Shannon's Medical Adventure

Transition Day

2009-04-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

The end of my second year in medical school is fast approaching. In fact, I have only one day of real class left and finals start on Monday. This is scary for a number of reasons. The first is that I just have a lot of work to do between now and finals. I have to finish a number of projects and study, especially for the cumulative pharmacology exam that has around 500 drugs on it. Another reason school ending is scary is that it means that I immediately have to start studying for Step 1 of the boards. I'm taking the test on June 22 so I have a month and a half to study. I've heard that a person's score on their boards is the number one thing that residency programs look at so I would like to do well. I'll have to relearn everything I'm supposed to remember from the first 2 years of class. Perhaps more of a problem is that I'll have to have the discipline to study a certain number of hours each day and not get distracted. It's going to be interesting to say the least.

The end of 2nd year in a larger sense means the transition from all day in a classroom to rotating through the wards. We had transition day last friday where we heard from other med students and program directors what will be expected of us for the next two years. It is definitely going to be an adjustment. My schedule is going to be a lot more intense. Certain program directors made it sound like they were doing us a favor giving us one day off a week, as in Sunday only. Others stressed that even though there is technically an 80 hr work week cap for medical students it takes much more time than that for us to learn what we need to learn. It seems very overwhelming. I think it will be fun and interesting also but at the moment I'm also worried about my ability to function with little to no sleep and remain competent and pleasant. I also really don't like getting yelled at so I'm worried about that. My first rotation will be Psych in July. I thought it would be a good one to start out with because I do not want to go into psych so I can worry about learning the system rather than worrying about impressing people. One of the subjects of a workshop on transition day was blogging. Since we have to be so concerned about patient confidentiality it seems like I probably won't be able to talk very specifically about my experiences in the hospital. A med student that talked to us said her blog showed up on a search the hospitals regularly do for patient confidentiality violations and she got in trouble. So yes I would like to avoid that.

Other than that, I've been studying Blood and Infectious Disease. They are really concentrating on making us go to small group sessions for 2 hours every morning instead of uh... teaching us anything. I guess we are teaching ourselves and eachother, but really it feels like I have to sit around doing research all the time when if they just gave me a lecture on it I would know already. Also I'm bitter because I hate getting up early. Every course evaluation I do I say No small groups! But I doubt they will listen. It doesn't help that for the first time in two years I'm sick. Of course I get sick now! It makes me just want to sleep and watch tv more than usual if that is possible. How will I watch tv next year?!

almost spring break!

2009-03-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

So it seems like I just had finals, though it has been 2 weeks since then. Guess what I get to do next week? Finals! We finished our renal and endocrine section and it was a bit of a rough finish. I did well on all my finals except for renal which had me worried. Mostly I was worried because I originally miscalculated my score so it was lower than it was supposed to be. Thank god it was a mistake is all I can say. Now we are finishing the whole 2 week course of Eye and GI. Not the most interesting topics in my opinion but I guess it is fun to learn more about celiac disease. Today we had eye clinic where we got to examine eachother's eyes and learn how to flip people's eyelids inside out. It was fun except they dilated one of my eyes only as a part of the exam. Now one of my right eye is unfocused and freaky looking and will remain so for the next couple hours. How am I supposed to go out to a coffee shop to study when I look like this?

Gorgeous. Other than that, for the past couple weeks every 2nd year has been obsessed with scheduling. We had to choose our schedule for the next 2 years all in a week's time. It was very stressful. Our class has 20 more students than any of the previous years so there is more competition for spots. We all have to take the same required courses so it was really a battle to try to fit in all the courses you need at a decent time. They tell you you should take all your required courses in 3rd year. This overlooks the fact that for me there were no open spots in Med II until the 2nd to last period in 4th year! Ridiculous! So basically you end up taking whatever course is available at that time rather than strategically planning for your future. So I'm a little worried about the timing of everything since I definitely need to do certain things before I have to apply and interview at different residency programs. But hopefully it will all work out okay. At least I get some vacation time this summer and throughout the year as well. I have a feeling I am going to be very stressed out for the next 2 years. It's all a part of the process I guess. For now I am just thinking ahead to finals next week then Norway! Then I will have some not freaky pictures to post.

I'M A MONSTER!

Back in the swing of things

2009-02-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

So I've been back in school for a month now. I finally finished midterms last week but it seems like finals are fast approaching. This period we are studying kidney, endocrine, and reproduction. I'm not a fan of kidney but the other two aren't as hard. I've done reasonably well on my midterms so hopefully I have a little bit of a buffer when it comes to finals week. Then I will get to go home! On a related note, I started taking calcium and vitamin D supplements since I learned that they are not kidding around with this osteoporosis business. Also we get basically no vitamin D since we are so far north and get little sun exposure. So you guys should take vitamin D or drink supplemented milk, otherwise you aren't absorbing the calcium that you are taking in.

Last weekend was Winter Ball or what we like to call Med School Prom. I went with a bunch of people from Phi Rho and we went to Origami for sushi first. It was excellent but it also meant that I had to carry around a bottle of soy sauce for the remainder of the night. It was a fun night though the DJ was lame. I didn't really drink much since I don't like wine or beer which is what they served for free. I also had volunteered to teach kids science the next day so I didn't want to stay out too late. Science Saturday was fun so I guess I like kids sometimes. I've come to the conclusion that I am basically a teenage girl since I talked to a 7th grader about the Twilight books and movies for a very long time. Though maybe I'm not so much of a teenager because I don't understand the appeal of either Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers (They're totes gay right?).

I had to choose an advisor a couple of weeks ago in my "chosen field." Since I'm not sure what I want my chosen field to be yet it was difficult. I've basically narrowed down the possibilities of what I want to do in the future to OB/GYN, General Surgery, or Internal Medicine. I'm sure it will be much easier to figure out what I like once I actually do rotations in these fields. Anyway, I chose an OB/GYN as my advisor. She is supposed to help me with scheduling and getting into the residency program I want to get into. I decide my schedule for the next 2 years next month. We have a bunch of required rotations most of which are 6weeks long including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Neurology, Psychiatry, Surgery, OB/GYN, Family Medicine, and more. I'll start doing rotations in July and keep going until I graduate. Before rotations, I have to take the first step of the board exam in June. Step 1 seems to be the most important part of the boards as far as determining what residency you get into. So it is going to be a very stressful few months before the test. We get done with school at the end of April so I'll be studying all day everyday for the month of May, hopefully with a little time off to come home.

I next come home at the end of February, so I will finally get to see Dillon then! Also, Kelsey my best friend is getting married next summer and I get to be a bridesmaid! So I'll have to get my dress then. In unrelated news, everyone should watch Friday Night Lights because it is amazing even if you don't like football.

Things I'm addicted to (Procrastination edition)

2008-12-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

To help prove that I am a better and more dedicated procrastinator than Mallory. I have assembled a list of the multitude of things that occupy my every day and are mostly a complete waste of time.

1. TV shows- I spend multiple hours a day watching tv shows. Usually I do this on the internet so I can watch during lunch or dinner or other periods of time when I would not otherwise be doing anything useful. However, it must be said that due to the number of tv shows that I watch, I definitely spend time when I should be being productive catching up on tv. Let's see, every week I watch Samantha Who, Jon and Kate plus 8, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, House, Bones, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Top Chef, Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock, and The Office. The advantage of watching these shows on the internet is the lack of commercials so the shows are 20 minutes or 40 minutes instead of 30min and 1hr. But still, lots of time wasted.

2. Jezebel.com- Jezebel is a website which is an interesting mix of celebrity news, politics, science, history, and random weird stuff . It is a feminist website, so it is written by women for women. They write tons of articles and post videos every day so it can take a fair amount of time to look at everything and read all the articles. There are also often interesting discussions in the comments so then it takes time to look at those too. Basically it is just a place where all the news of the day be it serious or silly is assembled, critiqued, analyzed, and probably made fun of. I love it and it is a complete waste of my time.

3. Cute Things- Cuteoverload.com, Winston the cat (seen here dressed as ET for halloween), and Capucine. Capucine is the cutest little french girl ever. There are many videos of her on the internet and I have watched all of them.

This is Capucine's letter to Santa as dictated to her mother:

“Père Noël,
I would like a nice gift, and I would like to see you.
Because I have been very good throughout the year. I have listened well, I have cleaned up my room by myself and I had fun at school, and I have played with my friends.
Also, I am going to move, I will have a nice house and a mezzanine.
I eat everything, but sometimes, I don’t.
Then I would like to see you for Christmas and Halloween and talk to you. I would like to sing you a song-poem. When is winter coming ?
Also I would like to talk to you, but if you leave and go far away, I would like to see you in your house.
If I hug you, your beard will not sting, it will only tickle.
And I would like to go into your sleigh. How will I do that ? Do I have to climb up the trees ?
Kisses,
Capucine.”

4. The Rachel Maddow Show- To quote Jon Stewart, "Who is this complex, articulate, even-tempered lady?" She is clearly not your typical host of a political show on a news network. I watch her show every day. Mostly because she has made every episode available by podcast so it automatically downloads to my computer. She is funny, smart, and a self-professed "policy geek." I especially enjoy her segment: "Lame Duck Watch: Quackitude" which keeps an eye on our extremely lame president as he continues to try to do sneaky things while no one is watching. At least watching this show keeps me up to date on the news right? Right???

5. Brotherhood 2.0- I blame Mallory for this one. She introduced me to John and Hank Green, two brothers who made a video blog a day for a year to communicate with eachother. John Green is an author of YA novels which are extremely good! I just finished his book Paper Towns. But obviously the bad thing here is that there are over 300 videos on youtube that I must now watch because the Greens are extremely nerdy and funny. They do happy dances, put things on their heads, make up songs and get punished for not following the rules of their video blog.

This is one of the best punishments that John Green had to do involved a blenderized happy meal and leg waxing. You can find the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIA5x4tuuO8

6. Reading- This is one thing that I refuse to feel bad about even though I spend an hour or more a day doing it. I have never understood people who say they don't have time to read non-school books. I've read about 20 books since school started in September and it was time well-spent.

Weeeeee books!

I believe I've made my point.

Look! An update!

2008-12-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Well hello again. I'm not so good at the whole writing blogs thing when I get busy. As you all know I was home for Thanksgiving last week after a tough period involving Psychology, Neurology, Ear Nose Throat, and the usual Pharmacology and Pathology. I did well on my finals considering they were hard. Sometimes I look at the class average to measure my performance but often that makes me depressed and annoyed that my classmates are too smart. I got As and Bs on my tests which feels good and I was above the average , exactly at the average and also below the average on the various tests. Mostly it was just nice to do nothing for a week at home and recover a little.

So now I am in the midst of period 3 involving the exciting bones, joints and connective tissue (yes that is a class), skin, and pharmacology and pathology. This period is 2 weeks long followed by 1 week of finals. So I am already halfway done with the period and really should be studying for finals right now. Unfortunately I find bones joints connective tissue and skin veerrrry boring. But I suppose I must learn. At least I'll be done and on my way home for christmas break shortly.

Though this period should be relatively easy, they have decided to throw a bunch of other stuff at us also. So I am feeling pretty overwhelmed. For one, I started the Internal Medicine rotation of Physician and Patient this past Wednesday. It was my first time in a real hospital with real sick people. They put 2 of us with one patient for the morning where we interview and then examine them. The exam part is a little awkward because they are in a hospital bed and we aren't used to that. Also they don't seem to like being put through an entire exam when it doesn't seem to have any relevance to their condition and takes a long time. Anyway, then we spend a lot of time writing a note on the history and physical that we completed. Then we meet in small groups with a doctor preceptor and do long or short oral presentations on the patient. This is to prepare us for what we will be doing the next 2 years in the hospitals presenting patients to residents and attendings. It is a little scary since it seems they like the presentations to be formal and structured in a particular way and they don't want us to look at our notes. As if we should be able to recite the 10 or more drugs the patient is on including dosage and route off the top of our heads. Perhaps we will be able to do that more when we actually know what the drugs are. I will be on the internal med rotation for the next 3 weeks so I will have more of a chance to get comfortable with the whole thing before next year when I will be thrown into the hospital with little guidance.

Another exciting thing I get to do this next Tuesday is learn how to do a male genital and rectal exam. yippee! Okay I'm not so much looking forward to this but I guess it is something I will have to learn. I get to wait to learn the female one in January at least.

Oh I almost forgot. We also had a field trip this past week where we went to a local college that teaches chiropractics, massage therapy, and other alternative medicines. They are trying to open our minds I think. Mostly it is kind of funny because all the med students listen to them talk about energy and qi and how the person can feel skull bones moving and use that to diagnose problems with their arms crossed and a skeptical look on their face. I think the alternative medicine people speak a different language than us. If they would only speak in terms of physiology and scientific studies we would all understand. One thing they thoroughly convinced me of is the benefits of massage therapy. They gave us all foot massages for 20 minutes and it was wondrous. I certainly wasn't about to let the chiropractors do a neck manipulation on me since we learned that that can cause carotid dissection. Not cool!

Anyway, it will be a busy couple weeks then home for christmas so I'm sure I won't update till January at least. See you all soon!

Yay for no more finals!

2008-10-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

So I've been MIA for a few weeks because we had our first finals week of 2nd year. It was intense. Unlike first year, where we had a number of tests throughout the semester that determined our grade, we now have one test per class that is the entirety of our grade. That is scary considering all the tests are lined up in one week and are very difficult. But I actually did pretty well on my tests last week so I am happy. I did surprisingly well on Cardio which is fun. I like when I actually do better than the average because too often I get a decent B and then the average score is even higher. Lame! Oh well, as long as I feel like I understand what is going on I am fine with my grades. It is pass/fail after all.

The plus side of finals week is the weekend after finals with no commitments or obligations! I went out with my friends on Friday which was fun. Then I spent the rest of the weekend catching up on sleep and TV. One show that I am absolutely in love with is Mad Men!

It is on AMC of all networks and follows an Ad agency in New York in the 1960s. The show is really complex and doesn't sugarcoat the racism, misogyny, and various other non-PC issues that were widespread at the time. The show is actually funny too and just really interesting. I love it so much! Everyone should rent the first season, seriously!

I'm looking forward to coming home this weekend. For one, I need to get my warmer clothes and jackets to prepare for colder weather. But I also will get to see Elliott play soccer so that should be exciting. I think Mallory and I will also fit in Nick and Norah's infinite playlist so that should be good too. Well, perhaps I should do work or something. Hope to see everyone this weekend!

Goodbye gross bugs!

2008-09-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Okay I needed to update so I didn't have to look at that gross bug picture anymore. After killing many more of those centipedes, I finally made time to invest in bug killer spray. I am happy to say that I am now encountering bug carcasses rather than live scary scurrying bugs. Thank god! It was hard to sleep imagining those things crawling into my mouth at night. Now I just have to worry about getting cancer from the bug spray! Yay medical school for making me so positive! Anyway, here is a stupid quiz I took which I feel is pretty accurate:

Your result for The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test...

5 - the Observer

Thanks for taking the test !

you chose BZ - your Enneagram type is FIVE (aka "The Thinker").

"I need to understand the world"

Observers have a need for knowledge and are introverted, curious, analytical,and insightful.

How to Get Along with Me

Be independent, not clingy.

Speak in a straightforward and brief manner.

I need time alone to process my feelings and thoughts.

Remember that If I seem aloof, distant, or arrogant, it may be thatI am feeling uncomfortable.

Make me feel welcome, but not too intensely, or I might doubt yoursincerity.

If I become irritated when I have to repeat things, it may be becauseit was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first place.

don't come on like a bulldozer.

Help me to avoid my pet peeves: big parties, other people's loud music,overdone emotions, and intrusions on my privacy.

What I Like About Being a FIVE

standing back and viewing life objectively

coming to a thorough understanding; perceiving causes and effects

my sense of integrity: doing what I think is right and not being influenced by social pressure

not being caught up in material possessions and status

being calm in a crisis

What's Hard About Being a FIVE

being slow to put my knowledge and insights out in the world

feeling bad when I act defensive or like a know-it-all

being pressured to be with people when I don't want to be

watching others with better social skills, but less intelligence ortechnical skill, do better professionally

FIVEs as Children Often

spend a lot of time alone reading, making collections, and so on

have a few special friends rather than many

are very bright and curious and do well in school

have independent minds and often question their parents and teachers

watch events from a detached point of view, gathering information

assume a poker face in order not to look afraid

are sensitive; avoid interpersonal conflict

feel intruded upon and controlled and/or ignored and neglected

FIVEs as Parents

are often kind, perceptive, and devoted

are sometimes authoritarian and demanding

may expect more intellectual achievement than is developmentally appropriate

may be intolerant of their children expressing strong emotions

Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele

The Enneagram Made Easy
Discover the 9 Types of People
Harper SanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages

You liked the test?
so S P R E A D I T ! tell everyone!!!(use Quick-Paste below)

you wanna know MORE?
so check out, what Wikipedia says about your type...

...even more you'll find in Google

or do you prefer to

You are not completely happy with the result?!
You chose BZ

Would you rather have chosen:

AZ (THREE)

CZ (ONE)

BX (NINE)

Not Cool

2008-09-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

So I was reading in bed last night and this crawled on me:

These are the things infesting my house which I called millipedes but apparently they are house centipedes. Regardless, they are disgusting. Somehow I was able to compose myself enough to actually sleep. Then this morning I got up early to go to small group and there were four, let me repeat that FOUR of these on the walls in my bathroom. There was also a tiny spider but after these things I was sooo not even concerned about that little guy. I keep thinking I see them scurrying around the living room out of the corner of my eye. aaah!

I'm baaaack

2008-09-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

I know everyone was waiting with bated breath for my return, but the truth is I spent all of summer avoiding the fact that school started again in September. Alas, with the first week of school down, I have begun to accept my fate which this year appears to be 6 weeks of class from 8-5 then a finals week over and over again. At the end of the year we get the special privilege of a cumulative final of all the drugs we learn over the year which will be around 1,000. Yippee! Mostly I've been trying to take it one day at a time so I don't look ahead and freak out about all the crap I have to do.

Thus far, we have learned how to read EKGs, about heart murmurs, asthma, emphysema, pulmonary function tests, and about the drugs used to treat asthma as well as blood thinners. We are also learning about teamwork which is taking up a surprising amount of time and I am not happy about it. We got thrown back into clinic with a fake patient who we had to interview and then do a physical exam on. I definitely did not feel ready for that yet but I guess I need to get used to not feeling ready and just performing.

Other than school, I've been settling into my apartment where I live alone! At the moment I have one chair that I get to sit in and no other seating so no one can come over. I bought a couch at home and then realized that it was way too big to fit in the door so I had to get a different one which will be delivered next week. Then hopefully my apartment will be pretty and finished. The only problem I am having now is that I have killed at least one spider or scary millipede each day since I moved in. It is so gross! Especially when those super fast millipedes scurry across my floor unexpectedly. ick.

I've also become accustomed to experiencing daily rage when I read more new exciting facts about that "pitbull with lipstick" who is running for VP. Usually I am a huge fan of strong successful women but in this case that is definitely not true. I think this is because she seems to me to have gotten to where she is by downplaying everything about herself that actually qualifies her as a candidate. Excuse me but it must take incredible political savvy to go from mayor of a tiny town to governor to VP candidate in a matter of years, don't tell me you just fell into politics. Acknowledge your accomplishments because I would much rather hear about real qualifications than the fact that you are a hockey mom, and a hot lady who isn't afraid to wear skirts (These things do NOT qualify your for anything except you know being a hot hockey mom.) I guess I feel like she is reducing herself in order to be nonthreatening to the exact people who nominated her, conservative old white men, and that is missing the entire point of the movement toward gender equality which by the way her running mate does not support. So even ignoring her political views which are the definition of extreme, she makes me want to scream. a lot. alot alot alot.

Anyway, I have lots of homework already which I have to fit around Mad Men and Gossip Girl. So I'll check back later!

WOOOOOO!

2008-06-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm done with my first year of medical school!!!!!! You tried your hardest to deny my hard work and make me fail! But I prevailed! I own you medical school! You are my bitch! WOOOOOOO!

Holy explosion, Batman!

2008-05-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well you have bullied me into an update, I guess. Something semi-exciting happened tonight so that was a change. My group of friends has weekly tv nights which include Top Chef on Wednesdays with wine and Lost and 30 Rock on Thursday with chips and cheese or popcorn. At this point it is a tradition that is not to be missed. Also, it is great to look forward to a break during the evening so you feel better about studying earlier. Well anyway, the excitement happened in the middle of Top Chef when there was a huge bang outside our apartment and the power went out. We gathered outside and saw that all of phi rho and 4 other houses on the block were dark. So we were forced to go to Applebees for a couple of hours to kill time while the power was fixed. Let's be honest though, we go to Applebees almost every Wednesday night for half price appetizers so it wasn't really that exciting.

So since I last wrote, we finished spring semester with many finals and started summer term. Supposedly summer term is easier than spring but we have 6 weeks to complete 5 classes so I am doubtful. We are taking Pathology, Pharmocology, Human Behavior, Human Sexuality, and Embryology. We had a "midterm" this week for human behavior which was unexpected but I did really well on it after minimal studying so it was fine. Also human sexuality has been interesting and awkward. They scheduled 2 full days of only human sexuality where we supposedly got comfortable talking to patients about sex though I'm not sure I did. We also had a number of panels and speakers and even educational videos. Other than that path and pharm are a bit boring thus far. I guess this is just the start of drug lists that I have to memorize since we have pharm all next year. Also path is just advanced histology which sucks a little. I can cross pathologist off the list I guess.

Although I've been busy with school, I've still been reading a lot which is a nice break. I also watch way too much tv but that isnt anything new. I am looking forward to summer where I dont have so many obligations and I can read and get a tan at the same time. And go swimming at the lake! Only a couple of weeks left so I better get my stuff together. That should be slightly difficult with my family coming this weekend but I wouldnt have it any other way. Hope everyone has a great week!

Why must you hurt me so?

2008-04-10T19:09:00.001-07:00

Phew!

2008-03-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well once again I have neglected my blog for quite awhile. I always think about writing entries and then decide that nothing exciting enough has happened to warrant one. That is the case today but I thought this reasoning had gone on long enough. I just got back from spring break where I got to see basically everyone in my family so that was fun. I'm sure Elliott and Connor really benefited from some older cousin mentoring (cool star wars lunch box included). Actually I think they have already learned to ignore everything Mallory and I say, so that's something anyway.

It has been rough to come back to school after a week off. I realized that I have a lot of stuff to do in a very short time which is not good. Basically every monday from now till the end of our semester we have a "quiz" which means test. Then we have finals, a number of papers, and some really stupid essay tests (3) that are all due in the next couple weeks. I had a neuro quiz today and I'm not sure how I did on it. I studied all weekend but took Sioux Hockey breaks. You know it is bad when you are studying at a coffee shop going, "Where is everyone? Oh yeah, it's a Friday night!" I did that Saturday night too but then I spotted some law students who were also hard at work for many hours doing what appeared to be more boring stuff (property law?) and then I didn't feel as bad. Since I studied so much I didn't feel as bad about taking three hours to go to a bar on a Sunday night and watch this:

It was AMAZING! Of course I was trying to study during the period breaks but I was freaking out so much that I couldn't concentrate. It is also very distracting because whenever they interview a guy I just end up staring at his ridiculous mustache. So funny! I also love that TJ Oshie looks recently shaven with no discernable hair even though he has been trying to grow a mustache for how many weeks now? I'm sure the frozen four will only lead me to neglect my studies even more so I should probably get on top of things this week.

Well I guess that is all. Except can I say that it has been snowing here all morning and afternoon and I do not appreciate it! Spring, please!

Midterms

2008-02-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

So since my last entry, I've taken a couple of quizzes, had my interviewing final, went to a phi rho hot tub party, and attended med school prom. It has been a good couple of weeks. Of course I've been studying a lot. For a while there we had a quiz every monday which basically meant a test so every weekend was study time. I did however find time to attend the traditional phi rho hot tub party. Apparently every winter phi rho rents hot tubs and puts them in our parking lot. It was interesting. I guess i don't really understand the appeal of being really warm from the waist down and really cold from the waist up all at the same time. So basically I went for an hour or so and got bored and watched 30 Rock with my friend Erica.

Last friday was the Medical School Winter Ball but we called it med school prom. It was a cool event because all four years of med students attend and it was held at the radisson downtown. They had open bar and people walking around with trays of appetizers and a live band. It was a lot of fun to see everyone all dressed up. Even some of the professors came and I noticed they were in the drink line pretty much the entire time. I went to eat sushi before prom with some friends so that was good. Though I had to carry my soy sauce in my coat pocket for the rest of the night so that was slightly awkward. I also saw a girl I went to high school with and hadn't seen since graduation. She apparently is married to a 3rd year med student and is finishing up some other sort of medical program. It was great to see her though it was extremely random.

The big news for the next 2 weeks is that we have midterms. So yesterday we had an interviewing final which was a bit scary since we haven't had any practice for 3 weeks and before that we basically only did 4 interviews total. I like to be prepared for these things and I didn't really feel that I was because more practice would have helped. But apparently all second year we interview different people every week so I should get lots of practice then. But anyway, I still passed the interview final and did pretty well though I still have things I need to work on. Next we start learning the physical exam which should be even more awkward but we practice on our fellow students instead of fake patients so maybe it won't be that bad.

As I said we have 3 big tests next week with Microbiology on Monday, Physiology on Wednesday, and Neuroscience on Friday. I've been studying a lot already going to coffee shops for many hours for the past two nights since I realized that our micro test is on 330 pages of material while the last quiz only covered about 90 pages so I need to memorize over 200 pages in the next week. We are getting into some gross stuff too. We have started learning about individual bacteria and what diseases they cause which are often accompanied by really disturbing pictures. So that is fun and also scary. The only good thing about midterms is that we don't have micro lab anymore so I get some of my afternoons back! Also, Mallory made me promise to come home after midterms are over so that should be nice. I feel like we should get a long weekend since midterms are so stressful but we have class on monday. I think I might still hang out in fargo until monday afternoon since they tape all of our lectures and I can watch them later and at a faster speed. Okay well, back to work I guess until I get a project runway break tonight. yay!

Sickly me

2008-01-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well it is the end of another exciting week of med school here. Mostly this week has been marked by me blowing my nose incessantly and generally feeling like crap. Good times! It seems a lot of people are similarly afflicted in my class so it must be a bug that's going around. We had our first quiz on monday in microbiology. It was pretty easy. We just had a lot of questions where they said the patient had gram positive, catalase negative, optochin sensitive cocci in their blood. What bacteria is it??? It sounds complicated but they gave us a list with all these bacteria on it so we just had to memorize their characteristics. I did well on the quiz so no bad grades yet.

Also this week we had our first videotaped interviews with fake patients. The U has a bunch of exam rooms with cameras in them where we will be spending a lot of time for the next two years apparently. So this was our first time on our own with a patient for 20 minutes where we had to go through the whole interview process. We were assigned a second year "buddy" who will watch our videos and critique them. Also we have groups of 12 classmates plus two doctors who will watch them. All of this sounds a little scary to me. Mostly because I don't want to watch myself on video in front of my peers. But overall, I thought I did okay with the interview and wasn't as awkward as I could have been. I get to tape another one next week so that should be double the fun.

This weekend is going to be long and cold. We get Monday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day or something. Public school is great for getting days off. But mostly I need to catch up with my studies, since I spent most of this week resting and not studying. We have a neuro quiz in a week which should be fun and an extra credit thing due on wednesday that is worth a whole 4 points. They warned us though that in the past 4 points have made the difference between passing and failing so I suppose I should do it. One thing that was cool this week was we had a demonstration of an electrocardiogram. So one of my classmates we got to see his heart through an ultrasound type thing. I didn't think we would be able to see much but we could see the heart valves and the muscle and the aorta and everything. It was very cool. They could also add color so you could see which way the blood was flowing to make sure everything was normal. Sometimes it's nice to have a reminder of all the cool stuff we will get to do in the future. Gives me more motivation to study hard now. Anyway, I'm going to eat sushi and then watch a movie with my friends tonight so that should be fun. A break before the studying begins!

New year, New semester

2008-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hello, all. I'm back finally. Since I last wrote I have been through my first finals week in med school which was predictably hellish and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing for the approximately three weeks of Christmas break. It was wonderful. Mostly it was nice to be home and see everyone including Toby.

School started again last week on Jan. 2 which is just cruel. Only a day to recover from New Year's Eve and then they expect us to be up at 8 and actually be awake. So what I've learned about this semester so far is that these folks are no longer messing around. Instead of a leisurely 4 hours of class a day and 1 lab twice a week, we get at least 3 days a week of class from 8-5:30. We have two labs twice a week which takes up the 1:30 to 5:30. Then we have a new class called physician and patient once a week for 4 hours. In this class we will learn how to conduct a patient interview and do a physical exam. So the second day of class this semester we were introduced to our first fake patient and asked to interview him in front of 12 people for 4 minutes. It was pretty awkward since none of us knew what we were doing. But I guess we better learn fast because we have an interviewing final in a month after 6 teaching sessions on it.

The fake patients that we interview are kind of amazing actually. They get a really in depth script of what their story is and you really have to dig to find it all out. We are starting with the patient-centered interview where we figure out the chief complaint and hear the patient's story and find out more about what their concerns are and how they might be feeling. This is pretty complicated usually because the stories often include a recent divorce or a child with cancer or a friend who died and had the same symptoms as the patient etc. So we have to find out all of these things and deal with them which is hard. This past time, our focus for the day was on dealing with emotions so our fake patient cried three times and got really angry and whatnot. It was kind of crazy but nice to practice because we know that those things are going to happen in real life. In the next couple weeks we have 2 or 3 taped interviews that we have to review with a second year buddy they assigned to us. It should be freaky to have to watch myself on tape and analyze my body language and everything. I can't say I'm looking forward to it.

Anyway, the other classes that we have started this semester are neuroscience, physiology, and microbiology. I think these classes will be much better than histology and biochemistry. (blah!) But of course it is much harder to keep on track with my studying when I don't get done with school until 5 and then am tired and don't feel like doing anything. Mom and Dad keep saying it is like a regular job but I believe that is unfair since I am expected to study like crazy in all of my time off and I don't get paid a dime.

In more positive news, we will be having the med school winter ball in february! It's like prom but with an open bar. The only problem is that last year supposedly they only had open bar for the first hour so everyone drank as much free booze as possible in that one hour and misbehaved from then on out. I feel like that is a bad idea but what can you do? It has been nice to be back here so far and hang out with all my phi rho friends and my body buddies. I'm sure school will get in the way soon enough considering I have a micro quiz on monday which of course I am supposed to study for like it is a test. But perhaps I will go shopping while I can and spend the rest of my christmas money. Hope everyone is doing well!

3 weeks left!

2007-11-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well, It's been awhile huh? The past few weeks have been busy. Let's see. I went to Vegas, turned 22, got white-coated complete with cool reflex hammer, won fantasy nascar (which is both my greatest shame and my greatest triumph), barely passed a biochem test which I studied all week for, went home finally! to see my floppy-eared dog and assorted other family members, finally got to watch some live hockey, and returned home to a full schedule with a quiz and two tests this week. That was a run-on sentence if there ever was one.

So Las Vegas. It was great! It was my first time flying by myself but everything worked out fine. The trip was a little short but I had fun. I got to see many of the casinos which were all pretty crazy. And I got to have the best meal of my life. Filet mignon with foie gras and a red wine reduction. Seriously, Michael Mina is the best chef ever. He made vegetables taste good to me and that is a feat! The only bad thing is that now all other steaks pale in comparison. I'm sure I'll get over that one soon though. Also, I must say that the Bellagio fountain is possibly the greatest thing in the world and I will no longer make fun of mom for saying so.

After I got back from Vegas, I basically spent an entire week studying for my second biochem test which was on every energetic pathway known to man. I was familiar with glycolysis and TCA cycle but when it got down to the pentose monophosphate shunt and the like I was pretty lost. So pretty much the 40 hours of studying was worthless because I got to the test and the question would just pick one molecule out of all the pathways and I had no idea which pathway they were talking about since they were all mixed up in my head. But. I still passed and that is all that I need to do. The studying for the test was made more stressful by a quiz, a paper, and a presentation, but also by the white coat ceremony which was right before the test. I felt like I would have enjoyed it so much more if I could have actually spent some time with my family rather than kicking them out so I could study. It was nice to get the white coat though. I think I look pretty snazzy in it. Mallory was kind enough to point out that when I get the longer real doctor coat it will go past my knees and make me look like a midget. So that is something to look forward to.

After the test, it was excellent to go home for a while. I skipped some class I will admit and went home on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Don't worry! They tape the lectures and put them on the internet so I can watch whenever I please. I tried to study a little at home but that didn't work out so well. Fortunately the two tests we have this week should be pretty easy: Genetics and Nutrition. The only thing that makes me slightly nervous about them is that we only have one test in each of these subjects so we really have to pass them. But it should be fine. Anyway, at home I saw all of you guys at Thanksgiving which was great. I saw Enchanted with Mallory which I think is the first movie I've seen in months. And finally, I watched the sioux play good ole fashioned, old-time, saturday night, rip roaring, head banging, puck shootin', crowd roarin', etc etc Sioux Hockey. Seriously how many adjectives are they going to put in front of Sioux hockey? Really they should add an adjective every night as the season goes on. Also this power play was brought to you by Rydell Chevrolet. Anyway, they won and played great Friday, and lost and played crappy Saturday. Sort of the way the season has been going so far. But at least I'm not a gopher fan!

Okay that is enough. But in closing I am posting this video. It makes me happy. But don't click on it at work because the music is loud and the video is nothing without the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBIOpFwBgNM

Test Test Test

2007-10-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, last friday I had my first biochem and molecular biology test. It was not so fun. We had 24 hours worth of lecture material to review which made it pretty difficult to study. The previous tests that they provided for us to look over included mostly general information because they write 3 multiple choice questions for every lecture. So I did well on all the practice tests and felt fine going into friday. However, our test was much more detailed than the other tests and I did not feel fine afterward. All of my classmates felt that the test was difficult too so I am hoping that some curving will be in order. It was nice to have a weekend to relax after the test because we have another test this week on Saturday in histology (the most boringest subject there ever was). After histo test, it is off to Vegas baby! I still need to acquire some sparkly clothes for the occasion.

This weekend as per my relaxation I attended two lovely halloween parties. I dressed as a housewife from the 1950s with a feather duster in one hand and a cocktail in the other. It was good to see some of my friends whom I haven't seen in months! I saw some very good costumes but I must say that none can compare to this:

A rice krispie treat cat!

Well...

2007-10-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I should update. The problem is that nothing particularly interesting has happened in the past couple weeks. Now that anatomy is over, I have lecture for 3 hours every morning and histology lab twice a week. All of these things are boring. Histology is the study of tissues so the class involves looking at different types of tissue under the microscope. We have to learn to distinguish between smooth muscle and skeletal muscle and different types of epithelia etc. etc. So basically this class has very little applicability in the daily life of most doctors. The professors told us that the only specialty that uses this class is Pathologists and I am not going to be a pathologist because I don't want to look in a microscope all day! I am learning histology simply so that I do not fail the class and for no other reason. So far so good, I got a 90% on the first quiz. We also have Biochemistry which is more interesting than histology except for the fact that it has been all review thus far. Last week we started Nutrition. The entire message of nutrition is: Obesity is BAD. I think I will do okay on the one quiz we have for that class.

In more exciting news, I am going to Las Vegas for my birthday with Mom and Dad. Yay for taking out too many loans so I have extra money! Okay I probably won't be saying that in 4 years but right now it is excellent. I am looking forward to the holidays coming up because I will finally get to go home and see everyone. I haven't seen Mallory since August and that makes me sad. We can still talk about Legally Blonde the Musical over the phone but it isn't necessarily the same. Well, I should get to some studying since I have been slacking for a while. I call it post-anatomy syndrome also known as: I suck at life.

Holy Crap!

2007-10-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I passed anatomy! and not just with a respectable yet not all that impressive B. I got an A!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay obviously this does not actually matter since it is pass/fail but I find it amazing and also hilarious. Why the sudden jump in score you ask? Well the obvious answer is that the curve was applied to my total grade which probably added around 5% to it. Also, I got my Head and Neck test back this week. And surprisingly, I did really well on it. I got 20 points higher than I did on my last test. This really makes absolutely no sense since I felt that studied less for this test, which had more material, and was not very confident in my answers on the test. But obviously I am a head and neck genius. I only got 5 questions wrong on the practical exam when usually I get 15 wrong. Ha! I guess I showed anatomy who's boss.

Now onto the next, Biochemistry and Histology. I have one thing to say about these subjects and that is "Boring!" It has been very weird to transition from having a one hour lecture and then three hours of lab each day to three hours of lecture everyday and a 2 hour lab 2 days a week. Frankly, I don't like it. It is difficult to concentrate for three hours sitting in a nice comfy chair in a warm room with dimmed lights. I get sleepy even if I drink caffeine. So I am definitely going to have to get used to the change. Also it is a lot different going from gross anatomical structures to chemical reactions and cell structures that can only be seen under a microscope. It is more difficult to see the applications of this type of knowledge for me. Also most of class thus far has been review so it seems even less useful since I already know it. But I'm sure it will pick up shortly and be quite challenging when they introduce new material. At least we are getting a little break after anatomy. Now I have an opportunity to catch up on all the new tv shows!

Another week, Another test

2007-09-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it is test week yet again here at the U of M medical school. This Friday will be our final anatomy test concentrating on the myriad of structures in the head and neck. In case you were wondering, there is a lot of crap going on up there. Lab for the past week has been very interesting. We use a saw everyday meaning we dissect one area of the head one day and then saw through it to see different structures the next day. That makes lab pretty frustrating because you are continuously ruining the work you did the day before. Also, it is almost impossible to study for the practical exam except out of a book.

The good thing about this exam is that it is the last, so I know exactly what percentage I need to get on this test to pass anatomy as a whole. They average all three test scores and I need a 70% overall to pass. With my two first tests being around 80% without the curve, I have calculated that I need about a 50% to pass anatomy. Of course, my goal will be to pass this individual test with a 70% or above but it is nice to know that I have some leeway with my score. Truthfully, this crap is hard! There are a million bones all fused together, with a bunch of holes in the bone where all the nerves and blood vessels exit, and the nerves go innervate a million muscles with different functions. So basically, I need to be able to name every hole or foramen in the skull and what comes out of it and which bone it is in and where those vessels are going and what they are doing and what the individual muscles are doing too. To this I say, boo. This information is interesting and important but seems less so when it is all flung at me in 2 weeks.

Basically, I am ready to be done with anatomy, though I have learned to enjoy dissecting. I wonder though if different classes will really be better? We start Biochemistry and Histology next week and we only have histology lab about every other day. I am not particularly excited for these classes since they are so much more hands-off compared to anatomy. Looking at slides through a microscope is just not that appealing to me and that is all that histology lab is. I'm pretty sure biochemistry will mostly consist of memorization of chemical reactions in the body. But I guess, I am ready for a change. And frankly, ready to not spend 4 hours a day watching my body buddies do next to nothing. It makes me bitter.

Well, the theme of the week is study study study! (because I definitely did not do that enough for the past 2 weeks.)

New additions

2007-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

So, the test was hard. The good news is I studied harder for this test than for the first test so I got a slightly better score than I did on the first one. The high score on this test was a 95% so that means that I get to add 5% to my score, giving me a nice B. That works for me! So now I just have to keep up with the massive amount of information that comes with the Head & Neck unit, the final portion of gross anatomy.

In head & neck news, I was surprised today to learn that there would be two new additions to our body buddy group. We were bequeathed two human skulls for our own study use. They came in padded wooden lunch boxes which we apparently will carry around for the next two and a half weeks. I had seen in an upcoming lecture that we were asked to bring our study skulls, but I guess I thought that was some kind of head & neck inside joke that I had not learned yet. I was mistaken.

Also, I thought I would post a picture of the elusive man with whom I spend most of my time outside of class.

His name is Frank and he is quite the hottie. He is an artist with a penchant for drawing anatomically correct pictures of himself as a young man (for real). He is the "author" of our wondrous anatomy textbook and we've had a date every night for the past month. He is also seeing 182 other people as far as I know, so we're not exclusive.

2nd test= no weekend

2007-09-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well, the second anatomy test is this Monday. So that means that tomorrow (Saturday) we have a final review session and a practice practical exam and Sunday is our final study day. I personally do not support Monday tests. It means that I really do not have a weekend at all and have less time to study compared to the first test. We do get Tuesday off after our test but that isn't the same as a nice long weekend of relaxation after a Friday test.

This test should be interesting. We have covered the thorax, the heart and lungs, the abdomen, and the pelvis for this unit. In the course of our dissection however, we have removed the legs to get better access to the pelvis and have actually removed the pelvis in many cases. So basically all of the anatomy that we had dissected in the abdomen is ruined. I have no idea how they are going to find any preserved structures to tag. But I'm sure they will figure something out.

After this test, we move on to the head and neck, which should be pretty difficult. I have a feeling I will really want to be done by the end of September. The scrubs that I wear everyday for lab smell horrible and are greasy. My lab partners are finding that their talents for using the scalpel (cutting through all the important structures with the scalpel) are no longer needed so they aren't much help. I am the go-to person for doing the delicate dissections. I actually enjoy finding all the nerves and arteries and finding all the branches but it gets old when I am the only one doing the work. When I do take a break though, Jon tends to poke around the area that I just cleaned and mess it up. Tam just sits on a stool and watches, and Rebekah is pretty helpful but she doesn't really like finding vessels and nerves. So anyway, I will be studying this weekend and not watching football, maye.

Anatomy is half over!

2007-09-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well, another week has gone by and anatomy is half over. The dissections are getting more intense every week. This week we opened the rib cage and examined the abdominal organs as well as the heart and lungs. I cut a couple of the ribs myself which was interesting. We use tools like wire cutters or tree trimmers in these sort of dissections. It is a bit crazy. However, it is less surprising for me as time goes by. Shortly we will start on head and neck which is supposedly the most difficult part of anatomy. Up to this point, the heads of our bodies have remained covered which I am thankful for. It will be pretty different when we start on head and neck for that reason. Even though anatomy is pretty difficult. I am definitely getting used to it and will probably miss it when it is over. After anatomy, we start biochemistry, histology, and nutrition. That will definitely be a change of pace. And on the plus side, I won't smell so bad!

So one of the things I have been having a hard time with is finding safe stuff for me to eat. This past week, I had a reaction to gluten and it was very annoying. I was really tired and ended up napping for four hours every day which is really unproductive. That is proof enough for me that it is really important that I stick to the diet. So hopefully, I'll get that figured out. In other news, I went to the Vikings game on Thursday with my body buddies because Tam likes the cowboys. We bought five dollar tickets in basically the last row of the upper deck and then we proceeded to sit in other people's empty seats until someone kicked us out. It was fun even though it was the third-stringers who actually played. I enjoyed busting out the Tony Romo impression at every opportunity (this involves me mimicking someone bobbling the snap for the last minute field goal.) I also got to see the back of T.O. whom I think is hilarious though everyone else hates him. I'm looking forward to fantasy football starting as yet another distraction from school. Yay Peyton Manning!

Post-test

2007-08-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well one test down, a billion more to go. The big news is: I passed! That is one excellent thing about med school, we no longer get grades. We pass, fail, or get honors. Honors, I have already given up on. Why? Well possibly because over 40% of my class got over a 90% on the first exam. And only the top 10% (18 people) get honors. Obviously I am going to school with some of the smartest people in the nation. In addition the material is very difficult, so really if I wanted to be at the top of my class I would have to study all the time. And since I already know that I don't want to go into a competitive specialty like radiology or orthopaedics, I have decided that honors is not going to be something that I strive for. Frankly, I would rather have a life and not be more stressed out than necessary. We have a motto here and it is P=MD. That means that regardless of whether I get steady scores of 70% throughout med school, I will still be a doctor. I felt good about how I did on the test though. I am not sure about my exact percentage because there is a slight curve but by my calculations I got a B- to a B. That works for me. The best part of the test was when it was over.

The tradition at the U is when the test is over at noon, everyone goes to the bar across the street from campus called Sally's. There everyone proceeds to drink all of the testable knowledge right out of their head. I ate lunch there after the test and had a drink with my classmates. It was fun. Especially because the normal working people who were there on their lunch breaks were very confused by our presence. Another medical fraternity called phi chi held a party on friday night in honor of our first exam being over. That was also fun except I am still annoyed that they charged me $5 for a cup even though I told them I was allergic to beer. Lame! In closing, I have uploaded a picture that I drew of the brachial plexus. All of us have this very structure in the armpit/neck. It contains all the sensory and motor nerves that go to the muscles and skin of the arm, hand, shoulder and pec muscles. Isn't that neat? The answer is yes but that it is not very neat to memorize everything about it.

Bah!

2007-08-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

So much studying! Today was our last day of class and lab before the test. Now we get the next two days to stress and study and cram as much information into our brains as can possibly fit. We broke out the big guns for lab today meaning they gave us chisels, hammers, pliers, and wire cutters so we could take out some of the vertebrae and visualize the spinal cord. Most of lab I just stood at least 6 feet from our table trying to avoid getting splashed by bone shards or body juice since my body buddies were a little overzealous.

Oh that reminds me. At the U, it is traditional to pair up 4 people (two boys and two girls) to work on one body in the lab. They are called body buddies and spend about 3-5 hours a day together for 7 weeks. This apparently leads to many instances of lifelong friendships because you bond. So my body buddies are pretty cool.

There is Rebekah who is around 24. She graduated from Johns Hopkins and got a Master's Degree in Public Health at Columbia. Then for the past year or so she has been working in NYC at an organization which provides AIDS testing for homeless people. She does not actually want to practice as a doctor when we graduate but work on health policy using her MPH and her MD to give her greater perspective. Seems like a lot of work for a little perspective if you ask me but she is very nice and a good teacher. Another one of my body buddies is Jon who is also 23 or 24. He took 2 years off after graduating from the U of M and apparently did nothing. He wants to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. He amuses me because the entire time in lab while he is concentrating on cutting he has this completely disgusted look on his face. You wouldn't think a future cardiothoracic surgeon would get grossed out but he does. My other body buddy is Tam, who is 22 and originally from Vietnam though he lived in Texas and Chicago and went to the University of Illinois-Chicago. He also wants to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, though thus far I am not all that confident in his abilities because he tends to cut through all the muscles and nerves without a second thought. He can be nice and amusing but is also sometimes annoying because he gets bored and wanders around the lab while the rest of us are working.

So these are the people who I spend a lot of my time with, especially now that the test is coming up since I need to be in lab more to review structures on the body. We have a practical exam where the teachers tag different parts of the body and we have to write down the name of the structure on a blank sheet of paper. We also have a small radiology portion where we identify bones and muscles on x-rays and MRIs. Then we have written exam which is really multiple choice. This applies the anatomy that we learned in the lab to real life situations. It is kind of fun actually to realize that all the crap that we are learning about random structures applies to clinical situations and that I can figure out the cause or result of a condition by simply thinking through what I have learned in anatomy. Crazy stuff. Anyway, I must sleep so I can get up and study. I'm really horrible at keeping myself on task what with the internet and music and tv and food and my cell phone. I may just have to shut myself up in the library in the basement where there is conveniently no cell phone reception. Just 2 more days and I will be able to relax hopefully!

The Beginning

2007-08-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

So I decided that since I won't be seeing most of you for at least four years, it might be nice to have a way to know what I am so busy doing. Therefore I have created a blog which I hope to update periodically, likely as a break from studying. I've been at medical school for two weeks now and I feel a bit different already. For one, I have come to accept the fact that indeed I did not trick the admissions people here into letting me in but am just as qualified as the rest of my classmates, even though I'm not an olympic triathlete or anything. My class consists of 183 people between the ages of 21-38. You will notice that I am on the younger end of the spectrum. It is a bit odd to meet classmates who are married with kids because that is so not where I am coming from.

As most of you know I am now a frat girl? Which doesn't actually make sense but basically means that I live with a bunch of other medical students in 4 houses which have been split into apartments. It has been nice living here because after the first two days of orientation, the socializing opportunities quickly ceased because everyone started studying. But since I live with other med students, I have been able to meet people and hang out with them on the weekends. Tonight, most of the frat members (Phi Rho-ers) went out to dinner at the Loring Pasta Bar. It was a very cool restaurant and it was nice to take a study break even though expensive dinners are probably not covered in my student loans (oops). One big perk of living at Phi Rho is that rent is only $330 a month including utilities, cable tv, internet, and toilet paper. This is super cheap considering my last apartment was $450/month not including utilities.

I have quickly become accustomed to the hectic med school schedule. The first 7 weeks are focused solely on gross anatomy, so our days are spent first in lecture on the parts of anatomy we will be exploring that day and then in lab for a couple hours dissecting. The cadaver thing is one of the weirdest experiences ever. It is disgusting, amazing, and smelly all at the same time and it has already become something which is relatively normal to me. I guess I never thought it would be normal to compare my experience dissecting a cadaver with another person's at the dinner table or talking about which muscle of the forearm is my favorite (has to be supinator). Our lab TA's are very helpful and we have an orthopedic surgeon in our lab who wanders around exposing different joints. He dissected our knee as he would for a total knee replacement so we could see the ACL and the cartilage and everything. It was very cool.

In other news, our first big test is next week on Friday. We have a lab practical where they tag different parts of the bodies and we have to name them and a paper exam which involves more analytical problem solving type of stuff. I am pretty nervous about this just because I don't really know what to expect and don't want to fail the first test in med school. I am studying hard but it never really seems like enough. Especially because our exam covers the muscles, bones, ligaments, arteries, and nerves of the chest, back, arm, hand, leg, foot, and Gluteus. I am confident that all of this information will leave my brain the day after the test. I have to make room for the new stuff after all.