Our first week at CMC is done and I have had some great learning experiences. I have been in the internal medicine department and everyone in my group has been very helpful and accommodating while I am there. So far I have been with them during Grand Rounds, split rounds, outpatient clinic, MICU rounds and diabetic clinic. Grand Rounds was fun because the first patient was there for a snakebite, (most likely a cobra or viper) which apparently is not all that uncommon here in India (this terrified me at first, but I soon realized that these patients lived in rural areas :) ). Also, most of these types of patients have a pretty good prognosis if they have made it to the hospital. Most of the other patients that day were still interesting, but relatively common diagnoses in the US. During Split rounds, I followed one of the residents and got to see a patient with Tuberculous Meningitis. This is India's most common form of meningitis as tuberculosis itself is very common here, and it can be quite devastating. It's really exciting to see and learn about diseases that I may never come across in the US.MICU rounds was also exciting and I got to see another patient who was suffering from Tuberculous Meningitis. Unfortunately though, this patient didn't have as good of a prognosis and he had already undergone a partial frontotemporal lobectomy due to complications from the disease. Outpatient clinic is probably my favorite time here at CMC. Partially due to the fact that I get to sit down the entire time ;), but mainly because the physician I am with is an excellent teacher. She constantly is quizzing me on various diseases and then teaches me more about them. Once pharmacology comes in the fall, I'll definitely have a leg up as I now know much more about anti hyperglycemic agents :). Today was a little slow as most of the patients were just coming for check ups, but on Wednesday it was more exciting with a patient diagnosed with tuberculosis and a patient admitted with complications from hepatitis C. The majority of the patients that are seen in the outpatient clinic are not local and come from all corners of India. This is because CMC is considered to be the best and the patients are willing to make the journey. That's it for now, but next time I post I'll be sharing more about my experiences here in India outside of the hospital . Look forward to it!