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- Apr 25, 2001
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Well, last Monday I saw my first patient. I was really really nervous (even though they have you bring in someone you know) My friend Sam came in to sit for me (he's the worlds biggest trooper for subjecting himself to the 2 hour exam). Here's how it went:
At 12:45 I had to be set up in my room in the clinic.
At 1:00 I had a 30 minute seminar with my attending (who they SWITCHED ON ME!!! The sheet said I had one attending this semester and a different one showed up). This freaked me out since I was scheduled to have a really really cool, nice attending. Fortunately the Dr I ended up with is also really laid back and seems pretty nice. The attending told us to just take a deep breath, he knows we're nervous and he's there to work us through the hard parts. He wanted to check out progresses after we took a history and did our preliminaries, after our subjective refraction, and again after our phorometric findings. Then, we did our slit lamp exam on our own and he comes in to watch tonometry.
At 1:30 they called my name over the PA to say my patient had arrived and was ready to go. So, I walk out to the waiting room and give my friend a big hug for coming for me.
Then, the fun starts! I really was more excited than nervous but it still makes you do stupid things (in front of people you know) I took a good history and did the prelims as best I could. Then, I presented my case to my attending. Not only was my friend my first patient he was also my first PRESBYOPIC exam!!!
Which, now that I think about it, is not really a big deal, but it so seems like a big deal at the time.
Then, I did my refraction. No sweat. All I had to do differerently was trial frame my reading add to make sure he was comfortable with it (which he was).
Then we moved on to phorias and vergences, etc. No sweat there either.
Slit lamp exam gave me a little bit of a problem since I hadn't been behind one since November. So, I was a little rusty. Also, the slit lamp they had for me is not the same kind I learned on for my competency exam so it took me a little while to get situated.
After we cleared my findings with the attending I went ahead and dilated my friend. (this is the fun stuff!)
I did 78D and BIO and found something that looked like a nevus superior temporal OS. I got the attending (Because my friend said his last OD told him he had a retinal scar) The attending said it wasn't a nevus but a CHRPE (a what??! ... yeah, that's what I said). It's a congential hyperplasic of retinal pigment epithelium. Something he was born with and basically like a big freckle. nothing to worry about but fun to look at. This is probably what he doctor called a scar.
So, that was my exam.. it was over.. I took a deep breath and wondered what I got so worked up over.
Now I just have to wait and find out how I scored on it. (we get reviews over every patient interaction) I also have to pass off on certain procedures with my attending. We get a procedures list for the end of February and then another one for the end of the semester.
It was very fun and I cant wait to do it again!
just thought I'd give the people heading into school and idea of what goes on.. and what you're working towards. I remember thinking how long it was going to take me to get to this point.. but it goes SO FAST!!!
At 12:45 I had to be set up in my room in the clinic.
At 1:00 I had a 30 minute seminar with my attending (who they SWITCHED ON ME!!! The sheet said I had one attending this semester and a different one showed up). This freaked me out since I was scheduled to have a really really cool, nice attending. Fortunately the Dr I ended up with is also really laid back and seems pretty nice. The attending told us to just take a deep breath, he knows we're nervous and he's there to work us through the hard parts. He wanted to check out progresses after we took a history and did our preliminaries, after our subjective refraction, and again after our phorometric findings. Then, we did our slit lamp exam on our own and he comes in to watch tonometry.
At 1:30 they called my name over the PA to say my patient had arrived and was ready to go. So, I walk out to the waiting room and give my friend a big hug for coming for me.
Then, the fun starts! I really was more excited than nervous but it still makes you do stupid things (in front of people you know) I took a good history and did the prelims as best I could. Then, I presented my case to my attending. Not only was my friend my first patient he was also my first PRESBYOPIC exam!!!
Which, now that I think about it, is not really a big deal, but it so seems like a big deal at the time. Then, I did my refraction. No sweat. All I had to do differerently was trial frame my reading add to make sure he was comfortable with it (which he was).
Then we moved on to phorias and vergences, etc. No sweat there either.
Slit lamp exam gave me a little bit of a problem since I hadn't been behind one since November. So, I was a little rusty. Also, the slit lamp they had for me is not the same kind I learned on for my competency exam so it took me a little while to get situated.
After we cleared my findings with the attending I went ahead and dilated my friend. (this is the fun stuff!)
I did 78D and BIO and found something that looked like a nevus superior temporal OS. I got the attending (Because my friend said his last OD told him he had a retinal scar) The attending said it wasn't a nevus but a CHRPE (a what??! ...
yeah, that's what I said). It's a congential hyperplasic of retinal pigment epithelium. Something he was born with and basically like a big freckle. nothing to worry about but fun to look at. This is probably what he doctor called a scar. So, that was my exam.. it was over.. I took a deep breath and wondered what I got so worked up over.
Now I just have to wait and find out how I scored on it. (we get reviews over every patient interaction) I also have to pass off on certain procedures with my attending. We get a procedures list for the end of February and then another one for the end of the semester.
It was very fun and I cant wait to do it again!
just thought I'd give the people heading into school and idea of what goes on.. and what you're working towards. I remember thinking how long it was going to take me to get to this point.. but it goes SO FAST!!!
