tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13443130542121576842011-12-01T13:39:43.072-08:00Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.comBlogger1791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-51204505497148365362011-05-10T18:23:00.001-07:002011-05-10T18:23:35.822-07:00

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-81292240798881461082011-04-16T08:06:00.001-07:002011-04-16T09:48:07.049-07:00

There are a lot of problems with this country and a lot of things that work right. It is always easier - and often more productive at times - to focus on the problems rather than the successes of any system. This short video episode below looks a little at both. Our emergency medical system in this country is amazing but the people in it are getting burned out by the overwhelming needs of the

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-19173838312292054112011-01-28T13:31:00.000-08:002011-01-28T13:31:11.814-08:00

Remember toy cameras like the Holga or Diane? Plastic bodies and lens - Polaroid films? Those cameras took horrible photos but so many people used them to document so many lives that the snapshots they revealed have become a rich part of our culture. How many people still remember the smell of a polaroid photo or waiting to peel it back and see the image left on the paper? They were imperfect,

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-28983593664936284852011-01-10T09:14:00.000-08:002011-01-10T09:14:53.999-08:00

Blogging is a strange activity. Facebook is even stranger. I wonder sometimes what the historians, philosophers and social scientists are mumbling about as we have seen human culture slowly (rapidly) change over these past 20 years. I imagine grumbles about false social interactions, shallow human relations, catering to the short attention span, etc... These are actually not the topics on my mind

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-78983534854627986192010-10-10T13:08:00.000-07:002010-10-10T13:08:21.315-07:00

I turned forty years old in August. Despite really never paying much attention to my birthday in past years this one seems to have had a subtle but appreciable effect on me. Perhaps it is just the number - 40 - that lends one to introspection. Perhaps it is because I realized that being a male in the United States I have less time left to live now than I have lived up until now based upon our

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1Downtown, Sacramento, CA, USA38.57578281862776 -121.4902496337890638.57158881862776 -121.49754513378906 38.579976818627756 -121.48295413378906tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-19642979692872565492010-08-14T12:15:00.000-07:002010-08-26T13:58:32.904-07:00

While on this ICU rotation I am seeing a lot of sick people and a lot of dying and it has inspired me to focus a little of my writing and reading on a personal interest of mine - Palliative Care in the Emergency Medicine setting. There are a number of articles recently that deal with issue or something near it and I wanted to consolidate a few here as well as transcribe a comment I posted on a

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-88223864145914285892010-08-12T20:58:00.000-07:002010-08-12T21:20:21.925-07:00

Last night was the worst night in the MICU I have had so far in residency. It was not for any one particular reason but I found today when I woke from the 3 hours of sleep I enjoyed after that 32 hour marathon was something of an emotional, physical and spiritual hangover. Of the 30 or so critical ICU patients I was supposed to be watching over with the Intern on call and the new ICU admissions

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-44717279543355022092010-07-31T01:18:00.000-07:002010-07-31T12:13:27.277-07:00

I sometimes think that being a physician was a dream born at the end of another life when I was a different person. I sometimes wonder how I came to that decision being who I was then because it is inly a memory to me now. Perhaps the process of becoming a physician brought about a new life of its own creation. I am starting to feel that we do truly have multiple lives shaped and created by

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-1599709521512461902010-07-20T17:24:00.000-07:002010-07-31T01:29:22.684-07:00

The title of this post refers to the terms often applied to those of us that require the pursuit of many diverse interests rather than focusing entirely on one to the exclusion of all others. I don't claim to be said hominid but I have been accused of it many times and I am often secretly proud that others think of me in this way. My hesitation about truly accepting this title comes from my own

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-48565665159962537042010-06-11T09:55:00.000-07:002010-06-11T09:55:41.700-07:00

Yesterday I delivered my 16th baby! The residency requirement for Emergency Medicine is that I perform 15 spontaneous vaginal deliveries. This means I have now completed all the official procedure requirements for my entire intern year of Emergency Medicine! It feels good. Very very good. This was a hard year in so many ways which I have eluded to in past posts. It got quite dark in the first few

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2Southeastern Sacramento, Sacramento, CA, USA38.55434082866844 -121.4552307128906238.52078032866844 -121.51359571289062 38.58790132866844 -121.39686571289063tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-85910265162444134852010-05-11T16:59:00.000-07:002010-05-11T17:00:33.527-07:00

Homeostasis (from Greek: ὅμοιος, homoios, "similar"; and ἵστημι, histēmi, "standing still"; defined by Claude Bernard and later by Walter Bradford Cannon in 1929 + 1932[1]) is the property of a system, either open or closed, that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition. Typically used to refer to a living organism, the concept came from that of

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-84519792803341546362010-04-27T13:09:00.000-07:002010-07-31T01:30:27.480-07:00

“These too are of a burning color—not orange, not gold, but if pure gold were liquid and could raise a cream, that golden cream might be like the color of the [California] poppies.”

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-7588583524486949702010-04-19T20:48:00.000-07:002010-07-31T01:35:00.352-07:00

Working in the medical  ICU (MICU) and my own experiences as a resident this last month had me thinking about my own "Hurt Locker". It is a decades-old colloquialism recently made popular by the movie - slang for being injured, as in "they sent him to the hurt locker". The medical ICU can be fickle and unpredictable and this volatility is part of what is unnerving. One day you can have

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-87825824855483336092010-03-15T17:40:00.000-07:002010-03-15T17:40:39.771-07:00

I am listening to a Podcast of RadioLab in the few late afternoon hours I have before my overnight shift in the ER. Radiolab is a show I just discovered - it is very similar in format to This American Life, one of my other favorite public radio shows which has become legend much in the same way A Prairie Home Companion has. I can't imagine listening to public radio without either of these gold

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-61344539611912372472010-03-12T11:12:00.000-08:002010-03-12T11:12:21.780-08:00

I am closing in on the end of my first year of residency, my intern year, and have only a couple more months to go before I lose that lackluster title. Currently I am back working in the ED and have one last very hard rotation to look forward to, the MICU before I coast out with my final ED/vacation month and a month of OB/GYN focused on delivering babies. This year I have seen many challenges

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-85187820085732413882010-02-20T19:39:00.000-08:002010-07-31T20:39:45.458-07:00

This post was inspired by an email response I just sent moments ago. I realized that I said something in this reply that was very fundamentally at the core of who I am and why I am here. I wanted to share it. I am not sure if I should try to "revamp" it into a post or just paste it verbatim.... I think this will be something in between, perhaps I can expand a bit on parts of the email.  The

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2Haiti18.61501328321048 -72.23510742187517.31366528321048 -74.102783421875 19.91636128321048 -70.367431421875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-37692137532646151952010-02-08T08:02:00.000-08:002010-02-08T08:02:18.890-08:00

It has been hard finding time to write this last month (January). I started this post at the end of January and just now have time to finish it! I was on an "off service" rotation, Internal Medicine "wards", which is a huge time sink. We were allowed 4 days off over the entire 4 week block, the minimum allowed by the residency rules. The work is not really hard or brutal, it is simple tedious and

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-18664682559638544392010-01-11T17:34:00.000-08:002010-01-11T17:35:24.494-08:00

I am not a fan of "New Year's Resolutions" but perhaps that is just because I am contrary much of the time. I quite often like not doing what everyone else is tending to do it seems. I thought I was growing out of this childish trait though, but found that same feeling return when I decided to make some "resolutions" this last weekend. "Everyone makes resolutions and no one keeps them...", I

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-371182436544616202009-12-12T03:49:00.000-08:002009-12-12T03:49:49.189-08:00

It is 3:47am and I just cleaned my kitchen. I am 4 days into a stretch of sleeplessness which is a new phenomenon for me and a bit confusing. Most of November and early December I was on a Trauma Surgery rotation that was mostly night shifts, 14-15 hour shifts starting at 6pm and although I thought this would be difficult I found that I adjusted pretty quickly to my waking hours being primarily

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0Sacramento, CA, USA38.54709138531694 -121.4524841308593838.41283588531694 -121.68594363085937 38.68134688531694 -121.21902463085938tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-42862074719915626572009-12-10T15:27:00.000-08:002009-12-10T15:32:48.859-08:00

I don't normally post promotional material as this blog is more or less my own public journal to rant about whatever I wish. A somewhat anonymous way to give a public voice to private thoughts without too much risk. What surprises me is that I often get sent emails from various places asking me to post something about their event or other activity, a simple way to get some free advertising I

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0Islesboro, ME, USA44.3084113 -68.903365144.18557130000001 -69.1368246 44.4312513 -68.6699056tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-20726912694074792032009-12-07T02:33:00.000-08:002009-12-07T02:42:56.797-08:00

Sigur Rós is one of my favorite bands of all time. They create some amazing soundscapes and their music is not meant simply be listened to, it is designed I think to dig down inside you, find something important, and then pull it back out to the surface. I recently viewed the DVD they made in 2007, Heima, meaning "home" or "homeland" (you can watch the trailer HERE). It was evidently made from a

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-19231670061849860762009-12-01T07:58:00.000-08:002009-12-01T07:58:03.463-08:00

This last month I have been on my trauma rotation here in residency. This rotation during your first year is mainly secretarial. Not exactly as dramatic as it looks on TV (although I have not seen it on TV, but I assume it is dramatic). I think the schedule was designed to maximize the ill effects of circadian disrhythmia. I work 5 nights in a row, 6pm-8am, then I am off for a day, then work 2

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA38.55494 -121.4565338.538160000000005 -121.4857125 38.57172 -121.4273475tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-63267198605082379922009-11-20T20:03:00.000-08:002009-11-20T20:03:52.611-08:00

I am running out of enthusiasm. I am not sure if this is residency talking or the move from Seattle and the loss of my close friends and familiar neighborhoods. I am just not sure at all why I am feeling like I am in such a rut. I worry though, because it is interfering with a number of things and it is not sustainable. I feel as if I am living on spiritual credit right now. Every day I am

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-15322940191970793502009-11-12T15:53:00.000-08:002010-07-31T01:50:30.514-07:00

I am sure many of you have heard of Michael Pollan and his take on the American food industry, but I thought this was a nice summary sent to me by a friend. This is the "negative" message. He focuses on the problems in this little 29 minute video but there are also positive arguments he makes in his books, about the benefit we could see as a society if we changed this. The great thing is how this

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-23072486963797120362009-11-08T14:36:00.000-08:002009-11-08T14:36:16.153-08:00

A recent event in Sacramento has prompted a lot of news articles and comments regarding the cost of health care in our country, but Emergency Care specifically in this case. I wish I had more time to write on this, but I discussed a few items that things brings up for me in my comments to the article (which I will paste here with a few edits). The case is sad, a young man at Sacramento State

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-25915394377876162912009-10-28T10:12:00.000-07:002009-10-28T10:12:59.918-07:00

Question: Based on the current influenza and H1N1 hysteria there will be a large number of prescriptions filled for oseltamivir in the coming weeks. This is part of some information that was emailed me from one of my attendings. I found it interesting.... What about some of the non-medical impacts of drugs? Shikimic acid from the Chinese star anise is used as a base material for production of

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-38125332407821289282009-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:002009-10-22T13:45:19.876-07:00

I am in such a strange state of mind. I find myself missing many people and events in my life and yet I also find myself becoming more reclusive in the times I have away from the hospital. I occasionally find opportunities to spend time outside the hospital with other residents or sometimes new people I have just met in hopes of building a personal life in this new city to balance my work life.

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0Unknown location38.554806201155465 -121.4563407885725638.53802620115547 -121.48552328857257 38.57158620115546 -121.42715828857256tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-10280012056552425142009-10-12T22:06:00.000-07:002009-10-12T23:37:23.768-07:00

I just deleted a rather long post. When I have little time to write and even less time to become inspired about writing in general it seems foolish to erase 30 minutes worth of writing. But I don't want this to become a droll blog where I complain about things I am frustrated with. I think there is some good stuff to relate regarding the struggles, but I don't want this to be all struggles. The

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-49777395090677005352009-10-10T15:46:00.000-07:002009-10-10T15:46:02.663-07:00

I have had a few ideas rolling around my head to write about on the blog but I have had little time lately and I have felt half-delirious with the time I have had. I contracted some sort of viral illness almost 10 days ago and my head is still congested and my chest still hurts some from the bronchitis I developed. I had HOPED it was H1N1 flu so I could at least check that off my "viruses I am

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0Sacramento, CA, USA38.5815719 -121.494399638.4473804 -121.72785909999999 38.7157634 -121.2609401tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-87405271604723947652009-09-04T13:18:00.000-07:002009-09-04T13:27:30.109-07:00

"No one should die because they cannot afford health care; no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day."This statement has been cropping up as many people's status message on Facebook lately. A statement of unity among, from what I can tell, many of my friends that believe in equity and fairness in our society. Those people

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-59358482763513999832009-08-30T19:17:00.001-07:002009-08-30T19:25:51.880-07:00

Jean (Rixey) Miller (1923-2009) "Turkey Hunting in Montana, approx 1981" She and my grandfather, Bob Miller, helped raise me at times as I grew up and were responsible for introducing me to the outdoors, a favorite place now that I am older. She passed away today . . . in as good a way as anyone could ever hope for. Peaceful right up to the last breath. She and my grandfather had lived all around

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-40254334884443949852009-08-30T18:14:00.000-07:002009-08-30T18:14:33.595-07:00

A better title would be the afternoon after.... after call. What we call "post call". I have tried various different methods of dealing with the post call day. A day that requires some rest after working for 32 hours, but also a day that pleads for some leisure since you get very little time off. Post call day usually starts about 1pm, after my patient's are tucked in and my consultations to

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-12866186782565845322009-08-23T12:57:00.000-07:002009-08-23T13:08:09.697-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the concept of being alone. I am sure that moving to a new city, leaving a relationship and starting my residency are the main reasons this topic has been so close lately, but it is a topic I have spent time thinking about my entire life. I was an only child, my family moved a LOT and I went to a new school every year (until I quit in the 10th grade). I

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, USA32.77984207274996 -105.8197975158691432.77082157274996 -105.83438851586914 32.788862572749956 -105.80520651586914tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-71303288533386414812009-07-20T06:48:00.000-07:002009-07-20T06:48:27.439-07:00

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-6521884483228739542009-07-17T00:22:00.000-07:002009-07-17T00:51:28.231-07:00

Some days this strange life in medicine seems worth it. Sometimes it is not all in one day, but you look back over a week and piece a few moments together and they add up to about a day. However you reach that sum, those are good moments. Although this sounds like war story, it is more of a reflection at the end....This last week I had a 39 year old male as a patient with chest pain. Thirty-nine

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-73879807724924174142009-07-13T22:39:00.000-07:002009-07-13T22:39:32.088-07:00

I am almost finished with my first month in Emergency Medicine!? It was an "orientation" month, so we had less shifts to work and more training (ACLS, PALS, ATLS, etc...) so although busy, it was not the exact flavor of things to come, but it was still tiring in many ways. I think the adjustment to a new city, making new friends, trying to find your way to the closest Trader Joe's and digging a

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2Sacramento, CA, USA38.573659 -121.48714738.4394535 -121.72060649999999 38.7078645 -121.2536875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-45785550324441275402009-06-27T16:26:00.000-07:002009-06-27T16:55:47.962-07:00

My posts have been few as of the last few months with my move to Sacramento, starting residency and such. I write you today after completing my "orientation" at UC Davis Medical Center (or was it dis-orientation?) and having worked my first shift as an Emergency Department MD! It was much more intimidating than I had expected. My last two rotations as a 4th year medical student were the Trauma/

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-9981117633210280972009-06-17T22:47:00.000-07:002009-06-17T22:47:23.243-07:00

It seems time to write new posts has been in short supply. I am in Sacramento, California now and settling in to my new life. Today was the first day of residency orientation... learning the ropes of the computers and such. It was great to get together with all the new interns in EM today and afterwards we all went out for a beer at one of the local brew-pubs. My house is excellent and I spent

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-80858332061151722862009-06-08T17:52:00.000-07:002009-06-08T17:53:27.287-07:00

THE END

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-69321263926502682552009-05-16T18:28:00.000-07:002009-05-16T18:28:01.864-07:00

It has been a long while since I last posted. This is in part due to the last medical rotation I was wrapping up - pediatric Emergency Medicine at Children's hospital during the swine flu paranoia! That was a joy, let me tell you. Other than that I have been preparing to enter the next chapter of not only my medical training but my adult life in many ways. I have been in Seattle since 1992, when

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com02733 Nob Hill Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA47.6453032 -122.350539547.6416892 -122.357835 47.6489172 -122.343244tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-58227709874613953262009-04-11T22:40:00.000-07:002009-04-11T22:53:05.640-07:00

I have heard all through medical training and before I even went to medical school about the "emotional distancing" that you would end up having to do. People always said things to me like, "Of course, you have distance yourself from many of your emotions just so you can cope with some of what you must do" and things like "you must get desensitized to the heartache" or "you have to be detached in

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-8294261398762165122009-03-21T16:17:00.001-07:002009-03-21T16:21:26.458-07:00

This has to be the best thing I have seen done anywhere in recent times. No better use for a group of people with talent and natural resources. It is feats such as this that give me hope that the human race is worth saving.... :-) You must click play, really.... honest....

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-75005330163457989322009-03-19T18:40:00.000-07:002009-03-21T15:27:07.859-07:00

Match day was today and all over the US, medical students found out where the next few years of our lives will be spent. Prior to "match morning", I spent the night on call in the Surgery/Trauma ICU at Harborview. It might have been okay to be post-call on match day but something in the cafeteria that night turned my guts inside out! Rather than getting a few meager hours of sleep in the nice new

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-27547422715074235992009-03-18T06:01:00.000-07:002009-03-19T15:48:36.699-07:00

After several months of either Emergency Medicine rotations or more casual rotations, like Palliative Care and Radiology, I am feeling the pain. I am on the Trauma and Surgery ICU this month, at Harborview. This was an elective, I chose to do this. The grade does not even matter. I simply must like to hurt myself. Actually, I knew it had been a long time since an intensive inpatient rotation so I

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1Seattle, WA, USA47.620973 -122.34727647.3895625 -122.814195 47.8523835 -121.88035699999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-9125744466162823642009-03-11T21:01:00.000-07:002009-03-11T21:01:27.770-07:00

This post may make no sense whatsoever. It is not necessarily deisgned to, but simply be a receptacle for some thoughts at the end of the day.... I have had about 3 weeks now of a very relaxed radiology rotation. It has been nice in that it allowed me mornings free to pursue some life rounding activities, such as fitness and reading texts better described as literature than educational. I have

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1418 W Barrett St, Seattle, WA 98119, USA47.646886969413 -122.3629760742187547.415590969413 -122.82989507421875 47.878182969413004 -121.89605707421875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-89774588449758974992009-03-05T12:52:00.000-08:002009-03-11T08:54:05.419-07:00

My good friend Ben Constance is in Sri Lanka on a month long medical mission (and hopefully some vacation too). He is keeping a blog of his trip there and it is very good! So far he has been updating daily with posts and photos. If you have an interest in international medicine, check out Sri Lanka 2009! PS: Are you interested in working abroad in the medical field as a nurse or physician?

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0Sri Lanka7.873054 80.7717975.1533005 77.03644550000001 10.5928075 84.5071485tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-21450682182250896512009-02-22T16:57:00.001-08:002010-07-31T01:52:45.662-07:00

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-31193128367661147302009-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:002009-02-22T08:23:40.840-08:00

Have you ever heard that old adage about a frog in boiling water? The one that says if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water it will jump out as fast as it can, but if you put it in cool water and slowly bring it to boiling, degree by degree, it won't move and allow itself to be cooked... can't help but think about that right now. I have noticed in the last few days how cool the world seems

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-33072239163854501642009-02-17T16:45:00.000-08:002009-02-17T18:25:51.807-08:00

I know, I know.... You have been trying to renovate your diet and in doing so, dying to incorporate sardines into your newer & healthier lifestyle for 2009. We all know they are one of the most overlooked and under-eaten healthy foods around (check out #8 on that list!). But with so many choices, what is a sardine neophyte to do? Well, you do what I did probably, start with Google. First, what

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-75163303824371830752009-02-17T07:22:00.000-08:002009-02-17T07:54:56.846-08:00

It dawned on me the other day that I have very few days of actual work left before I walk down the aisle to receive those long sought after initials... M.D.! I heard a couple students say they could not believe how fast the last 4 years have gone by. I am not sure I feel the same. In some manner it is always a little bit of a surprise to arrive at your destination after focusing on the journey

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-37393593346566466702009-02-09T08:12:00.000-08:002009-02-09T08:37:59.319-08:00

There has been more snow here this year than I remember in a long time... although my "long time" in Seattle only goes back to 1992. I awoke this morning, unexpectedly, at about 3:15am and could tell by the muffled silence that something was different. When I rose and went to the window I saw the sky filled with big cotton ball snow gently coating the world around my apartment. I live on the top

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-46915161776167324312009-01-15T21:07:00.001-08:002009-01-22T12:24:12.287-08:00

As a med student that has spent the last month flying all over this country on various airlines and in various aircraft, this NY Times story about US Airways flight 1549 was pretty scary but also reassuring in some ways. Nice to know that not all aircraft failures are catastrophic! I also must say that of the many flights I have been on this last year, about 3 out of 4 of the Airbus aircraft I

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-46814703193616352262009-01-15T17:47:00.000-08:002009-01-15T18:38:13.069-08:00

Today the NRMP's R3 system opened for business for most of us in the final year of medical education. This is the time of truth when we have to assemble all the data, gut feelings and urban legends we have acquired on the "interview trail" and come up with a list of residency programs we would like to attend. This list is a binding contract, a listing of programs prioritized by which would be

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-35653191925935789322008-12-30T17:47:00.001-08:002008-12-30T18:11:44.690-08:00

I have not procrastinated much lately. Well... at least not on this blog. I have started a new clerkship, one of the last required clerkships left in medical school for me. Neurology. I am finding that life in clerkships is VERY different AFTER your residency interviews are pretty much finished. From this point forward it is not how well you do, no more competition, it is simply getting up in the

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-79382399542321527072008-12-15T19:33:00.000-08:002008-12-15T19:57:01.024-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this month, but interview traveling has kept me quite busy. I am going to write a little about interviews and residency, but I am so tired of that so let's start with books! I just finished reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy and "Out Stealing Horses" by Per Petterson. I can't say enough good things about both books. Quite amazing, both with sparse prose that was as

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-69265033818575055412008-12-12T20:59:00.001-08:002008-12-14T16:04:10.796-08:00

Check out some more of these beauties here....

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-28538611122850930202008-11-30T12:38:00.000-08:002008-11-30T13:14:53.258-08:00

The last three weeks have been gloriously empty! No rotations, no interviews, no schedule, no plans, no hospital, no school, no nothing! Nothing but delayed showers, leisurely mornings with tea, public radio, DVD's, dinner with friends, occasional trips to the gym, long hours on the couch with books, trips to the farmer's markets around town and dinners made at home with purchased ingredients.

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-233160808572633952008-11-13T09:31:00.000-08:002008-11-17T12:58:03.630-08:00

Well, so much for the pleasant absence of residency rejections. I have been checking my email obsessively for news one way or the other on the 9 programs I am waiting on. I have received my first two rejections now. One was at a program that I was just not that excited about honestly and so my heart was not exactly broken. It was a good location though, and that is frustrating. The second came

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-69142339338013971202008-11-11T12:29:00.000-08:002008-11-13T09:31:23.229-08:00

As most of you know, I am in the process of applying for my residency in Emergency Medicine. There are about 146 programs all around the country and I applied to 20 of those. I have heard some students apply to 40 programs or more and some apply to less than 10. It is an expensive process and unnerving in many ways, so I decided 20 programs would be enough... but is it?So far I have had two

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-22443767671687179292008-11-07T08:20:00.000-08:002008-11-08T10:10:17.692-08:00

I am back from Portland Maine and home in my cozy apartment on the north end of Queen Anne hill. From here in Seattle I have a view of the remaining leaves on the changing trees to the north, west and east. Enough leaves have fallen near the Aurora Bridge that I have a view of the water, more so than before. I spent the second day back raking some of those leaves during a day that held back the

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-80317776248839033192008-11-06T09:22:00.000-08:002008-11-08T10:09:54.778-08:00

Today I thought I would make a big transition. I have used Microsoft Money since 1994 to manage my finances. It allows me to analyze my spending, plan for future spending, track all categories of my spending, etc... When I was young (which I was in 1994) I could not keep track of anything and often bounced checks. Once I got MS Money I paid all my bills electronically (the bank printed and mailed

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-73134416760759773252008-10-28T05:01:00.000-07:002008-10-28T05:11:01.331-07:00

I thought this story from the NY Times was a good characterization to what it is like in a large ED on most days... here is an excerpt, but the whole story is worth reading! (and check out the nice 360 degree photo of the trauma room here)It was an ordinary day at the emergency room. Dr. William Goldberg was in charge.His team at Bellevue Hospital Center had a fairly average caseload for a

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-44768603811542215202008-10-24T06:32:00.000-07:002008-11-08T09:55:29.979-08:00

This is a true story from NCWYT blog: the Maine lobster industry is reeling from a collapse in demand, and subsequent collapse in the market prices, for the deep-sea crustacean. While supplies are adequate, Canadian seafood processors, who usually grab a significant portion of each day’s catch, have stopped ordering and buying lobsters because their credit lines with Icelandic banks have been

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-90800078828924231292008-10-21T18:50:00.000-07:002008-11-10T13:10:33.411-08:00

Here is the list of the places I have applied to for Emergency Medicine residency! This list is almost complete, I have two more programs I want to add... still working on that. This is the lion's share though. I have had some interviews and have some scheduled already! Now it is a waiting game... (THIS LIST IS NOT IN RANK ORDER! It is just how ERAS printed it!) University of Arizona Program,

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-75931898041778046312008-10-19T09:20:00.000-07:002008-10-21T18:50:00.307-07:00

"We do not see the world as it is....we see the world as we are."An appropriate saying not only for myself but for those that make their lives around the images of the world around them I think.... Bridget has been visiting Portland this weekend and is an old friend. She is a photographer I knew long ago in Seattle when we were both much younger and has been living in Portland most recently.

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-51421215315051817432008-10-13T14:12:00.000-07:002008-11-10T13:12:42.044-08:00

It has been so nice to be back in one of my favorite states in all the United States. Maine has a feel and a magic so totally different from all other places I have ever lived. I love Utah with all the national parks and amazing geography. Seattle and Washington offer unparalleled mountains and great ocean views... Montana has the big skies for sure. California is the land of milk and honey (

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-49084565794984937172008-10-03T14:28:00.000-07:002008-10-03T15:51:09.851-07:00

I have arrived in Portland Maine! I have been here a few days now but spent about 4 days on Islesboro, the island I summered on in the early 1980's, before coming down here to ready myself for yet another EM away rotation. I had a bit of a rough start, but today the weather cleared and it was cold, crisp and clear. I am on shift tonight at midnight so I took a nice stroll around town today (see

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-24344284373759509462008-09-23T15:43:00.000-07:002008-09-23T16:01:34.754-07:00

It is time for a post and a break from the manuscript I am editing with a friend for use in an upcoming pediatric EM manual. I have been a bit remiss in my writing duties with regards to this chapter on "limps in children" and the doc I am working with has done most the writing but I am contributing a section on neoplastic causes and doing a lot of formatting, editing and other busy work...My

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-58228408589075656762008-09-21T14:18:00.000-07:002008-09-23T16:08:26.382-07:00

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-91438689060612081842008-09-13T20:11:00.000-07:002008-09-13T20:37:55.711-07:00

Residency application time. ERAS documents. Curriculum vitae. Away rotations where I try to shine and appear confident. The actual act of documenting my life is somewhat interesting in its own way but frustrating and tedious at the same time. As I try to sum up who I am and where I am going in a one page "personal statement" for my ERAS residency application I can't help but think about all that

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-49985374230344881832008-09-06T21:04:00.000-07:002008-09-06T21:17:33.141-07:00

I just finished my second EM shift here in Utah. So far, so good. I have already jumped in with both feet. Ben and I are really getting to learn a lot and carry a strong patient load. We have done nerve blocks, lumbar punctures, EJ's, thoracentesis, splinting and more! The nursing and support staff are super cooperative and it is great getting to experience EM as a speciality that owns its ED!

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-29637700908598372022008-09-04T20:04:00.000-07:002008-09-04T20:11:56.229-07:00

Well, let's hope so anyway. The last exam that really matters that is. I may have one or two more rotation exams, but they won't even make it to my residency transcript and by the time they actually post a grade I will be done with residency interviews. Yes, today I took my Step-2 CK and it is just now starting to sink in that I am done with the last standardized evaluation of my overall medical

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-50986312942091502872008-08-30T10:55:00.000-07:002008-08-30T11:11:59.100-07:00

I am at home today packing. Again. This was my decision but it still feels miserable in many ways, although a few aspects of this particular trip make it a little more exciting. I have been back in Seattle for about 3 months now and living in my new apartment which I love. After a year of traveling every 6 weeks to a new hospital and clinical rotation was much harder on me emotionally and

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-393177432493894322008-08-26T17:30:00.000-07:002010-07-31T01:54:31.469-07:00

Just so you know, a few days ago I was tempted while shopping in my local organic grocery store by the locally farmed, range fed turkey breakfast sausages in all natural casings (of course). They were sitting there, innocently, next to the pork variation of the same. Once glance at the nutrition label and it was easy to see the turkey was the clear lean meat leader in this race. I then looked at

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-9825992876926478052008-08-21T21:21:00.000-07:002010-07-31T12:16:37.513-07:00

This is the best sign I have seen in LA so far! It reminds me that you must always LOCK YOUR BIKE when leaving it somewhere.... I just finished my Step2 CS and it was a fast trip. Happy it is over as I am now nearly finished with the LAST EXAM I will EVER have to take in medical school! I still have the computerized portion of the test to take which is another 9 hour exam in front of a computer.

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-27364491293932775182008-08-21T06:11:00.000-07:002008-08-21T06:18:32.914-07:00

I am currently on an Anesthesiology rotation which is quite fun. There is a lot to learn and I really enjoy the plethora of gadgets in this field. It is sort of like learning how to run a human by remote control. Today is going to be cut a little short as I leave for Lost Angeles though. I am taking my Step-2 CS (Clinical Skills) exam. This is a chance for students to spend $1500 and go pretend

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-19777202015620466922008-08-15T08:45:00.000-07:002008-08-15T09:46:30.881-07:00

This post was inspired by recent events....THOSE PESKY ROBOTS! When it comes to the internet, you are no longer in control of what you write! Or are you? Well, sorta... The issue here is robots, search engines and the great elusive "cache" that exists somewhere in cyberspace. Recently I removed a number of posts and re-wrote various aspects of some posts to make sure I was adhering to the

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-71540975455285044512008-08-13T21:37:00.000-07:002008-08-13T22:17:11.284-07:00

This is not going to be a thorough posting on recent events, but I thought I would update everyone on the recent developments regarding the concerns my medical school had regarding my blog. Last Tuesday I had a meeting with various people from Harborview Medical Center, the University of Washington and the UW School of Medicine. Until this meeting I had heard some pretty dire things about

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-28309132410061015102008-08-12T00:18:00.000-07:002008-08-12T00:20:52.505-07:00

I meant to post these photos a few weeks back when the Blue Angels were actually here but I got side tracked. This is why it is nice to have a front deck and a back deck. Great views of the tight formation fighter jet shows that streak past in the late Seattle summers! This was one of a few shots from right off my deck. Some people I know can't stand the Blue Angels flying around at Seafair time,

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-41095478543418795682008-08-10T17:38:00.000-07:002010-07-31T01:49:52.259-07:00

I thought this was a good time to try and introduce a new Blog addition... iPhone Art. Long ago when the first camera phones came out they reminded me of the funky "toy camera" art people did with Holga cameras and other plastic classics. These cameras were known for their poor plastic lenses, distortion, unequal exposures and occasional sharp image. I think the attraction was the expressionistic

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-2858690396455694912008-08-08T08:55:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:05:36.790-07:00

The Alterantive Title That Was Too Long: "Where is the proof? Where is the rule book? But it says right here.... Tell me what I should do for I cannot think for myself! I must follow the rule book!"The scientific method is one of the most powerful tools ever created by the human mind. It has brought about countless changes and improvements to our daily lives. Because something has been "

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-29498569891588316672008-08-07T08:51:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.229-07:00

This 2-3 week period after my Emergency Medicine clerkship is filled with evaluatory anxiety (did I make up that word?). Besides having my senior OSCE (a clinical exam with simulated patients) at my own medical school today at 12:30pm I have my Step-2 CK next Thursday and then Step-2 CS the week after! I am applying for residencies in the next month which entails its own set of requirements too.

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-73061669858838691822008-08-06T10:14:00.000-07:002008-08-06T13:32:14.522-07:00

I must say that my new iPhone 3G truly is the "one phone" when it comes to procrastination! Twice as fast, half the price and about FOUR TIMES the distraction! I have been a PC guy since about 1990 but I am seriously thinking of updating my wardrobe and becoming a Mac! Since I have purchased this phone I have wasted procrastinated for approximately 6 hours while I added programs, customized it,

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-13146897336369077632008-08-04T17:08:00.000-07:002008-08-04T16:20:09.553-07:00

I decided to register a domain name for this blog. Why? I don't know... I was constructively procrastinating I guess.... I thought that in the years to come we will have one single point of contact most likely and it will probably be internet based. So I thought I would prefer to have my contact address reflect my real name and not something like nhasti873XX6YZ.org or something else ludicrous.

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-72024861021405053282008-08-04T15:43:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:23:11.000-07:00

I just recently had a conversation with the medical director of Harborview and we had a great conversation regarding the confusion and concerns surrounding my blog. Until this point I had heard very little from those that were actually concerned with regards to the blog other than a very frightening voice mail and conversation that made me both concerned for my future medical education and

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-81098783090101120912008-08-01T23:16:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:23:11.001-07:00

As you may have noticed, a large number of posts have DISAPPEARED from my blog as of Friday! Sorry about that, but I had a rather disturbing voice mail late this afternoon regarding some of my clinically related posts. It later led to a phone call with my Dean where he voiced his concern about my professional safety and legal liability. Evidently, administration at Harborview Medical Center,

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-76067599025538250262008-08-01T22:03:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:27:27.059-07:00

I want to convey one more patient centered post before I take a break with such writing as a response to my decision to remove multiple patient care centered posts. In this particular post (I removed the photo referenced below due to further HIPAA concerns despite my verbal consent from the patient to use the photo of the thank you note. Once I receive written authorization from the patient I

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-54621348947488390522008-08-01T13:53:00.000-07:002009-02-15T08:45:59.109-08:00

Here is an updated list of all my clinical clerkships! Third year and 4th year now added.... (still working on a few dates and details) BeginEndCourse and Location07/20/200708/17/2007ELECTIVE PERIOD08/20/200709/28/2007PEDIATRICS10/01/200711/09/2007 INTERNAL MEDICINE (WWAMI)11/12/200712/21/2007INTERNAL MEDICINE01/07/200802/15/2008INTRO OB/GYN02/18/200803/28/2008FAMILY MEDICINE03/31/200805/09/

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-5011354415726612702008-07-05T00:18:00.000-07:002008-07-05T00:38:18.741-07:00

I have some new photos of the fireworks up on my Picasa photo albums! Nice show and I enjoyed it from the front deck of my new apartment. This place is getting better all the time! You can check out a video of the finale right here too! Took the video with my Panasonic Lumix FZ-18 in movie mode.... I love the Lumix cameras. Good electronics and Leica lenses. I also own an Lumix FX-500 which

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-22104236213938223112008-07-02T18:47:00.001-07:002008-08-12T16:28:21.458-07:00

There are many signs of addiction and as medical providers we are obligated to consider it during most care visits, whether it be the ED or a general physical. There have been studies designed to figure out the simplest, least adversarial way to ask patients about their substance use but that are also sensitive and accurate for the issue of addiction. One format is the CAGE questions. CAGE is an

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-25236551589109147692008-07-01T09:34:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.234-07:00

I am not sure if I feel that I qualify for the title "Senior Clerk" or "Senior Medical Student" as I have just finished my 3rd year of medical training. In addition, my birthday is approaching fast and being an older medical student makes the term "senior" hit a little harder I think. Okay, I am not in danger of filing for my Social Security before I finish my residency, but I am already thinking

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-18497986263214408552008-06-28T12:54:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:57:45.111-07:00

I know you are probably NOT in the market for a motorcycle, but in the off chance you are I am selling my BMW R1100RS. Here is a link to the sales page I made for it... It is summer.. You know you want it. It is an excellent bike and I just can't ride it enough this summer and besides, I am moving for residency soon... Yes, Emergency Medicine doctors do sometimes ride motorcycles and we wear

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-60636205137879565602008-06-26T19:04:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:05:36.794-07:00

Not really, but I felt like it tonight... For the last few days I have been living in EXCRUCIATING pain as a troublesome molar tooth I has been infected. Not a cavity, this tooth had a root canal many years ago, but from time to time part of the socket gets infected again. I don't know why, but a good flossing and then extra attention with my Sonicare always seems to get it back on track in a few

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-40599266468089288242008-06-23T21:07:00.001-07:002008-08-12T16:03:16.520-07:00

My posting here has taken a turn for the sparse again... but I am now officially done with the 3rd year of medical school and heading into my fourth and FINAL year! As usual it means a lot of transitions. Some are welcome and greeted with relief, such as the end of third year and moving into a new apartment which means home... other changes are not so happy, but I am not going to go into that

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-23509780372812593112008-06-02T20:03:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.236-07:00

I have been absent from the internet for a bit, but I am back home in Seattle and I am on psychiatry at the UW Medical Center. This is quite a change from surgery I must say and although it is a nice rest in some ways, it is frustrating in others. One thing psychiatry seems to lack is the "things to do" items that surgery and medicine were full of. In those specialties I had patients, teams,

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-62321742188934709952008-05-08T16:35:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.237-07:00

I have been editing the UW EMIG's website recently (although I SHOULD BE STUDYING FOR ME SURGERY EXAM!) and ran across some more clinical videos that are really great. To see some of each, check out these sites!The UW EMIG Procedure PagesClinicalCases.org Procedure Pages

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-36755522382722829072008-05-07T14:49:00.001-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.238-07:00

I just finished the last required surgery of my medical school career! Was a bigger than life, nightly news sort of dramatic surgical intervention? No, it was a simple inguinal hernia repair... Still, there is something very satisfying about hernia operations. Not too techinal or difficult, but straightforward, requiring a modest amount of skill. There is a clear and defined problem and a well

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-1277150292553190442008-04-29T15:29:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.239-07:00

Well, my surgical attitude has improved. I was feeling pretty frustrated during my early weeks here at Fairbanks Memorial as a MS3 surgery student. Now, with the rotation almost done I am feeling the love! A big part of any rotation is figuring out the personalities of those teaching you. Some are good teachers, some are full of crap, some have good intentions but are poor teachers and some

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-60534487349794825252008-04-12T15:15:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.239-07:00

I am finally starting to see my patterns and learning a lot about my place within the medical community as third year progresses. Well, it is almost over now, but that gives me something to look back on. First of all my rotations have mostly all gone much better than I expected. I had heard horror stories from people about being put down, feeling small, ignored or outright abused. I have had

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344313054212157684.post-21272297793389204742008-04-10T14:33:00.000-07:002008-08-12T16:02:59.240-07:00

I awoke this morning to find that winter had returned to Fairbanks! (check out the Arctic-Cam from the local paper!) It was slick enough on the roads this morning that "another medical student that will not be named" even slid off the road into a ditch this morning on the way to the hospital and had to be pulled out by a big 4x4!!! Here is a photo of the snow out the back porch window!About 6

Noel Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995585482168059050noreply@blogger.com0