It seems like everytime I post I start by saying "wow,
its been a long time". So I've decided to stop saying this. Just assume
that it's been a long time from here on out.
In case you were wondering, I passed all my classes first
block. I was right about the 50th percentile with scores that would have all
been B's if we actually got grades. Which is good enough for me.
Over break, I skied 9 days. 7 of those were patrolling so
I'm done with my requirement and have a nice pile of free lift tickets for the
rest of the year. If anyone would like to sponsor me, I'd love to just be a ski bum for the rest of my life...
Now we're back and two weeks into block 2. Block 2 consists
of:
-MERN: a mega-class that stands for Metabolism,
Endocrinology (hormones), Reproduction and Nutrition
-Pharmacology: aka drugs. This class will follow MERN (so
when we do endocrine in MERN, we'll do drugs that treat endocrine disorders
etc) and it continues through next year
-Pathology: starting with general and endocrine. This class
will also run through next year
-Immunology: Body's defense system
-Microbiology: BUGS! <3
-Doctoring: still working with small groups, now learning
patient interview techniques, also AMP which is our small groups for learning
how to do an effective differential diagnosis (which is when a doctor tries to figure out
what's most likely wrong with a patient based on symptoms, physical exam,
history etc) and with lectures on behavior and neuroscience.
I'm also starting to think about my summer now. Right now
there's two options that sound interesting:
-preceptorship: either a competitive one through Kaiser or a
rural one through Davis. Basically following a primary care provider around
their office for 4 weeks this summer. I'd really like to do it in a rural
setting... specifically in the mountains if possible :)
-On my own I've also been looking into volunteering at a
camp/forest service/outdoor something that needs a medical person. You know how when you go to camp, they have a camp nurse/doctor? Something like
that. Because if this is really the last summer of my life, I really want to spend
it outside :)
So, that's the update on my life! This block has
significantly less lab and significantly more case-based learning and more
lecture. So it'll be a bit of a shift but it should be fun :)
