Boston Vacation!

After finishing up my semester, I left for a week long trip to Boston and Las Angeles. S was interviewing for residency, so I decided to follow along and explore! I had never been to Boston, so I was very excited about that...and Los Angeles means re-visiting UCLA and going to Disneyland!

We left East Lansing on Monday morning to head to Detroit Metro Airport...We were scheduled to leave at around 1 PM, layover in Baltimore, and then arrive in Boston at 5 PM. However, after sitting in the airport with delays for a while, we were informed that our flight would be canceled, due to poor weather conditions in Baltimore. Luckily, S quickly called southwest and re-booked us on a flight only 1 hour later that went through Chicago then to Boston. We were able to hop on right away, and make it without any delays! The only downside: because of the change in flights, the airline misplaced my baggage for the night...thankfully, it was delivered to my hotel the next day.

After arriving in Boston, we (fairly easily) navigated through the subway/train system and arrived at our hotel: the Holiday Inn Brookline. From the long day of travel, we decided that it was a good day for an early bed time.

On our first train into the city! 

The next day, we woke up fairly early, ate breakfast in our hotel and then headed into town to do some historical site-seeing. Our first stop, the Boston Tea Party Re-enactment.

This was a really cool experience! [If any of you readers is ever planning on going to Boston, I highly recommend this]. We started out by meeting in a room that looks like an old school house. All of a sudden, a man dressed in Colonial clothing runs in, speaking Old English and begins rallying us together to fight against the British. Yes, it was the night before the Boston Tea Party and we were all being recruited to participate in this important moment of history. We then boarded the Boston Tea Party ship and through crates of tea overboard in to the Boston Harbor.

Throwing tea overboard! 

After the re-enactment, we were led to a tea shop where we sampled some tea and cookies. We then went through an interactive museum all about the American Revolution. It was a really fun site-seeing spot!

Boston Tea Party Gift Shop:
Boston LOVES their lobster memorabilia! 

After the Boston Tea Party, we asked a local what other things we could do nearby. They told us to go to the spot where the Boston Massacre occurred. We went to the spot, took some pictures, went to the museum, and listened to an interesting talk about different perspectives of what happened that night in Boston.

We then decided it was time to go back to the hotel. S had to get ready for his residency dinner (which always occur the night before the interviews). So, we went back, he got ready, I ordered room service and watched movies for the night! So relaxing! :)

Room Service + Grey's Anatomy

The next day, S had to leave early to go to his interview bright and early. He started at 6:45 AM!!! I slept in, took my time getting ready, and then took a free shuttle over to the Harvard Hospitals location. I brought my First Aid Board review book with me (so that I can one day pass my boards and get a residency spot too haha), sat down in the lobby of the hospital, and waited for S to finish.

Once he was done, we both went together to walk down the road the Harvard Medical School. In their library, they have a little museum (Warren Anatomical Museum) where they had Phineas Gage's skull! So, this science nerd obviously needed to see that!

After we left the museum, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the night. Our plans: see the Boston Ballet's "The Nutcracker". I have always loved seeing the Nutcracker...I don't think that there is anything more Christamassy than that...so I couldn't wait.

The ballet was absolutely beautiful and it was so fun to dress-up and pretend to be cultured for the night!

After the ballet, we went home and went right to bed. We had to be up very early the next day, because it was time to leave Boston and time to move on to our next city: Los Angeles!

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...

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving: A day for many Americans that is about visiting with family and stuffing yourself full with as much food as you can possibly force into your stomach. The last three years, I have been spent in Michigan with S. This means that I have had to learn how to cook Thanksgiving dinner without the help of my parents, who have much more experience cooking a huge Thanksgiving feast than I am. Well, this year...I think I have perfected my Thanksgiving dinner meal!

The menu this year:
-Chicken breast (sadly, the grocery store was out of turkey and rotisserie chicken)
-Rice boiled in chicken broth
-Stuffing
-Scalloped Potatoes
-Garlic Crescent Rolls
-Green Beans w/ Bacon and Almonds
-White Wine
-Strawberry cheesecake

It was a really fun/relaxing dinner and Thanksgiving Holiday!

S and I went shopping for our Thanksgiving feast
on Wednesday night. 

Thanksgiving morning tradition:
Baking Orange Cinnamon Rolls for Breakfast! 

While I baked, S continued to sleep.... 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! 

:) 

Starting to cook! 

My amazing green beens! 

All of our yummy food

S doing dishes. Thanks love!  

Giving Thanks...

Today, was my third year celebrating Thanksgiving in East Lansing, Michigan. Thinking about how much I have accomplished and where my life has taken me even in these last 3 years gives me so much to be thankful for. So here are my top 10 things I am thankful for this year:

1) Family: Even though I don't get to see my parents as much as I would like to, I am so lucky and thankful for a mother that I can call at any moment, that I know would be willing to talk me through a problem, calm me down from school meltdowns, or simply talk to about the weather. I got so lucky to have the parents that I do and (although I don't always express it) am thankful for them everyday.

2) Sarath: This January, we will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary. Over these last 5 years, we have survived and grown together through many challenges that other couples never will have to face. From me leaving to study abroad across the world in Europe for 6 months, from S moving away across the country to Michigan for 2 years, and from simply having a relationship built of 2 medical students that have 0 free time, I am especially thankful that we have used all of these challenges to grow together and develop a relationship that is full of love. He encourages me everyday, he puts up with my med school meltdowns, he makes me laugh, and he makes me feel like I can accomplish anything I could ever set my mind to. So, today, and everyday, I am thankful for my wonderfully amazing boyfriend.

3) Friends: This is a huge category, because I have been so lucky in my life to be surrounded by such amazing people. Today, I am especially thankful for the friends I have had since high school, for the friends I made at UCLA, to the friends I have made studying abroad, and my medical school friends that have made Michigan feel like home. Even if I do not talk to you everyday or haven't talked to you in a year, I am thankful for the many wonderful people in my life that I consider to be my friend.

4) School: I am so thankful to have the privilege of having graduated from a great undergraduate university and for currently studying in medical school. I know there are many people in this world that have all of the capabilities of earning college and graduate degrees that never have the opportunity, I feel so fortunate that I have never had to worry about having access to education.

5) Home: I am thankful to have two homes: one in California where my parents live and one in Michigan that I have developed. I am thankful that I feel like Michigan is my second home after such a short period of time living here.

6) Travel: I have been so lucky with all of the places that I have fortunately had the opportunity to travel to. In the last 5 years, I have traveled all across the United States on a road trip with my parents and on a road trip down south with some med school friends and to Mexico a few times during college. I have traveled to Europe (Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Scotland, England, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, and France). I have traveled to Central America twice (Honduras) and South America (Peru). I know that I have seen more of the world than most people and even though I have a lot more traveling to do in my life, I am so thankful for every opportunity I do get to go to a new place.

7) Food: I am thankful to be able to afford food everyday. I am also thankful that I have developed a liking of cooking and have the ability to make yummy Thanksgiving dinners for the last few years.

8) Warmth: This one might sound silly, but I love being warm. So, I am thankful to have an apartment that I can afford and warm blankets that I can curl up with on a warm night. Its easy to forget these simple conveniences, but there are many people in this world who do not have these luxuries.

9) Success: I am thankful that I am two years in to my medical education and I am almost at a point in my life where I will consider myself "successful." I know this word has many definitions, but for me, I am proud to say that I will be a doctor by age 26. :)

10) Blogging: I am thankful for my blogger friends that originally inspired me to start a blog. I think it will be a great gift to be able to look back on all of these posts after a few years and have all of my time of medical school journaled.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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.