This week was another eventful week in my life. Mostly academic, but always time for a little fun throughout.
Monday started with a lecture-filled morning, followed by our first Physiology Case-Based Learning Session, where we went over a fictional, yet realistic case about an older woman going through sepsis, and its effects on her cardiovascular physiology. It was interesting to see how the physiology we are learning in class truly relates to cases we will see in patients, because sometimes when we learn it, it feels so arbitrary. After class, I spent most of the evening studying before going to the gym.
Tuesday morning was again spent in lectures, but my afternoon was very different. I spent it in-clinic shadowing a neurologist. I never thought about neurology as a serious consideration for myself, but after spending the afternoon shadowing one, it is something I will have to look into more. It was so cool to see the variety of cases neurologists see, from things like Alzheimer’s and dementia, to autoimmune diseases that affect the nerves, to issues that affect sensory feeling and touch. The range of their work is so vast, and their day-to-day can be very variable based on how they split their time between clinic or procedures. I really enjoyed my afternoon shadowing and asked to come back in the near future to get a better idea of what other days look like. Post-shadowing, I studied and once again headed to the gym.
Wednesday was a jam-packed day with no breaks. It started with our usual morning lectures, followed by a lunch-time training session where current students could learn about how to get involved in admissions and supporting future interview days for prospective students. I loved my interview day because all the students who were there made me see/envision myself as a future student at Tulane, so I want to do my part in paying that forward and making future students excited to be part of such a great school. After that, we had an afternoon filled with hands-on ultrasound, EKG, and heart sound practice. We rotated through three stations where we learned about these different tools to study the normalities and abnormalities of the heart. It is always fun to have hands-on practice with various procedures, tools, and techniques, so I love these kinds of sessions. After that, I had another SCiM session. This time, we had an incredible emergency physician, Dr. Jordan Vaughn, come speak to our group. She is a physician, but also a leader working for the city on initiatives that reduce violence to help make New Orleans neighbourhoods safer and healthier, particularly for children. The work she does is incredibly inspiring, as she makes real and tangible changes that can save the lives of kids. For example, she spoke about how they now have a program where social workers are able to come and de-escalate certain emergency 9-1-1 situations. She also supported a program where they hand out free safe gun storage units to families to ensure children cannot access firearms in homes where no proper storage is used, saving the lives of countless children. She talked a lot about how different structural factors in communities can perpetuate cycles of violence and the work she is leading to help break those cycles. One of those factors includes empty lots and buildings. Transforming them into green spaces can reduce the likelihood of violence occurring in those spaces. Her talk was super thoughtful, and I really liked it. After SCiM, I studied some more and went to the gym again.
Thursday morning was spent doing lectures, followed by a quick TLC group meeting with my faculty member at lunch. After lunch, we had a talk about mental health care and suicide prevention for medical students. It was great that we got to talk about these topics openly and learn about the various resources we have on campus to help us get the help we need. I then spent the rest of the afternoon studying, and to no one’s surprise, going to the gym.
Friday was again spent doing lectures, studying and working out. Except, instead of my normal weight training workout, I did a Halloween-themed Pilates class with my friend Edith. It was pretty fun and a good reminder that Halloween was so soon. I feel like I did all the New Orleans Halloween activities, like the Krewe of Boo parade, the parties, seeing the different decorated houses, but I did not carve a pumpkin or watch scary movies, so I was a little bummed. It also doesn’t feel like Halloween since it’s still 25+ degrees every day, and usually sunny. Back home, it’s rainy, chilly, and all the leaves have changed colour. Because of that, I am so thrown off about where we are in the year and cannot comprehend that it is November, so I feel like I didn’t fully process that Halloween was happening, and I needed to find time to carve a pumpkin and watch scary movies. Not complaining about the weather here, just one of the things that takes time to get used to. Friday night, my friend Mia organized a game night consisting of pizza and Catan on the rooftop of one of the downtown apartments. I haven’t played Catan in years, and it was only my second time playing, so it was quite the learning curve, but it was so much fun. I want to play again so badly since I would have a way better strategy this time around. It was a perfect evening.
This is our last weekend pre-cardiovascular exam, so I spent most of the weekend studying. This block definitely feels more challenging than the previous blocks, and I stand by the fact that cardiology is something I will not go into. While studying was a big chunk of my weekend, we did have a class Halloween party on Saturday night. Before the party, my friend Tony hosted a pre-game, which was really fun. I also met some LSU med students at his pre-game who were so lovely. We then headed to the bar where the party was, and spent the evening pretending like we didn’t have an exam coming up this week. Everyone’s costumes were super creative and fun. I dressed up as Tate McRae. Post-party, I headed home and got a good night’s sleep before another exhilarating day of studying. I also made time to go to the gym and meet three of my friends, Aashana, Irene, and Akshitha, for soft serve at this super cute ice cream place called Super Witch. It was the perfect end to the weekend and Halloween.
While spooky season is officially over for everyone else, the cardiovascular exam is on Friday, so for me, it’s extra-long. See you here next week as I debrief about how it went and how I spent the weekend post-exam.
