Matter, Energy, and Life of Michaela A. Castello.

Tag: residency

  • Burnout

    There is a tiredness that seeps into the soul. Not a lack of sleep or some physical exhaustion; No, this weariness originates in the mind, From which it stretches forth, Penetrating the deepest recesses of the body. Once established it refuses to dissipate. A dense fog coloring experiences in grayscale; It adds burdensome weight to…

  • Incision and Drainage

    Descriptions within not recommended for sensitive stomachs.

  • Change of Shift

    Change of Shift

    Some changes may have occurred in two years.

  • A Spoonful of Sugar

    A toddler admitted for poor feeding sits cross-legged on the hospital bed, clutching a takeout soup container in their feet. My first thought is that the periorbital edema has significantly improved after diuresis, but my attention is soon drawn to the large stainless steel serving spoon clutched in their hand. I noted some fine motor…

  • Nights for Days

    Night shifts generate strong opinions: are they desirable or miserable, easier or more difficult? Regardless, residency has a fair number of them, and unlike our colleagues we don’t get paid any extra. Personally I don’t mind them, although to be fair, I don’t currently have difficulty sleeping during the day or catching naps during slow…

  • How I’m Spending the Next-Next Decade

    Mark recently remarked that it has been about…oh, hey, a decade…since I last attempted to lead my family and friends through the masochistic labyrinth of my poor life choices. Having now reached the “Post-Graduate” heading of that infamous post, I suppose an update would be beneficial. Regrettably, despite my prior efforts, many of my loved…

  • Confounding, Perplexing, Conclusion

    Today, I gave my CPC presentation. I think it’s supposed to stand for Clinical Pathological Correlation…or was it Case Presentation Conference? Despite my lack of certainty on the acronym’s meaning, a CPC is kind of a capstone project for the Pediatrics component of my residency program. An attending physician assigns a senior resident the task…

  • A Headache of a Headache

    Clinical case presentation given in partial fulfillment of the UCSD Child Neurology residency program. Among other things, working through this particular case emphasized the broad differential diagnosis of aseptic meningitis. Available on Google Slides or as a pdf download. Mentor: Begem Lee, MD