hectic weekend

This weekend was the production of the Vagina Monologues on the med campus (undergrad production forthcoming). It was a fun show, and it came together seamlessly. Amazingly, Friday night's show was the first complete run-through with full microphones and stage pieces.... needless to say, grad students are INCREDIBLE at winging it. Somehow it all came together at the last minute and everyone was completely on cue and perfect in their delivery. A++ impressed.

We raked in a bunch of money for our beneficiaries, the BMC Domestic Violence Project and Casa Myrna Vazquez, and had a lot of fun to boot. Lots of people exiting the show were so amazed to see normally dry, rather boring medical and SPH students transformed into hot, sexy, saucy actresses :) Hey, we're not just academics.

More good news this week: I've been placed at the STD clinic for ProjectTrust volunteering, along with two other volunteers in my class. The STD clinic was my first choice because of the high traffic through the clinic and the availability of comprehensive testing. I can't wait to get started doing testing and counseling. For some reason this cause has really galvanized me, probably because I feel risk reduction/screening/preventative medicine is so important and yet so glaringly absent in most of my medical experience so far.

Final piece news: I'm officially going home for spring break for a few days before flying to Anaheim for the AMSA 60th Annual National Conference. Yes, Anaheim, as in DISNEYLAND! Not sure what I'm more excited for: finally visiting Disneyland, or being around a massive group of medical students from all over the country (and Canada) for four days. I know there will be students who are more active and involved than I am, and I'm looking forward to getting fired up by their enthusiasm for activism. (That makes me sound like such a do-gooder, but mostly I am pumped to hang around cool people who will no doubt knock me over the head with awe for their achievements.) Plus, California is a BIG, BIG bonus during dreary March weather.

Speaking of dreary winter weather, we're expecting 8+ inches of snow tomorrow afternoon, which is just icing on top of a long Wednesday I'm sure... Expect me to come home immediately after class and refuse to leave the house for 48 hours.

the art of breaking bad news

As of Sunday I've been a Massachusetts Dept of Public Health certified HIV counselor and tester, which was pretty gratifying after nearly 2.5 full days of training. It was a long process, but mostly fun (talking about sex in an academic setting is always awesome, right?). Over the next few weeks we're going to do some shadowing on the wards with current counselors/testers and then we'll be cleared to do the counseling and testing by ourselves.

We did some role-playing at the end of the day yesterday, and I was to deliver a positive HIV test result to my "client," who was being acted out by a girl in my class. It was definitely one of the hardest things I've ever had to say to anyone, and it wasn't even a real situation....

It could have gone a lot worse (this girl in my class didn't ham it up and go over the top with grief; actually, if anything, she was pretty muted in her response), but it was still a terrible scenario that I hope I'll never encounter in real life. Apparently one of the 2nd year counselors has gotten FOUR HIV-reactive test results since he started volunteering last year. I can't even imagine that.

It's experiences like this that make me think that medicine is more about knowing how to talk to people and deliver bad news than finding a cure. That's more along the philosophy of the "Healer's Art" class that I'm taking as an elective for this semester. I'm a little skeptical of the class, but more on that in the next post since I really need to go practice for VagMo, unless I want to look like a complete fool on stage tomorrow.

things i learned today

1) My backpack has a built-in whistle...

This was pointed out to me by a friend on the bus who complimented me on my new backpack (my old backpack's straps had been frayed to pieces--hello, medical school!). She's been looking at the same exact backpack since her backpack straps are fraying too. (My only conclusion is that all first-year medical school costs should factor in a new backpack purchase.)

Anyway, she said when she went to the North Face store, the salesperson's main selling point was the built-in WHISTLE on the clip of the sternum strap (the transverse one that goes across your chest).

And lo and behold I found it on my backpack, and I proceeded to whistle with it quite happily on a bus of crowded people. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it's Boston and it's the shuttle (nowhere could you find more apathetic, stoned out people), so no one really quite noticed or gave a hoot, but I was super excited with my new find!

So if you're also looking for a backpack with a whistle, but don't want to pay ridiculous North Face prices, buy from here. I have to say that I was really hesitant to buy a North Face backpack (because c'mon EVERYONE has a North Face backpack and it's nice to try for some originality sometimes), but I am super happy with my purchase, and it's an added bonus that it's on sale and there's no shipping cost or sales tax from SunnySports.


2) If a person you are testing for HIV expresses past or current feelings of suicide or homicide, do NOT continue administering the HIV test.
This was kind of creepy to learn today at my rapid HIV testing training (day one) through ProjectTRUST. Although, it does make a lot of sense not to give really bad news to someone who is suicidal or homicidal.


3) I'm going to have no weekend this weekend.
Between two HIV testing training days and VagMo shenanigans/rehearsals this weekend, I'll be busy from 9AM-7PM both days. And I'm wayyyyyy behind in physio.

This blows. (But not as hard as my whistle can!)