The Final Countdown

"No. When the sternocleidomastoid contracts, your head looks to the opposite side of the contracting muscle."

The EM intern stared incredulously at the GIANT man nurse (seriously, this guy was a huge dude) who was schooling him on neck anatomy. While Dr. Shaky-Hands (a nickname I secretly gave him after watching him butcher a central line) timidly tried to figure out the mysteries of the SCM, his attending walked by and barked an order at him, which sent him running, and that was that.

The entire interaction lasted all of 5 seconds. And because of it I will always remember that when the SCM contracts unilaterally, the head turns to the opposite side of the activated muscle. One tiny factoid I randomly learned years ago that still helps me on OMM/Anatomy questions.

One week from tomorrow I'll take the first of my two board exams. Which is kind of a big deal. Any medical student will tell you, starting with the very first day of medical school, everything is about boards. Boards boards boards. They determine a lot. What specialties you're competitive for, what residencies you have a shot at matching to, etc. Like I said, kind of a big deal. As you can imagine, this weekend I've been doing my best to keep the panic at bay.

I haven't studied enough! 

I should probably post-pone my exam... 

There is no way I know everything I need to know for this thing. 

I'm out of coffee. Nooooooo!!!

Earlier today, I had a practice question about the SCM, and was reminded that I have been preparing for this exam for years. I have studied enough. I am not going to post-pone my exam (not gonna lie, a pretty big factor in this decision is that I wouldn't get to go home and drink margaritas by my pool before I start rotations, but whatever). And no, I won't know everything I "need to know." There is simply too much.

But in the next seven days, in addition to making one last pass through First-Aid and replenishing my coffee supply, I am going to to trust that I know more than I think I know. And keep my fingers crossed for at least one question about the SCM. ;)