When I last posted on this blog, the M1 students were in our Clinical Foundations of Medicine week. We are now in our fourth week of our Cardio/Respiratory sequence, which is a huge departure from everything that we had been doing up to this point. Previously, we were studying biochemistry, genetics, and general medical decision-making methods. The cardio sequence is the first part of medical school that is similar to what I imagined medical school would be like. Although, the pace increased quickly after our Clinical Foundations of Medicine week, I feel much more engaged with what I am learning. Almost everything we learn in physiology or anatomy relates to at least one disease that is very common both in the United States and internationally.
I have also appreciated the transition to fall. Many students come to Michigan anxious about the cold, but I love the drop in temperature. Granted, I am from the northeast and I went to school in Minnesota; but I can objectively say that this fall has been lovely. In my free time I have tried to be outside as much as I can. I recently ran in a 5-person relay of the Detroit Marathon with four of my classmates. To train for my 10K leg, I spent a lot of time running in my neighborhood and the arboretum. The arboretum is right by the medical school and it had some incredible fall colors this year, but unfortunately I do not have pictures. I did take pictures of the Detroit marathon when I was running my leg. The portion that I ran went over the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Canada. The marathon began at 7:00 AM; it was very surreal to begin running in Detroit without any natural light, then run over the bridge to Canada during dawn, and end in Canada after sunrise.
To sign off, I will leave you with an image of the Jack-O-Lantern that my classmate carved. It was his first time carving a pumpkin! I was very impressed with his skills and I not at all surprised that he is interested in a surgical specialty. Happy Halloween!