Med school is consuming my life

So it’s officially happened – med school has consumed my life. And as a result, my blog (among other things) has clearly been neglected. Here’s a quick attempt at bringing everyone up to speed.
First, a little about the organization of my school curriculum. Year 1 is divided into three “blocks” with different focuses. Part of the reason that last week was so crazy was that it marked the end of Block 1, which was “Cellular and Molecular Biology.” The title is deceivingly simple, but the material was not. I have quickly learned that med school requires way more studying than I’ve ever had to do before. The sheer volume of material is daunting. Last week I had an exam for the fourth and final unit of Block 1 on Monday and then a cumulative final covering all four units (over 2500 pages of notes) on Wednesday. In addition to the different blocks, there is a year long course we take called Clinical Decision Making. I also had an exam on the first 10 week so of this course on Wednesday – wasn’t that a nice way to schedule it? That course includes ethics, clinical skills, contemporary healthcare issues, etc. We have two associated small groups: an ethics discussion group that meets every other week and a problem-based learning group. With the problem-based learning group we are presented a hypothetical patient and we need to approach the case by asking appropriate questions, doing research, ordering lab tests, and going through the differential diagnosis process. It’s been interesting, but a bit frustrating since we still have a whole lot to learn. I’m sure it’ll get easier as the year goes on and we actually understand the tests we order and the words we come across in our research…
One of the most depressing things about having three exams last Monday and Wednesday (besides the fact that studying kept me at school studying way more than half of the hours in the week prior) was that Election Day fell right in the midst of it all! I’ve been really excited about this election, especially since I’m actually in a state where my vote and efforts could really make a difference. I spent as many hours as I could out registering voters, canvassing neighborhoods, talking to voters, and generally “campaigning for change.” However, I was really frustrated that the weekend before the election and Election Day itself were consumed by school for me. I was completely torn because I knew my time had to be put toward studying, but I also felt like this election was bigger and more important in many ways. In the end, I put as much time as I could toward the election, and thankfully it all worked out! Ohio was, as it often is, pivotal in the election and was called for Obama by 9:30 pm! I’m especially thankful for people like my sister, who are giving me full credit for Ohio going blue. I’m more than happy to take credit. Plus, it took over 2 hours for me to vote on Saturday before the election (Ohio has early voting). Good thing I brought my flashcards so I could study while I waited… It just worries me because many people don’t have the time or aren’t willing to wait that long – our election process has some major problems, but that’s a discussion for another time.
I think some of my friends here might be a little happy that the election’s done. Between persistently reminding my water polo teammates to register and vote, constantly discussing the most recent debate or Palin slip-up, and compulsively reading NY Times and CNN articles, political blogs, and Op Eds I have become a bit obsessed with this election, to say the least. Some other people are a little worried about me. They think I might be lost and wonder what I’ll spend my time doing now. My answer? Studying. Lots and lots of studying. And maybe a little pleasure reading. That would be really nice. I think the novels I naïvely brought from California are starting to feel a bit neglected. But I also don’t see myself getting to them anytime soon. Block 2 has just started (of course, at 8 am the day after our last exams) and it is “Human Structure and Development,” which most notably includes Anatomy. This means that starting this week I’ll be in the anatomy lab dissecting a cadaver – stay tuned for more frequent updates, because I’m sure I’ll have lots to say about that. Plus, I can’t read about Sarah Palin anymore, so maybe I’ll make more time for my blog!