Notes on History Taking

It's been more than a week of hiatus, I've been so engrossed with Medicine these days.

Anyway, I wish to post some of the valuable insights I gathered.

Taking a diagnostic history has four objectives: (a) discovering symptoms, (b) obtaining accurate quantitative descriptions, (c) securing a precise chronology of events, and (d) determining how the illness has changed the patient's life.

~ lifted from De Gowin's Diagnostic Examinations, 8th Ed, printed 2004.

I got to remember this!

The best history is obtained by the clinician who is empathetic with the patient, knows the manifestations of disease, and understands how patients describe the symptoms of various diseases.

~ lifted from De Gowin's Diagnostic Examinations, 8th Ed, printed 2004.

More after the jump...

Case of Influenza A H1N1 in Zamboanga City

I just can't believe it! I hoped this would never happen here in Zamboanga City. Sadly, it did. We just had our first encounter with the Influenza A H1N1 virus. What's freaky is the fact it's more than 10 days old and the case was sighted in Ateneo de Zamboanga University! Crap!


Well, according to the press release by ADZU president, the case has been cleared. We will see! Dang it.

I hope there are no more cases here in Zamboanga.






Read more here.

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My First PBL group

It was fun while it lasted. Three more days and off we go to our new group. The laughter, smiles and the craziness!



My groupmates:

1. Abdelrahman, Samee S.
2. Angkaya, Nabila Tasmin L.
3. Anuddin, Al-Rayyan A.
4. Cordero, Jerillie Anne F.
5. Cristobal, Aileen M.
6. De Guzman, Marie Loraine H.
7. Elloh, Queenie-Ann B.
8. Kulani, Adelaida A.
9. Lee, Al-Mondjid L.

More after the jump...

Probably my first learning issue for med school

Learning Issue: What is the potassium content of a banana?

Background: One of our speakers during the orientation, posed this question, "What's the average potassium content of a banana?". He was merely giving us an example of a question that tackles on our recall ability. The lecture was about Adult learning and the subject was on the Cognitive domain. I think he was trying to elaborate Bloom's taxonomy on the Cognitive domain.

I instantly thought, "well the problem is I absolutely don't know it's potassium content. All I know, it's a fruit that has a high content of potassium and is now being advocated as a fruit that helps control blood pressure.".

So what! Right? I wasn't able to answer the question.

And so the quest begins.

Because of their impressive potassium content, bananas are highly recommended by doctors for patients whose potassium is low. One large banana, about 9 inches in length, packs 602 mg of potassium and only carries 140 calories. That same large banana even has 2 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. No wonder the banana was considered an important food to boost the health of malnourished children! Those reducing sodium in their diets can't go wrong with a banana with its mere 2 mgs of sodium. For the carbohydrate counters there are 36 grams of carbs in a large banana.

Vitamins and minerals are abundant in the banana, offering 123 I.U. of vitamin A for the large size. A full range of B vitamins are present with .07 mg of Thiamine, .15 mg of Riboflavin, .82 mg Niacin, .88 mg vitamin B6, and 29 mcg of Folic Acid. There are even 13.8 mg of vitamin C. On the mineral scale Calcium counts in at 9.2 mg, Magnesium 44.1 mg, with trace amounts of iron and zinc.

source: http://www.banana.com/nutritional.html

Synthesis:

Dang! A banana is on average 9 inches in length. I can't believe this! huhuhu!

On a happy note, at least now, I know how much potassium a banana has.

More after the jump...

nuffnang:goldilocks contest

I just read an email from nuffnang regarding a contest! The contest sounds fun. And most of all, all you gotta do is blog!

Whenever I crave for sweets or my favorite pinoy comfort food, only one name comes to mind… Goldilocks! Who can resist their classic polvoron or yummy pastillas? Ordinary days are even made better whenever I eat their Palabok or the popular Dinuguan with puto. Plus, the best thing about any birthday or special occasion is always the delicious Goldilocks cake! These are only some of the reasons why Goldilocks is #1 in my heart.

How about you, what makes Goldilocks #1 for you? Tell us and get the chance to win an ASUS F80Q laptop or one of the three HP Mini laptops up for grabs!

I do hope I could entice some of you out there to join nuffnang.ph! I never really met any of the other nuffnangers but hey, I bet they are having fun.

More after the jump...

Medschool Orientation

Today was my second day orientation in Med school!

During the lecture on "How to destroy PBL" (which I thought is a weird title!), some points struck me. It wasn't really a dawning moment but neither was it mundane and ordinary. It was something I take into heart and yet it still strikes me whenever somebody utters or advises it.






The speaker was talking about the different pit falls of Problem-based learning (PBL) learners. And on one of her topics, she mentioned about biases and our pre-learnings; the dangers of not knowing that you don't know. I have absolutely no idea how to make the previous statement much clearer. But I guess it's quite understandable. She was trying to zero in the danger of being too cheeky, too confident on our knowledge that we forget about life-long learning.

I think that was quite true. There is really a danger. A knowledge error might occur; worst, an inappropriate or and off-tangent learning might occur. Freaky!

To further illustrate, she questioned all of us, "What's intermittent and remittent?"

At first, I thought, well that's easy. I know what they are! And then suddenly, I felt a chill of ignorance.

Crap!

How the hell do they differ! I know we've discussed them during my nursing days. I'm pretty sure these words could describe a lot of conditions but most of all, I remember that an example was made over fever. What is an intermittent fever and a remittent fever?

Crap!

I wasn't able to remember the difference!

Was I getting old or is this just an excuse for me?

Being the inquisitive mind, I've tried to research them over the web. Only to find it more confusing! Just great!!!

Intermittent according to wordnet.princeton.edu is the stopping and starting at irregular intervals; "intermittent rain showers"

Intermittent according to MedlinePlus:Medical Dictionary is an adjective; coming and going at intervals : not continuous

Remittent according to wordnet.princeton.edu is characterized by periods of diminished severity; "a remittent fever"

At least I was right it can be used to described a fever.

On the other hand, remittent according to MedlinePlus:Medical Dictionary is an adjective; is marked by alternating periods of abatement and increase of symptoms

At the end of the research, I realized, I had to find more reference!

F*MYLIFE!

More after the jump...

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS IN INDONESIA

I received an email regarding some youth programs and hope to share them with you. If you are interested, please do not contact me as I am not part of their committee.


INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CAMP 2009
Medan, Indonesia
June 11-15, 2009

1ST ASEAN+3 TOURISM STUDENTS’ SUMMIT
Bali, Indonesia
June 16-19, 2009











INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CAMP 2009
Medan, Indonesia
June 11-15, 2009

Background

ASEAN is now entering the phase of achieving an ASEAN Community by 2015. There are a lot of challenges in dealing with how to deepen the integration of ASEAN. One of the crucial challenges is youth employment. International Labor Organization (ILO) reported that more than 30% of Indonesian youth are unemployed. Almost 88 million youth worldwide are jobless. The causes are lack of job fields, being low educated, and unskilled so they are not competitive.

The fact is that the youth lack initiative in designing the strategic and implementing steps to create a continuing entrepreneurship. Moreover, it is important to urge media to provide enough space for the youth to creatively articulate their ideas and practices in the field of entrepreneurship. As the agent of change, the youth have to possess economic independency which they develop through the initiative of empowering entrepreneurship. Youth need to develop further communication through international network in the field of youth entrepreneurship.

Based on the above mentioned, Indonesia is pleased to organize the International Youth Camp 2009 with a view to grow young entrepreneurs’ initiatives at the individual level, institutions, as well as international. This event is in line with the International Festival on Youth and Maritime Sports hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia. The other aim of this event is to establish youth network in the field of entrepreneur employment within ASEAN member countries.

Date and Venue

Date: June 11-15, 2009
Venue: a. Hotel Inna Dharma Deli, JI Balai Kota 2, Medan, North Sumatera Province
b. Batu Bara Sahan Regency, North Sumatera Province

Organizer

Deputy Minister for Youth Empowerment, the State Ministry of Youth and Sports, Republic of Indoneisa.

Participation

All participants shall participate in group activities, which aim at promoting friendship and exchanging knowledge and experiences. They will have a panel of discussion and prepare for the following activities:
Panel Discussion – all participants are encouraged to actively participate and involve themselves in panel discussion on how to empower youth on entrepreneurship

Exhibition – each delegation shall be provided with a booth (3x5 m) to exhibit their brochures, leaflets, and other forms of printed materials containing the information of best practices and entrepreneurship in their respective countries.

Parade – all participants will participate on a parade to celebrate International Festival on Youth and Maritime Sports

Qualifications

The National Youth Commission shall send three (3) youth participants with the following qualifications:

1. Filipino citizen
2. Between 20 to 35 years old
3. Have been serving the youth sector as an active officer or member of a youth or youth-serving organization for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date of application
4. Of good moral character
5. Physically and mentally fit to travel
6. Preferably a first time traveler. Former recipients of NYC international programs from June 15, 2008 to June 15, 2009 are disqualified to apply.
7. Must have a valid passport until at least six (6) months after the date of the departure for the program.

Applicants without any passport details shall not be considered.

Expenses

Accommodation, food and local transportation within Indonesia shall be shouldered by the organizers. International travel fare, personal expenses, personal souvenirs and exhibit materials shall be borne by the participant.

Application

All applicants must completely fill up the NYC International Program Application Forms attached. All registration forms must be received by email or personal delivery by May 29, 2009.

Address: Social Marketing Division
National Youth Commission
4F Bookman Building
373 Quezon Ave., Quezon City

Email: lutchieachua@yahoo.com



1ST ASEAN+3 TOURISM STUDENTS’ SUMMIT
Bali, Indonesia
June 16-19, 2009

Background

In order to boost Intra-ASEAN youth tourism, the Republic of Indonesia will hold the 1st ASEAN+3 Tourism Student Summit in Bali on June 16-19, 2009

This Summit is also aims to create better understanding of the diversity in lifestyles, cultures, traditions and historical backgrounds, and to strengthen ASEAN relations through sharing and exchanging experience.

Venue and date

The summit will be held in Bali, Indonesia on June 16-19, 2009

Qualification

The National Youth Commission shall send nine (9) youth participants with the following requirements:

1. Filipino citizen
2. Between 18 to 26 years old
3. Currently a student of Tourism in any college or univeristy
4. Have been serving the youth sector as an active officer or member of a youth or youth-serving organization for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date of application
5. Of good moral character
6. Physically and mentally fit to travel
7. Preferably a first time traveler. Former recipients of NYC funded international programs from June 19, 2008 to June 19, 2009 are disqualified to apply.
8. Must have a valid passport until at least six (6) months after the date of the departure for the program.

Applicants without any passport details shall not be considered.

Expenses

Accommodation, food and local transportation within Indonesia shall be shouldered by the organizers. International travel fare, personal expenses, personal souvenirs and exhibit materials shall be borne by the participant.

Application

All applicants must completely fill up the NYC International Program Application Forms attached. All registration forms must be received by email or personal delivery by May 29, 2009.

Address: Social Marketing Division
National Youth Commission
4F Bookman Building
373 Quezon Ave., Quezon City

Email: lutchieachua@yahoo.com






Atty. Priscilla Marie T. Abante

Chairperson, International Committee

Commissioner-at-Large
National Youth Commission
Office of the President
Republic of the Philippines

4F Bookman Building
373 Quezon Ave.
Quezon City, Philippines

+632-7811163 loc. 107
+639189185932
priscilla_abante@yahoo.com
www.youth.net.ph

More after the jump...

Life at nuffnang.ph

I must say that nuffnang seems to be a good place to earn some extra income. Well, first off, I have to expect little from nuffnang, since the ads rarely produce any income for me. I'll just have to leave it as it is for now.

The race for 2000 begins.






I've read some of the testimonials of "nuffnangers", and the site is fun to be with. You won't probably be bored if your site is active and producing the views they desire. The promos look good and interesting. I just hope that the promos are not as frequent as a blue moon.

For now, I'm sticking with them and probably expand with google ads as my blog gets older.

More after the jump...

Summary of Current Regional Daily Minimum Wage

I wanted to see how much would I make if I worked around the different cities in the Philippines. It was a bit hard to find the latest so I'm sharing this with you guys for your reference as well as for posterity sake.

Summary of Current Regional Daily Minimum Wage







a/ Granted a P 20 increase consisting of P15 basic wage & P5 COLA, The COLA shall be integrated into the basic wage on
August 28, 2008.
b/ Granted P P10.00 & 15.00 COLA per day depending on the area and industry classification.
c/ Granted P 10.00 COLA.
d/ Granted P 12.00 wage increase and integrated P8.00 COLA under WO No. RTWPB-II-09 into the basic wage.
e/ Granted P 15.00 increase consisting of P5 basic wage & P10 COLA; integrated the P9 COLA under WO No. RB III-13 into the bsic wage.
f/ Granted P 12-20 wage increase as follows: P 16-P20 (Growth Corridor Area) P14 (Emerging Growth Area) P12(Resource Based Area)
g/ Granted P 10 wage increase to all minimum wage workers & P5 COLA to non-agriculture sector only.
h/ Granted P 13 COLA, the P6 from P13 COLA shall be integrated in the basic wage on January 1, 2009.
i/ Granted P15 Basic Pay Effective December 25, 2008
j/ Granted P P17.00 wage increase
k/ Granted P10 COLA
l/ Granted P 15 wage increase consisting of P5 basic wage and P10 COLA for a period of three months; thereafter, P5 out of the P10 COLA under WO No. IX-14 shall be integrated into the basic wage.
m/ Granted P12 COLA & integrated the P16 COLA under WO No. RX-12 into the basic wage. The P10 COLA under WO No. RX-13 shall be integrated into the basic wage on November 16, 2008.
n/ Granted P15 COLA & integrated the P16 COLA under WO No. RTWPB XI-13 into the basic wage. The P10 COLA under WO No. RX-14 shall be integrated into the basic wage on September 16, 2008.
o/ Granted P 7-10.50 wage increase & P3-5 COLA.
p/ Granted P13 increase consisting of P8 basic wage & P5 COLA.
q/ Granted P 10.00 wage increase.

Source: National Wages and Productivity Commission

Updated: 06 May 2009

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looking for company nurse

Another round of hirings for job searchers.

Job hiring from Aditya Birla Minacs Philippines Inc. and Vision-X (Phils.), Inc.

Aditya Birla Minacs Philippines Inc. is part of Aditya Birla Minacs, which is a US $350 million organization with operations in Canada, US, India, Philippines, UK, Germany and Hungary having more than 10,000 employees. Aditya Birla Minacs serve clients across verticals that include financial services, technology, automotive, retail, E-services companies and public sector companies and provides customized solutions focused on contact centre solutions, integrated marketing services and back office administration.

VXI began operating as a provider of outsourced contact services in the ethnic, in-language market segment. While we continue to be unique in our services our mainstream English speaking service dominates our total project portfolio today. At VXI, we continually work to grow the scale and scope of our business. Since our founding, we have fielded millions of customer interactions in many languages of projects for both large multi-nationals and small local clients. Our commitment and responsiveness to our clients and their customers set VXI apart.




Company Nurse Responsibilities for Aditya Birla Minacs Philippines Inc.:

Responsibilities include receiving patients and rendering necessary nursing care and treatment from dispensing of medicines and prescribing dosages, administering first aid treatment on illness or accident before referring the employee to the hospital for further medical treatment, assisting in the preliminary physical examination and orientation of newly-hired employees, maintaining medical and health records of employees, systematically maintain an up-to-date inventory of medicines and supplies and replenishes supply on schedule, maintenance of medical instruments, controls expenses/budget and reports summary of consumption of medicines administered to employees/patients, other HR functions as may be assigned.

Requirements:
• Candidate must be a Registered Nurse with at least 6 months work experience
• Must have Basic Life Support training
• Must have Occupational Health & Safety Administration training
• Willing to work in a fixed graveyard schedule, including holidays
• Flexible in doing other HR functions
• Proficient in MS Office programs

Aditya Birla Minacs Philippines Inc.
10/F Eastwood 1800 Building Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City Quezon City 1600.
Tel: 3236280
Website: http://www.minacs.adityabirla.com

VXI COMPANY NURSE (URGENT)
RESPONSIBILITIES:

* Assist Company Doctor during shifting hours (24/7 operations)
* Administer initial care and assist over internal patients.
* Manage over administrative work and HR related requirements- coordination with HR Benefits for pre-employment requirements.

Vision - X (Philippines), Inc. | http://www.vxiusa.com PH Trunk: (632) 8992200 | Fax: (632) 8892322 Ground Floor, SM Cyberzone 2 Buendia, Jupiter Street corner Zodiac Street, Makati City 1209
Please check your e-mail regularly for any correspondence







This has been a public service announcement.

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