"The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease"

The title of this entry comes from a quote by Sir Willian Osler. I hope that I can always keep that wisdom in mind as a physician-in-training and as a future physician. It gives my whole experience purpose, even when med school gets tough. And boy is it tough. Last week we had our first block exams. I'm glad that they're over, but I didn't do as well as I was hoping to. I did really well on my histology exam, ok on Anatomy, but not so well in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Although it was quite disappointing because I know how hard I worked, I've learned a lot from my block 1 exams. Here's what I learned:

1. It's hard to get down on yourself when you live on a beautiful Caribbean island! It's pretty easy to let your frustrations go with a relaxing trip to the beach while watching the sun set over the ocean sitting on soft, white sand.

2. Fortunately Block 1 exams are not worth a large percentage of the overall grade. I now have the chance to adjust my studying and do much better on the rest of my exams, now knowing what to expect. Although I was disappointed, I was also inspired to do better. It made me think of this clip from Remember the Titans

I have to change the way I listen in lectures. I have to change the way I study. I have to change the way I review. 

3. I learned about the importance of details. There were a lot of details that I didn't study that ended up being on the exams. It was a lot more specific than I was anticipating. At first I was a little annoyed because it's hard to know all the nit-picky little details, especially with the amount of information we're presented with. But then I thought to my future patients. What if I ignored a small detail in their treatment? What if I ignored a small detail in their health history? What if I ignored a small detail about their symptoms? It could have a profound effect on their future health. Details ARE important, and I'm glad I realize that now so that it can translate to the care of my future patients. 

4. I'm glad I have my family here with me on the island. When people find out that I'm married and have a baby they tell me, I generally hear from them, "Oh that must be so hard!" In some ways that is true. Sometimes I have to stop studying to take care of my daughter. Sometimes it's hard to focus with her crying in the background. Sometimes I don't sleep very well because she wakes up a few times every night. (side note: the other day we moved her into her own bedroom to sleep at night and my wife said, "I feel like I'm sending her off to college!" Haha she's growing up so fast!) But what they don't realize is that I have a TON of moral support! I have a wonderful wife who is always encouraging me and telling me, "You can do it! You are so smart!" Not to mention she takes care of the baby, keeps the house clean, and makes me dinner! It's nice to know that I can focus on my studies and that I don't have to worry about taking time out of my day to cook and clean. She is so WONDERFUL to do those things for me! Also my daughter gives me a great big smile every time I come home from school. It not only makes me happy, but it keeps me focused knowing that I'm not just doing med school for me, but for my family. 

5. I am learning to trust more in my Savior Jesus Christ through hard times. Looking back on the quote I used for the title "The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease." Christ is our Great Physician. He knows us personally and know exactly what we are all going through.

I am excited for Block 2 and am confident that I will do much better!

Week 1 and White Coat

Week 1 is in the books! And week 1 was spent in the books haha! It's only been 3 days, but it feels like I've learned a whole semester's worth of stuff. It has been described to us like drinking from a firehose! Kinda like this:

We just get blasted with so much information at once, and we have to inhale it all somehow. There is no time for play, just study, study, study. I just have to maintain a good attitude. I have to keep finding ways of how to apply the information that I learn in a clinical setting, and look for how the things I learn can help my future patients. It's hard sometimes, especially when learning about cells or amino acids. But it's all connected.

So my general schedule is like this:

7am wake up

8am Molecular and Cell Biology

9:30am Anatomy Lecture

10:30am Histology

11:30am-12:30pm go home, eat lunch, change into my scrubs

1:00pm Anatomy Lab (cadaver dissection)

3:00pm STUDY

7:00pm eat dinner

8:00pm review material for the following day

10:00pm go to bed

Every 2 weeks or so we will also have a class called Intro to Clinical Medicine where we begin to learn in a hands-on way how to be physicians from taking a medical history to performing physical examinations. So this is my weekday schedule (monday-friday), and on Saturday I plan to spend at least half of the day reviewing the previous week's material, and spending the rest of the day running errands, spending time with my wife and daughter, and enjoying the beautiful island of St. Maarten. On Sunday we go to church from 9am-12pm, and I hope to keep the rest of the day mostly free from studying and treat it like the Day of Rest that God intended it to be. 

This has worked for me so far, and I hope I can keep it up. Medical school requires a lot of hard work, and I really respect all physicians who have gone before me because they did this once too. It's hard, but it's doable. 

On Friday we had our white coat ceremony. It was a formal introduction to the field of medicine. Unfortunately it was 3 hours long and messed up my Friday study schedule haha. It reminded me of a graduation ceremony. There were speakers, and then each of us medical students were called up one by one and given our white coats. 

For many, this was a great celebration. Yes, celebrations are deserved for actually making it to medical school, which is not an easy task. But to me, I felt like this is just the beginning of a long road. Many had parties planned following the ceremony, but I was not interested in the least bit. The white coat ceremony really opened my eyes as to how much hard work and effort this would take. I came here to study medicine not to party, so I went home and studied. I have set some high goals for myself this semester and I want to work hard to achieve them. 

But don't think that I won't have any fun while being here! First off, every night when I go home I have a wife and daughter happy to see me! Playing with my baby girl is a lot of fun. I wouldn't be able to make it through med school without them! I also find time to watch BYU Football! And I know I will find time to explore the paradise of St. Maarten. 

Pre-Med School Adventures (Photos)