Archive for May of 2009
First week at VA West LA
May 29, 2009
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.