Friday, February 16, 2001
Hope you all had a happy Valentines. Although the nature of the holiday perplexes me (being even more of a commercial nature than Easter), I think everyone should have a happy one anyway.
Last time I told you I'd give a little more updates on academic topics, escaping from EMS/EMT for a while. Well, I will. But by the end of this I'll probably revert back for fear of having nothing more to talk about. That, and since the time between journal updates has been on the long side, I'll include all I can every time I get a chance to write more.
Let's start with the core classes. I'm in Math 192, which is Calculus II, a direct continuation from last semester's math. We're currently on applications of power series. For non-math folk, a series is a long list of terms that get added up...all the terms are related to each other by an equation, but differ as the variable in the equation increases by 1 for each term. In any case, topics in the class include sequences and series, vectors, lines and planes, multivariable calculus, and double/triple integrals. My first exam in math is next Tuesday (20th).
Physics 112 is a first-year mechanics course for engineers. For some reason, to me it feels like Physics 99 (shh don't tell). So even though my AP Physics exam (score 5) doesn't count for any credit (big zero) in the engineering school, I'll be aiming for an A+ here. The quizzes are easy, and, says our TA, "You may have noticed the quizzes have been far more difficult than the homework. This is because I would rather you walk into a Prelim and say, 'This is too easy.'" Hmm so what am I supposed to expect? Our first exam is March 1st.
The Intro to Engineering course is a complete semester covering the details of the CD player. Sounds corny, but it actually seems to be very interesting. More than just the CD, it covers analog-to-digital conversion, audio quality and compression, error correction, rotational physics, diode lasers, firmware engineering, and firmware control software. Like physics, there are only two midyear exams (most courses have three).
My writing seminar is titled "Sound, Sense and Ideas: 'Great' Musicians and 'Low' Art." Essentially, we discuss and write about how society classifies music--what makes a musician great? Can only a great musician produce only great music? Who defines great? The course material moves well beyond music. What is art? Who can call something art? Right now, we've just completed a section on "canonic prejudices"--how lists like "The Year's Best..." affect our opinions and actions. There are 6 major essays for the semester.
So what did I leave out? Oh yes! EMT. We're progressing on schedule, and recent topics include allergies and overdose, environmental emergencies, behavioral emergencies, diabetes/altered mental status (AMS), and allergies. The second semester is much less lab and more books. We're learning everything about the medications we're able to give as Basics--epinephrine (adrenaline) by auto-injector, prescribed nitroglycerine by assist, albuterol inhaler (MDI) by assist, albuterol by small volume nebulizer (the cool tube thing that has mist coming out of it), oral glucose (for diabetic emergencies), and of course, oxygen, the most effective of all medications. By May 10th I'll officially be a New York State EMT, and depending on what gets set up, there may be an additional written exam for interested persons to become a National Registry EMT (NREMT), which basically allows for easier reciprocity (interstate certification transfer) across the country.
My hospital time last Saturday (bringing me to 10 hours in the ER) was pretty uneventful. No emergencies... the hospital is pretty quiet. Or, that could be just because I'm there. I apparently have to sign up for additional ER hours because I didn't have the SOAPE note sheets. These are forms that I fill out (3 of them) for 3 patients, which lists subjective, objective assessments, plan of action (disposition), and something that stands for E. I'll figure it out sometime.
So I'm an attendant now with CUEMS. Hopefully Friday night I'll be able to exercise the most valuable of all attendant perks--the lights and siren. I'll be running the 11pm to 11am overnight shift, and well, we know what college kids do on Friday nights. So... when they head back to their dorms, the booze starts kicking in (can I be saying this?), and their roommate gets freaked. Just one call to 911 (dispatched "highly ETOH") brings CUEMS flyin down the road, lights flashing, sirens blaring. So if that happens, I'll undoubtedly devote my next entry to the entire story--with patient confidentiality kept in mind at all times, of course.
Aaron
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