[DSNORD]

I read this one, and your previous anecdote, to my wife, who has somewhat of an addiction to real-life ER stuff/bionic vet stuff/etc (no, I don't understand it.) But, in-between those shows and my blathering about various medical stuffs*, she knows enough to be simultaneously horrified and amused. Thank you for sharing!

*Full disclosure: for many years, I thought I might want to be a doctor, so I read many medical texts. This was, of course, before I wanted to be a photographer, then a writer, then kinda fell into engineering, then went into marketing, then back to engineering. But this reading, combined with the fact that my ad agency was the agency of record for the local hospital, provides enough knowledge to know I should shut up when seeing a new MD, because (1) I don't know enough to have an informed opinion, and (2) I have learned enough to sometimes scare them. When I asked to be tested for a pheochromocytoma, my then-new GP looked a little paranoid and asked if I was an MD. I had to assure him that I was not a colleague nor crazy, I was just an immense dork.

Today I order an Xray of my patient's knee to see what's up. My Xray tech contacts the insurance carrier for authorization. It is immediately approved. He does the Xray, which takes a few minutes, then sits down at the computer to enter in some contact information.

His phone rings. He answers it. It's the insurance carrier telling him that he IS NOT authorized to do the study.

My tech asks when the rules had changed. The reply? "Just now, that's why I'm calling you back!"

My tech tells him the Xray is already taken. A pause on the line then, "Well, okay I guess, but only this one and no more, understand?"

Just crazy Schiit.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jason, I followed the mirror image of your path. I wanted to be an electrical engineer as a kid but just couldn't deal with the color banding identification system for resistors in my electronics kits, so I became a doc instead because it was WAY easier!!!

I envy all of you engineers out there. Anymore, I'm just a glorified wrench monkey doing what he is told. My ilk may get all the accolades, but it's you guys who have the brains and chops to dream all this stuff up and build it for us to use for our patients' benefit. The REAL respect goes to all of you. Double Secret Respect!!!

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Today I order an Xray of my patient's knee to see what's up. My Xray tech contacts the insurance carrier for authorization. It is immediately approved. He does the Xray, which takes a few minutes, then sits down at the computer to enter in some contact information.

His phone rings. He answers it. It's the insurance carrier telling him that he IS NOT authorized to do the study.

My tech asks when the rules had changed. The reply? "Just now, that's why I'm calling you back!"

My tech tells him the Xray is already taken. A pause on the line then, "Well, okay I guess, but only this one and no more, understand?"

Just crazy Schiit.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jason, I followed the mirror image of your path. I wanted to be an electrical engineer as a kid but just couldn't deal with the color banding identification system for resistors in my electronics kits, so I became a doc instead because it was WAY easier!!!

I envy all of you engineers out there. Anymore, I'm just a glorified wrench monkey doing what he is told. My ilk may get all the accolades, but it's you guys who have the brains and chops to dream all this stuff up and build it for us to use for our patients' benefit. The REAL respect goes to all of you. Double Secret Respect!!!

The good news: SMD resistors don't have stripes anymore.

The bad news: below a certain size, they don't have any markings at all.

Yeah. Fun.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

The good news: SMD resistors don't have stripes anymore. The bad news: below a certain size, they don't have any markings at all. Yeah. Fun.

So how can you distinguish them from each other?
Taste them?

 

[liamo]

Yep, I hear you.

My wife is worse.

We used to give certain patients a nice shot of Relaxall otherwise known as normal saline. Worked wonders much of the time.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

So how can you distinguish them from each other?
Taste them?

1: Trust the robots. If they're programmed correctly, everything will have the right parts in the right places, and component failures are very rare.
2: If you have to troubleshoot, hope they're at a place in the circuit where a multimeter will read them accurately (and you have probes small enough to get to them.)
3: When in doubt, throw it out. A certain amount of scrap is baked into the cost of everything these days. Spending an hour troubleshooting a $15 board is silly.

What's even better are all the active devices that don't have the part numbers on them at all, just cryptic markings. I hope you know that an "ABG" is a 2SA1312 in a certain grade.

 

[RCBinTN]

A few years ago, I had severe pain in my right heel.
After driving a car, I couldn't walk.
So went to the local podiatrist.
While waiting for the doctor, I was watching his computer screen saver.
One of the images was of plantar fasciitis.
When he came in the room, I told him that I'd diagnosed my ailment by watching his screen saver.
He gave me one of those looks like...where's my dart gun.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Sometimes it's best not to look at the screensavers or posters. Many times, I've thought, "Eeeek, you actually do that?"

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

I hope you know that an "ABG" is a 2SA1312 in a certain grade.

Oh yes I know that.
Constanza too.
We talk about it all the time.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Oh yes I know that.
Constanza too.
We talk about it all the time.

YOU HAVE A TALKING CAT?

 

[winders]

YOU HAVE A TALKING CAT?

Now you see the problem!

 

[Pandahead]

YOU HAVE A TALKING CAT?

Not only that but she's in love with the Schiit black cat poster cat......

 

[FLTWS]

...One of the images was of plantar fasciitis. ...

I had to deal with plantar fascitis for 13 consecutive months a few years back. I have no idea what caused it or what healed it (other than time), but it suked!

​

 

[KoshNaranek]

A few years ago, I had severe pain in my right heel.
After driving a car, I couldn't walk.
So went to the local podiatrist.
While waiting for the doctor, I was watching his computer screen saver.
One of the images was of plantar fasciitis.
When he came in the room, I told him that I'd diagnosed my ailment by watching his screen saver.
He gave me one of those looks like...where's my dart gun.

I have had much less trouble with my feet and legs after instituting a policy of rotating shoes every day among at least 3 shoes. Shoes are also replaced every year, whether they look like they need to be or not.

Some people ask me why I do so and doesn't it get expensive? I tell them that shoes are cheaper than knees.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Wow. That's two things I learned today. Now I know what plantar fascitis is and that there is a PNP transistor labeled ABG. Mind you, I had to google both.

JC

 

[RCBinTN]

I have had much less trouble with my feet and legs after instituting a policy of rotating shoes every day among at least 3 shoes. Shoes are also replaced every year, whether they look like they need to be or not.

Some people ask me why I do so and doesn't it get expensive? I tell them that shoes are cheaper than knees.

What helped me most was using orthopedic insoles in my shoes.
And using cruise control on long car trips.