the rant.

this blog was supposed to chronicle my life as a medical student. hmmm. i haven't been doing too well with that, have i? i suppose a recap is in order.

anatomy was, by far, my favorite. i'm glad i didn't take it in undergrad.

good things about anatomy:

• 8am conference. one hour of question-based review on material you were supposed to learn the previous day in lab. similar to playing 'the weakest link'. i thought it was fun--as only a true nerd would.
• dr. schneck. smartest man EVER. he's seventy-something and still works eight hours (or more) per day.
• dr. habboushe. general surgeon who really liked teaching me and sam little things during lab. very fun.
• my lab group. we never managed to actually teach each other anything about anatomy, but lab sure was entertaining sometimes.
• netter's atlas of anatomy. that guy can draw.

not-so-good things about anatomy:

• rotting adipose tissue. it adds a new dimension of funk to anatomy lab. it's also another incentive to keep in shape.
• it was only eight weeks long. the rest of first year has blown in comparison.
  

moving onto block 2.

i should mention at this point that temple has an integrated curriculum. this means block scheduling--one class at a time--but the block is a conglomeration of a bunch of disciplines: histology, biochemistry, embryology, etc. anatomy was just straight-up anatomy: cadaver, x-rays, clinical correlations. everything after anatomy is basically...a mess. i guess i shouldn't be too harsh, this is only the second year for the new curriculum, but it does leave alot to be desired.

block 2: basic science a.k.a. biochemistry.

good things about biochemistry:

• computerized exams with instant results. good for the anxious. :o)
• it was only twelve weeks long. thank goodness.
  

not-so-good things about biochemistry:

• the 5'' packet of handouts + the textbook + 20 different professors + randomly interspersed lectures about bone structure in the middle of carbohydrate metabolism = academic and organizational nightmare.
• exams with poorly worded questions written by the 20 different professors. frustration abounded.
• learning about rare genetic diseases. the names tell you nothing about what's wrong with the patient and your chances of actually seeing one of these patient is well, rare.
• the 5'' packet of handouts. it really does need to be emphasized. they were completely unnecessary. they were not double-sided either. waste of trees. we all know how fond i am of trees.

biochemistry ended. week off for winter break which was spent in pittsburgh. low key. much needed.

block 3: cardio, pulmonary, renal, gastrointestinal physiology.

tough stuff. we get one lecture of embryology for every body system covered. embryology isn't supposed to be a single-serving discipline--it's too difficult conceptually. but hey, we're integrating here.

physiology doesn't really deserve a rant. the textbook was good and the faculty adhered to it reasonably well. don't get me wrong--it was still an unorganized mess with the giant stack of single-sided handouts and 20 different professors. still, it could have been worse. at least this time there were no rare genetic diseases. EKGs are neat. i have a very large QRS complex. go left ventricle, go!

block 3 ended last friday. we are now a quarter of the way through block 4.

block 4 = everything that didn't fit into block 3. immunology. endocrinology. reproductive physiology. head and neck development.

mmmm. nice 'n' random.


time for laundry and deconstructing the thyroid gland. i bet you wish this was your friday afternoon.