Well... It has officially happened...I started medical school today. 3 hours of lecture, a 1.5 hour roundtable patient discussion, and 2 hours of histology lab and I am here to tell the tale.
I definitely left my house this morning with a great feeling of intimidation, but that emotion was quickly soothed into submission during Dr. Gil Chu's entertaining 2 hour lecture on the underpinnings of molecular biology. He was funny, engaging, but demanding of student participation such that we were bribed with candy for asking questions. I could not believe how easily the lecture flowed and found it of great relief that the ol' med school adage about "drinking from a fire hose" had not come true...yet.
Within minutes of starting our Cells to Tissues lecture with Dr. Julie Theriot, I think I, along with all of my classmates felt something very different. This was the shock and awe we had all dreaded. She spoke at a terrific pace and we barely made it through all of the slides that she had for our hour class session. The information about cellular structure, the makeup of the epithelium, cell trafficking, etc. was all very interesting mind you and she was very enthusiastic. However, I am pretty sure that half of the information went immediately over my head. The fortunate thing was that I think almost all of my classmates felt the exact same way.
Lunch time couldn't come quickly enough and we all quickly assembled into small groups in which we could reassure each other that yes, in fact, we all were a bit surprised by the lecture and the fact that as of Day 1 we could so easily feel behind. Ah well, at least found solace in numbers.
After lunch, we heard from three patients who have dealt with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). We heard their stories, journeys with an incurable disease, and we were able to ask questions. A fascinating discussion, directly connected to what we learned in the previous class, and a great way to start the med school experience. After that, we all migrated to the histology lab, separated into small groups, and sent the rest of the afternoon looking at tissue samples from various organs to help us understand the diversity of epithelial cells. I thought it was fascinating and refreshing - no more plant samples under the microscope, just real tissue and practical learning tasks to help bring together lecture with a hands on experience. Yay!
The rest of the day consisted of a meet and greet with our TAs, which consisted of chatting in the sun with complimentary beer, peanuts, and pretzels. Pretty nice. Then free Indian food at a student government informational meeting, a bike ride back home, homework reading, and off to the Wine Room in Palo Alto to help celebrate my classmate Lindsey's birthday (with a bunch of my classmates to join in the festivities).
Really, it was a wonderful first day. A bit shocking at times, but also inspirational, and just relieving to be at this point in my education! The backpacking trip with classmates (called SWEAT) was great - beautiful scenery and a terrific venue for bonding. The orientation back on campus was both very useful and extremely moving. Stanford has an extraordinary commitment to it's medical students and that becomes clear very quickly when listening to the deans, faculty, or staff speak. They see it as a privilege to work with us and they emphasize that they are here to help raise us as future innovators, leaders, healers, and physicians. I was overjoyed to be able to share some of that experience with my mom, particularly being given my white coat and stethoscope and having the time to be able to show her the kind of community I am quickly being welcomed into.
I could say a lot more, but, no surprise, I have some reading to do, so I will leave you with two things:
1) an explanation of my blog title: the term pluripotent is most often applied to stem cells and it refers to their ability to differentiate into any cell type. Basically, it implies that they have unlimited potential. Dean Pizzo, dean of medicine at Stanford, referred to all of us as pluripotent on Day 1 of orientation and at this stage in my development as a medical professional, I would love to be seen as a "pluripotent healer."
2) at the end of our Stethoscope Ceremony last Friday night, all of the first-years stood in unison and stated the Stanford Affirmation (their verion of the hippocratic oath). You will find it below and I hope be able to gain at least a small appreciation for why I already feel Stanford medical school is so special:
On my admission to the Practice of Medicine I pledge to devote my life to the service of humanity. The care of my patients will be my first consideration. I will strive to acquire and share new knowledge with my colleagues and my patients; I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity, and to the best of my ability and judgment. I will approach each patient with charity, attention, humility, and commitment; I will hold all life dear, and let knowledge, wisdom, courage, and compassion guide my therapy; I will use my medical knowledge and skills to promote human rights, social justice, and civil liberties; I will not permit considerations of age, disease, or disability, faith, ethnic origin, gender identity, nationality, race, sexual orientation, socia standing or other forms of discrimination to intervene between my duty and my patient; I will respect the confidences with which I will be entrusted; I will give gratitude and respect to those from whom I have learned my Science and my Art; I will uphold the integrity of the medical profession; I will cultivate peace in both personal conduct and political expression; I will not use my knowledge contrary to the spirit of this Affirmation. I make these promises in witness of those who have stood here before me, and those who will come after, solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.
