Basically, this class is all cases that are presented to us, and we have to diagnose them. I thought they'd be boring, but they're actually very interesting and teach you a lot. At the beginning of the day, we're presented with a case. We can ask any questions we want, run any necessary labs, and can ask for the results of a complete physical exam. After that, we can usually make a diagnosis. But, then we get a ton of questions related to the case that we have to research that night. For example, our first case was an acute abdomen. Turns out the patient had acute pancreatitis, caused by gallstones which were obstructing the flow of the exocrine pancreas. But, the case required us to research cholecystitis (gallstones), appendicitis, pancreatitis, and a few other causes of abdominal pain, how to differentiate them, necessary lab tests and interpretations, detailed anatomy, etc. So, at the end, a very good review for the step.
In any case, thought people might like to see what the dry erase board looks like at the end of the day. Yes, by the end of 5th semester, you do know what all this means. This is a pretty early case, so they'll just get a lot more complicated from here.
Note: We weren't really considering sarcoidosis as a diagnosis. But, we included it because, according to House, sarcoidosis is a possible cause of just about everything!
2 comments:
So have you ever noticed, watching House, particularly in the first and second seasons, Dr Cameron is ALWAYS throwing "sarcoidosis" in the differential?
The patient is short of breath... "sarcoidosis". The patient has abdominal pain... "sarcoidosis". The patient is peeing blood... hmm... "sarcoidosis."
I forgive Dr. Cameron for most things, though. I'm sort of in love :)
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