Day 8: Second Year Medical Student (MS2)

So, it was my last day as a MS2, and I had to battle snow and slow traffic to get to campus. When I finally arrived in the lecture hall, pharmacology was over and Introduction to Clinical Medicine lecture had started :(

I could write about what I learned in all of those classes, but why waste time and space. You MD wannabees are going to be able to learn all of it yourselves when you get into medical school anyway.

Honestly, the most interesting thing that happened today was that the autopsy presentations. I didn't get to present :( but Kyle and his group did a great job. Mike Stump and his group also presented. Class was over early so I was able to come home and type up this blog.

Summary of MS2

I really liked MS2.I think what made me appreciate MS2 so much was the fact that I see the great contrast from this class to MS1. In MS1 I felt that MS1 students were more student than doctor. In MS2 students,however, I see their transformation from student to doctor. Now this transformation isn't complete, more like 40% doctor and 60% student, but the change is still significant. 

Talking with Kyle and Adrienne, I learned that the exam schedules are also set-up differently than MS1. In MS1 the tests are well separated. However, in MS2 particularly in the second semester, the test start piling up on the same day. So their finals (or one of their test days I don't remember) will be all on the same day. So for 5hrs these MS2s will be doing nothing but tests. According to Adrienne, the reason for this is because it the lectures believe that this setup will prepare them for the USMLE1 (aka like the MCAT but 10Xs more important because it's a factor in determining what residency program you get into) which is an 8hr exam computer exam.  Personally, I think it's easy to give these rationales for why to put medical students in intense settings like 5hrs worth of tests, when you're not the one taking them, but hey I'm not in med school yet so I have nothing to complain about...yet!

Quote of the Day: "Medical School is like trying to take a sip of water through a fire hose put on full blast"--Kyle Speakman, IUSOM MS2

Introducing my MS2 IUSOM "Ambassador" Kyle Speakman....



Sorry ladies, he's taken (meaning HAPPILY MARRIED).
From my interactions with MS1s and MS2, I've noticed
 that although there are more men than females here, most
 of these men are either married, engaged, or in a serious
 relationship. So for you pre-med females who think they'll meet
their future  husbands  at IUSOM, I'm not saying it won't happen,
 but I suggest coming up with a Plan B.



*Warning, did all videos were done on my phone so the image is grainy, however the sound is great*

       What was your major/minor in college?

   Why did you choose IUSM? What set this school apart from other schools?

Transition from 1^st year to 2^nd year, what was the biggest change? Academically? Personally?

Did you have “med school shock”? How did you handle this?

If you could go back to your college, what advice would you have for pre-meds?

Was all that you put into getting into med school worth it?


Your IUSM experience was unique in that you have been on two of their nine campuses (Terre Haute and Indy) what would you say were the advantages and disadvantages between the two?

 Because the Terre Haute campus is so small, you really get to know your fellow classmates really well.  You spend so much time with them in class, studying, etc. and so it allows you to get really close, which is nice.  Also because of the size, it enables professors to get to know you as well.  One major disadvantage of Terre Haute is that the lectures are not recorded and thus you cannot watch the recordings online later.  Being a center campus away from the main school of medicine, you also find that sometimes you feel sort of “out of the loop.”  You hear about different things going on at the main campus, but since you’re not there, it’s harder to be involved with them. 

Now for Indy… because Indy is so much larger, a major disadvantage is that you can’t get to know all of your other classmates and the professors especially aren’t able to get to know each of the students.  That makes it a little difficult… a major advantage, however, is that lectures are all recorded.  That means that if for some reason you don’t go to class or if you just need to hear/see a lecture again, you can log online from home and watch them.  The other benefit is that by being in Indy, there are a lot more physicians with specific specialties that are available to come lecture.  That means that the person who is lecturing often times is actually specializing in that specific area (meaning they are experts on what they’re talking about).  This is good and bad… sometimes you can tell that since they’re so knowledgeable about their specific area, they are more difficult to understand because they have a difficult time putting it in terms that aren’t above us.  However, it also allows you to learn from someone that is actually working in that specific field of medicine, which is definitely helpful.

Kyle, like Mike is cool with you emailing him any further questions you may have about medical school. So feel free to email him at : kspeakma@iupui.edu.