New York Medical College - Fleuroscope Yearbook (Valhalla, NY)

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UNIOR CLASS President ,.,...4,..,... Vice-President ........ Senator .,.......,... Senator .,.,.. Q... Secretary , .... . Treasurer .,,r..... Practical Health Kenneth B. Iuechter john F. O,Brien Arthur P. Birnkrant Robert S. Schwartz Ellen S. Philips Judith Friedman unior year was scheduled to start at 8 a.m. Monday, September 12, 1966. However life is not that simple. The medical establishment knowing that most students quit summer jobs before Labor Day has devised a scheme to occupy would-be juniors until school starts -the National Boards. We felt right at home on those two warm September days. We took up exactly where we had left off in June - taking short answer exams. It saddened us to look at our schedule. It called for no exams. Not even the devilish surgery quizzes were mentioned. However in spite of our disappoint- ment we resolutely decided to apply ourselves. Iimior year began with a bang, or perhaps with a tick-tock as our first lecture block was cardiology. It can emphatically be stated that we really mastered the philosophy of cardiology. Perhaps we never will leam to read an ECG but we've certainly found the true essence of cardiac failure. The genius of the integrated lecture schedule astounded us: 1. The Normal Heart 2. The Management of the Failing Heart 3. Inflammatory Disorders of the Breast It was obvious from the beginning that junior year was going to be a rare treat. In a well conceived plan to decrease the amount of lecture time, much course material was shifted to clinical situations. Instead of being lectured at from 8 to 12 in the 6th floor auditorium, we could leave at 10 a.m. and walk to the 9th

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floor, resume our seats and listen to two hours of . . . er . . . um . . . clinical seminars. Most of us found the lecture series interesting and informative. We learned for example that according to Masters and johnson our wives had about four- teen years to go to reach the pinnacle of their sexual activity. Unfortunately we had reached our peak eight years ago. We can also remember the classic lecture and demonstrations of asthma and allergy that was coordinated with the paint- ing of the back of the lecture hall. The lecture proceeded, but for some unknown reason the asthmatic patients left early. That allergy stuff is confusing anyway. Lectures are alright but we juniors really longed for some exams. Things looked bad until the announcement of mid-year exams in january. Some of us were saddened by the fact that there were to be only three exams -hardly enough to get warmed up on. After arming ourselves with special pencils and stop watches fto time the departures of our two well known flying exam finish- ers? we began to take exams. Most of the questions were routine and could be answered from reading material and lecture notes but ENT questions were like nothing we had ever seen before. Throughout the year we glued our eyes on the bulletin board to learn of such earthshaking developments as the preventive medicine schedule, an announce- ment of a guest lecture in the immunospeciflcity of the rat glial cell ribosome, the Pediatric Departmentis interview list, the date of Ground Hog Day and an oifer for a summer externship between junior and seniors years. Clinical work was stressed during the year and thi ssatisfied just about every- one in the class. The clerkships on Medicine and Surgery were marked by many histories and physicals. Those on Psychiatry and Physical Medicine were marked by much needed endurance. Each clinical block assumed a unique personality- some more clinical than others. In large extent the program was look but don't touchg this was especially true in dermatology. Periodically during the year the cry of heart murmur would be sounded and an eager army of neophyte cardiologists would descend on some poor unsuspecting patient. It has also been reported that at least three juniors were critically injured when they got in the way of a code 99 battle wagon. However trying the workload was, there were brief respites available to the young doctors. Some of the athletically minded junior students turned to touch football and basketball for relaxation. Lunchtime was often the highpoint of our day. If the decor at the Metropolitan restaurant left something to be desired, the haute cuisine and excellent service certainly could not be matched. The one common complaint was high prices but everyone knows that you only get what you pay for. The coffee shoppe provided more intimate dining fseven or eight in a boothl. In either case the food was of equal quality. In spite of traditional student grumbling, we thoroughly enjoyed our first year of clinical medicine at Metropolitan Hospital. It proved diflicult to prepare for final exams in May because our minds were full of expectations and antici- pation of the rapidly approaching senior clerkships. Iirn McGroarty