Monday, April 30, 2012
Last week of classes
This week is my last week of classes, after 20 years of sitting in a classroom. Only 2 more days this week left of classes, 1 day left at my AMAZING general pediatrics rotation, and then 5 final exams next week. Still waiting on comps. results, but expect them this week. While I'm not too worried that I didn't pass, I won't feel good until I get that envelope with the official results contained in it. After final exams, we have a week of ACLS/PALS training, and then 2 weeks off before clinical rotations officially begin on June 1! My first rotation is in Internal Medicine, followed by 3 surgery rotations (another month in Orthopaedics, ENT, and General Surgery), and Ob/Gyn....the first 5 months of clinic are going to be very busy, but I'm so looking forward to the intense hours and the amazing learning that's ahead of me! I've been dreaming about this for 2 years....well, actually, my entire life.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
2 years of knowledge
Wow. Tomorrow, I will take my written comprehensive exam, a 200-question, 4-hour exam that will assess my knowledge and processing skills on 2 years worth of material. It's so strange, because when I think about where I was in June of 2010, essentially fresh out of college, and starting from square 1 of medical training, it seems almost silly that 2 years of hard-earned knowledge, sleepless nights, endless trips to coffee shops, PILES of notes (I can only imagine the amount of trees that are no longer living, having been sacrificed for 10 page handouts for every lecture, x2 years, x40 classmates) can be whittled down to just 200 questions, and 4 hours. It's amazing to think that I will be practicing medicine in a year. Wow. Just, wow. Where have the past 2 years gone? When I started with my lab group in the cadaver lab in June 2010, 3 years seemed so long. Now, I'm wondering where it has gone. I can't believe my clinical rotations start in just a little over a month. Looking forward to my amazing schedule ahead, and leaving the classroom behind. But first, my comprehensive exam tomorrow morning. I'll see you all on the other side of the dark cloud :-)
Monday, April 16, 2012
Tomorrow's the big day!
Well, tomorrow is the big day....well, one of them, at least. The start of comprehensive exams, required to enter 3rd year clinical rotations. While I'm not terribly worried about them, the thought that this is the exam that I must overcome before I can enjoy the glory of 3rd year is weighing on my mind. And the fact that I'm fighting a nasty cold, care of my very adorable pediatric patients, doesn't quite help things either.
While I'm a little nervous (who wouldn't be; I never really enjoy standardized patient encounters, anyway, knowing that 3-4 video cameras are recording my every move/sound, even though there's only myself and the patient-actor in the room), I know, and have known, that there is no real way to study for the comprehensive exams. Everything we have done/learned for 2 years up to this point has prepared me for this week, and I know that I will do fine. I just have to prove that I know what I demonstrate to know every day in clinic, and in other classes. I just have to remind myself to remember to do the silly things we haven't done since 1st year, and the random physical exam maneuvers not commonly performed, except in specific circumstances....and to remember to properly drape the pt., and pull out the foot-rest on the exam table....having the pts. feet hanging uncomfortably off the table is never good form. Wish me luck! 3rd year is so close, I can taste it!
While I'm a little nervous (who wouldn't be; I never really enjoy standardized patient encounters, anyway, knowing that 3-4 video cameras are recording my every move/sound, even though there's only myself and the patient-actor in the room), I know, and have known, that there is no real way to study for the comprehensive exams. Everything we have done/learned for 2 years up to this point has prepared me for this week, and I know that I will do fine. I just have to prove that I know what I demonstrate to know every day in clinic, and in other classes. I just have to remind myself to remember to do the silly things we haven't done since 1st year, and the random physical exam maneuvers not commonly performed, except in specific circumstances....and to remember to properly drape the pt., and pull out the foot-rest on the exam table....having the pts. feet hanging uncomfortably off the table is never good form. Wish me luck! 3rd year is so close, I can taste it!
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Monday, April 30, 2012
Last week of classes
This week is my last week of classes, after 20 years of sitting in a classroom. Only 2 more days this week left of classes, 1 day left at my AMAZING general pediatrics rotation, and then 5 final exams next week. Still waiting on comps. results, but expect them this week. While I'm not too worried that I didn't pass, I won't feel good until I get that envelope with the official results contained in it. After final exams, we have a week of ACLS/PALS training, and then 2 weeks off before clinical rotations officially begin on June 1! My first rotation is in Internal Medicine, followed by 3 surgery rotations (another month in Orthopaedics, ENT, and General Surgery), and Ob/Gyn....the first 5 months of clinic are going to be very busy, but I'm so looking forward to the intense hours and the amazing learning that's ahead of me! I've been dreaming about this for 2 years....well, actually, my entire life.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
2 years of knowledge
Wow. Tomorrow, I will take my written comprehensive exam, a 200-question, 4-hour exam that will assess my knowledge and processing skills on 2 years worth of material. It's so strange, because when I think about where I was in June of 2010, essentially fresh out of college, and starting from square 1 of medical training, it seems almost silly that 2 years of hard-earned knowledge, sleepless nights, endless trips to coffee shops, PILES of notes (I can only imagine the amount of trees that are no longer living, having been sacrificed for 10 page handouts for every lecture, x2 years, x40 classmates) can be whittled down to just 200 questions, and 4 hours. It's amazing to think that I will be practicing medicine in a year. Wow. Just, wow. Where have the past 2 years gone? When I started with my lab group in the cadaver lab in June 2010, 3 years seemed so long. Now, I'm wondering where it has gone. I can't believe my clinical rotations start in just a little over a month. Looking forward to my amazing schedule ahead, and leaving the classroom behind. But first, my comprehensive exam tomorrow morning. I'll see you all on the other side of the dark cloud :-)
Monday, April 16, 2012
Tomorrow's the big day!
Well, tomorrow is the big day....well, one of them, at least. The start of comprehensive exams, required to enter 3rd year clinical rotations. While I'm not terribly worried about them, the thought that this is the exam that I must overcome before I can enjoy the glory of 3rd year is weighing on my mind. And the fact that I'm fighting a nasty cold, care of my very adorable pediatric patients, doesn't quite help things either.
While I'm a little nervous (who wouldn't be; I never really enjoy standardized patient encounters, anyway, knowing that 3-4 video cameras are recording my every move/sound, even though there's only myself and the patient-actor in the room), I know, and have known, that there is no real way to study for the comprehensive exams. Everything we have done/learned for 2 years up to this point has prepared me for this week, and I know that I will do fine. I just have to prove that I know what I demonstrate to know every day in clinic, and in other classes. I just have to remind myself to remember to do the silly things we haven't done since 1st year, and the random physical exam maneuvers not commonly performed, except in specific circumstances....and to remember to properly drape the pt., and pull out the foot-rest on the exam table....having the pts. feet hanging uncomfortably off the table is never good form. Wish me luck! 3rd year is so close, I can taste it!
While I'm a little nervous (who wouldn't be; I never really enjoy standardized patient encounters, anyway, knowing that 3-4 video cameras are recording my every move/sound, even though there's only myself and the patient-actor in the room), I know, and have known, that there is no real way to study for the comprehensive exams. Everything we have done/learned for 2 years up to this point has prepared me for this week, and I know that I will do fine. I just have to prove that I know what I demonstrate to know every day in clinic, and in other classes. I just have to remind myself to remember to do the silly things we haven't done since 1st year, and the random physical exam maneuvers not commonly performed, except in specific circumstances....and to remember to properly drape the pt., and pull out the foot-rest on the exam table....having the pts. feet hanging uncomfortably off the table is never good form. Wish me luck! 3rd year is so close, I can taste it!
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