Hello there!! I write today from my outdoor study spot :)
Today I had the pleasure of greeting my aunt and uncle in Basseterre! They were on a cruise and one of their ports was St. Kitts. It was very nice to see some familiar faces and I was happy to show them where I live and where I study! It came at a perfect time as one of our classes this week was canceled. This meant that I had a few hours where I was able to meet with them:) If I was on a regular schedule I would have had my lunch break to meet them... thats it.. It was a beautiful day but a very hot day. They got to see what I live through day in and day out. I wish I had more time to spend with them, but with mandatory attendance in classes, skipping out really isn't the best thing to do. So for those of you who want to bring family down make sure they are either coming for a few days or that they come down on weekends. Especially in your first semester because you will have zero time during the day to do anything except go to class. I mean most of the time visitors will stay for a few days, but if your family is planning on doing a cruise that stops in St. Kitts, just make sure you inform them that you will have very little time during the weekdays. All in all It was a great visit and I look forward to many more visits from family and friends. Thanks Sharon and JM:) Very very happy you came! Ps. thanks for all the candy. Thanks to my mom for the care package as well:)
This week has been good so far. We had our first Physical Diagnosis practical lab which was super exciting. We practiced taking pt. histories and generally how patient interactions should be carried out. We also started to learn some diagnostic tests to rule out certain issues. This class is going to get more and more fun as time goes on. We will eventually be doing full respiratory exams, cardiac exams, and musculoskeletal system exams. Looking forward to this! Monday and Tuesday in anatomy lab was a little annoying. We were working on the forearm and hand which is a very tricky area. Very small and easily ruined structures if your not careful. To have a deep understanding of all the vasculature, nervous and musculature functions of these areas takes a lot of time and effort. The best day was today however. It was the first dissection of the thorax. After a quick review of the intercostal areas, we got to open everything up. We were supposed to the end of things at that today, but my group got a little ambitious and with the help of a prof we decided to dissect out the left lung and study the mediastinum and all the surface components of the thoracic cavity. The Aorta is HUGE! I knew it was big, but didn't realize how big it actually was. This part of the lab was very exciting. I was full of questions and the prof was happy to answer them. So if you find something interesting and want to know more, don't hesitate. Any professor in the anatomy lab is there because they love it. I got to learn about chest and cardiac decompressions and what happens when things go wrong, AAA's, cardiac massages etc. All these things we weren't supposed to be taught today, but because I was interested I got to learn. The end of the lab was followed by a practice lab exam.. One of the lab techs walked around and put pins in 47 different structures between all our bodies. We then had to go around and name each structure that was pinned without toughing the structures at all. It was great practice because this is what we will be doing in two weeks when we take the test for real. People were very humbled afterwards. We all learned how hard this test is going to be, so back to the studies for us all. Not sure what the rest of the week has in store (except for trying to explain to all the other profs why we gutted our entire thorax), but Im sure it will look a whole lot like going to class and staying up to late.
At the end of each block, I will give you a quick rundown of any study tips or resources that really helped me. Everyone studies differently, but the more options you have the more likely it is that you will find one that works for you. So stay tuned for that.
Things here are still wonderful (except for the millipede that dropped from the ceiling onto my shoulder 2 mins ago). As tough as this journey is, its still very much an adventure. It's a chance to study something that makes you happy. You can forget that we are the ones who choose to do this and to challenge ourselves to the fullest extent possible. The only reason you should be going to medical school is because its the only thing you want to do. Get informed and know what your getting yourself into. I heard a doctor the other day say that if he was properly informed as a young adult that he would not be where he is today. He said that he would have rather traveled the world and spent the early years of his adulthood outside of a classroom. He explained that medicine consumes you and once your in it, you don't really get out. If that thought makes you smile, then do anything you can to make it happen:)
Things I learned recently
-UMHS has a SCBUA club! SCUBA diving here I come!
-I have fast reflexes when trying to dodge cadaver juice
-We all are starting to get too comfortable with the cadavers...
-Starting next month we are going to have a bunch of pepper spray wielding medical students roaming St. Kitts
-Radiology is very interesting
-I want to learn to talk like a Kittitian:)
Good Vibes,
Mike
Today I had the pleasure of greeting my aunt and uncle in Basseterre! They were on a cruise and one of their ports was St. Kitts. It was very nice to see some familiar faces and I was happy to show them where I live and where I study! It came at a perfect time as one of our classes this week was canceled. This meant that I had a few hours where I was able to meet with them:) If I was on a regular schedule I would have had my lunch break to meet them... thats it.. It was a beautiful day but a very hot day. They got to see what I live through day in and day out. I wish I had more time to spend with them, but with mandatory attendance in classes, skipping out really isn't the best thing to do. So for those of you who want to bring family down make sure they are either coming for a few days or that they come down on weekends. Especially in your first semester because you will have zero time during the day to do anything except go to class. I mean most of the time visitors will stay for a few days, but if your family is planning on doing a cruise that stops in St. Kitts, just make sure you inform them that you will have very little time during the weekdays. All in all It was a great visit and I look forward to many more visits from family and friends. Thanks Sharon and JM:) Very very happy you came! Ps. thanks for all the candy. Thanks to my mom for the care package as well:)
This week has been good so far. We had our first Physical Diagnosis practical lab which was super exciting. We practiced taking pt. histories and generally how patient interactions should be carried out. We also started to learn some diagnostic tests to rule out certain issues. This class is going to get more and more fun as time goes on. We will eventually be doing full respiratory exams, cardiac exams, and musculoskeletal system exams. Looking forward to this! Monday and Tuesday in anatomy lab was a little annoying. We were working on the forearm and hand which is a very tricky area. Very small and easily ruined structures if your not careful. To have a deep understanding of all the vasculature, nervous and musculature functions of these areas takes a lot of time and effort. The best day was today however. It was the first dissection of the thorax. After a quick review of the intercostal areas, we got to open everything up. We were supposed to the end of things at that today, but my group got a little ambitious and with the help of a prof we decided to dissect out the left lung and study the mediastinum and all the surface components of the thoracic cavity. The Aorta is HUGE! I knew it was big, but didn't realize how big it actually was. This part of the lab was very exciting. I was full of questions and the prof was happy to answer them. So if you find something interesting and want to know more, don't hesitate. Any professor in the anatomy lab is there because they love it. I got to learn about chest and cardiac decompressions and what happens when things go wrong, AAA's, cardiac massages etc. All these things we weren't supposed to be taught today, but because I was interested I got to learn. The end of the lab was followed by a practice lab exam.. One of the lab techs walked around and put pins in 47 different structures between all our bodies. We then had to go around and name each structure that was pinned without toughing the structures at all. It was great practice because this is what we will be doing in two weeks when we take the test for real. People were very humbled afterwards. We all learned how hard this test is going to be, so back to the studies for us all. Not sure what the rest of the week has in store (except for trying to explain to all the other profs why we gutted our entire thorax), but Im sure it will look a whole lot like going to class and staying up to late.
At the end of each block, I will give you a quick rundown of any study tips or resources that really helped me. Everyone studies differently, but the more options you have the more likely it is that you will find one that works for you. So stay tuned for that.
Things here are still wonderful (except for the millipede that dropped from the ceiling onto my shoulder 2 mins ago). As tough as this journey is, its still very much an adventure. It's a chance to study something that makes you happy. You can forget that we are the ones who choose to do this and to challenge ourselves to the fullest extent possible. The only reason you should be going to medical school is because its the only thing you want to do. Get informed and know what your getting yourself into. I heard a doctor the other day say that if he was properly informed as a young adult that he would not be where he is today. He said that he would have rather traveled the world and spent the early years of his adulthood outside of a classroom. He explained that medicine consumes you and once your in it, you don't really get out. If that thought makes you smile, then do anything you can to make it happen:)
Things I learned recently
-UMHS has a SCBUA club! SCUBA diving here I come!
-I have fast reflexes when trying to dodge cadaver juice
-We all are starting to get too comfortable with the cadavers...
-Starting next month we are going to have a bunch of pepper spray wielding medical students roaming St. Kitts
-Radiology is very interesting
-I want to learn to talk like a Kittitian:)
Good Vibes,
Mike