Hilarity ensued

We're doing a lunchtime lecture course, and part of today's lecture involved what not to do when giving a powerpoint presentation. It involved our course director dressed as a pirate (more or less) giving an intentionally horrifically uninformative presentation that demonstrated all the things you shouldn't do while giving a presentation. It had sound effects, excessive animations, delightful color combinations like light lime green on a busy orange background, and the sort of disorganized rambling instruction you get from someone who isn't exactly prepared for the talk they are supposed to be giving. It was great, lots of smiles all around.

We also had some much more serious information imparted. I really feel that most people would benefit from a quick what not to do when it comes to powerpoint presentations. Some of it is common sense, but I think almost everyone is guilty (at one time or another) or putting way too much information on a single slide.

In other news, we got our fall portfolios back along with our evaluations from all of our rotation sites. I received some nice positive feedback, which is always a great way to start a new semester.

My first day back at North after the break was pretty good. We got a late start as always because of photography, but still managed a productive morning. It was funny though because even somewhere as busy as Duke can get things in waves. It was something I noticed where I worked before, all of a sudden, out of nowhere it would be spleen week or one digit amputation after another or massive sutured skin ellipses. Some days it seems like the tonsil folks are offering surgeries two for one and you have set after set, and other times you might go several days without any. Same thing today at Duke, although not with tonsils. I did several different specimens, but it seemed like there were only two types of surgeons working and they were either one type or the other. It was odd! But not bad, it was actually something I enjoyed practicing on.

Pathology Oral Exam Upcoming!

We are heading into the stretch of final exams. Wednesday is the PA Pathology Oral, Friday is the Pathology Small Group, Monday is our final unit test, and the following Wednesday is our cumulative final (which is extremely terrifying!).

The oral is probably the most intimidating, because in addition to being an important part of my grade it is also the opportunity to look completely ignorant in front of our course director. I'm allotting time this weekend to write out the major pathologies of the various organ systems. Thankfully this week's lectures have included both GI pathology and liver/pancreatic pathology so it'll kill two birds with one stone (pathology oral and test 10 studying). I really feel like I need to go back and re-study the renal pathology lectures though because it has been a month since we had those lectures and there have been soooo many other topics covered between then and now. There are other organ systems to review as well, but I just feel strongly about needing to do renal since I don't feel like my retention was particularly good on those. Lungs too, it feels like forever since we've had to study lungs...

Okay, so maybe it would just be safer to start at the head and work my way down! It can't hurt and will hopefully make cumulative final studying that much easier...

Thankfully my kids are with my parents so my out of class obligations are significantly lessened. It is amazing how much easier it is to study during the day when it is quiet and you don't have to take anyone to soccer practice or feed everyone. I'm going to have to take a study break on Sunday though because there is a food truck rodeo! Socializing is important and so is eating lunch!

Test 8 tomorrow!

I took a study break and had dinner out with the kids. Amazing burgers and fries one place and frozen yogurt two doors down. It rained during dinner. As in the bottom fell out of the sky and the asphalt warmed by days of southern heat steamed in the aftermath. My children were well behaved and said appropriate thank yous and everything. It was a good hour and a half.

Then back home... to study, back to my laptop that has been my near constant companion for the weekend.

I saw my best friend's girlfriend (as well as my best friend) for a little while last week since they were in town for a show, and she is in medical school doing the normal two year curriculum. We shared frustration about studying and being tethered to our laptops. Some times I dearly hate my laptop, I would like to close it and leave it alone for a few days... but I can't. Not right now. Maybe in a month (which is an exciting and terrifying thought! I must survive June first... I try not to get too ahead of myself).

I am mentally saturated today. And I may have halfway diagnosed myself with a handful of different random parasitic infections and leukemias.Thank goodness I don't have a prostate or I'd be worried to death about it! Studying diseases makes you paranoid!

I'll have four solid hours in the morning between the time I drop the kids off for school and the time the test starts to go over the IRA questions and Robbins review. It is good to have that type of question fresh in my mind right before tests.

Then... I'll have a fairly social rest of the week (at the moment I have plans with my Durham friends every night except Wednesday...hm, by the weekend they might be tired of being around me lol) and a weekend with not too too much new material to study. I expect by this time next week I should be much more relaxed!

PS: After the test I have to take my laptop to the IT guys again...because it has spyware again (I swear I am not going to sketchy websites!). I've lost count of how many times they've had my laptop. 6 maybe?

Studying and My Kids

My youngest child started kindergarten today and asked me if I was going to be at his school since I'm in school now too, which was cute :) I then explained to him about how older kids (or--in my case--grown ups) go to different schools.

Me and the kids on a Merry-go-round

I hope with them both being in school now we will have more of a schedule and they will need less *direct interaction at night. The past two weeks I've been trying to make up for them being stuck at home during the day with my dad (who has been taking them for daily playground outings, but they're used to being at daycare all day and having more variety) by taking them out at night or going to the pool, etc.

I am really going to have to start staying and studying in the PA student room. Tomorrow will be a good day to do that, since we're finishing at noon. Studying at home while the kids are awake is really difficult since even though I have a separate study room that they're not allowed in they still manage to interrupt every five to ten minutes. This past weekend was a struggle since they were tired of being in the apartment and the rainy weather from the hurricane meant having to find something to do indoors.

We have a test next Tuesday and have a long weekend coming up (and labor day is my birthday!). My dad is heading out of town to visit my mom and my husband is coming up to spend a day or two with us. Sadly I'm probably going to foist the kids off on him and hole up in my study room and then after he goes back home I'll probably give the oldest child unlimited computer time and rent some Wii games. Not my finest moment as a mother, but it is my best chance at having uninterrupted study time.

I would like to get the bulk of my studying done Friday, Saturday and Sunday day so I can take off Sunday night/Monday morning with Monday evening reserved for reviewing my notes/flashcards. It seems like a reasonable schedule, especially since Friday's classes only go until noon.

*It isn't so much the outings take up a lot of time, but going out for an hour or two pushes back dinner preparations and since we do homemade meals every night and sit and eat together as a family starting later than 5:30 means dinner wraps up right around the time bedtime routines start.