Lots o' Stuff to Say!

I feel like I haven't posted in forever, even though my last entry was probably not too long ago.

Cell & Tissue Physiology began immediately after the final exam, and masking its insidious start as an uneventfulness to rival that of Anatomy's end. It started with discussions of amino acids and protein motifs, Radio-Immuno Assays and ELISA. It was really hard not to blow it off and skip class--so I did. And it bit me in the butt, boy oh boy. I found myself 5 lectures behind (of 13, in one week!), and floundering. I'm still trying to catch up. I'm lucky in that this is literally all review for me, so I'm not actually having to learn anything. I feel terrible for my classmates who don't have much science background: we're covering a whole year's worth of undergraduate coursework in four weeks.

Last night was the annual Pitt Med Halloween Party. It was awesome to see everyone dressed up in costume-- I haven't been to an actual costume party at which everyone was costumed since I was in elementary school. The costumes were incredibly creative and very entertaining. My personal favorites were Jeff as Dermatome Man (the linked picture isn't the exact model we used, but close enough), Michael as "Man in the Wind" (a suit with necktie thrust over the shoulder, newspaper stuck to leg, leaf taped to chest), and the penguins. But gosh there were tons of awesome costumes. Eric & I went as Violet and Dash of The Incredibles. We were pretty Incredible, if I say so myself. All in all, it was a great success, and great fun, too.

Anyway, I'll make a weird contradictory transiion here and say that I feel like I've been painting a very sunny picture of medical school so far, at least in my blog. I'll end that today, and write about some of the disillusionment I've experienced since I've started school:

• Recently, a person whom I'd considered a friend said something incredibly racist, offensive, and insulting to me. Thereafter, I've realized that he and his group of friends are consistently obnoxious and irreverent for the sake of being obnoxious and irreverent. They take pride in their offensiveness, and the more offended people get, the better. I guess I always thought med students would be "good people", the kind of people who are sensitive and compassionate and self-aware. I've been astonished at some of the tactlessness, unprofessionalism, and downright inappropriateness I've seen in my classmates. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not the most PC person in the world, and I respect disrespect when such is due. I understand the humor in many un-PC situations, as well as many perhaps-offensive comments. But there's a line between crude humor and sheer distaste. It's saddening to think that these classmates are going to fill positions in society that are highly respected; despite their intelligence and academic success, I have very little respect for them.
• Med school teaches science in the most unscientific way. We're expected to memorize proteins and pathways rather than understand the conceptual basis of current scientific theory. Rather than understand why, and how, we're simply taught what. As a scientist at heart, I find this discouraging. Does my doctor know how and why he treats me with a certain medication, or does he fill the prescription simply because it's what he's supposed to do, based on his memorized knowledge of medicine? I understand that it's impossible to teach pure biochemistry and physiology in such a short period of time, but it is almost irresponsible not to try to teach as much as possible.
• The state of health care policy in the US is in shambles. The profession of medicine is in grave peril: there'll be a day when the personal satisfaction and joy that comes from being a physician just doesn't outweigh the burdens placed upon us by the state of insurance and liability. It's a broken system, with no clear-cut answers. Will the total breakdown occur during my career? During my lifetime? And what consequences will they have on me, my life, and my family yet to come?