Semester Review

Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised by my first semester of the Masters of Science in Pharmacology program. Although, the coursework demands a certain amount of time and attention, once I learned how to properly study for the exams I found that I had an adequate amount of time to explore New Orleans and participate in multiple volunteer opportunities. I finished the semester with a total of 49 hours, most of which have been completed in the Touro Emergency Department. I plan on continuing to volunteer here for the remainder of the month of December and potentially pick-up additional shifts next semester in order to further expand my clinical experience.

Continuing ED-ucation

Throughout the month of November I continued to volunteer in the Emergency Department (ED) at Touro Infirmary. Last week I had the opportunity to see my first code. I was working in one of the back rooms of the ED when the code began, but I quickly finished what I was doing and hurried to the code room to observe. Through the duration of the code I was struck by the precision and the relaxed nature of all the nurses and doctor. There were 4 nurses working in concert on the patient, while another was recording the events and times and another was gathering equipment and bringing it to the room. First, the team gave chest compressions while using a BVM to push air into the patient's lungs. Finally, the patient began breathing again and a heartbeat was observed. Unfortunately, the patient slipped into ventricular tachycardia and I saw the characteristic sawtooth EKG pattern. Watching from just outside the code room I was nervous when the first attempts at cardioversion were unsuccessful. However, the doctor calmly ordered additional shocks at higher power and asked the nurses to prepare an injection of amiodarone. After 4 shocks and what seemed like an eternity the patient was breathing and had a pulse, even though the EKG still indicated irregular electrical activity. I continued to watch as the code room was quickly converted into a makeshift operating room and a central line was introduced. Finally, 3 hours later the patient seemed to be stabilizing somewhat and doing much better. This was by far the most intense and interesting experience I have had in the Touro ED thus far and I plan on continuing to volunteer and observe in the final weeks of the semester.

November hours: 10.5 (Touro ED)
Total hours: 43 hours

Getting Connect-ED

     To expand my community outreach and improve my clinical skills, I began volunteering in the Emergency Department (ED) of Touro Infirmary in October. This month I have completed 16.5 hours which has allowed me to fulfill my volunteer requirements for this semester while further developing my clinical skills. One aspect that I particularly enjoy about this opportunity is that it allows me a chance to directly observe many of the concepts presented in class. For instance, on October 17, 2014 a man came into the ED with ventricular tachycardia and I was able to watch as the doctors utilized cardioversion to restore the man's heartbeat to a normal rhythm. Although I had just learned about cardioversion in the CV block, actually seeing the process take place with my own two eyes was an experience that I will not soon forget.            

     Although I miss many of the most interesting cases in the ED due to only volunteering a few hours a week, the nurses in the ED are constantly sharing information and discussing cases with each other as well as the doctors. Hearing these conversations allows me to gradually become more familiar with the language of the ED while continuing to form more connections between the ED and the Pharmacology program. One conversation I heard about recently involved a man coming to the ED with priapism that presented after he had injected himself with something. The nurses were talking about how much pain the man seemed to be in, but I did not catch what the name of the substance the man injected himself with. From class I knew that this directly injected erectile dysfunction medication was most likely a PG analog like Alprostadil or something comparable which I found to interesting. In the coming month I hope to continue drawing similar connections and expanding my knowledge of the Emergency Department at Touro.

A picture of the main entrance to Touro Infirmary on Prystania Street.

October hours: 13.5 (Touro ED)
Total hours: 32.5

NOLA Newbie

     On July 11, 2014 I worked my last day at PAREXEL International in Durham, NC. Although I had been planning this for quite some time, it still felt surreal that in just 5 days I would be starting in the Master's Pharmacology program at Tulane School of Medicine. Looking back now it is surprising that I left everything I had known living in North Carolina for 23 years to move to a city that I had visited, living in a house I had never seen, with people I had never met. That said, I wouldn't have done a single thing differently and I cannot believe that two and a half months have already passed. 

     Over the past few weekends, the master's class decided to get involved in the community through Habitat for Humanity. This is an important part of rebuilding the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina left approximately 80% of the city and surrounding parishes flooded in 2005. Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity not only allows volunteers to help restore some of the damage from this catastrophic event, but also gives people the opportunity to share stories and learn more about the people and culture that make New Orleans truly unique. In the coming months I hope to continue to learn about the diversity that characterizes this region and expand my role in community outreach.

Caulking the gaps on the siding of the porch.

Applying fascia to the siding of the house. 

September hours: 16 Habitat for Humanity, 3 Touro ED
Total hours: 19 hours