Back to school

Yes, it's time to send our children back to school. Eager minds have pined all summer, thirsting for knowledge. My younger nephews and godson are all heading to their classrooms. I spent more than $600 yesterday on my nephews for clothes, shoes, and supplies. My nephew in college, who will be turning 21 this semester, got some free advise as to dangers of excessive drinking. I think he was listening.



A recent tragedy spurred me to blogify about the perils and ER related aspects of the return to school next week. A high school star athlete was killed in a single car crash. He probably would have survived, if he had been wearing his seatbelt. Inexperienced drivers, feelings of invincibility, cell phones and friends in the vehicle are the ingredients for the all too frequent MVC's involving young drivers as they head back to school.



A word about neuroanatomy may be illuminating. The frontal lobes of the brain are important in both complex motor function and in judgement. The frontal cortex is slow to develop, and isn't fully mature until the mid to late twenties. Combine lack of judgment, excess testosterone/estrogen, and distractions from MP3 players, and cell phones and you have a recipe for an ER trauma patient.



The city where I practice the art of EM is home to a large state university. Every year, as the freshmen arrive, the first case of alcohol poisoning appears. I dread that call to the parents, telling them that Johnny or Susie is entubated and on a ventilator with acute ethanol poisoning. Deaths from alcohol and drugs such as Ecstasy, methamphetamines occur in college and high school students. Prescription drugs are also frequently abused. Ritalin, Provigil and other stimulants are used to help cram for exams and just to get buzzed. These medications can cause potentially dangerous heart rhythm problems.



Sedatives such as Rohypnol and alcohol may be used to commit sexual assaults. Both women and men have been raped while under the influence of sedatives. The assailants may be law abiding citizens, who commit their crimes while they too are impaired by alcohol and/or drugs. Lives are permanently damaged.



I would encourage my younger readers to review "Sex in the ER" parts 1 and 2. Freshmen in college are often experiencing independence from their parents for the first time. The intimacy of dormitory living and the excitement of college life get the hormones churning. An 18 year old coed who finds out from Robin, my PA, that she has Herpes, realizes too late that she should have practiced safe sex. Herpes and HIV are treatable but not curable. A single unprotected encounter may last a lifetime.

Parents, other family members and friends of all students, please do your best to prepare your children. School is not a punishment. Children must grow and develop to eventually become independent adults. Helicoptering is not a good solution to the anxiety of being a parent. SAT prep courses, e-mailing teachers to protest grades, and doing your children's assignment will fail in the long run. Grade inflation and trophies for trying frustrate the value of learning from one's mistakes.

Talk to your children openly and honestly about the joy of learning. Don't neglect to discuss drugs, alcohol and sex. A parent is still the most important teacher that a child will have in their life. Fell free to invite your children to read and comment on this blog.