The First 2 weeks of Term 2

2 finals, 2 meal prep dishes, and 1 beach sums up my week so far. Last week, we finished up two courses: CPM (Community and Preventive Medicine) and Bioethics. We had finals for those courses this week. So, this post is about my perspectives of the courses and a few tips for future students.

CPM
Since college, I have found the study of public health to be very interesting. So, I thoroughly enjoyed the topics that were covered in CPM. From heart disease prevalence to prevention methods to filling out death certificates, this class introduced the class to a wide range of public health topics. In terms of studying, I attended lecture, reviewed the lectures, and reviewed the lectures again over the weekend. The material is not hard, but students do need to be prepared for the exam. Here are a few tips for succeeding in the class:

1) Attend the review lecture. (typically last lecture of the course) This helped me the most!!!
2) Make sure to go through the 100 slide review guide that the professor is nice enough to give to students.
3) Definitely, definitely learn how to fill out a death certificate during the workshop/lecture.
4) Make sure you understand the material covered in the vaccine lecture because it is not only important for the class, but will also help during clinical practice.
5) Know the definitions and differences between epidemic, endemic, outbreak, and pandemic. More importantly, know how to apply it to a clinical setting.

Bioethics
Over the last 2 weeks, I spent much more time studying Bioethics compared to CPM. This class discussed quite a few ethical situations that affect health care regularly. Majority of the lectures left the class thinking about 2 questions: How would I respond if I was the physician? How would I want a physician to respond if I was the patient? Here are a few things I did to study for this class:

1) Attend lecture, review lecture, and review lecture over the weekend
2) Read all the articles. Most of them are quite interesting! There were questions on the exam about the main points covered in the articles.
3) Prepared for both small group sessions by formulating an answer for each question on the discussion worksheet.
4) Read the course companion. To be honest, I wish I had read the companion when I was going through the lecture, rather than leaving it for the last few days before the exam.
5) Made flashcards for definitions and theories. This class has a ton of terms and lists that students need to know how to apply. So, flashcards were the easiest method to learn.
6) Discussed the practice quiz questions with a few friends.

To be completely honest, I was stressed about finding out my bioethics grade as were many of my friends. A huge thank you to J and my family for listening to my worries over the last few days! You are awesome!! To de-stress from the 2 finals, we went to the beach (yay!). I don't think I could ever get tired of these sunsets. So beautiful!

#nofilter

Once we were back, I was in the mood to cook something. So, I experimented with a pan-asian recipe with green beans, bell pepper, and onions over rice. Simply Delicious!! :)

Happy Wednesday! :)

Finals and Meal Prep!

It feels like we just flew back to Grenada and we already have final exams on Monday and Tuesday. We just finished up 2 courses (CPM and Bioethics) which are 2 weeks in length. Once we take our finals early next week, we start the core classes (physiology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience) for term 2. I promise to do an update about each of the courses once I take my exam!

Because we have finals next week, meal prep time may be a little compromised this weekend. This week, I decided I wanted something healthy, warm, and fast to make. So, I'm made stir-fry. I am a huge fan of pan-asian food, so this is just what I need for a pre-final weekend! I already had a few ingredients and wanted to use up some veggies before they become moldy. I'm convinced that the more number of ingredients I add to stir-fry, the better it tastes. So, I never use a standard recipe for stir-fry. Usually, I taste the dish while it is cooking and add spices or hot sauce or stir-fry sauce as I go.

We quickly finished up our weekend grocery shopping and got back to studying. In the evening, I chopped up all the ingredients and let the veggies cook while I read some bioethics.

Some of veggies that I cut

If I have time, I might make another dish after my final on Tuesday so that I have enough for the week! For lunches, I am keeping it simple. I saved some of the veggies that I used for the stir fry. So, I am making a cheese or veggie sandwich during the week. Hope everyone is having a great weekend! :)

Meal Prep Week 2!

Wow, I can't believe that the first week of term 2 is already complete. Because our course load has been manageable so far, I have had more time to cook and prepare meals that I enjoy! Yesterday, we finished up our usual grocery shopping and today, I set aside a few hours to make a few things that I plan to eat during the week.

Potluck
Today, our friends hosted a potluck party at their apartment. We were in charge of making/bringing chip dip. So, instead of just buying a small container of salsa, I thought I would make a vegetarian 7-layer dip. While grocery shopping, I picked up a few extra ingredients. Then, my roommate and I put together a great dip! The recipe was a combination of a youtube recipe video and our 10 pm creative minds! :)  It was super easy to make and all the ingredients can be found at IGA.

Meal Prep
Due to the hot and humid weather, I thought that I would prepare a light, cooler dish for dinners this week. So, I thought a pasta salad would be a great option! While the pasta was cooking, I cut and mixed veggies and fruits.

Then, I mixed everything together and added a spices to give it flavor.

For snacks, I have apples and I am thoroughly enjoying the yogurt/granola combination. So, I am going to stick with that this week!

I also cut up a head of lettuce so that I can add a few other ingredients during the week and make sandwiches for lunches.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Week 2, here we come! :)

Term 2, here I come!

After a couple of flight delays due to a lightening storm, we are safely back in Grenada to start Term 2. For future students, it is important to have the electronic form submitted to SGU, the letter addressed to the immigration officer, and student ID to make immigration as smooth as possible in Grenada. Also, if possible, try to keep the same electronic devices that you submit to SGU for your electronic form. It will make your life a lot easier. Over the last few days, I have been running errands like registering for Term 2, buying groceries for the week, unpacking, and of course meeting up with friends from last term!

Academics:
The first few weeks of Term 2 consist of a 2-week course introducing students to the importance of bioethics in the field of medicine and community and preventative medicine. I, for one, am excited for these classes. The course load for the next two weeks are relatively light compared to the rest of the term. So, I am slowly easing my way into term 2.

Meal Prep:
As per my usual med school schedule, I meal prepped on Sunday this week. I made a chickpea-based dish with a ton of veggies that I plan to eat during the week. I also cut up some lettuce and added some veggies to that so I can have salads during the week. As a snack, I have yogurt and granola and of course fruits! Instead of icecream, my family gave me a few treats before I flew back to Grenada. So, I can enjoy that during the week! :)

Carnival
The last few days have been a national holiday in Grenada. My roommates highly recommended going to see the festival and I am so glad I took their advice. A group of friends and I took a cab to the city, saw the singing and dancing, and embraced the cultural traditions. One of the first things that an orientation leader told me during 1st term was to spend time exploring the island and mixing with the locals. Although I hold studying and my academics as my first priority, we are here in Grenada for 2 years. So, we might as well learn and embrace the Grenadian culture.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and best of luck to the Term 1's who start orientation today! :)

Term 1 Student Daily Schedule

A typical daily schedule for Term 1 students:

6:45 am: wake up.... who am I kidding? This was probably when I starting snoozing the alarm and hopefully woke up around 7. Mom, thanks for calling me to confirm I was awake on those early lab days!!!

7-7:45 am: look over lab material before quiz and breakfast

8-10 am:  Histology Lab followed by lab quiz

10 am-12 pm:  Break from class/studying/meal prep for the week/catch up on sleep (15 minute power naps are the best!!!)

12 pm-1pm: lunch and pre-read for lecture

1-5 pm: Lecture (typically it is 4 lectures with 10 minute breaks every 50 minutes). Many students prefer to sonic (watch the lectures online), but I understand the material better if I attend lectures.

5-6 pm: workout/shower

6-8 pm: review lectures

8-8:30 pm: dinner (usually already cooked. Check out our other post about meal-prep here)

8:30 pm-1:30 am: look over next day's lab and continue reviewing lectures/bedtime

Hope everyone has a nice week! :)

Meal Prep in Med School

Hi Everyone! Today, I thought I would do a post about meal prep. As a medical student, meal prep not only helps me eat healthy, but it also saves me time during the week. During the first few weeks of Term 1, I found myself cooking on a regular basis or eating out and it was taking time away from studying. So, I had to manage my time better and start preparing meals ahead of time.

We previously talked about how IGA typically gets a shipment on Thursdays. You can read our grocery store experience here. So, we tend to finish our grocery shopping either Friday or Saturday. That allows us to meal prep on Sunday.

I usually plan what I am going to eat for the week before going to the store. There are many people who meal prep everything they are going to eat for the week. Props to them! For now, I try to meal prep dinners and lunches. For breakfast, I almost always have milk and yogurt or cereal in my kitchen. For snacks, I try to stick to fruit, but I know I slack, especially if it is midterm week! I definitely have a sweet tooth for ice cream! More specifically, Mint Chocolate Chip! :) I'm not the most experienced chef, so before starting term 1, I put together a word document of enjoyable, healthy, easy meals that I know how to make with a list of ingredients. Usually, I make 1-2 large main dishes that I use for dinner during the week and sandwiches and salads for lunches.

Then, on Sundays, I make sure I set aside a few hours of my day to prepare my main dishes for dinner and cut up fruits/veggies that I am going to need for lunch.

During the week, it only takes me a couple of minutes to put together a great meal! :)

Term 1: Complete!!!

Hi Everyone! Hope everyone's summer is going well! N and J completed Term 1 (yay!!!) and are back in the states for the summer before they start Term 2.

Although we both went through the same courses, same labs, and same curriculum, N and J managed Term 1 differently. There is no right or wrong way of handling the material in Term 1. Each student needs to determine what works best for them. So, this post focuses on N's perspective of Term 1!

Anatomy:
To be completely honest, my number 1 academic concern was passing anatomy. Before I started Term 1, my questions were how do I study for anatomy? How do I prepare for the practical? These questions were answered as the term progressed. Majority of students alter their study methods after Unified exams (an exam taken 3 weeks after the start of the term) or after midterms. Personally, I realized that I had to become more efficient after midterms.

Here are a few methods I used my time more efficiently after midterms:
1) completed labeling and studying images for weekly imaging quiz while reviewing imaging lecture for anatomy.
2) wet lab images: We were assigned quite a few images to know during some lab weeks. So, I divided the total number of wet lab images into 2-3 days. This way I understood the image better and performed well on quizzes.
3) found an awesome clinical tutor in wet lab which helped me prepare for the practical!!
4) did grays questions after I had reviewed the material for the 2nd time over the weekends
5) made a huge table for cranial nerves, which helped me immensely during the head and neck portion of the class
6) made a chart of blood vessels to help me remember the interconnected nature.

Yes, anatomy is an 8 credit class and yes, it occupied a lot of my time, but I enjoyed the class. Also, to future students, don't forget to do the weekly quiz. Those quizzes will count!

Histology:
I had minimal exposure to Histology prior to Term 1. Because it is a 4 credit class, Histology is considered to be the blow-off class of Term 1. However, I do not think this is true at all. Term 1 students will have Histology lab about once a week for 2 hours.

As I started term 1, I attended histology lectures, reviewed the lectures, and prepared for lab just a few days before attending my lab session. Some of my friends followed this pattern and it worked out well for them.  Personally, however, I felt unprepared for lab presentations because I only had enough time to look at lab once before attending lab and taking the lab quiz. I had to become more efficient after midterms. So, here is how I studied histology post-midterm:

1) Pre-read: Flip through lab associated with lecture topic (typically done while I ate lunch before lecture)
2) Attend lecture and annotate
3) Review lecture and prepare for lab (typically done in the evening after lecture or over the following weekend)
4) attend an open DES session
5) Review lecture and lab one day before lab.

This pattern helped me improve my performance in the class. I had the chance to review the material and lab about 2-3 times before lab. It also made studying for finals a lot easier as well!

Biochemistry:
My favorite 1st term class!!! Great teaching staff, very organized, and clear small group discussions!!! I had previously taken biochemistry in college and during my master's program, but that doesn't mean this course was easy. It just means that I had a previous exposure to the material.

Here are a few studying techniques that worked for me:
1) I made a big chart of the coenzymes and cofactors during the term. Every time the coenzyme or cofactor was used in a reaction, I wrote down the reaction.
2) I made a chart of the vitamins and minerals. This came into use when I was studying for the final.
3) wrote pathways over and over and over... :)
4) Put effort into the small group discussion. I think I remember the material covered during the small group discussion most.

I have a rule of 4-5. That means that I try my very best to review a lecture/lab at least 4-5 times before I walk into the test room for midterms/finals.

I'm not going to sugar coat it, Term 1 was not easy. However, it is manageable. There is no recipe for success because every student is different. I take medical school one day at a time and wish the best of luck to future SGU students. If you have any questions and comments, please let me know.

Thank you for reading and have a great rest of your day! :)

~N