
Can you find his deltopectoral triangle?
It’s week 3 at Ross and the pressure is on. It has become readily apparent how easy it is to fall behind and why some of us aren’t going to make it through. The amount of material given to us is snowballing and whatever we don’t cover in lecture is our responsibility to learn before Mini I, the first big exam. With all the work and the rampant rumors about how treacherous the minis are (how they’re designed to weed out half of the class, how professors lie about what and what not to study), I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed. Add to that some sad news from home and a longing for familiar company and…well, I really could use a big hug.
But all is not as dismal as it sounds. Even though I’ve been studying for 5~6 hours a day, my eyes have not yet begun to bleed. I’ve created an intricate schedule that is designed to maximize my study time and I’m currently working on ways to improve efficiency. I’ve found a good study group for biochem and am in the process of organizing another for anatomy. And even though it still feels like we’re all acquaintances, I’ve found a few people here that I can laugh with, which is my chief criteria in selecting friends. Hopefully, instead of becoming desolate, I’ll be forged by the difficulties ahead and remain steadfast and focused. I didn’t come here to get sent home after the first exam.
Today, I had my first Problem-Based Learning (PBL) session, which is easily the most enjoyable class I’ve had so far. In PBL, a group of eight (or so) students must discuss a case or scenario and ultimately, diagnose a patient. We’re given information about the patient in bits and pieces (today, we received 3 pieces of the puzzle) and each case is discussed for three weeks. At the end of the third week, we must reach a decision about what we think is wrong with the patient and recommend a course of treatment. It’s really quite fascinating. I’d love to tell you all about our case (it’s a really interesting one) but even though it’s theoretical, we’re not permitted to discuss it with anyone other than our colleagues (doctor/patient confidentiality!), so I’ll just mention what my research topic is for next week’s discussion: viable chromosomal abnormalities and mental development of individuals who present with them. Trust me, it’s scintillating!
I’m excited about tomorrow’s dissection of the scapular region. It won’t be as easy to see the muscles as it would be on Mr. BBQ Muscles above but I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge…