The End of the Beginning

Although the Summer semester will be coming to an end quickly, the EMRAP at St. Joe's is still taking shape, and continues to evolve with each shift.  My fellow research associates and I have just started to enroll patients into the clinical studies, but have yet to be cleared to undertake the process on our own, which means we still follow our teachers and chiefs around like baby ducks.  We are adorable, I'm sure.  Thankfully, many of the patients we approach to enroll are also see us in such a way, and are therefore (usually) friendly, welcoming of conversation, and are willing to offer their time, their blood, or other aspects of themselves for the betterment of the human condition.  Sadly, the majority of the times we approach patients, we cannot enroll them in the studies for one or more reasons, e.g., they are too young or too old, they are of one ethnicity or another, they simply cannot consent, or they are in less-than-talkative moods.  In short, the position is one with very high highs, and with very low lows, but I like every moment of it.

To complement the training regarding consenting patients to clinical studies and cataloging data, I took an advanced life-saving course this weekend.  The addition of the practical skills will be helpful in relating to, and speaking with, the patients.  Moreover, the training may lead to a paying position at the hospital in the very near future.  For that, I am thankful.

This coming Friday we'll be discussing the problem-solving strategies that doctors employ to diagnose, address, fix, and attend to the needs and issues of patients both inside and exterior to the hospital.  The weekend course in conjunction with the readings for the research position have given me a much clearer picture of the modes of thinking necessary to not only be an excellent clinician, but also to address larger, less-medically-related problems.  In total, the problem-solving skills of doctors (and many other medical clinicians) are invaluable in every aspect of life.  I am excited to learn more.

Until next time,

JDS