Dean Pizzo told informed all of us at orientation that during medical school (and potentially beyond) we would become accustomed to a routine where every day feels like a marathon. I think I am beginning to understand what he meant that day.
After successfully completing two weeks of medical school, I am still excited, motivated, and increasingly inspired, but I am tired and trying my best to quickly establish the best kind of blend of school, friends, boyfriend, food, exercise, and sleep.
This week, I started biking from the Redwood City/Emerald Hills area to school. The route is a good one - the road isn't too busy, the scenery consists largely of beautiful residential neighborhoods, and although the ride is through rolling hills, it isn't too overwhelming. It takes me about 35 minutes to bike to school, and 40-45 minutes to bike back (more hills!). I like the fact that I now have structured exercise time and with the locker rooms provided in the medical school building I am able to easily shower and freshen up before class. Whether or not I continue to try and do another workouts with the personal trainers has yet to be determined. Bike commuting may be enough.
Our lectures progressed to discussions of cell cycles, muscular structure, gene expression, and gene regulation. In anatomy lab, we covered the lungs (an amazing dissection to see how big those suckers are!) and the heart. We had been warned by the anatomy TAs that the #($@! would hit the fan on Thursday, because now we are getting to the in-depth level of anatomical structure. In this case, they were referring to the vascularization of the heart and the process of understanding where all of the arteries and veins are in relation to one another and in relation to the other structures of the heart itself. I still love it. True, the sponge approach to learning anatomy is not quite as easy now that we are learning so many different terms, but the dissections are fascinating and it is great to learn from such enthusiastic professors. Our anatomy professors even performed a role-play for us on Thursday to demonstrate a differential diagnosis of a lung tumor that had invaded the pleural cavity. I love the integrative approach all of our professors use so that we can easily see how the content we are discussing in lecture might be relevant to clinical practice.
Alex started work this week, which has gone well so far, and I signed up to be a beta user for a new dining-deal website run by Stanford students. The bottom line is that Alex and I have gone out to eat (three dates) this week at good local restaurants essentially for free (very minimal financial burden for us...maybe $5-10 for the two of us for a $40 bill). It is fun and a nice treat, but we will have to be careful not to get too comfortable, because I only have one more week as a beta user and then it is back to the PB&J. :)
As for more about how things are going...I just have to rebuild the academic stamina I had as an undergrad and then strengthen it further. Being at school from 8am-6pm can be a drain and after that I still have to study at home. It is a nice break in the week to have Wednesdays free from class, but they easily get filled with meetings and study group sessions. Soon, they will also be filled with some elective coursework. We have had quizzes, problem sets, and other work to complete and in another two weeks we will be preparing for our big exams for our Cells to Tissues and Molecular Foundations courses. That will mark the end of mini-quarter and then we will start Developmental Biology, Applied Biochemistry, and Genetics. Woo hoo! Bring it on!
I am still completely in love with my classmates and continually find myself appreciating how warm, friendly, and inviting everyone is. On Thursday night, several of my new medical school classmates and I (all girls) got together for wine, cheese, and chocolate truffles to discuss a journal article we had to preview before a literature discussion yesterday. It was wonderful! We are already a community and I feel confident that I will be cultivating pretty phenomenal relationships via the camaraderie and intimacy that the medical school format fosters.
This afternoon, I have a reunion BBQ with my backpacking group from orientation and tomorrow I am volunteering at the Arbor Free Clinic (a student-run clinic) for the first half of the day - I get to wear my white coat and stethoscope for the first time - and then I am off to tutor two high school students before heading back home to study and take a quiz. The weekend will fly by I know, but I think it will give me enough time/space to refuel a bit. I will make the most of it!
Sending lots of love to you all!
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