July 31, 2008

It is the end of my first week at medical school, which has been a mix of emotions from the day I found out that I got into school in April. I have waited so long to get to this point, so needless to say I am overjoyed and happy to be here, but if I didn't say I was a little nervous I would be lying. I figure the nerves will help keep me focused and motivated.

There has been a variety of things happening this week, from meeting classmates to the beginnings of class work. We are all learning on different levels to adjust to school life again. For me, the adjustment is just back to school in general, which means physically having class in a classroom with classmates. I have been working on my MPH online for the past year, which has been an incredible experience, but it is definitely different than attending class again.

Orientation has been going on all week. Today was exciting and educational for me because it was a time for us to really share research and personal experiences on a number of topics. I learned so many things about cultural differences that I would not have gotten the chance to experience if it weren't for the incredible diversity of our class. We all tend to block out the bad in other countries or become ignorant to the struggles they go through because we become too invested in ourselves. I didn't realize the cultural issues and stigmas associated with HIV/AIDs in Africa. It is so hard for those of us in the US and health care field to believe that individuals can be so ignorant to real health concerns. Shirley talked about how individuals believe that if they take certain local drugs or follow certain acts that they are immune to the disease. Among so many other beliefs, it is easy to see how the disease is spreading and causing so many casualties.

Today was also very exciting for me because we got to start learning medical skills. It may seem like a simple thing, but getting to start working on the physical exam and professionalism behind our new profession was so exciting. I had a great time learning and applying the MMSE to one of my classmates to assess their cognitive status. In addition, picking up our white coats and getting our equipment made everything very real, in a very exciting and good way. I had a great time experimenting with my equipment on my dog and my parents. However, dogs are not the best patients when it comes to examining the ears or eyes:)

I am ready for the white coat ceremony and making things even more official then they already are today. The finality, in some sense, of the white coat ceremony really brings together everything from this week and helps us look towards our futures as physicians.

Wednesday 30, 20008

One of the reasons I was so excited about the program here at ATSU-SOMA was that it was very evident that competition was not instilled in the students. In fact, the staff and students made it very apparent on interview day that competition should be the last thing on our minds. Since day one of orientation the staff has made a concrete point that to succeed as medical students, competition is not the way to go. Teamwork and advancement as a group is more important than competing against each to get the best score on this test or that. Mr. Matthews had great points this morning that the only person you should be competing with is yourself. We all need to work hard to make ourselves better and push ourselves individually to be the best physician possible, that is the most important thing we can do as a student.

I also enjoyed listening to Dr. McWilliams talk about being in the profession and his experiences. The discussion on professionalism was great because I think that at times we forget that we are professional students. How we look and act can make a big difference on how we are perceived and trusted by our patients. As a student, no matter the age, we are in class all day and we tend to get crazy and want to have fun, but we need to remember there is a right time and place for everything. Your actions in front of and around your patients can affect the respect they have for you, same goes for classmates, faculty, and professors.





On a personal note, I realize how lucky I am everyday when I go home this week because I have a loving, wonderful family. My parent's have been staying with me this week until the White Coat Ceremony on Friday and putting my apartment together and taking care of my dog, which is definitely not their responsibility, but they love me and they love him so they do it, no questions asked. My parent's and brother have been the greatest support system in my pursuit towards getting medical degree. I have often thought over the last few years that I might not re-apply to school and just look towards my future in the lab, but they have always told me that if this is your dream, go for it. I am glad I have them to push me and in the same respect to be there for me when I need the extra support to make it through those tough days. They have been the outlet for the good and bad over the years and I am so glad they can be here to see the start of my future as a physician. In addition, I really don't think I would have survived the move with out them, I mean that figuratively and literally. That is a long trip from Nebraska and an even longer trip up three flights of stairs with a mattress in 115 degree weather:). I love each of them so much for all the support over the years!!!