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!!!