Reflections on the First Year (9/30)

     I'm done with my first year of PA school.  It's been almost four weeks since my last final exam and that statement still doesn't seem quite real. It is though. The grades are in, the classes are passed, and I have just over three glorious months of break before the insanity starts again. I will admit though, as my classmates and I gathered for a Field Day after our last exam, some of us were already talking about how we'd be fine with the next semester starting right away, or after just a week break. Maybe we're gluttons for punishment, or maybe we're just so in the studying zone now. Either way, as much as I'd be up for going right back at it, it is nice to be able to have free time after work and be able to plan fun activities with friends and family again. And to read! To simply sit in a park with a book that's for purely pleasure reading... that's just lovely. 

     So now that I've had some time to rest and recover, I figured it might be a good idea to gather some of my thoughts over this crazy first year. Here are the top three:

Pharmacology

     Oh Pharmacology... This class was definitely the bane of my existence first term, and I'm not sure it ever got much easier (though the professors certainly responded to constructive criticism and worked to improve things second semester), but it was all worth it. I actually really liked everything we learned, and now that I have time to go back over everything again, it's a lot more enjoyable and I feel like I can finally understand some things I missed before. As tricky as it could be, I really appreciated that a lot of things about pharmacology makes sense. To give a fairly simplified example, when someone's thyroid isn't producing as much thyroid hormone as it should, it makes sense that the treatment would be to give a replacement hormone. It also makes sense that, when using hormone replacement, one would need to watch for the adverse effects associated with too much thyroid hormone, because each person's body will respond differently to the treatment. A dose that restores one person's hormone levels to normal may be too much or not enough for another person. Of course, there are always those side effects that don't quite make sense, and it seemed like the answer to a lot of our questions was "yes and no," but for the most part, pharmacology is fairly logical and I appreciate that. I'm also excited to finally start learning how to use it practically when we go over therapeutics next year. 

Another good thing about Pharm: it gave me an excuse to study with friends and this lovely view.

Gross Anatomy 

     I should begin by saying that the "gross" part of the class title just means we looked at the body on a large scale rather than at a cellular level, and not that the lab was gross, though it had it's moments. 

     Anatomy was a tough class and there's no way to get around that fact. From muscles to nerves to arteries to organs, there were usually quite literally hundreds of new terms to learn for each sectional exam, and we sometimes only had a day or two to learn the 50-100 newest terms from the last lecture before the exam. Plus, for each section we had two exams, a written and a practical, so it was a bit of a double whammy. I loved it though. It's so interesting to see exactly how things fit together, and how one person varies from the next. Also, at the risk of sounding creepy, there really is an art to dissection. Some people just did their dissections as quickly as possible so they could leave, but when someone took the time to really clean and define their structures, it could truly be a beautiful thing. 

    There are some things I think you can only really learn in anatomy lab. For instance, you learn that part of the reason why having extra fat around your abdomen is considered worse than extra fat elsewhere, is because the extra fat begins to compress the organs there as it has nowhere else to go. When you can actually see how that looks and what it does to the the organs, it certainly makes you reconsider that cheeseburger. Also, few things will encourage you to exercise and stay healthy more than doing a dissection and having to cut through literally inches of fat just to get to the muscles and organs below. It's disgusting. I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of lab. We didn't know how our donors had died until the end of the semester, so anatomy lab became a bit like solving nine mysteries. We also didn't know the names of our donors, just where they were located in the lab, so once the course was finished and the causes of death were announced, one of the girls made the picture to the right so we could see if we'd guessed correctly. Some had been fairly easy to figure out (a hypertrophied heart was a good hint that cardiac arrest would be cause of death, and the cirrhosis of the liver was rather extreme), but others took us by surprise (one donor with lung cancer had also seemed to have trauma to the brain, which is what we initially thought had caused her death). I'm so grateful to the donors and their families for giving us this chance to learn and further develop our understanding of the human body and how it is affected by disease. It was an extraordinary gift. 

My Peers

Future PAs in RI

     Alright, so this isn't a class, but I have spent so much of this last year surrounded by the other 100 people in my program and I am so thankful for them. We've sat through every class together, spending anywhere from 2 to 8 hours each day learning from our professors and each other. While it could be a bit tricky for me at times to get to know people since I don't live in the city and we only get 10 minutes to talk between classes, I have been very lucky to become friends with so truly wonderful people. They've made me laugh, clarified difficult topics, and encouraged me to keep studying and working hard, all while helping make it worthwhile. It was so nice to have a field day after our last final and just spend time together hanging out and having fun without the pressure of another exam or assignment. I'll miss them this summer, though luckily quite a few are still in the area and I'll be able to see them before classes resume. In fact, just last week I visited lovely Newport, RI with some of my favorite girls. Simply smashing. 

After our last final

     So now that it's summer, it's pretty much time for me to catch up on everything I haven't been able to do (or at least not as much as I'd like to do) during the semester. My first day without school, studying or work this meant spending 5 hours cleaning the apartment and figuring out Netflix. Now that I'm back from visiting Kentucky for my sister and brother in-law's graduation, that means working more, but also reading a bunch of books (I'm taking suggestions), going hiking and camping (I found brand new gear on Craiglist for cheap!), training for a 5K, playing guitar (maybe this year I'll actually learn music theory), exploring more of New England, playing softball with my church, baking and cooking, visiting some museums (I just discovered the Peabody Essex Museum is free for Salem residents!), trying out new places to eat around the Salem area, and, of course, doing all these fun things with friends and family. Hopefully Ill even be able to put up some of the posts I've been working on forever (like tips for interviews, selecting a PA program, and saving money in grad school), so stay posted. Finally, from all my classmates to you: 

Finals Are Here

     Finals week technically begins on Monday, but my first final is actually tomorrow. I'll probably be stuck in a deep cave studying for the next week or so, but before I disappear, here are some pictures that accurately represent my life at the moment. 

How it sometimes feels.

This is fairly accurate.

Let the stress baking begin!

My mom found this poster and I clearly need to have it because it is me.

So true.

Church Curmudgeon really speaks to my soul.

My post-finals plans

     Lastly, a short, inspirational film of the Boston Marathon this year, because finals can be very frustrating/depressing, and it's nice to remember that I've adopted a pretty cool city as my second home. 

Run Boston Run from PenshireMedia.com on Vimeo.

See you all in a week. 

The Boston Marathon in Photos

     Today I was incredibly lucky to be a medical volunteer at the 118th Boston Marathon. It was my first time even attending the marathon, let alone working there, and it was so much fun to be a part of everything. Obviously this was a very emotionally charged day after the tragedy of last year, but I think it could really be described as a day or rejoicing, even defiance. More than 36,000 runners, plus all the volunteers, showed up to tell the world that Boston would keep on running, keep on cheering, and violence would not stop that. The speaker at my orientation today said that he disagreed with Vice President Biden, who had said that today would be the day that Boston reclaimed the finish line. Rather, our speaker said, Boston had reclaimed that finish line within minutes of the bomb blasts last year as the first responders, volunteers, runners, and really everyone there had sprung into action and did what needed to be done. I agree with the speaker, and I'd even go further: I'd say that the people of Boston didn't simply take back what was theirs immediately, but they have been taking it back daily for the last year as the city has stood in unity. Today was simply icing on the cake. I was very proud to be a part, and I hope these pictures can help you experience a bit of my wonderful day. 

Orientation was at 8, but I was supposed to be there by 7:15.
Hence the 6 AM train.

The finish line before the race

Trinity Church

          

Originally I was assigned to Zone 22, which was the furthest area from the Finish Line, and outside of the secure area for that matter, so my group amused ourselves until the race began. Eventually we did settle down enough to pose for some pictures, even one for a lady from the Boston Magazine. For some reason she thought we were all from New Hampshire, but oh well. 

Photo Credit: Melissa Malamut
Boston Magazine

Eventually my group was split up and sent to areas where we were more needed. I ended up just two blocks from the finish line, in the chute through which most of the runners were funneled. 

Watching the first woman finish in Medical Tent B. It was the length of a football field. 

View from my post for most of the day

 

An older man ran the entire race barefoot

Watching the final runners cross the finish line 

Some highlights:

-The standing ovation for the speaker who reminded us what it meant to be Boston Strong

-Seeing the final race for Team Hoyt

-The woman who just wanted a hug from me and my classmate because her family couldn't make it to Boston to see her run -We will now be in a picture in her scrapbook. 

-The spectators who stayed to cheer for the stragglers even though they finished hours after most people

-So many people who looked like they were in their 70s or 80s, but who finished the Marathon like it was nothing

-Being part of such a big day, and feeling like everyone in the city was united and cheering each other on

It's Spring! (8/30)

Looking out at Marblehead Light from near Fort Sewall 

       It's April! It's spring! Finally! Just a few weeks are left of my first year of PA school before my summer break. This time next month I'll be in Kentucky celebrating the graduation of my sister and brother-in-law from college. Before I can frolic about in bluegrass fields while chugging Ale8 and saying "bless your heart," I must first make it through 3 more "normal" exams and then 6 final exams. I feel I should mention that by the end of this term I will have taken 31 exams. That's right people: 31. That's just this term too, not the entire year. Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone thought I was lying when I've said that my daily activities are determined by when my next exam is. ;) 

       Summer is coming though! Knock on wood, but after months of teasing, Massachusetts seems to have finally made the transition to spring and given up on acting like the comic below. Just last weekend my roommate and I finally made it one town over to Marblehead, one of 24 small New England towns Buzzfeed seems to think everyone needs to visit. We picked a perfect day to go, when the sun was shining and the water was so clear and blue it seemed fake, and it was even warm enough that we could get ice cream! Plus, we even found a beach that's open to the public. This may seem like no big deal to my Oregonian friends since almost all beaches back home are public access, but many beaches here are for residents of the closest town only, or everyone else has to pay. Honestly. You have to pay just to walk on a beach. It's ridiculous. Anywho, I do hope the nice weather sticks around. Warmer temperatures may mean that weekends at work are already getting crazy busy, but I can handle that if it means I can actually go outside and run or study. 

       Speaking of running, the Boston Marathon is just one week away. Obviously everyone's feeling a bit emotional after the tragedy last year. This is Boston, though. The people here don't just curl up and cry when they get pushed down; they get up and push right back. You can see it in the "Boston Strong" t-shirts, banners, and signs all over the city, or in the $61 million raised in just 75 days by the One Fund for the survivors of the bombings, or in the fact that the entire city shut down just to catch the perpetrators. The video below by JJ Miller sums up the attitude of Boston pretty darn well. Boston is one tough city, and I'm excited that I get the catch to help out at the Marathon this year. I've never even been able to attend the Marathon before, but come Patriots Day (a holiday celebrated only in Massachusetts by the way), I'll be at the Finish Line, ready to medically assist any runners who just can't go any further. I'm excited. 

#WEWILLRUN - Boston from JJ Miller on Vimeo.

My Life in GIFs

     I have an exam each day for the next four days, so I decided to have a bit of fun before that starts. Thus, in lieu of a normal post, I'm taking notes from the fine people at whatshouldwecallme and Pleated Jeans and pairing GIFs which some scenarios that describe my life this term. Enjoy! 

How I've felt walking outside most days for the last few months

When I it was only my third week of classes and I already had four exams in a row

When my roommate and I joke about being single

Feeling ready to take on a pharm/anatomy lecture and then quickly being overwhelmed by all the terms and new info

Dealing with rowdy teenagers on the T when the high school gets out

When I'm not sure about an answer on an exam but go with my instinct and it's right

All of New England when we heard we're getting 3-6" of snow tonight

When I get home and put on my fluffy robe

When I'm running low on food, but I have to study for exams instead of go grocery shopping

Dealing with Bostonian drivers as a pedestrian

When I dress for the weather I want, not the weather I have... and then I walk outside

After coming home from a long day at school

Leaving class/work when it's sunny

Getting through Grad School*

*taken from http://howdoiputthisgently.tumblr.com/. All others are originals.

Also, in case family members are concerned, I promise you I'm not actually starving. I did get groceries. I have food. It's ok. 

A Long Overdue Update (7/30)

Ice castle at Loon Mountain

This is my life now.

     Well, well, well. It's been quite a while since I updated this lovely blog-a-log. I knew second term would be busy and intense, especially with having classes 5 days each week, but I still wasn't quite prepared. Before I started the program, I'd been told that PA school was like drinking water from a fire hydrant. I'd thought I understood. Nope. There's nothing quite like the moment in a pharmacology or gross anatomy lecture when the professor has just listed off so many terms or drugs that it's like your brain couldn't even hear them all, let alone process their meanings and connections. You might as well forget trying to type or write anything down either because you just can't keep up. Not every lecture is like that, but when they are... oy. Strangely enough, despite being sometimes overwhelmed with everything, my classmates and I have all had to fight with apathy a bit. Coming back to school after Christmas break was a bit rough and it took a while to get back into the rhythm of studying. Luckily I'm part of a good class and most of us prefer to work as a team rather than compete all the time, so between recorded lectures, shared study guides, and helpful links shared on our class site, I think we're making it. 

Nashoba Valley in MA

     This is not say that this term has been all work and no play. I've managed to fit in some recreation in the little free time I have. There's been some game nights, some bowling escapades (including candlepin bowling, which I'd never heard of before I came here, but that didn't stop me from winning my first game!), a trip to ice castles in NH, and some other scattered shenanigans. The big thing for me this winter though has been snowboarding. I brought my gear back east after I went home for Christmas, so I've been able to do that a few times. I actually tried to go on weeknights a couple times because there are "mountains" close enough, but I was repeatedly foiled by winter storms, getting out of class late, or just having too much work to do, so it's pretty much just been a weekend thing. It's been a lot of fun. Calling the ski areas in Massachusetts "mountains" is a bit of a stretch, but I was introduced to Pats Peak in NH this year and that's decent. It makes me a little homesick for Mt. Hood (as well as very eager to introduce my friends to the joys of skiing in the Cascades), but it's been worth it. I think the season's just about over now, so last Saturday's trip might have been my last hurrah, but maybe that means that spring is finally coming!

Our most recent snow in Salem

     The weather here has been a bit of a tease. We've had some really lovely days, mostly Saturdays, but by the next day or so the weather always seems to turn bitterly cold and nasty again. The warm days almost make it that much worse when it gets cold again. I should clarify here that "warm" means above freezing. Heck, even 20 degrees feels warm if it's sunny and not windy. The wind's a killer. It's so bad sometimes that the weather app on my phone will give me alerts just about the wind. In February there were three days in a row when I got a new alert each day, and each time I just thought, "what fresh horror is this?!" First it was "winter weather." The next day it was a "blizzard." The last day was "gale force winds." I'm rather tired of seeing that last notification. I love the snow, but I could do without the wind, and now whenever I see pictures of my sister hiking in the mountains of northern California, or my father in Oregon mentions that it's a warm spring day that feels almost like summer... well, let's just say I'm ready for the next season. Besides, I just had my Spring Break (a much needed respite), so I feel like the weather needs to catch up with my school schedule. Otherwise it'll just be turning warm as I get out for the summer. 
     Anywho, that's an update for everyone. I worked on a couple more posts during break so hopefully I'll manage to get out the next post sooner than I did this one.