Lone Star State Incoming

I can't believe the year is over and I'll be back in Austin in less than a week. With classes concluding, I've had plenty of time to explore New Orleans. A good friend of mine spent a few days here and I got to show her around. We walked 15 miles in two days... All in all, I've loved my experience in New Orleans. I've made some good friends, lived in a cool city, and grown a lot as a student. I'll be taking biochemistry this summer and am planning to begin my TMDSAS application within a few days! Hopefully by this time next year, I'll be in medical school on the road to becoming a doctor. Regardless of what happens, I'm ready to start the next chapter of my life.

Community Service Hours:

Habitat for Humanity - 8 hours

KIPP's Leadership Primary - 17 hours

Soil samples - 2 hours
Sci High Charter School volunteer program design (for Dr. Beckman) - 3 hours

Total: 30 hours

Post Shelf Life

It's been a week or so since the Pharmacology Shelf exam. I'm thrilled to be done with the exam, but a little sad that the year is coming to an end. Classes are winding down with only one more exam left to take before graduation. I cannot believe that it's been nearly a year since I arrived in New Orleans. I've made an entirely new network of good friends and met some wonderful professors. It's strange to think that in almost exactly a month, I'll be back in Austin...

In other news, I've started working on a new project recently. It involves introducing a club to the New Orleans Charter Math and Science High School (Sci High). The program should include in some capacity the opportunity for graduate students to mentor high school kids while teaching them about cool science concepts. The details have not been worked out yet, but the tentative plan is to host several classes that address different aspects of a science topic (like physics for instance) that concludes with a culminating event (possibly building bottle rockets). I'll be meeting with the Sci High administration soon and I am hoping that this program can be made a reality.

Over the course of the last month, I discovered a path through medicine that seems perfect for me, namely, physiatry. I could take my love of sports medicine and exercise programming to the next level while establishing long-term relationships with patients. One of my concerns about the evolution of the medical field is that time spent with patients is decreasing and the paperwork load is increasing. With physiatry, it seems that I would have ample opportunity to work with patients, address their concerns and be personally rewarded by their progress. So although I'm struggling with the idea of leaving New Orleans, the future seems bright and I'm ready to embrace the next step in my life.

Shelf Exam Incoming

Second semester is flying by at an alarming rate. Our Principles of Pharmacology course just ended and the Medical Pharmacology shelf exam is on the horizon. It's finally setting in that I have to figure out a plan for next year. At this point in time, I'm deciding between continuing to work in the test preparation field or venturing into pharmaceutical sales. If I choose the teaching route, then I think I'm going to focus my efforts on tutoring rather than working in the classroom. In Austin, prior to relocating to New Orleans, my work/life balance was completely lopsided. I'd really prefer to choose my own hours and have the flexibility to take classes over the summer. I recently learned that several of the medical schools that I'm planning to apply to require it. In addition, the biochemistry that I was exposed to throughout my MCAT teaching career and this Pharmacology program seems critically important for success in medical school.

I was also excited to learn how easy it is to take online classes. A peer in this program introduced me to edx.org where I can sign up for classes that cover pretty much anything. The ease of access to a structured course blows my mind. I've been considering learning basic HTML so that I could compile my ideas on a webpage. I love rehabilitative medicine and sports medicine and often read articles that I find interesting and useful. My plan for the future is to start putting together a resource that not only I can use for exercise/rehab program development, but that I can share with friends. The opportunities seem limitless.

Overall, this month has been a highly productive one, filled with reflection and planning for the future. 

Back in the Mud Again

It's been nearly 7 years now since my spinal injury. It's truly hard to believe. I received a multilevel spinal fusion surgery in 2008. At the time, I was under the impression that I would never walk again. Since then, I've recovered the use of my legs, but I've still felt limited. As a fitness addict I've always wanted more in the gym. Since my accident, I've restricted myself to single leg exercises in order to reduce the spinal load. However, recently, It became clear that my inability to do squats and deadlifts was not due to my spinal fusion, but rather could be attributed to a lack of flexibility. For the last month, I've focused on improving my flexibility with the goal of accessing these key strength exercises. As of three days ago, I was able to do my first deep squat. When something is taken away from you, you want nothing more than to get it back. I finally have restored my body to the condition it was in before the accident. I told myself when I moved to New Orleans that big things would happen. Classes have been going well. I can already tell that I've learned a lot and feel significantly better prepared for med school. I'm a firm believer in taking care of mind and body. I could not be more satisfied with how things are going.

Even more exciting, I've begun spreading my love of  fitness to the rest of the pharmacology class. My friends  regularly come to me with questions about their workout routines. I probably tell them more than they want to hear. I've gotten a few of my closest friends to do my training program with me. Not only does the company make the whole experience more enjoyable, but it's rewarding to share such an important aspect of my life with them. Overall, I've loved my experience in New Orleans and I am pumped to see what's to come in the next few months.

The Final Countdown

It's been a wild ride, packed with drug names, coffee, and late nights with new friends. I'm looking forward to a nice break, but I'll definitely be missing NoLa. I hope everyone has a happy holiday season!

Community Service Hours:

Habitat for Humanity - 8 hours

KIPP's Leadership Primary - 8 hours

MCAT Tutoring for Jaime White (per Dr. Beckman's request) - 15 hours

Total: 31 hours

Lab Techniques 101

I have always struggled to understand laboratory procedures. Throughout my undergraduate career as a biology major, I dreaded attending lab. I felt as though the relevant background information was never provided. I would blindly trudge along following a list of steps without any idea as to what I was doing. As a person obsessed with understanding the why behind everything I do, it was a frustrating and disheartening experience.

Admittedly, I was not excited to begin the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology class. I figured that it would be overly dry and resemble what I had come to expect from lab courses in college. However, I was pleasantly surprised. All of the techniques that I had heard of such as Western blotting, Southern blotting, and SDS-PAGE were explained in depth. When I taught MCAT for Kaplan, explaining organic chemistry and biology laboratory techniques was a struggle. I often found that my students were more knowledgeable in this area than I was. I am considering teaching following this pharmacology program before attending medical school. I am enthusiastic to incorporate my newfound expertise into my teaching.

It was especially helpful to learn about the practical applications of these laboratory techniques. My students would frequently question me and I typically could only provide satisfactory responses. Without clear context, it was a challenge to motivate my students to study this MCAT material. In addition, I can explain why a particular technique is preferential to another, which was problematic in the past. All in all, I've come to appreciate and enjoy the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology class and am looking forward to the electives for next semester.

Improved Study Techniques

For the last few months, I've been struggling to determine the perfect study method. My initial strategy was to read and reread texts, drug names and their descriptions to memorize them. That quickly proved inefficient. I adopted a new approach which included discussing content with peers. Although I enjoyed the social interaction and definitely felt like the material became more ingrained in mind, I ran into a few challenges. Studying with others was frequently ineffective unless my peers were equally in the zone and at the same point in their test preparation. In addition, I noticed that I would review material and find that my memory still failed me a few days later. I incorporated mnemonic devices, but realized that keeping my mnemonics straight was more frustrating than memorizing the drugs as they are. Mnemonics also added an additional step to the recollection process, which produced a lag time when I was asked questions. Fortunately, I have finally landed on a study strategy that works, both during class sessions and on my own. I write down every question that the professor asks and every question that I can think of during the lessons and when I watch the recordings. The question writing process is ongoing. For review, I ask myself each question from the growing list and answer it out loud. In this way, I am able to memorize nearly everything and feel well-prepared for both the exams and any offhanded question that I am presented with. Anyone who is considering a new approach to studying should give this a shot!