#weekbyweek

9/19/21- Week 4

End of week 4 and it is starting to look like fall! Although this week was incredibly busy, I feel like I'm getting my feet under me a little. Having a regular schedule/routine is definitely helpful for staying on task. Highlights of the week included:

touching a lung in gross anatomy lab (seriously GA lab has become one of my favourite parts of the week)

practicing taking blood pressures in family practice skills

sending some super fun climbs at the bouldering gym

catching up with a good friend while meal prepping.

10/10/21, Week 7:

Well, the midterm stress is hitting hard. But it was so lovely to see my family for a day. I realized this is the first Thanksgiving I have actually spent with family in 6 years! Although the nagging test stress didn't completely go away, it felt so good to laugh, relax, play board games, and just spend time together as a family.

Started case-based discussion (CBL) with a new group this week, which has been a bit of a mixed bag. It feels impossible not to compare yourself to others and feel as though you are coming up short, but having friends to talk to who are feeling similarly has really helped with that. Also trying to use more of the CBT skills I've been learning to fight those thoughts!

8/28/21- Week 1

Wow, what a whirlwind. I don't think anyone enters medical school without knowing that it will be a busy time, but it's been something else to experience it personally. But we survived- one week down, many many to go! Here are some of my main takeaway reflections:

Expectations. Since we all survived the gauntlet that is medical school admissions, you can feel how much higher expectations are compared to undergrad. We've had lecture or lab from 8-5 everyday this week- and although we complain, we all know that we can do it, and the professors know this too. What was viewed as exceptional previously is now simply the norm, and that is going to take some getting used to.

People. In a similar vein, the people are all a lot more intense than I am used to. Everyone is hyper-organized, everyone is on top of the assignments and/or working ahead, everyone has amazing life experiences and visions for where they are headed in medicine. I definitely felt like I was already struggling with imposter syndrome- it's hard to go from being a big fish in a small pond to a very small fish, haha.

Content. Although this week is a bit more of an orientation, it's been really exciting to finally be spending all day every day learning. Whether it's been reviewing foundational science concepts, learning about the healthcare system, or understanding the importance of patient care, everything is actually relevant to what I want to do in life- and that is incredibly exciting.

Location. I feel so incredibly blessed to be going to medical school in such a beautiful place. After living places that had far less accessible nature, it feels a bit like a dream that I'm living somewhere to close to beaches and forests both. Having that so close by is going to be essential to my mental health as I continue along this path.

Anyways, that's enough for this week. Excited to spend today relaxing, checking out the climbing gym, and going to the beach in the evening!

11/14/21, Week 12:

We got our midterm results back this week- and I passed!! I actually did so much better than I had expected, and now I feel like I can take a breath, thank god. After weeks of struggling to fight the feeling that I'm an imposter and that I don't belong here, this grade felt like proof to myself that I can do this.

Other highlights of the week included:

buying 12 new whiteboard markers

getting a peppermint mocha

going climbing with new friends!

9/12/21- Week 3:

Downs: This week had some really rough moments. During our volunteer patient interview, the patient's condition was basically the same situation that my brother has been struggling with for the past couple of years. I didn't expect to be so impacted by it, but I was super thrown off and upset for honestly the rest of the day. I'm definitely going to need to learn how to separate my personal feelings from the situation on hand. CBL the next day was hard too- just honestly felt like the school had made a mistake, and that I was not smart enough to be here.

Ups: But! I talked with my group members and turned out lots of people were feeling the same way I was, and I think moving forwards the group dynamics will be a lot better. We learned about giving injections which was SO cool, had a great CBL on Friday discussing prenatal genetic screening, played some ping-pong, and Oliver is the cutest little cactus out there.

Overall: Each day is a challenge. Some of the days I'm winning, some of the days, not so much. But every day I am learning and adapting, and I can say that I am excited each day to see what we will be learning next. Week 4, here we go.

11/22/21, Week 13:

🏠 I got to go home!! I haven't ever lived this close to home, so that just wasn't an option before- but it was so wonderful to just sit on the couch and read a book, eat a home cooked meal, and be with family. It was so so refreshing, even if I got less review done than I would have liked.

🏃‍♀️ I've also been pleased about starting to do some running again. I pulled something in my hand while climbing, so have sadly been forced into taking at least a week off, but that's turned out to be just the kick-off I needed to pull on the running shoes again! Went for a run with Dad while home, and just went for another short run at lunch today- I'm still a lot slower than I was last spring, but I'm happy with the progress I'm seeing.

11/8/21, Week 11:

This was a really good week 😊. Going to the hospital to learn the head and neck exam, knowing that one day we will roam these halls to help with patient care. And my first family practice visit! Actually getting to interact with patients and take some histories reminded me why all the studying is worth it. The information that can seem dry and lifeless in the classroom, suddenly helps with narrowing down a differential diagnosis, and with understanding where this patient’s pain is coming from. It’s really pretty amazing, and has definitely helped give me motivation for studying.

12/6/21, Week 15:

I can't believe we are in the *final week* of first term medical school! In some ways these past 5 months have felt like an entire lifetime, but I am so happy and proud to be coming out the other side (hopefully, lol).

Our class did a Secret Santa gift exchange today, which I have to say was so much fun! I really am so grateful that our class is so close, and that I feel like I belong as a part of that.

We had our first OSCE over the weekend, so am really happy to have that over with. Now just to study relentlessly for the next week... but then it's Christmas vacation baby!