by Shaza | May 12, 2011
Hello all and hello spring! This past weekend, the M1 class had the opportunity to say goodbye to something really special:
Infectious Diseases. ID was arguably our most difficult sequence of M1 year. Yes, I learned cool things, but I’m not too sad to see it go. 5 weeks of memorization, not to mention required small group everyday.. it really got to me. Plus, due to the content of ID, I don’t think any of us will every be the same again. Just this past Sunday, I had brunch with my family for Mother’s Day and thought about possible salmonella outbreaks from the omelette bar. While it was fun feeling like clinicians and knowing which drugs cause bone marrow toxicity, I don’t think I’ll miss the sequence much.
My classmates and I now have 2.5 weeks left until our first year of med school is over. It’s really hard to believe that time has gone by so quickly. I had a really fun time, but I’m also looking forward to spending the summer in Ann Arbor, doing research, and relaxing! I can’t wait to read non-medical texts, enjoy the beautiful Ann Arbor summer, and sleep excessively. It’s gonna be awesome.
Talk to you soon,
Shaza
by Shaza | Mar 27, 2011
Couple things:
-The M1’s are officially done with anatomy and histology! Don’t get me wrong, they were both cool and interesting, but it’s nice to check those labs off. No more practical exams either, which is a plus.
-We’re also finished (or, for some of us, almost finished) with what upperclassmen called our hardest sequence of the year, the central nervous system. And to be honest, it wasn’t THAT bad. Although it was almost completely new material for me, they presented it in a clear manner, and they took their time in the first few lectures to explain terms that most of us weren’t accustomed to. Win.
-As you may have read from Dave’s blog, the M2’s have left this past week to go to whatever caves they could fit into to study for their board exams. I can only imagine the anxiety, I’m getting nervous just thinking about it. But I’m always one to look for the silver lining: the med school library and computer lab is now back into the hands of the M1’s! Victory is ours once again. If you ask any first year student, the first two weeks of school this year were the best– not because we didn’t have exams, but because the M2’s were still on vacation and weren’t hogging the computers or hallways. I was just about to ask my student council rep’s to approve a no-fly zone in the area because we M1’s needed some backup, when finally boards came to the rescue. (Yes the M1’s are the Libyan protesters in this reference, so you should like us. Anderson Cooper does.)
The LRC computer lab empty, as I like it.
So anyway, good luck M2’s!
-Congrats M4’s on matching for residency! I will miss a lot of you, and I hope you do great in your future careers. The wonderful thing about this, though, is that they’ll stop bragging about their free time and start complaining about their lack of it. Sounds like a win to me. 🙂 Just kidding guys, I love you, good luck!
That’s all, take care!
-Shaza
by Geoff | Feb 20, 2011
Aloha from the exotic land of Ann Arbor, Michigan! Happy Spring Break!
It’s not spring yet, you say? Well here in Ann Arbor, we know that February is one of the most depressing months, so we get spring break early to prevent us all from getting Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Even my plants are sad.
So where am I? There was a snow storm today that I wasn’t aware of because I don’t keep on top of weather updates when I’m studying. So I’m stuck in Ann Arbor for the night, here’s what it’s looking like from my balcony–>
Not sure if you can handle the idea of snowstorms? Well if you aren’t into spontaneity and enjoying the moment, maybe not. Just kidding, you get over it. Snow is cool, right?
I am of course very excited about spring break. I’m going to be home for half the week, then I’m headed to the warm, exotic land of Washington, DC to visit some friends.
Then when we get back from spring break, we have a week of Clinical Foundations of Medicine. This is where we take a break from studying reproduction and immunology (as sad as that is) and learn some clinical concepts and techniques. The only downside to this is that attendance is required, but it’s nice to get a glimpse of putting our knowledge to use on fake patients (so far mostly ourselves). I love these weeks because it gives us some time away from studying and stressing out. I’m more than willing to take advantage of these next two weeks, as our next sequence is neurology, which will probably be a struggle for many of us.
Alright, time for me to enjoy my spring break in Michigan: the hidden gem of getaway vacations. Take care!
Shaza
by Shaza | Jan 18, 2011
Is that a villus?
And some submucosal glands?
Then it’s duodenum
You see Peyer’s patch?
You aren’t in the ileum
Don’t be so stupid
by Shaza | Dec 14, 2010
Hello again.
I’m currently learning about the kidneys. Ask me anything about sodium reabsorption into the body. I dare you. It’s possible I won’t know the answer though, it’s only been a week, don’t set your expectations so high.
Joking aside, it is pretty amazing how much we’ve been learning. The amount of information we’re obtaining and hoping to integrate into our careers is so much compared to what we’re used to. It’s crazy to think that the fourth year med students here are already prepared to be doctors, and that in ~4 years we will be there too. I can do weird things now, like palpitate the popliteal artery, and listen for heart murmurs with a stethoscope. Stethoscopes are very cool by the way, you should check them out if you haven’t.
Right now we’re all very excited for break to start after this weekend. One great realization that I have is that I’m not as anxious for the semester to end as I had been in college and high school. School is hard, but I’m enjoying it. I like what I’m learning, I like the pace, and I like the freedom I have at U-M. So I’m going into this last week of the first semester in med school comforted and content, and just a little nervous about the upcoming anatomy practical and kidney exam.
Oh yeah, and say hi to winter:
Here at Michigan we’re hardcore: 20-degree highs, no big deal. If you can’t make it here you can’t make it anywhere. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.
Happy winter break!
-Shaza
