Block Exams...Round One

I'm writing a quick update because I have had several people ask why I haven't written a blog entry in a while. In our program, on top of our regular assignments, quizzes, etc, we have block exams - which are exams that happen at the end of every month. They happen over the course of two days and we have an exam in each of our courses. This semester, since we have five courses, we have five exams in the two days, plus our anatomy practical, in which they basically stick a bunch of pins in the cadavers and we have to identify the structures that the pins are sticking in to, as well as answer whatever other questions they ask pertaining to those structures (for example, which nerve innervates the muscle they are pointing to, or which blood vessel supplies it, or which function it performs).

Our first round of block exams start Friday - so we have exams Friday and Monday. Studying for these exams is pretty crazy -- the exams are worth 70-100% of our "block" mark, depending on the course, so they are quite obviously really important. In the past three days, I have been at the school for over 45 hours, studying my tail off. I'll admit, it's been pretty stressful. I've got a pretty awesome study group - we work really well together and it's been really helpful working through things them. We've been using the study rooms in the library, then catching the bus home at 10pm. By the time I get home (around 1030), I'm exhausted, and have just enough energy to have a shower and wash the sweat, tears, and cadaver juice from the day off, and jump in to bed. Just to do it all over again. I do have LOTS to write home about, but it will have to wait until these exams are over. I assure you all, I am alive and well!

More to come soon! 

XOXO

It's a sweet sweet life, livin' by the salty sea

So another week has passed and it was an exciting one! It's hard to believe we have finished two weeks of classes already (although by the amount of material we've covered in classes you'd think it was four). 

We had our first test of the year on Friday (in histology...shoot me now) but it went pretty well considering its the scariest subject for me. We have three more tests this week so the studying and cramming feels never ending. 

The island is generally noisy which is a little frustrating for studying. At any given time you are guaranteed to hear one or more of the following: dogs barking, noisy beaten up cars with post factory stereos driving by, the famous orchestra of chickens, loud people...fighting, partying, or laughing, drum band practice which happens almost nightly up the street, ice cream truck that plays the super Mario theme song and tends to hang around the area for at least one hour intervals. The list goes on. Second biggest frustration: lack of vehicle. The bus for the school takes us there, leaves at 3, 5(when our classes typically end) and then not again until 10pm. So, if you need to stay after school is over to buy groceries, meet with a study group or work on a group project or anything like that...you're pretty much stuck till 10 at night. This makes for a very long day seeing as we get to school at 7am. I will stop complaining, life here is generally pretty sweet and I wouldn't give up what I'm doing for anything. 

The cadaver lab continues to be pretty sweet. On our second day in there we dissected the upper back muscles, opened the spine, and went into the spinal cord to see the different layers. 

I joined AMSA (the American Medical Students association) which is a nation wide club for medical students. We have a division of this at our school which will provide us with different learning workshops for free and hook us up with different volunteer opportunities and whatnot in the community. 

Friday night there was a welcome party on a tiny island just offshore of Anguilla called Scilly Cay. It functions as a small restaurant/bar and there is a large fishing community in that area so there are always a lot of fishing boats parked around it. A lot of the students went and a few locals as well. It was a great time and nice to get to know some of the other students outside of the classroom and have a break from studying. 

That's about all my news for now:) xoxo

Very Interesting Study on Hypertensive Medications and Dementia

I came across a study that has shown that people taking a common type of antihypertensive medication, ACE inhibitors, show slower rates of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and Vascular Dementia. As dementia is very near and dear to my heart, I found this very intriguing.  ACE inhibitors are a class of medications that are commonly used to control blood pressure. All of these medications end with -pril.

Some examples of these are:

• Captopril
• Ramipril
• Enalapril
• Lisinopril 

(And there are several several more)

The link for this article is : http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264008.php

for anyone who wants to check it out :)

Forgot to mention...

One last thing...I forgot to mention, one of the hardest things I've been struggling with. It has been so hard for me to SIT...ALL DAY LONG! For YEARS...I have had jobs, where I am on my feet running around all day long. Now, sitting in class all day long is such a challenge. Maintaining focus for so many hours is difficult. We get short breaks during and in between classes where I always take advantage and have a quick stretch or walk, and that's it. Then, we go home and night, and sit some more while we study, study, study. This has definitely been a tough adjustment!

Med School is tough...and some other random discoveries

It's about a week and a half into the start of school now. Classes have picked up in speed quickly and things are already quite busy so I will have to keep this pretty quick and to the point, but wanted to give everybody an update about how things have been going since I haven't really been able to talk to many people with all of the studying I have been doing! The thing I'm about to talk about may seem random and all over the place, but here goes!

• School has been totally great so far. It's awesome being around so many other students with similar interests and goals. The upper year students around the school are very helpful, always willing to answer questions and give advice about what to study, how to study, what professors are like, and what to do around the island, and just about anything you might need to know. They will approach you often and ask how things are going, which is so nice!
• Classes are TOUGH...and tiring. We have eight hours of classes from Monday - Friday. We catch the bus at 7am and usually get home around 5:30pm unless we stay at the school late for something. Histology is especially tough for me because I have barely any background in the subject (such as cell biology/molecular biology/organic chemistry). I have to do a lot of extra studying for this. There is also an extra review group a few times a week at lunch that I am going to go to for extra practice so hopefully I will do OK. We already have a test this week, three next week, and five exams at the end of the month.

I talked earlier about a crazy big spider that Lisa and I saw when she was here visiting. I am pretty sure it was actually a tarantula! There have been lots of crazy spider sightings around the island - here are a couple of pictures (props to the students brave enough to take pics of them when they have been spotted -- Lisa and I certainly weren't brave enough!!)  

• Did anyone ever play that South Park nintendo game about 15 years ago where you had to run around and kill as many chickens as possible? Those chickens made a really annoying noise. That noise can be heard about 20/24 hours a day around here. There are chickens everywhere - and they are as loud as you could possible imagine!
• I discovered a Mango tree right in our yard with awesome, juicy Mangos. Nice! (ooh, and Free :)
• I (almost) adopted a dog. There was an old, limpy dog that was spending a whole lot of time on my front porch in the shade. He was very timid at first but later started letting me pet him and wouldn't run away as we approached him. I started feeling bad, wondering "whatever will he do when we leave in a year and a half?". I even named him, "Bruno". A couple days ago I found out he actually belongs to the neighbour (our busdriver) and just likes our company, and his name is Toro! Don't feel so bad now :)
• We had a lizard in our classroom the other day. Some mean medical student crushed it and threw it in the garbage. Yuck. Anyone ever heard of catch and release?
• Yesterday we had our first day of Anatomy lab. We are dissecting human cadavers this semester. The first day was pretty easy - we started skinning the back of the body. We didn't really get to see any internal structures, other than the different layers of skin and a little bit of muscles. It was a good day for students to get accustomed to the bodies and the different dissection tools. Starting the dissection really did not bother me at all. The nurse in me, however, did find myself thinking about this person before they died - about them making the decision to donate their body for medical research, and about their family going over the procedure follow their death with whichever agency organized it. I have had patients that have adamantly wanting to donate organs and body parts to research and it is a very noble decision.

 

My Roommate Rachel and I on are first day of Anatomy Labs 

Well..it's time for Embryology class now :) Xoxox

First Day of Class

Today was the first real day of classes. We had an orientation day yesterday, but it was just a day to get to know other students, sign policies, and get to know the very tiny school campus. I woke up early around 0600, which is not a problem on the island because there is an orchestra of roosters that can be heard starting around that time, and the sun rises long before that. My roommates and I caught the school bus at 0700 (which is actually a van which holds about 9 students plus the driver and his buddy). Lucky for us, the bus driver lives next door so we never have to worry about missing the bus. A lot of the other students weren't so lucky, and we heard several complaints later in the day that they just never got picked up. They all made it one way or another.

My roommate Michael and I in front of the school before the start of the first day (our other roommate Rachel missed the picture because her husband was leaving the island to head back to Canada and they were saying their goodbyes)

Although we were in the classroom more than a half hour early, the front six rows were already jammed with people. This competitive nature is not what I am used to! Usually a third row seat is easily attainable. It didn't help that at least half of the people sitting in them were in the six-foot range. I had to settle for a seat about 2/3rds of the way back right in front of one of the flat screen TVs so I knew I at least had a good view of the presentation and set up shop for the day.

The first class was Anatomy from 0800-1000, Doctor Pocheko did a brief introduction and then dove into a ton of material. We have a couple of brand new doctors teaching the course and they sat at the back of the room to observe the class. Anatomy was followed by Histology from 1000-1200. That class was more laid back and informal, but Dr. Okorie insisted we should enjoy it because it wasn't going to last past today. The last class today was Embryology from 1300-1500, taught by Dr. Villagomez. She was very fast paced, but knowledgeable. She is from Bolivia, and has taught in many places throughout the world, including University of Toronto. Class ended early today at 1500 because labs don't start until next week, so we are studying (and writing my blog) at the school since we still do not have internet at home. Exams are going to happen every four weeks so it will be very important to stay on top of material. And stay topped up on caffeine!

Until next time! Xoxox