Preceptor: Next question: Why isn’t there a vaccine for Neisseria gonorrheae? Discuss it, write it down, I’ll walk around and check.
A: Antigenic variation and phase variation, right?
B: Yep. Done.
A: No, wait – N. meningitidis ALSO has antigenic and phase variation – but there’s totally a vaccine for that one.
B: Well, crap. I don’t know what the difference is, then.
A: Cost-effectiveness? Because gonorrhea can be treated so easily, but meningitis is life-threatening?
B: YES! That.
Preceptor: Let’s see what you guys have… “Cost-effectiveness“?! What th-? No.
B: Damn. So we’re left with… the fact that gonorrhea affects populations our health-care system traditionally doesn’t care about?
A: Uh, how do we write that down?
B: … The Man?
A: Sounds good.
Preceptor: *facepalm* … Antigenic and phase variation, guys.
A: Not ‘The Man’?
Preceptor: Not ‘The Man’.
In such cases, I feel better knowing that we did know the answer…initially. Haha.
Haha, yep, we definitely did.
It’s more fun to catch gonorrhea then meningitis?
My friend’s friend is an ob/gyn and doesn’t offer vbacks (vbak?) to uninsured patients because it’s totally easier to do c-sections for the doc. Answer: The Man.
That should surprise me, but it doesn’t…
The Man, for sure.
I think this is likely an oversimplification of the incentives against doing a vbac in this population.
well she will do a vbac if asked about it, but won’t offer it as an option. I would like to think I’m missing something as well.
awesome.
Hehe. Oh preceptors. If you have a good one, it makes the sessions all worthwhile.