Midterms, Medical Audiology... and More Championships?
Midterms are done and I feel that familiar heir of momentum as the downhill portion of the semester begins. For as long as I can remember, I have been a notoriously slow starter, but always peak as the term begins to wind down. The same held true this semester, although I managed to put myself in a much better position for the stretch run relative to prior semesters. Medical Audiology has proven to be the most difficult course for all us, specifically after covering the embryology of the ear in the span of an hour. It is my lowest grade at 88 percent, but more importantly, I have learned a ton of applicable knowledge. For instance, I was able to identify otosclerosis in a patient at my offcampus location after audiometric results showed normal tympanograms, along with a low frequency hearing loss peaking close to normal at 2 kHz (Carhardt's notch). When revisiting the case history, the patient had noted better hearing in a crowd than in one-on-one situations. Upon referral to the single ENT in cohorts with my preceptor, the diagnosis was made. At this point in our studies, it's about the knowledge we retain. The GPA is a nice, but I boldly predict that future employers will be prioritizing competence over a 4.0.
Speaking of peaking late in the season tonight is the NBA season opener. I have been an avid Lakers fan since my childhood. Tonight, they will embark on the quest for the elusive three-peat and I will be tuning in for the championship ring ceremony. It will not be an easy journey, with this likely being Phil Jackson's final season, Kobe Bryant's fifteenth season, and the increasing competition all gunning for the Lakers stronghold as the best team in the league. While I have not located peer review literature on the subject, I am firmly convinced that the Lakers performance is directly correlative to my academic and clinical performance. In the name of all that is good and decent, they had better win it all this year!