Feeling Blessed :-)

I should be studying for my exam on Monday, but since I’ve made no progress the last couple of hours, I figured I would take a break and write up a blog post. Today I had my second standardized patient exam, and although I received great feedback at the end, I have a feeling my score will be a bit lower on this one. I was completely nervous for absolutely no reason at all, but my patient said I did pretty well despite it. I hit all my points though and even had enough time to check other systems, so hopefully I still made an A. We also had our first professional class picture taken today, in addition to individual headshots. I can’t wait to see what they look like when they come out. The photographer showed me my individual shots after she took them, and I absolutely loved them! I was happy that I had my patient exam right before I took individual head shots, because I had my stethoscope with me, and it was a great touch to my pictures. I’ll make sure to share them with you guys when they come in :-)

On another note, today marks five years since I received my bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, and it has now been a year since I received my master’s degree in the same subject. It’s absolutely crazy thinking about all the changes that have occurred in my life over the past five years. Five years ago on the day I graduated, I had absolutely no idea where my life was going. I knew I wanted to be a physician, but I had not received any acceptances into medical school, and graduation also meant that I could no longer be a student worker at the research lab I was in, so I had no idea what I was going to do about money. I also had to move out of the student apartments that I was living in the day after I graduated, so I didn’t even know where I was going to live at the time. All of this was in addition to trying to raise my daughter, who was a toddler at the time. Looking back, I honestly do not know how I managed to keep my faith through all of it, but I am glad I did because everything always seemed to fall into place exactly when I needed it to. Over the years, I have been blessed beyond measure, and because of that, I try my best to be a blessing to all those around me. Right now, I am where I have wanted to be for what feels like forever, and I get to wake up every day knowing that I am working towards fulfilling my dreams. It honestly doesn’t get any better than that. Welp, just gave myself the motivation I needed to get back to studying, so back to the books I go!

Feeling super official today :-)

Say Good-Bye to the Pre-Med and Hello to the Medical Student!

Orientation is over and my first official day as a medical student starts tomorrow! I have no idea what to expect, and the best way to describe my emotions would be a mixture of anxiety, happiness, and overall eagerness. I probably shouldn’t be too excited, because I’m pretty sure I’m about to be hit with schoolwork like a ton of bricks, but I’ve been waiting on this moment for so long! I’m finally on the right track to fulfilling my dreams, so I’m definitely excited for this new phase that I am about to enter into.

Some of the Awesome Students of GA-PCOM Class of 2018

As for the recap on orientation, I had a blast with my classmates at Dave and Buster’s, but I decided to not go to the final night events which included mini golf and a tour of the local brewery. After sitting through orientation speeches all day, I was just tired! The final day of orientation wasn’t too bad though, as we had the task of working on a class mission statement and writing ourselves a letter that we will be given back in four years at graduation. I thought this was a pretty neat idea, and hopefully I won’t read it and roll my eyes at what I wrote in four years LOL.

At graduation, I will get to read a self-written letter to myself

There were two things that were said at orientation that really stuck out at me. The first was “how you do in medical school has absolutely no bearing on your future. All you have to do is survive it.” The second was “the race is not for the swift, but for those who endure.” The first one gave me a little encouragement that I will still succeed even if I’m not the smartest or best in my class, and the second one made me reflect on my pre-med journey. As most of you are aware, getting into medical school was an extremely long and hard road for me. I endured a lot over the last few years, but by staying persistent, I’ve managed to stay on the right track. I know there are going to be way more challenges in medical school, so hopefully I’ll remember to just stay in my lane and keep going. I really don’t plan on worrying about how everyone else is doing or how I compare to them, because we do not share the same goals. My focus really will be on surviving and learning as much as I can so that my future patients can receive the best care possible.

I love getting new school supplies!

I won’t go on and on about that though because I’m trying to keep this post somewhat short. As for my last free weekend, I must say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Yesterday, I had the chance to sleep in and it was so wonderful. This morning, I was surprised with an Amazon Prime shipment on my doorstep. I just can’t get over the awesomeness of free two-day shipping and Sunday delivery! Plus, all my anatomy stuff came which is important, because we start with back dissections tomorrow. Super excited! My daughter also had a birthday party to attend today, so we spent a few hours at Chuck E. Cheese. Apparently, some of my other classmates spent the day pre-studying, but I didn’t have that luxury. Parenting never stops for me, and since I know spending time with my daughter is about to become limited, I wanted to make sure I took advantage of the opportunity. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep up with the rest of the class. But anyway, that’s it for now. I may have to start posting once a week, but I do plan on keeping up with this blog. I also plan on continuing to answer everyone’s questions, but don’t be upset if it takes me a little longer than usual. I’m a busy medical student now!  

Mid-Week Orientation Update

I just finished cooking dinner, and I have about 45 minutes until tonight’s orientation event starts, so I thought it would be a good time to update everyone.

Day 1 of Medical School Orientation!

Orientation week has been pretty great so far. On Monday morning, we completed the rest of our “housekeeping” list, which included getting our IDs and making sure everything else was good to matriculate. We were split into groups according to last names, so after lunch it was my group’s turn to complete the BLS/CPR training. I had a great instructor who really made sure we knew our stuff though, so when it was time for the exam, I passed with flying colors. After that was completed, we were free to leave, and I made it back home a few minutes after my daughter. I forgot to mention that on Sunday night, my wonderful guy drove in from New Orleans, and having him here to help out with my daughter in the afternoons has been a huge relief. It even gave me the opportunity to go out on Monday night to the karaoke event put on by the student council. That was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates (who are pretty much all awesome, btw). I even somehow ended up singing “No Scrubs” and an N’Sync song with a few of them lol.

Tuesday was a free day for the DO students, so I spent the day shopping and hanging out with my guy. There are a few other parents in the class, so I also planned an event at an indoor playground yesterday afternoon, and we all had a lot of fun with our kids and getting to know each other. The orientation event that was planned for the students yesterday evening was the Atlanta Brave’s baseball game, but I was so tired after the kid event, that I decided to give away my ticket to another student. I’m glad I did because it really allowed me to relax a little last night.

Halfway through Orientation Week!

As for today, orientation was long! We started breakfast at 8am, and then from 9-11:30 we sat in a lecture hall and listened to introductions from representatives from both the Philadelphia and Georgia campus. One of the things I love about my school is how it feels like one big family, and the administration really works hard to keep it this way. We had about a two hour break for lunch, so I ate some free food on campus, but then I came home to relax for a bit. After that we were back in the lecture hall for three hours of more talks. I think the final presentation was based on understanding different feelings and people, but it incorporated animals into the examples given, so it was very interesting. I’m not going to lie though, I was so happy that it ended early! Sitting in class from 8-5 is definitely something that I’m not used to yet, so I’m somewhat glad we’re starting it this week so that it won’t be a huge shock when we actually start classes next week.

Tomorrow we will pretty much be doing the same thing as today, but I will be a little more prepared for it. Tonight’s event is at Dave & Buster’s though, so I’m about to go have some fun! 

Gearing up for Med School Orientation!

My first week of medical school!

Orientation officially starts on Monday, but to me it feels like it started this week. Yesterday, I finally received my schedule for the first term, and to say it’s intense is an understatement. The above pic is just from the first week alone! I guess the good news is that I get to do a back dissection on the first day of class :-) 

Completing the Orientation Checklist!

In addition to receiving my schedule, I also just finished a few “housekeeping” items that need to be completed before orientation on Monday. This included part 1 of Basic Life Support training which just took me over an hour and a half to complete, but I passed! The other parts of the BLS training will be completed on Monday, and then I will be CPR-certified. I also had to complete an AACOM entrance survey, a “Learning and Study Strategies Inventory”, and a “VARK” learning style questionnaire. From these I learned I have a very strong read/write preference, and I also need to find ways to improve my self-testing and skills in selecting main ideas. I also took a trip to campus today to have my final TB reading done since I previously had it done way earlier than what was required for matriculating students.

The good part of getting ready for orientation was that I was assigned my “Big” which is a second-year student who helps guide and mentor a first-year student. We met up for lunch today, and I got some really good advice and files for my external hard drive. It’s nice to have someone to talk to who actually went through what I am about to experience in the next year. It definitely helps to ease some of the anxiety, and right now I’m feeling just about as ready as I’ll ever be for the start of my medical career. This weekend will also be my last as a non-student for the next few years, so now that everything is done, I will be thoroughly enjoying it. When my daughter got out of school today, we went straight to the movies to see the new TMNT movie, and it was awesome! So far this weekend is off to a great start, and with some great evening events planned next week for orientation, I plan on keeping up the fun until the very last minute. Stay tuned!

Excited to Join the PCOM Family!

Less than a month to go until I'm officially a medical student!!!!

Yesterday my school held a friends and family event for its incoming students, and I was happily in attendance. I had planned on attending this alone, since we were told that children weren’t allowed, but my S.O. drove from New Orleans and surprised me with a visit on Sunday, so I brought him along.

The event only lasted about three hours, with the first hour consisting of walking around different table set-ups. There were quite a few tables that had local restaurants in the area (and free food!), tables with information about a few on-campus organizations, and there were even local apartment representatives, dentists, and other community representatives available to help make the transition a little easier. It was also during this time that I met a current medical student, who is also a single mother as well. I had the chance to speak to her about what her schedule is like and how she manages raising a child while attending school full-time. It was definitely reassuring hearing that it is doable from someone in similar shoes as myself. During the second hour, we were taken into a lecture hall and given a presentation on financial aid and the resources that are available to students. There was also a bit of an ice-breaker game where we went around the room with introductions and answered questions based off the color on our name tags. My favorite part was the final hour where we were given a tour of the school. We were originally given a tour during the interview, but it did not include the anatomy lab. We finally got a chance to tour the anatomy lab this time, although we weren’t able to see the cadavers due to patient privacy issues. Being in there really made me excited for classes to start. I just hope I don’t lose the excitement once I’m knee deep in anatomy lab, LOL!

Overall, it was a good event and I had the chance to meet a few of my classmates in person. I also brought home a goodie bag full of free stuff ranging from t-shirts to some really cool Netter’s Anatomy playing cards, so I was extra happy. Orientation is only three weeks away, but I’m already starting to feel like a member of the PCOM family J

The coolest deck of playing cards ever!!!!

Paying for Medical School (Loans, Loans, and More Loans!!!!)

GA-PCOM 2014-2015 Cost of Attendance Breakdown

Attending medical school is expensive! Sure there are public medical schools where the tuition can range from $10-20K per year, but if you’re not lucky enough to get an acceptance or be a resident of the states where these schools are located, you’ll be embarking on a very expensive journey. Most medical schools have tuition in the range of $25-50K, but there are quite a few that have tuition considerably way higher than this. When I was applying last cycle, I encountered a school where the tuition alone was over $80,000! So if you are reading this and planning on applying to medical school, please be aware of the financial commitment that you will be making.

One of the most common questions I get asked when people find out that I will be attending medical school is how I am going to pay for it. My response: loans, loans, and more loans! I do not come from a family that can afford to help pay for my medical education, and as a single parent, I have the added expense of caring for a young child. I also do not plan on working while I am in medical school, because working throughout my undergraduate years took away from time that I could have been focusing on my education. This is literally my last shot to achieve my dreams, and I do not want anything to get in the way of it. If I feel that I can manage school and work down the road, then things might change, but for the first year of school, I’ll be all in.

So to answer the question of paying for medical school, I have taken out subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, along with GradPlus loans to cover the rest. All of my loans are federal loans, and I strongly encourage everyone to avoid private loans at all costs! (I took out a few as an undergraduate, but I’ll save that rant for another post.) I have also applied for a few scholarships, but I won’t know the outcome until later on.

As you can see from the above picture, most schools factor in a “cost of living” that will allow you to take out loans for room and board, supplies, transportation, etc. Basically, once my loans have taken care of tuition and school costs, I will receive a refund each term that will be used to cover my living expenses. This means I will have to carefully budget each term for around three months at a time, but for me, the amount is doable. If you are a fellow non-traditional student with a large family, you will have to take into account what your living expenses will be, and contact the school to see if they can increase your cost of living.

In a nutshell, if you really want to become a physician, do not be discouraged by the price. Federal loans are readily available, and if you’re willing to write a few essays, there are scholarships as well. Thinking about repaying loans can be overwhelming, but there are also a ton of programs that can help you pay down your loans when you graduate and even some that offer loan forgiveness. Also, everyone who I have spoken with has assured me that paying off medical school loans is possible within ten years, but it may require frugal living for a while. If you’re like me, then medical school will probably be the biggest investment that you ever make in life, so I hope this post helped make the decision a little bit easier. 

Au Revoir, Louisiana! Hello, Georgia!

Our last night in Louisiana :-)

The past week has been super busy and even more stressful, but I’m back!!!! On Thursday, I said goodbye to life in Louisiana and hello to a new beginning in Georgia.

Last Monday, I moved out of my apartment in Baton Rouge and spent a few days in NOLA. This was supposed to be a relaxing time, but I still had some goodbyes to make and there were a few places that I just had to visit before I left. On my last night in Louisiana, I was super excited because I had the chance to have dinner with Dr. Angela Green and get some last minute advice from her. I love meeting people, and talking to her really reassured me of my ability to do great in medical school. (If you haven’t checked out her Minority Women in Medicine interview yet, then CLICK HERE!)

Over a decade of friendship!

On Thursday morning, I started the drive to Georgia extra early, but I couldn’t leave without seeing a very good friend of mine since childhood. She didn’t even mind that it was six in the morning, LOL. I was back on the road a few minutes after that, and the rest of my drive was fairly smooth until I reached the downtown Atlanta area. I had previously lived close to Atlanta during my high school years, but for some reason I completely forgot about the traffic! It held me up for a bit, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the house, my S.O. was still an hour and a half behind me with the truck, and he left before me! I had also assumed that the people I knew would be available to help, but that turned out to not work too well since I asked the day before and they had work obligations. I was so tired from the drive that I was just going to move the beds in and worry about the other stuff the next day, but a neighbor saw us struggling and asked to help out. We had everything moved in the house in less than an hour! I was so happy! The best part of the day though was the box of anatomy, pathology, and microbiology flashcards left on the counter for me by the student I am renting from. It definitely got me pumped for school, and I am sure I will be using them frequently.

What better housewarming gift than med school flashcards?!?!

Other than that, the rest of my time here has been pretty peaceful. My internet wasn’t set up until the weekend, so I have not responded to any e-mails, but I will be doing so shortly. My daughter is also happy with the move and adjusting pretty well. We spent the 4th of July shopping, and today I took her to her first dine-in movie theatre. She has been having a blast, and tomorrow she will be going to spend a week or two with her cousins who don’t live too far from me. That will give me enough time to get her registered for school and take care of all the stuff I need to do before classes start. My S.O. had to drive back to NOLA to take care of his mother for the next month or two, so that means I will have the next couple of weeks to myself. I’m looking forward to relaxing and really enjoying the last few weeks I have to really be free. Only a month and a half left to go!

Her first dine-in movie theatre experience

Saying Goodbye to Research and Hello to Medical School!

Goodbye LSU-SVM, Hello GA-PCOM!!!!

Wow, what a week! Today after four long years, I officially ended my career as a research associate, and in six days I will be making my move to Georgia and beginning my journey to becoming a physician.

This entire week has been an emotional roller coaster! I have absolutely loved my work over the years, but I am happy that I will finally have some time to unwind in the upcoming weeks. But as much as I have loved research in parasitology, I am happier that I get to go on and pursue my true passion now. I am sad to be leaving a project that I have worked so hard on, and I really hope some of the efforts that I was involved in hopefully lead to the prevention and eradication of at least one neglected tropical disease. The good news is that we had another paper published a few weeks ago, so things are definitely moving along. I'm certainly going to miss all the craziness of the lab, and I'm even more excited that I can now say that I have never been bit by an animal or accidentally stabbed with a needle in the lab!!!! I don’t think anyone else who has ever worked in the lab can claim this title, and it is certainly not an easy feat!

Gifts from an awesome student worker and friend :-)

But overall, my last day was pretty good. One of my wonderful student workers surprised me with some awesome gifts, red velvet cake (my favorite), and a card that almost made me cry. My boss even came and took us all out for lunch (my daughter included), and he gave me an awesome book that I will add to my LSU memory collection. I am blessed to have worked with some wonderful people in my time as a research associate, and today I was reminded of that. Over the years, I have also had the chance to mentor a few undergraduate students, and I know that they will all go very far in whatever career paths they decide to pursue.

Going to miss my awesome boss!

I have lived in Louisiana since 2005, and this will be the longest amount of time I’ve ever spent anywhere in my life. My lease is up on Monday, so I will be packing and getting things in order this entire weekend. From there, I will spend a few days in New Orleans and hopefully meet up with some awesome people and say goodbye to a few close friends. I’m going to miss the food, the culture, the people, and most of all the food, but nothing beats living your dreams! 

Registered for Classes and Less Than Two Months to Go!

Registered for my first term courses at GA-PCOM!!!!

I’m officially registered for classes this fall!!!! I received an e-mail from the registrar Friday night with the above information, and it made my entire week. Everything is definitely starting to feel real now, and I can’t wait for classes to start in August.

With that being said, this weekend has been a very productive one. I stayed home from work on Friday due to a very strong case of angioedema (ie my lip swells up at random times for no complete reason), and I took advantage of the time by getting a head start on my packing. My room is now completely packed (and clean) along with my daughter’s, and I will pack the kitchen next weekend. I also went ahead and submitted my applications for electricity and gas service. I’ve never had to pay for gas as part of utilities, so I was completely confused with all the different choices they offered. Fortunately, I have family in Georgia, so a quick phone call saved the day. As of right now, cable and internet are still in the air, but I plan on setting that up within the next day or two.

With most of the hard stuff being out of the way, this week should be relatively easy. My last day of work will be Friday, but I’ll most likely be leaving early every day since my daughter will be spending the week at work with me again. Additionally, my insurance will be ending after this week, and I have a ton of sick leave saved up, so I definitely plan on getting in some last minute doctor appointments this week. Oh, and the moving truck has been reserved, so that makes things even more official. July 3^rd will be the start of a new chapter as we make our way to Georgia, and that day can’t get here fast enough!