2011 Reflections

In light of the fact that today is New Years Eve, I decided that I would look at my old New Years Resolutions and see what progress that I made. I also hope that I this will make me highlight some of the important things that happened this last year. 

These were my resolutions for 2011: Get into medical school, exercise five times a week, travel to a new place, learn how to cook healthy meals, read for fun, & be genuinely happy. 

1) Get into Medical School
Well, I am so happy to know that you all know the answer to this one. Getting into medical school, specifically being accepted to MSU has been one of my life's greatest accomplishments. This year has allowed me to really realize my career dreams are becoming a reality. I am only one semester into school, but I know that I made the right decision to work so hard in high school and undergrad. 


2) Exercise 5 times a week
This resolution I was pretty good with for the first half of the year when I was not in school. I would either swim laps, work out on the elliptical, do "biggest loser" workout exercises, or even just play wii Fit. However, since school started, I have definitely been slacking on the work-outs I should be putting in. So, I will continue working on getting a regular exercise plan in order for the new year. 


3) Travel to a new place
On first thought of this one, I was not to impressed with my traveling in this year. I have not traveled outside of the United States all year, BUT I have done a ton of traveling within the US. Heck, I want on a cross-country road trip!! So, really I have traveled to lots and lots of new places this last year! Some of the highlights were Yellowstone National Park, Crazy Horse, and Mount Rushmore. I also have moved to another state! So, I have been to a lot of different cities in the state of Michigan that I had never traveled to before. My personal favorite: Holland, Michigan (basically a cute little Dutch town!). Finally, I ended this year in Disney World. I went there one time when I was much younger, but I don't really remember anything. SO, I am counting that as a new place that I traveled to. Overall, I think that I completed this resolution quite well. 


4) Learn how to cook healthy meals
Much like number 2, I was doing this pretty well up until school started. I have mastered how to make Lemon Peppered Chicken and vegetables (one of my favorite meals). I have also learned how to make several other variations to the whole lean meat/fish and vegetables combination. However, I have stopped there. So, I will continue to work towards learning how to cook more healthy dinner and lunches as the next year goes on. 


5) Read for Fun
My grandmother always loved to read books. I, however, did not really develop this passion until the last bit of college. I now can say that pleasure reading is one of my favorite hobbies. This year, I have happily read a ton of books. Some of my favorites have included: 
1) The Harry Potter Series (obviously) 
2) The Hunger Games 
3) Catching Fire
4) The Pact
5) Dear John
6) Eat, Pray, Love 
7) The Lovely Bones 
8) A Walk to Remember
9) The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (Which was actually a required book for school which I really loved!) 
10) The Last Song


6) Be genuinely happy. 
I think I can confidently say that I have developed genuine happiness. 2011 started out very confusing. At the start of January 2011, I had received two medical school interviews, but had not attended either of these interviews. I was not sure how many more I would get and if any of these interviews would result in acceptances. I was not sure if I would continue working my three jobs throughout the 2011-2012 school year and if I would need to develop an entirely new career plan. I didn't know where I stood in my relationship. In January 2011, I had already been long distance for a year and a half and could not see an end to it in the future. However, come April, everything changed. Being accepted to MSU not only reassured me that I would be able to fulfill my career dreams of becoming a physician, it also meant that my long distance relationship would become much much MUCH shorter distance. I was obviously nervous about school and about my big move, but I was excited! Now, on December 31, 2011, I can happily report that this is the best I have felt in years.  The friends that I have made in medical school have helped me through the daily struggles of school and for the first time in my academic career, everything I am learning I find interesting. I can see how everything I am learning will play into my future career and how the work I put in now will benefit my future. I am happy with school. I am happy in my relationship. I am happy with my family. I am happy.  

Christmas Baking

Like I have mentioned before, one of my favorite hobbies is baking. So, you can bet that I have been a busy bee over the last few days cooking a ton of delicious Christmas baked goods. Here are some of the items that I have made:

Peanut Butter Blossom, Chocolate Chip, and Gingerbread Cookies

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Glaze and Sliced Almonds

Pineapple Upside Down Mini-cakes

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats (I still need to drizzle chocolate on top!)

Santa Hat Brownie!

 

Raindeer Brownie!

Christmas Mouse!

Peanut Butter Chocolates AND Turtle Candies

Star Cookies

Snow Man Cookie w/ Home made frosting that I made from scratch!!!!



Besides all of these yummy treats, we also made English Toffee, Kahluah Cheese Cake, and Carrot Cake! Yummmmm

Disney World Vacation

I havent blogged in quite some time because I have been so busy with finals and with my december vacation to Florida! After thanksgiving, we had 6 exams, 4 lab quizzes, and several assignments to complete before the semester was over. So, I was a busy bee! Instead of boring you all with the details of studying and finals week, I will just tell all of you in the blog world that I ended the semester pretty well, with an overall average of just about an 87%. So, I am very happy with my first semester performance.

What I think is more fun to talk about in this blog post is my trip to Disney World!!! S and I have been planning this trip for quite some time and I can't believe it finally came and went. We left from Flint at noon on Friday, had a connecting flight in Atlanta, and finally arrived in Florida at around 7 PM (our layover was crazy long!). We stayed at the All Stars Movies resort for 4 nights and got to visit 3 of the 4 parks: Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and The Magic Kingdom!  I haven't been to Disney World since I was 10 years old and S had never been there, so it was really fun to explore the parks together! :)

Here are some highlights of the trip and some fun character pictures:

S and I never get to spend time together other than little weekend visits where we are both studying the whole time, so it was so great to have this time alone together. It was the perfect way to start the holiday season and a fabulous end to a wonderful year! Happy Holidays everyone! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. This time last year, I was back at home, working three jobs, and did not know whether or not I would be accepted into medical school. I was enjoying my year off, but I had so much uncertainty. It is crazy how much has changed for me since then. I have moved across the country, I have committed to my career path of becoming a physician, and I have met the most amazing people in the world (my CHM family). It is easy to go day to do without reflecting on all that you have, but I can honestly say that I am truly grateful and feel so fortunate for how my life is going and how many amazing people that I have gotten to know within the last year. 

As for our Thanksgiving festivities, S and I just finished eating our delicious Thanksgiving feast and now he is zonked out, so I thought there was no better time to blog! 

This years menu: 

• Scalloped Potatoes
• Green Beans
• Stuffing
• Chicken (the grocery store was out of turkey/we were too lazy)
• Mac&Cheese (S wanted it because it is Chandler's favorite Thanksgiving food apartently haha)
• Crescent Roles
• Sparkling Cider
• Pumpkin Bread
• Cheese Cake

Now all I have left to do is....the dishes...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

IPPR Project

This last week, I completed a mid-term reflective project for school. The only instructions we had for this project was to do something...ANYTHING...that reflects on either the patient-physician relationship or our vision for the future practice or something that we have learned about patients. So, basically everything about the project was up to us. Well, the three year old living inside of me decided that the best idea was to write a children's book. I have always loved to write, hence the blog; so, I was actually pretty excited about this idea.

The book is about a little Duck, named Dudley, who wakes up sick. His mom suggests that he goes to the doctor, but he is scared and does not want to go. In the end, he does go and learns that physicians are there to help. He feels much better and learns that going to the doctors is the best thing to do when you are sick.  The book ends with the following message:

This tale of Dudley goes to show, 
When you feel ill, to the doctor you go! 
For doctors will take care of your sickness and flu, 
While also making sure the emotional you is well too. 
Doctors will treat all patients with kindness and care, 
They look beyond fur, feathers or hair. 
Like Dudley, you too may get sick one day, 
But the doctors will always be there to make you feel okay. 

I was originally planning on typing in the entire book into this blog and inserting the illustrations. However, many of my classmates, family members and even faculty have suggested that I look into getting this book published. So, that is my next goal! That means, of course, that I will not be able to put everything in here. However, I promise that if my book gets published, I will provide the link and if it doesnt, I will evenutally type the book in this blog.

For now, here are some pictures of some of the pages:

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Today was the first day of snow here in East Lansing, Michigan! While a lot of my classmates were not too excited for the snow fall (because it is still pretty early in the year for snow), the Californian in me was ecstatic! I was in the middle of my histology lab when I realized it was snowing, so I ran out of class and brought a friend with me to take pictures of me in the snow while I played.

After I went back in, I realized just how unprepared I am for the winter when snow comes and doesn't stop. So, I decided a trip to make a trip to our local Meijers (which is the most amazing store in the world--basically a walmart PLUS grocery store). I am now the proud owner of ear muffs, warm gloves, a snow-wind-shield-scraper, and magical spray that is supposed to melt ice on your windshield super fast. This weekend, I plan to also purchase a parka-type of jacket and warmer boots that wont fall apart in the snow! The only thing that I wish I had that does not exist at this moment is a nose-muff. I am sure I am not the only one that has a cold nose basically anytime it gets even slightly cool outside. So, I really think someone should invent one. For now, here is my best attempt....

And simply because of the title of this post...

Cultural Clashes in Medicine (Book Review)

Although most of my day is spent studying for my pre-clinical science classes, I am also taking several courses that teach me the doctoring skills I will need as a physician. One of these classes, "Clinical Skills" is a course that spans over my first two years that  specificaly explores the social/psychological/cultural aspect of medicine. This semester, it has been split into two parts. The first was centered around how to conduct a patient interview. This class was structured with a few lectures, 4 mock-patient interviews, and weekly small groups to review the recorded videos of these interviews. The first interview I completed was INCREDIBLY nerve racking...but after that, they became much easier and much more natural. I am so glad that we had these mock interviews, because I feel I am now much more prepared to talk to patients when I am conducting physical exams, participating in shadowing experiences, and during my clinicals starting in my third year!

The second part of the semester in Clinical skills is called the "IPPR: Introduction to the Patient-Physician Relationship." Last week's lecture and small group focused on how cultural diversity affects how a doctor and patient interact. We had a lecture from a faculty member who is originally from Oregon, but spent several years practicing in Greece. She described some of the differences she faced while working as a physician in another country and about how shattering some of the realizations she had were. For example, the American health care system is largely centered around a collaborative patient-physian relationship that encourages communication and combined decision making. In Greece, however, our lecturer was looked down upon and somewhat discredited when she tried this method. This just demonstrated one of the many different paradigms of medicine in this different society.

In small group, we discussed a novel that we were required to read called "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down." When I saw this on my reading list for the semester, I was not excited to read it initially. I knew that my semester would become hectic and reading a novel was not in the picture. However, on my road trip over to Michigan (which seems like a lifetime ago), I started reading it and actually really enjoyed it!

The book centers on a Hmong family who brings their daughter, Lia, in to the Emergency Room in a hospital in Merced, CA because she was having a seizure. It turns out that Lia had a severe and life-threatening epileptic condition that often ended with Status Epilepticus (which basically means a seizure that doesn't stop or a series of seizures that occur one right after the other). Although the doctors recognized this, were able to diagnose it, and came up with a treatment plan, the communication and cultural boundaries between the medical team and the family were too large to get over. The Hmong believe that everything happens because of one's soul. They interpreted her seizures as a Spirit entering Lia's body and knocking her down (hence the title of the book). So, as much as the doctors tried to explain that this was a true medical condition that needed to be treated, the parents didn't give Lia her correct medicine and did not follow her treatment plan because they simply could not understand what the doctors were trying to convey. The story takes a lot of tragic turns, including CPS being brought in because Lia's parents (somewhat) unknowingly not giving her medications and Lia having "the big one" that ended up leaving her in a vegetative state. That author questions whether or not Lia's state at the end of the book could have been avoided if the physicians would have attempted to understand the cultural differences more or if the parents would have followed the physician's orders. Like I said, I really didn't think I would enjoy this book coming in, but it really has changed the way that I will look at my career. For my med school blog readers, I really recommend this book if you have not yet read it! 

Disney Mania

My first non-medical school post in quite some time...

Anyone who knows me how ridiculously obsessed I am with anything Disney-related. I am a 5-year old at heart and always will be. So, some nights (like tonight), I forgo my obligations and stay in to watch Disney marathons...its fabulous.

Tonights selections:
1) Beauty and the Beast
2) The Little Mermaid
3) Rock-A-Doodle (Not a disney movie, but still Disney-like!)

Also...My roommate Jess introduced me to this amazing video that I just had to share:

Its amazing. 

Oh...and some exciting news...S and I are going to Disney World in December!!! I'm so excited. :) 

Casting Clinic/Scrub Session

There are a TON of student interest groups here at CHM. Basically every medical specialty has an interest group, which offer a ton of different speakers, panels, or clinics that give insight into what their specialty is like. I have gone to several events that these groups have offered, but my two favorites have been the Casting Clinic and the Scrub Session.

If you want to shadow surgeries, you must first get trained in how to make sure you are providing a sterile environment for the patient that is undergoing surgery. There is a meticulous process that must be followed, starting with washing your hands like CRAZY, to how your robe is tied, to the proper way to enter and exit the operating room.  I knew that this was an important part of surgery, but to actually learn the process was pretty awesome.

Casting Clinic: The Family Medicine Interst group put on event that taught us how to put on/ take off a cast! We partnered up and put on all of the materials. We then took a lot of permanent markers and signed each others casts like we were in Jr. High (obviously!!). Finally, we learned how to use the saw to take off the casts. The final step was definitely the most nerve racking part of the process, because we were afraid of hurting each other, but no one was injured! It was such a fun clinic...I can't wait until I put a cast on someone who actually has a broken bone!

Extracurriculars

In my last blog post, I talked about the Teddy Bear Clinic, but I have also gotten involved with a couple extracurricular activities that I thought worth mentioning.

Anyone who know me well, knows that I go CRAZY if I am not involved with extracurriculars. Ever since I was a little kid, I have always loved being busy with a lot of different activities. In undergrad, I was a little overly excited and got myself involved with a little too much. So, in medical school, I knew I would have to tune it down a little bit and focus myself on my academics, before thinking about getting involved with extra stuff.

Now that I have found a good balance, I have found myself involved with 4 things:

1) Teddy Bear Clinic
2) Student Council
3) Admissions Ambassador
4) Friendship Clinic.

If you want to hear about Teddy Bear Clinic, read my last blog! :)

Student Council: I was elected to a student council representative spot by my class. I am very excited for this role and am excited to be a voice for my class. As of now, the 10 of us elected to student council are just called "representatives." However,  in the next few weeks, we are electing President, Vice-President,  Secretary and Treasurer. I have not decided for sure, but I think that I would like to be Secretary. Stay tuned.

Admissions Ambassador: As part of the admissions process at MSU, the interviewees have one faculty interview and one student interview. Since I interviewed last winter, I thought that this was maybe something I would be interested in. So, when we received information about it towards the beginning of the semester, I attended the informational meeting and signed up. I actually am conducting my first interview tomorrow. I am kind of nervous, but I know that my interviewee is MUCH MUCH more nervous than I am. So, I am going to forgo my fears and hopefully put her at ease.

Friendship Clinic: This is another activity that I have been excited to do for quite sometime. It is basically a free student-run clinic for underserved populations in Lansing. S actually volunteered at this in his pre-clinical years, so I have heard good things about it. I was supposed to start volunteering last Saturday. Unfortunately, my paperwork to volunteer had to go through MSU and then through Ingham County Health Department before I could volunteer. I did not know this. So, when I turned in my paperwork on Thursday, I was sadly informed that it would not be processed in time for me to volunteer. I really hope that once it does get cleared, I can volunteer...and I hope its soon!

Teddy Bear Picnic

Since starting medical school, I have been looking for extracurricular activities that I could become a part of, while still making sure I wasn't taking too much time from my studies. So, when I first heard about the "Teddy Bear Picnic" at an activities fair, I knew that it was something I wanted to be a part of.

This program was a one-day fair for local children in the East Lansing community. The MSU Children's Health Initiative set up this fair to provide children with an educational and fun day of bringing their stuffed animals to the "Teddy Bear Hospital." There were a lot of different booths: ranging from general pediatrics, to pediatric oncology, to pediatric dentistry, to pediatric surgery, to pediatric dermatology. Each booth had its own unique  activities planned for the kids. Some of my personal favorites were a casting booth (sport's medicine) and a Pulmonology booth, which game the Teddy Bears some oxygen.

I was assigned to the "Cardiology" Booth. There were 4 main parts to what we did:
1) Listened to the teddy bear's heart with our stethescopes
2) Told the children that their bear's heart sounded healthy and talked to them about healthy things they can do to make sure they have a healthy heart like their furry friends (exercise, eat vegetables, etc).
3) Hooked their bears up to an echocardiogram (that had a film playing of a human heart) and teach the children the basics of how our heart pumps blood through our bodies.
4) Gave the children some coloring books and work sheets about heart anatomy and healthy heart choices.

The purpose of the day was to educate kids about the basic healthy aspects throughout the different booths and try to get them comfortable with the idea of going to a doctor.

It really was a great day and I am so happy that I became apart of Teddy Bear clinic during my first year, because that means I have three more years to be a part of it!


This video was from last years event, but you can still kind of see what its all about:

Success and Failure

It has been SO long since I have blogged. I knew I would be busy in medical school, but boy am I! My plan is to update this blog a lot over the next few days, to catch up with all that has happened over the last (almost) two months. So, I am going to start with the academics...

After my last blog post, I was just beginning my medical school classes and was just about to take my first round of exams...So, I guess I will start there. My first exam was Physiology...I am happy to state that I actually got a 100%. Thats right...100% on my first medical school exam. I was stoked, to say the least. The next week, I had my second exam: Biochemistry. My score: 95%! I felt invincible. I was obviously studying a lot, but I was so happy to see that my hard work was paying off. In undergrad, I often felt like my studies went un-noticed and, because of the curve, could not do well no matter how hard I worked. Here, I at least felt like my hard work was being recognized. Then, on the Monday of my fourth week of classes, I had my very first Anatomy Exam. Since I had done so well on the first two exams, I was expecting that this exam would go similarly. However, I was in for a surprise....I failed. Thats right, I failed. It was the first time I had ever failed in my life. I was crushed. I did not know what happened. I felt like that was the end of my medical career. I thought I would have to go speak to academic advisors and that they would make me extend into the class of 2016 or that I would be put on academic probation.  I obviously overreacted. In reality, I only needed to get 142 points. I got 141. So, I didn't fail that badly and, in retrospect, I think this may have been a blessing. It kicked me into the motivation that I needed. I have since developed the necessary drive and skills to succeed in my classes. I have continued to do well in my physiology class and have successfully passed (and did quite well) in my first class (Biochemistry)!! I have also since figured out that Anatomy needs to be the largest focus of my studies. Since this realization,  I have done quite well on my last few anatomy exams (last one = 93%) and now have quite a cushion for the rest of the semester. :)

When I first wanted to write a blog about medical school, I wasn't planning on including academics...especially not my specific grade points, but now that I am in school, I realize the importance of the struggles that I have faced. I know that I can not be perfect in school, but I work really hard and am very proud of myself for how well I am doing. If there are any current or future medical school students reading my blog, I hope that sharing my first failure provides a sort of  hope that just because sometimes you don't succeed academically, you can work through it and do well in the end!

As for now, I am officially half way through my first semester and absolutely loving it! I may study 15 hours a day, but I really enjoy what I am studying and have the best class-mates in the world. I know that I would not be nearly as happy with life right now if it wasn't for them and am so incredibly happy that I chose Michigan State for my medical school!

Adjustment and DSGs

So I am now 8 days into class and I already feel like I'm getting the hang of this whole med-school thing. After the first few days, I was kind of overwhelmed, but I think I have already kind of figured out what works for me as far as studying goes and what types of things are great ways to relax. I have survived my first round of lab quizzes and my first Biochemistry quiz. I have built such an amazing family of friends here. I am feeling great about everything!

Besides my usual long day of classes and studying I have also joined two groups called "DSG"s. DSG stands for Directed Study Groups. We basically get small-group study time with professors or older students who have mastered the material. I signed up for a biochem DSG and the Anatomy DSG. I have only met once for each of these, so far, but they already seem incredibly helpful. We get a ton more work sheets, practice exam questions and time to communicate the material with people who actually know it well. Also, our Anatomy DSG means 3 extra hours in the cadaver lab with a much smaller group to go over everything from the week! I <3 all of the resources CHM give you. I now know why they have a 99% success rate...they make it hard for you not to find resources if you want them!

As far as my new found relaxation methods, 2 words: Hot Tub. My roommates and I have definitely utilized our hot tub quite a bit over the last few weeks. Whats super awesome about my hot tube is that the cement ground around the hot-tub is heated! So, even when its rediculously cold in the winter months, the hot tub will always be a steamy escape! Another thing I have found relaxing is, surprisingly, running. I never EVER was a runner and by no means would I classify myself as a runner now, but I ran a couple times last week and it really does feel great. When your mind is foggy and you are stressed, running and working out in general is a phenomenal way to clear your thoughts.


Lastly, as promised, here is edition #2 of my new blog section--->


Science Is Cool:
DPG & Hemoglobin: Basically the unloading of oxygen into your tissues is dependent on hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen. If hemoglobin has a high affinity, the oxygen will not unload; conversely, if the hemoglobin's affinity is low, it will unload the oxygen into tissues. So, when women are pregnant, the body has to come up with a way for the fetus to get oxygen. One of the body's solutions to this is a molecule called DPG, which binds to hemoglobin and lowers the affinity (meaning that it dumps the oxygen that is attached the the hemoglobin). DPG, however, is present much more in adults than in fetuses. So, the hemoglobin in adults favors the dumping of oxygen, while the fetal hemeglobin maintains a high oxygen affinity. As a result, the oxygen is taken from the adult hemoglobin and given to the fetus.

First Week of Classes

This last week was my first week of medical school classes. I was expecting to learn a lot quickly, but boy did they hit us hard fast! I don't think I have ever learned so much in a week than I did this first week of medical school and I am sure it is only going to get more intense as we go on! Basically, the structure of every day is lecture in the morning, followed by labs and small groups in the afternoon. Even though I had all of nights free, I was definitely a busy bee studying right away. We have access to our main study building (The Radiology Building) 24/7, so I have stayed there past midnight almost every night. I understand how sleep deprivation is a problem for medical students, but I really don't have any complaints. I am so happy with what I am doing. I love all of my classes and have great professors! :)

My favorite thing so far has been the Anatomy Lab! I was pretty terrified that the cadaver lab would freak me out or would make me sick, but I didn't have a problem at all! When I was in 8th grade, I got really sick and left school early because of a squid-dissection lab, so I'm sure glad that didn't happen again!  I have been to the cadaver lab 4 times already because I really think it is the best way to learn. Its difficult to understand all of the anatomy in a textbook or atlas, but when we have the opportunity to work with real human bodies and touch the structures, things definitely sink in a lot better. The human body is so fascinating!

Lastly, I am hoping to institute one new aspect of my blog, as much as I possibly can, called "Science is Cool!" I learn so many awesome things about the human body each day, so I thought I would pick a few things I think are cool to share! I hope those science nerds out there who read my blog appreciate this new addition. So, here we go....

Science is Cool:

1) Langer's Lines: Collagen and Elastin fibers in the dermis (second layer of skin) orient themselves in parallel lines based off of tension and mechanical stress. This creates natural lines of cleavage. So, if surgeons follow these lines, rather than cutting in places that orient themselves more perpendicularly, this will reduce scarring and will allow for quicker healing! -- I thought that was pretty awesome.

2) The Intervertebral Disc Joint is composed of two types of material: Annulus fibrosus (a dense, fibrous part) and Nucleus Pulosus (A jelly-like cartilage suspended in water). Since the Nuclus Pulosus is 70% water, compressive forces like gravity squeeze water out of the IVDs and reduce your overall body height at the end of the day. So, this is why commuters have to adjust their rear-view mirron in the morning and then again in the evening, because we have actually shrunk. We gain our normal height throughout the night while we sleep.

White Coat Ceremony!

My White Coat Ceremony was at 3:00 PM on Sunday, August 28th. I was expecting the ceremony to be nice, but it really was so great! The faculty's speeches really did make me feel like I have accomplished something big and it was such a great end to orientation week and a great beginning to the first week of classes. Our Dean, Masha Rappley, who I have already mentioned that I love, gave me another reason to love her. Her speech was amazing! She came up without wearing her white coat (she was the only one not wearing it) and in the middle she asked one of her other faculty members to coat her so that she could join us on this day. So, it wasn't that we were getting White-Coated by the faculty, but it really was like we were joining them. This is such a different concept from how undergrad was, because we were clearly not looked at equally to faculty, but in medical school you are considered a professional and on the same level as all of the physicians and faculty that work at the school. What a great realization that was!

Anyways, here are some pictures!

Move-In and Orientation!

Wow! It seems like forever since I had time to blog! I am going to try to get better at updating this more often, but these last few weeks have been CRAZY! My last post was about my cross-country roadtrip, so I need to update a lot: move-in, orientation week, my white coat ceremony, and week 1! Obviously that would be WAY too long of a post, so I will split them up! :)

Move In: 

I got to East Lansing on Wednesday, August 17 around 4:00 PM and got right to unpacking. In between making my bed and organizing my life, I met my roommates, Caela and Jessica. I could tell right away we were going to get along really well. :) As far as my apartment, I am in love. We have such a great little community in my complex and everything is so accessible! In my complex, I have a gym (which I have actually taken advantage of--wahoo!), a pool/hot tub (which I have also taken advantage of lots), free tanning, free computer lab/printing, and a free shuttle that will take you to campus and to the main street in EL --Grand River. Also, my complex is like 5 minutes walking to campus and about 2 minutes away from this shopping center called "Hannah Plaza" that has so many restaurants and a college store. So, everything really is perfect! :)

Orientation Week: This week was the longest, but most fun week I have had in a long time. I honestly can't remember the last time I have been this excited about something (probably my first week of undergrad!). I feel like getting all of the information about school and making really great friendships (really fast) has made my med school experience so great already and its only just the beginning. But, Im getting ahead of myself, here is the breakdown of my Orientation Week.

Pre-Orientation Days: The three days between move-in and orientation, I tried to get used to my new apartment and meet lots of my new classmates. I was nervous that with such a small class (only 100) that I couldn't find people I really got along with, but boy was I wrong! The friends I made here within only a few days will be my best friends for life. Its crazy how similar everyone is as far as motivation, drive, and being extraverted. In fact, on my first night of meeting everyone, we already had a team name "That A Team" and solidified each other as a really solid group. In fact, the longest I went without seeing members of the A Team after our meetings was probably 6 hours. I <3 our little group (of 25 haha). Anyways, basically my pre-orientation days consisted of lots of bar hopping, movie nights, BBQ, pool/hot tub parties, and (although I dont get the appeal) Jersey Shore Viewing Parties.

Although I wish pre-orientation could have lasted forever, Saturday finally came. Here is the breakdown of orientation:

Day 1 (Saturday): Lots of Icebreaker games in the morning and then...FLASH MOB practice! Yup, my whole incoming class got lessons from a choreographer and worked on a flash mob that we did at our Student Activities Fair on Friday (more details on Fridays info). Overall, it was a really fun, but exhasting day. That night, of course, my entire class went out. My roommates and I held the meeting place and then we bar hopped at some local East Lansing bars. It was really fun and made me fall in love with my class. Seriously, I could not have imagined a better group of people. Everyone one is so intelligent, but still social and amazing!

Day 2 (Sunday): Free day! Thank goodness, because I needed my sleep after such a long day/night! That day, I drove up to Flint to visit Sarath. For those of you who dont know, Flint, Michigan is the number one most dangerous city in the United States. So, I was kind of terrified to go, but to my suprise, the area he lived around was really nice! Aparently there is one nice street in the whole city, and his apartment complex is right there. So, that was nice. I pretty much just spent the whole time hanging out in his apartment and looking through all of his med school text books, which I am borrowing! Also, one of his good friends, that I have gotten to know over the last two years, made us (a rediculously healthy) dinner. She made squash pasta with a tomato sauce w/ mushrooms. It was absolutely delicious!

Day 3 (Monday): My first "real" day of orientation. The day consisted of mostly welcoming information, including an introduction to the faculty, the Block I academic orientation, photos for our ID cards, a drug test, and then a few student panels about "what to expect." A lot of this information was really helpful, but my highlight of the day was definitely the welcome form the dean. I LOVE my dean, Dr. Masha Rappley. Seriously, this woman is amazing. She is so well spoken and seems really amazing at what she does, but what I loved about her right away was her fearless honesty. In her welcome speech, she addressed the fact that we were all probably terrified about the incoming school year and told us about her own experience in medical school. Her very first test in medical school, a Biochemistry exam, she got a 28%. So, she failed badly, but she didn't give up and not only finished medical school, but is the DEAN of a medical school. So, that was a really great intro for us, because it made all of us feel better about the challenges ahead!

Day 4 (Tuesday): Again, we had a morning full of talks. The first was about security, which doesn't sound like that great of a lecture, but I found out something awesome -- as med students, we get late-night accesss to all of the buildings! Our main study space (the radiology building) closes at 6, but medical students get keys so we can be in their 24 hours/day! That afternoon, I took a practice USMLE board exam. I haven't gotten my scores back yet, but I am aiming for about a 20/200! That test was IMPOSSIBLE if you havent completed your first two years of medical school. CHM wasn't expecting us to do well (obviously), but I am kind of glad to get the exposure to that exam so early on!

Day 5 (Wednesday): Wednesday's morning discussions were all about career development and professionalism. My Career Development councelor, Mrs. Deana Willbanks, is my second favorite faculty member. To be honest, I really was not excited about career development stuff because I knew it would entail all of these silly surveys that will tell me what I do like v. what I dont, but I have been pleasantly supprised on what the Career Development program has to offer. Mrs. W is crazy hooked up with summer internships and is already making us files to prepare for residencies. She is super bubbly, very interested in what is going on in our lives, and has been rediculously helpful already! :) As far as professionalism, CHM is kind of crazy about professionalism. I mean, we had 3 hours of discussion about professional behavior. Don't get me wrong, I know how important looking and sounding professional is in the medical field and I am glad that there is a focus, but 3 hours was a little overkill. Oh well! Finally, that afternoon, we participated in the "Evening of Community Service." We were all split into groups and got to go out into the greater Lansing area to do service projects. I went to the "Haven House," which is the only homeless shelter in Lansing that allows whole families to stay, which is awesome. I basically did maintenance and housekeeping work, but it was a great way to integrate the EL community into my medical school orientation week!

Day 6 (Thursday): Information was given on the MSU library resources. Again, I did not think I would be too engrossed in this, but I found another awesome thing about being a medical student. Basically, we have access to every book in both paper and electronic form. If we go to search for a source and it is not available, the library will go out and get it and scan it in so that we can have electronic access. Isn't that awesome? They treat us so well! That afternoon, I got BLS certified. I was kind of annoyed I had to get this, considering I teach CPR classes, but it was quick and painless! That night, my class went out again. There was a very late day on Friday so we weren't afraid of being too tired!

Day 7: (Friday): Friday was our last real day of orientation! I thought it would never come, but once it arrived, I wanted to go back in time! Friday we got to sleep in, like I already mentioned, and didn't have anything scheduled at all until 2:30! However, we did have to go by to pick up our course packs (all of the notes for each class) and sign up for DSGs (Directed Study Groups -- basically tutoring). That afternoon, we had our big student activities fair. There was about 25 different student organizations that you could sign up for. Of course, I signed up for way to many. I signed up for AMSA, the LMUV (leadership in medicine for underserved and vulnerable populations), Pediatrics Interest Group, Neurology Interest Group, International Medicine Interest Group, Friendship Student Clinic, Student Interview Ambassador (people who do admissions interviews) and The Teddy Bear Clinic. So, I clearly will not be able to do all of these, but I loved how many options of extracurriculars there are! :) We also got a delicious dinner and desert bar. Finally, we performed our flash mob! The only people who knew about it were the first year class and faculty members involved with orientation, so all of the second year students and the rest of the people at the orientation fair were very surprised! It was awesome!

Day 8 (Saturday): Free day! My parents came and we went to Holland, MI. It was so cool! Since I studied abroad in the netherlands, I frequently have dutch withdraws. So, I loved that there is a mini-Netherlands only an hour away!

Day 9 (Sunday): FINALLY.....WHITE COAT CEREMONY! (See next blog post)

So, overall, move-in and orientation were amazing! I made such great friends and have had so much fun! This week beat out all of my expectations! :)

Roadtrip!

I have finally finished my cross-country roadtrip! I am all settled into my new apartment and am ready to start school! But first, I know that I need to share my road-trip experiences!

Day 1: California--> Nevada --> Idaho (Idaho Falls)

Snake River, Idaho

Day 2: Idaho --> Montana --> Wyoming (Yellowstone National Park)

Day 3: Wyoming (Yellowstone --> Sundance)

Yellowstone Canyon

Yellowstone Upper Falls

Day 4: Wyoming --> South Dakota (Sioux Falls)

CrazyHorse Monument (to be completed in 2050!)

Mount Rushmore

Day 5: South Dakota --> Iowa --> Illinois (Joliet)

Visiting Family in Des Moines :)

Day 6: Illinois --> Indiana --> Michigan!!! [There will be a new blog about move-in and my new apartment soon!]