This week was a great week in Gross Anatomy lab mainly because it was my last dissection ever! My group went in a day early to finish so we could focus on Biochemistry which is the most imminent danger- we have a Biochem test this Monday.
This week involved "Bisecting". Bisecting means we divided the head down the nose into a right and left half. We cut the head with a good ole $3 hack saw that had a $1.50 blade on it. It was a little barbaric but most things in Gross Anatomy are. We bisected the head so we could see the internal sinuses (the spaces that fill up with the "crud" and leaves you feeling lousy) We also needed to see the nerves that innervate your palate- your palate is the hard structure sometimes called "the roof" of your mouth. The dissection wasn't too terrible except for the sawing part. When we had to saw through the teeth it even made my own teeth hurt just holding this head while my lab partner did the grunt work. My lab partner is fantastic- he's an excellent carpenter and somehow was a natural when it came to sawing a head in half.
Now that all my dissecting work is done I just have to make sure I know it all...Yikes! So I'll still be up in the lab for the next couple of weeks but I can leave my scalpel at home-Hallelujah.
The infamous Gross anatomy has lived up to its reputation in my mind. It has been a haul, a marathon, a beast, a monster, a frustration, a privilege, a success, and its finally coming to and end. I feel honored to have gotten the chance to do this, but I'm so glad its over.
The end of the gross anatomy experience is finalized by a "coat burning" party. Which is where we burn all our lab gear: lab coats, lab shoes, manuals, atlas, EVERYTHING. Mainly because NO ONE wants to take any of that stuff home- once something has gone in the gross anatomy lab- it will indefinitely smell like lab-forever. So might as well have fun getting rid of all that stuff.
Thanks for reading
Salt & Light,
Kelly
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Why we do what we do....
A few have asked me why are you doing this? Indeed, medical school is one of the notoriously tiring and grueling disciplines, many television shows ("ER", "Gray's Anatomy", "True stories of the ER", "House") feed off this reality. But beyond these television shows there is a true passion in myself and my peers which drives us to do this. I thought I might share a portion of my application "personal statement" to answer the question "why do you want to do this?" The Lord has placed certain special people in my life and has created a path for me that has led me to this place. Below you will find a small excerpt of my personal statement. Many of you might recognize some names :)
"I became interested in the field of medicine when I was very young. I was privileged to be exposed to medicine through high school shadowing programs and my uncle’s private family practice. However, the most influential catalyst to my medical interest was Michael. Michael Henderson was a close school friend of mine who battled bone marrow cancer in junior high. Michael’s testimony of how medicine and the physicians who cared for him influenced his life inclined my fascination, touched my heart, and increased my desire to study medicine. I was able to see Michael take a medical journey from surgery to chemotherapy to a healthy young man again. Michael recovered completely and went on to graduate high school and earn a college degree. I have always told Michael I do not think he realizes the impact his life made on mine. Michael's story caused me to ask myself, "Could I become a physician that could help people like Michael?" High school shadowing programs, my uncle’s private practice, and Michael each sparked my initial interest in the medical field. From there I took the inspiration and desire I had and decided to achieve the ultimate goal: become a physician. After graduating high school, I decided to take the first step toward my goal; I enrolled at Mississippi State University in the fall of 2004 as a Biological Engineering major with a premedical emphasis.......
"I became interested in the field of medicine when I was very young. I was privileged to be exposed to medicine through high school shadowing programs and my uncle’s private family practice. However, the most influential catalyst to my medical interest was Michael. Michael Henderson was a close school friend of mine who battled bone marrow cancer in junior high. Michael’s testimony of how medicine and the physicians who cared for him influenced his life inclined my fascination, touched my heart, and increased my desire to study medicine. I was able to see Michael take a medical journey from surgery to chemotherapy to a healthy young man again. Michael recovered completely and went on to graduate high school and earn a college degree. I have always told Michael I do not think he realizes the impact his life made on mine. Michael's story caused me to ask myself, "Could I become a physician that could help people like Michael?" High school shadowing programs, my uncle’s private practice, and Michael each sparked my initial interest in the medical field. From there I took the inspiration and desire I had and decided to achieve the ultimate goal: become a physician. After graduating high school, I decided to take the first step toward my goal; I enrolled at Mississippi State University in the fall of 2004 as a Biological Engineering major with a premedical emphasis.......
In the spring of my freshman year, I knew I wanted to experience medicine with my own hands. I wanted to develop relationships and contacts that would give me greater exposure to medicine. Therefore, I applied for an Emergency Room Technician position at Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville, MS......Indeed, I have personally seen the abundantly rewarding and deeply satisfying life of a physician.
In my fourth year, I was a part of a senior design group which, with the help of Hanger Prosthetics, designed a water-proof sleeveless shower prosthetic for Iraq war veteran and Mississippi State student Aaron Rice, a trans-tibial amputee....I was thrilled to be a part of this project because through innovation, design, and testing we were able to provide a way for Aaron to shower and wash his residual limb standing up. I was excited to be involved in helping someone return to a sense of normality. Through this project I learned about research, trial and error, working together as a team, and service. Having the opportunity to be involved in this research and design project helped solidify my belief that I am devoted to a life of service...
My parents have given me guidance and helped me develop into a positive and helpful human being which I will need to become a well rounded physician......There is no other satisfaction I can think of equal to helping someone else in their time of need as those physicians helped my friend Michael Henderson...."
My parents have given me guidance and helped me develop into a positive and helpful human being which I will need to become a well rounded physician......There is no other satisfaction I can think of equal to helping someone else in their time of need as those physicians helped my friend Michael Henderson...."
Thanks For Reading
Salt and Light,
Kelly
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
"The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated."
I found the quote above on a website and found it to be true not only in medical careers but most professions in life. We may be salesmen, teachers, bankers, landscapers, pastors, or a stay at home parent but in reality we are all more than our career dictates-- the true meaning of our careers is not giving someone a perscription or teaching someone math or literature or making them breakfast but its the lasting mark we make on their hearts that makes the difference.
We took our fifth biochemistry and second physiology exam yesterday. The biochemitry exam was by far my biggest worry- it tested our knowledge of metabolism (metabolism is how our bodies break down the things we eat into usable energy for our cells) The physiology exam covered the Gastro-Intestinal system which is not my favorite (like my gross anatomy anal and urogenital triangle dissection: I'm glad both of these systems work but don't really want to know too many details)
After the tests yesterday morning my group had to start the next dissection in the gross anatomy lab. This block of dissection is "head and neck". Disclaimer to the following- the following might be a little much for the squemesh.
My group's dissection yesterday included removing the skin from the facial region. There are LOTS of muscles that make you smile, frown, raise your eye brows, and even allow you to wiggle you ears. I actually liked this dissection as barbaric as that sounds, the face is so interesting and defines what we are visually to others. Eventually during this block we will take the top of the cranium (skull) off and the neuroanatomy professors will come and help us take out the brain. The day before thankgiving we "disarticulate the head". Yikes. If you would like to see a cartoon drawing of some of these facial muscles and see what muscle moves what part of your face click on these two links:
Cartoon of Facial Muscles
Muscles that Cause Facial movement
October and November have by far been the most rigorous part thus far of medical school. They have ramped up the intensity as the year has gone adding more classes and stacking up more and more tests on one day and not much time between test blocks. I've done pretty well thus far thanks to my masters' degree background.
To future medical students: If you are thinking about going to medical school - TAKE GROSS ANATOMY AT A GRADUATE LEVEL FIRST! You have no idea how thankful I am I did this. Those in my class who have not had any anatomy wish they had taken a cadaver gross anatomy before they came to medical school. If you are living in Mississippi or even if you don't- I recommend going to Mississippi College and doing thier medical masters' program- this was probably the best decision I made regarding medical school prep.
Thanks for reading.
9 days to Thanksgiving
34 days to Christmas!
Salt and Light,
Kelly
We took our fifth biochemistry and second physiology exam yesterday. The biochemitry exam was by far my biggest worry- it tested our knowledge of metabolism (metabolism is how our bodies break down the things we eat into usable energy for our cells) The physiology exam covered the Gastro-Intestinal system which is not my favorite (like my gross anatomy anal and urogenital triangle dissection: I'm glad both of these systems work but don't really want to know too many details)
After the tests yesterday morning my group had to start the next dissection in the gross anatomy lab. This block of dissection is "head and neck". Disclaimer to the following- the following might be a little much for the squemesh.
My group's dissection yesterday included removing the skin from the facial region. There are LOTS of muscles that make you smile, frown, raise your eye brows, and even allow you to wiggle you ears. I actually liked this dissection as barbaric as that sounds, the face is so interesting and defines what we are visually to others. Eventually during this block we will take the top of the cranium (skull) off and the neuroanatomy professors will come and help us take out the brain. The day before thankgiving we "disarticulate the head". Yikes. If you would like to see a cartoon drawing of some of these facial muscles and see what muscle moves what part of your face click on these two links:
Cartoon of Facial Muscles
Muscles that Cause Facial movement
October and November have by far been the most rigorous part thus far of medical school. They have ramped up the intensity as the year has gone adding more classes and stacking up more and more tests on one day and not much time between test blocks. I've done pretty well thus far thanks to my masters' degree background.
To future medical students: If you are thinking about going to medical school - TAKE GROSS ANATOMY AT A GRADUATE LEVEL FIRST! You have no idea how thankful I am I did this. Those in my class who have not had any anatomy wish they had taken a cadaver gross anatomy before they came to medical school. If you are living in Mississippi or even if you don't- I recommend going to Mississippi College and doing thier medical masters' program- this was probably the best decision I made regarding medical school prep.
Thanks for reading.
9 days to Thanksgiving
34 days to Christmas!
Salt and Light,
Kelly
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
OVERDUE UPDATE
So it's been a while......
I know its been quite some time since my last post, our schedule here has been out of control. But I'll give a little description of what has been happening in the gross lab becuase usually that is the most interesting.
We finished up abdomen and thorax- we had cut the heart and lungs out and found our cadaver had lung cancer. The next part of the dissection was "urogential and anal triangle" [med school is not glamorous]. I can tell you this was not my favorite dissection. part of this dissection included "trisecting" the body. Trisecting......well we first tied off the colon and then got a bone occilating saw and hack saw and cut the body in half around the 4th Lumbar. After the body was in half we cut the legs into right and left halves the old fashion way-with a pair of $2 manual hand saw. That's trisecting.
We took our gross anatomy lower extremity test Monday along with developmental anatomy exam and histology exam. Four test in a day are draining so I took the night off after the tests and played some volleyball with some class mates which was a great stress reliever. I also watched a litle TV and caught up on sleep. Tuesday we started back to the med school grind.....we have biochemistry test and medical physiology test this coming Monday and lecture just started back up so I better pay attention.
Thanks for reading
Salt and Light,
Kelly
I know its been quite some time since my last post, our schedule here has been out of control. But I'll give a little description of what has been happening in the gross lab becuase usually that is the most interesting.
We finished up abdomen and thorax- we had cut the heart and lungs out and found our cadaver had lung cancer. The next part of the dissection was "urogential and anal triangle" [med school is not glamorous]. I can tell you this was not my favorite dissection. part of this dissection included "trisecting" the body. Trisecting......well we first tied off the colon and then got a bone occilating saw and hack saw and cut the body in half around the 4th Lumbar. After the body was in half we cut the legs into right and left halves the old fashion way-with a pair of $2 manual hand saw. That's trisecting.
We took our gross anatomy lower extremity test Monday along with developmental anatomy exam and histology exam. Four test in a day are draining so I took the night off after the tests and played some volleyball with some class mates which was a great stress reliever. I also watched a litle TV and caught up on sleep. Tuesday we started back to the med school grind.....we have biochemistry test and medical physiology test this coming Monday and lecture just started back up so I better pay attention.
Thanks for reading
Salt and Light,
Kelly
Saturday, October 8, 2011
An Update from The Gross Lab
Most folks are interested in gross anatomy stories...and who wouldn't be right? We dissect real people which is still crazy for me to think about.
Over the past couple weeks we have opened the chest (many times referred to as "cracking the chest"). All this means is that we used a bone saw and cut through the sternum and some ribs and removed them so we could get to the heart and lungs. If you are a heart patient, do not fret, when you have surgery they don't removed your sternum and ribs and I'm sure cardiothoracic surgeons do a far better job than we did cutting the sternum.
We looked at the lungs and cut them out to get a view of them from all sides. Our cadaver had lung cancer and believe me it was obvious, we didn't even have to ask our supervisor because the lungs were black on the back side of them and were speckled with tar on the front side. The cancerous tissues was tough and hard (normal lungs should be fleshy colored and soft). Our cadaver only had a small amount of normal lung tissue to see. If you had seen these lungs you'd never want to pick up a cigarette again! It was quite a site.
Next we looked at the heart which was clearly enlarged, it looked like a nerf ball in the chest (your heart should only be the size of your fist). Her heart was much too big which could have been do to the cancer or coronary artery disease. We examined all the vessels on the outside of the heart (these are the coronary arteries-the arteries that supply the heart muscle itself) and we opened each of the four chambers to see valves and a variety of other structures with strange latin names.
This past week we opened up the abdominal cavity and looked at several organs: stomach,liver,large intestine (colon), small intestine, and spleen. There is a interesting structure called the greater omentum which is simply a large fat like structure that hands like an apron over the abdominal organs. This structure's purpose is to wall off infection. Our cadaver's greater omentum was VERY thick which meant our lady most likely had some kind of infection prior to her death.
Our teachers kept telling us to be careful not to puncture the bowl b/c if we did would certainly know it and would have to sew it up because we would have a big mess on our hands. My group did indeed end up puncturing the bowl but fortunately it was a tiny hole and I sutured it up quickly before we had too much of a mess.
Thanks for reading :)
Kelly
Over the past couple weeks we have opened the chest (many times referred to as "cracking the chest"). All this means is that we used a bone saw and cut through the sternum and some ribs and removed them so we could get to the heart and lungs. If you are a heart patient, do not fret, when you have surgery they don't removed your sternum and ribs and I'm sure cardiothoracic surgeons do a far better job than we did cutting the sternum.
We looked at the lungs and cut them out to get a view of them from all sides. Our cadaver had lung cancer and believe me it was obvious, we didn't even have to ask our supervisor because the lungs were black on the back side of them and were speckled with tar on the front side. The cancerous tissues was tough and hard (normal lungs should be fleshy colored and soft). Our cadaver only had a small amount of normal lung tissue to see. If you had seen these lungs you'd never want to pick up a cigarette again! It was quite a site.
Next we looked at the heart which was clearly enlarged, it looked like a nerf ball in the chest (your heart should only be the size of your fist). Her heart was much too big which could have been do to the cancer or coronary artery disease. We examined all the vessels on the outside of the heart (these are the coronary arteries-the arteries that supply the heart muscle itself) and we opened each of the four chambers to see valves and a variety of other structures with strange latin names.
This past week we opened up the abdominal cavity and looked at several organs: stomach,liver,large intestine (colon), small intestine, and spleen. There is a interesting structure called the greater omentum which is simply a large fat like structure that hands like an apron over the abdominal organs. This structure's purpose is to wall off infection. Our cadaver's greater omentum was VERY thick which meant our lady most likely had some kind of infection prior to her death.
Our teachers kept telling us to be careful not to puncture the bowl b/c if we did would certainly know it and would have to sew it up because we would have a big mess on our hands. My group did indeed end up puncturing the bowl but fortunately it was a tiny hole and I sutured it up quickly before we had too much of a mess.
Thanks for reading :)
Kelly
Sunday, October 2, 2011
I can't even remember my kids names....
One of the guys in my class had his 4th child at the beginning of this semester and I can't figure out how he's doing it. Today he told me he can't remember their names anymore..lol (of course he was joking, sort of)
The 7th week of class eneded last week and we have a biochem and histology test (histology = the study of various tissues at the microscopic level) tomorrow at 8am. I'm so ready for Christmas :)
Part of the reason I like writing this blog is to try to feel like I'm still connected in some way to every day life, many of my classmates and I do feel like we've been sequestered away--- still realizing of course the priveldge to be here in the first place.
Many have asked me: Is medical school fun?
Well, "fun" is probably not the word I would use to describe the experience thus far. "Worth the work" is a better phrase, I know this craziness and fatique is temporary (even though I find myself crying on the phone to my parents frequently about how tired I am) and the end result is still real enough to me to push through.
Thanks for reading and keeping me connected to the reason my classmates and I started all this in the first place-"to serve families and friends through medicine".
Kelly
The 7th week of class eneded last week and we have a biochem and histology test (histology = the study of various tissues at the microscopic level) tomorrow at 8am. I'm so ready for Christmas :)
Part of the reason I like writing this blog is to try to feel like I'm still connected in some way to every day life, many of my classmates and I do feel like we've been sequestered away--- still realizing of course the priveldge to be here in the first place.
Many have asked me: Is medical school fun?
Well, "fun" is probably not the word I would use to describe the experience thus far. "Worth the work" is a better phrase, I know this craziness and fatique is temporary (even though I find myself crying on the phone to my parents frequently about how tired I am) and the end result is still real enough to me to push through.
Thanks for reading and keeping me connected to the reason my classmates and I started all this in the first place-"to serve families and friends through medicine".
Kelly
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Calm After the Storm
Tonight is the calm after the storm. We had our first Gross anatomy written and practical yesterday. They said this whole med school thing was a marathon and not a sprint and they weren't lyin'.
We started off the day yesterday with a "Developmental Anatomy" (aka embryology) exam from 10-11. This was the test everyone would say was a "hail mary" type of exam. Developmental is worth so little of your overall average (~1%) most people just cram a day or two before the exam and the morning of and hope for the best. Of course you can't fail the course b/c failing this meaningless waste of time would mean you would be taking it again during the summer (the only "free" summer we have left is after our M1 year-no one wants to spend it re-taking the Developemental Anatomy) This class is the rock in everyone's shoe . It's difficult material, hard to learn, and it won't help your average that much even if you do well b/c its worth so little, but.....you have to pass it.
Between 11 and 12:50 we crammed in a quick lunch and tried to learn any last minute bone parts. We kept going over all the crazy clinical names of all the brachial plexus lesions: "back packers palsy", "watier's tip", "claw hand", " cyclist handlebar neuropathy", "erb's palsy", klumpky's paralysis", and many more.
At 12:50 I went in to take the written portion of the Gross test. There were 83 questions we an alotted 1.2 minutes per question. I had to hustle through these because I'm typically an anatalytical test taker. I had no type to process at all, I kept telling myself "move kelly move, don't think about it, just go with it.."
After out 83 questions with 1.2 min per question we went into the hall way got a quick snack from the M2's who are awesome for providing a snack table with home-made goodies and drinks. Taking that exam is strenuous and we all needed a little glucose before taking the lab exam.
After our snack, we headed into the cadaver Lab practical, there were 73 stations, 60 seconds per station, no time in between so we kept going for 73 minutes till we finished every station.
Needless to say, I'm glad its Tuesday. Can't believe its only Tuesday though, feels like we've done a week worth of work already-ha they never said it would be easy....and its not, but I know its worth it.
Thanks for reading.
Salt and Light,
Kelly
We started off the day yesterday with a "Developmental Anatomy" (aka embryology) exam from 10-11. This was the test everyone would say was a "hail mary" type of exam. Developmental is worth so little of your overall average (~1%) most people just cram a day or two before the exam and the morning of and hope for the best. Of course you can't fail the course b/c failing this meaningless waste of time would mean you would be taking it again during the summer (the only "free" summer we have left is after our M1 year-no one wants to spend it re-taking the Developemental Anatomy) This class is the rock in everyone's shoe . It's difficult material, hard to learn, and it won't help your average that much even if you do well b/c its worth so little, but.....you have to pass it.
Between 11 and 12:50 we crammed in a quick lunch and tried to learn any last minute bone parts. We kept going over all the crazy clinical names of all the brachial plexus lesions: "back packers palsy", "watier's tip", "claw hand", " cyclist handlebar neuropathy", "erb's palsy", klumpky's paralysis", and many more.
At 12:50 I went in to take the written portion of the Gross test. There were 83 questions we an alotted 1.2 minutes per question. I had to hustle through these because I'm typically an anatalytical test taker. I had no type to process at all, I kept telling myself "move kelly move, don't think about it, just go with it.."
After out 83 questions with 1.2 min per question we went into the hall way got a quick snack from the M2's who are awesome for providing a snack table with home-made goodies and drinks. Taking that exam is strenuous and we all needed a little glucose before taking the lab exam.
After our snack, we headed into the cadaver Lab practical, there were 73 stations, 60 seconds per station, no time in between so we kept going for 73 minutes till we finished every station.
Needless to say, I'm glad its Tuesday. Can't believe its only Tuesday though, feels like we've done a week worth of work already-ha they never said it would be easy....and its not, but I know its worth it.
Thanks for reading.
Salt and Light,
Kelly
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
M1 year long schedule
If you're an aspiring medical student out there and ever wondered what a week or two in medical school would look like- I thought I would attach the M1 year long schedule to give any pre-meds out there a view of what we do each day :) Enjoy. Click the link.
http://studentservices.umc.edu/documents/M1MasterSchedule.pdf
http://studentservices.umc.edu/documents/M1MasterSchedule.pdf
Monday, September 5, 2011
Muscles, Nerves, and Bones Everywhere
The Third week of medical school is officially over and I'm about to embark on the fourth week.
I started off my labor day in the Gross Anatomy Lab at 9:00 this morning (saturday I was there at 8:00am) to dissect what the book calls the cubital fossa....aka the elbow---they should just call it the elbow.
Nonetheless, we took skin and fat off and looked at the arteries in the fold of your elbow along with the tendons of the bicep and the median nerve.
I usually let the boys in my group do most of the cutting-they like that, although I do plenty of fat removal myself. I did find the cadaver "hugging" me today. I had swung her arm out to get a better look at the brachial plexus (this is the huge bundle of nerves that goes down the arm that orginates in the arm pit) and before I noticed it my cadaver had her arm around my waist. I guess she knew I needed a hug this morning :)
Best wishes to each of you on your holiday weekend-hopefully you got a hug from someone today-I sure did :)
Salt and Light,
Kelly
Nonetheless, we took skin and fat off and looked at the arteries in the fold of your elbow along with the tendons of the bicep and the median nerve.
I usually let the boys in my group do most of the cutting-they like that, although I do plenty of fat removal myself. I did find the cadaver "hugging" me today. I had swung her arm out to get a better look at the brachial plexus (this is the huge bundle of nerves that goes down the arm that orginates in the arm pit) and before I noticed it my cadaver had her arm around my waist. I guess she knew I needed a hug this morning :)
Best wishes to each of you on your holiday weekend-hopefully you got a hug from someone today-I sure did :)
Salt and Light,
Kelly
Sunday, August 28, 2011
They never said it would be easy....
Well they never said it would be easy and it is definitely not easy.
My first day was all day lectures of Biochemistry and Histology and I thought this isn't terrible yet.
My second day was more biochemistry and more histology and I was starting to feel the overwhelming creeping behind me and tapping on my shoulder
My third day I was calling home crying saying I can't do this
My fourth day I cried a little more, but starting to realize ever other girl in my class had also cried the night before and some even on the second day which made me feel a little bit better
By Friday (my fifth day) I realized my whole class felt the same way I did so I began to realize it we are all in this together, we will all suffer together and we will ALL get through it together.
On my seventh day I took my first test in Biochemistry and in Histology and I am pleased to say I did fine in both and I couldn't be more thankful to start out this crazy ride on a good note.
This past wednesday I met my cadaver for the first time. My cadaver is a female who has graciously donated herself so I along with my peers could have a up close and person experience with the human body-muscles, organs, and all. It does get a little personal when you see that some of the cadavers have tatooes and some of the women still have thier toe nails painted but then you rememeber they wanted thier bodies to have a purpose after death and you're grateful to have the "gross anatomy" (what they like to call the holy grail of medical school) experience.
I am highly sensitive to the fomalin (formaldehyde) used to preserve the bodies. My eyes water, my nose burns, and my throat burns from the fumes. I continually am turning my head away from the body to get air. A few of my classmates got a little weezy the first dissection where we removed the skin from the body. I seemed to be able to keep in together regarding the visuals, its the fumes that seem to bother me more than anything.
I am glad to say I have survived 2 full weeks, it feels like I've been doing this for two month we've covered so much material. On the same note it feel like I've known my classmates for much longer than 2 weeks also, and we're definitely becoming a tight knit group.
Salt and Light,
Kelly
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
My first day was all day lectures of Biochemistry and Histology and I thought this isn't terrible yet.
My second day was more biochemistry and more histology and I was starting to feel the overwhelming creeping behind me and tapping on my shoulder
My third day I was calling home crying saying I can't do this
My fourth day I cried a little more, but starting to realize ever other girl in my class had also cried the night before and some even on the second day which made me feel a little bit better
By Friday (my fifth day) I realized my whole class felt the same way I did so I began to realize it we are all in this together, we will all suffer together and we will ALL get through it together.
On my seventh day I took my first test in Biochemistry and in Histology and I am pleased to say I did fine in both and I couldn't be more thankful to start out this crazy ride on a good note.
This past wednesday I met my cadaver for the first time. My cadaver is a female who has graciously donated herself so I along with my peers could have a up close and person experience with the human body-muscles, organs, and all. It does get a little personal when you see that some of the cadavers have tatooes and some of the women still have thier toe nails painted but then you rememeber they wanted thier bodies to have a purpose after death and you're grateful to have the "gross anatomy" (what they like to call the holy grail of medical school) experience.
I am highly sensitive to the fomalin (formaldehyde) used to preserve the bodies. My eyes water, my nose burns, and my throat burns from the fumes. I continually am turning my head away from the body to get air. A few of my classmates got a little weezy the first dissection where we removed the skin from the body. I seemed to be able to keep in together regarding the visuals, its the fumes that seem to bother me more than anything.
I am glad to say I have survived 2 full weeks, it feels like I've been doing this for two month we've covered so much material. On the same note it feel like I've known my classmates for much longer than 2 weeks also, and we're definitely becoming a tight knit group.
Salt and Light,
Kelly
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Medical School Class of 2015 Day #2
Today was better than yesterday :) NO falling down the stairs!
So some very important individuals talked to us today about Hippa, professionalism, patient-minded behavior, student health policies, parking (oh boy is this a problem-UMMC parks 2.4 million cars every year....yikes!), and many other topics....like "this will be the hardest thing you will ever do" and "please done take any drugs that aren't yours" and "when we play the dental students in intramurals....we MUST win" We were reminded on SEVERAL occasions that Marijuana is Illegal, ha you would think this would be common sense to medical student lol.
Oh another note I had a frustrating tooth ache. It has been bothering me for a few days and I had been calling all the dentists in the area to see if anyone would be willing to look at it under such short notice.....no one was willing unfortunately. Dr. Clark (our dean of students who has a fantasitc dry wit and a dear love for medical students) has been leading us through orientation for the past couple days. He has been a pleasure to get to know and I can already tell I am going to like him alot. Every student that got up to the podium today said that Dr. Clark would become one of favorite people on campus and that he had a solution to any problem and he was the man to get things done. Well I thought to myself "I wonder if he can work magic and get me a dentist appointment before classes start next monday." I knew it would be hard doing this because no dentist that I had tried to see could see me before the end of August. But I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. I told Dr. Clark my story of how my tooth had started hurting for a couple days and I was out of luck trying to find a dentist, this conversation took place at 3:00. With one phone call, I had me an appointment for 4:15. Amazing!
On a positive note, it appears my tooth is fine, my molar gums are a little sore from over flossing them :)
Salt and Light,
Kelly
FYI: If you have a mobile device, this page is available for mobile viewing also. Thanks for reading.
So some very important individuals talked to us today about Hippa, professionalism, patient-minded behavior, student health policies, parking (oh boy is this a problem-UMMC parks 2.4 million cars every year....yikes!), and many other topics....like "this will be the hardest thing you will ever do" and "please done take any drugs that aren't yours" and "when we play the dental students in intramurals....we MUST win" We were reminded on SEVERAL occasions that Marijuana is Illegal, ha you would think this would be common sense to medical student lol.
Oh another note I had a frustrating tooth ache. It has been bothering me for a few days and I had been calling all the dentists in the area to see if anyone would be willing to look at it under such short notice.....no one was willing unfortunately. Dr. Clark (our dean of students who has a fantasitc dry wit and a dear love for medical students) has been leading us through orientation for the past couple days. He has been a pleasure to get to know and I can already tell I am going to like him alot. Every student that got up to the podium today said that Dr. Clark would become one of favorite people on campus and that he had a solution to any problem and he was the man to get things done. Well I thought to myself "I wonder if he can work magic and get me a dentist appointment before classes start next monday." I knew it would be hard doing this because no dentist that I had tried to see could see me before the end of August. But I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. I told Dr. Clark my story of how my tooth had started hurting for a couple days and I was out of luck trying to find a dentist, this conversation took place at 3:00. With one phone call, I had me an appointment for 4:15. Amazing!
On a positive note, it appears my tooth is fine, my molar gums are a little sore from over flossing them :)
Salt and Light,
Kelly
FYI: If you have a mobile device, this page is available for mobile viewing also. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
University of Mississippi Class of 2015 Day 1
Day 1 = complete!!
Orientation Day 1 was probably what you would expect from an orientation....lots of talking by deans, program directors, ect. They mostly just wanted us to know that we were about to start the hardest thing we were ever going to do but that lots of people had gone before us and we would be able to do it too.
On a funny note....as I was coming down the inside stairs of my apartment on my way out the door I slipped and fell down the stairs spilling my diet coke EVERYWHERE and banging my arm on the stair rails! Oh my dear goodness, I was fine except for spilling my drink absolutely everywhere but FORTUNATELY I somehow only got coke on my pants (which were dark dress pants) and so I just decided I was going to roll in the outfit I had on. I knew the coke would dry since it almost 100 degrees outside. Ha I was just thinking to myself "what I fantastic way to start my first day of school.....awesome". It was good though, I got a good laugh at myself.
Tomorrow is another oreintation day and we are going to learn computer policy, library conduct, badge access, locker assignments, VA hospital tour, ect! Thanks for reading! Best wishes to each of you as your begin a new season of school, work, parenting, grand parenting, ect.
The verse I read this morning before falling down the stairs: "but one thing I do...forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on the win the prize for which Christ has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ"
Orientation Day 1 was probably what you would expect from an orientation....lots of talking by deans, program directors, ect. They mostly just wanted us to know that we were about to start the hardest thing we were ever going to do but that lots of people had gone before us and we would be able to do it too.
On a funny note....as I was coming down the inside stairs of my apartment on my way out the door I slipped and fell down the stairs spilling my diet coke EVERYWHERE and banging my arm on the stair rails! Oh my dear goodness, I was fine except for spilling my drink absolutely everywhere but FORTUNATELY I somehow only got coke on my pants (which were dark dress pants) and so I just decided I was going to roll in the outfit I had on. I knew the coke would dry since it almost 100 degrees outside. Ha I was just thinking to myself "what I fantastic way to start my first day of school.....awesome". It was good though, I got a good laugh at myself.
Tomorrow is another oreintation day and we are going to learn computer policy, library conduct, badge access, locker assignments, VA hospital tour, ect! Thanks for reading! Best wishes to each of you as your begin a new season of school, work, parenting, grand parenting, ect.
The verse I read this morning before falling down the stairs: "but one thing I do...forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on the win the prize for which Christ has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ"
Friday, August 5, 2011
3 days left!
I am now three days from starting medical school! EEEEK! Some have asked if I am nervous....heck yea! I definitely have a healthy sense of fear about the whole thing but I also have a confidence because the Lord has equipped with the ability to carry out his purpose for me. Next week goes as follows: Monday: Last day of freedom; Tuesday: Orientation (they haven't disclosed what all 'Orientation' means...); Wednesday: More Orientation (still not sure what we are doing...) Thursday: Orientation Day 3; Thursday Night: WHITE COAT CEREMONY. White coat Ceremony is a fun event where all the M1's (M1 refers to Medical Students in thier first year) recieve a short white coat with a patch on it that distinguishes us as M1's. When medical students finish thier 4th year of medical school and graduate they recieve a long white coat with the your name, MD on it. Friday: Family Day. Family day is where 3 members of your family can come and take a campus tour and they have some sessions with former students and family members of former students to basically tell the family that we aren't going to be super available for the next couple of years.
I'm looking forward to orientation week because I'm ready to meet some new friends and get this crazy thing going. I have had a great and relaxing summer and now I'm ready to do this thing.....any prayers sent my way are appreciated :)
Rejoice in Hope, be patient in Tribulation, be constant in Prayer Romans 12:12
I'm looking forward to orientation week because I'm ready to meet some new friends and get this crazy thing going. I have had a great and relaxing summer and now I'm ready to do this thing.....any prayers sent my way are appreciated :)
Rejoice in Hope, be patient in Tribulation, be constant in Prayer Romans 12:12
Monday, June 6, 2011
Spring Teaching and Summer
This past Spring semester I spent teaching community college Anatomy and Physiology to rising nursing students as part of thier pre-reqs to nursing school. I found teaching to be much harder than I ever gave it credit for and definitely found out I am not a natural born teacher.....i.e. I kept saying "you get it right?" or "you know....right?". Teaching gave me an appreciation for all my past professors, grade school teachers, piano teachers, sunday school teachers, ect.
I also did some tutoring this past Spring for some of my Master's classes I had already completed which I liked alot better. I find it far more rewarding working with 2 or 3 indiviuals at a time and tutoring them rather than teaching an entire class. Maybe it was because I had recently took the classes I was tutoring for and had come across all the same doubts, fears, frustrations, concerns and exhaustion that Gross Anatomy has to offer and therefore could relate better to the Masters students.
This Summer I have been well....a lazy bum for the most part. After finishing the Spring semester, my mom, dad and I went on a little vaca to Roanoke,VA (my childhood hometown). I had been wanting to run a half marathon for quite some time and knew this siesta before med school would be a great time to do it. So, my dad trained me and on May 15 I ran my the Marine Corps Half (it was tougher than I thought it would be---I took a 3 hour nap after I finished it). I did pretty good for the first 10 miles and only walked through the aid stations. Once we hit mile 10 there was this HUGE hill with a quite significant elevation change. I had felt my left calf tightening up after about mile 6 or 7 but thought I would be fine. Unfortunately the hill got the best of me and I ended up walking up most of the Mile 10 hill. Nonetheless, I finished the race with a time of 2 hr. 17. min. I spent the rest of the trip visiting with old friends in Roanoke, VA which was wonderful.
While in VA, my mom and I went to a Trigiminal Neuralgia conference in Richmond to help find some addition information about a condition she has-Trigiminal Neuralgia (T.N.). If any of y'all are aware of how nerve pain is then your understand the desparation of someone with a nerve condition trying to find relief. T.N. is a painful nerve condition of the Trigiminal nerve (this nerve has three branches, hence "tri", branch one goes above the eye, branch two goes above the lip and around the nose, and the third travels down in the jaw) My mom has nerve pain associated with the third branch. The conference was to educate those suffering with the disease with options, treatments, and medications. My mom enjoyed the conference alot because it helped her develop a deeper knowledge of the disease and allowed her to speak with others who suffer from the same condition (T.N. only occurs in 1 in 30,000). It's amazing how just knowing that someone else feels the exact way you do will do for someone's morale. Hearing about all the different surgical procedures and listening to the neurosurgeons talk about thier specialties was particularly interesting to me.
Thanks to all who are keeping up-I start medical school August 9th and will post the doubts, fears, frustrations,concerns, joys, laughs, and reliefs to come.
I also did some tutoring this past Spring for some of my Master's classes I had already completed which I liked alot better. I find it far more rewarding working with 2 or 3 indiviuals at a time and tutoring them rather than teaching an entire class. Maybe it was because I had recently took the classes I was tutoring for and had come across all the same doubts, fears, frustrations, concerns and exhaustion that Gross Anatomy has to offer and therefore could relate better to the Masters students.
This Summer I have been well....a lazy bum for the most part. After finishing the Spring semester, my mom, dad and I went on a little vaca to Roanoke,VA (my childhood hometown). I had been wanting to run a half marathon for quite some time and knew this siesta before med school would be a great time to do it. So, my dad trained me and on May 15 I ran my the Marine Corps Half (it was tougher than I thought it would be---I took a 3 hour nap after I finished it). I did pretty good for the first 10 miles and only walked through the aid stations. Once we hit mile 10 there was this HUGE hill with a quite significant elevation change. I had felt my left calf tightening up after about mile 6 or 7 but thought I would be fine. Unfortunately the hill got the best of me and I ended up walking up most of the Mile 10 hill. Nonetheless, I finished the race with a time of 2 hr. 17. min. I spent the rest of the trip visiting with old friends in Roanoke, VA which was wonderful.
While in VA, my mom and I went to a Trigiminal Neuralgia conference in Richmond to help find some addition information about a condition she has-Trigiminal Neuralgia (T.N.). If any of y'all are aware of how nerve pain is then your understand the desparation of someone with a nerve condition trying to find relief. T.N. is a painful nerve condition of the Trigiminal nerve (this nerve has three branches, hence "tri", branch one goes above the eye, branch two goes above the lip and around the nose, and the third travels down in the jaw) My mom has nerve pain associated with the third branch. The conference was to educate those suffering with the disease with options, treatments, and medications. My mom enjoyed the conference alot because it helped her develop a deeper knowledge of the disease and allowed her to speak with others who suffer from the same condition (T.N. only occurs in 1 in 30,000). It's amazing how just knowing that someone else feels the exact way you do will do for someone's morale. Hearing about all the different surgical procedures and listening to the neurosurgeons talk about thier specialties was particularly interesting to me.
Thanks to all who are keeping up-I start medical school August 9th and will post the doubts, fears, frustrations,concerns, joys, laughs, and reliefs to come.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tornado hits Clinton,MS
April 15 Clinton, MS was hit hard by thunderstorms, straight line winds, and most unfortunate: a terrible tornado. Many of you might have seen us on national news or the weather channel. This was the same system that killed several in Oklahoma and others in North Carolina. Clinton is just a mess-the tornado tore up several houses on Highway 80 north and several businesses off SpringRidge Road about .25 miles from my current apartment.
On a better note, I will be moving this weekend with the help of some sweet volunteers. I will be leaving Clinton and moving into Jackson to be closer to the medical school. I spent most of tonight cleaning my new place. The complex had someone clean the apartment but there's nothing like cleaning all the nooks yourself making sure there are no "cooties" haha. I "lysoled" everything! It makes me feel better to disinfect everything.
I realized that is no overhead lighting in my new bedroom-looks like I will be buying a few lamps. I have been moving a few things on my own before the big move this weekend and living on the second floor means I have been getting my leg workouts in!
Also, I bought a new couch a couple months ago (after I finally got my first real paycheck ever!) Needless to say I bought a rather large couch (it looked a lot smaller in that big warehouse) so let all hope it fits in my new apartment which is significantly smaller than the apartment I currently live in....Yikes! I'll let you now how it turns out.
On a better note, I will be moving this weekend with the help of some sweet volunteers. I will be leaving Clinton and moving into Jackson to be closer to the medical school. I spent most of tonight cleaning my new place. The complex had someone clean the apartment but there's nothing like cleaning all the nooks yourself making sure there are no "cooties" haha. I "lysoled" everything! It makes me feel better to disinfect everything.
I realized that is no overhead lighting in my new bedroom-looks like I will be buying a few lamps. I have been moving a few things on my own before the big move this weekend and living on the second floor means I have been getting my leg workouts in!
Also, I bought a new couch a couple months ago (after I finally got my first real paycheck ever!) Needless to say I bought a rather large couch (it looked a lot smaller in that big warehouse) so let all hope it fits in my new apartment which is significantly smaller than the apartment I currently live in....Yikes! I'll let you now how it turns out.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
place to live...check! crazy physical....euh, no check
I've found a place to live for my first year of medical school! Hooray! I'm excited to have have that checked off my list. I found a cute little apartment within walking distance to the school that way I won't need to fight traffic or parking. It was a true blessing to get this apartment. I had been on the waiting list since January!
One thing that is not checked off my list yet is the physical, euh I'm not looking forward to it at all. It seems as though the physical check list includes everything...skin, nails, eyes, ears, have you ever worked with radioactive substances, have you ever had boils, heart issues, neurological problems, have you ever been hospitalized in a mental institution, do you have frequent terrifying nightmares? Just to name a few of the questions off the physical, ha I think they're making sure I'm indeed human. In addition, I have 9 pdf files I have to fill out and although it is a lot to do, I'm excited to fill out each one because each paper I fill out and each fee I pay means this is actually real.
I write this blog post as I proctor an anatomy exam at Mississippi College. I see the anguish on their faces and believe me its mental pain taking these exams. I wish them the best of luck and pray when August 2011 comes I'll have the strength and endurance to tackle gross anatomy for the second time (in case that's confusing, I took human gross anatomy in my masters program I completed this past December.)
One thing that is not checked off my list yet is the physical, euh I'm not looking forward to it at all. It seems as though the physical check list includes everything...skin, nails, eyes, ears, have you ever worked with radioactive substances, have you ever had boils, heart issues, neurological problems, have you ever been hospitalized in a mental institution, do you have frequent terrifying nightmares? Just to name a few of the questions off the physical, ha I think they're making sure I'm indeed human. In addition, I have 9 pdf files I have to fill out and although it is a lot to do, I'm excited to fill out each one because each paper I fill out and each fee I pay means this is actually real.
I write this blog post as I proctor an anatomy exam at Mississippi College. I see the anguish on their faces and believe me its mental pain taking these exams. I wish them the best of luck and pray when August 2011 comes I'll have the strength and endurance to tackle gross anatomy for the second time (in case that's confusing, I took human gross anatomy in my masters program I completed this past December.)
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Beginning...
The realization I've been accepted to medical school has still not completely set in. The past few summers have been filled with anxiety and the doubtfulness that I would ever truly be accepted to medical school. This summer will be different: I can celebrate and sense the relief that I have accomplished one goal: acceptance. Last summer was awful to say the least, all I did for the entire summer was study the MCAT which has been my mountain to climb. Prior to the Summer of 2010, I had struggled and struggled with the infamous MCAT having taken the exam already 3 times and been unsuccessful 3 times. In my mind, I had made this test into a monster.
So for the Summer of 2010 it was a lonely one filled with Exam Kracker Books, audio osmosis, Kaplan flash cards, Princeton Review online exams, and some "chad videos". I studied every single day for 8 hours a day for 3 months leading up to my July 31st exam date. I had submitted my medical school application in the early part of July trusting I could finally conquer the MCAT on July 31st. My MCAT score would be sent to all the schools I had applied to whether I did well on the exam or not...it was a leap of faith to submit my application not knowing what score would be sent to them after my test date. Deep in my heart I knew this was my turn to do well, but at the same time I couldn't get my hopes up only to be let down....again.
It took 30 days to receive my score and when I got the score I knew it was better than my previous attempts but not the score I wanted. I prayed it would be good enough for an interview....and it was! Two weeks into September of 2010 I got an invitation to interview at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. I was nervous to say the least...I went out and bought a $300 suit just to try to impress them the best I could.....(my mom would have preferred I got my suit at hudson's dirt cheap...yuck)
I interviewed on September 30th and upon reading my interview schedule I saw I was interviewing with the toughest interviewer at the school. I was sweating....literally. After an hour and a half of interviews, lunch, and a tour of the school I went home and waited.
On October 15th I received an e-mail that said 'congratualtions' in the subject line.....which has brought me to this point.
Whether you are one of my sweet family members, a precious friend, or a former student of mine I hope you enjoy hearing about the joys, struggles, doubts, frustrations, and successes to come. There is a great appreciation for each of you that encouraged and prayed for me over the past several years. Each prayer and encouraging word allowed me to finally believe in myself.
So for the Summer of 2010 it was a lonely one filled with Exam Kracker Books, audio osmosis, Kaplan flash cards, Princeton Review online exams, and some "chad videos". I studied every single day for 8 hours a day for 3 months leading up to my July 31st exam date. I had submitted my medical school application in the early part of July trusting I could finally conquer the MCAT on July 31st. My MCAT score would be sent to all the schools I had applied to whether I did well on the exam or not...it was a leap of faith to submit my application not knowing what score would be sent to them after my test date. Deep in my heart I knew this was my turn to do well, but at the same time I couldn't get my hopes up only to be let down....again.
It took 30 days to receive my score and when I got the score I knew it was better than my previous attempts but not the score I wanted. I prayed it would be good enough for an interview....and it was! Two weeks into September of 2010 I got an invitation to interview at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. I was nervous to say the least...I went out and bought a $300 suit just to try to impress them the best I could.....(my mom would have preferred I got my suit at hudson's dirt cheap...yuck)
I interviewed on September 30th and upon reading my interview schedule I saw I was interviewing with the toughest interviewer at the school. I was sweating....literally. After an hour and a half of interviews, lunch, and a tour of the school I went home and waited.
On October 15th I received an e-mail that said 'congratualtions' in the subject line.....which has brought me to this point.
Whether you are one of my sweet family members, a precious friend, or a former student of mine I hope you enjoy hearing about the joys, struggles, doubts, frustrations, and successes to come. There is a great appreciation for each of you that encouraged and prayed for me over the past several years. Each prayer and encouraging word allowed me to finally believe in myself.
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