Up in the air I go...

One more interview, one last trans-America trip, one concluding night in a strange hotel, one final trip exploring a new city.

I am at the airport ridiculously early because I opted for one of those group Shuttle van services to the airport and I guess I'm flying at a not very busy time because I got my own personal town car ride to the airport for fraction of the cost of a cab... and I'm more than two hours early, which is after I cleared security! Less anxiety provoking than leaving my house at this time and taking a cab, two trains and a shuttle bus to arrive in the same spot when boarding is already in process. And I even managed to score one of those comfy SW lounge chairs/charging stations at my gate, so I really cannot complain.

It will be nice to be done with interviews and finished with traveling. Of course the ranking and waiting part is going to be torture but still, it will be nice to have this part behind me. And then I can actually stay in Miami and enjoy it for almost two whole weeks before I am headed back to Cali for the remainder of fourth year.

My Genetics rotation continues to be awesome. If you are at all interested in Medical Genetics or Pediatrics then I recommend this rotation. Miami Children's is wonderful and it is a great place to spend a month. I had to apply for the rotation over 6 months in advance and follow up via emails and phone calls ad-nauseum to ensure I got the elective but it was more than worth it.

I have lots of thinking and ranking and pondering to do, but I'm waiting until this interview is over to really start.... stay tuned!

Interview trail rehash and random updates on my current state of mind

Greetings from the trail! I had my 3rd to final interview yesterday and am staying for the weekend to hang out with friends that just happen to live here. Now that the interview season is almost over it doesn't seem so bad. Tiring, yes. Expensive, absolutely. But sometimes fun (I did get to explore quite a few new cities/areas) and always informative. Places I expected to like and rank highly disappointed me. Places I really didn't have any expectations for turned out to be amazing or have the happiest residents and most involved Program Directors. I have no idea how I'm going to rank places. I know which programs I loved and which ones I would rather not have to deal with but all of the middle is a muddle. And since I am applying for  Child Neuro and each place has one or two spots per year it is like fellowship in that I could realistically match at my #5 or #8 and so that is hard.... I just have to make a list and leave it up to the NMRP computer to do its thing. But until then I am agonizing daily...

62 days until Match. Not that I'm counting. Dr.  Boyfriend's iPhone is though, so I get periodic reminders. He is more anxious  than I am which makes sense because the match going to determine where we end up, where he has to find a job, where we live for the next 5 years. I view this as fun and exciting. He views it as nerve-wracking and scary. Reality is probably somewhere in the middle. (But then again I am the girl that moved 15 times in my first 16 years of life and will have rotated at 9 different hospitals by the time I graduate from medical school, so maybe change is not a huge deal to me.)

In other news, I LOVE genetics. My attending is awesome. The patients are super interesting and I am learning a lot. Clinic is just so much better than a textbook. So far (in my only 2.5 days of patients because I've been away interviewing) I've seen at least one of each diagnosis: Neurofibramotosis, Beckwith-Wiedeman Syndrome, Gaucher's Disease, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Klinefelter's, Potter's Syndrome in utero, William's Syndrome, Trisomy 21 and cleft palate as well as rule outs for Marfan's and Legius Syndrome. And these are just the confirmed by genetic testing diagnosed patients. There were others that are still being worked up. So interesting, so cool, plus Miami Children's is a great hospital and I love what I'm doing. That's all I've got today. Happy Saturday!

What I am doing

NOW

Reading-
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, as well as Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Wallace Foster by David Lipsky (The subject of the NYT Book review from which I have previously quoted here)

Starting-
A Genetics Elective at Miami Children's (I arrived in Miami over the weekend and it reminds me of Grenada which is nostalgia inducing, humid, warm, living with roommates again fun.)

Exploring-
My new city as this is my first time in Miami. So far I've found a great diner for breakfast, the grocery store (IGA!!! just like Grenada) a Spanish Restaurant that serves okay Tapas and a friend from the island that is here this month too. I know my life is just so hard.

Traveling-
Today to Cali for an interview and again on Friday to upstate New York for yet another interview. Only four more to go. Now let's just hope I can take off from my elective for all of them.

Learning to Knit-
(I needed a new project for take off and landing time on the plane when I couldn't read my Nook)
It is not going very well, I think I need an initial lesson with a real person, the read and follow directions in 2D is not working for me... Poor Sancho, he is going to get a very ugly sweater indeed, and he's a dog, so he'll have to wear it!

Writing-
This.

Reflecting-
On life.
On love.

Living-
Purposely.

Loving-
My life.

Anticipating-
The Match.

Confessions of a Med Student- Part II

So the week before last I told you all about how much I adored biochem, not! But I survived it and so it was on to term 2.

This week I'll reflect on the term that was 2nd. (Genetics, Parasitology, Physiology, Neurology, CPM)

It started off with Genetics and Parasitology and truth be told these were well taught and interesting. Each one was only one or two hours of lecture a day, worth two credits each and only two weeks long.  It was compact, doable and a great way to start the term. Good times.

Side Note- I got a toaster oven. Now you might be wondering how this fits into term 2. But it made all the difference for me. I love to bake and having only a stove in my on campus apartment wore on me during first term (not that I would have had time to make anything but the option would have been nice.) Anyhow I made it my goal to get a toaster oven 2nd term and I think that it was one of the things that kept me sane. That and the hammock that I ordered for my balcony. Some people need to run, I need to bake. I like making something from raw ingredients and I love to give away my baked goods, which I did a lot of during the term. Now back to the classroom aspect....

The true fun began when we started Neurology and Physiology. We also had Community and Preventative Medicine to balance things out. In full disclosure, I am interested in Neuro and have past experience in the area so I expected to enjoy the class and was a bit disappointed. The team taught approach made Neuro seem like 5 different classes: there was neuroanatomy and then neurotransmitters and then the neuro clinical exam. And each subject was taught by a different prof which would have been fine except it was as if they never talked to one another. Each lecturer didn't seem to know what we had already learned so I found it frustrating and a bit disorganized. On the upside small groups were fairly useful, we worked through cases and identified structures on plastic brain models. And they did attempt to bring it all together at the end with comprehensive cases but by that point it was too late to be making integrations.

Physiology on the other hand was under the auspice of Dr. Holroyd who I would easily nominate at Professor of the Year. Entertaining in the way that only someone from Australia can be and well presented material, it was almost fun to go to class. Our 10 minute breaks would be filled with Dr. Holroyd's music and as he turned up the volume he would add the visualizer via the projector for full effect. You felt like you were at a rock concert instead of in medical school. But it wasn't easy. I had to work very hard in both neuro (anatomy again, ugh) and physio. Some of my classmates would talk about how physio was all just common sense, I never felt that way, but it was important to the basics of medicine and I felt like we were given a solid background. I frequently look back at my physio notes, they are golden.

So to sum up term 2: Much better than first term. Got a toaster oven.  Classes really depended upon the lecturer of the day. Dr. Holroyd was/is amazing.

So all in all it was an interesting yet difficult term.

Next time I'll tell you all about on one of my favorites, term 3!

Is there such a thing?

as too much studying? I don't really think so, but after the busy schedule that was term 1 it seems we have an abundance of time term 2. We have finals already, give it up for 1 credit classes taught in just two weeks. aka Genetics and Parasitolog. I'm loving it! Well, we'll see if I'm as excited about them after the exam but as of now, I feel like we had plenty of time to prepare and its a nice change from term 1 when it was all about cramming as much in as possible and hoping most or at least some of it would stick. There is only a certain amount of material that can be covered in 16 lectures so... bring on the exam -this girl is sick of studying!

The Same but Different

I am back! I made it despite a bit of a layover in Trinidad and now that I am here I'm feeling quite unmotivated... maybe I did a little too much this summer, but I still have a few days before classes begin to sleep in, get settled, enjoy Spicemas, go to the beach, etc. so it should be okay.

It is official, I am a 2nd term student. I registered today and got my term 2 schedule. First up Parasitology and Genetics. Four hours of class for not quite two weeks and then we take finals. So that will be short and quick, nothing like diving in. But I think I'm ready, or I should be by Tuesday. Class starts at 8am so that will be a bit rough, I haven't had to wake up at 7am regularly in a very long time...

Grenada is just as I left it. Not too much to report. I am starting to recognize faces as I walk across campus. I have an amazing balcony and view so I love my studio apartment and am happy I decided to stay on campus. I'll post some pictures soon.

I am trying to ease back into studying, the goal was to pre-read Genetics and I am more than half way done with the book so I should be able to accomplish this. The island is still pretty quiet but there are more students by the day. The first termers have orientation next week and I can tell they are staring to arrive as they walk around with parents and look a little lost but I think once they are all here I'll feel a little different... right now it feels kind of like first term again, minus all the excitement and anxiety.