Funny Costume Ideas for Medical Students

October 28, 2009

It’s almost time for Halloween, and now that I’m in medical school, I won’t settle for normal costume ideas anymore. Instead my brain jumps straight to the most dorky thoughts ever.*  So, here are my top five costume ideas.  I admit that this might not seem hilarious to non-medical students, but hopefully the “nerd-factor” will make anyone smile.

  1. Doctor- If you’re feeling lazy or maybe not that “into” Halloween, this is especially for you.  You have a white coat with an official badge, and maybe you even have a stethoscope and scrubs.  This is the perfect costume just waiting to be, and feel free to spice it up by mixing clothes and make-up with the coat.  For example, “sexy” doctor, doctor clown, zombie doctor, or pirate doct-ARRR!
  2. Gram Negative/ Gram Positive Bacteria- This costume is perfect for a couple.  One person wears something dark purple or blue, and the other person wears red or pink.  Now, see who gets it.  These people will be your real molecular buddies.
  3. Frank Netter- We all have his book, so let’s pay tribute to our favorite artist and author.  Wear a collared shirt and borrow some glasses.  Pack some pencils and brushes into your pockets.  If you own any Netter’s flash cards, use safety pins to attach your favorite pictures to your shirt, such as cross-sections of genitalia or the head.  Brilliant!
  4. Neuron- The human body is the perfect shape to be… a neuron!  Your head will be the cell body.  This costume requires a little preparation, so if you’re feeling crafty this is for you.  You’ll need a bike helmet or a hat, and some pipe cleaners.  Attach the pipe cleaners to your head piece to form dendrites.  Your body will be the axon, so pin little circles of paper with the correct proportion of neurotransmitters onto your shirt.  Don’t forget about the important receptors and G-proteins.   Use any extra pipe-cleaners to twist around your limbs and make dendritic spines.  If you have anything that collects static, such as a wool sweater, then you can shock people too!  You’ll be the “spark” of the party.
  5. Dermatomes- This is for the person who is bold and warm-blooded.  First you’ll need to buy a cheap pair of spandex leggings and a sports bra, or guys could get away with just a speedo.  Then, ask a medical student friend to help you with the drawing.  Using sharpie markers, outline the dermatomes on your body and carefully label them with the proper spinal levels.  It might help if you get down on all fours (like a doggy) while your friend draws on you from head to toe.  Remember that there is a lot of confusion below the waist, so just follow whatever feels best to you.  This costume will get you lots of attention all night long!

*Disclaimer: I will not actually be dressing up as any of these for Halloween.

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Posted by Liz

H1N1 Q and A

October 20, 2009

Everybody is talking about the “Swine Flu” lately.  Since I’m studying Microbiology- Infectious Disease (Micro-ID), this seems to be the perfect time to add my own commentary.  So here goes…

H1N1 or Swine Flu- what are we supposed to call it? Well, I think either is fine as long as you know what you’re talking about.  H1N1 is its proper influenza name, a name which is given based on type of each glycoprotein on the surface of the virus envelope (to visualize glycoproteins, imagine Lego blocks super-glued on the surface of a globe).  N=neuraminidase and H=hemagglutamin (only 3 types of Hs and 2 types of Ns exist in humans, but other animals like birds have more).  The problem with H1N1 is that it can easily be confused with previous H1N1 influenzas (like the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and its resurgence in 1970′s).  The virus genome encodes 12 proteins (only two are H and N), and this H1N1 is different.  It was born from a human virus, a bird virus, and two pig viruses (hence the “swine”).

Will H1N1 be the next pandemic? No, definitely not.  First of all, most people over 25 have some immunity, and everyone’s immunity will soon be expanded by the vaccine.  The other “good news” is that H1N1 is susceptible to antiviral medications that already exist, so if you’re American with a normal immune system, chances are that it won’t get a chance to kill you.  Although a $45-65 antiviral treatment is too expensive for most people and countries, if you can read my blog- then you have access to antivirals.

What’s with all the hype? My idea is that the world is trying to get ready for the next big influenza pandemic, which no doubt will happen in the next 50 years.  New virulent strains are rare, but with all the invisible viral recombinations that take place inside cells daily, probably a new type will form with Hs and Ns that humans have never seen before.  Then, there would be a real pandemic scare!   Public health awareness about the dangers of influenza and importance of prevention could stop future pandemics.  Plus, hand-washing is easy with alcohol-based rub (which obliterates the influenza envelope).  So, let’s take hand-washing to a whole new level!  If the media wants to make everybody believe that H1N1 could be pandemic, so people will be more concerned about hygiene… well, it may very well save millions of lives later, so who am I to argue with that?

How long can H1N1 survive on surfaces? 2-3 hours

Will the H1N1 vaccine be safe?  This is a common concern because of how fast the vaccine has been manufactured and mass-produced.  But actually, the H1N1 vaccine is just like the regular flu shot.  So, yes, it’s safe (unless you have an allergy to eggs or another protein in the vaccine, which most people don’t).  And it is certainly safer to get the vaccine than not.

Should you halt all your trips to Mexico? No.

What kills you when you die of the flu? Excellent question!  I was wondering myself- oh wait, that’s obvious since I am writing all these questions!  Turns out influenza doesn’t kill you.  It depletes the immune system, so bacteria invade.  Then, usually people die of pneumonia, respiratory failure, or other opportunistic infections.

Any other questions?  Add them below and I’ll do my best to answer.

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Posted by Liz

Health Care Reform Letter

October 19, 2009

I know this is a little disconnected from my recent posts, but like every person who cares about health care, I have been thinking, reading and talking about President Obama’s reform agenda and the current bills in congress.  As part of my school’s chapter of AMSA (American Medical Student Association), I’ve been working with a few students on a letter for everyone to sign and to mail to Senator Kerry and copy to other MA representatives on behalf of our school’s community.  I think we finally got something solid!  I’ll let you know how it goes- gathering hundreds of signatures while studying for Microbiology.

Dear Senator Kerry,

We are at a critical point in the future of health care in the United States. As future doctors and university members, we cannot be silent amidst the current debate in Washington.

We are entering a health system that is frustrating for both providers and patients, riddled with barriers that will inhibit our ability to effectively improve our patients’ health. We are disappointed to inherit a health system that is characterized by escalating costs, lack of universal coverage, and inefficient use of resources.

Despite our frustrations, we believe that together we can take steps toward a health system that serves everyone equally regardless of income or preexisting medical conditions. In the pursuit of this goal, and in honor of the doctor-patient relationship, we the undersigned urge members of congress to place the health of people above all else, and support legislation that would:

1.  Control costs by researching effective community models of care, and implementing these models.

2.  Establish a public insurance option widely available to individuals and employers.

3.  Require all insurance companies to provide coverage that meets a minimum standard, meeting Americans’ financial and medical needs.

4.  Require insurers to provide comprehensive and transparent coverage, and prevent dangerous business tactics that place profits far above health.

5.  Allow choice between private and public insurance options based on unbiased evidence.

6.  Make better use of the existing infrastructure of Medicare.

7.  Invest in the expansion of primary care, preventative services, chronic care management, and public health infrastructure.

8.  Make substantive changes in the way physician error and liability are addressed.

9.  Decrease health care disparities based on region, race, gender, sexual identity, class, and disability.

10.  Support the enrollment of medical students who are from low income communities and communities of color, and provide tuition subsidies and loan repayment programs to those pursuing careers as health providers in underserved communities and primary care.

We have high hopes that we can achieve a greatly improved health care system in our lifetime and are committed to supporting and creating necessary positive changes to allow everyone quality, affordable health care.

Sincerely,

American Medical Students’ Association and fellow students, faculty, and staff

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Posted by Liz

Doctors’ Diaries

October 10, 2009

Since my final exams ended last Friday, I have been taking a break before I hit the books hard again.  Ben and I spent a beautiful, care-free weekend visiting my grandparents while attending a friend’s wedding in North Carolina.  Monday I started my next chapter- Microbiology a.k.a. “Micro” (there is always an acronym and abbreviation for everything in medicine).  My schedule is 100% Micro now, and my days start an hour earlier.  So, this week I got up every morning at 6:15am in winter’s coming darkness, and attended 22 hours of lectures covering bacterial species, infections, and antibiotics.

Despite all this new material, the most intriguing information this week came in a Netflix envelope.  It was a Nova video that Ben and I received a while ago entitled “Doctors’ Diaries.”   This 2-part series followed seven Harvard medical students for 17 years as they completed their training and pursued their careers in medicine.  My parents recommended the video to me a year ago, and I finally watched it.

I was surprised to find the video rather depressing.  Sure, there were some wonderful moments as I watched these students from the 80′s describe their similar experiences in medical school.  They all went on to love their careers as doctors.  Yet, overall their personal lives were kind of messy.  Only 2 doctors were married at the end, and both of those people had spouses who took a huge role helping with their kids and home.

I’d like to think that these seven doctors were not average.  They were Harvard students who may have been chosen by the network for their high achievement or dramatic personalities.  However, I know that in fact they DO represent the people in my profession more so than I want to accept.  I am fortunate to know inspiring doctors who have great family lives, but I realize that this feat is not easy.

Ben and I had a lot of discussion surrounding the movie.  Apparently he had not grasped how little time I will have between getting my residency match and starting a program, or how inflexible my call schedule might be.  One spouse in the movie talked about spending many nights alone because her doctor husband was always in the hospital.  Sometimes I myself sigh when I think of the holidays, travels, and moments that I could miss because of what I have chosen to do.

Simply stated: medicine is service job.  I knew this from the beginning.  In our country doctors are generally admired, well-paid, and have special privileges such as writing prescriptions and performing intimate procedures with the body.  People like me who go into medicine generally enjoy the challenge of this huge responsibility, service, and specialized knowledge.  What is different about this service is that it requires one to be a complete, professional servant.  By this, I mean being extremely selfless– not talking or thinking about oneself while present with a patient, and being willing to make sacrifices during that sacred time.

To get a sense of what this is like, just practice a short conversation with somebody where you listen and don’t mention anything about yourself or your experiences.  Think deeply about what they say, and ask open questions without giving your opinion.  In this way, you are there for that person and giving yourself to them.  This is a difficult exercise, but one that reminds me of a Quaker practice called “Clearness” (it is used to help somebody with a difficult life question or issue).

As one doctor stated in the series, it is an extreme honor to get close to patients and help them.  However, when you love your patients, it becomes especially difficult during moments of great importance to decide whether to be with them, or be with your own family.  After watching “Doctors’ Diaries” I know I will have to make difficult decisions and many mistakes before I learn how to handle all this.  I hope my marriage will survive the stresses of my errors, and that my family and patients will forgive me.  I still want to be a good doctor, wife, mother, friend, daughter- is that too much to desire?  I hope not.

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Posted by Liz