We’ve had a fun few recent weeks in Terre Haute as planning for our annual Community Health Fair has neared its logical endpoint. This Sunday, we host nearly 80 different organizations and businesses at the Hulman Center from 1 to 4 pm in Downtown Terre Haute. The event is free and open to everyone, and offers opportunities not only for free screenings, but conversations with health professionals about whatever is on your mind.
Out front of the Hulman Center, The Indiana Blood Center will be waiting for blood donors, eager to replace blood that is constantly being used up in medical procedures around the state. The organization has a website where you can see what times are available, and even register in advance, so you know when you get there, the wait will be minimal. I am going at 1pm myself; please join me for a little blood letting! Walk-ins welcome.
Make an Appointment – DonorPoint
Online scheduling for appointments to donate blood.
New this year is an area where the first-year medical students, led by Christian, the class representative, can practice taking vitals; admit it, you’ve always wanted to be a guinea pig. This won’t hurt a bit…
Another always-popular area is the Kid’s Corner; run by Bernie and Kyle this year with a slew of other medical students, ready and waiting to entertain your children while you check out the displays and ask questions.
There will most certainly be free refreshments, and many medical students just waiting to point you in the right direction.
Naturally, these things don’t plan themselves, and as event Co-Chair, alongside the hard-working Naina, it has been impressive for me to see my classmates each shine in their various roles. Rough patches were navigated, as in any big project, and it turns out I am a bit of an autocratic, but nobody’s perfect.
Behind the scenes, alongside Naina and me, Anna orchestrated the vendor participation, a job that we hope will be divided between four people next year…yes…four. Overseeing our accounts, Lauren and Teela worked hard to keep us all from spending too much while keeping an eye out for donors, and Evan combed the community looking to provide door prizes and bag-stuffers.
It is always a privilege to acknowledge those who none see do their work, and in that vein I want to recognize that the continuity and flow of the event was assured by Mary Beth and Kristy, who we all owe a debt of gratitude to, as well as our faithful sponsors in the community. And please visit the website I mention to see the full list.
Getting back to impressive; watch this video of one of the television spots (WTWO)our very own Dan and Ryan did-one of several ‘media’ spots they put together as the promotions co-chairs. I think Dan has a new friend…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww56YfczPto&list=FLVMIaTqrWLejiTzlCFYjRKA&feature=mh_lolz
They also appeared on one of the other networks (WTHI) in town, but I have no video upload to check out. Please note how the local media really partnered with us to get out the word. The Terre Haute Trib-Star ran a nice article too:
For more info, check out our website (I apologize for the links, you may have to cut-n-paste to get them to work):
http://www.healthyterrehaute.com/
A week or two ago, the Rural Track students met on a Tuesday morning for lunch with Kelly, the 3rd and 4th year coordinator, to pick our rotation. We have 12 slots, and luckily, we all kind of fell into working relationships before the meeting, so the choosing went smoothly.
I should probably explain what a rotation is, though if you are reading this, you likely know. A rotation is a period a medical student spends in a medical specialty, learning that specialty alongside the doctors, and studying all the time to prepare for a pass/fail exam taken on the last day of said rotation.
With the Rural Track, as of last year, we now spend all four years of medical school (2 years basic sciences in a traditional lecture format, 2 years of clinical rotations with didactics) in Terre Haute and most, if not all rotations can be done locally. Terre Haute was the first of the IUSM campuses to do this, though I suspect some day they may all offer it as an option, as the need for physicians grows with the population.
Returning to our main storyline; we began that Tuesday meeting by mapping out the various important life events. It turned out our cohort has three weddings coming up in the next year. These are important to note and schedule vacation slots around, as delivering someone else’s baby on your wedding night-because you are on your pediatrics rotation and on-call-might fall under the heading of ’you’re kidding me’. So planning is necessary. Once those blushing brides/groom were neatly fitted into schedules that worked, the rest of us fell into place rapidly. And the yogurt and bagels were great too.
My first rotation this summer is Anesthesia. I am excited to begin there, in spite of having no experience to go on, because I think it will be great to jump in and get the gases flowing. Or something like that.
The conventional wisdom is to begin with something you aren’t interested in then finish with what you are, so as to be as experienced as possible and make a good impression where it most matters. We’ll see how that goes, as I am interested in family practice, but without any real experience with many of the specialties, I am going in eyes wide open, and will work to find out what the best fit is.
I am paired with Jackie, who at times admonishes me to be a little less wordy. An interesting concept I do admit, but I’m still not sure how to implement it. Seriously; Jackie and I get along well, and I respect her no-nonsense attitude, which I suspect will serve her well in the Navy. In fact I fully expect to become a man of few words because of her……maybe someday. It is on my list of goals somewhere. Which I have around nearby…maybe.
Speaking of no-nonsense; Jackie and Sara-both blushing brides-are also the Health Fair on-site coordinators, so if you come, please take note of how well run the thing is. I am thinking wedding day dry-run. That is, if the wedding offered hearing tests and information on STDs.
And of course, that thread leads me back to mention that we will be giving away door prizes in drawings for those who take a few seconds to fill out our event questionnaire. The free event I mentioned in the first few paragraphs…you remember.
This has been a public service announcement.
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