The Hall Way

Wow, Life Sure is Short!

2009-04-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I last wrote on this this blog. The 5 months since I last wrote on here have gone by like smoke in the wind. It blows me away with how short life really is. If I were to write about everything that has gone since the last time I wrote, it would take days and lots of web space to tell everything that has gone on. To sum it up, over the last 5 months, I have had different rotations that have involved everything from 4 hour days to 12 hour days, I went on a trip to Albania for 2 weeks for Christmas, flew all over the country to find a residency and went through 3 weeks of hell to get my hands on a decent house.
One long run on sentence does not do it justice, but for this moment it will have to do. As of this moment, I am getting done with my second to last rotation which has been a great month of forensic pathology and doing autopsies. Now, with 1 more to go till graduation, all I have to do is finish 3 or so weeks of Infectious Disease at the VA hospital, then "Dr. Hall" it will be. Most people can only begin to understand my relief at knowing that school is finally done and now I actually get paid to work, despite how meager the salary is. It is my goal to keep a better record here and to take time to write more times a week. Anyways to start, here is small collection of pictures from new house in Vegas, Enjoy and more later!

Vegas here we come!!!!

2009-03-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well, as many of you know soon Chad will be graduating from Medical School and we will be moving to Las Vegas. This is a bitter sweet news for us. We have grown to love Blacksburg and above all we are going to miss the friends we made here. However we are very excited for the future. I can not say the same about Chad though... I think he is starting to realize that his career as a "professional student" is over. The real world is waiting for him. Jokes a side i think he is looking forward to the new experiences, trust me he has so many already.

I know we have been slackers about writing but life has become very hectic.

An Interesting read.

2008-11-01T07:55:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since I last posted. But not with only four days to the general election and the imminent Coronation of the "Chosen" one coming, I thought I would post something I found interesting and to continue to show really how out of touch Obama is with real life.

Reality Check: The Cost Of Obama's Pledges
CBS Evening News: If Victorious, Barack Obama May Find Fewer Resources Than He Needs For His Campaign Promises

(CBS) This story was written by CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews.

Without question, the Barack Obama infomercial served as a very slick and powerful recitation of the biggest promises he's made as a presidential candidate. But the very bigness of his ideas is the problem: he seems blind to the concept his numbers don't add up.

Obama has already proposed a new stimulus package of $188 billion over two years. His tax cuts will cost $85 billion a year. His "army of new teachers": $18 billion; Renewable energy: $15 billion. CBS News and various independent experts estimate Obama's total first year spending could exceed $280 billion.

Still Obama repeated his claim he can find the money to pay for every proposal.

"I've offered spending cuts above and beyond their cost," he has said.

The fact is the savings Obama has identified do not cover his spending. According to a CBS News estimate, he's around $90 billion short. The Obama campaign disputes this, saying everything including the stimulus is paid for over 10 years. But other analysts say - even presuming Obama saves money in Iraq and chops the federal budget as promised - he falls short.

Let's break all of this down, starting with his highly suspect, and widely discredited, claim that he can find federal "spending cuts beyond the costs" of his promises. Very few independent economists believe he has identified the savings needed to offset his remarkable list of tax credits, tax cuts and spending pledges.

Fact: Even if you believe Obama intends to fix health care, most independent analysts say the cost is massive - $1.2 trillion over ten years, according to the highly respected Lewin Group. When the new Congress wakes up next year to a $1 trillion deficit, and answers the overwhelming new demands for another stimulus package, will the leadership really bite on a health care reform package that digs the deficit hole so much deeper?

And that's just the beginning of what Obama would spend.

Fact: The tax cuts he promises, which are mostly refundable tax credits (code for cash back), will cost $60 billion just in year one, according the National Taxpayers Union, though the Obama campaign's own estimates in July put that figure at $130 billion.

Fact: His new promise to give businesses a $3,000 tax credit for each new job created will cost $40 billion. But economists say this credit is far more likely to benefit companies already planning to expand and will likely not be enough to help companies create new jobs or forestall layoffs.

Fact: Obama's claim he will lower health care premiums by $2,500 is: 1.) guesswork, which is 2.) based on health care savings that might, in a perfect world, happen over 10 years - a fact Obama neatly glosses over.

Fact: Obama, when referring to savings he can make by leaving Iraq ($90 billion, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates), has spent these savings several times over, across several different promises depending on the crowd he's addressing.

Most of the time he spends the Iraq savings in the context of the roads he wants to build; sometimes it's for the teachers he wants to hire. Tonight, he riffed rhetorically on the savings, asking how many scholarships could be funded, or how many schools could be built. In the end though, presuming he really saves $90 billion, he can only spend it once.

Remember he also mentioned rebuilding the military ($7 billion/yr); his education initiative ($18 billion/yr); and his energy initiative ($15 billion/yr). He did not mention the $188 billion that he would spend on the brand new stimulus package he has proposed.

If he closes every loophole as promised, saves every dime from Iraq, raises taxes on the rich and trims the federal budget as he's promised to do "line by line," he still doesn't pay for his list. If he's elected, the first fact hitting his desk will be the figure projecting how much less of a budget he has to work with - thanks to the recession. He gave us a very compelling vision with his ad buy tonight. What he did not give us was any hint of the cold reality he's facing or a sense of how he might prioritize his promises if voters trust him with the White House.

By Wyatt Andrews
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Obama's First 10 Executive Orders

2008-09-27T08:14:00.001-07:00

After watching the debates last night and seeing years of experience dominate over youth and inexperience, I thought this was an interesting read. The scary thing is with how things are going in the economy and the mindset of the American People are right now, this will probably happen. I hope it does not, but it most likely will.

Obama’s First 10 Executive Orders?

Quotes from BarrackObama.com

• Obama enacts stronger “federal hate crimes legislation” to “reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.”

• Obama creates “a fund to help people refinance their mortgages and provide comprehensive supports to innocent homeowners.”

• Obama, following through on his pledge to “meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe,” signs a non-agression pact with the Hitler of Iran.

• Obama doubles foreign aid to $50 billion to cut “poverty around the world in half by 2015.”

• Obama removes our troops from Iraq, leaving a power vacuum filled by Iran.

• Obama enacts socialized medicine, destroying small businesses with taxes to pay for illegal alien healthcare.

• Obama enacts amnesty for illegal aliens.

• Obama enacts legislation demanding carbon friendly cars, hammering the final nail in the coffin of the US car industry.

• Barack Obama enact laws to reinforce affirmative action by funneling money to “women and minority-owned businesses.”

• Obama repeals the Bush tax cuts.

• Obama enacts the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to entrench the power of the homosexual lobby.

Medical School Interviews

2008-09-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Chadder has been getting Medical School Interviews in the last two days. Within 12 hours of him applying he got two interviews one in South Carolina and one in Corvalis Oregon. Today he got two more one in Roanoke Virginia and Long Beach California. We are excited to see how many more he will get. I have already started freaking out about all these changes coming our way, but hopefully everything will work out.

Short PA Trip

2008-09-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Chad, Laura (Chad's friend and classmate) and I went to Philadelphia, because Chad had to take his last exam before he gets his diploma in May. It was a lot of driving but we had so much fun. I drove for part of the way and Chad drove the rest. Needless to say I'm a better driver than Chad will ever be. We had to dodge a cop that clocked Chad going 85mph on a 65mph. He was in the median of I-81, and he tried to follow us but because we had so many trucks behind us he could not merge in the freeway. So we took the next exit, pulled over in a pancake restaurant parking lot and waited for a couple of minutes. I was laughing so hard that I almost peed my pants. We did not see anyone so we hopped back in the freeway, this time going 65mph. While in Philly we went to the Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Hall, Benjamin Franklin's grave and Betsy Ross's Home. We had a Philly Cheese Steak and Italian Ice Cream. We parked at the Visitors Center downtown and as we entered the building a mentally challenged person hit Chad with his shoe on his head. His Raybands broke and he was in a lot of pain but when he saw that there was nothing he could do about it, he calmed down. It was so funny though because the shoe was aimed at me and I ducked down and Chad got it right on the face. This was a rough start to a good day, even though by the end of our trip all i could hear was Chad and Laura talk about their test.
Oh well, I enjoyed Philly and I would like to go there again so I can see more.

A True American?

2008-08-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well friends the wait is over. I can finally say that I'm a true American now. I have the Citizenship Certificate that proves it. It was a long day fully of surprises and great anxiety. There were about 28 people there from all over the world and the process lasted about 3 hours. The judge presiding during the ceremony was a lot of fun. He gave a chance to everyone that wanted to to stand up and say something. In the beginning I was hesitant but i thought why not. So i did. I stood up there and spoke about the love I have for Chad and for the opportunity that i have to live in this beautiful country. I told everyone that I am blessed the be a here and i would not have it any other way. This day i must say was bitter sweet. I wish my father was alive to see this. He is the one that encouraged me to come here and pursue my dreams. He is the one that inspired me to be a better person and above all he is the one that sacrificed everything for me to be here. I love him and i miss him dearly.
I can not close this small paragraph without thanking Bruce and Julie for their help and for always being there for Chad and I during this process.

Only 3 days to go

2008-08-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

There are only 3 days and 3 hours left to the end of my long journey of becoming a US Citizen. Friday August 8th, 2008 I will be taking the oath, the final step of a 6 year long process. I'm so excited. My dream is finally becoming a reality. Thanks to Chad, I get to have a blue passport that would finally give me the opportunity to travel and enjoy the freedoms of being an American.
I guess all the things that I had set to achieve in life have almost become a reality. I have a couple of goals to reach but those have been put on hold until Chad finishes Med School. Anyhow, I have chosen the perfect outfit for the day. Blue shirt, white skirt and red sandals(pictures to come i promise). I guess i had to choose something that is fit for the occasion.

Low Mentality of the Week Award

2008-08-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start a new weekly award to people in society who just do not get it. People who have nothing in mind bu there own agendas. So the winners the low mentality of the week award are:

Nancy Pelosi for her one tracked radical enviromntalist agenda and for blocking a vote on drilling on the outer continental shelf and ANWR. It seems this woman is a "proud" leader of one the biggest lame duck Congresses in modern history.

Barrack Hussein Obama for his continued arrogance, empty promises and flip-flops made on a daily basis and for introducing the tension filled subject of race to the general election process.

Anyone else still wanna be a doctor?

2008-08-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting article I just read. Sound like a good time to be a doctor?

Doctors getting raw deal

August 3, 2008

By William Gruss

As an internist/cardiologist in private practice for over 20 years in Palm Beach County, I will offer my perspective on the malpractice issue and how it is part of a much bigger problem.

When my malpractice policy became mature after practicing for five years, the yearly premiums for a $250,000 policy capped out at about $6,000 to $7,000 in the early to mid 1990's. As time marched on, the legal medical malpractice industry blossomed. Everywhere you turned, there were TV and radio commercials to sue for medical malpractice.

A listener would hear the same line, "If we do not collect any money for you, you do not have to pay!"

One summer while driving to a family vacation in North Carolina, I saw billboard after billboard from local, state, and possibly national law firms advertising for clients who probably had not thought of suing but, with no risk involved, would now strongly consider the possibility.

Every stop at a gas station or convenience store, I would look at the telephone book. On the back cover of every phone book was a full page ad from a medical malpractice firm.

I thought to myself, what is this country coming to? The media seemed to be repeatedly emphasizing the most egregious medical malpractice cases as though the entire medical profession was incompetent. Little by little, the malpractice premiums continued to escalate, so that by the year 2005, the yearly premium for an internist, with a clean record, for the minimum $250,000 policy, climbed to greater than $40,000.

The year before, 2004, I had paid greater than $23,000 for this same policy. I will give you one guess as to whether I renewed my malpractice insurance.

I am a front-line doctor, in the trenches, seeing patients in my office, in the emergency room, and in the hospital. I get calls all hours of the night and weekends. I have to work longer and longer hours to make ends meet as expenses continue to rise and reimbursements from insurance companies continue to decrease.

Health insurance premiums for group and individual insurance continues to inflate, but do you think that reimbursements are going up to the doctors? I urge all patients to look at their Explanation Of Benefits from their insurance company and see what the doctor charges and what is actually paid to the physician.

Doctors have not received any true cost of living increases in reimbursements from Medicare since the early 1990's. Each year we have endured cut after cut and this past July 1, if not by an act of Congress, we would have been cut another 10.6 percent.

The planned cuts were reversed by Congress, vetoed by President Bush (meaning he wanted the cuts), then Congress overrode his veto. But did Congress give us a cost of living raise? How interesting that certain politicians wanted the cuts to the doctors — who actually see the patients, so that the Medicare Advantage Plans (Medicare HMO's) would not have reductions in the monies they receive from the U.S. government to administer their plans.

How many doctors are telling their children to go into medicine? How many doctors are taking courses to administer Botox, eliminate varicose veins, or perform other cosmetic services not covered by insurance? How many tests are being ordered as part of defensive medicine because of fear of a malpractice suit? How come the number of uninsured or poorly insured persons are increasing at an alarming rate? Does the public realize that the doctors or the companies that might employ the physicians who see the uninsured patient in the emergency room will most likely not get reimbursed?

A malpractice attorney can refuse to take a case because the doctor does not carry insurance. An emergency doctor cannot refuse to see a patient because of inability to pay. Many times the uninsured patient has symptoms or risk factors that warrant at least an overnight stay for observation in the hospital. That means calling in the on-call physician on rotation.

I will bet you that none of the physicians will get paid.

There are so many complex issues here. I am predicting a shortage of "Front-Line" physicians. My advice to readers: STAY HEALTHY!

William S. Gruss, M.D., is a doctor in Boca Raton.

So..anyone still want in the medical bandwagon?

My First Week Back....UVRMC

2008-07-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

You do not have to say it. I am bad at keeping up a blog, I admit to it! My skills and discipline to get on and type is weak like my urges to clean or do work at times. You just want to kick back and take it easy you know! But to get back on topic I am here in Utah getting ready to spend the month of August at a hospital that I worked at for 3 years as lab assistant. I thought that coming back and working with people who I know and being in an environment that I am comfortable in would be a good way to start the year off. It has been nice to have some time off though. On Monday I start at UVRMC in the clinic for two weeks. This will be a good place to brush up on patient communication skills and to maybe see some new cases that I have not seen before. I have to take the last part part of Boards in September. This is not a written test, but a hands one to test our skills as acting like doctors. This should go all right as long as I do not let nervousness get the best of me. I also will spend 2 weeks in the hospital doing an internal medicine like work on the med-surg floors following patients and coming up with treatment plans for them. Sounds like fun? Well anyway, back to my Nap. Have work next week so I will relax now. Later

Chadder on a new rotation

2008-07-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Me writing the blog. Of course Chad has to take a picture of me looking like this.

Well it has been a very hectic a couple a weeks. After getting back from Irena's wedding i have been working over 12 hours every day including weekends. I have even moved my trusted iMAC on the dinning room set to get work done. Needless to say I do not have a life, but it was well worth it given that in September i will be getting a promotion. My boss, Dr. Ahmed, got a new job and wants me to follow him in his new position. Yeay....
Anyhow tonight I'm packing up Chad. "Yes I'm doing it for him" given that Chad does not understand the fact that if something is wrinkled it looks dirty. He would rather just throw stuff in his suitcase then fold it. He is going to Utah for 5 weeks to do a rotation at Utah Valley Hospital. He flies out tomorrow. I'm sure he is going to love it. Jordan, Julie and aunt Kay work there, so all of them probably will go to lunch together and catch up on things, but above all hopefully, they will tease Chad for acting like a "true doctor". Yeah right!!! I do not think he will be the serious type anyway.
I cant believe how fast time has flown by. Chad starts his 4th year of medical school and by February 2009, we will know where he will do his residency. Exciting times ahead.
I better go. It is midnight..... I need to pack myself. I'm heading to Utah too for Chad's High School Reunion this Saturday. Will see how that goes.

Just a Quick Post before Bed

2008-07-16T21:15:00.001-07:00

This a little Slide Show I put together for my High School Reunion Page. It is more or less a summary of my life in 30 seconds or less. Anyway Enjoy!

Oh the Joy of being lazy

2008-07-15T20:55:00.001-07:00

It has now been a week since I last took my board test and now I feel like the laziest bum. As a medical student with very little social time over the last 3 years, I am always used to have a book in my face or memorizing some weird disease and it's treatment. Now, at least for for a few more weeks, I can sleep in, go to the gym and swim all I want. I am by no means complaining, but it just seems like a lifestyle that is to good to be true....for now. Within 3 weeks, I will be back to 12 hour days as well as daily belittlement from senior attendings and certain blowhard residents.

At times I even envy Alba. She works 8-10 hours a day, comes home tired and worn out, but happy and satisfied with work that she has accomplished that day. I try my best to be productive with filling out residency and internship papers, but you can only do that for so long. I have to say I really admire and appreciate Alba for the hard work and the sacrifice she has given to me for the stress of the last 3 years and for patience and love she constantly shows me. I hope she knows, or at least she will once she reads this entry :) Anyway, I guess you enjoy it while you got it ehh?

The video of the night dedicated to her hard work and our marriage. Enjoy

At Last Some Joy....NO more written Exams for 2 years!

2008-07-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

As of 48 hrs ago, I can that I am now at one of happiest moments of my last 7 years. I can happily and confidently say that my days of written exams are over until the summer of 2010. I just finished taking Step 2 of my medical licensing boards. I still have to take a a practical hands on portion in September, but that should be no sweat hopefully (knock on wood!). To those who do not know what the boards are, every doctor who wishes to be licensed in the United States must take three 8 hour written exams and then an all day hands on practical exam just to get a basic medical license. Beyond this are extra boards in whatever you specialize in that are just as bad. So the bottom line is, if you want to be a physician, learn to like to tests. I hate tests, but they are a necessary evil of me attaining my dream.

The last month has been great, my brother married my wife's beautiful sister, I have had fun working out in the gym and in the books, me and Alba are great and the best part--> I will be in Utah for 5 weeks to do a family medicine rotation in Provo and I will be able to see all kinds of old and new friends at the 10 year SFHS Reunion!! Speaking of time, 10 years is a lot, but I feel like I have aged more in the last 7 years than 10. Here some pictures to prove it and one for old good times. Until later!

Me and Alba 6 Years Ago, 2 1/2 years through UVSC.

What 4 years of undergraduate and 3 years of medical school do for ya!

For Fun...Go SFHS '98!

Irena and Jordan's Wedding

2008-07-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

June 28th will be a special day in our family. Jordan and Irena got married in the Salt Lake Temple. The day started early and we all( Irena, Marina and I) went to Heather's house to have Hollie do our makeup. As in true fashion of a good hostess the most delicious cinnamon rolls were waiting for us at the door. I dream about those rolls. The makeup turned out great. I have been officially converted to airbrush makeup.
The ceremony was short and sweet. It was very emotional and the spirit was so strong that i could sense my father's presence in the room. I'm sure he is looking down at us and he is very happy to see his little girl get married. My thoughts went back to many conversations that Dad would have with Irena on the phone about Jordan. He would always ask her about Jordan and if there was any hope that they would get together. All I could think about was how could two sisters marry two brothers anyway. Did we get lucky or what?????? Well needless to say this day did not go without a glitch. During the ceremony i noticed Chad's tie. It was tied so long that while sitting it was all the way to his knees. I about had a heart attack. OCD me, notices all the stains in people shirts and everything that could be wrong with people's clothes. My blood pressure went up the roof and a heart attack was eminent when i noticed that Chad's socks were inside out. Who does this anyway???? I guess my husband. Then after the wedding was over Bruce and I got in the car to go to the reception, and Bruce hit a parking cement division putting a dent in Jordan's car. Oh well, at least it wasn't me. Unfortunately we are not much in the way of picture takers, but ones we did take are displayed below. Heather is the real photographer in the family and some of the ones she did may be seen by clicking here:
http://vt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2256861&l=698ff&id=6233235
Anyhow the reception was great and everything was wonderful. Irena and Jordan are currently in Hawaii enjoying the sun. Congrats to them.

Why Barack Obama should not be President.

2008-06-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

I can't stand politics these days, it just seems like the GOP is going to hell in a hand basket and the Do Nothing Democrat Congress and Party want to make tougher for all of the people in the United States. I am in a crabby mood right now with end of year testing and I wish to vent on a few issue I find personal. Anyways a welcome back to me the busy fourth year med student! One year and this madness is over! Anyways why Barry Hussein should not be the Commander in Chief.

ALERT: It's official -- Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. will be the Democrat nominee for President of the United States.

And if he becomes president, all hope for securing our borders against illegal immigration will be lost.

We MUST spread the TRUTH about Obama's plans!

* In a March 2004 questionnaire, Obama was asked if the government should "crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants." His reply? "OPPOSE."

* In June 2007, Obama voted AGAINST English as America's Official Language -- when 91% of American Citizens want English officially designated as our language.

* In January of this year, in order to win Hispanic voters in California, Obama proclaimed his SUPPORT for granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens.

* This year, Obama voted AGAINST increased funding for border security, 700 miles of fencing, and placing 6,000 National Guardsmen on the border.

* Also this year, Obama voted FOR the "DREAM" Act, which would allow illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition rates at public universities, discriminating against U.S. citizens from out of state and law-abiding foreign students.

* In September of 2007, when asked if he would allow "sanctuary cities" to exist, which ignore the federal law & provide sanctuary to illegal aliens, he REFUSED to answer the question.

* In March of this year, Obama voted YES on continuing federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities."

* In May of 2006, Obama voted YES to establish a "guest worker" program with a path to citizenship for ILLEGAL ALIENS.

* Again in May of 2006, Obama voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.

* And, of course, Barack Obama voted YES on the McCain-Kennedy so-called "comprehensive immigration reform" AMNESTY bill.

This probably sums it up nicely: Obama was rated at just Eight Percent by the non-profit "U.S. Border Control" organization. Eight percent equals having an open-border stance.
* Barack Obama belongs to a hateful racist church and his campaign is riding on the saddle of hate for America and a love of Socialism.

Is this what America wants in a nominee?

Video of the night.

2008-05-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

When I was Washington, I went to Arlington National Cemetery. On the Robert F Kennedy memorial wall were portions of various speeches he gave before he died. One of the quotes I found to be quite powerful and inspiring. It was given in Indianapolis from the back of a truck after the shooting of Martin Luther King. It appears below. Enjoy!

A long time since I was one here...

2008-05-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a long time since I have last put a post on here, three weeks if I am counting right. This month has been alot longer and busier than I thought it would be. Family medicine is truly a tough branch of medicine to be in, but I have to admit it, I love it. I really never thought I was much of a patient-doctor person, but I can now feel like I am. I have got to do many things this month from cutting off moles, burning off warts all the way to sticking needles in people elbows and knees and injecting steroids. I love it and I can easily see my self doing either this or being your being your neighborhood internal medicine doc. Anyways me and Alba have been very busy as well. We went to DC for a wedding over the weekend, we helped setup the main area for the ceremony and in general coordinated everything. We also went into the city and walked around for 4 hours and went to various national landmarks. We will be going again to DC on Monday as after June 2, Alba is an official American Citizen! Anyways here are some our pics from the weekend. Enjoy, more to come later!

Blast from the Past

2008-05-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

My 10 year highschool reunion is coming up and I hope I can attend. This is great video of a song that was very commonly played at the dances. I even could do the dance once! Got love this!

Family Medicine and Drug Reps

2008-05-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have recently started my last rotation of the year (yeah!), one month and I am a year away from having the term "Dr" before my name. I am totally stoked about it! Anyways family medicine so far has been fun, I have seen quite a few different cases and scenarios and find myself quite comfortable when I see my patients in the clinic. If things stay good with reimbursements from insurance and Medicare/Medicaid stay ok, I could see myself doing this. There is a projected shortage of 100,000 docs by the year 2020, so I am not afraid of not having work. Family Med is a bit slower paced, does not have crazy hours and you get to meet some great people. My doctor whom I am working for this month is great, the office staff is friendly and I am getting to do almost anything I feel comfortable with. Another one of my favorite things..the drug reps. You can get all kinds of free and cool stuff from them. So far I have scored lunch at the Olive Garden,Applebees and Jimmy Johns, got a Viagra Clock, and lots of neat pens and several little pocket reference guides for the future when I am working or am on rounds in the hospital. Not to mention they give out drug samples to give to patients to try out new therapies with which is great for people who do not have alot of money sitting around to get medicine. Pretty good deal I say. To all you drug reps, keep up the good work. This means you Mike! Anyways, I am off to bed, but I will share more later

Video Dedication

2008-04-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

One last thing before I pass out for the night, a great video by the Cranberries which I would like to dedicate to my Nunu Alba. This song reminds me alot of the great love and friendship we share together. Love you Bunny! ;)

End of the Month

2008-04-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well, well, it has been a while since I last wrote in here. The last 2 weeks have been crazy with the insane amount of work we have had to take care of and and the amount of preparation I had to put in to pass the test at the end of the clerkship. The test itself was a beast, it was 25 pages of questions and I had only 2 hours to take it. Most of it I knew, but of course some evil doctor out there has to write a question that is bound to royally piss you off. It went well overall and I am pretty sure I passed it. As for the month, it was very good and enjoyable one. I got along well with the doc I worked for and I learned to love all the patients we had. I do not believe peds exclusively is for me as a career, but some of the other jobs such as Family Medicine which I have renewed interest in would go well since I now enjoy both kids and adults as patients.

As far as things outside of the corundum of school and work, Alba has been very busy with her job, she has been helping the professor she works for prepare for BioMed Education Conference. Even though she may not think all time, I am very proud of her for the hard work she puts forth for her job and the great marriage we enjoy. I love her with all my heart and do not where in life I would be without her. Jordan and Irena got a great new kitten for their future family. I have made Alba swear she will let me get one after graduation, I love cats, but we can't have them in place we live without paying a big pet fee. As for what is next with me, I start my last rotation in the morning which is family med. It should be a little lighter month and I will not have the threat of a hard test holding me back. It more or less is continuation of last month except we get all ages of patients. My first rotation of my 4th year is also FM, but this time it is in Provo Utah at UVRMC, my old hospital where I worked for 3 years as lab tech assistant. It will be good to be back in the old place and to see old fiends and members of my family. Anyways I shall be off to bed, but to show how happy I am that the peds test is over with, I will include an old movie of myself from wedding last summer making a fool out of myself and tearing a muscle in my back in the process. I was not doing this today, but my mind sure was to be free of the stress of a test. Enjoy :)

Having Fun With Dad

2008-04-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

My dad is great when he gets worked up. He makes this face all the time and really gets going when pissed around with. Enjoy the Bruce Experience!

April 16th 2007

2008-04-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a rough day for everyone who lives in this town, anyone who has any part to do with the school. One year ago today Virginia Tech was in the midst of sadness caused by evil and despicable crimes. Today was a day for this great school, community and Nation to heal and to begin to get back to a sense of normalcy. I had the privilege to be a part of this healing by going to the candle light vigil to remember to the people who died on this day 1 year ago. The vigil was very somber, powerful, yet full of hope for the future and for the days and years to come. I did not know anyone who was killed or wounded, but I am still a part of this school and I am proud to be a part of the Hokie Nation. WE are Virginia Tech! This the Poem written by Nikki Giovanni that was read last year on the day after the shootings.

We Are Virginia Tech
We are sad today
and we will be sad for quite a while
… we are Not moving on
We are embracing our mourning
We are Virginia Tech
We are strong enough
to stand tall tearlessly
We are brave enough
to bend to cry
And sad enough
to know we must laugh again
We are Virginia Tech
We do not understand this tragedy
We know we did nothing to deserve it
But neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS
Neither do the invisible children walking the night away
to avoid being captured by a rogue army
Neither does the baby elephant
watching his community be devastated for ivory
Neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water
Neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night
in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands
being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized
NO one deserves a tragedy
We … are Virginia Tech
The Hokie Nation embraces our own
and reaches out with open hearts and hands
to those who offer their hearts and minds
We are strong
and brave
and innocent
and unafraid
We are better than we think, and
not quite what we want to be
We are alive
to the imagination and the possibilities
We will continue to invent the future
through our blood and tears
Through all this sadness,
We are The Hokies!
We will …prevail!
We will prevail
We will prevail
We ARE… Virginia Tech.
Nikki Giovanni, April 17, 2007

Day Off

2008-04-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

I love my days off. It is amazing how when you are in highschool, days off only meant maybe sleeping in or going on a trip somewhere. You appreciate them more when you have a real job I realize. Today I had the opportunity to enjoy my first week day off this month. I was able to get some extra sleep in this morning after some early morning conferences and to get caught up with studying and working out at the gym. Alba had to go up Charleston, WV with a friend from work for her Passport finger prints. It required her to get up very early, but it is worth it when you know that 7 long years of waiting for the inefficient INS to do their job will be over soon. I got a call today from my brother saying that my niece Desi has been sick. She was taken to the ER on Saturday and the result was only a viral syndrome that should resolve on its own. Her fever has continued to get higher so her regular pediatrician says it is a Adenovirus. This may sound scary, but this type of virus is the most common cause of upper respiratory infections in adults and kids. I had concerns from my parents on it, but is usually not a big deal to worry about. Time and Tylenol are often the best cures for those illnesses. But as far as tommrrow, it is a normal day and then to the candle light vigil for the 1 year Tech Shooting Tragedy. Anyways that is all for now.
Later :)

Pathology of Otitis Media (Ear Infections)

2008-04-13T20:14:00.001-07:00

I have seen of these and heard of many people I know who have kids with this miserable infection. This is little cool video which explains the disease process. This is just for fun, but I thought it was pretty cool.

Busy Week

2008-04-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

This week was a long one. I only wrote once last Monday night because I was having almost 12 hour days and after you get back, rest some and read, it is time for bed. Medical School is not famous for having a lifestyle to brag about, but some days it is like that. However I can happily say I have learned many good things and I am seeing my own patients on a day to day basis and coming up with treatment plans that my doctor usually agrees with and lets me be big part of the patients needs. The top three on our most common diseases that we have seen are 1. Viral Colds or Viral Syndrome, 2. Ear Infections/Middle ear effusions and 3. Various Sports-Recreation Physical Injuries. I feel confident when I see these patients that I will be figure out what the problem is and that I can effective treatment for them. I have already various questions from people on illness their kids may and it feels good to see my hunches be correct :).

This week should be good, my attending is leaving town so I will be done Thursday. Me and Alba are doing well. She has been helping Irena plan her wedding and get stuff st up. We are going back on last of June or so to be a part of the big day. As for me I am having a great war with my inner self. I can not decide which specialty pathway to pursue. I really like Pathology, but having patients is fun and both Family Medicine and Internal Med both afford plenty of opportunities. Anyone have any suggestions? Until next time.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

2008-04-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Wow today was a weird one! Today was our hospital call day, I am still on call as I write this, but so far it has been a quiet night. What was strange about the day is the hospital where me and my attending take call is the same hospital where I did my OBGYN rotation. While that may not sound like anything to write home about or call weird, it definitely was for me. To give you a little background, this hospital and some of the staff are not on the best of terms with me when it comes to personalities getting along. Back in October of last year, I did my OB/GYN rotation at this facility and my doctor and I did not seem for odd reasons to get along very well. He is one of the major factors that really turned me off on the subject of womens health as well developing any future interest in it. The month was terrible and was one of the worst of my life, he did not let me do hardly anything, I felt tension everyday I was at work and I was just counting down and praying the month would be quickly over. When I got my final evaluation from him, the first words out of his mouth were "the nurses in OB do not like you and some of OR nurses don't like you". I was like, what the heck? He said they did not feel I respected them. Many of these people I never said one word too and I never figured out what the heck was their problem. I dreaded having to go back to this hospital, to run into some of these same people and how would handle my self around them. I finally got myself out of that worry and all things are fine now.

I call this "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" because it is one of those days were your feelings and hunches are dead on. The first doctor I saw as soon I walked in the door was no one other than my old OBGYN attending. Something in my gut said you were going to see him and how would it go down...nothing! Absolutely nothing, he did not look at me or say a word, he just walked by like I was the janitor. I told Alba the night before if he saw me, he most likely would not say a word. I do not plan on talking back to him either. We got called in to evaluate a newborn on C-section, who did I see doing the section. Who was at the table? No one other than the master dreaded attending. Once again I was treated with the satisfaction that I was pain in the butt to him for a month and that I did not have to take his crap no longer. He was good teacher, but as far as being a role model for a medical student. He failed in my book. The office today was one of rolled ankles and knee sprains. I am now seeing my own patients and ordering tests with the doctors approval. I love to do exams and come out, talk with doctor and then come up with a treatment plan. When says he agrees with it, it makes the day so much better. Peds has been great so far and I can tell I am pretty good with well-baby checks and virus induced sore throats!. Anyways, that pretty much sums up the day. Hope I did not lose anyone with my random thoughts. Good night! Here is a quick video illustrating a Close Encounter of the Third Kind the Steven Spielberg way. It is a great movie! Check it if you like sci-fi :)

Colds, Ear Aches and more Colds.

2008-04-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well today was my third day on peds and I got to see what doctors call "Fever Fright Friday" really means. We were deluged all morning and all afternoon with concerned parents bringing in their kids for transient fever elevations (eg. 98-100.0) that had less than a 24 hour in length. Many people do not know and I did not find out till yesterday that alot of peds clinics have later hours on Fridays and in some cases half-days on the weekend. Most of what people were calling "Strep" and ear infections were just colds of minor concern. I was wondering why and trying to understand as to why people get worried about small things like that, but then I had to pull some old knowledge from two years ago in pathology and had to appreciate that a fever can mean alot of things. Some of these things can be very serious while most are temporary and go away on their own. I also must remember I am not a parent so the anxiety of having a sick child is not something I have experienced yet.
This rotation to me I believe will be a good "training" if you want to call it that for my own future kids when they get sick. I may not be as jumpy as to take them to the doctor for a only a minor fever, but I will still understand the anxiety and the worry of being parent and looking out for my little ones. I am getting quite good at looking at ears and eyes as well as getting spit up on and occasional being slapped by a upset scared babies, thank goodness for sinks in the rooms. I have started a dollar a day pot to see how long before I am sick. With what is floating around I do not believe it will be very high before that unwanted desire come true. The kids themselves are quite cute and I enjoy caring for them. Heck maybe if I was not such a path junkie, I would be a good pediatrician, but then again I also have a fondness for the dead and pieces of the living:) Anyways, time for bed. The picture at the top is of Irena holding my niece Desi at 9 months old.

Welcome to Peds/Kids 101

2008-04-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today was the day, my first big opportunity to play doctor with other peoples kids. I was anticipating a challenge seeing as I have no kids of my own yet and the only experiences I have had are the kids locking me out of the classroom in church during Sunday School. However to my surprise, peds is not the rotation that some med students like to tell scary stories about. My attending physician is real down to Earth and cool, which you do not see every day in a doctor and the people in the clinic are very nice and very accepting to a new person on the medical team. Our patients come in a variety of flavors ranging from the ones that look like they just walked off the set of "The Hills" on MTV to ones who come from less than perfect circumstances.
I was amazed at how calm many of the children were upon exam as were compared to them in the ER when all hell was breaking loose in their lives. I believe this month will be good intro for me to see how kids really do act in the most scary of places (eg. the doctors office, hospital) and how I can effectively and efficiently give them the best possible treatment and education as a future doctor. I am excited to see how this month goes and what I will learn in the next 4 weeks. Anyways, it is it getting late and I am going to be off to bed. More to come....

Video of the Night

2008-03-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

One of favorite videos to close of the night from one the best shows in the world.

My Resurection to the World of Blogging

2008-03-31T19:33:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since the last time I ever tried to keep a consistent blog. This is not my first time to try and keep this up, but figuring this is the last year of med school for me and things now in my life are more than sitting on my butt looking at power points on the computer or studying for some miserable, stinking test. My first post in this blog comes after a crazy month of me spending a 30 days doing clinicals at the state mental hospital. During the month I have been yelled in the face, had my life threatened from psychotic individuals, had a metal cart swung at me and the doctor and all and out saw the typical medical view of mental illness.

Mental illness is a phenomenon that is widely unknown and misconstrued among the public and it is sad to see some of the stereotypes that abound this wonderful group of people. The rotation itself was fun and refreshing, but like all things, they come to an end and change must roll on in. My rotation in April is in Pediatrics. This will be one to write about in future posts. So anyways I have been alone for the past 5 days while Alba and her Mom have been in Utah helping her sister plan for a wedding. They will be back tonight and I am so exited :) Anyways enough with blogging right now, time for sleep.
Peace out!