Medical School

I feel the need to blog. I think it has to do with having nobody to tell my stories to.

First week of Med School (August 3 – 7)

Chill! Everyday was filled with orientation about different aspects of the school and the curriculum. Nothing that important and all very relaxed (except that we had to dress business casual all week).

The second year students set up a nice schedule of social activities for us such as bowling, going out to bars, and a trip to Santa Monica on an old-school school bus!

Limo to the bar/club

Tried my best to be social and meet people. It reminded me of the first day of elementary/middle/high school all over again. You don’t know anyone and you’re so lost but you know you have to go out there and meet people before everyone breaks into cliques.

Ended orientation with the White Coat Ceremony on Friday.

Stolen from Bob Knight photo

Now we looked like doctors but probably couldn’t do more than give you CPR and fix your nose bleed.

Spent Saturday at Santa Monica with Amy.

Orientation week was awesome. Maybe med school isn’t as hard as I thought it’d be.

Second week of Med School (August 10-14)

MED SCHOOL IS HARD. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

It feels like I’m learning a million different things at once. We have lectures, problem-based learning, flash slides, instructional videos, labs, and pretty much every other type of learning you can think of.

I’m trying to get a feel for the schedule and when different weekly assignments are due. Took a few random walks through campus to get a feel for UCLA. It’s pretty and nice, but I’m still partial toward Berkeley. The traffic and hectic nature of LA makes it feel a little unwelcoming.

Third – Fifth week of Med School (August 17 – September 2)

I’m getting the rhythm of things.

Had my first shadowing experience the third week. I got to watch a VATS lobectomy (removing a lobe of the lung using minimally invasive techniques) done by the guy who invented the procedure! Good to know I don’t pass out at the sight of blood and guts.

First day of anatomy was scary because I didn’t know what to expect. The embalmed cadavers are so cut up and decomposed that they don’t even look human anymore. I much prefer the fresh cadavers. They still look and feel human, which helps me remember that I’m working with a real person’s body.

We applied for selectives this week (an elective…that you can select). The Introduction to Surgery selective is supposed to be really good but I heard it’s also one of the most popular ones (only twenty people chosen at random get to do it!). I signed up for Intro to Surgery as my first choice, Diagnostic Cardiology as my second, and East-West Medicine as my third (acupuncture and therapeutic massages!!). To my surprise, I got Intro to Surgery.

In the meantime, Sam came up to visit two weeks ago! Me, Sam, Mark, and Michelle went to the Getty.

I’m definitely going back there. It was so beautiful and relaxing. Plus, I want to draw this guy in their drawing studio.

Board retreat this past weekend! Brought back good memories and reminded me how much I miss Circle K. Life after graduation just isn’t the same.

Reppin’ CKI on campus in front of Dwinelle!

And that’s the short and quick summary of the past few weeks.

For now, I have to get back to studying. I promise I’ll update when I’m not so busy!