So this past week was my first week at my first rotation, located at the VA hospital in West Los Angeles. The first 1.5 days consisted of orientation, then we were thrown into patient care in the last two days. All I can say is that what you see here is intense!!! Every patient that walks in the door is complicated. Since most of the population that come through are older, many of them have several issues including glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, are on walkers/scooters/wheelchairs...the list goes on! Many of the patients are on several medications as well, and one of them that I had yesterday had something like 17-20 medications at once, plus pretty much all of the conditions I just mentioned above. Oftentimes the medications exacerbate certain symptoms in the eyes as well. The exams are difficult in that sense but at the same time the cases are extremely interesting.

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I am struggling to study right now - not because the material is difficult, but it's super hard to get motivated when you're almost through!!! Just three more finals and I'm out of the classroom forever! The main thing on my mind right now is just getting these exams over with then I have a wedding to worry about next weekend (no not mine yet, it's my brother's and I'm the best man). I volunteered to make the slideshow and I also have to come up with a speech, both of which are nowhere near done. And I also have to prep for his bachelor party. Once that's all done, then I begin my first rotation the day after Memorial Day. That commute is going to be so crappy with the LA traffic, but fortunately I have two other classmates that live in my apartment complex that will be commuting with me, so we can use the carpool lanes. Regardless, a current 4th year told me that the commute takes about 1.5 to 2 hours one way!

Next week is my last week of classes EVER!!! I can't wait to start going out and seeing patients every day now, which is what we've been trained to do for the last 3 years. As mentioned in a previous blog, I'll be in VA West Los Angeles for my first rotation; I'll be seeing a lot of older patients, particularly veterans, thus the population will be mostly older folks. Our first final is next week (Ocular Disease) where we'll be presented various slides - we'll have various questions on identifying the disease, naming signs and symptoms, and how to manage the case. The following week after that will be our last finals ever (only 4 total!). After that I'll be finally free from the didactic portion of SCCO!!!

By the way, two blogs ago I mentioned YAG capsulotomy - I was able to try it out today! Well, I didn't do it on a patient but I got to try it out on a simulated cataract, where we got to blast away little pieces of it with the laser. We also got to try out an Argon laser, which is used for treatments in the front and back of the eye. We got to shoot the latter laser at a piece of paper, making tiny burn marks. It was pretty neat!!!