Fall Off then Bounce Back

This is my first Blog Post in a while and this is actually my first post as a Second Year Medical Student (Drum Roll and Round of Applause!!!!!!!!!!)

As I am writing this post I am thinking of all of the items on my Monday Sept 25th, 2017 "To Do List" that I still have to do ;-) but I definitely want to share my thoughts on 2nd year so far.

Class started Mid August and I am currently taking Pathology, Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Pharmacology, and Fundamentals of Medicine. In about 3 weeks we will begin Pathophysiology. I will share with you all in a later post more details about all of the classes. 

The last 5 weeks have been crazy, when I say crazy I mean crazy and to top it off we just completed our first set of exams for our year long courses. I can only speak for my school and my curriculum but 2nd year is completely different from 1st year, there is 5x more material to cover, longer class hours and did I say 10x more the material. 

But Five exams in 3 days does not sound that bad at first but it was definitely more challenging than I thought. And guess what I did absolutely... .....HORRIBLE (well not super horrible but bad enough on 1 exam to really make me rethink everything for a quick second). 

Learning to balance the new load of material was a challenge but the most demanding or worrisome part of the past 5 weeks had to be "other" issues I had to deal with equaling to an undue amount of stress, from financial stress, to home stress, to work stress, to financial stress, to just extra stress leading to an unfocused mind. And to be very honest I did not study everyday like I should had. Nope I didn't, on days when I was just completely over it, I might have studies for 30mins- 1 hr.  I was not getting adequate sleep, all adding up to not so ideal circumstances. 

A few good/not so good things that I did prior to this exam block was:

1- Met with a tutor to get an idea I how I should tackle studying for my courses. I received a few good tips but ultimately the tutor and I were not the same type of learner of many of the tools mentioned were not ideal for me.  Try out multiple tutors, until you find your match!

2- Attempted group study. This was not effective for me either (at the time) because I was the weak member of the group, I was ill prepared and honestly couldn't keep up. I could have more effectively used that time to catch up on material. Going forward I will use group study to review questions (share common or differing point of views) and topics that I don't fully understand. 

3- I did quite a bit of practice questions. Initially, I did practice questions to early before we covered all the material (so I could not answer many of the questions) and I didn't thoroughly review my answers afterwards. I plan to go back to my trusty MCAT question review method: Review all the questions and take brief  notes on topics I get incorrect, if the topic is in my "REPEATEDLY MISSED" list, take more in depth notes and discuss the topic with a tutor, professor or another student.  

Immediately after my exams, I emailed my advisor with revisions to the my study plan for the next test block, I met with one of my professors to discuss best practices for doing well in their course,  I reached out to another tutor, received tips/guidance and then I reviewed my missed exam questions. AND I GOT SOME REST, or simply put did something none school related.

My transparency is to let you know that life will continue to happen whether we are students or employed adults. I mean this isn't my first time failing an exam but as with any time that you fall short of your goal, you have reevaluate your actions and work harder the next time. 

Fall Reflections

So far this week has provided me with a major boost in moral. 

As a first year MD student at my school we must participate in clinical preceptorships, which is similar to shadowing in some cases and in others, we visit sites that provide healthcare and other services for underserved population and learn more about the work they do, services they provide, and people they help.  Well, yesterday my random assignment happen to be at a Family Medicine office that I have volunteered at for the past 2 years. It was so refreshing to be there and chat with my mentor and see patients.  

Initially, I didn't feel any different walking in as a medical student as I did during my previous trips there but as the evening hours rolled on I realized things were different. I got really excited when the physician would mention topics that I had recently learned in class and I felt confident about my ability to answer clinical questions.  Like, despite how I may feel that sometimes info is going in one ear and out the other, my studying and the endless hours I am putting are not in vain. I realized that the main purpose of the preceptorships is not give us more shadowing exposure because we all have hundreds and hundred of hours but for those days when we are bogged down with book work, lecture notes and feel so far removed from our goal of practicing medicine, it shows us, "That hey this is why you spend all of those hour reading, learning and preparing, so one day you can see patients and be the best physician for them as you possible can". And, I really needed that yesterday!  

Then, today is my son's birthday!!!! I still can't believe how much he has grown and matured into a spectacular young boy. His birthday reminds me of my journey and how far we have come. He's seen me graduate from college, moved to Macon for grad school with me, seen me graduate from that treacherous program and now he is seeing me pursue my dream of becoming a physician! Today is just a reminder that my dream is really bigger than me because I have so many other people relying on my determination, my imagination and my success.

School for me this last month has not been all that I had hoped. Honestly, my motivation has been a bit lack luster, I am present but sometimes my mind is completely absent. Then, I set expectations for myself that I probably wouldn't even expect Albert Einstein to accomplish and when I didn't meet those goals it was difficult for me reevaluate how realistic of those expectations were but easy for me criticize my own efforts. But, I am learning to take easier on myself because while expecting greatness is great, burn out is real. I've done a lot of things in my life that I can reflect on but I've never done medical school before. I've never done medical school before as mother before. I've never done medical school before in my hometown with all my family (pro&con). This a whole different ball game and I'm just a rookie. But, I am learning, growing and still finding my way through. One thing I know is that, I dream about this, wished for this, prayed about this, and now I am hear. While people make plenty of mistakes, God doesn't! 

Relax.Relate.Release: DIY/ChefMD

When I need a break from my everyday routine a few things I enjoy doing are DIY projects and cooking!

Here are a few of my recent projects and dishes:

Year Around Center Piece: Rocks, 3 different floral arrangements and glass vase.

I purchased all of these items during a Dollar Tree Haul! I super glued various glass pieces together to make the bathroom decor items.

2 cheese, spinach, & mushroom Stuffed chicken with Zucchini, Squash and peppers

Devin Making his own chicken

Curry Chicken

Caribbean Style Cabbage

Sweet Potato Pie (before the oven)

Curry Chicken, Cabbage, Rice & peas

Organ Systems 1: The Game Changer

It has been a whole month since my last blog post and I definitely have a few updates to share. Of course I had the pleasure in participating in my schools annual White Coat Ceremony. My family and friends were able to be their and support me as I began this new chapter exciting chapter!

Mostly importantly (at least academically) I began the Organ Systems 1 block and the last 6 weeks consisted of our 1st test block mainly on Cardiology and randomly thrown in there Skin and the Nervous System. I also started Gross Anatomy lab and during this 1st test block we learned about the Back and Upper limb anatomy/dissections. I am very appreciative of the individuals that saw fit to donate their vessel/body for science, so that I and my classmates would be able to further our understanding of anatomy and the physical body! 

Now lets get to the good stuff. How I feel about Organ Systems/Gross Lab 1 so far!

Well Hmm (clears throat LOL) its like a coin toss there are aspects that I like and things that I don't like. Lets start with what I am not so fond of. I am not a big fan of the actual dissection part of Gross lab. I understand the practicalness/purpose of Gross lab but I know for sure in my heart (as of right now) that surgery is not my forte, I can barely draw a straight line let alone reflect/dissect/skin. The ambiguity of nerves, blood vessels and structures is mind blowing to me and while very fascinating, I find bit challenging in the aspect of memorization and discernment going from one cadaver to the next. As time goes on I am sure it will come with more ease but as of today, three days post Gross Lab Practical, I can't say that I am ever super excited when I see gross lab on the schedule.

Next, OS1 lecture: Since our first test block was 6 weeks, this 1st test was the longest test so far. As I may have mentioned before the subject matter is generally not at all difficult, the challenging aspect for me was the amount of material. I definitely enjoy learning new things. Many of the biochem, physiology and cell bio type topics were previously introduced to me during grad school. Learning about these topics in medical school has provided me with a deeper layer of understanding. Also we started Community Health. MSM missions is really community oriented and in this Service-Learning course we take an active role in the community and try to add additional value to the lives of those we service through mentorship, programming, and by implementing a health related intervention based on community needs.

Our 1st exam of this block was on Oct 18 & 19. Despite having had several exams prior, I can say this exam was an eye opening experiences. They showed me a lot about the effectiveness of my study style/schedule and about my personal drive and motivation. I got sick during this first block, a few random family things happened, and I have a minor fender bender. All things that could happen whether I am a student or not. Having all these things happened has help me reevaluate my own drive. Physical illness is something that I can't necessarily predict and sometimes even prevent but those days when I am just mentally exhausted and don't feel like sticking to my schedule, I can prevent. 

Tip for Today: Make a schedule and stick to it. Make sure your schedule is flexible and incorporate free/me/fun time into your schedule. Devote as much time to personal/mental relaxation as you do to academic preparation and progression!

Goals!

Setting Goals are sooo important in every aspect of life. They help get a clear picture of things I would like to accomplish.

November 14, 2010 I sat down and listed out all of major goal for 5 years. On that document I listed monthly and quarterly goals that included items such as: Learn Spanish, travel out of country, become more financial secures, reduce debt, take the MCAT and an endless number of additional goals. I also listed the exact date that I hoped to enter medical school.

And one day my I woke up and my calendar read Jan. 2015. In a panic I realized that there was so much that I hadn't accomplished and things I still wanted to work towards, and it was time to extended my "Goal Docs"  out for a few more years. I noticed that some of my goals had been met and other had been marked through twice, copied and pasted to a later date but one thing that had not occurred was the need to erase any of my goals. Though I did slightly rephrase goals and move dates, I never lost sight of where I wanted to go or the dreams that I had and wanted to accomplish.

As a first year Medical School student, I recently reviewed my goals from 2010-2015 and I looked at the many times I had to move dates, and edits where I had to readjust "My Plans" and relocate my goals. I had to readjust my plans to fit God's plans for my life because sometimes it is decided unbeknownst to ourselves that we need to take a few detours before we reach our final destination. Sometime we are frustrated by the traffic we are met with on these detours but every interaction and reaction has its purpose. And, while I have have items on my goals list x'd and relocated, I still made it to my end destination for this particular chapter of my life. Now its time to add my goals for the next 5-10 years and I look forward growing and learning more about myself and those I meet along the way!

Never give up on yourself, make adjustments, rephrase and rededicate aspects of your life and/or goals and move forward because a missed goals is not a misplaced Goal!

How do you find time....

I have officially been in school for almost 2 months and school recently started back for my son as well. Is it just me or does like feel like once school started that some time goblin stole several hours out of my day. Not only does it feel like the standard 24 hour days no longer applies for me but I am in a time warp and everyone and everything around me is going in overdrive.

Where is there time to eat, sleep, go to class, take notes, read notes, re-read notes, sleep, eat healthy, help with homework, cook, sleep, attend study group, sleep, exercise and did I say breathe lol

Ideally, when school began I wanted to incorporate healthier habits into my life such as exercise a few times a week, meal prep, healthier foods, sleep 8+ hours, in addition to my normal parenting duties and attending class and studying. However,  during the first two weeks of schools I found it very hard to do much of anything that wasn't considered absolutely necessary (Eat whatever was available, sleep, go to class study and normal family obligations) and doing those things felt like a stretch.

Now that a few weeks have gone by and I feel more comfortable with balancing everything. Of course some days a way better than other days but over the last 2 months I have discovered that I will have to sacrifice somethings in order to find this balance. One thing I am working on is scheduling majority of my daily activities in order to feel like I am actively accomplishing my weekly goals. I am doing this for both school and home (you can image some of the items on the daily checklist for a little boy smh LOL). However, I have yet to find time for exercise :-( so in lieu of not being able to rigorously exercise, I skip the elevator and take the steps everywhere I go, take walks during extended breaks and "try" to do small workouts at home and I have incorporated several healthy food items into my weekly meals.

I am glad that it is still early in the school year for both my son and myself because it gives us time to tweak an ideal routine. I am always looking for suggestions on how other students balance school and personal life , so please share!!!   Stay posted for new updates on our school/home routine.

Mini Update

2 Exams down

1 exam next week

Organ systems and Gross Lab starts in 2 weeks!
White Coat Ceremony in 3 weeks!!!!!!

I'm a Medical School Student ;-D

The time has finally come..... I have so much to share but time is escaping me LOL. I have been in school 3 weeks now!

And at the top of next week I will celebrate a birthday and my first ever medical school exam as a medical school student. I took a brief study break to provide you all with a bit of encouragement.

Your day is coming, patience is hard to practice at times but trust in the plans that God has for you and understand that time is relative in the grand scheme of things, your time is coming and you will do well and be great!

I will try to do a post on my first week of medical school after my test next week!!

 LOL :-)