Finally...an update!

My apologies for taking so long to write an update. The past week or so has been absolutely nuts! I am officially finished with October (thank God!!) and with the 4 weeks of testing that it entailed. I survived anatomy and we've moved on to "Cellular Processes," a.k.a. biochemistry. The biggest transition between the two cores is that we now have 4 hours of lecture each morning instead of only 1-2 hours of lecture with 1-2 hours of lab. I realize that 4 hours is only half of my day and that it truly isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes it's a little rough to get through. Even though biochem isn't the most thrilling topic I've ever studied (not that it's the most boring subject I've studied either), I'm learning quite a bit. Actually, the more I study cells and the longer I'm in school, the more I realize how truly incredible it is that our bodies work and work correctly (for the most part) all the time. It's hard for me to not sit in class in awe of the biochemical processes inside of me that are taking place without me even noticing or controlling them. 

Beyond lecture, this week has also been a busy one. Wednesday morning I got my flu shot. This really wasn't anything that took much time or kept me all that busy, but there has been some talk between my classmates about whether or not they were going to get one. Although this was actually my first flu shot (I'm really not sure why I haven't been on top of this in past years), it was a no-brainer for me. Several of my classmates don't want to get one and quite the ethical conversation has sparked from that. I personally think it is our ethical responsibility as healthcare providers to be up-to-date on all of our vaccinations, the flu shot included. This year they were offered at no cost for the students (well I'm sure the cost was worked into our tuition somehow...) and they were given right on campus, so there's not even an excuse that you couldn't make it to the clinic site. I think that as healthcare providers we have a responsibility to our patients to protect them from any sort of diseases that we could give to them. For me, it's akin to washing your hands before an examination or using sterilization procedures before a surgery. We spend quite a bit of energy protecting ourself from diseases that we could possibly acquire from patients by using standardized precautions (basically if it's wet, sticky and not mine, I am to wear gloves/mask/eye protection/gown/etc), I don't understand why we wouldn't give our patients the same treatment. But in the end, each of us get to decide whether or not we feel comfortable getting the shot. 

On Thursday, I visited my preceptor for the third time. I actually got to interview and examine a few patients on my own before the doctor came in. As we progress in our education, we get more opportunities to do this. I know that each of us are thankful for these patient-encounter opportunities. There was nothing truly that remarkable about this visit...nothing to write home about, at least. Regardless, it was a great experience!

Friday wrapped up my hellish 4 weeks of examinations with my first "Objectively Structured Clinical Examination" (OSCE). Truthfully, I didn't even know what OSCE stood for until I just googled it. But essentially it is a clinical skills examination. We will have one more of these this year and then two during each the 2nd and 4th years. They get progressively more complicated as our training develops. This OSCE was supposed to represent "normal" everything, although some of the standardized patients actually didn't have normal examination results. I don't think I can actually talk about the questions on the examination because questions are used for several years and it's a test required for medical students across the nation...I know that some of my friends reading this will be experiencing an OSCE in next few years and I don't want to give away all of the fun! I didn't realize I would be as nervous for it as I ended up being, but I think it went well! The standardized patients and the M4 students who graded us were all very nice. After our OSCEs (Megan and I just happened to be scheduled for the last exam period on Friday afternoon...what luck!) we enjoyed some cupcakes from Jones Bros cupcakes. What a great way to celebrate the end of a difficult month! I also supported the students fundraising for their medical mission trips over spring break by going to a wine tasting at a local wine store. It was quite fun!  It was also a nice way to celebrate the end of a tough 4 weeks, and more importantly the official end of our first core of our M1 year. I'm still trying to process how the past 11 weeks went by so quickly! It's absolutely mind-boggling!! 

This morning I had quite the wonderful experience. As many of you know, I have been involved in HIV/AIDS prevention education for the past 7 years or so (holy moley, has it really been that long?!?). When I came to UNMC, I was worried that I wouldn't have any time to continue with peer education of that sort because it had become a real passion of mine over the years. Luckily, there is a program associated with Douglas County Correctional Facility where med and nursing students from UNMC and Creighton go and complete chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. There's actually a program that they're implementing within the next year in association with the state department and Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP) to do HIV testing, which is totally awesome! But anyway, Douglas county, for whatever reasons, has the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the country!! The numbers for Douglas county are astounding...significantly higher than the national and state average. To try and reverse this, the Do JuSTIce program was created. It was so much fun! We give a short presentation on common STD/STIs and prevention methods, and then test those who would like to be tested. It's quick and completely pain-free. The best part of the whole situation is that we test for the STDs that can be treated...and treated easily. This is great news from a public health standpoint so that, hopefully, overall rates of infection decrease within the county. I seriously feel lucky to be part of this group! Earlier this week I attended the training for the HIV testing program and am excited for it to get started soon. I know that many of my classmates are nervous about the idea of being in a jail with inmates talking about that icky, awkward subject of sex, but I found this morning that actually the men I talked to were far more interested and mature than many of the college students I gave presentations to in the past 4 years. It's interesting how that works out, eh? Later this week we will go back to give treatment to those who need it. Love, love, love! I finally felt like I was back in my element for the first time since school started. I may have also used my stunning good looks to convince a few men to get tested...I guess you have to use the tools you have at your disposal...? Haha I'm so hilarious, I crack myself up. 

This upcoming week will also be a busy one, but thankfully one without an exam. Thank you to each of you that has supported me throughout this transition to school. I'm still doing the best I can to get used to this whole graduate school thing and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for each of you. Happy Mo-vember y'all (No-shave November?...whichever floats your boat!)!!