Days 3&4: First Year Medical student (MS1) @ IUSM

The second two days of medical school weren't that eventful. I mean I sat in on lectures and everything, but unless you want me to go in depth with what the classes were about, I figured it be best to just combine the two days together.

On Day 4 I sat in on a Microbiology lecture as well as another Physiology lesson (this time I understood 1/2 of what the professor said. Yay improvement).  Which was followed by Histology which led to Histology lab where I got to watch Jasmine look at slides of neuron cells for an hour. Not a bad experience, but I could have waited until I actually get into medical school to experience it.  However, I did get to see a slide with a interneuron in it (she showed me more but that's the only one that I remember probably because that was the last slide--primarcy-recency theory strikes again, lol.). In case you don't know, an interneuron, is a neuron that connects the afferent and efferent neurons together. In the centeral nervous system, these neurons are small and responsible for inhibition through the use of GABA and glycine neurotransmitters.

These are not picture that I took from the lab. The teardrop shaped neurons are interneurons.

On Day 5, I got to miss taking a Physiology quiz at 8am in the morning. You read right, 8AM. I actually wanted to take the quiz, but 1) I don't have my own car (yes my mom still drive me around, but, hey that's life) but more importantly 2) I didn't attend Monday's class with them  (I was with Dr. Bryant) and the quiz was over Monday and Tuesday's lectures. So at 9am I met Jasmine again in her Clinical Problem Solving Class. In this class we did not solve another case but reviewed the learning objectives from Tuesday. On Tuesday one of the things they had to write up were questions or learning objectives that they had with each piece of the case given. Then the class divided the objectives up and today are presenting them. This made me like the class even more. Because no matter if one student was able to know instantly the disease and/or treatment for the patient, in the end the class as a whole learns more about the disease, tests, and treatment that the patient should have received, everyone learns and everyone benefits from the information shared. The small and non-competitve nature of the class really helps harbor that feeling and atmosphere of the class.

After Physiology (again), the last class we had was called Health Policy and Economics class. This class, is a relatively new class offered at IUSM where in short, international politics and healthcare combine. The class (of roughly 100-150) was divided into groups of 8 representing 7 countries: Canda, Singapore, UK, Germany, France, Japan, and Switzerland.The professor of this class was a MD/MPH whose MPH study focused primarily on healthcare access in America (2-3 groups representing the same country). The main focus of this class was the fact that healthcare in general is comprised of three components:

--Access
--Cost
--Availability

and that each of the 8 countries had a healthcare system that tries balance all three components. However, he stressed the inevitable fact that no healthcare system is able to sucessfully balance to the fullest all three components, in "real life" one of the components is comprised. For instance, in America's healthcare system, everyone has access to insurance as well as availability to one (one just has to go to an insurance company), however, the cost of insurance that has roughly 5 million Americans uninsured, is what is making insurance inaccessible and unavailable. I really liked the class because it focused on world issues, issued that affected the people because at the end of the day, it's the people that we as future doctors are desiring to help.


Summary of MS1 

First-year medical school was eye opening. The classes were interesting and for once, I could actually see the importance of the class to my career as a doctor. For me the difference between college and first year medical school was just the bulk of information given. However, this is just like the transition between high school and college. I think I will suvive it once I get there. Concerning dress code, it is still very causal except on clinical days ( usually once or twice a month) when bussiness causal attire and the "all important short white coat" is required. So people like me who like dressing like a bum to class, med school will not ruin your fashion (or lack of) fashion sense, at least your freshman year.

However, one of the most interesting finding for me was the similarity between college and medical school first year students. Just like in college, in MS1 you have the quiet intelligent person, the slacker, the show off, the brown noser who asks irrelevant questions just to hear his own voice, the jokester. It's funny because while attending the classes, I kept on forgeting that I am not "one of them" (a medical student) yet. In Anthropologic terms, I struggled with my -emic and -etic perspectives on medical school (finally Anthro 151 became useful). I guess it makes sense since they are only 2 years ahead of me in education. Still, for me, I hear about the white coat ceremony that occurs before classes start (during orientation) and I guess I think there's a sudden change that occurs.  As if putting on the white coat transforms you from a college graduate to a doctor equipt with all the fancy lingo, stethoscope, and knowledge of all the diseases known to man. LOL.

The 3-day shadowing made realize that at the end of the day, first year students are just that, students with fancy short white coats. The experience reassured me that the transition from student to doctor is not going to be all of a sudden, or that medical school would be "survival of the fittest" and if I wasn't fit enough I'd be left behind. I'm not saying that medical school is going to be a breeze but, at least at IUSOM, it seems like it's  not going to be cut throat either.  This may be another "duh" statement for some of you, but it this helps me realize that yes, medical school is going to be difficult, but these students that I can relate to made it, maybe I will too.

  Okay you got me, the white coats aren't all that fancy :).


Medial vocab:
COPD-- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This is a diagnosis is given to a patient that has upper respiratory destruction usually caused by smoking. Obviously that's not the only way to cause COPD but that's the most common. This usually causes medical conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Notice the empy seat? One of the perks of IUSOM in Indy is that all classes are video-taped then loaded online. So coming to class is voluntary.

Question and Answers with my IUSM MS1 Ambassador Jasmine Johnson

What college did you go to and what was your major and/or minor in College?

I graduated from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in 2009, and majored in Brain, Behavior, & Cognitive Science. Go Blue!

Why did you choose IUSM? What set it a part from other medical schools?

I was accepted to Indiana University School of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. I loved both schools for different reasons because they were both very different in student body size, hospital exposure, and location, but IUSM offered me a four-year full tuition scholarship, so that sweetened and sealed the deal

You are married and currently have a child, how have you been able to balance being a wife, mother and medical student? What you advise other pre-med students and medical students who are in the same situation?

I think that in order to balance you have to be VERY organized, be willing to ask for help, accept the fact that you can’t do everything, and have strict priorities. For example, family will always come before school for me. When my son is sick and needs me, I will be there for him. I am also very blessed to have a supportive husband and my mom and his mom always there to lend a hand – especially during exam blocks.  I consider myself a very independent person, so at first it was hard for me to not be able to do everything – such as cook dinner more or always be there to tuck in my son, but I have realized that the quality of time that I spend with him is more important than the quantity of time, so I try and make my free time memorable and meaningful – instead of just sitting around watching TV or something.

For those women who are in the same situation, I would advise you to never stop. If this is something that you really feel you are called to do, then go for it, and God will find a way. Don’t let anyone tell you that what you are doing is impossible or cannot be done. There are women doing this and way more, so keep pushing. It has its difficult days, but I wouldn’t trade it for anyone else’s situation.

What would you say has been the biggest challenge for you so far in medical school? Biggest accomplishment?

The biggest challenge would be studying so much and realizing that school has taken over my life in first semester. I would eat, breathe, sleep, and even dream about studying and the information we were required to know. It was so intense and draining. I think having my family to come home to is very therapeutic and grounding for me because it helps me to remember that there is a life outside of the craziness of school. So far my biggest accomplishment has been my semester one final grades, AND being able to get those grades without sacrificing my family/motherhood duties like everyone thought I would.

Your father is also a doctor.  Do you think that what being a medical student and doctor has changed from when he attended medical school? How?

My dad went to Wayne State University School of Medicine and graduated in 1989. He is a urologist. I would say that both medical school and the medical field have changed a ton since he was in school. Today, the Internet makes getting information for our curriculum such as lecture recordings and clinical information so much easier and faster. He may have had to spend hours in the library because that’s where all his study materials, guides, etc. were, but now, some students don’t even physically attend class because it is streamed over the internet so you can watch it wherever and whenever you want to. We still spend lots of time in the library, but it’s usually more for the environment and not because we have no choice. Second, the environment of medical school has changed. Our class is probably about 10% students of color, and the school places a HUGE importance on issues of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity with regards to treatment – which is reflective of our rapidly changing population of patients. Also, technology is continuously getting better and more amazing. For example, my dad was recently certified in DiVinici – a robotic surgical procedure that minimizes incision size and recovery time. The thing about medicine is, no matter how old you are or have been practicing, you are always learning so that you can keep up with the latest and best treatment information for your patients.

You went through the MSMS program at IUSM. What were some of the pros and cons of going through this program?

The Masters of Science in Medical Science program is a two-year Masters program that was developed to help students of underserved ethnic groups get into medical school. The curriculum consists of one that mimics the first and second year of medical school here at IUSM. In addition, there is a 10-week MCAT prep to help you increase your score so that your application is more competitive. Some students apply straight to the program and other students are recommended for the program because they are not accepted into the medical school. Students can either complete the two years of the program for their Masters or they can leave the program after the first year and enter medical school if they are accepted (and students have gotten into school all over the country, not just IUSM). I applied to 15 schools the first time around and got 15 rejections with a recommendation for the MSMS program. I have nothing but positive things to say about the program because not only was is instrument to me getting into medical school and brought my MCAT score up 5 points, but also in my great success once medical school started. The year I spent in the program showed me that I was not ready for the rigor of medical school the first time around. Also, having a 5 month old at the time, it was a great trial run of how I would be able to handle a medical school curriculum with my son.

If you could go back, would you still have completed the MSMS program, or attempted to do a 1 or 2 year Masters degree?

Yes, I would definitely do the MSMS program again! I think the curriculum benefitted me the more than a Masters program in a particular subject because it was so similar to how medical school was going to be in the fall. Plus I made a lot of great friends who went on to other medical schools and are in my medical school class now.

Was all the work and effort you put into getting into medical school worth it? Was it all you imagined it to be? Any surprises?

YES!, BETTER!, and YES! I think that this is a very subjective question because EVERYONE has a different story. But for me, when I got my acceptance letters I was so happy and joyful.  And when I put my white coat on for the first time this past August, WOW! It was better than I expected it to be. The biggest surprise has been the workload. It’s a lot better than how hard I expected it to be, and everyone says it will be, which has been great. Everyone makes it seem like when you get into medical school you are going to be under a rock for the next four years. Many of my classmates still indulge in their social life and extracurricular activities, and I am still able to be the mom I want to be. It’s just a matter of maintaining balance and doing what works best for you.