The third week of classes brought many firsts for the year:
- first test (sort of)
- first preceptor encounter
- first time I had to take the bus due to inclement weather
The diagnostic went well for the class- no one failed! The teaching staff assures us that this fact is because we are extra intelligent, not because the test was too easy. We'll see about that when the end of block exam rolls around, I suppose.
On Thursday, I went to Kingwood to shadow a pediatrician for the afternoon. I enjoyed seeing all the little patients, ages ranging from one month to 15 years old. Interacting with patients is a bit more of my forte. I got to wear my snazzy new white coat and try out my raspberry-colored stethoscope. Dr. Penn was very friendly and willing to show me the ropes. I look forward to reporting back in a couple weeks.
Rain, rain, go away! Normally, I love rain. It is truly my favorite type of weather. Unfortunately, it puts quite a damper on biking to school. Not only am I dependent on the bus schedule, but I feel lazy and inefficient rumbling down Main on the #8. Determined to not let the rain get in the way of my biking groove, I attempted to set out in soggy conditions only to be caught in a torrential downpour midway through my ride. I showed up at Baylor covered in mud from head to toe and drenched down to my underwear. Thankfully, I changed into my dry workout clothes (yay for yoga on Thursdays!). Eyebrows were definitely raised in response to my shorts in anatomy lab. Finally, my ride home was quite the adventure because the bayou had risen up over the bike path. Someday I will take a picture of the bayou bike path so that you can appreciate this fact.
As the fourth week approaches, I look forward to settling into my new routine. I'm really looking forward to the three-day weekend for Labor Day. Topics for this week:
1. cellular signaling
2. foundations of bioenergetics (all about ATP production)
3. medical genetics
4. intro to immunology
5. anatomy of the hand
6. gastrulation/early embryology
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A Fresh Coat of White
On Friday I received my white coat. Over the past 15 years, White Coat ceremonies have grown to symbolize the beginning of medical students' journey in the field of health care. The white coat itself brings a sort of power. It's amazing how much respect the garment grants its owner. Though I hardly feel worthy of the authority for which the coat stands, I look forward to growing into what it represents over the next four years. I will wear my coat on Wednesday when I head to my first meeting with my preceptor - a pediatrician (yay!) all the way out in Kingwood (ick). Wednesday is also the day of my first test. The diagnostic exam marks the beginning of new med school material for me. Here we go!!!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Fat Cat
I took Went to the vet yesterday and got some interesting news. Apparently, Wentworth is 5.5 pounds and only twelve weeks old. Perhaps this statistic means something to you, but to me, it just meant he was younger than I thought. Well, according to the vet, his size indicates that he is going to be one fat cat. Instead of weighing in at a respectable three pounds, he tips the scales at nearly twice the average weight! I suppose he just wants to be better than average. So, I've been coping with his inevitable ballooning into 'sumo kitty.' Stay tuned for more tales of the big, bad, blue kitty (yes, his color is officially 'blue' and not 'gray'... also news to me).
In other news: the Olympics are great. I've been watching the games over dinner and find swimming, diving, and gymnastics captivating. Favorite event: Men's 4x100m freestyle relay
In med school news: protein synthesis, DNA transcription and translation, anatomy of upper extremity + brachial plexus, epithelial and connective tissues, layers of the skin, cell membranes and organelles
In other news: the Olympics are great. I've been watching the games over dinner and find swimming, diving, and gymnastics captivating. Favorite event: Men's 4x100m freestyle relay
In med school news: protein synthesis, DNA transcription and translation, anatomy of upper extremity + brachial plexus, epithelial and connective tissues, layers of the skin, cell membranes and organelles
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Under the Weather
On Tuesday, Tropical Storm Edouard paid a visit. In anticipation of the hurricane that wasn't, Baylor closed down for the day. Houston did get a bit of rain, but it was nothing too crazy or exciting. Instead of being wildly productive with my free day, I barely got out of bed. I seem to have come down with some sort of sickness. Personally, I blame it on the cleaning. I spent all day Saturday cleaning out the kitchen and tidying up the rest of the condo. I even cleaned out the vacuum (dust filter and all), which undoubtedly released some sort of viral spore that infected and congested my lungs. Thankfully, the headache and cold sweats have passed and now all that lingers is a bit of congestion. I was feeling well enough by Thursday evening to go to a yoga class! I also tagged along with some second year med student friends to see Julius Caesar at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park. Quite a nice production, and I only got two bug bites. Friday marked the end of my first week of classes! Wooo hooo!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Revisiting the Orient (-ation, that is)
One week down, 207 to go!
During the first two days of orientation at Baylor College of Medicine, 179 first-year med students went on an overnight retreat. I met many of my new classmates, enjoyed getting-to-know-you activities, and jumped off a telephone pole. I had to catch myself early on because I kept thinking, "Last year it was like X." So, I tried to focus on creating new experience with new people instead of reminiscing about the past and making comparisons. This will be my mantra for the next three weeks.
Following the retreat, we had three days of general information about the curriculum, getting around Baylor, and dealing with the administrative and financial components of BCM. I especially enjoyed the student-chosen faculty speaker's address. He's an OB/GYN and shared a homemade video clip montage of a patient's L&D experience. It was very moving and reinforced my interested in the field. I'm still interested in emergency med and oncology, but I can't help but think about how cool and miraculous it would be to participate in childbirth everyday... to be there when people become parents, when belly bumps become crying infants full of life, when newborns see the world for the first time, when a child gets a new baby brother or sister, etc. I digress...
I have decided to join the Baylor gym because my condo complex doesn't have a workout facility. For me, it will be cheap and convenient, which should fit in nicely with my new lifestyle and routine. I also got a work study job, which will start bright and early on Monday morning. I should preface this by saying that I am intentionally hesitant in making non-class commitments (especially early on) because I know I'll be dedicating a lot of time to studying during basic sciences. Conveniently, my job will actually take place during and in class. Initially, I had hoped to be the class 'board eraser,' but I was encouraged to take on the A/V tech role. I was assured that I didn't need to be tech-savvy, just adept enough to keep microphones charged and powerpoints loaded on the big screen. Since I am planning on attending lectures everyday anyway, this will be a pretty painless addition to my schedule. I'll find out more on Monday.
Other than that, I am continuing to expand my social circle in the realm of med students. I saw Mamma Mia! today with three of my classmates. Though the movie was entertaining overall, I found myself cringing at Pierce Brosnan's singing, the studio feel of the set, the over-the-top dramatizations and dance sequences, and Colin Firth's character at the movie's end. Definitely wait for video; it's a fun flick, but it's no Chicago. Well, that's it for now. Until next time... :)
During the first two days of orientation at Baylor College of Medicine, 179 first-year med students went on an overnight retreat. I met many of my new classmates, enjoyed getting-to-know-you activities, and jumped off a telephone pole. I had to catch myself early on because I kept thinking, "Last year it was like X." So, I tried to focus on creating new experience with new people instead of reminiscing about the past and making comparisons. This will be my mantra for the next three weeks.
Following the retreat, we had three days of general information about the curriculum, getting around Baylor, and dealing with the administrative and financial components of BCM. I especially enjoyed the student-chosen faculty speaker's address. He's an OB/GYN and shared a homemade video clip montage of a patient's L&D experience. It was very moving and reinforced my interested in the field. I'm still interested in emergency med and oncology, but I can't help but think about how cool and miraculous it would be to participate in childbirth everyday... to be there when people become parents, when belly bumps become crying infants full of life, when newborns see the world for the first time, when a child gets a new baby brother or sister, etc. I digress...
I have decided to join the Baylor gym because my condo complex doesn't have a workout facility. For me, it will be cheap and convenient, which should fit in nicely with my new lifestyle and routine. I also got a work study job, which will start bright and early on Monday morning. I should preface this by saying that I am intentionally hesitant in making non-class commitments (especially early on) because I know I'll be dedicating a lot of time to studying during basic sciences. Conveniently, my job will actually take place during and in class. Initially, I had hoped to be the class 'board eraser,' but I was encouraged to take on the A/V tech role. I was assured that I didn't need to be tech-savvy, just adept enough to keep microphones charged and powerpoints loaded on the big screen. Since I am planning on attending lectures everyday anyway, this will be a pretty painless addition to my schedule. I'll find out more on Monday.
Other than that, I am continuing to expand my social circle in the realm of med students. I saw Mamma Mia! today with three of my classmates. Though the movie was entertaining overall, I found myself cringing at Pierce Brosnan's singing, the studio feel of the set, the over-the-top dramatizations and dance sequences, and Colin Firth's character at the movie's end. Definitely wait for video; it's a fun flick, but it's no Chicago. Well, that's it for now. Until next time... :)
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