November 5, 2020

by drplasticpicker

I’m giving a talk at UCSD School of Medicine PRIME HEq program this afternoon. I spent the last few days preparing for the talk, and did practice it last night with Mr. Plastic Picker. After my delivery I asked, “Should I take the Dr. Plastic Picker stuff out? Is it too long?” My Dear Husband and the originator of my eco-avatar name said I should keep it, and that it’s the most powerful part. I had delivered a different talk at the Sustainable Healthcare Project at VCU, but that was clearly a more motivational lecture. This is part of their official curriculum and mostly about air pollution and climate change. The talk is entitled “PEDIATRIC HEALTH & CLEAN AIR: ADVOCACY AS TREATMENT.”

I learned a lot preparing for the talk, finally reading in depth several articles that had been posted by my climate advocate colleagues. I reviewed the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District website, and how air pollution data is reported. I thought I understood fine particular matter but I think I understand it better now. I know what the definition of high PM 2.5 is, and also how air quality is reported and what scale they use. Preparing for the talk was helpful because it forced me to sit and think, and create. I don’t want to rehash the talk here. This blog has always been my safe place to think outloud. Since I already thought through the talk, no need to rehash it right now. I’ll probably offer to give the talk at our department or maybe the asthma committee. I’ve made overtures to have our other Co-Founder give a modified talk at Loma Linda Pediatric Residency Program.

And that is it. Just wanted to let the readership know that I’m stretching myself for the earth. When I was a pediatric endocrine fellow I had given many many talks. It was good practice. We had morning conference when we had to go over the cases from overnight, and the attendings would grill us on how we managed new onset diabetic ketoacidosis patients in the ICU. I remember having to sit there in the PICU, and keep on eagle eye on when the ICU team added in the potassium in the IV fluids. The pediatric endocrine attendings wanted to know in detail the Sodium, Glucose, Venous Blood Gases and how we titrated the insulin slide scales and the fluids. It was good practice. We also had to give Endocrine Grand Rounds in the hallowed Ether Dome, and I presented a case of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome and I still remember the little girl who I cared for through the first year of endocrine fellowship. That was nerve racking talk as it was in front of the adult endocrine department as well at Man’s Greatest Hospital. I remember the test run talk in our department I actually wrote PUBIC pool rather than PUBLIC pool – the patient had contracted shigella at a public pool. That was a funny moment and the entire team chuckled. I corrected that error.

I remember giving my first talk at our HMO on Vitamin D deficiency and it was a darn good talk. I had just come from fellowship and ready to be grilled on pathways and the underlying quality of the research articles. After my talk, many of my colleagues just came up and exclaimed that it was very good. I remember being shocked that I wasn’t being grilled. What is this place that everyone is so nice? Don’t you want to prove that you are smarter than I am? What I now realize is that everyone was down to earth, and as practicing clinicians who actually take care of patients – they didn’t need to take down a fellow in public because they were confident enough in their own skills. It probably helped that they were payed well and had a good retirement count. Financial fear makes people even MDs vicious. I think back and likely many people in the hallowed halls of where I trained were getting paid very little. Fighting over research grants and titles that mean so little.

So today I’m giving a talk at 3-5pm at UCSD School of Medicine PRIME HEq program and it’s the first time I’ve ever given a medical student lecture. I’m really excited. I will practice one more time this morning, and then call it a day. I prepared for the talk, and will give the talk all on my free time. It’s nice not having an agenda. My only agenda is to talk to some medical students and tell them how a group of community pediatricians is trying to help save the world.

I do think it would be great fun to be Fellowship Director. I could be Fellowship Director of 1 to 2 people. I would even do it for free. So much better than being Chief Boss. Chief Boss had a stressful day yesterday, and I thought to myself – I’m so glad I’m not you. Assistant Boss is great!