Block 2 reflections

Block 2 ended about two weeks ago and the few weeks leading up to the end were really, really, really stressful. Instead of our finals being written by the professors - like how our biweekly exams regularly are - we were treated to boards-style questions. Now, I know this is good practice for when we actually do take the board exam next year, but it was nerve-wracking nevertheless. I knew I had a good buffer going into each exam, but I was still nervous. Thoughts about the classes this block -

Pharmacology - I absolutely loved this class. I love learning about the different drugs, classes, their mechanisms, etc. I find it so clinically useful and important, especially during clinic when I have to go through my patients' medication lists.

Microbiology - I admit, at first I was a little confused with this class. Based on the recommendations of previous years, the class was shifted to "self-study," with all of the lectures pre-recorded as online modules. Now I know that this shouldn't be so different from our regular coursework - just pretend that you didn't go to the live lecture and watched it online. But there were A LOT of online modules and on top of that, each week we had mandatory case discussions. It seemed very overwhelming at first and I did okay on the first quiz but not super hot. Then I figured out how to actually study for this class. Micro is a lot of memorization but if you understand some basic concepts, it makes things a lot easier. I ordered the Lippincott Microcards which were a godsend. I used the online modules as a guide on what to study and focused more on the microcards. I liked having everything about a bug on a single flashcard, instead of having to swipe through slides. Also, I realized that the key to Micro is repetition. I would spend 15 minutes everyday going through the cards and it really solidified the material for me. I'm definitely a believer in spending more time on something now to save time on it later.

ENRG - otherwise known as Endocrinology, Nutrition, Reproduction, Genetics, a 9.5 unit whopper of a class, the one everyone fears. I started out okay, then totally f*cked up on the second exam. Yes, I am keeping the expletive because it is so necessary. I had sort of a panic attack-like state after that. I was really frustrated at having messed up on that section of the test. It would be one thing if I hadn't put in the work and not studied, but I really had. So being me, I started catastrophizing (that's a real word btw) and was convinced that I was on the road to failing the class. I had to realize that my studying for that class was not necessarily efficient or correct and had to adjust accordingly. I quit going to lectures since I was not learning anything in class and was taking notes verbatim. Instead, I listened to them at home at 1.5x speed, but pausing every so often to look things up, take some notes, and really trying to actively learn the material at my own pace. And instead of just learning whatever was on the slide, I tried to ask questions and manipulate the material to really gauge my understanding. And it worked! Phew!

Immunology - not super exciting in my humble opinion, but I do have an appreciation for the subject. I just can't take it when the names of things give you absolutely no clue to their function. Difference between IL2 and IL6? Yah, go ahead and figure that out without memorization.

Pathology - OMG, I thought Histology was over??? Hahahhahahahah. One of my closest college friends is applying to Path residency later this year. I, however, will not be. ;)

Doctoring - this block was focused on interviewing skills and note-writing. I'm glad to say going to clinic biweekly makes this such a breeze. It's so fun to have actors come in and pretend to be real patients that you get to examine. They are so good and do provide useful feedback.

Overall - I've learned that I may not be such a classroom person after all, and watching the podcasts may actually be a better fit for me. And even though I am terrified of the boards in the back of my mind, I actually feel a little better about them after having done fairly well on all the NBME exams. I've come a long way since August and there is still plenty to learn. Everything will come in its own time. You just have to enjoy the present.

Med School Meltdown

This week I had my first med school meltdown. It was about a flat tire...Seriously. I was driving home from school and heard a loud noise, followed by those grating sounds. Okay, I thought, I'm basically a mile from home...maybe I can make it? Yes? Please? Nope. I felt the car slowing down so I quickly exited and put on my hazards. I figured I'd call AAA and get this sorted out quickly so that I could squeeze in some study time until the Peds SIG dinner later that evening.

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Apparently, AAA won't help you if the cardholder is not present. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. I thought I could use my dad's information since my car is registered under my parents' names, but I guess they require a physical presence. At this point, I was on the verge of tears because I didn't know what to do. I was in a No Parking zone in this city that I've lived in for a grand total of 3 months, basically all alone. Good thing it wasn't dark!

The AAA lady gave me the number of a towing shop, suggesting that they could come and switch my tire since I had a spare. I called them and they said that they would only tow the car. Well, tow the car where?!?! What do I do after that?!?! That wasn't useful to me! I decided my next best option (besides begging a friend to drive out and help me) would be to call my apartment manager to ask if he knew about any nearby shops. At this point, I was *really* frustrated, so the tears starting flowing and my voice was cracking. And so my apartment manager actually came over and changed my tire himself! I couldn't believe, that was too kind. I baked him some brownies as a thank you but unfortunately they were a disaster so I put together this instead:

Even though it was shitty afternoon and I was even considering not going to the dinner because I was so frustrated, I'm glad that I just let that go and went anyway. My top choices right now are Pediatrics and Psychiatry so it's nice to get a perspective from practicing physicians as to why they chose their specialties and get an idea about their lifestyles as well. I'll probably try to start shadowing soon, too. I'm meeting with my preceptor this week (she's in Family Practice, though), so I'll take it from there.