March

March was definitely one of the busiest months of the program! This month we took the NBME Pharmacology Shelf exam. I carefully prepared for the exam by reviewing old lectures (and pharmwiki, of course). I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of information I had retained over the entire program. Overall, I felt the exam was a fair representation of what we have learned this year. Based on my scores, I know that I am capable of excelling in medical school.

This month we also collected soil for our Environmental Signaling course with Dr. Mielke. I chose to collect soil uptown in the Touro neighborhood. We just received the results of our tests and I am happy to say that the soil outside of my house is surprisingly safe. On the other hand, the levels were much higher near a charter school several blocks away. I believe this is of serious concern as these lead levels could potentially harm the students of the school.

This past weekend I went home for Easter. It had been a while since my last visit and I was excited to see my family. I ended up bringing back a large bag of boiled crawfish to peel. I think next week my roommate and I are going to try our hand at cooking crawfish etouffee.

Several days ago we took our second Cell Control exam. We are now one exam and several classes away from finishing up the program. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far and I am looking forward to attending medical school in the fall! 

Volunteering
Soil collection: 2 hours
UMC: 4 hours
March total: 6 hours

Happy Mardi Gras!!

February has come and gone and now we are revving up for the shelf exam! Ahh, I must start studying more! This month went by incredibly quickly, likely because of the welcome distraction that is Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I enjoyed showing going to parades with my classmates and exposing them to Mardi Gras for the first time. I also had the opportunity to attend the Bacchus ball with some of my friends.

During February we focused on the endocrine/reproductive and psychiatry blocks. I really enjoyed the endocrine/reproductive block as I am interested in becoming an OB/GYN. As a female who grew up in Louisiana, I feel many women here are not well-educated with regards to safe sex practices, birth control options, and their reproductive rights. We are currently in the psychiatry block and, because I do not have a significant background in it, I find it both challenging and rewarding to learn about.

While I was worried about the "flipped" classroom style of our Endocrine Pharmacology course, it has quickly become one of our more interesting electives this semester. I have enjoyed several of the guided meditation videos. Additionally, it has been refreshing to learn more about my classmates, including their stressors and how they respond to stress. The course is a welcome addition to my Friday afternoons.

With regards to volunteering, I have not been going as much as I would like because I have been picking up more weekend night shifts at the hospital. In March, I intend to spend more time at UMC.

Finally, it is strange to realize that this is our last block before the shelf exam. The medical pharmacology course has been one of my favorite courses throughout the entire program and I am sad to see it end.

February volunteering 2 hours:
Total semester: 3.5 hours