus,” but roll my eyes at tubercles, grooves, fossas, and other such minutia. In the 11th hour before the first anatomy test, I became convinced that hiding the bones or better yet firebombing the Bone Room was my only way out. Thankfully, some sane classmates talked me down from my arsonist plans and I decided to just take the hit. I got majorly boned on those practical questions and came to appreciate how the Bone Room was so appropriately named. The M2 year was clinically equivalent to major depression with atypical features i.e. hypersomnia, anhedonia, depressed mood, low energy, poor concentration, increased appetite and weight gain, and psychomotor retardation (though some would argue that the psychomotor retardation was my baseline, especially those who witnessed my Matrix-like faceplant while playing frisbee in front of Hixson-Lied). Furthermore, second year is an impetus for alcoholism. The memorization of a sh**-ton of information (most of it clinically irrelevant) forms an endless cycle of anxiety (Continued on page 4) 2 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 Meet Michele Millard! Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael Kavan, Ph.D. Editors in Chief: Eric Peeples Patrick Allison This Issue’s Writers: Dr. Michael Kavan, Ph.D. Marcia Cusic Michele Millard Linda Pappas Wendy Jones Andrew E. Kummer Patrick Millerd Brian Nagao David Soma Danielle Ku’ulei Potter John Morrison Eric Peeples Kara Watterson Patrick Allison Kaitlyn Wright Maryal Concepcion Jay Garrick Mike Long Laura McDermott David Nash JJ Schumacher Wendy Jo Svetanoff C reighton University School of Medicine and the Wellness Chronicle would like to extend a warm welcome to Michele Millard, the newest addition to the Office of Student Affairs academic success consulting team. Millard is not new to Creighton; over the last twenty years she worked in undergraduate counseling, started the PeerEducation service, and taught in the department of Psychology. She is a Certified Professional Counselor and holds an M.S. in Psychology. Millard hopes to bring her experience and understanding of how success and psychology are connected to help medical students in finding their way to academic success. She and Linda Pappas, an Academic Success Consultant, have worked together in the past and have been friends for the better part of the last twenty years. We had the chance to sit down with Michele, and here’s what she had to say: Place Picture Here WC: Where are you from originally? MM: I am originally from a small town in Minnesota called Eden Valley. It is a lot like Lake Wobegon but with Germans instead of Swedes. Lake Wobegon [the fictional town in Garison Keillor’s novel series where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average”] is rumored to be about twenty minutes outside St. Cloud, and that’s where Eden Valley is located. WC: What made you interested in becoming an academic success consultant? MM: I have always enjoyed working with students in all forms of development and I am interested in helping. WC: Can you explain the services your office provides and who can benefit from them? MM: I work with Linda Pappas to provide individual counseling for students, not necessarily those in trouble. WC: Any new and exciting changes planned? (Continued on page 21) Cris Crisler What are your plans this summer? I am going to Ghana with Project CURA! If we make it back from that, I'm working with a Dermatologist in Mississippi and counting down the days 'til the parties of orientation week. What are you most glad to be done with this year? 25% of Medical School. Congratulations, Cris, 2008 winner of the Class of 2011 Aesculapian Award! WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 3 Hospital Practices Medicine... And Other News. By Patrick Millerd I In an unrelated story, t may not be a shock to many, but the Creighton secret plans were recently University Medical Center hospital itself has uncovered for renovations at CUMC by the Department recently started practicing medicine. “It’s not really of Surgery. The plans reveal a new Department of too surprising,” says Dr. Fic Titious of the Surgery suite, quite similar to the Greek Parthenon, to be Department of Medicine. “We have, after all, long built atop the medical center. Asked about the proposed expected medical students to learn how to practice renovations, surgeon Dr. I’majerk stated, “It has long medicine by just watching other people do it. It was kind been the intention of the Department of Surgery to of a no-brainer that one day the hospital itself would learn modify the architecture of CUMC to adequately reflect how to practice medicine also.” Suspicions began to our role in patient care.” The Department of Radiology, in heighten as orders and consults appeared in patient charts a tenuous alliance with the Department without any traceable authorization. of Medicine, has devised a clever plan “The hospital, it seems, has learned to thwart the surgeons. “We propose to under what circumstances to order a GI hide all of the scalpels in the last place consult or DVT prophylaxis” says surgeons will ever look. Using their resident Dr. Lowon Tha’Totempole. patient lists, and a group of highly The Joint Commission on trained infiltrators, we will place them Accreditation of Healthcare in the rooms of their patients.” We Organizations has indicated that it will asked Dr. Lowon Tha’Totempole if support hospitals practicing medicine, there is any concern about revealing so long as there is appropriate too much of the plan. “One of two documentation. “It would be silly to things must happen for the surgeons to deny an entity with so many years of find their scalpels: one, they must enter experience the opportunity to help The proposed look for the new their patients’ rooms; or two, they must patients. We plan to form a committee Department of Surgery. learn to read. We are confident the that will appoint an exploratory group probability of either occurrence is quite low.” which will in turn make a recommendation for a panel of Plans were also uncovered within the Department of independent observers charged to best explore appropriate Surgery to train chimpanzees to administer anesthesia to documentation for hospital-authored orders,” says Joint patients. This follows an unconfirmed sighting of a chimp Commission representative Mr. Tin Y. Brain. leaving the 3100 suites with an endotracheal tube and an The National Board of Medical Examiners has ambu bag strapped to its hands. Dr. I’majerk would not indicated that it will not, however, furnish medical confirm or deny the plans, but merely stated, “It is licenses to hospitals until they take and pass Step 2 CS of common knowledge that there are a number of monkeys the USMLE. “We have seen that hospitals have abundant present in the Criss buildings. Other than that I have no clinical knowledge and they can apply that knowledge, comment.” The Department of Medicine had no but we question whether or not they can pander to patient immediate comment about the use of chimps in patient complaints, legitimize patients’ irrational feelings, and care, but suggested a Zoology consult. The department of question patients about smoking,” says board member Dr. Radiology had no information about the plan either, but Waste Ofmoney. He continues, “We will create a national suggested that a CT scan of an endotracheal tube might testing site in Anchorage, Alaska at which hospitals may reveal more. The Department of Anesthesiology quickly sit for Step 2 CS.” When asked about the feasibility of shot down the possibility of chimps administering administering Step 2 CS to hospitals, Dr. Waste Ofmoney anesthesia stating, “No matter how good chimps may be stated, “we at the NBME will go to any lengths to ensure at anesthesia, they will never be able to state the obvious the interpersonal skills of medical practitioners... they can during surgeries as well as we can.” ■ pick up the little things like ventilators and central lines elsewhere.” 4 WELLNESS CHRONICLE (Continued from page 1) It’s Nagao’s World and toil, brief reprieve, and repeat. My entire existence shrank to this: with an occasional departure from the tedium, like when I was forced to buy a ladies watch at the hospital gift shop so I could complete my OSCE. After nine months of being gang-probed, the exorbitant USMLE Step 1 exam was a fitting coup de grâce. The rest of M2 year is kind of hazy, probably due to dissociative amnesia and its psychoprotective benefits. The M3 year was a breath of fresh air, except for the necrotic pseudomonas-infected wound I encountered in medicine. The surgery rotation did less to instill sound surgical techniques than to convince me that I should not be a surgeon. Carotidectomies are not compatible with life or with impressing attending surgeons. Neither is contaminating oneself within five seconds of hitting the O.R. Fortunately for Creighton, I happened be doing internal medicine at the VA instead of the surgery rotation during their JCAHO inspection. A simple coincidence or shrewd plan?…I’m leaning toward the latter. Psychiatry was fun and a student can be quite successful after one month of clinical exposure and reading. Be warned the textbooks don’t mention to avoid standing in front an obese patient with tracheotomy during electroconvulsive therapy. Dodging high-speed loogies is not my forte; again, the psychomotor retardation. Another glossed-over point is handling the advances of psychotic histrionic patients. One such patient said I had the most beautiful eyes. Given my less than generous Mongoloid endowments, she must have been delusional or hallucinating. Daily offers of a “hot date” followed. Though I am not forlorn enough to take up the offer (maybe in another three years) it was still flattering. After two years of troglodytic solitude, I felt I couldn’t turn a head even if my hair was on fire. Similar to surgery, OB-Gyn was a no-doubt-about-it no-go. Doppler ultrasound without transmission gel is zero percent sensitive for fetal heart tones. Thus, absence of fetal heart tones with this, the Nagao Method, is SUMMER 2008 inconsistent with fetal demise and virtually pathognomonic of an imbecile operator. On another occasion, I met a female patient and told her that my name was Brian Nagao and I was the medical student who would follow her delivery, blah, blah, blah. This went on for some time until the doctor, who was dressed casually and who I presumed to be the father, notified me that the baby was already out…a glance at the patient: small belly, no fetal monitoring equipment…awkward silence…laughter at me…Brian goes away now. Pediatrics was fun and with a lot less pitfalls but wouldn’t do it as a career. I, like the ill-fated Bennett Brauer, tend to “frighten children,” but in the end, even with such pervasive ineptitude, I emerged no worse for wear, save one pair of boxer shorts lost in the VA on call room. The M4 year was all about spreading my wings. I focused on the things I like, namely pathology, forensics, oncology, infectious disease, psychiatry, and anesthesia with nary a hitch, save passing an orogastric tube into the trachea of a ventilated patient…Whoopsie-doodle! Fourth year is a sabbatical and would be perfect if not for those onerous Step 2 exams. In August, I completed the extortionate CS farce and cut a few more pieces of red tape. And in November, they sunk their claws back into me to extract another pound of flesh ala CK. My residency applications and interviews went smoothly except for getting stuck in Los Angeles rush hour traffic after one of my interviews and having to urinate into my drink bottle. That one-liter Diet Pepsi proved to be both my downfall and my saving grace. I ended up dry cleaning those pants. Nevertheless, my aggressive Southern California interview track paid off big as I am off to UCLA for pathology residency in June. (Continued on page 12) WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 5 M4 Intramural Basketball D Dynasties By David Soma championship. ynasty is defined as a family or group that In the elite championship game, it was the battle of the maintains power for several years. Dahls. Dan Dahl used intimidation and wisdom to show Domination is to exert a supreme, guiding up his younger brother. Despite struggling with a knee influence on or over another. You could injury all season, he saved a big-game performance for choose either of these terms to describe the Dahl Stars or when it mattered most. Justin Birge and Jim Nedrow had Seattle Supersomas. The Dahl Stars were able to a lot of fastbreak points. Soma and Mosiman used their accomplish the oh-so difficult three-peat in the Coed Elite timely shooting and world-class defense to stifle league. The Seattle Supersomas rebounded after losing in opponents. Nahas protected the hoop like an imperial the championship last year to win the championship in guard, and the Mckernan/Lindberg duo were unstoppable Men’s Elite and complete winning the championship scorers, putting on a highlight reel. The Supersomas three out of four years. played an additional championship game called the All-U This year, the Dahl Stars consisted of Annie Knierim, game. They were playing against an obvious B squad, and Julie Ingwerson, Susi Hupp, Jen Nahas, Dan Dahl, Justin proved that they Birge, Joe Nahas, were superior by John McKernan, enforcing the mercySteve Lindberg, and rule. As stated by David Soma. The intramural beatteam was essentially writer, The Voice, unstoppable. They “in all situations, the faced a tough Somas looked matchup against the Great basketball dynasties throughout history. bigger, faster, hot shooting M3 stronger and more skilled.” team in the playoffs but were able to distinguish There are some naysayers that think the championships themselves in overtime. The game was hard-fought, but were a result of recruiting, because the M4 class had a as Billy Packer would say, “The return of the long athletic lack of skill. They could not be further from the truth. Just Justin Birge from a knee injury gave them the punch they like the Rockets, Bulls, Lakers, & Celtics, great players needed to win.” There were also key performances from want to play with other great players in an effort to win the twin towers of the Nahas siblings. Overall, it was a the championship. We could not have won the stellar performance for all. championships without any individual, but one fact The Seattle Supersomas were told all year that they remains: over the course of four years there were four were too old, too injured, too complacent, or simply had medical students who were a part of all six championship lost their edge. At one point in the start the season they teams. They were Dan Dahl, Justin Birge, Joe Nahas, and were referred to as the Seattle SuperSLOWmas. It was David Soma. also stated that “it seems that their time in the limelight has come and gone, and that there will be no storybook It is important to remember all of the great players over ending for one of the great intramural franchises in the years, including this season, so here is a recap: Creighton history.” They should have known, however, Dan Dahl: Dan Dahl was the leading scorer for both that great teams refine their skills and use their savvy teams in year one and evolved his game to be a true point abilities and experience to overcome comments like that. guard, deferring the scoring to others. He is a threat to The playoffs were a no contest. In the first round of the blow by you off the dribble or kill you with the jumper. playoffs, the Seattle Supersomas beat the M3 team one He played tough all fourth year, fighting through a knee more time and vanquished their hopes of ever beating injury. them. The bright news for the M3 team should be that Justin Birge: Justin started his career as a passive, they will not have to face them next year and will have an defensive-minded player, quickly becoming one of the easy time winning the title, a little like Jordan retiring and (Continued on page 8) the Bulls losing, allowing the Rockets to win a 6 WELLNESS CHRONICLE By Eric Peeples W SUMMER 2008 Summer Fun Get a McJob – If you have never worked a job for ell, it finally warmed up above thirty minimum wage that involved wearing a paper hat and degrees last week, so what does that nametag, this may be a good time to mean? It means that see if you’re prepared for life as a we have about four resident. more days until the onslaught of the Do nothing – Remember what sauna that is the Omaha summer. As summer was all about when you were many of you know, I am originally in grade school? Wake up at 11 a.m., from Phoenix, where we don’t have eat a huge bowl of Cap'n Crunch, and the graceful transition from winter to sit around in your underwear summer that Midwesterners like to watching black and white movies all call spring (of course they fail to day (for you budding radiologists, mention that their precious spring you might want to do something else only lasts about eight days). Our four with your summer since this is what seasons in Phoenix consist of you'll be doing for the rest of your December, January, February, and career). summer. I will, therefore, go out on If nothing else, it will teach you the three a limb and say that this might be one Second Year M’s: McCompetence, McPunctuality, and The Test-that-shall-not-be-named – of the first articles that I have written McService. You guys will be spending at least a about that I may actually know more month of your “vacation” holed up in some dungeon than the average person. Keep in mind, however, that my somewhere, eating protein bars and tattooing Q-Bank idea of summer and Omaha’s idea are a little different on the back of your eyelids so you “don’t waste all of (think fried egg vs. poached egg). But whether you’re that valuable sleep time.” Relax afterwards. I dare branding your wrist with the metal on your seatbelt or you. trying to keep from soaking through your shirt on the walk from your front door to your car, we are all Third Year We have an extra week or so of break this wondering the same thing: what does a year, which is just seven more days that I medical student do during the summer? can feel guilty about not starting on my Here are a few recommendations: residency applications. First Year Fourth Year Research – If you feel that you are way too Who am I kidding? You’ve been on tan… summer vacation since March. Project CURA – It will allow you to escape your comfort zone, serve the And finally, just in general, for those of you underserved, commit at least one huge staying in Omaha, there are quite a few cultural faux pas which may or may not diversions that the city has to offer during land you in a Latin American prison, the summer months: and/or pick up a rare African disease Shakespeare on the Green – This is for that will cause your first-born to glow in those of you who have been studying up on the dark and have, instead of your Peeples Supplementary Guide and hands, adorable little flippers. Saying football is better than think you know English. If you go, and Clinical preceptorship – This is a great way soccer is punishable by what? you’re still struggling to understand some to gain some extra clinical experience of the dialogue, you might try the “von early in your medical career, and you can even do it Peeplestein’s Almanac to Ye Olde English” in the close to home so that you can see all of your old Fall 1592 issue of the Wellness Chronicle. friends... of course you also stand the risk (Continued on page 12) of participating in all of their STD screens as well. WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 7 SNAPSHOTS By Andrew E. Kummer T he past week has been the last week of my Radiology rotation, commonly known to fourth-year medical students as “Ray-cation”, due to its 2-3 hours/week demand. While trying to soak up as much daytime TV and lack of responsibility as I can, I also began to fill out my entrance paperwork for the next chapter of my life. On March 20, 2008, I opened up my Match Day envelope and read the words I desperately wanted to see: Hennepin County Medical Center; Minneapolis, MN; Internal Medicine. Now, not only do I get primo parking for Vikings and Twins games for the next three years (actually, only two for the Twins, since they will be in a new stadium in 2010), I get to train in a system that will best prepare me for the next level. Now, as I look ahead, hooding and graduation are finally on the horizon, instead of tucked away in some invisible land as they have been for nearly four years. It hardly seems possible that I’m ready to graduate; it seems as if I have so much more to learn. Nevertheless, while that’s true, I also know that I have accumulated an amazing amount of knowledge at Creighton. It has been hard to recall at times the progress I’ve made throughout the curriculum. On bad days I wonder if I’ve learned anything at all. But then, there are some experiences that bring it all back into focus. I’ve had the opportunity to teach the physical exam to a group of six first-year medical students this year, and it’s been great getting to know these guys, if only a little bit. But, perhaps most importantly, the experience has helped in reminding me where I was only a mere three years ago. All six of these guys have done a great job learning, asking questions, and performing the exam; it’s obvious they care a great deal in becoming good physicians. I can remember learning the same exam, asking the Fourth years often assume the role of same questions, feeling the same medical sensei (先生). uncertainty as I went through my first physical examination. Even though I couldn’t see it for myself at the time, nor can these six gentlemen envision it yet, I can see the path that lies ahead of them: the winding road it takes, the necessary stops and hurdles along the way, and their first snapshots of patient care that provide the ever-important learning experiences outside any textbook. Eric Nelson (Continued on page 29) What was your most memorable moment from the first 2 years of medical school? I decided to rank my top three: Which is the hottest med 3. Getting recognized at Village school couple? Inn after "whiting it out" boyRankings based off their ability to band style for Halloween the be found together at all times: second week in a row 3. Kaige (Kyle Halverson and 2. First year post anatomy final Paige Walter) at the Upstream aka the birth of 2. Chrerin (Christian Sorenson Dr. Eric Nelsen MD and Erin Hamm) 1. First and only time going to 1. The new comers: Chrannie Club Nico—you will have to ask (Chris Neeley and Annie Haugen) me about it. 8 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 (Continued from page 5) M4 Intramurals greatest players in the league on both ends of the floor, using his long arms and vertical leap to rise above opponents. He reminds some of a Shawn Marion with a better looking shot. Joe Nahas: Joe Nahas was the least selfish player on the teams and the most dominant big man around. He did not flash huge numbers but altered shots all four years and had hundreds of offensive putbacks. He just always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, including hitting a memorable game-winner at the buzzer in Coed Year Three. He was the best version of a scoring Dikembe Mutumbo in the league. David Soma: He basically was the football-playerconverted hoopster who tried to do the little things. He hustled and did his best to play a role needed by the team. He occasionally hit a big shot, but took pride in guarding guys of all sizes and styles on the other team. He was the league’s version of Bruce Bowen. Jim Nedrow: Jim was a late addition to the Supersomas. He surprised other teams with his quick spurts of scoring. He is a great fast-paced player with solid D. John Mckernan: The human highlight reel. He blocked shots and dunked on opposing teams. Overall a phenomenal scorer and much needed punch inside. Charles Barkley-esque. Steve Lindberg: He is the most complete offensive By Jay Garrick P player in the league. He could drain threes all day or post you up Shaq-style and drop step for an easy two. He was always a reliable scorer who hit many big shots. Bobby Mosiman: An intramural version of Derek Fisher. He stepped up the scoring when needed, and absolutely pestered the opposing team’s ball handler. Susi Hupp: She was unafraid to hit the floor. She was unselfish and played great defense. Julie Ingwerson: She was a long armed and aggressive rebounder who placed pressure on the ball. Jen Nahas: The most dominant female in the league. Swatted shots like a fly swatter and gave an added inside scoring presence. Annie Knierim: The full package. She could score, dribble, defend and do it all. She was an absolute superstar. Diana Taurasi skill set. Being that I am the author and a member of the teams, I will switch from third to first person and close with some statements of gratitude to the teams. In sports, they say you are only as strong as your weakest link, and this link would like to say thanks to the rest of his teammates. It was an absolute pleasure to play with these guys and girls. Being the intramural coordinator and an avid participant in intramurals, I thank all of you. I had an absolute blast and enjoyed every minute of every game. ■ Balance this! eople often ask why I am stressed. So I thought, “What better way to exemplify the sources of stress during spring semester than to write an article about a day in the life as an M1?” Just imagine it’s a beautiful April morning. By beautiful, I mean that it’s raining outside. You are late. And you have a half-mile walk to the hospital. Lucky Stars! Your tardiness will go unnoticed because today our patient has taken the liberty of the university setting to heart by liberating himself, permanently. Shortly thereafter, we make our way back to the fatherland for a vonderful overview of everything in less than an hour. Unfortunately, Neuro is just Latin to me so I doze as the (anti?)histamines kick in. Our next lecture is taught backwards, literally. Contrary to popular belief, this contralateral instruction is actually beneficial because some of the slides are quite bass akwards, making our understanding ipsilateral to the proper texts. Apparently radiology trumps old school pathology, and now everything is presented right to left, and not left to right, but from left to right on the picture. Is that clear to everybody? Good, because it’s not clear to me. Although, I admit that blame falls squarely on my doorstep. I clearly have not developed the technique of interpreting CTs the size of my pen cap. Maybe we have to wait for our rotations to learn that skill. Speaking of skills, I’d like to believe that I am making progress in patient interviewing. It has been weeks since I have laughed in a patient’s face while interviewing in front of 15 colleagues and a psychiatrist. That must be a step in the right direction to make up for my generalized neuro-ataxia. Neuro-ataxia presents as a generalized apathy toward studying. Aggravating factors are the months of March, April, May, NCAA basketball, spring golf, and deadlines for the Wellness Chronicle. Currently there is no known cure. Alas, we have determined that this is the only known form of ataxia to increase in severity as you get more balance. ■ WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 9 Summer in the Big O! This issue the Wellness Chronicle proudly presents a pair of articles centered around the sweltering, convivial season. Rising M3 Kaitlyn Wright presents a host of events that Omaha residents may enjoy, and future M2 David Nash offers a meditation on the fleeting medical school summer. For other ways to enjoy the season, see this issue’s Peeples Guide and Summer Events Calender! O By Kaitlyn Wright maha may not have miles of coastline for residents to flock to on the weekends or mountains to hike on a hot summer Saturday, but there is no shortage of “Omaha Gems” to check out this summer. After growing up in New England and spending two years in Milwaukee before coming to Creighton, I wasn’t sure what a summer in Omaha was going to offer. The summer I spent in Omaha after my first year of medical school was filled with good times, though, and it filled me with a great appreciation for the city many of us now call home. Here are a few of Omaha’s hidden, and not so hidden, gems worth checking out this summer. Liquid Arts Festival- Hot Shops, an old warehouse turned art gallery located just north of the Qwest Center, features some of the most talented artists, sculptors, and glass blowers in the Midwest. Once a year in July they hold a Liquid Arts Festival where local brewers bring in home brewed beer, wine, champagne, and even root beer. This open-to-the-public festival is a great chance to meet people and learn about the brewing process while downing generous samples. While you are there, take the time to walk around the different galleries and meet with some of the artists. All of the artists were happy and willing to show me around their studios, and the crowd was even treated to a free glass blowing demonstration. The heat from the furnace and the buzz from the beer made this a day never to forget. One sculptor even showed off his twelve-foot dragon kegerator made of wood with a price tag higher than two years at Creighton! Even though I have never thought of myself as an “artsy” person, Hot Shops really has something for everyone to enjoy. Don’t wait to hear about this event on the radio or in the paper because it might just pass you by. A few dollars is all you’ll need for hours of fun at this Omaha event. Stir Cove Summer Concert Series, Harrah’s Hotel CasinoHarrah’s offers a unique outdoor music venue where you can bring a blanket and lawn chair and enjoy live music with a relatively small crowd of people. I saw Ben Harper at Harrah’s last summer; the show definitely ranks on my list of top five best concerts. Tickets usually run around $30. Need a good dose of Blues great B.B. King plays REO Speedwagon right about now? They’ll be there this the cove May 30. (Continued on page 11) D By David Nash uh duh duh duh! “I got my first real six string, down at the five and dime. Played it ‘til my fingers bled. It was the summer of…” Two thousand and eight? So those may not be the right lyrics, but those words are now cruising through your head along with Bryan Adam’s solid gold voice. I mean come on. Summer of ‘69? Who wouldn’t want to be chanting those wicked lyrics with the end of the semester at our fingertips? For the M1s like me, this is the last great opportunity for us to hold onto the tail feathers of freedom and fend off responsibility. Okay, let’s try something. Close your eyes. No, don’t close your eyes. You need to read this. Let’s skip ahead to May 9. I can see it now. Roughly 120 first years are lining up with cheery faces trying to get an open seat at the ever so popular Let’s Evaluate session. As soon as the comments are made and the evaluations filled out, students will beeline it to Eppley, Cali Taco, and the Crescent Moon alike. Shortly after the post-neuro euphoria and well-deserved headaches subside, the reality of the summer sets in, and one major question from families and friends quickly follows. “So, what are you doing this summer?” For many Crieghton M1s, the answer is spelled with five letters. M-A-G-I-S. Each year, a large portion of the first year class treks across the globe to gain perspective and provide service to organizations and people that welcome the medical student volunteers. Other students answer the question with another one-word answer: research. Whether for enjoyment or just to beef up that old CV, many students find a spot in an office or lab. Alternatively, some students prefer to travel, work a nonmedically related job, or simply relax and hang out by the pool or in an air-conditioned basement in front of the television. Let’s face it: we could spend an easy hundred hours trying to catch up on the TV shows and movies we’ve missed this past year. Regardless of the choice, they all provide their benefits as well as their opportunities for one very important aspect of the final summer. Each option gives the student a chance to destress and recharge their batteries before the dreaded M2 gauntlet preceding the boards. So, first years, as the summer rolls on and we find ourselves engulfed in out activities, it is going to be important to remember that this is the last one. I’m sure you all have friends who have entered the working world by now and would kill to have a few consecutive months vacation. I think we owe it to them to appreciate the gift we’ve been given. Whatever you are doing this summer, make sure you enjoy it, or at least enjoy the weather. The Omaha winter will be upon us again before we ■ know it. 10 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 BLESSED WITH STRESS? By Linda Pappas & Michele Millard Academic Success Counselors A stressful, the body perceives it as a threat, and your s many students are already aware; Michele sympathetic nervous system charges you up to prepare for Millard, M.S. has joined Creighton battle with increased heart rate, shallow breathing, tense University’s School of Medicine as an muscles and approximately 1300 other physiological Academic Success Consultant. Everyone is changes. At the same time, the parasympathetic nervous very pleased, especially Linda Pappas! Michele brings 20 system, upon seeing that studying for a test is not years of experience in higher education, providing necessarily life threatening, tries to slow you down. It’s counseling, advising, academic support, programming like having one foot on the gas and the other on the brake, and teaching. Michele has a Master’s of Science Degree resulting in a rather bumpy ride. When stress becomes in Psychology from Texas Christian University and is a the norm, your body forgets to slow down the heart rate, Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and Certified breathe deeply and relax the muscles. Professional Counselor. She is active in Because it’s not made to withstand that her church and community, providing kind of “alert status” indefinitely , the workshops and classes on a variety of body lets us know through headaches, topics to organizations, businesses and stomach aches, irritation, chocolatechurches. gorging, insomnia and friends and family Michele has presented numerous running for cover! The really big classes and workshops on stress problem, especially for medical students reduction, and we have asked her to write is that stress inhibits cortical function. In down some of her thoughts and solutions. other words, you are definitely not “in the We have asked Michele to submit her zone” when it comes to learning and thoughts on and her solutions for recalling information. decreasing stress. Here are Michele’s Whether you are worried about Step 1 comments: or running out of steam in Neuro, it’s If you had a dollar for every time you important to first understand your stress heard or uttered the word “stress” and secondly, do something about it! throughout your medical education, you Intervening in a stress response can have would probably graduate debt-free! It is a many benefits, like better sleep, increased common malady in our culture as a whole Stressed about something? energy, friends actually liking to be and particularly in your culture as medical around you and amazingly. . . . increased cortical students. Sometimes the competition is not so much function! So. . . . a few ideas about nipping that stress in about who got a better grade, but who is dealing with the bud: more stress. You might hear, “You think you’re stressed? Balance: The best investment you can make in your Let me tell you what I have to deal with . . .” It becomes academic and personal life is to attain some kind of like a modern badge of honor----but one that is killing us! balance between academic work and the rest of your life. Stress is a term used to describe the wear and tear on If you study 10 hours every single day, you’re likely to us emotionally and physically due to everyday tensions burn out. Work out, go to church, linger in the grocery and pressures. While change, illness, relationship store, watch a movie or hang out with friends. Make sure problems and financial issues are common sources of to sleep, eat well and get some exercise. You will be stress, recent research shows that it’s the daily hassles, more focused and productive upon coming back to like too many e-mails, traffic slow-downs or waiting in studying. If, on the other hand, you are waiting to study line, that do us in. In reality, stress is a 6-inch problem until the 10 hours before the test, make a choice to focus that is found right between our ears; in other words, it is and put the time in, even if you don’t feel like it. Balance how we perceive the demands in our life that create stress will make you more productive, help you perform and for us and the emotional response that results from our (Continued on page 12) interpretation. When you perceive something as WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 (Continued from page 9) Summer summer, along with Willie Nelson, Styx, and the Black Crowes to name a few. You may even choose to venture into the casino and try your luck on the tables before the show. Omaha Summer Arts Festival- From June 27-29 Farnam Street will be blocked off from 10th to 14th street with small vendor booths lining the street. Live music, artists selling their masterpieces, cold beer, and even some free food samples make this a festival worth checking out. My favorite memory from this festival was visiting the Omaha Visitors Bureau at 10th and Farnam. For a good dose of passion and information on anything you’d ever want to know about Omaha, the Visitors Bureau is a must hit. Just like most outdoor festivals, this one’s free to enter and take in the atmosphere. Village Pointe Saturday Night Concerts- This is a great event, especially for those of you with children. These concerts are family friendly with face painting and enough room for the kids to run safely around. For the adult-only crowd, the music is good, and there is no shortage of food or beer to sample. And 11 just like most of the events I’ve listed, this one’s free to enter and enjoy. If you get bored with the music or the rain ruins the atmosphere, Funny Bone is just around the corner. Sign up for Funny Bone’s email list, and you’re bound to get dozens of free tickets for you and all of your closest friends. College World Series- Any article about summer in Omaha wouldn’t be complete without mention of the CWS. Even if you have no interest in attending a game, you must head down to Rosenblatt and experience the madness of the fans. I managed to get a ticket to the final game last year. Walking around the beer tents and watching the fans could take a full day, and it was just as fun as the game. Many of us are transplants to the Omaha area and don’t get an opportunity to truly experience Omaha during the school semester, but Omaha has some great qualities that aren’t always apparent until you look a little closer. Hopefully you all can take some time this summer to enjoy the wonderful city you ■ call home. Spotlight on Music By J. J. Schumacher Leslie Feist a.k.a O Feist n April 8th, the mayor’s office announced that the performer of the free summer concert in Memorial Park would be Canadian songstress Leslie Feist. A few days later I was relating my appreciation for the selection to my mother when she interrupted me: “She’s the one that had the song on that iPod commercial, right? I really like that song.” Feist’s musical roots greatly contrast with her current genre as she played in multiple punk and electronic bands during her youth. As she grew, her style developed into more of her characteristic fusion of several different influences drawing predominantly from folk, pop, and jazz. She recorded several songs in 2001 that would lay the foundation for her first record release, 2004’s Let It Die. In the intervening time she became a collaborator for the Toronto indie-supergroup Broken Social Scene. The success of BSS’s debut album You Forgot It in the People first introduced the music world to Leslie Feist. Although her contributions were not readily apparent throughout the album, her breathy vocals on “Anthems for a 17 Year Old Girl” stood out amongst the baroque pop/post-punk background. Let It Die consisted of both original works and several innovative covers, mixing aching folk tracks with French ballads and danceable pop songs. For this record, Feist won the Juno award (the Canadian Grammy, eh?) for best new artist in 2004. Feist gained a great deal of worldwide notoriety over the past year following the release of her second LP, The Reminder, and achieved a sufficient level of stardom that even my mom would recognize her name. The Reminder has already sold over a million copies worldwide and her song “1234” peaked at number 28 on the Billboard charts thanks in part to its commercial appearances. The success of “1234” is understandable as it is an ebullient pop song featuring a delightfully catchy hook. Overall, the record is a little more explorative in its song composition and stylings than Let It Die. Feist’s sparse, folk recordings fit easily beside the gospel-sounding “Sea Lion Woman” or the jazz-rock of “My Moon My Man.” Additionally, relying more heavily on percussion and electric guitars than anything on Let It Die, tracks like “I Feel It All” and “Past in Present” would be comfortable in Broken Social Scene’s discography. Feist brought home a total of five Juno awards in 2007, including album of the year for The Reminder. Feist will be performing a free concert on July 12th at Memorial Park. ■ 12 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 (Continued from page 6) Peeples Guide (Continued from page 10) Blessed with Stress The zoo - What can I say? Sweaty elephants, a desert dome (since the scorching desert is just what you want to enjoy when its 103 degrees outside), and tiny monkeys throwing tiny monkey poo in your tiny human eye. At least you’re not in lecture. College World Series – It’s like the Mardi Gras of college baseball. It’s a chance to go grill, drink, and meet people from It could be worse. You could be all over the going to the L.A. zoo. country. Oh yeah, and I think they play baseball too. keep you sane. Your grades will benefit and your friends and family will thank you for it. Reframe: One way to intervene in stress is to cognitively reframe your assessment of the situation. For example, if you are caught in traffic, you might think, “This is horrible, I’m wasting all this time in traffic and I need to be studying.” Instead of allowing that interpretation of a traffic jam (over which you have no control) to create frustration and irritation in you (which will decrease later cortical functioning), try to reframe the situation by saying, “This traffic is bad, but I’m going to use my time to mentally review material from class or relax and listen to music”. Then when you get to the point of studying, you’ll be good to go. Learn to control what you can control and let go of what you can’t! It’s not the library or the Biofeedback: I have a new coffee shop, but it’s not biofeedback device that helps as bad as you may think. measure your heart rate variability, reflecting whether your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are fighting with each other (erratic and out of sync) or working with each other (synchronized and coherent). A finger sensor provides feedback into what’s going on physiologically with you. A simple 3-step technique is learned and practiced to change both the emotions attached to stressful situations and the physiology resulting from stress, helping you reach coherence and find your “zone.” The result is a tool not just to manage the effects of stress, but to circumvent stress and is something that you can use in the middle of a test, in a fight with your girl/boyfriend or waiting in line at the grocery store. Interested? E-mail me to make an appointment at [email protected]. ■ As you glance through this issue of the Wellness Chronicle, you will notice that I am not the only one giving summer recommendations this year. So I would encourage you to peruse the others as well, in hopes that at least one of us got it right (since none of the other articles mentioned monkey poop, though, I’m guessing they might have better chances). Have a great summer, no matter how you choose to spend it. ■ (Continued from page 4) It’s Nagao’s World When people read my reflections, I hope they don’t start questioning Creighton’s application standards. The Creighton system works. They find good people and put them in an environment to foster the knowledge and skills to be compassionate skilled physicians. Every medical student must experience frustration and awkwardness before self-confidence and self-efficacy; that’s the deal. Still, being a medical student has its benefits, namely you get all the medicine without any baggage. I am nothing if not self-deprecating, but after graduation I imagine that all that will have to go away. It’s reasons such as these why it’s so sad to graduate from medical school and have to grow up. ■ Amber Wood What are you most glad to be done with this year? The basic sciences like Biochem! What are your plans this summer? To not think! WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 Class of 2011 FUN DAY April 16, 2008 8am Scavenger Hunt 1pm BBQ As part of the scavenger hunt, we had to write a Blumenfeld diagnosis on a human forearm... Courtney Foote, Wendy Svetanoff, Ashley Lane and Jennifer Beckman celebrate another 10 point “O!” pic. Dr. Kavan and Thuy Koll celebrate a wishbone victory! Laura McDermott beats Dr. Jeffries in arm to arm combat! 13 14 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 CLASS OF 2008 MATCH RESULTS Creighton University School of Medicine—Class of 2008 ANESTHESIOLOGY 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Dobbs, Heather…………………………………………………………….U Virginia, Charlottesville VA Gladding, Jeffrey………………………………………………..U Texas SW Medical School, Dallas TX Ingemansen, Andrew………………………………………..U Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Ladner, Benjamin…………………………………………….U Louisville School of Med, Louisville KY Morris, Regina…………………………………………………..St. Barnabas Med Center, Livingston NJ Ning, Peter……………………………………………………….Temple Univ Hospital, Philadelphia PA (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Palmer, Andrew………………………………………….U Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Seattle WA (Transitional Year, Sacred Heart, Spokane WA) Ratino, Timothy…………………………………………..U Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City KS (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Reisbig, Mark……………………………………………….U Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) DERMATOLOGY 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Madson, Justin………………………………………...U Oklahoma College of Med, Oklahoma City OK (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Wong, Judy………………………………………………………….UVM/Fletcher Allen, Burlington VT (Prelim Medicine, U Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Bartman, Marc……………………………………....Drexel University College of Med, Philadelphia PA Finlayson, Ryan……………………………………………………….Maricopa Med Center, Phoenix AZ Godwin, Patrick……………………………………………………….Maricopa Med Center, Phoenix AZ Mosiman, Robert…………………………………………………...Resurrection Med Center, Chicago IL Parker, Sarah………………………………………………Univ of Pittsburgh Med Center, Pittsburgh PA Patel, Reshma…………………………………………………..NYU School of Medicine, New York NY Stevens, Andrew…………………………………………...Indiana Univ School of Med, Indianapolis IN Tran, Ethan………………………………………...Long Island Jewish Med Center, New Hyde Park NY WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 CLASS OF 2008 MATCH RESULTS FAMILY PRACTICE 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Anderson, Emily………………………………………………..North Colorado Med Center, Greeley CO Anderson (Hoffman), Katherine …………………………..Siouxland Med Ed Foundation, Sioux City IA Cook, Anthony……………………………………………………Clarkson Family Medicine, Omaha NE Dahl, Daniel………………………….…………………..U Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis MN Holmquist, Brent………………………………………………….Clarkson Family Medicine, Omaha NE Hoogesteger, Carl………………………………………..Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg NC Lee, Cheng………………………………………………...Glendale Adventist Med Center, Glendale CA Weidle, Kenyon………………………………………………………...St. Anthony Hospital, Denver CO Yepes, Fernando………………………………………………..Lincoln Med Ed Partnership, Lincoln NE INTERNAL MEDICINE 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Beste, Jason………………………………………………….Einstein/Montefiore Med Center, Bronx NY Birge, Justin……………………………………………………….Abbot Norhtwestern, Minneapolis MN Eccles-Radtke, Caitlin…………………………………..Hennepin County Med Center, Minneapolis MN Fasanya, Helen………………………………...………..U Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Madison WI Kreutz, Daniel…………………………………………………...Texas A&M-Scott & White, Temple TX Kummer, Andrew……………………………………….Hennepin County Med Center, Minneapolis MN Smeltzer, Jacob……………………………………………………Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis MO Tajouri, Tanya……………………………………………..Mayo School of Grad Med Ed, Rochester MN INTERNAL MEDICINE 2008 C.U. Grads in Creighton Programs Cook, Anna Gonsalves, Wilson Hoang, Priscilla Moore, Douglas Nahas, Joseph Tadros, Mary 15 16 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 CLASS OF 2008 MATCH RESULTS OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Adams, Elizabeth……………………………………………………...Northwestern McGaw, Chicago IL Chapman, Lisa………………………………………Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston TX Connors, Kathryn……………………………………………………..Maricopa Med Center, Phoenix AZ Duke, Adam………………………………………………………..Eastern VA Med School, Norfolk VA Fernando, Lea……………………………………………………..University at Buffalo-NY, Buffalo NY Martin, Melissa…………………………………………….U Connecticut Health Center, Farmington CT Morales, Kristy………………………………………………………..St. Louis University, St. Louis MO Patters, Kristen………………………………………………………..Maricopa Med Center, Phoenix AZ Roykhman, Margarita…………………………………………………St. Louis University, St. Louis MO Simons, Marilee………………………………………….U Utah Affiliated Hospitals, Salt Lake City UT Swank, Morgan……………………………………………………….UC Irvine Med Center, Orange CA Than, Duong………………………………………….St. Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick NJ Tun, Christina……………………………………………………..Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown PA Vaclavik, Alex………………………………………………Georgetown Univ Hospital, Washington DC OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2008 C.U. Grads in Creighton Programs Pugmire, Heather OPHTHALMOLOGY 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Basham, Ryan………………………………………………Rush University Medical Center, Chicago IL (Prelim Surgery also at Rush University Medical Center) PATHOLOGY 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Bruno, Erin………………………………………………….U Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE Kerkvliet, Amy…………………………………………..U South Dakota School of Med, Sioux Falls SD Nagao, Brian…………………………………………………….UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles CA Nguyen, Quyen…………………………………………………..B I Deaconess Med Center, Boston MA Snow, Anthony……………………………………Wake Forest Baptist Med Center, Winston-Salem NC WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 CLASS OF 2008 MATCH RESULTS PEDIATRICS 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Albert, Robyn…………………………………………….U Utah Affiliated Hospitals, Salt Lake City UT Beffert, Kelly…………………………………………………...Phoenix Childrens Hospital, Phoenix AZ Bornhorst, Miriam………………………………………………….U Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor MI Hupp, Susan………………………………………………Nationwide Childrens Hospital, Columbus OH Josephsen, Justin………………………………………………………St. Louis University, St. Louis MO Kaufman, Jessica…………………………………………….U Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City IA Ladner, Emily………………………………………………...U Louisville School of Med, Louisville KY Miller, Rebecca…………………………………………………….U Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor MI Muller, Janissa……………………………..Med College Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, Milwaukee WI Phan, Helen……………………………………………………...UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles CA Richards, Kimberly…………………………………………...UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento CA Skrypek, Mary…………………………………………...U Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis MN Soma, David……………………………………………….Mayo School of Grad Med Ed, Rochester MN Swedean, Sandra…………………………………………………………..SAUSHEC, Lackland AFB TX PEDIATRICS 2008 C.U. Grads in Creighton Programs Dawson, Michael Lankhorst, Abby PEDIATRICS AND INTERNAL MEDICINE COMBINED 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Brewer, Melody……………………………………………………Baystate Med Center, Springfield MA Roope, Willa………………………………………………………Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami FL PEDIATRICS AND PSYCHIATRY COMBINED 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Jones, Gwendolyn……………………………………………………..University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI 17 18 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 CLASS OF 2008 MATCH RESULTS PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Armendariz, Rebecca…………………………Virginia Commonwealth Univ Health Sys, Richmond VA (Prelim Medicine also at Virginia Commonwealth) English, Steven………………………………………………….…….UC Irvine Med Center, Orange CA (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Ingwerson, Julie………………………………………………UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento CA PSYCHIATRY 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs March, Natalie…………………………………………………………….Hartford Hospital, Hartford CT Rudersdorf, John…………………………………………………..Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis MO Wagner, Gerhardt………………………………….Wake Forest Baptist Med Center, Winston-Salem NC RADIOLOGY—DIAGNOSTIC 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Ahmed, Shawn…………………………………………..U Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis MN German, Sarah…………………………………………………..U Iowa Hosps and Clinics, Iowa City IA (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Godinez, Brian……………………………………………..Indiana Univ School of Med, Indianapolis IN (Transitional Year Riverside Regional Med Center, Newport News VA) Konrad, Aaron……………………………………………..Mayo School of Grad Med Ed, Rochester MN (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Millerd, Patrick……………………………………………...U Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE (Transitional Year St Lukes Med Center, Milwaukee WI) Nguyen, Ho…………………………………………………...UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento CA (Transitional Year Univ North Dakota, Fargo ND) Tanner, Dawn…………………………………………………UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento CA (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Vaughn, Lonnie ……………………………………………………….Maricopa Med Center, Phoenix AZ (Prelim Medicine, Creighton Univ Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE) Walter, Jacob………………………………………………….Univ Colorado School of Med, Denver CO (Transitional Year Broadlawns, Des Moines IA) WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 CLASS OF 2008 MATCH RESULTS SURGERY—GENERAL 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Atay, Scott………………………………………………………..B I Deaconess Med Center, Boston MA Barker, Adam……………………………………………………………Baylor U Med Center, Dallas TX Barnard, Kayla…………………………………………………...U Oklahoma College of Med, Tulsa OK Cleary, Andrew………………………………………………………………..Easton Hospital, Easton PA Graham, G. Peter…………………………………………………...U Kansas School of Med, Wichita KS Grotz, Travis………………………………………………Mayo School of Grad Med Ed, Rochester MN Klemens, Anne………………………………………………………..Maricopa Med Center, Phoenix AZ Lopez, Joseph……………………………………………………Abington Memorial Hosp, Abington PA Percival, Thomas…………………………………….Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft Sam Houston TX Rudersdorf, Patrick……………………………………………………UC Irvine Med Center, Orange CA Thorson, Chad…………………………………………………….Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami FL SURGERY—GENERAL 2008 C.U. Grads in Creighton Programs Engstrom, Nicholas Rivera, Edmundo Wolpert, Joseph SURGERY—ORTHOPAEDIC 2008 C.U. Grads in Non-Creighton Programs Downes, Jessica………………………………………….U Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis MN Gomez-Leonardelli, Dominic……………………………………...Naval Medical Center, San Diego CA Grant, Michael……………………………………………Oregon Health and Science Univ, Portland OR Wilkofsky, Ian……………………………………………..SUNY Upstate Med University, Syracuse NY SURGERY—ORTHOPAEDIC 2008 C.U. Grads in Creighton Programs Knierim, Ann TRANSITIONAL/PRELIMINARY YEAR 2008 C.U. Grads in Creighton and Non-Creighton Programs McDonald, Carolyn……………………………...Medicine, U Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha NE O'Keefe, Kevin……………………….......................Surgery, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento CA Samee (Farooqui), Nausheen………………..Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood IL 19 20 WELLNESS CHRONICLE By Kara Watterson W SUMMER 2008 IT TAKES TIME hat are you going to be when you grow up? A firefighter? A teacher? A pilot? An astronaut? We have all been faced with this question at one point or another and apparently answering, “a doctor,” is no longer sufficient. As the M4s match into their chosen residencies, the M3s are struggling to create their ideal fourth-year schedules. And with this process, the question of specialty inevitably looms in on the horizon. Six weeks ago I was almost certain of my answer; I wanted to be an OB/Gyn. What could be more rewarding than spending my life delivering babies and taking care of women? Oh, but that was six weeks ago. Since that time I have reconsidered, and in some cases considered for the first time, almost every possibility. Maybe I should be a pediatrician, or maybe internal medicine is the way to go. What about family medicine or psychiatry? For a few weeks I was seriously questioning my Bun out of the oven or bun out of the oven? Hmm... decision to become a doctor at all. Why not drop out and open a bakery? It would be far less stressful, and I would be bringing plenty of joy to the world. Yes, opening a bakery, that’s what all this time in med school has been working toward. Thankfully, it appears that I am not alone. There are those lucky few who know with complete conviction what they want to do, but for the most part it seems that the M3s are in a state of uncertainty. Besides my bakery idea, I have heard people consider becoming a park ranger, a chef, and a flight attendant to name a few. If this keeps up the graduating class of 2009 will be quite an eclectic group. And as we struggle with finding our “perfect” specialty, the people in our lives have plenty advice for each of us. I have been told to make pro/con lists, to talk to people in each field I am considering, to pray, to listen to my heart, and to just give it time…talk about agonizing. Now, after weeks of debating, I think maybe OB/Gyn is not for me. As I lean closer to a decision I am left with an awkward new feeling… relief. Of course there are times when I fall back into that dreadful spiral of what-ifing. What if I made the wrong decision? What if I get to residency and hate it? What if this is not what I am meant to do with my life… ah, what if? I may never be one hundred percent certain of my choice, but I am starting to see an end to my struggles. In the end, all of those who bestowed their heartfelt advice on me were right. I did make the pro/con lists. I talked to countless people about their thoughts on the matter. I tried to give myself mental breaks from the Tom Kennedy (Continued on page 27) What are your plans to celebrate finishing boards? Eric Nelsen and I got the idea of buying a breathalyzer after boards and seeing what we can do. Other than that, my schedule Most cohesive: Chrannie (Chris Neeley and Anne Haugen) is pretty wide open. Which is the hottest med school couple? I don't know about hottest couple. I would hate to offend any really self conscious people out there like Adam Linck. So, I have made my own criteria: Laziest: Adam Linck and Meggan Kroeker Drunkest: Eric Nelsen and Carolyn Green (mainly Eric) Annie Haugen replies, “Rumor has it that Tom and Eric are just bitter about the breakup of their boyband!” WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 21 (Continued from page 2) Meet Michele Millard A Message from Marcia By Marcia Cusic CUSOM Chaplain A s we begin to wind down another busy academic school year, I have started to reflect upon the year, what was accomplished, what was exciting, what was stressful, and so forth, and then I heard about Randy Pausch, a computer science Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. At first glance, he seems to be like so many of our professors here at Creighton, committed to his teaching and to his family, and then I read an excerpt from “His Last Lecture” as printed in the April 6 Parade magazine. Professor Pausch is dying from pancreatic cancer and wrote his thoughts in this last lecture, for his wife and three children. Randy Pausch’s last lecture has more to do with “How to live life” than anything else. I’d like to share with you, his ideas, which are: • • • • • • • Always have fun Dream big Ask for what you want Dare to take a risk Look for the best in everybody Make time for what matters Let kids be themselves There have been so many “ordinary” people in my life and I am guessing in your lives as well, that can teach or have taught me/you life lessons. And so, as we wind down this academic year, consider Randy Pausch’s thoughts about how to live our daily lives. ■ May God Continue To Bless Your Lives… Reflect. It’s good for you. MM: We’re working on further developing mentoring for students—both faculty and peer mentoring. Also, we now have a biofeedback machine which measures heart rate changes, which can be a measurement of emotions. We aim for students to understand when they are having negative emotions and to switch to a different emotional state (see page 10 for more details on what Michele is doing for the students of CUSOM). WC: What do you like best about Creighton? MM: I like the holistic approach to education, the care for the whole person. I also like the idea of working in an environment of progress and learning. WC: How about the School of Medicine? MM: I like that it is connected to campus but also in its own world. I enjoy professional students, the collegial support provided in this environment. I also like the idea of seeing people develop into medical professionals and playing a helping role in that process. WC: What’s your Myers-Briggs personality type? MM: I am an INFP and Linda is an ENFP. We get along and work together well. WC: What is the most common mistake students typically make? MM: Anxiety interferes with academic success. It can create a negative cycle where anxiety leads to fear of failure, which leads to further anxiety. This can unfortunately be a self fulfilling prophecy. WC: What is the best way to prevent or overcome this mistake? MM: Manage the anxiety, breathe deeply, reframe the issue, shift environmental response. WC: What sorts of services do you offer for M3s and M4s? MM: We help them to succeed in clerkships, be it through assistance in helping learn material or navigating working with doctors and patients. Also, in the spring, setting up M4 schedules and Step 2 study schedules plays a role. My son is a third year at UNMC, so I understand how much anxiety plays a role in setting up fourth-year schedules. WC: In the unfortunate event a student finds him or herself at risk of failing a class, what do you recommend? MM: We customize our approach for each student be it a study schedule, time management, tutoring, or supplemental instruction. WC: What’s the best way to reach you? MM: We have been trying to use Patti for setting up appointments, but we always welcome people to stop by and see us or contact us via e-mail. ■ 22 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 By Dr. Michael G. Kavan, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Student Affairs A s many know, losing a loved one can be an emotionally stressful experience. Most people who lose someone close experience a variety of emotions that may include sadness, numbness, a longing for the loved one, and possibly guilt and anger. It is important to understand that these are natural feelings. It is also normal to think about or reflect on the many positive and possibly not-so-positive memories you have of your loved one. This more likely occurs immediately following the loss, but may also take place at other times such as on the anniversary of your loved one’s death, on special days such as birthdays and holidays, or just out of the blue. These memories and feelings are natural and a sign that the loved one was important to you. To better understand this process, I thought it would be helpful to discuss some myths associated with grieving and then to provide information about what a person may do to cope with grief. Myths of Coping with Loss Although most of us have learned that grieving typically follows a particular order (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) and that you must feel depressed after a loss, and that if you do not that this is indicative of pathology, research actually shows that that our assumptions regarding the grieving process may not be true. So, let’s look at some of the myths of coping with loss (Wortman and Silver). Myth #1 – Depression must occur once the grieving person confronts the reality of the loss and he/she must then “work though it.” In their study on this topic, Parkes and Weiss (1983) stated, “We might suppose that people who avoid or repress grief are the most likely to become disturbed a year later, yet this is not the case.” They go on to say that high initial yearning for the person who died or being preoccupied with thoughts about the loss (often referred to as working through the loss) was associated with poor outcomes even 2 to 4 years after the loss. Myth #2 – It is assumed that after a loss that a person will experience intense distress and will then achieve a state of recovery and return to normal functioning. There is growing evidence that a substantial minority of individuals continue to exhibit distress for a much longer period of time than would commonly be assumed (see complicated grief below). Myth #3 – Over time and as a result of working through their loss, individuals will achieve a state of resolution (or acceptance) regarding what has happened. In reality it is difficult for many people to find meaning in the loss and people are not always able to achieve resolution regarding their loss and to come up with an explanation for the experience that is satisfying to them. Particularly when the event is sudden, a majority of individuals appear to have great difficulty in coming to terms with what has happened. Zisook and Shuchter indicate that “there is no prescription for how to grieve properly for a lost spouse [or loved one], and no research-validated guideposts for what is normal vs deviant mourning.” The key – everyone handles the grief process somewhat differently, so, it is important to respect this and do what you can to cope effectively. Coping with Loss In order to cope more effectively with loss, once again, be assured that grief is natural and that it is normal to think about your loved one. Allow yourself to feel sadness and the sense of loss. Also, allow yourself to experience joy and happiness as your reminisce about your loved one. Talk to family members and friends who share your memories. You may even want to do something positive in your loved one’s memory such as donating to his/her favorite charity, volunteer on their behalf and memory, and so forth. Be aware that it is also okay to move on and to enjoy life as well. Most grieving people would agree that the loved one would not want the surviving family member or friend to continue to wallow in despair. Instead, I try to get survivors to focus on taking control and accomplishing things in life in honor of the one they have lost. In doing this, you live out their legacy as best as possible. Complicated Grief. One hears more and more about a (Continued on page 25) WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 23 Aberrant Auscultation By Patrick Allison A ll good things come to an end. Sadly, this will conclude the publishing of those wonderful gems of verbal entertainment that keep us plugging away in lecture. We’ve heard some truly outstanding orations in the past two years, and here’s a look at the most recent and final batch. “So when it comes to, um, pregnancy, there’s an abundance of advice out there for free women… or free advice for pregnant women, I mean. Huh, huh, damn.” Dr. Wolff, catching himself as he reverts back to an older time. February 20, Endo/Repro: L18 2:00. “Alright, HPV. I don’t really talk a lot about HPV, um, because you guys probably get HPV up the ying-yang, but… um… I didn’t mean it like that, um…” Dr. Newmyer, slipping and having a laugh over it. February 20, Endo/Repro: L52 37:59. “Inevitably, you and I will show up some day, and the clinicians won’t show up. So on those days, I’ve got a bunch of YouTube things that we’ll watch, and, uh, political of course, and uh… So, uh, today’s topic—this first hour—is to uh, reintroduce to you, uh, some of the characteristics of joints, and uh, not the kind of joints that President Clinton, uh, uh… interacted with…” Dr. Yee, shooting the breeze one more time with reference to the infamous class of 2010 whining incident. April 1, MSI: L1 7:52. “So, think about it. You got cocaine laid out on, on the counter; uh, you put the, uh—in my case it’d be a dollar bill—in your nose, and you snort the cocaine, um and I now give that to the next person.” Dr. Zetterman, choosing his weapon while explaining a possible route of transmission of the hepatitis C virus: sharing cocaine paraphernalia. March 13, Gastrointestinal system: L 16 23:32. Didn’t inhale? Really?! “Ya’ll are too young to recognize that as you get older—you know, I wake up every morning and just… s*** just hurts!” Dr. Yee, impressing on the class the importance of learning well the medicine regarding the musculoskeletal system. April 1, MSI: L1 3:10. “Notice the Scotty dog. Do ya’ll see it? Kay? You see the Scotty dog? Come on, take a hit… take a shot.” Dr. Kenik, encouraging the class to expand their minds so as to recognize the classic shape present in articular facets of the spine. April 1, MSI: L4 14:45. Thanks to Eric Marty, future MD, for pointing this one out. “So, the most important thing you can learn as a, as a medical student and certainly in preparation for residency is if you don’t know the answer, you go, ‘I don’t know.’ Actually, if you go, ‘F***, I don’t know’ then they know you’re from Creighton.” Dr. McGuire, bestowing a pearl on the class of 2010. April 2, MSI: L5 5:50. Last issue’s winner was Dr. Dunlay’s “Psych-Path Smack Talk.” Submit your vote for best Aberrant Auscultation to Patrick Allison at [email protected]. Find other auscultations that didn’t make this short list on the 2010 web page. After this last winner has been chosen, the readers will then vote online for Quote of the Year. The winner of this prestigious award will be recognized in the Fall 2008 issue of the Wellness Chronicle. Keep an eye out! ■ 24 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 M1 Intramural Sports Update By Wendy Jo Svetanoff T he M1 class had three teams participate in intramural basketball this season. Our first guys’ team, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em, started the season off in full swing, showing great chemistry and teamwork throughout the regular season. Andy Schemmel and Adam Stibbe were the team’s downtown threats–there was even one game where Andy had four three-pointers–while Rob Van DeMark was the go-to guy down in the paint. Mark Hsiao and Matt Straley did a great job establishing the tempo of the games at point guard, while Mike Stetz, Jim Ramig, Zach Torgersen, and JJ Schumacher were all invaluable contributors to the success of the team. At the end of the regular season, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em had an undefeated season and was placed in the elite bracket for playoffs. In their first playoff game, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em played the number one team in the league (which fellow M1 Gregg Anazia was a part of). Despite being a little beat up, the team played strongly throughout the entire game. Unfortunately, the Ballers were a little too strong towards the end of the game, and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em saw themselves out of the playoffs. The second guys’ team to play in the league was Moose Knuckles. Although it took them a little while to find their rhythm as a team, Moose Knuckles came on strong in the end to finish the regular season 2-2, earning the second seed spot in the Competitive BB division. Dan Pease was one of the most impressive players throughout the entire season. Making great use of his aggressive style as a post player, Dan racked up 74 points to be the top scorer on the team. Moose Knuckles also had a great downtown threat in Billy Pederson. Billy was the second highest scorer, and led the team in three-point baskets with thirteen. Munib Sana and Zach Joos were aggressive both on offense and defense to lead the team in the rebound category, while Brendan Thelen played well throughout the entire season. However, it seemed like Moose Knuckles used the regular season almost as tune-up for the real part of the season – the playoffs, for it was here that Moose Knuckles really came together as a team and showed their true potential. Led by point guard, Adam Mitchell, who seemed to turn the intensity up a couple notches in the post-season, Moose Knuckles mercy-ruled their opponents in the first two games (71-46 and 60-40). With amazing passing from Adam to the open players, no one could stop Moose Knuckles on the road to the championship. Adam also turned in a fine performance in the shooting category, including making five three- Adam Mitchell looks for the open man as Moose Knuckles play McLovin’ in the championship game. pointers in the semi-final game. The championship game found Moose Knuckles playing McLovin’: two teams with opposite personalities. While one of Moose Knuckles’ main weapons was their three-point play, McLovin’ was able to counter that with unmatched height down low. This mismatch, along with foul trouble that started early in the game, proved to be Moose Knuckles’ undoing. Despite battling back into contention many times, they would end up losing the championship, 56-46. The third team to play intramural basketball was the girls’ team, Mighty Medics. Despite getting off to a slow start in the regular season with many line-up changes and some inconsistency, the Mighty Medics were happy to f i n d themselves in the C bracket p l a y o f f division. Just like Moose Knuckles, it wasn’t until the post-season that the Mighty Medics were truly able The Women’s “C” Division Winners – to find their Mighty Medics! From left: Meagan g r o o v e . McCarthy, Kylie Clark, Caitlin Renn, M e a g a n Nicole Nolan, Michelle Roenfeld, Wendy McCarthy led Jo Svetanoff. the team, not only at the point-guard position, but also in points with thirty-seven in the two post-season games. Michelle (Continued on page 25) WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 LAUNCH! (Continued from page 22) Shrink Rap phenomenon referred to as complicated grief. Signs and symptoms include extreme focus on the loss, intense pining for the deceased, problems accepting death, numbness/detachment, preoccupation with sorrow, bitterness, inability to enjoy life, withdrawal, depression, difficulty moving on, irritability, and a lack of trust in others. Complicated grief can affect a person physically, mentally, and socially. For those of you who continue to experience complicated grief, make sure that you are using the coping strategies mentioned above. In addition, make sure to stay active, exercise regularly, practice stress management strategies, participate in recreational activities, socialize, and reach out to your faith community. In addition, plan ahead for special dates or anniversaries by finding new ways to celebrate or acknowledge your loved one in a way that provides comfort and joy. Finally, if you continue to experience problems, seek help from a psychologist or counselor. Joining a support group may also be helpful. The key is to take action so that you may learn new coping skills and a way to live life with loving memories. ■ Resources Mayo Clinic Website: www.mayoclinic.com Maciejewski PK, Zhang B, Block SD, Prigerson HG. An empirical examination of the stage theory of grief. JAMA 2007;297:716-723. Wortman CB, Silver RC. The myths of coping with loss. J Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1989;57:349-357. (Continued from page 24) M1 Intramurals Roenfeld and Nicole Nolan were great post players as Michelle was able to get many easy baskets in the paint, and Nicole was our leading rebounder throughout the playoffs. Kylie Clark and Wendy Jo Svetanoff played great on defense and at the shooting-guard spot, while Caitlin Renn also stepped up her play during the postseason. In the first game of playoffs, the Mighty Medics played a Delta Zeta team that would not seem to go away, keeping the lead under double digits most of night. In the championship game, however, it was no contest. The Mighty Medics started off the game with a bang and never looked back as they overpowered the Rock Stars and won the championship with an impressive score of 47-16. All of the M1 teams played great throughout the entire season, ending the season with hopes of even more impressive seasons next year. ■ 25 Moms in Medicine hits the web May/June 2008! By Laura McDermott L ast Fall during a meeting, CMSG decided a Moms in Medicine website would be a great asset for current and incoming medical students. Most people won’t have to worry about starting a family during medical school or during their residency program. However, some may contemplate starting a family while others are wondering how to have better balance with their current family. Questions such as: What year is a good year to have a baby in medical school? How can I balance going to school, studying, and having a family? Which residency programs are geared towards family-work-life balance? What if I have a difficult pregnancy? Whether you are a single parent or have a spouse, trying to answer these questions can be a difficult and daunting task. Often, the expertise of being a parent in medical school is gained from “on-the-job” training, and the information leaves when students graduate and leave for residency programs or to practice medicine. Searching for answers by asking fellow students or looking all over the web may not always be the most productive use of time. The solution is the Moms in Medicine website. This site is specifically tailored around the wants and needs of Creighton Medical students and residents so that questions and specific needs can Need some help with the be addressed proactively. At this baby thing? time, the site will have links to other sites. The goal in the future is to post information from past and current students to answer questions such as the one’s posted at the beginning of this article. For the dads in medical school, have no fear, we will have a dads’ corner on the site and look forward to your feedback as well. Please look for the website to be launched in May/June 2008. Laura McDermott, a current M1, is responsible for the site. This is a website for the students, so input and suggestions are welcome. If you have any ideas or comments, please email Laura McDermott at [email protected]. ■ 26 WELLNESS CHRONICLE I By Wendy Jones SUMMER 2008 Up, Up, and Away residents were incredibly overworked and the facilities ’ll summarize the main points of my article right at and staff support were lacking. Interestingly enough, the beginning: traveling on externships can be very although I got the best evaluation from this residency helpful for applying to residency, and it can actually (compared to my other externships), I did not get an be quite affordable too. interview from this program. I did three away rotations in programs that I was My last externship was in Honolulu. I really enjoyed interested in for residency. I started looking at various the program. They had several unique features to their programs in January of 3rd year, and found three to apply program as well as to whose rotation excellent facilities, dates were compatible faculty and residents. with Creighton’s The residents would d a t e s . T h e pick me up for their applications social events, so I themselves were went snorkeling, to posted from February karaoke night, and out to April for the to several dinners with programs I applied to. them, which was very Knowing externships useful to learn about were filled on a first Spending a month in Honolulu. Rough... what the program and come first served residents were like. On my first day of the rotation, my basis, I, in a typical obsessive compulsive medical student attending (who was also the program director) asked what way, checked some of the websites daily for two weeks I was applying for, and told me she would arrange for me trying to see when they would actually post the to interview while I was there! After all the talk about applications. Rotating on away electives has two obvious professionalism at Creighton, I found it hilarious that I advantages: if faculty like you it can be very beneficial met four of the people who would interview me (the for getting interviews and matching (especially if you do following week), dressed in my Halloween costume! I it in the summer or fall), and it is also a good way to see if ended up matching in this program, and I don’t think I the place is a good fit for you and what the program is would have if I had not done an externship there. really like (which is sometimes hard to determine on During my 4th year, I did rotations in interviews when they always put their best foot forwards!). two countries and six different states I loved my first externship in Rhode which certainly made for an interesting Island. Everyone was friendly, there year. And surprisingly enough, it was was an emphasis on teaching, and the quite affordable. I moved out of my residents were great advocates for me apartment June of my 3rd year (i.e. I and tried to tell me how to get into their have no rent to pay each month!). The program. They also suggested meeting ten weeks that I was in Omaha, I stayed with the residency coordinator during with a good friend in my class who my externship and said this was a graciously offered me her extra standard procedure for visiting students. bedroom. I spent most of the year going I found this to be true at other schools from one state to another. Only one of Externships are a great way to see as well. I suspect doing an externship at my externships offered student housing, how other programs run and that school was a significant factor in which meant that I had to find my own whether or not you would be a good my getting an interview there. housing for a month in New York and fit there. My second externship was in Honolulu. Surprisingly, though, this was Queens, New York. This proved to be just as useful an not particularly difficult, and I found cheap, furnished externship but in different ways. While my attendings housing close to the hospital without much work. I admit were very nice and I learned a lot and got a lot of that they were noisy, somewhat dirty, and in one case experience doing H+P’s, I realized it was not the rather infested with ants, but for a month I could live (Continued on page 29) environment that I wanted to do a residency in; the WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 27 O S R Organization of Student Representatives By Danielle Ku`ulei Potter A Update re you thinking, “What the #@!% is OSR?” Well, although you’ve received emails from Andrew Stevens and myself, I also know there’s a lot of you who delete every email with the heading “med-20XX.” Think of OSR as your middle men (student representatives) to the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges). As your OSR representatives, we will be updating you on hot topics pertinent to you, including things that affect that “heavy debt you’re accumulating” (i.e. things going on in Washington like the College Cost Reduction Act), programs/tools being developed by the AAMC to simplify our lives (e.g. VSAS, Charting the Outcomes in the Match, etc.), promote diversity (e.g. www.aspiringdocs.org), and much more. Below you’ll find some highlighted topics. If you’re interested in any other topics mentioned, please ask one of us or check out the AAMC website. Have you ever asked yourself the following questions (especially M2s studying for Step 1): How will USMLE Step 1 help me become a b e t t e r physician? Will all these detailed facts I’m memorizing r e a l l y help me to help my patients? If you have, you are not alone. In fact, the NBME is currently undergoing a Comprehensive Review of the USMLE. A Committee to Evaluate the USMLE Program (CEUP) was established and has been compiling a final repot, due spring 2008 to the NBME. Some previously reported themes include the following: 1. Redesign of USMLE to better reflect the competencies important to medical practice 2. Reconsider current, independent assessment of the basic sciences (Step 1) in favor of an integrative approach to the scientific foundations of medicine across all components of the USMLE program http://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/start.htm Special Hotel Rates for Clinical Skills Exams: M3s, are you getting overwhelmed with the rising cost of fourth year: $1,500 for Step 2, travel costs to externships/interviews, money for a new suit (cause you don’t want to be like Tommy Boy)? Well, there is one small consolation and, like saving coupons, it all adds up. So check out the following website for special AAMC-negotiated rates at hotels in close proximity to each of the Clinical Skills Exam sites: http://www.aamc.org/meetings/clinicalskills/ hotelrates/start.htm VSAS (The Visiting Student Application Service) – Pilot year with ten schools: This is a brand new AAMC application currently in the design phase, intended to streamline the process of applying for “away” electives typically taken in the fourth year of medical school. The service is a web-based system that requires students to submit just one application for all schools, effectively reducing paperwork, miscommunication, and time spent by students & staff. On April 15, 2008, the program launched its pilot year with ten “host” schools participating. So M3s, check out the website to see if they are including some of the schools you’re applying to for externships, and use this to simplify things: http:// www.aamc.org/programs/vsas/start.htm For more info, visit http://www.usmle.org/ General_Information/review.html. If you have any questions, contact us, your OSR representatives: Danielle Ku`ulei Potter (M3), Aaron Pannier (M2), and Andrew Stevens (M4). ■ (Continued from page 20) It takes Time decision. Ultimately it took some very honest selfreflection about who I am and what I want out of medicine. That’s right, it took time. Now, for those of you still struggling with your decision, do not take this article as any form of advice. I know each of us will come to choose a specialty in his or her unique way, and I promise that until that happens for you, I will try to avoid asking that panic-inducing question, “What do you want to be when you grow up”? Ultimately, we will all make a choice, but along the way, there is nothing wrong with a little what-if-ing. ■ 28 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 motivations of its youth,” she says. “Our generation is certainly far from being completely defined, but slowly, there is an outline already forming. I don’t know what our generation is officially supposed to be called, but the disturbing events of our times will most certainly be the Devoid of cause or motive central focus of our history.” a faith in reason quakes. This dark prediction sums the effects of the prevalence Then, foreheads fall in open palms, of violent acts in recent history. Perhaps more troubling, and hearts, downtrodden, break. the search for reason amidst the bloodshed broods ever more challenging with every event. Theories abound. Chaplain of the School of Medicine Marcia Cusic sites he pews of St. John’s Parish filled in painful a basic problem in values. “I do think there is a lack of silence March 22, 2008. Hundreds gathered in respect for life in general, from birth to death: a lack of support of those in the front rows, the familiar appreciation for life, as we take for granted the miracle of faces of the parents: two of Creighton new life, the medical advances that can now give people a University School of Medicine’s most honored and longer life and literally bring people back to life.” She treasured faculty downcast by the tragedy that had also notes a fault in society’s exemplars. “We see befallen them. To this day, a reason behind the source of leadership choosing killing as a way to the Hunters’ anguish remains enigmatic. dominate and ‘reel people in’ rather than It seems that such stories define our dialogue, understanding, considering the times. Words like “terrorism,” “murder,” perspective of another... [There is] no and “massacre” frequent newscasts and consideration of the greatest commandment conversation so much that it seems hardly a of all: to love others as God loves us.” day passes without their intrusion. Was it The breakdown of society’s cohesion always like this? also finds blame. “Those who commit “I was in high school in September, violence seem to be somehow disconnected 2001, and I remember sitting in my senior from their communities, families, peers, Spanish class, watching the news footage etc. Access to weapons is definitely a of burning buildings and knowing that factor. But perhaps more of a factor is a everything was going to change – and culture that finds little value in life, in everything did change around the world,” community, and in alleviating social ills,” says M2 Kashmir Singh. “My college years explains Eric Marty. were defined by wars in Afghanistan and Still others find meditating on reasons Iraq, bombings in London and Madrid, Grief. Linda Branch Dunn distasteful, even distracting. M2 Brittany chaos and inept governmental action in Willer claims, “It is as if an explanation for the New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and genocide in unspeakable violence that was committed seems to make Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo. But it still people feel better, safer, more distanced from the evil in seems so remote, so far away and unreal when we the world. But there is never a sensible explanation for consider how isolated we feel here in the Midwest. It is so violence. The search for a cause only seems to obscure distant until the violence comes into our own community and distract from the mourning process. It makes it seem and impacts our lives directly .” like there was a reason for the violence, like on some odd Unfortunately, that encroaching violence seems to be level it was to be expected given the background of the mounting. “It would appear so,” agrees Eric Marty. “It perpetrator. And that doesn't make any sense to me.” may also be that media coverage of these events has It remains a fascinating point, however, that just as increased.” the weaknesses of our culture suffer onus for the violence Marty, a rising M3, furthermore notes a change in the that pervades our lives, so too do the strengths of that tide. “We should also consider that the venue of violence same culture promise recompense. “It is the strength of is changing. Violent crime is down in urban areas, yet the community that can be the driving force to change this seems to be on the rise in middle America and in new violence,” stresses Singh. “At Creighton, we have already demographics (elementary school children, college witnessed the healing power of community in the past students, middle and upper class Caucasians).” Singh month, and if we take that bond and actively reinforce it, echoes this transition to violence in youth. “Every we can move together to help solve the problem.” generation has its defining theme in history, drawn by Marty likewise seems optimistic. “We do not feel those events that shape the outlook, perspective, and Senseless T WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 responsible for those around us so we do not reach out to those at highest risk of committing violent crimes. So I think we ought to reach out to victims, listen to them, and empathize. And if enough people deem it worthwhile, we can work from the bottom up in our families, communities, and cities to invest in an infrastructure of prevention.” Both M2s emphasize the individual as the spark: Singh says, “It is time to change and time to come together to redefine our generation’s history – and this change starts here, with each of us,” and Marty concludes, “We can do a lot of good in this area as physicians. And we have a responsibility to. More of a responsibility than the average community member. Be the change you want to see.” Still, the pain caused by the disregard of the value of human life extends beyond the loss of that life and into the most basic foundations of those who do value it. Conceiving of a mind where such things are possible strikes most as impossible. It defies reason, as does the ease of the physical act itself. How terribly facile it is to move one finger and squeeze a trigger, and how profound is the impact from such a minor motion! But, perhaps the squall of violence that plagues our community, nation, and world should rather be viewed in the light of hope. It does not seem impossible that violence may escalate, so why then can the situation not instead improve? If only the courageous can remember their lost brethren or as Albert Einstein once said: Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction. ■ 29 (Continued from page 7) Snapshots My residency starts June 24, roughly two months from now. The prospect of this very sentence quite literally excites me to the point of oblivion, and sends shivers down my spine all at the same time. I will return to the point of being the new guy, someone with the most to learn. And while I’m not sure of the course that my training will take me, I do know two things. The first is that I will look for every opportunity to learn, especially from my patients. Those snapshot moments are invaluable to any doctor’s development, and by the end of the next three years I should have enough to take the next step. The other thing I’m sure of: I’m ready. I’m ready because of my education, and I have all of the teachers, doctors, and administration at Creighton to thank for that. But I know I’m ready mostly because of the six men in the Class of 2011 who have reminded me who I once was and have shown me what I can become. ■ (Continued from page 26) Up, Up, and Away almost anywhere! One of the best parts was the built-in vacations with the externships. Completely by chance, two of my rotations happened to have no weekends or call. On my other rotation I slept through the night (9 hours or more!) on most calls and subsequently had the next day off. So I had lots of mini vacations! In Providence, Rhode Island, the city is obsessed with water-fire celebrations that include gondolas and fire throwers. In New York City, there was so much to do it is hard to even start, but several $20 tickets to Broadway shows definitely brightened my life. In Hawaii, as well, it’s not hard to find things to do (especially when it is 75 degrees there while it is snowing in Omaha!) I wish all of you graduating in the years to come good luck, and I hope sharing my experiences with externships was helpful to you. ■ 2011 Class Mascot Turns 1 By Laura McDermott Austin Matthew McDermott was born on May 2nd, 2007 to current M1 Laura McDermott and her husband Paul McDermott. On May 2nd, 2008, Austin will turn one. At 3 months old, Austin debuted as the class mascot and has enjoyed this position for the past 9 months. During the past school year, Austin sat in a few classes and attended various school functions. His latest trip to school involved chatting with Marcia Cusic, playing with Dr. Jeffries’ football, and meeting with Dr. Kavan. He has also been very “helpful” during study groups turning pages - ask Cris Crisler, Thuy Koll, and Maryal Concepcion. He is looking forward to rooting on his mommy’s classmates for the next three years until they graduate in 2011, and is proud to serve as the class mascot. ■ 30 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 Service to Patient: Building Vocations in Medicine By Mike Long G ood physicians are dedicated to serving others; i t i s , admittedly, an ideal of broad scope. It was with this perspective that I approached this year’s Creighton medical student spring break trip to the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. I organized and participated in the March 2008 weeklong Project CURA immersion experience with eight fellow students. To plan, I prioritized the immersion experience on the Rez as a service experience in its strict sense. In so doing, I set off expecting an experience foundational to my medical education. It is not enough for nine medical students to arrive at a place like Pine Ridge, to pile out of a van, to only provide a week of—ultimately—trivial labor and aid assistance. Instead, we experienced the necessity for being physicians in service. It is by such lessons that we become enriched to influence real change in the lives of any of our patients through compassionate treatment. The results of service might not be immediate, but they have the potential, in time, to be profound. Medicine is dedication to human service. Creighton’s philosophy is rooted in the Jesuit principles of magis (“the more”) and cura personalis (“care for the whole person”). Medical education at Creighton transcends the classroom to stress care for the whole person. We must learn who our patients are to accept them with compassion, patience, empathy, and humility; we aim to communicate these values by how we care for them. Such care invites our patients to trust our efforts on their behalf and to rely on us as part of their community. We become invested in each other for a common outcome. Project CURA (Creighton Medical Students United in Relief Assistance) is one of many venues for Creighton medical students to experience, learn, and practice the human aspect of medical care. Most CURA experiences are international; but one does not have to travel far for a potent experience. Pine Ridge, located about 350 miles northeast of Denver, is steeped in history. The Lakota are proud of their heritage as one of the strongest and most influential tribes in the Great Plains. Strongest among the defenders against westward expansion, the Lakota defeated Custer at Little Big Horn. Tensions between the United States and the Lakota peaked at Wounded Knee with the cavalry’s massacre of over 300 men, women, and children who had surrendered and were surrounded by cavalry guard. The legacy of this history remains: there is intense cultural pride, but also the residual effect of justifiable distrust. The marginalization of reservation life has created a legacy of poverty and its ills. Alcoholism proliferates; diabetes is epidemic; life expectancy is short; the list goes on. Ills aside, there are forces of change riding on tradition, pride, and optimism. As physicians for our patients—with appropriate identity, empathy, and caring effort—we can support the restoration of autonomy and positive direction for the future. As physicians, however, it is inadequate to come to a place like Pine Ridge to provide a limited duration of service, but then to pack up and return to our own agendas. Effort and interest must be taken to learn a patient population’s history, culture, and norms; we cannot truly care if we choose to remain outsiders. For example, we learned that to the Lakota there is a language behind a handshake. We need to be sensitive to nuances to such commonplace pleasantries. Who would have thought a firm handshake and direct eye contact might alienate a patient and compromise a doctor-patient relationship? To some Lakota it may. We are taught of the adverse health effects of tobacco usage; but for some Lakota there is a difference between traditional tobacco usage in healing or ritual prayer and that of tobacco abuse. Physicians must be culturally competent to differentiate between the two and be respectful in their queries. It takes investment of time and effort to learn, understand, and come to practice appropriately in a given culture—by immersing ourselves, even briefly, in life at Pine Ridge we become aware of such cultural courtesies. I had previously spent time on the Pine Ridge prior to this most recent excursion. Over the course of a year I WELLNESS CHRONICLE spent about a month’s time there while visiting a volunteer. This time around, in a trip of one week, no one in our group nor I expected to come away from the Pine Ridge experience h a v i n g proficiency in understanding Lakota culture or the nuances of life on a reservation. However, the uniqueness of that community, its challenges related to health care and the complexity of possible solutions to them did become apparent. Mindful of our primary commitment to service, it was clear to us how necessary it is to form a foundation of understanding of a people and their place—their history, their culture, their struggles, their strengths. It was good for us to spend time listening, learning, watching, and reflecting throughout that week on the Rez. In medicine we serve our patients by investing ourselves in their care. We owe our patients an honest commitment to understand their ailments. So too we have to honor the responsibility of sharing in the lives of very real human beings who look to trust us. Though we did not have any patients in a clinical capacity while on the Rez, we could still empathize, a caring skill of openly and intentionally being engaged and attentive. On any single day on the Rez, one witnesses the consequences of history and betrayal, the frustrations of federal bureaucracy, and the disenfranchisements of life on the reservation. However, one would be short-sighted to focus only on these ills. There are rich and vital assets on the Pine Ridge. Family, tradition, spirituality, and community are all strong. In the community one finds grassroots organizations and trusted, passionate individuals forming its pillars. Pride in the past is palpable, and activity is directed to the future. From our brief stay on the Pine Ridge, the most important lesson that impressed us was the need to demonstrate our trustworthiness as physicians. People must know that we are invested: we care about their health, their environment, and their cultural community. We must give respect. We must acknowledge their dignity and integrity. Mitakuye owasin is Lakota for “we are all related.” This reference extends universally. We are one in the family of mankind. Should we, the members of the 2008 Project CURA Pine Ridge group, never return to the Rez, lessons learned there have enriched our medical education. I can say confidently that each member in our group saw the need for sincere personal investment in the SUMMER 2008 31 medical care provided to patients and so given also in context to their community. Remembering this will surely enhance the care we will give any patient. We are grateful for the generosity of everyone who facilitated our experience, particularly to those who let us into their lives. The members of our group and I would welcome spending more time on the Pine Ridge, either by rotation during the remaining years of medical school or in commitment to service thereafter. ■ Wellness Chronicle Acknowledgements, 2007-2008 Faculty advisor: Dr. Michael Kavan Faculty contributors to every issue: Dr. Kavan, Linda Pappas, Marcia Cusic. Patti Marsh and the Office of Student Affairs for help in distribution. Loretta Zuck, Shane Morris, and the Medical Copy Center for their help in publishing. Andy Kummer, editor for two years, author of Snapshots for four years. Brian Nagao, author of It’s Nagao’s World for four years. David Garcia and Maryal Concepcion, roving reporters, responsible for the short M2/M1 interviews. And you, the reader! 32 WELLNESS CHRONICLE SUMMER 2008 Summer Events Calendar If you have managed to make it through this entire issue and still don’t have a clue what you’re going to be doing this summer, here’s just a few more of the great things that Omaha has to offer to those of us choosing to, or required to, stay in town. For the sports enthusiasts, there are many options to choose from: either of the area’s indoor football teams (Omaha Beef and Iowa Blackhawks), NCAA baseball, or WWE wrestling. Also, for those of us who need our musical fix, there is a wide variety of acts coming through town this summer that are sure to satisfy almost any musical taste. April 29 May 2 May 2-3 May 3 May 10 May 13 May 14 May 15-16 May 17 May 18 May 19 May 20-21 May 25 May 30 May 31 June 1 June 4 June 7 June 6-8 June 11 June 13 June 13 June 14 June 14-24 June 27 June 27-29 Sick Puppies Gin Blossoms Rent Omaha Beef vs. Wichita Wild Iowa Blackhawks vs. Springfield Wolfpack Iowa Blackhawks vs. Missouri Minutemen Forever the Sickest Kids Creighton Baseball vs. Nebraska The Police with Elvis Costello Colbie Caillat Creighton Baseball vs. Louisiana-Monroe Omaha Beef vs. Billings Outlaws WWE : Judgment Day Cursive Rilo Kiley Styx Iowa Blackhawks vs. Kansas Koyotes B.B. King Honda Civic Tour The Roots Modest Mouse Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Hatebreed Ferret Young Guns Tour Reba McEntire Omaha Beef vs. Sioux City Bandits Iowa Blackhawks vs. Springfield Wolfpack Cobra Starship 2008 NCAA Men’s College World Series Willie Nelson Omaha Summer Arts Festival Sokol Underground Whiskey Roadhouse Orpheum Theater Omaha Civic Auditorium Mid-America Center Mid-America Center Sokol Underground Rosenblatt Stadium Qwest Center Sokol Auditorium Rosenblatt Stadium Omaha Civic Auditorium Qwest Center The Waiting Room Slowdown Stir Cove Mid-America Center Stir Cove Westfair Amphitheater Stir Cove Westfair Amphitheater Omaha Symphony Mid-America Center Sokol Auditorium Sokol Underground Mid-America Center Omaha Civic Auditorium Mid-America Center Slowdown Rosenblatt Stadium Stir Cove Gene Leahy Mall
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