Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Missing the Big Green
I just read that Dartmouth's convocation was today, officially beginning the new school year. I know that the point of going there was to learn things that would prepare me to go out into the big, wide world, but sometimes I really miss being safely nestled up there in the mountains and trees.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
White Coat, Breakdowns, and Amusing Anatomy Anecdotes
On Sunday, September 7, I went through one of the rites of passage of medical students: the white coat ceremony. My parents and Tay came to watch me go up on stage and have one of the deans put my white coat on me, welcoming me into the medical profession. Here are some pictures from the ceremony:
(On a side note, several other parents who were sitting in the audience turned to my mother and said, "I can tell which one is your daughter!" Yes, we now sport even more-similar haircuts. I'll take it as a compliment!)
The ceremony was an exciting occasion even though I can't actually do anything medical yet; my coat is a short one, which indicates that I'm a student. I wear it whenever I have any clinical interactions. So far, this entails practicing interviewing standardized patients (trained actors) in our Clinical Skills Center. The patients are given a certain complaint and medical history which we need to elicit while sitting in an actual exam room, being observed remotely by a fellow student who then provides feedback. It's a nice break from lectures and a great reminder of why I'm doing this!
By "this," I mean, of course, ridiculous amounts of work. I don't mean to complain; I got myself into this mess! It's just that the amount of information thrown at me each week has become somewhat overwhelming and I am currently upset with myself for (already!) having falling behind. That's exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't do! Perhaps I was too confident coming in, thinking that I was a mature, seasoned student who has figured out over the years what study techniques and time management techniques work for me. However, due to my earnest studying for the first anatomy quiz (which went very well!), I let the more current work for anatomy and biochemistry lapse. As a result, the second quiz did not go as well.
My "big sib" (a second-year student who was assigned to me as sort of a mentor) has assured me that she didn't really feel settled until at least mid-October of her first year. She also maintains that everyone will have at least one breakdown/freak-out within the first month. Well, I'm right on schedule! I woke up this morning with a cold, took the aforementioned not-so-good quiz (we take them electronically), and promptly burst into tears, convinced there was no way I could catch up and handle all of this work.
Mom and Dad, if you are reading this before having talked to me, don't worry; Tay took great care of me and I'm feeling much better now. I spent the afternoon studying in bed and then did an overhaul of all of my course materials, finally getting fully organized. I've realized that I need to focus my studies a bit differently, now that I can see what types of things my professor focuses on in exam questions.
On a happier note, I ran a 10K race yesterday with some of my new friends, and have joined a weekly "mindful meditation" group led by a psychologist at the medical center. It's supposed to help you relax and clear your mind so that you feel calmer and aren't as affected by worries and negative thoughts. I'm trying hard to maintain a few aspects of my life outside of my studies that will keep me happy and healthy.
Finally, I'll end with a recent amusing scene from the anatomy lab. (It's not for the faint of heart.) Our cadavers lie in bags on top of a steel table, in which there is a hole that drains into a funnel into a big bucket underneath. We have been warned never to move these buckets, as they collect all the "juice." Well, our bag was getting rather full of fluid, and we were strategizing how best to empty it without having it pour onto the floor. A friend from a nearby table said, "Just cut a hole in the bag right over the table's hole so the juice can flow through right into the bucket. Here - I'll do it." He did. And because, unbeknownst to us, the funnel leading into our bucket was clogged, the fluid poured all over our lab bench under the table (holding our tools, dissction books, etc) and all over the floor around us. All I could do was laugh and be thankful that this hadn't happened on the first day!
(On a side note, several other parents who were sitting in the audience turned to my mother and said, "I can tell which one is your daughter!" Yes, we now sport even more-similar haircuts. I'll take it as a compliment!)
The ceremony was an exciting occasion even though I can't actually do anything medical yet; my coat is a short one, which indicates that I'm a student. I wear it whenever I have any clinical interactions. So far, this entails practicing interviewing standardized patients (trained actors) in our Clinical Skills Center. The patients are given a certain complaint and medical history which we need to elicit while sitting in an actual exam room, being observed remotely by a fellow student who then provides feedback. It's a nice break from lectures and a great reminder of why I'm doing this!
By "this," I mean, of course, ridiculous amounts of work. I don't mean to complain; I got myself into this mess! It's just that the amount of information thrown at me each week has become somewhat overwhelming and I am currently upset with myself for (already!) having falling behind. That's exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't do! Perhaps I was too confident coming in, thinking that I was a mature, seasoned student who has figured out over the years what study techniques and time management techniques work for me. However, due to my earnest studying for the first anatomy quiz (which went very well!), I let the more current work for anatomy and biochemistry lapse. As a result, the second quiz did not go as well.
My "big sib" (a second-year student who was assigned to me as sort of a mentor) has assured me that she didn't really feel settled until at least mid-October of her first year. She also maintains that everyone will have at least one breakdown/freak-out within the first month. Well, I'm right on schedule! I woke up this morning with a cold, took the aforementioned not-so-good quiz (we take them electronically), and promptly burst into tears, convinced there was no way I could catch up and handle all of this work.
Mom and Dad, if you are reading this before having talked to me, don't worry; Tay took great care of me and I'm feeling much better now. I spent the afternoon studying in bed and then did an overhaul of all of my course materials, finally getting fully organized. I've realized that I need to focus my studies a bit differently, now that I can see what types of things my professor focuses on in exam questions.
On a happier note, I ran a 10K race yesterday with some of my new friends, and have joined a weekly "mindful meditation" group led by a psychologist at the medical center. It's supposed to help you relax and clear your mind so that you feel calmer and aren't as affected by worries and negative thoughts. I'm trying hard to maintain a few aspects of my life outside of my studies that will keep me happy and healthy.
Finally, I'll end with a recent amusing scene from the anatomy lab. (It's not for the faint of heart.) Our cadavers lie in bags on top of a steel table, in which there is a hole that drains into a funnel into a big bucket underneath. We have been warned never to move these buckets, as they collect all the "juice." Well, our bag was getting rather full of fluid, and we were strategizing how best to empty it without having it pour onto the floor. A friend from a nearby table said, "Just cut a hole in the bag right over the table's hole so the juice can flow through right into the bucket. Here - I'll do it." He did. And because, unbeknownst to us, the funnel leading into our bucket was clogged, the fluid poured all over our lab bench under the table (holding our tools, dissction books, etc) and all over the floor around us. All I could do was laugh and be thankful that this hadn't happened on the first day!
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