August Recap 2016

     Hello! The month of August has been a busy one for me. Moving to the city, starting medical school, and getting into the groove of my new life has definitely put plenty on my plate. Sadly, the moments that I did have the opportunity to sneak away, I didn't happen to snap a pic (I promise I will try to be better about that next month!). So, I'll just update you on what's been going on thus far.

    The beginning of August marked the beginning of my med school career. It was crazy to be able to finally start and when classes started, they kept us pretty busy. I just had my first exam this Monday, so the week leading up to that was pretty hectic. The main challenge of Medical school thus far has been trying to figure out what works best for me, so that I can set up my routine. It's the beginning of week three, and I feel like I'm still trying to sort that out, but hopefully as we go on, I'll be able to figure it all out. 

     Eventful Moments

     Following orientation week and White Coat, I had the opportunity to catch up with my girls. One of the best parts of being back in the city is being closer to them, and although my time is more limited than it was before, it's so nice to know that I am able to see them when I have the chance. My first Saturday in the city we went out and explored Lakeview a bit and of course that had to include delicious drinks and yummy food. 

They are too adorable:)

     The following week was our first week of class and that was a little hectic. We still had quite a few orientation sessions, so the days seemed to drag on. Thankfully, Sunday dinner at Meg's recharged me for the following week. G and I brought our roommates and we had our own little potluck dinner. It was a great way to break away from studying for a bit and to also have everyone meet. My roommate Mallory and I also went out for a bit on Saturday. The part of the city that we live in is called Little Italy and they were having their Festa Italiana festival. We just walked around for a bit with one our friends from school and tried out some of the local Italian food. I stuck with the Italian theme and had gnocchi and cannoli, so you better believe I left pretty happy and full.

     This past week/weekend had been dedicated to school. I did attend some extracurricular meetings, but as the weekend approached, the studying got intense. Mallory and I pretty much lived in our school's study rooms for the weekend, but Sunday I broke away for a bit to have dinner with my family. I felt it was a nice way to remove some of the stress and get myself in a good mindset to take the exam.

     As I posted about the beginning of the month already, this post looks a bit sad. The majority of August I honestly just spent getting myself acclimated to being a medical student and those moments aren't necessarily the most exciting, but I will try to include as much as I can.

     As we move forward, I will be trying to update you guys as much as I can, but unfortunately, I do get busy and I don't always get the opportunity to blog. I will be trying my best, though! 

I hope you had a fabulous month and I will be talking to you soon!

~Genesis<3

     

Starting M1 Year

      Hello! As you can already imagine, this past week has been a crazy one for me. The earlier part of last week, I spent moving into my new apartment and then was directly thrown into orientation less than 24 hours after. Orientation events ran Monday through Friday and by the weekend I was super glad to catch a break. It's been a great start to my M1 year (it's crazy to think that I am able to say that), so I'll share a little about what went on.

Orientation

     Our orientation week was broken down into four days:Tues-Fri (I had another orientation Monday as well, but that was for something separate) with our last day being the day of our white coat ceremony. 

Day one:

      We just came in to do housekeeping tasks (pick up our white coats, pick up our Step book, fill out forms, get fit tested for respirators, take our white coat pics, etc.). It was a pretty quick day, so we only spent about two hours max on campus. It was the first day that we got to start meeting some of our classmates and also some of the upperclassmen that were helping out, so that was pretty cool. 

Day two:

     We had orientation 9-4 most of it consisted of different presentations about our school (resources, statistics about our class, etc.) but we also received our team based learning groups (TBL). In medical school, we are divided into smaller groups (in our case it's groups of six) in order to promote team learning. In TBL, we'll be doing activities together but one of the main purposes of TBL is to provide us our lab groups. After orientation, the M2's organized a beach day for us to come and hang out with our classmates, so my roommate and I went to that. Then later that night, we all met up at a rooftop bar to do some more mingling. 

Day three:

     We had another 9-4 orientation and this one was more so focused on wellness and the resources that the school has to ensure our wellbeing. They do have a lot of great resources and it's pretty cool that they are trying to emphasize from the beginning that they acknowledge that this is difficult and that they don't want you to ever feel like you have to go about it alone. After the presentations, there was an activities fair for us to go and see what student groups we have on campus so that we could get involved in some extracurriculars. Apparently, everyone signs up for a bunch but realistically can only do a couple due to our demanding schedules. Later, we had a big sib-little sib dinner. We were assigned an M2 student to be our big sib, so this was the time that we got to meet them and ask questions about medical school and what their M1 experience was like. I had met with one of the M2s that I knew from SPP previously to get the low-down on medical school, but it was still a great opportunity to meet my peers and to also get to know other M2s. Afterwards, we had a group outing to an arcade bar in Chicago to get to know one another. By this time, we'd gotten a sense of who was who and what the class dynamic would be like. So far, it seems cliques aren't only limited to high school, but we shall see how things go as the year progresses. Hopefully, some of that changes. 

White Coat Day

     Our white coat ceremony wasn't until the afternoon, so I took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. I was exhausted from the past couple days which consisted of late nights and early mornings, so you can imagine it was taxing. The white coat ceremony was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It felt so amazing to finally be able to take the first step and feel like I was starting my career. I got really emotional and there were several points where I was trying to hold back tears. I don't know, but for me, it was just such an incredible moment because after all the hard work that I had to do, I had finally felt like I had made it. There was a point in the ceremony where they had us turn around and thank our family for supporting us and for me, that was where it was hardest to hold back the tears.  If you guys are hoping to pursue medicine, you'll see when you get to your white coat ceremony how it feels like you've officially made it and how incredible it feels. Later that night, the M2s planned out a trolley tour for us. We went around Chicago touring the different landmarks while enjoying drinks on the trolley. It was a pretty great time and the last stop of the night was a club, so we spent the rest of our night dancing away. I was definitely out pretty late (haha).

Taking pics with my support system<3

First Day Of Medical School

     Our first day of class was Monday and you better believe it felt weird to be sitting in the same auditorium that I had classes in for SPP, but now as an M1. They scheduled a pretty full day for us. We had our intro to medical school session for most of the morning then after lunch, we had our first two lectures. Having an 8-4 school day is always a bit rough (my life during SPP), but it did feel pretty cool to finally get started. Thankfully, our class days include a couple half-days during the week, so it shouldn't be too bad.

     I have my first exam coming up in a couple of weeks, so they are certainly not wasting any time. I will try to keep you guys as updated as I can, but if I do get busy (like last Thursday) know that I will try to get back A.S.A.P. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and I will talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

Advice For M1 Year From An M3

      I know that navigating through your journey to medical school can be daunting and I am so thankful that I never really had to go through it alone as I had my friend Alissa to ask for help. Alissa and I actually met in undergrad and went through a few premed classes together. We were in the same year, but as she graduated a year early and I took a gap year after college, we ended up with a two-year gap between our medical careers. Alissa just started her M3 year right after taking Step 1 this summer (Whoo hoo, Alissa!). Naturally, as someone who is about to start their M1 year, I wanted to know if there were any tips and as she's made it through the struggle, and she had some great advice to offer.

Advice for First Year Medical Students: Guest Post by Alissa Z.

1. Enjoy your time off!

     Your time off will slowly start to dwindle away the farther you progress in medical school, so enjoy it while it lasts! During first year, it feels like you have no time, but you really do! Use some of your time to have fun. (P.S. I was told this advice my first year too, and I didn't follow it because I felt like I was sooo busy. But it really is true, so try to have some fun!)

2. Choose efficient ways to study

     Going along with #1, don't choose a study technique that is very time-consuming (aka notecards). You might have enough time to continue studying with it first year, but as soon as second year rolls around, you will not. It is better to try different, more efficient study techniques your first year when you can afford to take the extra time to study. Pay attention to what you like about each study technique so that you can optimize your studying. As a bonus, if you find a more effective study technique first year, you will have more time to have fun!

3. Learn physiology very well

It will be your foundation going forward.

4. It is okay if you don't like your anatomy class.

     Personally, the cadavers really bothered me, but I have loved observing and assisting in surgeries on living people. Being disturbed by a decomposed and dissected dead body does not mean you can't be a good doctor-it means you are human! (Although if they don't bother you, that's fine too. Everyone is different.)

5.  Your medical school experience changes as you go along

     Everything in medical school gets more interesting as the years go by because you begin to learn more clinically relevant information and get to practice more medicine. Keep that in mind as you are studying biochemistry first year because it gets better! It also gets must harder and more time-consuming, but because you will like what you are learning, the time you spend studying will be more enjoyable.

6. Don't throw people under the bus!

     I'm sure everyone has heard of gunners (people that study constantly and actively try to put people down in order to get ahead. I will let you in on a little secret- it doesn't help them get ahead! When you put people down, your classmates won't want to help you, and that can have a big impact on your performance in medical school. Collaboration helps everyone, and medicine is a field that relies on it because that is how doctors take the best care of their patients. Your professors, residents, and attendings will also notice if you are putting people down, and really, no one likes that.

7. Know Your Place

     Don't be entitled because as medical students we literally don't know anything. There will always be many more people who know more than you. Just keep that in mind and don't be arrogant (or a gunner- really, don't do it). 

8. Graciously accept Advice---See #7. 

     You can always learn from someone who knows more than you. Even if you're not planning on going into a certain specialty, you can learn something important from that clerkship (that advice is more applicable to third year, but keep it in mind!)

9. Don't Start Studying for Step 1 Your First Year

     

     You won't learn the majority of the information on Step 1 until your second year, so you won't be able to study effectively for it anyway.

   That's about it! Basically, medical school is all about being able to adjust to different situations. Every time you start to feel comfortable, things will start to change and get more difficult. In third year, you will constantly have to adjust to different clerkships, residents, and attendings. It's hard, but it's good practice for life because life is change. With that in mind, I think #2 is the most important piece of advice because to excel in medical school, you need to be able to adapt. While you are adapting, try to stay true to who you are and take time for yourself so you can stay as sane as possible. 

Good luck!

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         I wish anyone that is starting medical school this week ( or around this week) lots of luck! We've made it! Have a fantastic week and I shall talk to you soon! 

~ Genesis<3

What Do I Want To Specialize In?

     Ever since starting this blog, I've had this post in the back of my mind and as I start my medical school journey next week, I felt it was the perfect time to write it.  Something that was a common theme during SPP when meeting future and current medical students was inquiring about their specialty of interest. At this point, it's not always a hundred percent certain that we'll actually choose to go into that specialty at the end of our four years, but typically we have a specialty in mind when going into medical school. So, before I am influenced by what I will see in school, I want to write about what specialty I have in mind before it all begins, so that I can come back and compare it with my choice at the end of my fourth year.

What Would I Choose?

     For as long as I can remember wanting to be a doctor, I always had one specialty on my mind and that was Pediatrics. I've always had quite a bit of admiration for pediatricians because I feel that they play a very influential role in how we first experience healthcare and to this day, I can still remember the different pediatricians that I had over the years. As a pediatrician, you also have a different type of relationship with your patients as you get to see them grow up. I bet it's really incredible to be able to start seeing a patient when they are just a little baby and then potentially see them until they become adults. Also, there is something quite unique in the pediatric environment. Of course, it holds all the common elements that a regular healthcare place would have, but the nature of the patients make for a whole different experience. When I think of this, an Arizona Robbins from Grey's Anatomy quote comes to mind: "These are the tiny humans. These are children. They believe in magic. They play pretend. There is fairy dust in their IV bags. They hope and they cross their fingers and they make wishes. And that's what makes them more resilient than adults. They recover fast, survive worse, they believe. In Peds., we have miracles and magic. In Peds., anything is possible...".

I absolutely love this quote and as someone that has spent quite a bit of time volunteering in a pediatric hospital, I can tell you that Peds. has a certain magic to it and that magic attracts me. 

What Would Hold Me Back?

     Up until this point, it is pretty safe to say that my mind is set on Peds., but I know there might be things that could dissuade my choice. I really do love kids, so I don't know if seeing really sick kids might be too much for me. I didn't have a problem while volunteering with them but of course, being their doctor is a different situation. Something that I frequently hear about Peds. is that the parents are worse than the kids. The major factor that could change my mind would be having to argue with parents all the time, but I still feel like I should be fine. I know that if I really do love it, nothing will change my mind, so that's also something to keep in mind as I am going through the next four years.

     Thankfully, I have plenty of time to make my final decision and also a ton of rotations to experience. Who knows, I might find that I love something way more than I love Peds. and that is just as awesome. I can't wait to see what I decide, though.

Have a fabulous week and I will be talking to you soon! 

~ Genesis<3

Decorating On A Budget

     As a student, I know the struggles of wanting to create a Pinterest-worthy space on a student's budget. Through my years of decorating spaces, I've picked up a couple tips to give a space my personal touch without breaking the bank and for this post, I'd like to share these tips with you.

     1. Pick A Color Palette

     From my early dorm days, I learned that a little color coordination can go a long way. This is something that you frequently see in home decor catalogs because sticking within a color palette gives a room cohesiveness and its pretty simple thing to do. Pick your base color ( I usually like to start with a neutral) and then pick a couple colors to go along with your base color. White is a great base color option for apartment or dorm living as your walls tend to be white and you usually can't paint. I like to bring in my accent colors in my accessories ( i.e. throw pillows, bedding or wall art), but painting your furniture is something that can add a nice pop of color to a room.

2. DIY

     One of my favorite things to do while decorating is to try and figure out how I can create room decoration for less. Pinterest has hundred of DIY projects, but most of my projects are just simple solutions. My most recent endeavor has been trying to create the base pieces for a gallery wall. 

     My base piece was a canvas that I painted one of my favorite quotes on and the rest were some inexpensive frames that I spray painted white. The images inside the frames were free printables that I found on Pinterest, but there are tons of printables that you can find on Etsy for a very low price. For the small gallery wall above, I'd say the most I spent on the entire project was maybe $20. If you're a student, another fun DIY project is a bulletin board. Just cover a cork board with some pretty fabric and ribbon and you're all set!

3. Thrift Away

     Almost all of the furniture that I had in my first apartment were pieces that I purchased from a second-hand furniture store and then repainted to fit my color palette. Let me tell you, everyone that walked into my place told me how much they loved how I had decorated. Getting creative with pieces that you can get for pretty cheap ( ex. I got an adorable little kitchen table for $30!) can really help you dress up a room without spending too much. So, until your budget allows you decorate your room like the page of a Pottery Barn Catalog (#goals), revamping resale furniture (or furniture you might already have!) is a good place to start. A fresh coat of paint can do wonders. Referring back to tip one, many of the pieces in my apartment were painted turquoise to bring in more colors from my color palette and also made the room a bit livelier. 

4. Decals

     Decals are an awesome way to add some pizzazz to boring white walls. Freshman year of college, I decorated the wall above my bed with butterfly decals and it really added some flair to my room. The best part was that they were relatively inexpensive and easy to remove once I moved out at the end of the year. Etsy has a huge assortment of decals listed, but you can also find them at Target or Michael's.

I bought these adorable ones from Etsy to go in my last apartment's bathroom.

5. Check Out Discount Stores

     When it came to getting things for my first apartment, Marshall's and Homegoods were the real M.V.P.s. These stores always have tons of home decor items for a really great price. On a recent trip to Homegoods, I came upon a beautiful navy Kate Spade comforter. Sadly, it was a Twin XL and not in my color palette, but it shows that you can find really great stuff. I find that the kitchen section in these stores is typically on point. This is where I got the bulk of my kitchenware and all of it kept well enough that they'll be going with me to my new place.

    I'll be keeping these things in mind as I get my new place together. I can't wait to show you guys what I come up with!

I hope you are having a great week! I'll talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3