Overwhelmed Yet?

It's go time! This week has been awesome and crazy. I could say that it was crazy awesome. The next two weeks will be a test of my mind, body, and spirit (Osteopathic Principle).

The SSSS (Secret Society of Study Stuff) has a new ally, Mr. Tim Tucker, who is the student resource guru and a heralded couselor to students who needed help learning how to study in med school. He and I met on Tuesday and then he attended our first SSSS meeting that evening. It was awesome to have him there. If we can stick with this and implement our ideas, we could have a model that can be applied to every medical school. It will simulaneously help people to learn more effectively and build a team mentality among the students, reinforcing the principle of collaboration that is becoming more essential in medicine.

We have a biochemistry test tomorrow morning for which the SSSS has supplied its first study packet! It is clear that we will be working out painful kinks in the process for a while. I was so stressed out as I studied for our Osteopathic Theory and Methods tests and for Biochem and tried to get a bunch of study material out to the rest of the class. It will be invaluable to get some structure implemented so I can effectively delagate the various tasks so my brain doesn't melt.

OTM is a strange part of the D.O. road. Compare everything to M.D. training and we are nice and equal. Then you add OTM and it gets a little annoying. It is scary to know that I can fail my boards or not graduate from medical school if I don't score well on the OTM stuff. The problem lies in the fact that we have yet to apply what we are learning. It is more hocus pocus than a real diagnostic tool at this early stage. I know that it will become more fun and applicable, but I'm just recording my feelings on this whole adventure as I go.

I am also increasingly grateful to have been elected. It will be an amazing experience to be involved in the student government aspects of school. I'm planning on staying involved every year if I can. I find that medical school is bringing out some surprising sides of myself. I get excited thinking about serving in a more political position as a physician. I love to be outspoken and get things moving with structure, protocol, curriculum, etc. Administrative aspects of medicine are very appealing these days. I also love the educational side of medicine, i.e. visualizing concepts, thinking of new ways to approach the same old material, figuring out better ways to present information, etc. I love brainstorming! Brainstorming is like my own personal sporting event. Consequently, I always win when I play by myself.

I have to start studying again. It is pretty relentless. I overheard some students talking about how often the think about how nice it would be to drop out. It occurred to me that the very elements that make med school so difficult are the very same that make me love it. I am constantly pushed and challenged. How many careers can give you that feeling of constant opportunity for progression? Not many. Yeah, it is overwhelming at times. Yes, certain classes feel like mosquitos rather than warm blankets of science. However, embracing the intensity can only make medical school awesome. I am still loving it, although it takes my sleepy time away.

Thanks for reading, folks! I leave you with a diagram I made to help remember eukaryotic DNA polymerases. Enjoy!