We finally finished our first module which was mainly cell biology, biochemistry, embryology, and a little pharmacology. I’m just happy I survived because it wasn’t easy! Unfortunately, I can’t say there was anything that I really loved learning. I was more focused on passing the exams, but I’m hoping that there’s something enjoyable soon. Our next unit is hematology, immunology, and infectious disease; we are currently tackling immunology, so just know it’s already a struggle! I just wanted to share what I was up to last week because even though it was a very busy one, it was also pretty exciting.
On Monday, I learned more about the humanism center at our school. Interestingly, the center was actually one of the many reasons I picked my school. I wanted to be at a school that actually cares about patients and cares about making sure students become empathetic physicians. The center also focuses on making sure that all members of the medical community (students, residents, attending physicians) can take care of themselves and also provides a space where people can express themselves in a field that can often times be depressing and draining. I want to get more involved in the center over the next four years since I’m passionate about what it stands for, but I still need to figure in exactly what way.
I think it’s amazing that we have a student-run literary journal that accepts submissions from students. Do not think that because you want to be a doctor that you can’t keep doing any creative things that you love!
On Tuesday, the emergency medicine interest group hosted an IV workshop where emergency medicine residents taught us how to put in an IV. I didn’t have any direct clinical experience before school, so a little taste of clinical things like this really excite me.
Looks pretty messy, but let’s hope that is not the case the first time I do this on a real patient.
On Wednesday, the Benjamin Rush Surgical Society hosted a workshop where we learned more about the field of vascular surgery. It was interesting learning about aneurysms, knot tying, and suturing fake blood vessels. I knew nothing about vascular surgery before the workshop, so I really enjoyed the exposure. Here’s a video about aneurysms for anyone who wants to learn more!
Simulation of how aneurysms are treated.
A vascular surgeon giving us more information about the typical surgery for an aneurysm. Someone had a question and he just grabbed a box a started teaching us! 🙂
ISHI does surgical missions to a number of countries, including Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Peru. If you would like to learn more about ISHI and donate to the organization please visit their website.
Pig foot.
Me and Crystal learning how to suture from a surgical resident who is also a global surgery fellow.
Knot tying.
I love going to interest group meetings not only for the free food, but to learn more about different specialities and get involved on campus. Believe it or not med school is not just about studying!
On Thursday, I had my TOSCE which stands for Teaching Objective Structured Clinical Examination; this is the way that our school evaluates our patient interviewing skills. It was my first time encountering a standardized patient which is a pretty big deal! For those that don’t know, that basically means we pretend to be a doctor with a fake patient (a paid actor). We had to obtain a chief complaint and history of present illness (HPI) and additional info about the patient. The process works like this: two of your classmates and a physician watch on a TV in another room as you interview the patient; then the patient and your peers give you feedback on your encounter. Oh and you only had 10 mins to get all the necessary information. I was only nervous for two seconds, but it was actually an awesome experience. It wasn’t graded, but we have our official OSCE in a few months.
Me, Mike, and Aakash right after our TOSCE
I told you guys this was a busy week, right? Well, we also had our Fall Formal! It was fun to get dressed up in something other than my usual leggings and hoodie. Here are some pictures:
Intelligent and gorgeous future doctors: Yve, Alaba, Britney, and me.
So that was my week! I didn’t quite get off to the best start in terms of studying and if you follow me on Snapchat you know I fell behind. I’m finally caught up though. We have our first immunology exam on Monday, so I’m mentally preparing for another stressful exam week. Thanks for reading!