Summer Immersion finally started

It seems that we have experienced one year's preparation for the Summer Immersion program since the orientation week when we are told the program. My initial curiosity about the hospital life faded a little after "immersion" in my lab which is also part of Presbyterian Hospital in 55th street. But I still longed for a real immersion from diagnosis to surgery and it finally came. I am very grateful for the organization of Dr. Wang and Belinda. They do have contributed a lot since the early meetings to mentor selection to the physical test. Keigo and Mitch are also excellent guys. They made the first few days since we came easier.

I arrived several days earlier, so I missed the bus time with the others. As I live in Lasdon separately, I did not met the wireless or housing problems. Everything went on pretty smoothly including getting my ID. This seemed to be a trouble as expected, but turned out to be all right for everyone. So our immersion started with meeting breakfast and NYC life experience talk, a joyful start. Dr. Wang and Dr. Weinsaft introduced the program. I think it is just as what Dr. Wang said, this immersion experience is invaluable to most of us because we may only have this chance to get to know the real hospital life. This makes me better aware of this opportunity, to learn how doctors think, to think in a clinical way and to combine what we learn with what we see. The first day ends with the ethical seminar. I related this seminar with my experience of being scanned in an MRI machine. That was my third time being scanned in my lab by the other lab members, but one of the fellows still asked me to fill out the safety form and authorization form. At that time I couldn't quiet understand why such forms are so important for research including human subjects. But now I know ethics in researches is a big issue and should never be under emphasized. Also writing these forms is what I should learn in my research work.


My mentor is Dr. Prince specialize in radiology. He is an expertise in MRI especially MR Angiography. He is a very nice person and is always patient to answer my questions. The first time we met, he gave me a detailed list of ongoing projects and ask me to think over which one to take. I met him on Tuesday morning in the reading room of MRI unit. The reading room is where doctors look at and discuss the MRI cases. It is in the basement of hospital, perhaps because the doctors don't need sunlight, even avoiding it, while working. The light in the reading room is always turned off to make the images more clear. Dr. Prince discussed the cases with two other fellows in radiology. I felt bad because I can't understand the specific point in the analysis. The terms in anatomy and medicine is too hard for me. Though I do understand the general idea by looking at those images on the screen. As an MRI student, those images are kind of easier and intuitive for me. It seems that radiology is a specialty of teamwork. At least, discussion is very important. It is hard even for expertise radiologist to explain every abnormality in those images. It reminds me that one of my friends told me that radiology is the most hardest to specialize in for medical school students. I guess it is because you have to know so much and so accurate about the whole body anatomy. Later on that day I read the first few chapters of book which Dr. Prince is writing. It is about how to use MRI scanner. Learning the book and making some revision is part of my immersion work. As I already have some experience on that, I quickly went through it.

Wednesday is a practice day. I watched a lab member scanning and used the scanner myself! Actually, I have been scanned for many times. So being scanned for me is neither an new experience nor a painful experience. But they both are for the first time scanner. Lying still in a cylinder, annoyed by big noise could never be pleasant experience. But scanning is another thing. I had to be very careful not to make mistake which is hard the first time standing in front of the huge machine. I scanned a phantom that day not a real human. I just had to make sure that the instrument is connected correctly and what matters is to adjust the parameter in the computer. While, when scanning real human, safety is big issue. I have to make sure the subject has no iron with or within the body. I do need more practice before I can get a person in my scanner.

On Thursday I met with Dr. Prince in the meeting room as usual. So I know that for Dr. Prince, looking at cases is routine in the morning. He is more like a consultant for the other fellows. I noticed that he also helped the doctors in Columbia University analysing cases. That was done through remote reading. He talked to the doctors on telephone and read the cases on the screen which I guess was transmitted from the database of Columbia. Experience is really important for radiologists. What you know largely depends on how many cases you have seen before. The fellows there discussed the cases and gain experience by learning from doctors like Dr. Prince. Although I still had no idea of what they were talking about the images, I got more idea of how they looked at those images and how they found problems. The software is advanced and could provide functions like vessel segmentation. By clicking part of the vessel, the software automatically grew into a 3D vessel system. By dragging the images, doctors could see the vessels from different angles which is pretty cool! I also saw a case about liver transplantation. Radiology can be very useful in these organ transplantation surgeries. They help the doctors to identify the position even the volume of the organs. Specifically, for the liver transplantation, as the doctors have to decide how much of the liver should be excised in order for an successful procedure, accurate measurement becomes crucial. By using contrast agents, the liver could get an enhanced contrast compared with other body parts.

First week is a good start. I have fixed my project to be designing sleeves for MRI scan. I hope I can make steady progress in the future weeks. Also, I already have schedules for watching procedures in Columbia University. Exciting!