Another Day at the Office; 1/19/11

New Vocab:

· Subluxation: Incomplete or partial dislocation of a bone in a joint.

· Luxation: Complete dislocation of a knee.

· Trigger finger: Tendon swelling (tendinitis) results from a person's own tendency to collect fluid (inflammation) around their tendons and joints. This may be aggravated by repetitive or strenuous activities. When the tendons which bend the fingers (the flexor tendons) become irritated, they can cause pain, swelling, and stiffness. Tendon swelling interferes with the normal movement of the tendons and can cause the finger to and click, catch ("triggering") or lock in position.

· Posterior (dorsal): The back or behind, as opposed to the anterior.

1/19/11

I was disappointed when Mrs. Sherrick broke the bad news to me this morning [F]. Unfortunately there are complications with Provena and I have been denied privileges of being in the OR (operating room) and possibly the facility (?). I thought I may have a bad day at the clinic today but it turned out to be worthwhile. Since today is one of Dr. Williams’ surgery days, one of the PA’s (physician’s assistant), Brian Shore, volunteered to show me a bit of what he does. Brian and his assistant Tiannie are exceptional teachers. Tiannie’s job is to seat patients and question them about their condition and the basis of their visits. I was able to assist her with that and communicate more with the patients. Brian then takes over and diagnoses the patient, taking any necessary action [D].

Brian was especially helpful with breaking down x-rays and MRIs for me. He showed me what to look for when examining these graphics and the common treatments for conventional injuries. Although Brian does not have the same medical authority as a doctor, he can still prescribe medications, and use his own judgment to diagnose patients and treat them [D]. If a case is serious enough and may require surgery, Brian refers the patient to one of the surgeons. A large part of his duties is to filter patients, so Dr. Love and Dr. Williams’ schedules aren’t as congested. This helps the doctors to focus on the more severe cases [A].

He also helped me with the anatomy and terminology typically used. This helped me put the body’s organs and their functions into perspective with each other. I was amazed by the complexity of the body and how simple injuries can impair its functions. In many cases, the patients just have arthritic joints, which take a great toll on the patient’s bones. Some patients elected not to go into surgery, the alternative is injecting them weekly (for about 4 to 5 weeks) with lubricant or a steroid to help ease the pain and enable fluent motion [A].

Overall, it was a productive and educational day. I look forward to working with Brian more in the future and explore the rehabilitation process in physical therapy. I also plan to draw more knowledge from Dr. Williams when he is available.