Pediatrics

This semester, our clinical skills class is centered around a set of different experiences with different age groups from a newborn exam to a elderly exam/nursing home visit. The first half of the semester is "pediatrics" focused. Last week, we conducted a newborn physical exam. This week, we have a "young child" experience. The week after that, we do an "adolescent experience." Coming into medical school, Pediatrics was at the top of my list of prospectives specialties. Knowing that most medical students switch what they want to do many times during the course of medical school, I was happy to keep my options open...but boy do I love pediatrics! Out of every lecture we have had during the course of school and every clinical experience we have had so far, I have enjoyed anything with pediatrics so much! I really will be surprised if I don't end up doing peds.

Last weeks newborn exam was my most favorite thing ever! As a group of 5 medical students, we went into the nursery at Sparrow Hospital. We started out with one of the neonatologists going over the different aspects of the newborn exam, then split up and conducted our own exams. I had such an amazing time! Its really exciting that we are actually having real clinical experiences now, interacting with real patients (non-simulated ones) and conducting exams that we will actually be using in our career. I love it. I love peds. I love this semester.

24

Yesterday was my 24th birthday. I am old. This was the first birthday in years that I really dreamed of a low key weekend of relaxing at home. I didn't want to go out to bars or have any kind of big party. Instead, I wanted to relax and watch some movies. Again, I am old.

This weekend, all of my medical school friends were gone from EL. So, my birthday was just going to be S and I. On Friday night (May 11th), S called me and told me he had a school thing to do and would not be able to come until the next day. I was so disappointed. Even though I wanted a low-key birthday, I didn't want to be alone on it, thats for sure! So, I hung up the phone, curled into bed and put an episode of Grey's Anatomy on. Less than 30 minutes later, I heard the doorbell ring. I went out and opened it and this was sitting on my doorstep:

My birthday present from S:
1) Beauty and the Beast DVD
2) Stuffed puppy (I REALLY want a puppy)
3) Where the Wild Things Are (My favorite childhood book)
4) A dozen long stemmed roses
5) A diamond necklace

-I am a lucky girl! :) -

It turns out S was lying the whole time..he had no school project, but wanted to surprise me! He also suprised me and told me we had dinner reservations at P. F. Changs in less than an hour. So, I hurried up and quickly got ready and we were off to the restaurant. Oh man is P. F. Changs delicious. We started off with drinks (S had a beer, I had a MaiTai), enjoyed a delicious Calamari appetizer, ate our own entrees (Kung Pow Chicken and Almond/Cashew Chicken) and then had 3 mini-deserts, which are little cakes served in shot glasses (Triple Chocolate, Cheesecake, and Red Velvet Cake). Yes, we were both pretty much obese after this meal...but it was SO good.

At P. F. Changs! 

That night, I thought about going out to a bar, but decided I really wanted to go see the movie "21 Jump Steet." I have always liked Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum (yumm), so I figured it would be pretty good..but I was definitely laughing the whole time..hilarious! After the movie, I again contemplated going to a bar, but decided to go home (yes, old).

The next day, I woke up and S had made me breakfast in bed! He made me a ham, bacon, cheddar, and feta omelet (SO YUM), cinnamon bread, a "breakfast enchilada" and orange juice. Seriously impressed.

Breakfast in Bed! 

After I ate, I watched an episode of my addiction (Grey's) and just hung out at home for a while. For the night time, I really really wanted to go bowling. So, we drove to our nearby alley that we have gone to previously. Unfortunately, we got there and it was CLOSED! What the heck? It wasn't just closed for the night, it was really really closed. Boarded up closed. So, we tried bowling alley #2. It was closed too. This one was not out of business, but it had a sign that said it was closed until the end of August. Rather than driving to any other bowling alleys, we decided to call the other places to see which ones were open. Surprise, ALL CLOSED! Don't people other than us like to go bowling these days???? Guess not. As a backup, we decided to go to another movie: the Avengers! I am not a crazy big comic book movie fan, I did want to see it. In the end, it wasn't my favorite, but it definitely was good.

Iron Man was at the movie theater!

So, 24. My birthday weekend was a great start! It was exactly what I wanted! Now, I need to embrace the last year I have before I'm 25...which is a quarter of a century old...and I think I might have a meltdown! For now, yay 24!

Vacation Part 2: Washington DC

After our relaxing days on the beach in the Outer Banks, we made a road trip detour to Washington DC. I was in DC for a total of 3 hours, but we did a crazy amount in those few hours!

First stop: Washington Monument

Second stop: World War II Memorial

When Jack goes on bathroom breaks,
Kailyne and Erica steal the camera
 and take pictures like this! 

Women of the Vietnam War Memorial

Outside of Lincoln Memorial

Hanging out with Good 'ol Abe! 

Picture of the Washington Monument,
from the top of the Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Obama's Crib

We <3 DC

My favorite! Natural History Museum! 

All that in 3 hours. I am impressed with our fast walking! DC was so fun,  but we couldnt stay forever... We wanted to get out of there before 4 PM, in order to miss rush hour! So, we were headed back to Michigan. We finally got home at 2:30 AM the next day. Such an amazing break! Now back to reality, I suppose. 

Vacation Part 1: OBX

I spent my last week of glorious, glorious vacation in North Carolina in the Outer Banks (OBX)! We drove down Friday night/Saturday morning, for about a 13 hour road trip. We stayed on the island of Manteo, in my friend Michelle's condo. Her condo was about 2 minutes away from the beach and was sandwiched in between a few canals, so it was very pretty, to say the least!

Our view from our window! 

As soon as we got to the OBX, before we took naps or unpacked, we went STRAIGHT to the beach! Us pale Michigan kids needed some good ol' Vitamin D, after being inside studying for finals, so the beach was absolutely perfect.

After we got done at the beach, we went to the grocery store and got our food for the week. We made this trip CRAZY budgeted. The cost to stay in Michelle's condo was $100 total (split 6 ways: $17 each, woo!) and the cost of transportation was just gas (about $100 each)...so, overall it was extremely innexpensive. To cut costs even more, we decided that we would make our own lunches and some of our dinners. We each partnered up. The first night (which was Cinco de Mayo), Michelle and Jack made tacos, bacon guacamole, and chips/queso....delicious! 

 

 The next day, all of us were RIDICULOUSLY sunburned. So, we decided to make it an indoor day at the local aquarium.

That night, we ordered pizza. I went out to pick it up...and when I got back, my awesome friends had this set up for my (early) birthday!

The next day, we decided to be educational and went to visit the Wright Brother's Memorial! 

That night, we decided to make a bonfire and roast marshmallows. Unfortunately, we all fail boy scouts. We could get the fire started, but it kept going out. So, we came up with a more.....creative....way to make S'mores.

The next two days, we went back to the beach! Michelle had bought a...special drinking toy, which we decided to use! We also tested our skills at sand castle making!

On Tuesday, we also went to this amazing all-you-can-eat sea food buffet. It was so tasty. I ate far too many crab legs, but they were fantastic! I want more now.

After our sea food buffet, we went to a really unique store. Its the "Brew Thru", which is a drive through liquor store! Who knew that could be legal?

At 6 AM on Thursday morning, we packed up our cars and (sadly) drove out of the OBX. It was a really amazing vacation, but alas all good things must come to end. Luckily we weren't driving straight home. Instead, we went on to DC!!! 

Spring Semester... COMPLETE!

Another semester down! I finished my last final on the May 3rd and have been enjoying my much needed relaxing vacation (more on that later)! This semester went by SO fast! Its kind of crazy. Like I mentioned before, we had at least two (sometimes three) big exams every week during the semester, so they kept us quite busy, to say the least. So far, I have taken 53 medical school exams and a countless number of quizzes. CRAZZZZZZYYYYY.

Even though this semester was much more intense in terms of exams, I am happy to say I had a lot more free time than I did first semester. Instead of spending hours and hours in the anatomy lab in the evenings and weekends, I actually had this time free to study. So, even though we had lots of things to do, we had plenty of time to do them. It was fabulous. I felt much less stressed, managed my time much more easily, and actually performed better! I ended up with above a 90% average in all of my classes! My school is Pass/No Pass, so grades really don't matter at all...but there is a statistic that if you get a 90% in your classes, there is over a 99% first time pass-rate for the USMLE board exam. So, thats promising! 

As for now, tomorrow is the first day of our (short) summer semester! Only 7 weeks left until my real summer semester begins. However, even though I still have school, this semester's load seems quite light. I only have 3 classes: 

1) Pharmacology 

2) Radiology

3) Clinical Skills

Pharmacology is supposed to be challenging, but do-able. Radiology is supposed to be a cake class. Clinical Skills...well, for the first two weeks... I get to go play with babies in the nursery. So, I'm more excited than nervous about this semseter! Stay tuned if my prediction about this semester is correct! 

Medicine Ball

Medicine Ball was last weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is an annual event that includes a formal dinner, faculty awards, student "mock" paper-plate awards, video follies and a big dance party. As a student council member, I have been busy planning this event for months, so I was really anxious/excited for it to arrive. I had built it up in my head so much, that I was also nervous it wouldn't actually live up to my expectations. Well, it definitely did! In fact, I think I had even more fun than I thought I would have! It was so fun to have everyone get dressed up, have a really classy nice meal, and let loose with great friends. Heres some pictures of the event: 

Getting ready! Should out to Amanda A. for
making my hair look so pretty! :) 

S and I at dinner! 

Me presenting all of the student
"mock"  paper-plate awards

This years theme: Casino Royale;
I obviously hit up the blackjack tables! 

Amanda and I at the event

And now for your entertainment, my two favorite follies: