Woo hoo!  I passed my step II boards which essentially lets me graduate once I pass the physical exam portion in February!   I also improved substantially over step 1!    I also have a new phone number now so if you try to call me and cannot get in touch with me, email me to get my new number sent to you.  I got one of those new Motorola Q9m phones and they are snazzy.  Why not an Iphone?  Cause there are too many issues with the darn things right now.  I’d rather get the google phone when it comes out because google just owns.  Period!

Other than that, doing well!  Trying to get my ERAS (residency applications) done so I can get on the interview trail for residencies!  Have an awesome day.

-Richie

I’m sitting here writing this at 1:16am. I’ve worked 2 weeks straight and thru labor day weekend on my medicine sub-I. Tonight’s entry is on “trust.” I am realizing that in one’s journey to become a physician, one has to be ever vigilant in being suspicious. Whether it be a patient who sells morphine tablets to other patients in the hospital or a cheating wife who brings home a nice STD to their husband. As clinicians, we hold the dirty little secrets to humanity’s immorality but are conditioned to be ever vigilant in maintaining confidentiality. This results in the problem of bearing a million little secrets on oneself, which is taxing on the mind. Over the past few months, I’ve learned to cope the only way I know how…to become hardened and numb to it all. Numb in the sense that almost every person gets a tox screen ordered to look for drug abuse and infidelity is always a consideration when things just don’t add up. Does this mean that I have become uncaring? On the contrary, it makes me feel more caring and appreciative for the others who play life by the rules. But the path to becoming a physician robs you of your innocence, particularly in your clinical years, molding you into a more jaded and street savvy individual. Why? Because it is necessary to be able to provide the best care for all of your patients. It is necessary to maintain the confidentiality that physicians provide so that the bit of truth that is divulged in a patient’s history can be used for the betterment of the patient without their fear of repercussions. The knowledge of the crap society is capable of is the pressure that refines our soft carbon newbieness into our sharp diamond-like precision.

Just remember, next time your physician is a smidgen short with you, we do not intend to be. We just live with the lies of many and the truth of few…and without the ability to ever tell who those who it matters to. Now that’s deep.

So I’m taking my board exam this week and boy is it coming up fast. I’ve read thru most of USMLE Step II Secrets and my USMLEWorld scores are coming up slowly but surely! Stay tuned for the recount of the exam experience!

So time for a short update since it’s been awhile. I’m in full study mode for USMLE and COMLEX Step II. I’ve been doing USMLEWorld questions and reading USMLE Step II Secrets to bone up on material for the exam. So far, I feel like I’m getting my butt kicked by USMLEWorld but the normal practice exams state otherwise. I’m in general surgery right now with Dr. Duremdes again. This time around, everything makes alot more sense in the context of procedures and patient care. The first day was awkward because I had to relearn how to scrub and “do the dance” again. Plus I need to bone up on my suturing skills too Will get plenty of practice though.

Things are continuing to go well with Patty and I as we inch closer and closer to the wedding. Other than that, it’s same old stuff. I’ll be writing some updates after boards when I get my life back again. I’ve been to Williamsburg to ride the Griffon at Busch Gardens and back to Wilmington/Myrtle Beach to chill out during my birthday!

Ok time to jet, I need to do another USMLEWorld test!

Ah yes. The smell of the hospital hallways… The obligatory “Sorry Richie, the employee badge maker is down” comment. I’m in a new hospital, lost and in my little white coat without an ID badge. But you know what? I don’t care because today…I walk the hospital floors as a bona fide 4th year medical student! Oh yes my friends. Something happens when you walk into your 4th year. You gain confidence. You transform from a shy and meek 3rd year medical student who’s worried about every little look the chief gives you…to…a Dr. Huggie Bear straight from Starsky and Hutch (complete with the pimp cane and all) I have acquired a photo of this elusive creature.

Vacation was nice and much needed. I made it home to Wilmington to see my parents for a few days. It was nice to get home and see the beach town. Unfortunately, I was sick for part of the trip but I still did alright. Patty did her best to try to nurse me back to health before I went. She begged me to stay until I got better but I’m stubborn and made the drive anyway. I spent the rest of my vacation with Patty. She’s directing a high school summer theatrical production (Little Women) for Wise County during the day so I’ve been studying for the USMLE and COMLEX Step 2 board exams while she is gone.

I’ve got alot of old nintendo and SNES games to sell on ebay. It’s going to be rough parting with my Final Fantasy collection but I am going to need to downsize what I have if I am going to be moving in the next year. Residency choices you say? Oh Lord, I haven’t gotten it nailed down yet. I’ll keep you all posted. I just know that I will never ever ever do OBGYN or Pediatrics as a specialty.

My google adsense/HyperVRE project has gone nicely for my new startup sites. Richiesbridal.com had over 1000 visitors last month, which is not bad for a 2 hour project. My dad hasn’t done much of anything with the golf site so I may just take it over when I get past taking boards. My goal is to have to increase my supplemental income so Patty and I don’t have to live off of Ramen noodles when I am in Residency hahaha

I am also a “SDN Mentor” now for studentdoctor.net. So come get your cheap (read: free) advice from me on the forums over there if you are looking to get into medical school. It’s a wild ride but I still say it’s worth it. And now I bid thee adieu. Till next time my friends! (Probably after I finish this next USMLEWorld test…nothing crushes your little medical ego like a practice USMLE!)

You can read a little about “us”, and also sign our guestbook.  This page will be updated from time to time as the wedding approaches, so please, visit often!

~patty

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/PattySpera&RichieTruxillo

So here I am, a bona-fide official 4th year medical student. They say that your 4th year of medical school is cake. I don’t see it yet since I am still trying to schedule clinical rotations. Oh joy. It’s all scary from here on out. I’m trying to get a couple urology rotations setup but for the most part, it’s studying for boards. I’ve gotten USMLEWorld question bank to do to get some practice in for my COMLEX and USMLE Step II exams. Oh joy!  Well time to get back to the grindstone.  I’ve got work to do so I can get to Wilmington to see my folks and spend some time with the future wifey

So tomorrow is my final day here at Dr. Todd smith’s office.  I really enjoyed my time here.  Everyone is alot of fun!  I’m currently 1/4th thru my ”USMLE Step 2 Secrets” book and already I feel like I am refreshing my memory on alot of topics I had forgotten about.  Got to see a case of acute cholecystitis (gall bladder stuff) and some joint injections today.   Dr. todd ordered some fish for his saltwater aquarium and they arrived dead as a doornail. :(  Well, all except the starfish survived hehe  All in all, today is flying by though!  Pretty schhhweeet! 

As you can see below this post, the lovely lady posted.  She is so sweet.  Well her sweetness has gotten her a cavity and now she needs a root canal.  Lemme tell ya, I avoid the dentist at all cost cause I have had some nasty experiences with having some of my permanent teeth pulled when I had braces.  Getting my wisdom teeth cut out wasn’t fun either!  In fact, I remember having to get new stitches because I sliced my wound open by eating a poptart 2 days after the surgery!  So when your doctor says to eat soft foods….listen to him and EAT SOFT FOODS!  

In other news, I became a Studentdoctor.net mentor today so I’ll be helping people out with medical school stuff.  I’m the PBL and computer science to medicine mentor.  Cool beans eh?

Anyway, gotta jet.  Patients are trickling in now!

Hi All!!!  No, this is not Richie’s mother, it’s actually the future Mrs. Truxillo!  This is my first post so I hope you all enjoy!

I just wanted to let ALL of Richie’s Friends and Fans know what a wonderful man he is and just how much he takes care of me!  I have had a toothache for a few days now, and Richie finally convinced me to go to the dentist.  Sure enough, I was told that I have to have a root canal!!!!!  So being the amazing fiancé he is, he started looking for oral surgeons in HIS area so he could take the day off of his rotation and take care of me!  When I mentioned to him that my favorite dentist (and good friend) moved from my area to Roanoke a year ago, he immediately located her office online and said that if I can get an appointment, he would drive me the 100 miles it takes to get to Roanoke from Bluefield,  just so I can feel better about my root canal!  He’s amazing!  I love this man!

So today is one of those days where I just wanted to pull the sheets up over my head and stay in bed.  Nevertheless, rounds start at 7:30 sharp so I ousted myself out of the bed in my sleepy daze.  The water was hot in the shower, a little too hot for Captain Winky though who let me know real fast by sending a burning pain up through the rest of my body :(  At least I was awake then!   Murphy’s law I guess.   I dashed out of the shower, shaved, put on my scrubs and made a mad dash to the hospital.  And now, here I sit, in between patients…working on my carpal tunnel syndrome by writing this entry

A guy just walked by and held up his urine sample and asked “Is this enough?”  Of course I nodded seeing the liquid gold in the bottom of the container.  Maybe that is why I want to go into Urology…pee doesn’t bother me (Hey that rhymed!)

My newest project is going along nicely.  It’s making what we call “Virtual Real Estate” websites, commonly called “VRE” for short.  The basic jist is that you build websites based around a niche theme and then post articles about your topic.  You then integrate Google Adsense ads into your articles and generate revenue.  I have to admit though, I have this negative vibe towards advertising on pages…but you know, lately I’ve come around.  Especially after this morning…   I watched Dr. Remines search for a new spin-milled sand wedge on the internet.  He probably clicked 3 out of 5 sponsored links on the pages he visited, just because they appealed to him.  It took me awhile to realize that THIS is how the average person surfs the internet…and I am *not* the average person.   So my project has been coming along nicely.  I’m trying to get my dad started with it but he hasn’t done much yet.   But it is a viable way to make some residual income (that is passive income that you earn on a monthly basis with little work) if you don’t want to sell a product on the side thru Multi-level marketing.  I think it is much more appealing for most folks who are looking for a way to generate residual income with under a 10 dollar investment.  Anyway, I am using a program to automate some of the website building.  It’s called HyperVRE.  I’d write more here about HyperVRE but I already wrote an article on brokemedicalstudents.com.  You can check it out here.

So, Patty has been busy buying up every bridal magazine ever made, looking at wedding stuff.  I am getting jazzed about getting to shop for our gift registry.  I hear they give you one of those barcode scanner guns and let you go nuts.  Here is a short list of what I wish I could zap:

- a 50″ plasma TV (as if 42″ isn’t enough)
- Stainless Steel BBQ grille with bun warmer
- 1000 Thread Count Sheets
- One of those weather station things for your house
- 2 portable dog carriers
- Cool looking china with golf embossing
- A new set Golf clubs
- A ez-boy recliner
- One of those $2000 massage chairs.

Well, I could keep brainstorming here BUT, I need to go see another patient so mind and body strong grasshoppers!

-Richie