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The first year medical students just finished our Cells and Tissues sequence. Cells and Tissues is a great deal of Biochem over four weeks. At first it started off at a pace that I felt like I could grasp, but the third week became uncomfortably similar to my postbaccalaureate experience. For you of those who don’t know, a postbaccalaureate or “postbac “program is for non-traditional students who decide to complete their premedical requirements after graduating from college. My postbac program fit all premed requirements into one year, and I felt that the pace of Cells and Tissues was similar to what I experienced during that year. Everyone who decides to enter medical school is a hard worker, but I think that by the final exam most of my classmates were ready to learn about patients rather than protein import to peroxisomes.

This week is a Clinical Foundations of Medicine (CFM) week. Rather than basic science, our lectures are about topics such as health care disparities, complementary and alternative (CAM) medicine, geriatrics, and end of life care. We have four field trips over the course of this week from a CAM field visit to an interview with a senior citizen. Switching from Cells and Tissues to a CFM Week is a welcomed change, but it is also an adjustment to move from the microlevel to the macrolevel. Last week we were talking about membrane potentials and this week we are discussing how we would create an ideal health care system. Both are important topics, but they require analyzing problems in a very different light.

The most enjoyable part about CFM week is the fact that we get a lot more time to socialize. On Monday, I went out to get a beer and dinner with a friend after yesterday’s classes ended. Yesterday one of my classmates had a bonfire at her house.. These are the same people who I was studying with this past weekend and now we actually get a chance to discuss our lives before medical school. CFM week has also provided the opportunity to compare our thoughts on patient care, the health system, and the doctor’s role in medicine. Although I feel that I am working harder than I have previously worked, I am actually very happy in medical school so far. I know that my classmates contribute a great deal to my happiness.

Thank you for reading!

Erica