On Friday the DOs, DPMs, DPTs and PAs had our white coat ceremony. You will probably see pictures posted in the blog which were taken immediately after. The white coat ceremony is tradition for most medical school students when they first start medical school or in their second year. DMU adopted the tradition in the late 90’s. In this event, the incoming or first year students gather together, in our case at the event center in downtown Des Moines, and are brought up to the stage individually to have their white coat put on them by a doctor in the student’s respective field. It was a neat experience to be able to stand up there and essentially undertake the duties and responsibilities as a student in my profession. The talks given by the deans of each college and the president of DMU were very humbling but also inspirational as to what the white coat represents and how we get to take that upon ourselves.
As I type, its raining out here in Des Moines. The weather seems to be cooling off and the leaves on some trees are beginning to change color. It seems like autumn will be upon us before we know it. As the season changes here, for me it’s as if a season of life is changing as well. For a while I’ve been in a season of preparation, working and preparing for this change that I am experiencing right now. This new season is now a time of learning and growth. Its uncomfortable and difficult, just like the changing of the seasons can be. The leaving of summer can bring cold, snow, and more harsh weather, not unlike leaving family, friends, and even the simple comforts of a daily routine can bring struggles and anxiety.
But, we adapt. We gather our warm boots, long pants, gloves, hat, and a coat and we go out into it. We learn to cope. We make new friends and we get into new routines. Most of mine right now is studying and that’s okay. Learning to be resilient is a difficult thing but things change for everyone and most times its for the better, even if it doesn’t feel better right away. I hope that anyone going through change right now that’s difficult or uncomfortable can know that I am right there along with them. You aren’t alone!
Okay now for something more academic. Biochemistry is HARD!!! Okay no it’s not that bad but it’s overwhelming for sure the amount of material that we have covered over these first three weeks. On Wednesday we have our first exam in biochem. I was able to take a practice test that had similar questions and concepts to what the real exam would be like. Lets just say that my score left a lot to be desired. That’s okay though! That is what practice is for and I have a lot of studying ideas in mind for the next few days to be better prepared for the real thing. Not to mention I’ve been studying since the class first started for this exam. I’ve been told that biochem tests are some of the hardest in the semester so that’s what I am preparing for!
Tests at DMU are different than any others that I’ve taken. Not only is the entire test on a computer, but as soon as we submit, we get our scores immediately and get time to review the questions that we got wrong (but not change our answers…darn it). There is no, submit the exam and wait a few days for your score like I am used to. It’s immediate feedback and that’s scary for me! At least it does take away the anxiety of waiting for the score though.
I’ll be sure to talk about how I do in the next post! Have a good week everyone.
