Dual Roles

I have, as a matter of fact, learned something on my rotation. My preceptor informed me what the term "props" is short for. As in "I gotta give you props for that." In case you didn't know, it means "proper respect." Intriguing. I also have become far too familiar with the male prostate exam. This is a right of passage for all men turning 50 and then yearly thereafter. If most men only knew the poor sensitivity of this exam, they would probably be much less cooperative to "bend over and rest your elbows on the table." Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the exam is highly dependent upon the body habitus(build/shape) of the patient, the length of the clinicians examining tool(finger), and how well the Dr/PA know's what he/she is feeling for. Until we come up with something better, the dreaded finger wave continues.

As a side note, it is amazing how many people struggle with depression and anxiety. I have to keep up with all of the patients I see and their ailments. So far, I have logged 4 times as many depression or anxiety diagnosis than any other! I was given a bit of an open door today to encourage a struggling patient who mentioned that he had been a Christian for 12 years but just doesn't feel happy overall. I'm really not sure about my boundaries as a student and medical professional talking about Christ, but God gave me the opening and I couldn't ignore the opportunity. I told him that even as Christians we still struggle with stressors of this life, maybe even more so because of conviction. But that Christ took on our ultimate sin burden so that we can trust in Him fully to provide for us in every aspect of life. We went on and on and talked for about 45 minutes about his life and struggles. I just pray that something I said could be an encouragement for this man. God has blessed me in my life and I pray that he gives me a great ability to counsel those patients in need.

Studying is always on the back of my mind. Therefore I will close this session so that I can review some medical literature. I do believe I will first check to see if the snow has begun. We are supposed to get 2-4 inches tonight and tomorrow. We shall see.