First Month Recap

  Volunteer Hours (March): 16 hours                                                                                 Volunteer Hours (Total): 25.5 hours We are officially in the home stretch! This month flew by so quick. We had our last full round of exams, which covered neuropharm and psychopharm. Both were very interesting topics that I really enjoyed learning about, especially the anxiety unit and the schizophrenia unit. This month has also been really busy with presentations. I had 3 presentations this month, and my last one is next week. Graduation is around the corner, so it has been exciting prepping for that experience. I am just excited to almost have my second degree! It really has been an amazing year in this program and I am so gratefu...

 Volunteer Hours: 9.5 hours  This month has covered two different modules. We first started with the endocrine unit, which was interesting to deepen my understanding of this topic. We have briefly discussed topics that are covered in the endocrine module, so I felt like we got a nice introduction to this module. I also really enjoyed learning about the mechanisms of diabetes, especially since there are people that I am close with who have diabetes. This was actually one of my top three topics that I enjoyed the most to learn about. The second module that we covered was the neuropharmacology. I also found this module interesting, especially learning about strokes, addiction, and Alzheimer's. My grandmother passed away from Alzheimer's when I was in middle school. So I particularly found it intriguing to learn about. Overall this was a great month for academic content. This month was also the beginning of my program, Tulane Birthing Companion. I had training earlier this month, ...

-Community Service Hours: 0 The Christmas break was nice and very much needed, but it is nice to be back and getting back acclimated to a school schedule. The semester is officially started and in full swing, and we started with my favorite unit thus far. I have a strong interest in ObGyn, so the reproduction module was fascinating and I loved having the chance to gain a broader and deeper understanding pertaining to reproduction. We are currently in the endocrine unit, which isn't my favorite but it is interesting to learn about. We also have started presentations, and it is double the amount we had last semester. I don't enjoy public speaking, so it has definitely taken me some time to try and get adjusted. We have great professors though, that are very encouraging and understanding, so that is always a bonus.  This month I didn't get a chance to sign up for any volunteering, but the Tulane Birthing Companion program starts this semester, and we have our first orientation...

  Volunteer Hours: 3 hours This month, we had our last round of exams of the semester, and it is so surreal to know that I have just completed my first semester of graduate school. This first semester went by extremely quick. I feel like I have grown and learned so much in just these last four months. I have effectively learned study methods that are advantageous to me and information that is not only key to the program but also to my MCAT studying. Tulane has awarded me with an abundance of opportunities that are beneficial to my journey to medicine. I got accepted through Tulane to become a birth companion, so I should have some interesting and fun blogs for the next semester.  I had the opportunity to end this semester with some volunteer hours at my church, making donation bags for the nursing home that contained some sanitary items and clothing (socks, toothpaste, lotion, soap, etc). We not only made the donation bags, but personally went to the nursing home and interacte...

 November came and flew by, but it was a great month. With only a few weeks left in the semester, I am officially almost halfway through my first semester of Graduate School! This month we covered both the  Renal Unit and the GI Unit. I did a summer of research covering pediatric nephrology, so I really enjoyed the Renal Unit, and solidifying my knowledge of the kidney. The GI unit was interesting as well, we are currently gearing up for our last round of exams, and so far I am enjoying this unit as well. Dr. Datta is a phenomenal professor, and I really like the way she lectures.  Aside from the curriculum, I was able to volunteer at a food pantry called Common Ground Relief. This pantry is located in the lower ninth ward and was founded initially as a disaster relief program to help the community after Hurricane Katrina. Every Saturday from 10-2 they are open, and they give fresh food to the community, no questions asked and it doesn't matter who you are. I have really ...

 The month of October has been a busy month with our curriculum. We arrived at our cardiovascular unit, which I have been warned was and is one of the most difficult units. I found that the difficulty stems from the quantity of content but also the depth of how much we have to comprehend of the content. Now that I am through the first round of exams for this unit, I can say that I enjoyed learning this unit. It was difficult, but the information we are learning is beneficial for long-term use in medical school as well as once we reach physician status. The heart is a unique and complicated organ, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into its glory.  Socially, this month I got the opportunity to attend one of the events BMSSA hosted at Urban Brewery with a few of my friends from class. Although by the time we arrived, the tab for the event was out, I had a great time catching up outside of an academic environment.  Lastly, this month I participated in my first community service...