Newts have nothing on me …

… except maybe limb regeneration, or so this is what I thought until recently.
While wasting time taking a break from studying I came across a “Medical Futurist” (I had no idea such a thing existed) by the name of Dr. Alan Russell who discusses, in the video provided here, how it may be possible to regrow limbs. In his short 18 minutes (well worth the watch if you have time) he discusses some advancements in disease and defect treatment which are truly revolutionary.

This seems like a good way to finish off the MSK posts, as I plan not to talk about anything related to MSK until I hit orthopedics next year – Enjoy!

MSK, week 4

This is the last week of the MSK block which covers all manner and forms of rheumatoid disease. It is heavy on material but is well taught overall. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed but it also the point in the semester where the stress levels are more constructive than destructive and where one begins to feel more motivated to study for the final exams, as opposed to putting it off until later. In fact, you can see this in all student types in the class as the study carrels fill up and those you never see in the library begin to put in their time. I am glad this is the last week of the MSK block, as it feels like it’s time for a change and in contrast, the endocrine / metabolism block is supposed to be much better taught, or at least is much better received by the students in general.

MSK, week 3

It is MSK week 3 and the case as well as the lectures have all centered on osteroporosis. The weather has definitely changed for the worst and I can see the resignation in my classmates faces as they gear up for the coming winter. There is a general fatigue that has crept into the class as a whole. Stress levels are beginning to rise as people realize that we’re past the 1/2 point in the semester (we’ve got 7 weeks left) and that they have done little or nothing to prepare for exams. This will no doubt grow into a sense of panic as the actual exams get closer and is something I am not looking forward to. I find it hard not to get carried away with the rising tide of anxiety, despite my best efforts to ignore it. Ironically – this also seems to be the time that students come together. The mutual suffering seems to give people a common experience to relate to. Needless to say, I am already looking forward to the end of the semester and can’t wait for the Christmas holidays to come.

MSK, week 2

Week 2 of MSK covers normal joint function, cartilage and osteoarthritis. In some ways it would almost be better to cover the cartilage before learning about bone because of the fact that bone originally forms from cartilage (to put it simply) and also that cartilage formation is an aspect of bone healing. Regardless, this week is better organized than last week (which isn’t saying much).

My impressions of the MSK block aren’t the best. It covers a lot of material and seems to be poorly organized overall. Key concepts are either unintentionally missed (“oops – we meant to cover that but didn’t”) or outright ignored (“Go look it up yourself”). I feel as though the material is not coming together as well as it has for the previous 2 blocks, GI and Blood & Lymphatics. My stress levels are climbing because of this and I know I am not the the only one. The others that I talk to in the class admit that they are feeling overwhelmed and a little frustrated. I haven’t reached the point of being overwhelmed … yet, but I will definitely have to put in some good book time over the weekend to make sure I am happy with where I’m at.

MSK, Week 1

This week I start the Musculoskeletal & Locomotor (MSK) block of study. It will cover a number of different topics including: Normal bone growth and development; Normal cartilage structure and joint function; Metabolic bone disease and calcium homeostasis; and lastly, Inflammatory arthritis. The four weeks of study are tied closely to anatomy and clinical skills, perhaps more so than any other block I’ve taken so far. This also means that the exam will be structured a little different than the other blocks, with the clinical skills and anatomy components being integrated into the written final to a much greater extent.