We've only just returned from winter break and it's already apparent that this term is going to get rather chaotic. Pathology and pharmacology continue, starting with the respiratory system and continuing, organ system to organ system before winding down in early May. Then we are set free for a 6-week dedicated study period before sitting for Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). This 8-hour behemoth of a test is the number one piece of each medical student's portfolio used by hospitals to pick residents in the specialties that will define our careers.
Given the added test prep I'm already adding to my daily schedule, I will be purposely trying to keep the time spent on writing for this blog to a more reasonable length than I have in the past. I am
King Emperor God of Procrastination and I've spent far too many hours debating the wording of this self-imposed time-suck rather than actually studying the information I'm trying to write about. So apologies (or maybe you're welcome) for the briefer format that will hopefully develop in the near future.
TIL: Gas exchange in the lungs only takes 0.25 seconds and your entire blood volume travels through the lungs every minute.
The thinnest parts of the lung tissue, specifically the type 1 pneumocytes that separate the air filled alveolar sacs from each other, can be 100x thinner than the width of a human hair.
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