Sunday, October 20, 2013

Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat, Whatever

The Year Level 5: ICC Year blog posts - stories and anecdotes, patient encounters and hospital drama, and the many colors of UP med school from the perspective of a third year. Here's the tenth entry, under our one-week rotations in the Departments of Opthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology.

In Opthalmology, we dealt with small things in small corners of the body. The discovery was that people are more likely to lie about having bad vision than admit they need glasses, which really says a lot about the atrocious health-seeking behavior of Filipinos. 


We had a lecture or two. The struggle to keep awake continued.


We also had a public health lecture, and that was the most fun activity we had, in my opinion, mostly because we were using the naked eye to deal with stuff.


My greatest achievement during Opthalmology was this high score in Fruit Pop.


Meanwhile, in Otorhinolaryngology, which most people would know as ENT, or Ears, Nose, and Throat, we spent more time with small things. Navigating earwax-laden canals with our scopes. Stretching nostrils apart like vertically parting the Red Sea with speculums. Holding tongues and getting mirrors to the back of throats to see the vocal cords. No wonder patient feedback from previous blocks included "We felt like we were being treated like specimens."


Also, there was the constant presence of a gloomy sky that threatened to extend the two-day cancellation brought about by religious festivities - as I tweeted, the perks of being an ultra-religious, multi-religious country.


On our second to the last day, Pia attempted to finish "A Feast for Crows" at the clinics.


What a wonderful life. Clap, clap, clap.

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