As always, this post is super long. You can just assume they will always be fairly long, I guess I have a lot to say!
So the rest of the week was pretty much more class and more studying - and more changes to the study plan.
Taking notes in the syllabus handouts failed, so back to taking notes on the power points. I am only behind four classes right now (as in I need to outline them), and have all night tonight and all morning tomorrow (classes moved to the evening because of Irene) to get those done so I am ready for week two.
Thursday we had our first Interviewing class, where we travel to hospitals / homes for the elderly to work on medical interviewing and establishing a doctor-patient relationship. All of us dressed up for class, which was really cute, and then we headed off to our sites. I was at a home for the elderly (which sounds like a super happening place to live!!). I met with my interviewing group (me and three students) and my M12 (4th year) student-teacher and we decided I was going to take a crack at interviewing first. I was a bit nervous, but I generally like talking to people, and all we had to do was ask about their medical experiences and life story, so I figured it would be ok.
We walked into the room and met the tenant and after the first two questions I asked, I realized I would have to change my interview plan. Our tenant, an 80 year old Chinese woman, spoke very little English and had a very thick and difficult to understand accent. It was uncomfortable, challenging, and awkward to interview this woman, but I did get a good bit of relevant information out of her, and my M12 teacher said if I had her as a patient I would be given a translator, and that I did a good job considering. Another kid in our team, my neighbor Scott actually, interviewed an awesome Russian lady and did a great job. Both tenants were really interesting and had great stories to tell!
Thursday night everyone went out. We had about 5 birthdays this week between all of our classmates, so we met up at Biddy Early's, a small dive bar. I went home early to study with a friend, and a bunch of my classmates were hanging out with my roommate at our place. I hung out with them, studied, then went to bed.
Friday I had class, ate lunch at school with classmates, and then studied for HOURS. That night, two friends and I got dinner at Ayana Sushi in Chinatown (super de-lish, super cheap - definitely going back), then later went out to Goodlife near Faneuil Hall for some drinks and dancing. I love my classmates, because so many of us are willing to get out and dance even though we look silly.
Saturday morning Tim arrived from Maryland to visit me and see Boston for the first time. My friend Nami (who I had been studying with all week and I love!) was sleeping over because of the stormy weather, so we all cooked chocolate chip pancakes. Then I took Tim on a tour of Tufts and we ran into a classmate and spent an hour at his house talking and listening to music. Later, we went for a walk through the Boston Commons and the Public Garden, then got roped into a 90 minute walking tour of the Freedom Trail with a large man in colonial dress. It rained the entire tour, but we had fun and learned a lot about Boston and I got some tips on things I need to do while I'm here! The tour ended at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, so we checked those out and then headed home to dry off.
For dinner we went with Nami to Bella Vista, a cute Italian restaurant on Hanover street (AKA Little Italy) and then got an Oreo canolli at Mike's Pastries. That night we went to my neighbors house for a party, but since our apartments dont have AC, it got sooo hot in there, so half of the party came to my house to distribute the warm bodies. We all met up later at Side Bar near Downtown Crossing for KARAOKE!!! I sang "I will survive" with a big group of classmates and we had an amazing time!
Today we (roommate, Nami, Tim, and I) bummed around a lot because Hurricane Irene was here, but decided to brave the storm for some Dim Sum. Tim had never been and doesn't like Chinese so much, so the girls ate like pigs and he tried a few things. We finished off the meal with red bean paste buns - YUM! We are heading out tonight to meet up with Tim's friend who also lives in Boston.
Irene has been pretty annoying (the T is closed, its gross out), but luckily we still have power and didn't have to resort to the gallons of water I bought...So no harm done!
All of the studying I did last week was totally worth it because I've gotten to actually enjoy the weekend! So it was all worth it after all!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
What a Week - Oh Wait its Wednesday
Blogging is GREAT for procrastination!
Tuesday I had 4 hours of Physical Diagnosis, Genetics, Biochem, and Cell Bio in the morning, then had a lunch break for an hour and half - made a card for a classmate's birthday and ate some soup - then headed to the M&V building for 4 hours of MPH class. After a year off from school, 8 hours of class was awful. I almost fell asleep twice and was super restless and fidgety. Immediately after class, I ran to catch the T to Malden for Sharewood, Tufts' student-run free health clinic. Stayed there for 5 hours. My day ended up starting at 8:15 and ending at 11:45, with only a 1 1/2 hour break. Pretty tiring. Then I decided to study and skype, and went to bed at 1am.
Lets backtrack for a second, because I am being too negative. Sharewood was AWESOME!!! Because of patient privacy, I can't say too much, but I got to speak with, interview, educate, support, and help diagnose patients with second years, other types of students, residents, and physicians. I worked with (more like shadowed) the Sexual Health Team (super amazing group of people - and mostly MD/MPH students!) which just added a woman's health room for pelvic and anal exams.
At Sharewood, medical students and other Tufts volunteers basically do all of the administration, check-in, interviews, blood tests, injections, and educational aspects of the clinic, and the residents / physicians write scripts, do more personal exams, and make sure we don't mess up. Everyone was really nice and worked together as a team. The doctors taught the residents who taught the second years who taught the new people (like clueless me), and everyone was willing to own up to mistakes and explain what they would do differently next time. Mistakes happened and were fixed, and the patients seemed to be happy to get free health care and contribute to our learning.
I loved it. But I may not go back for a few weeks because everyone in my class wants to try it out, and there were way too many people and we got in the way. Also, MPH classes are EVERY Tuesday, so if I want to do Sharewood, my Tuesdays are always going to be 8am to 11pm with little to no studying. Not good... But I loved the clinic, loved the patients, love the idea, and don't get to shadow doctors this year because of the MPH program, so would like to have some patient interaction, and this seems to be the right place to find that!
Today was okay. I was super tired from the long day yesterday so I slept through my second two classes. My friend who always comes over to study and eats my food cooked me lunch, so that was awesome. Also, my classmates gave me their notes for the classes I missed (yay teamwork!) and helped me figure out what I need to know, and I spent the rest of the day studying in the library with friends / at my house. I also cooked and cleaned a bit.
Its funny because its day 3 and I am so behind. I have 5 more classes to go through and outline, and each takes 1-2 hours. And if I don't do it today, then I will have 3 more classes to add to the list tomorrow... I feel so behind, but thats normal according to one of the second years I shadowed at Sharewood who is super super sweet and helpful. I just need to do my best. I will probably do two more classes worth of work, then go to bed by 1030.
So, I am changing the study plan. Already. No more reading / highlighting before class (pointless and time consuming). Take notes in the handouts during class then make outlines after class. That will cut out about half of the work I am doing. I am concerned that taking notes in the handouts won't work as well, but this week is a good week to try out different strategies, so here goes.
Tuesday I had 4 hours of Physical Diagnosis, Genetics, Biochem, and Cell Bio in the morning, then had a lunch break for an hour and half - made a card for a classmate's birthday and ate some soup - then headed to the M&V building for 4 hours of MPH class. After a year off from school, 8 hours of class was awful. I almost fell asleep twice and was super restless and fidgety. Immediately after class, I ran to catch the T to Malden for Sharewood, Tufts' student-run free health clinic. Stayed there for 5 hours. My day ended up starting at 8:15 and ending at 11:45, with only a 1 1/2 hour break. Pretty tiring. Then I decided to study and skype, and went to bed at 1am.
Lets backtrack for a second, because I am being too negative. Sharewood was AWESOME!!! Because of patient privacy, I can't say too much, but I got to speak with, interview, educate, support, and help diagnose patients with second years, other types of students, residents, and physicians. I worked with (more like shadowed) the Sexual Health Team (super amazing group of people - and mostly MD/MPH students!) which just added a woman's health room for pelvic and anal exams.
At Sharewood, medical students and other Tufts volunteers basically do all of the administration, check-in, interviews, blood tests, injections, and educational aspects of the clinic, and the residents / physicians write scripts, do more personal exams, and make sure we don't mess up. Everyone was really nice and worked together as a team. The doctors taught the residents who taught the second years who taught the new people (like clueless me), and everyone was willing to own up to mistakes and explain what they would do differently next time. Mistakes happened and were fixed, and the patients seemed to be happy to get free health care and contribute to our learning.
I loved it. But I may not go back for a few weeks because everyone in my class wants to try it out, and there were way too many people and we got in the way. Also, MPH classes are EVERY Tuesday, so if I want to do Sharewood, my Tuesdays are always going to be 8am to 11pm with little to no studying. Not good... But I loved the clinic, loved the patients, love the idea, and don't get to shadow doctors this year because of the MPH program, so would like to have some patient interaction, and this seems to be the right place to find that!
Today was okay. I was super tired from the long day yesterday so I slept through my second two classes. My friend who always comes over to study and eats my food cooked me lunch, so that was awesome. Also, my classmates gave me their notes for the classes I missed (yay teamwork!) and helped me figure out what I need to know, and I spent the rest of the day studying in the library with friends / at my house. I also cooked and cleaned a bit.
Its funny because its day 3 and I am so behind. I have 5 more classes to go through and outline, and each takes 1-2 hours. And if I don't do it today, then I will have 3 more classes to add to the list tomorrow... I feel so behind, but thats normal according to one of the second years I shadowed at Sharewood who is super super sweet and helpful. I just need to do my best. I will probably do two more classes worth of work, then go to bed by 1030.
So, I am changing the study plan. Already. No more reading / highlighting before class (pointless and time consuming). Take notes in the handouts during class then make outlines after class. That will cut out about half of the work I am doing. I am concerned that taking notes in the handouts won't work as well, but this week is a good week to try out different strategies, so here goes.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Really Real Actual First Day of Class
Today was the real first day. I know I keep saying that its the first day, but this time I mean it. We actually had class, so this is the first really real day. Really!
This weekend was a little fun and a lot of work. More festivities and a lot of time spent on an essay I had to write for my MPH class. The essay was on the socio-ecological model for solving public health issues, and my focus issue was adolescent obesity. So I learned a lot and wrote a four page paper. I also had a LOT of reading for my MPH class, like 200 pages or more. I spent all day Sunday in the library with my MPH classmates and some over-achieving MD students (studying IN ADVANCE!) and we had fun goofing off and joking around with eachother. I didn't accomplish much during the group study, but I finished the paper and the readings and had a really good time and got to know my MD/MPH crew better. I really do love them, and am so happy that I get to spend extra time with them this year!
Sunday night a bunch of us also ordered Chinese from our favorite Chinatown place (Great Dumpling House - its soooo good!) and hung out at a friend's house. These three girls have two kittens, and we had fun eating, feeding the cats, and playing BOGGLE!! I suck at Boggle by the way, but it is a really fun game!
Monday came and we had Biochem, then Patient Presentations on Cystic Fibrosis, then Cell Biology, then a lunch break, then a student organizations fair, then an MPH presentation on summer opportunities by the MD/MPH class above ours. Looong day! The good news is my professors are all really nice and funny and legitimately good teachers, so the lectures weren't too bad. Plus I have already learned a lot of the material we are doing from undergrad (not that I actually remember much, but everything is familiar). The issue is what I've heard it was going to be - there is waayyyyy too much material. The analogy I have heard from second years is that med school is like drinking water from a firehose... I looked over the material for tomorrow and its almost everything I learned in a month at UCF - as in a month's worth in all 15 credits - in two days of med school. Its quite a lot. But I am VERY on top of the studying (its only day one, I know, but let me be positive here!)
The study plan: read and highlight handout material before class, take notes in class, transcribe notes into handouts after class, go to the gym, write outlines using the handouts with the notes. Good plan, but it involves about 3-5 hours of studying a night. And the gym. Probably not a sustainable plan. But a friend from Maryland is visiting this weekend (yay!) so at least for this week I need to stay on top of things. And I have succeeded for day one, even with the extra MPH coursework! So there, med school!!
My dad broke down my med school costs and told me that each day of school I am basically spending $220 to be there. Today, I got at least $220 worth. I heard from a doctor and her patient about the complications of cystic fibrosis, had two amazing lectures from really cool professors (one who lives on a boat in the Boston harbor while he's here!), got involved in a bunch of clubs, learned about summer abroad opportunities and grants, and even went to the gym (well kind of, it was closed so the roommate and I went up and down the 9 stories of stairs twice...). So Dad, today was a success!
I also hung out with a non med school friend from Gainesville, the roommate and I made dinner, and I studied with three classmates throughout the day. Because my apartment is so close to school, it seems that people will be coming over a lot to study or chill. We have had at least 6 house guests so far! It is fun to have people over, and good to spend time in smaller groups rather than the overwhelming mess of orientation last week.
Overall, today was crazy. Tomorrow is looking equally hectic (MD class 8:15 - 12, MPH class from 1:30 - 5:30, and then I am going to volunteer at Sharewood, the free clinic!!!) I am so excited to volunteer at Sharewood and really hope I like it (these days the plan is to work with under-served populations, and if I don't like the free clinic I am going to need to change the plan...). I also am now a member of almost all the student orgs offered here at TUSM (including Hillel!), and will see where that takes me.
Goodnight friends! If you want a more personalized update, feel free to email / facebook / call me and eventually I will get back to you!
This weekend was a little fun and a lot of work. More festivities and a lot of time spent on an essay I had to write for my MPH class. The essay was on the socio-ecological model for solving public health issues, and my focus issue was adolescent obesity. So I learned a lot and wrote a four page paper. I also had a LOT of reading for my MPH class, like 200 pages or more. I spent all day Sunday in the library with my MPH classmates and some over-achieving MD students (studying IN ADVANCE!) and we had fun goofing off and joking around with eachother. I didn't accomplish much during the group study, but I finished the paper and the readings and had a really good time and got to know my MD/MPH crew better. I really do love them, and am so happy that I get to spend extra time with them this year!
Sunday night a bunch of us also ordered Chinese from our favorite Chinatown place (Great Dumpling House - its soooo good!) and hung out at a friend's house. These three girls have two kittens, and we had fun eating, feeding the cats, and playing BOGGLE!! I suck at Boggle by the way, but it is a really fun game!
Monday came and we had Biochem, then Patient Presentations on Cystic Fibrosis, then Cell Biology, then a lunch break, then a student organizations fair, then an MPH presentation on summer opportunities by the MD/MPH class above ours. Looong day! The good news is my professors are all really nice and funny and legitimately good teachers, so the lectures weren't too bad. Plus I have already learned a lot of the material we are doing from undergrad (not that I actually remember much, but everything is familiar). The issue is what I've heard it was going to be - there is waayyyyy too much material. The analogy I have heard from second years is that med school is like drinking water from a firehose... I looked over the material for tomorrow and its almost everything I learned in a month at UCF - as in a month's worth in all 15 credits - in two days of med school. Its quite a lot. But I am VERY on top of the studying (its only day one, I know, but let me be positive here!)
The study plan: read and highlight handout material before class, take notes in class, transcribe notes into handouts after class, go to the gym, write outlines using the handouts with the notes. Good plan, but it involves about 3-5 hours of studying a night. And the gym. Probably not a sustainable plan. But a friend from Maryland is visiting this weekend (yay!) so at least for this week I need to stay on top of things. And I have succeeded for day one, even with the extra MPH coursework! So there, med school!!
My dad broke down my med school costs and told me that each day of school I am basically spending $220 to be there. Today, I got at least $220 worth. I heard from a doctor and her patient about the complications of cystic fibrosis, had two amazing lectures from really cool professors (one who lives on a boat in the Boston harbor while he's here!), got involved in a bunch of clubs, learned about summer abroad opportunities and grants, and even went to the gym (well kind of, it was closed so the roommate and I went up and down the 9 stories of stairs twice...). So Dad, today was a success!
I also hung out with a non med school friend from Gainesville, the roommate and I made dinner, and I studied with three classmates throughout the day. Because my apartment is so close to school, it seems that people will be coming over a lot to study or chill. We have had at least 6 house guests so far! It is fun to have people over, and good to spend time in smaller groups rather than the overwhelming mess of orientation last week.
Overall, today was crazy. Tomorrow is looking equally hectic (MD class 8:15 - 12, MPH class from 1:30 - 5:30, and then I am going to volunteer at Sharewood, the free clinic!!!) I am so excited to volunteer at Sharewood and really hope I like it (these days the plan is to work with under-served populations, and if I don't like the free clinic I am going to need to change the plan...). I also am now a member of almost all the student orgs offered here at TUSM (including Hillel!), and will see where that takes me.
Goodnight friends! If you want a more personalized update, feel free to email / facebook / call me and eventually I will get back to you!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
More Oriented
Day 2 - Stayin' Alive!
Day 2 consisted of a lot more mingling, a bunch of lectures that I already don't remember, and our Basic Life Skills course. We learned about our curriculum, which seems really well thought out, and again everyone who spoke to us told us that their doors were always open. That has been a theme of the week and it is nice to know that the dozens of faculty members we have heard from are all really nice and actually care about us and how we feel.
After a long survey for some kind of study someone is doing (about how we felt about becoming doctors and our perspective on the doctor-patient relationship) we had a refresher course on Basic Life Support and learned why CPR has changed and what is most effective. We also learned that you are supposed to compress the chest at a rate of 100 compressions / minute, which corresponds to the beat of the songs "Stayin' Alive" and "Another One Bites the Dust."
After lunch we had the Basic Life Support test. We walked into the simulation center, where they have different fake humans that we could practice CPR on. These mannequins had little green lights that would turn on if you were doing CPR correctly. Basically, this test, which was my first test in medical school, was really easy. Overall, I just really hope I never have to do CPR because it is scary and actually really difficult to do correctly over a sustained period of time. And real people don't have little green lights that turn on if you are doing it right....
After that was a break! A friend ended up coming over to hang out and we had fun chatting. That night, I wanted to go to a Tchaikovsky concert but had to wait for a plumber to fix my shower. I ended up going to a party at a friend's house and then to a bar called the Hong Kong which is in Cambridge. The bar is famous for its Scorpion Bowls, which are large bowls full of different juices and alcohols. I tasted one, and they are really sweet and not my favorite drink I've ever had... It was a really fun night, though, and my classmates sure seem to know how to have a good time! I made a lot more friends which is exciting, and Cambridge is a cool place to hang out!
Day 3 - Field Day!
Again, lots of lectures in the morning. We heard from a student panel about diversity which was really interesting and had a lab safety speaker and a professionalism speaker. We also heard from the student council and the alumni president. A lot of jokes about meeting our husbands and wives, a lot of jokes about how nervous we all probably felt. Pretty much every speaker sounded the same...
But then, we got on buses and were shipped to the main Tufts campus in Medford for FIELD DAY!!! We were emailed by our group leaders and told what colors to wear and what country we were in. I was in USA and so I showed up for the day in a red and white striped pirate shirt and an American flag bandana. My classmates were in normal gym clothes, so I got a lot of compliments for being spirited. It was kind of embarrassing, but I survived, and now my classmates think I am fun, so I'm not too mad about it!
Field day was super fun, each team had two Learning Communities in it, so for each task we competed against each other within our group, and then we all competed as a country. They had us play silly games like charades and amoeba where we had to join hands in a specific way and run as fast as we could through an obstacle course without touching cones. We also had a few relay races (changing in and out of scrubs as fast as possible) and other goofy games. Our team got really into it and it was so fun to be outside running around rather than sitting inside! The class above ours planned the whole event and really worked hard to make it fun for us!
USA ended up in a three way tie for last place, and my Learning Community, Maimonedes, came in third out of fourth. Harvey won it for the Communities, and Norway (dressed in Viking hats and aluminum foil sheilds and swords) won the gold medal. They even played the Norway National Anthem when they presented them with their medal (AKA the lid of a bucket spray-painted gold).
That night we had potlucks in our different neighborhoods. I live in Chinatown and my potluck was awesome! I copped out and made brownies, but Olivia made this amazing curry dish. I am excited / super jealous that she is such a good cook, and I hope to learn some kitchen skills from her!! A lot of classmates and upperclassmen live in my building, and we have been sharing cabs and walking home from events together. I love my neighbors. After the potluck, Olivia and I walked to a friend's house and played with their kittens!
Day 4 -Finale
The last day of Orientation was pretty calm. My favorite was the lecture and panel on community service-learning. There are so many opportunities to serve as a medical student, and I really want to get involved in ALL of them! One of the opportunities discussed was Sharewood, the free health education organization run entirely by Tufts students. The clinic offers a lot of services, but the main point is to encourage people to get health insurance and find a PCP (primary care physician). Apparently everyone in my class is going to sign up for Sharewood, but most people stop going as the year goes on. I want to go, so we will see if I can get a spot eventually. Another option matches medical students with pregnant teens. And they also touched on international aide programs. I want to do it all, but hopefully I will restrict myself to a reasonable amount of extra-curriculars.
After the presentations we had a library tour and lunch with our Peer Advisers. My adviser is cool, but he isn't really involved in anything and is super into the gym. Not bad things, but he is very different from me. He was really nice though and willing to answer any and all of my questions.
Then I went to the Grafton Veterinary campus with the MD/MPH class to say hey to the DVM/MPH students. We got to tour the wildlife hospital, small animals hospital, and large animals hospital, which was so fun. We saw a tube feeding of a bird and a bunch of sick dogs which made me pretty sad. We also saw one week old kittens!!! It was a gorgeous campus with lots of green space and it was fun to see what the vet students are up to! I also love my MD/MPH classmates and our teacher, Tony, so the bus ride was a blast and we all got to bond some more.
When we got back, I made dinner with a friend and we headed out to a fundraising party at Jose McIntyre's. Everyone in our class and the class above ours seemed to be there, so it was packed. We all danced and I had an amazing time!
Reflections
So over all, the week was a huge blur of lectures and social activities. No medical school classes just yet, but I do have a paper due Tuesday for my MPH class that I have been working on all day (yuck!!). We got our packets for the first block of classes and it looks pretty intense. Monday we start Biochem, Genetics, and Cell Biology as well as Interviewing, my MPH classes, and small group Problem Based Learning Sessions. And Monday is the Student Activities Fair so I will get to learn about clubs!
Update again on Monday after class!
Day 2 consisted of a lot more mingling, a bunch of lectures that I already don't remember, and our Basic Life Skills course. We learned about our curriculum, which seems really well thought out, and again everyone who spoke to us told us that their doors were always open. That has been a theme of the week and it is nice to know that the dozens of faculty members we have heard from are all really nice and actually care about us and how we feel.
After a long survey for some kind of study someone is doing (about how we felt about becoming doctors and our perspective on the doctor-patient relationship) we had a refresher course on Basic Life Support and learned why CPR has changed and what is most effective. We also learned that you are supposed to compress the chest at a rate of 100 compressions / minute, which corresponds to the beat of the songs "Stayin' Alive" and "Another One Bites the Dust."
After lunch we had the Basic Life Support test. We walked into the simulation center, where they have different fake humans that we could practice CPR on. These mannequins had little green lights that would turn on if you were doing CPR correctly. Basically, this test, which was my first test in medical school, was really easy. Overall, I just really hope I never have to do CPR because it is scary and actually really difficult to do correctly over a sustained period of time. And real people don't have little green lights that turn on if you are doing it right....
After that was a break! A friend ended up coming over to hang out and we had fun chatting. That night, I wanted to go to a Tchaikovsky concert but had to wait for a plumber to fix my shower. I ended up going to a party at a friend's house and then to a bar called the Hong Kong which is in Cambridge. The bar is famous for its Scorpion Bowls, which are large bowls full of different juices and alcohols. I tasted one, and they are really sweet and not my favorite drink I've ever had... It was a really fun night, though, and my classmates sure seem to know how to have a good time! I made a lot more friends which is exciting, and Cambridge is a cool place to hang out!
Day 3 - Field Day!
Again, lots of lectures in the morning. We heard from a student panel about diversity which was really interesting and had a lab safety speaker and a professionalism speaker. We also heard from the student council and the alumni president. A lot of jokes about meeting our husbands and wives, a lot of jokes about how nervous we all probably felt. Pretty much every speaker sounded the same...
But then, we got on buses and were shipped to the main Tufts campus in Medford for FIELD DAY!!! We were emailed by our group leaders and told what colors to wear and what country we were in. I was in USA and so I showed up for the day in a red and white striped pirate shirt and an American flag bandana. My classmates were in normal gym clothes, so I got a lot of compliments for being spirited. It was kind of embarrassing, but I survived, and now my classmates think I am fun, so I'm not too mad about it!
Field day was super fun, each team had two Learning Communities in it, so for each task we competed against each other within our group, and then we all competed as a country. They had us play silly games like charades and amoeba where we had to join hands in a specific way and run as fast as we could through an obstacle course without touching cones. We also had a few relay races (changing in and out of scrubs as fast as possible) and other goofy games. Our team got really into it and it was so fun to be outside running around rather than sitting inside! The class above ours planned the whole event and really worked hard to make it fun for us!
USA ended up in a three way tie for last place, and my Learning Community, Maimonedes, came in third out of fourth. Harvey won it for the Communities, and Norway (dressed in Viking hats and aluminum foil sheilds and swords) won the gold medal. They even played the Norway National Anthem when they presented them with their medal (AKA the lid of a bucket spray-painted gold).
That night we had potlucks in our different neighborhoods. I live in Chinatown and my potluck was awesome! I copped out and made brownies, but Olivia made this amazing curry dish. I am excited / super jealous that she is such a good cook, and I hope to learn some kitchen skills from her!! A lot of classmates and upperclassmen live in my building, and we have been sharing cabs and walking home from events together. I love my neighbors. After the potluck, Olivia and I walked to a friend's house and played with their kittens!
Day 4 -Finale
The last day of Orientation was pretty calm. My favorite was the lecture and panel on community service-learning. There are so many opportunities to serve as a medical student, and I really want to get involved in ALL of them! One of the opportunities discussed was Sharewood, the free health education organization run entirely by Tufts students. The clinic offers a lot of services, but the main point is to encourage people to get health insurance and find a PCP (primary care physician). Apparently everyone in my class is going to sign up for Sharewood, but most people stop going as the year goes on. I want to go, so we will see if I can get a spot eventually. Another option matches medical students with pregnant teens. And they also touched on international aide programs. I want to do it all, but hopefully I will restrict myself to a reasonable amount of extra-curriculars.
After the presentations we had a library tour and lunch with our Peer Advisers. My adviser is cool, but he isn't really involved in anything and is super into the gym. Not bad things, but he is very different from me. He was really nice though and willing to answer any and all of my questions.
Then I went to the Grafton Veterinary campus with the MD/MPH class to say hey to the DVM/MPH students. We got to tour the wildlife hospital, small animals hospital, and large animals hospital, which was so fun. We saw a tube feeding of a bird and a bunch of sick dogs which made me pretty sad. We also saw one week old kittens!!! It was a gorgeous campus with lots of green space and it was fun to see what the vet students are up to! I also love my MD/MPH classmates and our teacher, Tony, so the bus ride was a blast and we all got to bond some more.
When we got back, I made dinner with a friend and we headed out to a fundraising party at Jose McIntyre's. Everyone in our class and the class above ours seemed to be there, so it was packed. We all danced and I had an amazing time!
Reflections
So over all, the week was a huge blur of lectures and social activities. No medical school classes just yet, but I do have a paper due Tuesday for my MPH class that I have been working on all day (yuck!!). We got our packets for the first block of classes and it looks pretty intense. Monday we start Biochem, Genetics, and Cell Biology as well as Interviewing, my MPH classes, and small group Problem Based Learning Sessions. And Monday is the Student Activities Fair so I will get to learn about clubs!
Update again on Monday after class!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Dis-Orientation
Warning: LONG POST!!!
Day 0 - MPH Orientation
So day one was really day zero because I only had my MPH (Masters in Public Health) Orientation at the Public Health building. I met with the other MD/MPH students as well as DVM (Veterinary)/MPH students. I had a great day, but by the end of it I was beat. We learned a lot about the program and how awesome it's going to be, but also learned that we have three extra classes on top of the med courseload, and that we miss out on some stuff throughout the four years in order to fit the extra degree in. I also learned that this summer, rather than taking the summer off, I get to do a field research project. Downside: not a true summer vacay. Upside: STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES!!! Goal: Africa or India!!!! So hopefully I will get to go somewhere cool this summer. Yay! After lunch, we had our first class. Four hours of class. I was not ready for that and in a class of 20 people I almost fell asleep twice. Luckily the teacher, who goes by Tony, is awesome, super liberal, and an amazing educator. I managed to make it through and even learned a thing or five. I also got my first homework assignment, a four page paper. Not to bad for Day 0.
After class ended, I went home and tried to unwind, but had chores to do and places to be, and ended up walking through sideways windy rain for 45 minutes to get to Whiskey Priest, a bar where the M15s and M14s were meeting up. I met a bajillion classmates and was totally overwhelmed with names and faces. Everyone was really cool, and I think I've found some people I really click with here, but I was cold, exhausted, had a pounding laundry door headache, and was ready for the day to be over.
Day 1 - I'm a Med Student Now
So I woke up, got ready, and walked with my roommate to the first day of medical school. I walked into Sackler, AKA the only medical school building, and got my ID (see photo)!!! It was official... I was a medical student!
I also got a packet that included an iclicker, a bunch of information, and the emails of my peer mentor and faculty advisor.
I immediately started chatting with classmates and administrators and tried to meet as many people as possible (we have 200 people in our class, so this was quite a task). I guess I was kind of late, because most people were already in the room and seated, so I was forced to the front of the giant lecture hall. I was in the fifth row, but I was the in the first row occupied by people, so it was a little scary, but probably for the best. I sat down, ate, and chatted until the Dean of Admissions started talking. Then I basically sat and listened to the Tufts president, the Dean of the med school, various other Deans, and a Tufts cop who told us how to stay safe in one of the most dangerous areas of the city - AKA my lovely neighborhood! It was a lot of sitting and listening, but I was highly entertained by the fact that someone had written "Poopies!" on the board and had drawn a small cartoon BM (doc speak for bowel movement) with steam rising off of it below their exclamation. Now I am pretty sure that the row I was in (the semi-front row) was the only row that could see this very small and lightly drawn chalk cartoon, so I am very glad I sat in the front because I was in on the best joke of the first day of class. I have no idea who drew it on there, but all of the speakers must have missed it because it was behind them while they spoke. Highly entertaining.
Next we broke into our "Learning Communities." These four groups that separated our class were named Curie, Harvey, Galen, and Maimonides (famous old dead doctors). Guess which one I was placed in? Thats right, I'm in the Maimonides Community. And there is a "Jumbo Cup" that the four groups compete for throughout the year and we have "Learning Community Lounges." Basically its a really awesome parallel to Harry Potter. There was no sorting hat, but I am pretty sure I was sorted into the right house, and my common room is awesome. The good news is that everyone has access to all common rooms, unlike in Harry Potter, so really its just a way for Tufts to separate us into manageable groups.
The rest of the Maimonides crew and I rotated through a bunch of sessions - we were fitted for our white coats, took pictures for a composite that they make of our class, registered for classes, learned about the online databases that we will be using, met the administrators we need to know, and had free lunch. By three I was super tired and ready for a nap, which was convenient because we had a session about staying stress free in medical school. The facilitator was the sweetest woman who at the end of her discussion of being healthy, had us lie down on the floor and do a meditation to release our tension. It was great, and much needed after a day of constant interaction with dozens of strangers that I am supposed to be friends with for the next two to four years.
After class, the MD/MPH students in the year above us took us to Sweetwater Tavern for happy hour. We chatted and had discussed the MPH program a little bit more, and I eventually left for a much needed nap.
After the nap, I went to the social event (like UCF's Welcome Week, there is tons to do this week after class, but unlike UCF's Welcome Week, you are actually expected to be at EVERY SINGLE EVENT). We met at King's in the Back Bay, a bowling alley / bar for pizza, trivia, and bowling. I was late, so I joined with a crew of semi-familiar faces and had an awesome time! We had pretty stiff competition (a room full of other med students) and lost, but it was fun and I met some more cool people! It seems really easy to categories people into cliques already, and I am hoping that I have an opportunity to meet more people and find a crew before that solidifies. There are people from alllllll walks of life in my class, and everyone is so super interesting. I have met people from all over the place, including two girls from Alaska (and yes, one HAD met Sarah Palin!) and a guy with a British accent. A lot of people have done really incredible things with their lives and I honestly am flattered to be in a group of such amazing people.
The rest of the week should be equally long and crazy, but it is super exciting the finally be here and I am having a blast. Real class starts next Monday, and the rest of the week looks pretty fun and easy. I will post at the end of the week, but to give you a teaser you can look forward to my discussions of the Basic Life Skills course / test (CPR), a field day, and a trip to the Tufts veterinary school!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Calm Before the Storm
So school starts a tomorrow, and I think I am ready.
I feel like it has been 3 months since I left for Boston with my parents, but it has really been only two weeks. In those two weeks, I went on vacation with my family to New Hampshire and Ogunquit, Maine (see photo of us below at the best lobster roll joint in Maine!); moved into my tiny and awesome Boston apartment, got to know the city, and somehow made a lot of friends.
When I first left for Boston I was like, hmm...I know nobody and I'm screwed. But I was wrong. I knew a lot of people and just didn't realize it. I got to see Jill, a friend from camp, and we walked around a neighborhood called Coolige Corner. Very Jewish, very cute. Lots of restaurants, synagogues, kosher food, and we also managed to find the birthplace of John F Kennedy. Kind of cool... I also spent time with Kat, a friend from High School. She is super fun and helped me find new clothes for school that I probably shouldn't have bought (loans). We ate in Chinatown and also went to the Beehive where I went with my mom while we were apartment hunting. Very cool place! I also know a couple of other people either through friends or from past experiences. I have contacted a lot of them and will probably see them at some point.
I also managed to meet a bunch of classmates! I posted my number on the Tufts Class of 2015 facebook group and found a guy named Aaron, who invited me to hang out my first night alone in Boston. He and I found two other classmates, who are named Ben & Jerry. The four of us partied around the Fanuiel Hall area and have been hanging out since! We went to Jillians, a bar / bowling alley near Fenway. Slowly we met more classmates, including a huge group of MD/MBA students who have been here all summer. They were really fun and wild.
My roommate moved in last Wednesday and her and I have spent a lot of time together and I really like (and admire) her. She is super interesting, smart, and fun, and knows a lot of really random awesome stuff. She likes Opera and reads a lot and I feel like I could learn a lot from her. We went to the New England Aquarium with her mom and sister on Thursday followed by a delicious Boston "chowdah" lunch at Legal Seafood, where we learned that their clam chowder has been served as some kind of tradition at every inauguration since Reagan's. Cool huh. The penguins at the aquarium were my favorite - so adorable and goofy, and we even saw the kind with the funny eyebrows.
Yesterday a group of people I had met over the week participated in a scavenger hunt put together by the class above ours at TUSM (we call them M14's, which makes me an M15). We were told we would get extra points for having team costumes, so we dressed like sporty superheros (long socks, sporty shorts, sweatbands, and capes...) and ended up being the only team that dressed up. We stood out, but made a lot of friends because of it. The scavenger hunt rocked, we found the John Hancock building and did a lot of embarrassing things including cramming all 6 of our teammates into a porta-potty. Gross! We ended up in 2nd... to last...place. But we had fun. And learned a lot about the city.
So tomorrow I start school again for the first time in over a year. I am a little terrified, but I am excited to get going and get into a routine. I hope it goes well! I only have MPH (Masters in Public Health) classes tomorrow, MD Orientation starts Tuesday.
That's all for now!
I feel like it has been 3 months since I left for Boston with my parents, but it has really been only two weeks. In those two weeks, I went on vacation with my family to New Hampshire and Ogunquit, Maine (see photo of us below at the best lobster roll joint in Maine!); moved into my tiny and awesome Boston apartment, got to know the city, and somehow made a lot of friends.
 |
| With Hannah and Dad in Ogunquit |
When I first left for Boston I was like, hmm...I know nobody and I'm screwed. But I was wrong. I knew a lot of people and just didn't realize it. I got to see Jill, a friend from camp, and we walked around a neighborhood called Coolige Corner. Very Jewish, very cute. Lots of restaurants, synagogues, kosher food, and we also managed to find the birthplace of John F Kennedy. Kind of cool... I also spent time with Kat, a friend from High School. She is super fun and helped me find new clothes for school that I probably shouldn't have bought (loans). We ate in Chinatown and also went to the Beehive where I went with my mom while we were apartment hunting. Very cool place! I also know a couple of other people either through friends or from past experiences. I have contacted a lot of them and will probably see them at some point.
I also managed to meet a bunch of classmates! I posted my number on the Tufts Class of 2015 facebook group and found a guy named Aaron, who invited me to hang out my first night alone in Boston. He and I found two other classmates, who are named Ben & Jerry. The four of us partied around the Fanuiel Hall area and have been hanging out since! We went to Jillians, a bar / bowling alley near Fenway. Slowly we met more classmates, including a huge group of MD/MBA students who have been here all summer. They were really fun and wild.
My roommate moved in last Wednesday and her and I have spent a lot of time together and I really like (and admire) her. She is super interesting, smart, and fun, and knows a lot of really random awesome stuff. She likes Opera and reads a lot and I feel like I could learn a lot from her. We went to the New England Aquarium with her mom and sister on Thursday followed by a delicious Boston "chowdah" lunch at Legal Seafood, where we learned that their clam chowder has been served as some kind of tradition at every inauguration since Reagan's. Cool huh. The penguins at the aquarium were my favorite - so adorable and goofy, and we even saw the kind with the funny eyebrows.
Yesterday a group of people I had met over the week participated in a scavenger hunt put together by the class above ours at TUSM (we call them M14's, which makes me an M15). We were told we would get extra points for having team costumes, so we dressed like sporty superheros (long socks, sporty shorts, sweatbands, and capes...) and ended up being the only team that dressed up. We stood out, but made a lot of friends because of it. The scavenger hunt rocked, we found the John Hancock building and did a lot of embarrassing things including cramming all 6 of our teammates into a porta-potty. Gross! We ended up in 2nd... to last...place. But we had fun. And learned a lot about the city.
So tomorrow I start school again for the first time in over a year. I am a little terrified, but I am excited to get going and get into a routine. I hope it goes well! I only have MPH (Masters in Public Health) classes tomorrow, MD Orientation starts Tuesday.
That's all for now!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Changes Begin!
I have officially moved in to my apartment in Boston (thanks to a lot of hard work from my very patient and helpful family), and school starts in 10 days. I am super nervous but am also excited for this new adventure that's about to begin.
Boston is different. I moved in and realized...I have no AC! So that was challenge number 1 (solution: get expensive fans). I also live a mile from the closest grocery store, and have no car. Hmm...city life is weird. Also, everyone says silly things like "wicked" and "cah" instead of car, and things like that here. What else? Dunkin Donuts on every street corner. Lots of lobster and clam chowdah. Different. I have some adjusting to do! And I need a Red Sox shirt ASAP!
My apartment is teensy so I have become super space effective. Lots of containers and secret storage spaces. And half of my belongings reside under my bed. Again, different from what I'm used to. My roommate moves in in 5 days and seems awesome. I don't know how much I will be in our apartment, though - we didn't end up getting cable, so I won't really have much to do in my apartment other than sleep, eat, shower, and play on the internet. Then again, that could take up a lot of time...
I'll post again before Orientation!
Boston is different. I moved in and realized...I have no AC! So that was challenge number 1 (solution: get expensive fans). I also live a mile from the closest grocery store, and have no car. Hmm...city life is weird. Also, everyone says silly things like "wicked" and "cah" instead of car, and things like that here. What else? Dunkin Donuts on every street corner. Lots of lobster and clam chowdah. Different. I have some adjusting to do! And I need a Red Sox shirt ASAP!
My apartment is teensy so I have become super space effective. Lots of containers and secret storage spaces. And half of my belongings reside under my bed. Again, different from what I'm used to. My roommate moves in in 5 days and seems awesome. I don't know how much I will be in our apartment, though - we didn't end up getting cable, so I won't really have much to do in my apartment other than sleep, eat, shower, and play on the internet. Then again, that could take up a lot of time...
I'll post again before Orientation!
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