Face Scan

Face Scan
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

I participated in an MIT face scan study yesterday. The whole process, which consisted of me sitting still for 2 minutes inside a metal dome filled with cameras as they took 900+ pictures of my face, took all of 15 minutes to sign in, set up, and get all the photo's taken. For that they gave me $30 and some of the images, thus the spooky picture of me in a hairnet looking like a statue. I wish I could have posted the 3-D image... it was in a strange format and would not save to a standard .jpg format.

I guess they are using the data to develop software to age images, and various other reasons. They don't exactly seem to have all the uses for this data hammered out yet, but it definitely seems interesting and totally worth $30 for my time :)

Memorial Day BBQ

Memorial Day BBQ
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

Matt and I went to a BBQ in Cambridge on Memorial Day at his friend Irene's place in Cambridge. There was a grill and people were instructed to bring food. Someone decided to bring stuff to make Smore's and I came up with the brilliant idea of melting my chocolate using a spatula and tin foil prior to placing it inbetween the graham crackers with the toasted marshmellow. I did this because the marshmellow never seems to stay hot enough to melt the chocolate. I figured I would just preheat the chocolate, easy solution!

Well, the chocolate definitely metled and here I am attempting to eat my Smore's without losing too much of the marshmellow and chocolate oozing out the sides. Matt is laughing at me, but I still consider the venture a success!

Cape Cod Crew

Cape Cod Crew
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

A month ago, a bunch of us headed down to the Cape for some R & R before I started classes and the summer officially begun. We were down at Matt's parents' house the weekend before Memorial Day weekend, which was rainy and cold the entire time. Still we managed to entertain ourselves and have a great time.

Here we all are eating breakfast the first morning. Michelle and I, seated at the head of the table here, made waffles and eggs each morning since we tended to be awake a good hour or two before anyone else. See, it pays to bring a morning person on trips like this!

Matt and Rob look quite pleased about their waffles :)

My Last Interview

So, I was trying hard not to have any interviews on my birthday but when the opportunity came up to get both of my Mass General Hospital (MGH) interviews done in one day (on my birthday), I decided to just get the last interviews over with. I had a group interview Tuesday at Newton Wellesley that consisted on 6 of them grilling the 5 of us on various topics mainly related to spine manipulation.... grueling! This was followed by a more casual one on one interview at Youville on Wednesday, saving 2 interviews (one with the department directors, and one with 2 clinical specialists) at MGH for Thursday.
Well, after the Youville interview, I decided to leave my nice pants and blazer (my interview outfit that I will have to take a picture of and post for Sara) at school in my locker, since I had to bike in early Thursday morning to work in the computer lab. My plan was to bike in, change, work for 2 hours, and then take the Partners Shuttle over to MGH for my 9:30am interview.

I biked in yesterday morning, with my portfolio and various other school items, to find that the entire Naval Yard was without power and even though the security guard had keys, he would not allow me to go upstairs to get my suit with the lights out (liability or some crap like that). I waited an hour for NStar to figure out the power issue, and then decided to bike home (25 minute ride), change into the best pair of pants and shirt I could find, and then take the subway to MGH.

I made it to my interview on time, and the new outfit was acceptable, but I still told them my story to explain my slightly more casual attire and because it was so unbelievable. The interview seemed to go really well, and now I have a tough decision to make. I need to submit a ranked list by next Friday, and I think it now looks something like this:

1. Mass General Hospital
2. Spaulding
3. Brigham and Women's
4. Youville
5. Newton Wellesley
6. Shaughnessey Kaplan

Although I am debating on rearranging the top 3. I plan to discuss it with some faculty members who's opinion I value, and hopefully I will have a concrete list that I feel good about. And then I should find out my placement in July. I'll keep you posted.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

My roommate recently moved out of the apartment she had live in for 7 years, leaving me with a lot of cat hair and grime to take care of! I decided that if I was going to put in the effort to fix the place up, that I would go all out. My mom came up from PA to help and in 4 days we managed to fully clean and paint the place.

Here is what the living room now looks like with the fresh coat of paint and my furniture.

I just signed a 15 month lease starting June 1, so it looks like I have a place to call home for a while.... ahhh, it's about time!

Intership Interviews and the Beginning of the Semester

It's odd being back in classes for what is my last semester of coursework. After that I will be starting my year long PAID clinical internship, which I have started attending information session for and submitted my resumes to the hospitals where I would like to work. I have 3 out of 8 interviews already set up (Brigham and Women's, Spaulding and Newton-Wellesley, first one June 1st), 1 that is currently being scheduled (MGH), and I'm waiting on 4 other sites to accept me for an interview (Boston Medical Center, New England Rehab, Shaughnessey Kaplan, and Youville: a new addition to the list). 29 students applied to Boston Medical Center for 1-2 positions, so they have decided not to interview everyone and will be hand selecting interview candidates. Shaughnessey is having their information session on Friday June 1, and the other two have not yet reviewed all the resumes.

The whole process is frustrating and nerve racking as students are looking around the room at the other information session attendees sizing up the competition. Meanwhile we've started 4 classes, with 3 more that will begin once we are through the interview process, and not much work has been assigned and there appears to be a lot of confusion in terms of logistics. I guess it'll all settle out once interviews are done, and our final ranking lists are submitted. That will all happen by June 25th, so I guess I only have a few more weeks of stress ahead.

Oh, and to add to the stress and confusion of my life right now... my roommate moved out yesterday and I have the next week to clean up, paint the place, and be ready to great my summer roommate, Amy. Amy is a first year DPT student at the institute adn her orientation is the 2nd week of June. I'll be able to give her some pointers and books... not sure who the roommate will be for Sept 1. We'll see.

Triathlon Training

Well, now that I am back in Boston, I have officially started my triathlon training. Anna has been taking swimming lessons and biking with a group out of Newton while I was in VT, and boy do I need to catch up! My two workouts so far this week have left me fairly exhausted: swim ladder (300m warm up, 200, 300, 400, 300, 200 and 100 cool down), and a 20 mile bike ride with a lot of hills. I actually felt better with the swim, which means I need to work on my riding. There is another 15 mile ride planned for tomorrow, and I should plan to do another longer ride during the week. Our race is in August: The Cranberry Country Triathlon. I should be able to build up my biking endurance by that time. My lungs hurt when I returned back home yesterday and I was coughing for an hour until I felt better. Crazy! Well, I guess I'll be in great shape by the end of the summer.

Back in Beantown

So, in just 9 more days I will be back in Boston for a full year! Yup, I got my internship list back and am approved to apply to all the places on my list that I posted a couple of weeks ago (except New England Rehab which is still not a definite option). This means that I will be living in Boston for another 15 months, and I have already spoken to my landlord about signing a 15 month lease at the current rent. She is even redoing the tub for me, buying paint for me to fresh up the place, and having her carpenter come in to discuss where he will build shelves in the kitchen to make it more usable. Oh, and she said I could have a dog in there if he wasn't a real barker. I just need to find a roommate for when Helen moves out and I am all set! I am so excited to finally fix up this apartment, to be on a lease, and to have all my furniture in one place. You know, to be somewhat settled.

I've been having fun with my last few weeks in VT and am helping my roommates with a neighborhood yard sale this weekend, and doing a charity walk. Anyone can donate. It's the COTS Walk to benefit homeless shelters, and my team is the Burlington Hash House Harriers. Matt is coming up this weekend to hang out and help move my stuff back to Boston. He has been absolutely wonderful in helping me get ready to come back and is showing my apartment to potential roommates tonight for me. :) Hopefully one of them works out.

Running for a Good Cause

My friend Megan and I traveled down to Albany this past weekend for the Captain Timothy J. Moshier 5K Fun Run/Walk in memory of Matt's best friend who's helicopter went down in Iraq last year. It was great event with over 120 volunteers who made it all happen, including Matt's parents who helped with registration and course direction. It was a great day for running: overcast and in the high 50s, and we all did really well. Matt got 4th place overall and Megan and I had strong finishes as well. Below are my times:
89 Jessica Riggs 27 F Somerville MA 23:59 7:44

I was 89th out of 364 people, some of whom walked, but not bad for not training! I wonder if I could get my time below 7 minute miles with training. In any case, I am really glad that I was able to make it down there to cheer Matt on as he sped past me coming back in, to lend my support, and to spend time with Matt's family and the Moshiers. It was a great weekend.

Therapy Garden

Therapy Garden 1
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

Every Spring there is a photo contest between the different rehab departments at Fletcher Allen. Apparently the acute rehab team has won 3 times in the past 5 years. The idea for this year's picture is that we are a growing therapy garden. One of the PTAs who's been here for a while is the farmer with the pitch fork, the site manager is watering the back row, and our secretary is watering from the side. You can just barely make me out in the back. My clincal instructor is the one to the right of the "Support Staff" sign. A very fun group of colleagues!

I'll let you know if we win! The prize is $500!

Clincal Update

I am now only a couple of weeks away from the end of my clinical affiliation at Fletcher Allen Health Care, and then I'll be returning back to Boston for my last 2 and a half months of classes. I've started to like being at the hospital now that I'm picking up patients with more complex medical issues. I really like working as part of the medical team and I now feel comfortable talking with the nurses, doctors and social workers to help decide what is best for our patients. However, when patients have more complex diagnoses, it can be more emotionally draining. I have a patient in the ICU who slips into an irregular heart rhythm every time I get her sitting up, and another patient who has to have both legs amputated or he will most likely become septic and die. I find that I am exhausted at the end of the day, and I worry that in the morning I may find out that one of them didn't make it through the night. Although it seems rather bleak, but I really like what I am doing.

The next step will be interesting, and I wonder where it might take me. I have decided to stay in Boston for my year long and only put places on my list that I can get to via public transportation. I just really want one more year close to my friends before people start going their separate ways. I know Anna plans to possibly move to Seattle, and Nelly and Rob are moving there this summer. Matt is also thinking that he might not stick around much longer than a year, so I guess it would be fun to stick around another year and spent time with the people who mean a lot to me. So here is the list I submitted:

Spaulding Rehab Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Shaughnessey Kaplan, MGH, Newton-Wellesley , New England Rehab, and Brigham and Women's.

Hopefully everything will go well with the application and interview process. They should tell me what places I can apply to by early May, and then the interviews will happen in May and June. I'm excited to have a year where I will be working a regular schedule and be able to have time to spend with friends... and maybe I can even get a dog. :)

Hashing is #1 in Boston?

Ok, so it looks like a local station is ranking all the fun sports in Boston that involve drinking. The Boston Hash House Harriers are in the running... voting on the following site will increase our chances: Vote Now. I don't know when they have the results posted, but right now we are 4th place. I'd love to see us make #1!

Punk Rock Hares

Punk Rock Hares
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

Matt, Anna, Mike and I set trail for the BH3 Rock N' Roll Marathon run. We decided to all dress up like punks, and Matt took it to the next level with his mohawk, which only lasted for a totally of 2 days. Over 120 people showed up for the event, and trail was close to 7 miles for those who ran the full thing. We ran past some nice Boston landmarks including the cute neighborhoods in the North End, the Charlestown Navy Yard, Beacon Hill and the State House, and the Boston Commons.

Luckily we ran on Saturday and had nice sunny weather... I guess the actual Boston marathon was a little rainier. I guess we lucked out, and I think a great time was had by all.

April Showers...

are supposed to bring May flowers, but in Vermont these showers are
6-16" of snow. I'm not a gardener, but I think that may impact the
tulips this season. I guess Boston is getting all this precipitation as rain, which must have made the Boston marathon today a bit miserable.

Four more weeks of snow, slush and rain and I'll be making my way back to Somerville.
Of course I am now starting to freak out about all the things I need to
get worked out before I return. I need to find a roommate for June 1st,
which is a little difficult when I can't be there to show anyone the
place or even to meet any potential roommate. I'm also freaking out
about picking my list for my year long internship. They recently sent
us all a spread sheet with the current placements including how much
each pays, whether they have insurance, and the patient populations
we'd get to see. I have to send in a final list by the end of this week, and I guess I am nervous about it. I will probably make a pro-con list, but I still don't know if I'll be able to narrow it down to only 6 choices.

Update on the Year Long Internship

So, it looks like the position at RIC in Chicago that was focused on patients with spinal cord injuries is no longer an option for my class. Since I do not have any interest in the Pediatric position still available there, it looks like I will not be living in Chicago any time soon.

Our clinical coordinator also just sent out all the information on each site, including amount of pay per hour, insurance available and paid days off. There is a lot to think about on this one. Unfortunately so of my top choices are pretty poor paying and one has no insurance coverage on top of that. I guess I really need to think about what is most important, and I need to think about this soon... I need to send in my list within the next week or so.

I guess the really important questions right now are: do I want to stay in Boston? would I be willing to buy a car? is money or experience more important to me? and what clinical skills do I hope to gain in this year? I'll be sure to figure this all out in the next 2 weeks, and will solicit advice from those close to me (consider yourselves warned). This year is the start of my new career and I really want to get off on the right foot.

Operation Bridesmaid 2008

Another 2008 Wedding
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

So, it looks like 2 of my best friends have recently got engaged and they both asked me to be in their weddings. Jocelyn got engaged earlier in March and asked me to be her maid of honor. I am so excited and am already thinking about what I need to do: bridal shower, bachelorette party, and helping her with the big day. It's kind of a big responsibility, and I think I am up for the challenge. She is getting married Sept. 2008 in Worchester, MA, so I will be out of school and requesting a few days off prior to starting my job so that I can be there for everything.

Jen (who is surrounded by flowers in this picture) got engaged a couple of weeks ago, and has set an estimated date of June/July 2008 for her big day. Jen is considering getting married at our highschool in CT, which would be beautiful, although I think her mom isn't too keen on the idea.

I'm happy for both of them and am excited to be a part of their weddings... and I get 2 new dresses that I might never wear again, but will look damn good in photographs wearing them both!

Erik's kids

Erik's kids
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

Well, my first boyfriend has recently contacted me and updated me on his life, wife, and 2 kids in Delaware. I guess a lot has happened in 13 years, huh? It's definitely been interesting getting emails from someone I was close with so many years ago, but I'm just a tad weirded out that he already has two little ones at home. Of course, these are 2 of the cutest kids I've ever seen!

Getting Bored?

Well, I think I am getting the hang of working in the Acute Care Unit because I am not really finding it too challenging this week. I know that they have been trying to keep my caseload simple and low so that I can get orientated, but I think it may be time to step it up a notch. I have to say that I do really like my patients, even the guy who sneaked booze into the hospital was surprisingly good to work with. The turnaround time is quick, however, so I only see people for 3-5 days before they either head home or to rehab. The whole point of acute care is get people up out of bed and moving around as independently as possible as quick as possible. Not a lot of patient follow up, so I really don't know how my patients end up doing in the long term. I think that is why I'd like working in a rehab hospital where you work with patients for weeks to months and get to help them make some significant progress.

I am already thinking about my year long clinical and have a list in mind: Spaulding Rehab Hospital, Rehab Institute of Chicago, University of Michigan, Portsmouth Regional, MGH, Newton-Wellesley, Faulkner, and Brigham and Women's. I have to work on my resume this month and then I'll be sending it out to these places to see where I am interviewing in May/June. Then I'll rank my choices while the hospitals ranks theirs, and then I'll be matched in July. I can't believe I am almost done!

The pirates of 350 Allston

Pirates of 350 Allston
Originally uploaded by jessriggs.

I headed back home this weekend to attend Matt & Rob's housewarming party. The theme was Pirates, and here they are proudly standing on the deserted island in their livingroom. I came as a beer wench and filled many an empty mug throughout the evening. (Pictures of me to follow, once I get a hold of the ones Matt took!).

A couple of friends of mine showed up, but mainly it was Rob's B-School friends and Matt's friends from the ALB. Not everyone dressed up unfortunately, but those who did really went all out (as evidenced by the picture of our hosts).

It was great to be back down in Boston, and the rest of the weekend was more laid back, but it was still hard to leave :(

An interesting day...

So, my first patient of the day was supposed to be a gentleman that I evaluated yesterday who had undergone a total hip replacement. He tolerated walking well, and it should have been an easy 30 minute treatment session... Apparently my patient took it upon himself to drink 4 bottles of Brandy (I'm guessing airplane sized) and attempt to walk on his own at 1am. He fell when getting out of bed, and proceeded to break his ankle on the same side as his hip replacement. Surprisingly he did not dislocate his hip in the process. He was heavily medicated when we went to see him in the AM and slotted for surgery to internally fixate his ankle. The plan is now to re-evaluate him tomorrow.

What was supposed to be a simple total joint replacement to "get my feet wet" has definitely become a bit more complicated... I'll have to see how he is doing tomorrow, and perhaps discuss how drinking may not be the best thing to accelerate his recovery.

Maybe Acute Care is going to be more exciting than I originally thought... definitely keeps you on your toes!