This week was the first week of our cardiovascular system block, and so far it has been pretty cool. We had lots of clinical learning sessions, including a standardized patient session where we learned how to do a cardiovascular exam. I got to use my stethoscope for the first time on someone who wasn’t myself, which was awesome. We also had an ultrasound session where we got to practice using ultrasound probes on different models and on ourselves. I loved the ultrasound session because it was really just a time for us to explore and practice working with these devices. We also had our first of two cadaver lab sessions for this block, where we got to remove and analyze the outside of the human heart and its location within the chest wall. This lab was my favourite so far because it was the first time we were able to dissect an organ system. The heart is so intricate and varies so much in size from person to person, so it was great to appreciate the variety and see a real heart. We also had a really interesting small-group learning session where we discussed the importance of communication amongst inter-professional teams in healthcare and amongst the team and the patient/their families. The small groups were composed of medical students and nursing students, so we got to discuss and hear from the perspectives of two critical members of the standard care teams. I really enjoyed this talk because it touched on things like patient advocacy, staying patient-centred as a provider (even when juggling a million tasks), and working as a team, even though your roles can and will differ. We also had many lectures in various subjects, including anatomy, physiology, histology, and embryology. Luckily, I have been able to stay pretty on top of my work and feel as though I am keeping my head decently above water this block. While this block is interesting, I still stand by my words that I will not be a cardiologist. I appreciate how important a system it is and applaud all the cardiologists out there, but for some reason, it just is not for me. Maybe as the block continues, my mind will change, but I doubt it.
Outside of the classroom, I also did a lot of super cool things this week. On Monday, I had another SCiM session. This time, we had two geriatricians come in and speak to us about geriatric care, i.e. what geriatric care looks like, common conditions geriatricians see, various resources at different levels (community, state, federal) that exist to support geriatric patients in a variety of ways (covering healthcare costs, social programs, caregiver support, etc.), and why geriatrics is very in demand. The talk was very meaningful, and I feel better equipped to support any geriatric patients I will see throughout clinicals in my third year and beyond in my future career.
This week was also Women’s Health Week, presented by the TUSOM American Medical Women’s Society. On Tuesday evening, I attended the fertility and family planning panel, which was incredible. Every woman on that panel was an incredibly accomplished physician and spoke so transparently about their family planning choices throughout their careers. It was interesting to hear how different everyone’s paths and choices were regarding when they chose to or not to have kids and how their specialty affected those choices. It was a good reminder that everyone’s path and timing of their life is different, so there is no need to compare yourself to others. As someone entering medical school at 26, it is something I think about a lot. They also spoke in depth about the misogyny women in medicine face generally, and when discussing family planning as compared to their male counterparts. Ultimately, the panel was so informative, and these women are such amazing role models. On Wednesday evening, I participated in an IUD insertion workshop. It was really cool to learn how IUDs are placed and the pain management protocols suggested here in the US. There is definitely a push to have better pain management, since this procedure is so painful, so it was nice to have that be a point of teaching as we learned this skill. I loved learning this skill and hope that it will be something I get to do in my future practice for my patients. On Thursday, I unfortunately had to miss the panel on politics and medicine, but I did hear from a friend that it was incredible. On Friday, we ended Women’s Health Week by attending a social at Wrong Iron. While it was mostly medical students, it was still very fun to hang out with some of my classmates and talk about all the changes we hope to see/make in medicine throughout our medical school journeys and future careers. As we were discussing all our grand ideas, I came up with an idea for a club, so stay tuned as I try to get it up and running soon.
Outside of all these amazing learning opportunities, I was very consistent in the gym this week! I went 5 times and am really starting to feel stronger. I am upping my reps and weight, as well as feeling like my stamina and endurance during cardio are getting better. I really hope I can keep this up throughout the year.
This weekend was also very busy! On Friday, after the social, I went to a Halloween Party. The party was really fun because the T1 band, the Ultrasounds, performed live. They did such an amazing job, and it was so cool to go to a party with live music! It was also fun to dress up. Like I said a few blogs ago, my real costume is Tate McRae, which I will wear on real Halloween, so for this, I dressed up as a puck bunny (bringing a little bit of Canada down South lol). It was fun to see the costumes my classmates wore. The party was a good time, but I did not stay out late since we had a mandatory online event the next morning. The event was called Residency Day, where we were taught a lot about how medical school works to prepare us for residency, what we have to do to best prepare us for the match, and tips for choosing what path we want to go down. This motivated me to schedule more shadowing opportunities with different physicians in various fields so I can see more of what is available to me; so this upcoming week, I will be shadowing a neurologist, and the week after that, a radiologist. I am also shadowing an endocrinologist in November, and I reached out to a PM&R physician to see when I could shadow them. I would also love to shadow an anesthesiologist, an OB/GYN, a sleep doctor, and a gastroenterologist. There are so many fields of medicine, so I am sure this list will grow. Either way, I am very excited for what lies ahead and all the different fields I will get to observe/try. After residency day, I studied for a bit before heading to the Krewe of Boo pregame and parade with my friends. My friend Lindsey hosted the pregame at her insanely cute and well-decorated apartment, before we all made our way to Canal St for the actual parade. Krewe of Boo is the annual Halloween parade here in NOLA, and it was my first New Orleans parade (it did not disappoint). I did not know that people in the parade throw various random items into the crowd from their floats, so I came home with a new plastic cup, some beads, and some candy. The floats were extravagant, the music was loud, and the performers were fun to watch. I was told this parade was small compared to Mardi Gras, so stay tuned for my recap of my first Mardi Gras season coming up in early 2027. I am really excited, but also a little nervous about how insane the city will get during that time. After the parade, I studied some more and went to bed. Sunday was a very productive yet social day for me. It started with a café meetup at Le Boulangerie with some of my classmates. I tried a croque monsieur for the first time, which was pretty good, before we all headed to the Uptown library for a big day of studying. In between the café and the library, I stopped at a trinket store and got a cute new piece of art for my apartment (photo below). Once I got to the library, I locked in and got a lot done! Post-library, I headed to Trader Joe’s for my weekly grocery run, then called my parents for a quick catch-up, and then headed to the gym. Post-gym, I studied some more and then watched Quinn Hughes’s return to Vancouver. So sad we lost to Minnesota and let him score, but that was expected when he’s the best defenceman in the NHL against the 26/27 Vancouver Canucks (praying this time gets better at some point). I miss having Quinn on my team, but that’s life. Now I am writing my blog and preparing for another jam-packed week. I am really excited for this week since Halloween is so close, and because I will be shadowing a neurologist. I will let you all know how it goes in my next blog. Till then, have a safe and fun Halloween!
