Self defense

Last thursday night I traveled into San Francisco to go to a self defense class with Kat. I thought it would be smart to have some idea how to defend myself since I will be moving to a new city every six weeks for the next year. Although I am generally very aware of my surroundings, which is the key to prevention, I thought I would ease some of my anxiety (and my mothers) by taking a self defense class. The class was great, we practiced yelling STOP as loud as possible ( I was able to wake up my cheerleading yell after allowing it to sleep for about 10 years) and learned several maneuvers to use if ever attacked or in an uncomfortable situation.

Another form of self defense I will be learning throughout the clinical year is how to protect my heart while allowing myself to be available to emotionally support patients for the brief time I have with them. One of my professors described this as being like a teflon pan, having the ability to hold the space while with the patient but allowing the emotional aspect to slip off at the end of the day. In essence being able to leave work at work. I know this maybe a challenge for me as a provider because I am very empathetic but, I am hoping I can recognize the importance of my mental health, and that to best care for my patients I must be able to perfect this process.

This week I have been doing a lot of counseling with parents and their children regarding diet, exercise and weight. This is an aspect of being a practitioner I have come to realize I really enjoy. I feel like these parents hear me, at least for the ten minutes I am speaking to them. The real test comes at the follow up visit to determine if they have made the changes with their families to lose weight and gain health. Unfortunately, I will not be here in four weeks to determine if there has been any change.

I am seeing most patients on my own each day, Dr. Mahdavi then comes in the room to check over my work and add to anything that I might have missed. Although I have made several wrong diagnosis, I have made several right ones. Dr. Mahdavi is very positive and praises me for my efforts (right or wrong) and will quietly mark out my wrong diagnosis. He is  a great teacher and I am so grateful for my time in this clinic!