Second Year Complete!!

I officially finished my second year of medical school yesterday! We had out last domain exam (Digestive/GI) from 8-10, which was actually really difficult...so we all waited anxiously for our exam results to be released at noon to make sure we passed. When 12 PM hit, I finally got to celebrate...I had passed the exam and was officially done with my pre-clinical coursework!

To celebrate, my friend Michelle and I went to the beach in Sleepy Hollow State Park! It was so amazing to have a completely free afternoon to lay out in the sun, have a few drinks (spiked 7/11 slurpies...yummm), and play with M's new pup Kuma!

Kuma

Spiked Slurpies

Beach Day

After playing at the park/beach for a few hours, we headed back to East Lansing and started to celebrate with our whole class...it has been so long since I have gone out to a bar in E.L, especially with most of my classmates. It was a great night and I'm so happy everyone came out to celebrate!

Couldn't have made it through the first 2 years without these girls! 

Story: This bar has all the tiles in the bathroom
covered with gravity...I did this one on my first night out in EL
and I found it when I went to the bar last night!

Today was my first day of ISP (intensive study period) for Step 1! Although I didn't do much intensive studying (only 3 hours of QBANK today), it still was a very productive day. I woke up late (11:30) with a pretty bad headache thanks to high doses of acetylaldehyde, but luckily that didn't last long. When I finally got up, I caught up on a few TV shows, picked up S's cap/gown for his upcoming graduation, signed my lease for next year, planned my ISP study schedule, went to my go-to study spot (Grand Traverse Pie Company) to study for 3 hours, went to the gym and am now finally catching up on blogging! It feels so great to have a day to do normal people stuff, because usually about 14 hours of my day is spent on school/studying.

Tomorrow, I'm going to really buckle down and put in my first 12 hour study day of ISP! I'm actually kind of excited to get started...wish me luck!

Boards Studying/NBME Practice Test

Hello blog world! Have you missed me? I know I have been MIA..but I have been rediculously busy. I promise to update everything from these last 7 weeks very soon, but for now here's whats been happening to me lately...

I am currently in my LAST week of pre-clinicals! Crazy! We are done with lectures, finishing up our last PBL case and have our last domain exam (GI) coming up on Monday. After that, its time to REALLY start intensifying my studies for 6 weeks before I take (arguably the most important exam of my career) the USMLE Step 1 exam! *cue scary music*

This week, a lot of things are coming to a close. I found out I passed my Clinical Skills Gateway/Exit Exam (which is a half-day testing that involves doing different clinical skills exams/interviews...kind of like Step 2CS for all of you medical students out there). I finished our last Clinical Skills experience (Phlebotomy). I turned in my last paper for Medical Humanities. We are currently working on our last PBL patient case. AND... we took our first NBME Step 1 practice test! I actually just got my score back about 10 minutes ago....the verdict: I actually passed! I didn't do great...but I passed! I'm so happy. Now, I can spend the next 6-7 weeks getting my score up to a place I want. I am not sure how many points students usually jump during their intensive study period...but I'm hoping the fact that I was able to pass without any real prep is a good sign. *crosses fingers*

Well thats all for now... Many new blogs to come, including my spring break trip to NYC, a research conference in Galveston, Texas, and all of the match day/4th year adventures S has been a part of over the last few months! But, now its time for me to get back to the books and learn all things G.I.

Phlebotomy lab! 

Spirometry Lab

This may be the nerdiest post I have ever written on this blog, but hey... this is who I have become!

I am currently in my Pulmonary Domain, so last week we participated in a Spirometry Lab practical. The lab wasn't required, but was "highly encouraged", since it would help to solidify concepts we have been learning over the last few weeks. So, I thought I would go. While it definitely did help solidify my understanding, I was not anticipating how fun/entertaining the lab would be.

We started off, by assembling our Spirometers. This is a device that is used to test breathing flow/volume. As you inhale and exhale, a computer program will map out exactly how much volume of air you take in or out, and how quickly or slowly you do it. After we assembled the device, we conducted our first phase of our lab. We used the spirometer to measure our normal airflow. We then had the computer make a Flow-Volume Loop graph with this information. Next, we used a straw connected to the spirometer and did the whole thing over again. This was to imitate someone with COPD. Sure enough, the Flow-Volume Loop that we constructed mimicked exactly what we thought would occur with someone with an obstructive condition. FINALLY, we conducted one more round, by tying each other up with scarves so that your chest wall doesn't have much movement. This round was to represent a restrictive disease, like Pulmonary Fibrosis. Sure enough, our lab results again predicted exactly what we thought would occur. Its great when that actually happens haha.

"Pulmonary Fibrosis"

Recording our results

"Normal" Flow-Volume Loop

COPD/"Obstructive" Flow-Volume Loop

 This was a really nice change from book studying. To understand the concepts we are learning in a practical manner and to be able to physically see the results from different changes to the lung, I think that I have developed a good understanding of these pulmonary concepts. Plus, we had lots of laughs and a nice study break!

But now, I have less than 1 week left before my pulmonary final..so I I have got to be getting back to the books!

2013 Resolutions

I am a week late on coming up with my New Years Resolutions...but better late then never, right?

1) [Health/Food]: Learn how to cook cheap, healthy, and easy meals.
I got a cookbook many Christmases ago with a lot of meals that are designed for college students with little money and little time to devote to cooking. Although I haven't really spent much time at all looking through it, I really want to get better with cooking easy, nutritious meals. My goal is to make 50% of the recipes in the book this year! Hopefully, this will encourage me to stop eating out and stop wasting so much money on food that I could easily make myself!

2) [School Goal #1]: Master each domain. 
I was very happy with how I performed in my classes last semester and hope to continue to work hard and earn above an 85% in each of the domains this semester.

3) [School Goal #2]: Pass my USMLE step 1 board exam
I am registered to take my USMLE Step 1 on June 15. *gulp*. I know that the next 6 months of my life are going to be filled with stress, little sleep and lots and lots of late-night studying, but I am hoping that it will be worth it after I see my score. In the end, I do have a goal in my mind and would like to hit that score goal. However, I will be happy if I pass with a score at or above the national average. Everyone wish me luck!

4) [School Goal #4]: Honor a clerkship. 
By the end of 2013, I will have completed HALF of my clinical rotation! Crazy! My goal is to honor at least one of these first three rotations. I know that it will take a few rotations to get in the swing of things, but I hope to have at least one honor under my belt before the new year.

5) [Relationship]: Encourage S with his residency placement and adjust to his new career position.
S is graduating from medical school this year and will start his residency in General Surgery. He has had incredible interview opportunities at a ton of great programs all over the country. So, this change is mostly exciting...However, I know that there is a huge possibility that he will not end up in or around Michigan. So, based off of where he is matched, I think that this year is going to bring challenges to our relationship. These challenges definitely don't imply anything negative, but I know that they will require change. My goal is to be able to adjust to this change and continue to grow our relationship together.

6) [Personal]: Travel to a new place.
I had this resolution last year and will probably keep it for the rest of my life. Traveling is probably my greatest passion in life. I love to experience new places and see how many amazing places there are in the world.

Finals Week

Another semester down! Only 1 more semester until 1) I am done with pre-clinicals and 2) I have to take boards. Its absolutely crazy how quickly this last semester went and I know that next semester will be the same, if not even faster!

This last round of final exams was much different than those of M1 for a few reasons. First, the M2 year is based on block exams (meaning we have a final exam every 2-4 weeks) and we only have 1 main class at a time. So, while all of our grades are based on a 100% final exam for each block, we at least have the opportunity to focus the majority of our time on studying for these domains. Second, I feel like I finally have a scientific background on subjects that allow me to dive right in to the material, instead of having to spend half the class understanding the basics. While I loved my major at UCLA, I think that coming from a non-science heavy major kind of put me at a disadvantage last year...fortunately, I think that having my M1 year under my belt, this disadvantage is over and the playing field is now even. Thirdly, the three final exams that we did have all happened to be some of my favorite courses: Clinical Skills, Epidemiology, and Psychology. So, while finals are always a little stressful...I felt more comfortable with these subjects than others that we have had in the past. Finally, our school put on an AMAZING and supportive finals week that was full of relaxing activities to help us poor med school students out. These activities included pet therapy (an afternoon playing with puppies), art therapy (art supplies out for a quick relaxing break of exercising our creativity), free chair massages (clearly amazing...I don't think this really needs an explanation), and lots and lots of free snacks/coffee.

Pet therapy! 

This semester ended wonderfully. My overall final average for the semester is my highest yet and I feel like I am finally getting the hang of this whole medical school thing. Lets just hope this confidence continues into next semester and into my board studying!

Animal Procedures Lab

Two weeks ago, I got the opportunity to participate in a really unique learning experience! Every 6 months, the Emergency Medicine residency program at Sparrow Hospital puts on a workshop for their residents to practice some skills that are rare in the emergency room. These procedures are done on anesthetized pigs and include Chest Tube Thoracotomies, Transvenous Pacemaker Insertions, Surgical Cricothryotomies, and Resuscitative Thoracotomies. For these workshops, 8 medical students are invited to come and participate. Because its such a small number of spots for the 200 first and second year medical students at CHM, the opportunity to sign up for a spot goes QUICK...as in, as fast as the Spice Girl's Reunion tour tickets selling out...as in seconds after the email goes out! So, although I really wanted to go, I knew that the chance would be slim. Miraculously, I got one of the 8 spots available during this semester! And...

IT. WAS. AWESOME.

Seriously. Such an amazing experience. For any CHMers that read my blog, you MUST try to go to the next workshop. It was really amazing working 1-on-1 with residents and learning how to conduct these procedures first hand. From lots and lots of suturing practice, to holding a live-beating heart in my hand, to putting my first chest tube in (and having my glove rip while my bare finger was inside the pig's thoracic cavity), it was truly an experience I will never forget!

Suture Clinic

Last week, I went to a skills lab offered by the Emergency Medicine Interest Group to learn how to suture! Even though I don't really think I will be going in to Emergency Medicine, every doctor needs to know how to suture... So, I was really excited to learn this skill.

We worked 3:1 (3 students:1 emergency medicine resident) on our suturing skills and learned several different types of knots. These sutures included a simple knot, a two-layer suture, a horizontal mattress, a vertical mattress, and a running stitch!

My first suture: Simple Stitch

Horizontal Matress and Vertical Mattress

2-layer suture (used dissolvable layer underneath)

Running Suture

I had a really great time and learned a lot...Suturing was definitely not as hard as I thought it would be, but I guess thats because I was suturing on a pig's foot and not a little kid thats moving around while I'm trying to sew...

Hem/Onc

Welp! I haven't blogged in a WHOLE MONTH, because I have just survived the hardest domain of my second year curriculum- Hematology/Oncology. I was warned about this class from 4th and 3rd years basically since I entered medical school...so I was prepared to put myself in hibernation and learn the heck out of the subject for the month.

After many long hours sitting in our underground silent cubicle study area, referred to from students as the "nerd cave", after gaining about 10 lbs because there was no time to exercise/grocery shop/cook healthy, and after many nights of under-sleep, Monday morning was FINALLY here and it was finally the moment of truth -- exam time. Our exam started at 7:30, which meant doors opened at 7 AM...wayyyyy too early to think critically, but hey, there was not really any other option! The exam was 120 questions, which was also a challenge. This was the longest exam we have had up to date. The second longest exam thus far was only 90 questions, so this also was an added stress of this exam. Nonetheless, by 9:00 AM, I had finished the 120 questions, double-checked a few unsure answers and fearfully hit "submit". I then collected my belongings and left. From calculating the number of questions I knew I had definitely gotten correct, I was fairly confident that I had at least passed the exam (a 75%), but wanted the official grade report just to make sure.

The official grades arrive every exam day at 12:00 noon...This is directly after our first PBL group of our next domain. So, usually my fellow students are fairly brain-dead from a morning exam and constantly re-freshing their emails until grade reports are sent out. This was definitely the case for me during this particular Monday.

So, when 11:55 arrived and my last re-fresh of my inbox finally showed an update, I fearfully opened up my grade report and let out a huge sigh of relief. Not only did I pass, but I did pretty well! What a relief.

After getting our grade reports back, it was time to celebrate. For lunch, a group of us went to an Indian restaurant for a delicious lunch buffet. Michelle, Caela and I then (finally) went to watch the last Twilight! [side note: I have been to almost all of the Twilight midnight premiers, so I was pretty sad that I had to miss the last premier to study Hem/Onc...finally getting to see this movie was the BEST post-exam gift.] After the movie, we went to forever 21 to costume shop for 90s costumes. Our class was having a 90s-themed post-exam party that night and the G-Phi in me (who LOVEEEESS costume parties) was all about finding the perfect costume. Caela and I decided that we were going to buy matching outfits and be Tia & Tamara Mawry from Sister-Sister!

Roomie love. 

Now that I'm done with Hem-Onc, I feel much more confident about myself in medical school. This was always one of the big humps that I never thought I would overcome, and now that I have....I'm even more excited about the rest of the year. We will see how long this lasts as boards approach haha.

Step 1

So, this happened today:

Yes. This is my registering for my board exams. I can't believe I am already getting to this point in my medical education....crazy.

For my non-medical student readers, the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exams) are broken up into 3 parts. The first part is taken after your second year of medical school and tests all of the basic-science knowledge. The second part is during your fourth year of medical school and the third part is during residency. So, I know I am only starting in my long string of licensing exams, but its still pretty crazy that I am already at the point of Step 1!

Besides registering for my Step 1, I also had a final exam today! So, far I have completed 4 classes; 1 ethics class and 3 blocks: Neurology, Infectious Disease, and Musculoskeletal. So, although I have not been blogging as much as I would like to... I sure have been a busy bee in all of my classes.

This year is going by RIDICULOUSLY fast.... I am officially more than 50% done with this semester. Only one more domain until Thanksgiving break (Hematology/Oncology) and one additional domain  (Psychiatry) until Christmas! :)

PBL/Block II

So, I have officially finished my M1 year and am now a SECOND YEAR med student! It is pretty dang crazy how fast my first year went... and its even crazier that in less than 11 months, I will be (hopefully) done with my Step 1 board exams and be in the hospital for the rest of my medical education! Nuts!

For now, here is a peak at what is in store for me next year as a Block II student.

My class load for Fall Semester: 

1) Neurology - 3 credits
2) Infectious Diseases/Immunology - 3 credits
3) Musculoskeletal - 2 credits
4) Hematology/Neoplasia - 4 credits
5) Disorders of Thought/Emotion/Behavior - 4 credits
6) Clinical Skills - 2 credits
7) Medical Ethics - 1 credit
8) Biostats/Epidemiology - 1 credit
9) Mentor Program - 0.5 credit
So, a total of 9 classes and 20.5 credits

My class load for Spring Semester:
1) Urinary - 3 credits
2) Pulmonary - 3 credits
3) Cardiovascular - 4 credits
4) Metabolic/Endocrine/Repro - 3 credits
5) Digestive - 3 credits
6) Clinical Skills - 2 credits
7) Health Care Policy - 2 credits
8) Medical Humanities -2 credits
9) Mentor Program - 0.5 credits
So, a total of 9 classes and 22.5 credits.

So, yes. A TON of classes, but I think I'm ready for it! Besides, I am very excited to start PBL (Problem Based Learning). This is the same style of learning that I had while I was abroad in the Netherlands during undergrad, and I still can remember a lot of what I learned abroad...so, I know that PBL works! Basically, how PBL is set up is that we will meet in small groups (of about 8 students) 3 times per week. When we go in, we are handed a made-up patient case. We will be given complete physical exam and medical history work ups and, in our small groups, we will need to brainstorm ideas for diagnosis and treatments. So, it is very self-study-oriented, but if you put the time in, you will remember it...well. It sounds like great preparation not only for boards, but also for 3rd and 4th year rotations!

I start my 2nd year orientation on August 24th...thats coming up WAY too fast. So, for now, thats all I am talking about school! :)