April - The End

It's incredible to think back to this point last year when I was just receiving my letter of acceptance for Tulane's master's program in pharmacology. At that point I never could have predicted what the year had in store for me. I'm really pleased by the way everything has turned out though. This program was a positive experience and I learned so much. Perhaps more importantly though, I proved to myself (and hopefully to some medical schools in the near future) that I have what it takes to succeed in a challenging academic medical environment. Considering how I stacked up against my classmates, I feel more confident in my ability to perform and compete in the potentially unforgiving medical school environment. In addition to all I learned about more drugs than I care to name and what I have learned about myself, I gained some practical experience as well by participating in lab research and volunteering in a hospital. Though I had some limited exposure to research previously, working in an academic research lab this semester has added to my understanding of research processes and to the collection of experiences that shape my personal development.

With my success in this program and a master's degree to my name, if I can put together a strong application and perform well on the MCAT, I believe I will have a good chance of being accepted to medical school. In the mean time, I also need to find a job that will provide me with some useful  medical experience. Lots of things to juggle, but at the same time I can look back on this year and appreciate that I am one step closer to achieving my goal of becoming a physician.  

Volunteer Hours:

Ochsner - 12 hours

Soil Collection Project - 2 hours

Total - 14 hours

Semester Total - 36 hours

March

            This month was probably our busiest yet all year. In addition to the NBME shelf exam and our second exam for cell control, I participated in the Tough Mudder obstacle course in Florida and put in a lot of hours in Dr. Mostany’s lab working on image analysis.

            Studying for the exam was intense and I felt like trying to get through an entire year’s worth of material was challenging. In the end, I think I was well prepared though and the exam was not as tough as most of us expected.

            After finishing our 2^nd cell control exam, we only have one exam left for the rest of the year. It’s hard to believe we’re almost done with these classes but it’s been a great experience all along.

            My work in the lab has been busy the last week because I was squeezing in a month’s worth of work into about 10 days  (studying for the shelf consumed most of my time the first few weeks of the month). Image analysis certainly is not the most enjoyable or entertaining work, but I feel much more skilled when it comes the process now. Additionally, it gives me a greater appreciation and respect for all the work that goes into data analysis portion of research and publishing journal articles.  Despite being busy with image analysis, fortunately, I was able to experience some more exciting stuff in the lab also. After observing a mouse perfusion procedure, I was able to perform one myself and assist with another. After the mouse brains were fixed in paraformaldehyde for a couple days, I was also given the chance to help with slicing the brains to be used for analysis. As I learned, the perfusion procedure is a bit gruesome, and I can certainly understand why most of the other lab members don’t enjoy doing it. All in all, it was awesome taking part in some more hands on work in the lab and surely will be useful experience for the future, especially if I continue working in Dr. Mostany’s lab beyond the end of the school year.

Our Tough Mudder team, muddy but in high spirits mid-race.

Volunteer Hours: 

Ochsner - 7 hours

February

This month was a busy one and passed quickly (only 28 days, I know) despite a week off for spring break and Mardi Gras. February drawing to a close made me realize how close we are already to finishing the academic year. Our last block exams for Med Pharm and Principles are this coming week and after that our only major commitment is the NBME shelf exam.

            I again volunteered at Ochsner in the emergency department this month. There wasn’t anything too unusual to observe but, one patient who came in had some issues that were relevant to topics we had recently learned about in class. A middle-aged woman who was in remission from breast cancer came to the ER in a lot of GI distress and had complained of weeks of diarrhea. She said she was having trouble thinking and answering the doctor’s questions because of the level of her pain. Since she was already scheduled to see her gastroenterologist in the coming days, the doctor ended up just giving her some medication for pain and eventually discharging her. She was concerned about having to drive and being sedated, which was something we covered in our opioids lectures, but unfortunately I didn’t catch what drug the doctor ended up giving her.

            In terms of classes, things have been going well and I’m looking forward to finishing up Med Pharm and Principles. After that and the shelf exam, I’ll have more time to focus on preparing to take the MCAT again and readying applications for med school.

Hours: Ochsner - 8 hrs

January

This month has been hectic so far but things are going well. The endocrinology block was pretty straightforward, and learning some of the complexities about diabetes and the treatment of it was really interesting. We have now moved onto neurology which has been good so far. Some of the material I have a bit of familiarity with so it's refreshing to learn it again. In spite of that, this block is really busy. In addition to starting lab work, the schedule was already quite crowded and our exam for Principles this block counts for a significant portion of the grade. Mardi Gras/spring break is the light at the end of the tunnel though, and I'm excited to experience it for the first time. Since our exams are right before it starts, I think it may be a bit more rewarding. Either way everyone is looking forward to it.

Volunteering so far has been more of the same thing at Ochsner. Generally not too exciting but I'm still able to see some cool stuff. For the first time since I have started there I was able to witness a procedure, albeit a pretty gross one. A young man with an infected fingernail came in and it needed to be removed. Luckily, the doctor let myself and another student observe. He also gave us a lot of detail about the process and what we was doing while he performed it. Not the most pleasant procedure to observe but nonetheless it was very cool to have the chance to see it.

Hours:
Ochsner - 7 hours

December/Semester Summary

This semester I split my volunteering time between Habitat for Humanity and in the emergency department at Ochsner Baptist. Both experiences were eye-opening, and next semester I hope to continue at Ochsner. Eventually, I may switch departments since I have only been able to follow doctors as they see patients but haven't been able to really contribute or help. I may look to add some other volunteering opportunities as well.

Total December Hours - 8 hrs, Ochsner Baptist
Total Semester Hours - 32 hrs 

November

            This month I began volunteering at the Ochsner Baptist Hospital. While it has been interesting so far and I’ve seen some things relevant to class material, it is not what I expected. As a volunteer in the emergency department, I haven’t really had the chance to contribute or help out much. My time has been spent following the ER doctors as they see patients and I was told on my first day that is basically the extent of volunteer involvement. Although this is useful learning and eye-opening experience for me personally, I was hoping to be involved more and have some kind of impact, even if minimal. I may have to look into switching to a different department where I can give my time more meaningfully or potentially add on some other type of volunteer work.

            The end of the semester is rapidly approaching, with less than 2 weeks of class remaining. With Thanksgiving break coming so soon after our previous exam, I haven’t spent very much time studying yet so I feel a bit behind schedule. The GI block isn’t very dense though so with only a few classes I should be able to get back on track.

            I’m really looking forward to the end of semester and Christmas break. It was the first time I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving so it feels like a long time since I’ve seen my family. Having a few weeks to visit with them (and eat a lot of home cooked food) and friends back home will be really nice. In other news outside of class, it’s been a pretty relaxing month. The weather has been comfortable for the most part, so much so that some classmates and I wanted to take advantage of it by going camping at Fountainbleau State Park for a night. Our IM soccer season came to end as we lost in the playoffs in a shootout. Our team was a few players short compared to usual but we played the best we could. Some of us are planning to continue with IM sports next semester with flag football. Maybe we’ll have better luck there.

Volunteer Hours:
Ochsner-  11/16/14, 4 hours
                11/30/14, 4 hours
Total                     = 8 hours

October

Happy Halloween, y’all.  Unlike the cold Halloween nights I’ve grown used to in Michigan, it’s a balmy 72 degrees here in New Orleans today. As late in autumn as it is now, this weather doesn’t feel quite right to me especially considering my mom sent me a picture this morning of snow on the ground back at home. I can’t complain though - I could probably wear shorts year round here. Anyway, the celebrations tonight should be a blast and for once I won’t have to wear 3 layers of clothing.

            Classes are continuing to go very well and even though our schedule is lighter in these last few blocks time doesn’t seem to slow down. After the finishing the cardio exam, it felt like a large weight off my shoulders knowing that a big portion of our grades are now determined. With the amount of studying I did for the cardio block, I felt very prepared and my grade reflected that. The addition of a new class during the renal block made me nervous for the exams, but it turned out to be less difficult than anticipated. In addition to the newness of the molecular and cellular pharmacology course, with only one confusing lecture for principles and my minimal knowledge of renal physiology, I was concerned when exam day came. The questions were straightforward though and all went well thankfully.

            Although the molecular and cellular course is a bit dry and I don’t enjoy it as much as the others, it certainly seems useful and valuable. Some of the material I am already familiar with but we are covering topics to a much greater level of detail and this will be particularly useful if I start research or lab work. Ideally I will begin research work this coming month because, after our first conversation, Dr. Mostany told me to come back and talk with him in November. He stressed the importance of being able to maintain high grades and that he would only want me to work if I have enough time on top of studying to make a commitment to the lab. I think that is really reasonable and good advice, and, after having settled into an academic routine over these few months, I do feel like I have enough spare time to commit to regular weekly hours in a lab. The moment of truth will be another conversation with him.

            Lastly, with regard to my volunteering, I should be starting work with Ochsner Baptist soon. I had the standard TB test in addition to some vaccines so within the next couple weeks I expect to have my department orientation and first shift in the ED. Looking forward to it and the tail end of this semester.