Post-Exam Ponderings

I had my first exam this morning, and my whole class celebrated this evening with Ben and Jerry's, complements of the UNC School of Medicine. Since I'm on a sugar high, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on some of the highlights of my first few weeks.

- Meeting all my well-spoken, outgoing classmates who are all so personable and have really unique perspectives on medicine and healthcare.
- Finding the perfect study spot at a local Caribou Coffee- in the window, by the corner. The wood paneling and moose decor just do it for me!
-Being picked up by a 20-year-old at the Carrboro DMV while waiting to take my driving test. And having him tell me I look his age. Yes!
-Taking a Latin aerobics class at the Student Recreation Center and watching about 100 other girls shake their booties to the "Gasolina" song. I know I shook mine!
-Interviewing my first patient, presenting with chest pain, and getting positive feedback from my group saying that I was genuine and empathetic. This stuff makes me know I'm going to be good at this- it feels like I was born to do it.

My schedule is pretty intense, but manageable. In the mornings from 8-12, we have our science courses as part of the Molecules to Cells block, and then one afternoon a week (Monday for me), we have Introduction to Clinical Medicine. Right now we're learning to do a complete medical, family, and social/cultural history on patients. Today an actor/patient came to class and we took turns interviewing him to interview him regarding his "cough that keeps getting worse." Later in the year we'll learn to do a physical exam, and this class will continue into next year to get us ready for year three, when we'll do our clinical rotations in hospitals, clinics, and doctors' offices. Most other afternoons I head to the library to study. Wednesday is a nice break for me because we have a Medicine and Society class, where we read essays and stories on the patient-doctor relationship, cultural and social issues of healthcare, and ethics and the healthcare system. It's completely discussion-based, and the assignments vary from doing a home visit for the preceptor's patient, to writing our own personal "illness narrative" that speaks to our concept of sickness, health, and medicine.

The first Block ("Molecules to Cells") ends on October 3rd, and we have a fall break the 4th and 5th. For all my DC peeps, I am planning on coming up to visit those days and the following weekend- let's hang! From October 8th-12th we have our first "community week." I will be shadowing a family practitioner in a public health department in Asheville, which is in way western North Carolina in the mountains (Appalachia). Should be beautiful. Our second block is called Structure and Development (anatomy, radiology, and embryology) and it starts October 15th and ends before Christmas break December 15th.

I feel like I have lost all traces of creativity; my brainpower is being used for other things. But I hope this starts to give you all a sense of my day to day. Here in medical school they always talk about the "take home message" for this or that lecture. The take home message here: I study. A lot. But I still have time to shake my booty while belting out "A mi me gusta la gasolina!"