3rd Week

This was a bit of a slower week than the previous one for me. I spent some time on clinical rounds with some residents, and I continued to work on understanding how to read x-rays. I have also been looking at some clinical studies of breast cancer patients and learning to understand some of the statistics involved that are unfamiliar to me.

Looking clinical data is sometimes very challenging. As engineers, we usually use mean and standard deviation as our normal statistical measures, generally aiming to condense those SD bars as much as possible. With clinical data, this is not the general procedure however, as the diversity of the population involved is naturally very great. I have been looking at Kaplan-Meier curves for these patients- this is not tough to understand, but at the same time it illustrates the differences in analyzing clinical and laboratory data. When I see huge variance in my data back in Ithaca, I re-do the experiment or scrap it. Here, that is not an option, but we still need to be able to provide rational explanations that enhance our ability to make future predictions.

In clinical rounds, I am basically a statue in the back. While the process shows me a glimpse of how it is to deal with sick people, I have not really been enriched by the experience. It was intriguing the first day of the week because it was new, but within a few patients it became a matter of scant interest. I'm not sure how it really pertains to me or might help me in any way, beyond providing me with insight into another profession. It basically felt like "take your kid to work day" to me, with me playing the role of "kid." Still, I value the initial experience, though I can't say I'm looking forward to more of the same!

I can't believe that immersion is basically more than halfway done! It has flown by. I've gotten a chance to explore one of the greatest cities in the world, and I've seen some pretty interesting things in a SOTA cancer center. Being inside a hospital and having a chance to observe has been great; it has been awkward at times though, as I feel that I am in the way! This is a strange notion actually, because I think that BM Engineers are far from in the way of physicians, as we are actually the vanguard in initiating the next revolution of healthcare in this world.