Clinic

Today I volunteered at one of the student-run clinics at UCD. I know it's still really early in the year and we've learned very minimal skills in relation to patient care (blood draws and flu vaccine administration!), but since it's a non-quiz weekend, I figured I might as well get started. The clinic I chose was the same one I had toured after my interview back in September (can't believe it's been almost one year!).

And it was GREAT! At first, one of my fellow MS1s and I tagged along with an MS2 so that we could observe the interview and physical exam. And then, my classmate and I teamed up to see our patient, present our notes to the preceptor, and present the assessment and plan to the patient. I'm really glad we teamed up for our first patient, because we each jumped in to ask questions the other may have forgotten. It felt like a comfortable transition. And then we wrote up a SOAP note after discharging our patient. A SOAP note stands for Subjective (what the patient tells you) Objective (exam and test results) Assessment (diagnosis and rationale) Plan (course of action, e.g. prescriptions, diet/exercise modifications, follow up appointment, etc.). Basically, a write up of the entire encounter so that the next time the patient comes in and another medical student is assigned to the case, they have an idea of what transpired.

Writing that SOAP note was more challenging than I thought! I've written countless reports for the research studies I worked on since undergrad. Each time I interviewed a study subject, I wrote up an assessment note, but I think it's just getting acquainted with the divisions of the SOAP note, which is a little different from what I'm used to. Common theme of medical school: everything is an adjustment! :)

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Yes, it's a lot of work. More work than I anticipated. But the human body is such a beautiful thing. And being in clinic reminds you of why you want to be a physician. Six hours of class leaves me exhausted. But six hours of clinic just flew on by. It was a really great experience and I'm glad I did it. I've scheduled a couple more days in September in different clinics, to see how it goes and which clinic fits me the best.

I still haven't experimented too much with cooking yet. I have a lot of food in my freezer (thanks, mom!) that I've been heating up everyday since I've been spending so much time studying. But I think going into week 3, I've learned to make some modifications in my study habits so hopefully I will have more time to cook. I miss reading books, too. Gone are the days when I would spend an hour reading at night. Hopefully, I can pick that up again soon.

Two weeks in!

And just like that, two weeks have flown by. We had our first exam on Monday morning (I passed everything! woohoo) and then dove in to the week's lectures. This week has really been packed, but I'm really glad I got a chance to talk to my childhood friend L (seriously, since Kindergarten) who's just starting medical school as well. We compared notes about our first days and what we're feeling. It's just nice to talk to someone who is going through the same thing AT THE SAME TIME. I hope we can keep a schedule of checking in maybe on a biweekly or monthly basis. :)

Class officer positions were also this week. I seriously considered running, but ultimately decided not to so that I can jump on some other opportunities that should be coming up later this block. I don't want to commit to too many things and then not be able to focus all of my energy on each adequately (or sleep, ha!). I really need to work on adjusting my sleep schedule. I've been going to bed around 1am, so when that alarm rings at 6:30, I just ignore it and then have to rush to get to class on time. Goal is to go to bed at least one hour earlier. I think that will also help me concentrate better during class so I won't need to study as much in the evenings. And boy do you study a lot in the evenings. I've adjusted my study habits for some classes already, thanks to advice from the MS2s, but Physiology is taking up more of my time than I thought I would, and Histology is the one class I have not taken before, so I need to devote more time for that.

But, since this is a non-quiz weekend, I decided to go ahead and volunteer at one of the student-run clinics tomorrow. UCD has eight free clinics (EIGHT!), each focusing on a specific underserved population. I thought I'd start out with the one I'm most familiar with, which is the clinic I toured after my interview in September. I've signed up for a couple more in September, once things settle down with exams and anatomy practicals.

Speaking of anatomy, the class has been much more interesting that I expected. Anatomy during undergrad seemed like rote memorization, but I really love the way medical school incorporates clinical correlates into all the classes. It makes the learning process more integrated and easier. I seriously adore our lead anatomy professor. He explains everything so well that I feel like I've already studied right then and there. I was definitely nervous going into anatomy lab on the first day. My main concern was (and still is) always feeling like I am going to tear something or cut through a structure and ruin the dissection for the day. It helps that we alternate among our group members, but I find myself constantly asking for reassurance that I'm doing things correctly. But other than that, it's amazing. Huge amount of respect to those who have donated their bodies so that students like me can learn.

I'll try to get in another post later this weekend to talk about clinic!

Medical school is hard

People tell you that when you say you want to be a doctor. They tell you again during undergrad. And again when you are applying/interviewing. And again during orientation.

And you don't believe them.

Until it hits you smack dab in the face. Medical school is hard. It's Day 4 and I've felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and behind my schedule since Day 2. We have had more lectures in four days than two weeks' worth of undergrad. To be fair, the material isn't that difficult. What's overwhelming is the volume of information thrown at you and the pace at which you need to keep up. And it's not just studying the material covered for the day. You have to prepare for the next day's lectures so that you are able to keep up with the lecture and understand the material. Needless to say, the amount of sleep I've been getting is significantly less than I've grown accustomed to.

To be honest, I thought I would breeze through Block 1. We are taking Anatomy, Physiology, Histology, Biochemistry, and Doctoring. Since I was a Physiology major, I figured that I have already been exposed to most of the material, albeit not in the great detail at this level. Plus, the first course you take as a Phy Sci major at UCLA is Anatomy, and Biochemistry (lecture course AND separate lab course) is a graduation requirement as well. But, again, it comes down to the pacing. We'll usually have multiple lectures from a course every day, so that's been a little adjustment. Everything is videocasted though, so I might consider staying home for certain lectures and going at my own pace to see if that makes a difference. Time is such a precious commodity!

And then, there's Anatomy Lab. I don't think there is anything comparable to Gross Anatomy. I do want to talk more about this, but think it may be best to save for another post, after I've had a few more sessions in the lab.

We have our first quiz (more like a midterm, if you ask me, ha!) on Monday...stay tuned.

Go HuGE or go home

Orientation this week. While it's been super jam-packed, I am so in love with my school and classmates. I've met about 50% of the class so far and everyone seems so personable and friendly. We are a smaller class than most med schools (104 in our class), so it's very intimate and family-like. Most of the days consisted of presentations and small group sessions to orient us to school policies, introduce important people aka deans and course managers, and just get to know everyone. And every night, the MS2s organized a fun event, like Trivia Night (nope, I'm not competitive at games AT ALL) and a Scavenger Hunt all over Sacramento.

Yup, scavenger hunt. Not your average run around and find hidden items deal. But a full city-wide search of Sacramento gems, like Gunther's Ice Cream, the Capitol Mall, the Art Museum, the Zoo, Evangeline's Costume Shop, and local coffee shops. Oh and we also had to get random people to take pictures with us for $1 and perform on the street corner. No sweat. Twenty-six items to check off in under 4 hours. And yes, my team got them all ;) with pit-stops at McDonald's and buying a bike off of a Craigslist post. Bam!

Our team mascot.

Costume Shop in Old Sac.

Dared to try the wackiest flavor. Rum Raisin.

At UCD, students also get divided in colleges, a la Harry Potter. So I'm in HuGE college, which is, of course, the best one in my humble opinion. [What size is it? HUUUUUUUUUUGE] Blue is a good color, after all. The color of Ravenclaw House, in fact! But to heat up the rivalries among the colleges, the MS2s also hosted a College Olympics this week. I'm talking Tug of War, Sack races, Wheelbarrow races, Water Balloon Dodgeball, and my personal favorite, Watermelon Eating. Translation: I am never eating watermelon again. [Why is there an entire watermelon all sliced up and ready to eat in my fridge? Why? WHY?] Needless to say, these last few days have been ridiculously fun.

Our awesome House t-shirt.

College Olympics with our amazing school in the background. [Photo credit: VL]

Most importantly, I got inducted into medical school, white coat, stethoscope, fancy badge, and all. The school put on a nice ceremony to officially welcome us into the fold. All med students receive white coats before starting this journey. But UCD likes to present its students with our first stethoscopes as well, as a symbolic gesture, which is super cool. [Fun Fact: the length of your white coat determines how far along you are in the field. So med students have short white coats, residents have medium-length coats, and attendings wear long coats.]

Sibs. My, he looks happy.

It's going to be a kick-ass four years. Classes start tomorrow!