Archiving the MUST-KNOWS

This is my second blog so far under this site. I've been very busy in the entirety of 1st year that i have no time to blog... but i do have time to watch animes, learn nihonggo, and play with my dog. Med life is simply unexplainable in terms of busy sched, busy study periods, busy sleeping periods (it is a 'don't disturb me, I've been having too much sleepless nights and this is unbearably abusive' statement that sleeping is a must for medical students), busy picture taking with cadavres, professors or classmates along the corridors, and simply the busy-ness of MED LIFE.

I am to narrate in here the important lessons i have learned in first year Medicine: lessons that are more than the Medical Facts laid out in Medical texts; Lessons that can be comprehended behind the lines; lessons that are deeply attached to the essence of living; lessons of LIFE.

ANATOMY - Can you still remember where can you find the 'La Tabatiere Anatomique of Cloquet'? can you still enumerate the triangles of the neck and ITS CONTENT!!! How about the ORIGIN, INSERTION, ACTION, NERVE SUPPLY, BLOOD SUPPLY of EACH MUSCLES existing in the Human Body? well this is anatomy and don't ever start imagining the life of anatomy students 'coz we don't even know how to imagine our life way back then.



The MUST KNOW in anatomy? structures are useless if remain unused. in life, we already have the talents, the skills necessary not just to survive this world but moreover to BE PART of this world. life will be meaningless if we don't use the blueprints of Life's Anatomy.


PHYSIOLOGY - if given an ECG strip right this very moment, can you decipher it? what about the values of action potential, do you still know it by heart? or let's just say the values of different lung capacities and volume,.. does it ring a bell or not anymore? one thing that i can remember about physiology is that one chapter in Guyton is equal to 4 hours of tedious reading period for me. 4 hours EXCLUSIVE of studying and memorizing.

the MUST KNOW in physiology? all that we do have limits. we aren't superman. the function that we have as human being has a limit. it is necessary therefore that one must know his limits. it is by knowing our limitations that we can actually potentiate our actions and definitely be successful in our lives.



BIOCHEMISTRY - what are the limiting steps of all the essential metabolic pathways? life's central dogma? Krebs cycle? the biochemistry of Porphyria? the science of Cholesterol? wheeew, as what one of our biochem professor told us, taking biochem exam is just like reading greek alphabets. the secret of passing this subject is MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY works. you can't imagine this one unlike anatomy, things here are in biochemical level, down deep there in your body, molecular. just believe that you have what it takes, and surely you can pass this subject. *wink



the MUST KNOW in biochemistry? life provides us with multiple pathways. it is important to know the best path. if we took the good path, then continue to move on seeking better paths, if we stepped on a bad path, learn from it, have strength and then move on. eventually our path will cross a better path, and from there let's try moving on to better pathways.



NEUROLOGY - gyri and sulci, circle of willis, MSE, meningeals, neuro-ophthalmology, difference between resting and voluntary tremors, 3rd nerve palsy, Horner's syndrome, etc etc etc. not to mention how to TURN ON a FUNDOSCOPE or how to correctly spell WORLD backwards. lol... studying the brain increases knowledge and increases your intracranial pressure as well. (so don't be surprised if you are having headache, behavioral changes, decrease consciousness and lethargy while studying neurology. These are signs of increase ICP - treatment? SLEEP)



the MUST KNOW in Neurology? localizing a lesion in a brain requires mental examination. realizing your dream also requires discernment. it is therefore helpful if we exhaust all our efforts, all our hearts for the attainment of our dreams. Remember what Sleeping Beauty said: A Dream is a wish your heart makes.

These are just the four subjects that are often the waterloo in first year Medicine. Other subjects such as Histology, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Perspective in Medicine, and Bioethics also serve as the foundation of Medicine. Each also has their MUST-KNOWS that are applicable in our life. As what our dean told us, in Medicine there are no MINOR SUBJECTS, only MINOR STUDENTS with MINOR BRAINS. (whaaapaaK!!!).

These are the lessons i have learned in 1st year Medicine and I'm just crossing my fingers that I may be able to learn by heart the best of 2nd year Med teachings that are yet to come. =)

first breath of Medicine

Finally, after almost 10 long years of dreaming of entering Med School, I am at Med School now. wheeew!!!! Fortitude was I guess the main reason that I was able to relive my dream every single day. and now that I am here, it really feels so good to be with a bunch of people who shares the same dream as I have, the dream I've been longing for since teddy bear years.

Allow me then to share in this blog the first taste of air I have breathed in at Med School. hmmmm, on the first day of school, well everyone's excited to know who's who and to get acquainted with new classmates. The enthusiasm was kinda like more of entering High School where everyone was very excited. And since the first day was more on general assembly and orientation for the new students with all the upper classmen and all the faculty, we first years really thought that it will just be kinda like a very easy going day. after all it's the first day and well, what can they expect from us, we're just first years... the baby of the medical world... (sad to say later we've found out that we are not the baby of the medical world, rather we are the lowest form *the planktons perhaps* of the medical world).

The whole morning was spent with orientation and by the afternoon, classes began. we didn't expect so much for our class, we thought that instead of the actual Anatomy Laboratory schedule for the whole afternoon, the teacher will just leave us some few words and dismiss us. but sad to say, WE WERE ALL WRONG!!!!! that very afternoon, our professor in anatomy already started her lecture... 4 straight hours!!!!! very draining for a start-up and we weren't prepared... and it seemed, the same utterances were made all throughout that week... we were not yet READY!!!!

In the first week, the faculty already showed us what MED LIFE was and what it SHOULD be. pre-tests that quite left us with our nose bleeding, reports to be done right away, and more upcoming quizzes were the appetizers of the first week. Upper years told us that the only thing we have to do in Med School is READ READ READ READ READ READ and READ!!!! MED LIFE is 99% MEd and 1% Life. hehe.... every second counts. And so at the end of the week, almost all of us had 70% blood loss as compared to the eager beaver attitude we all had at the beginning of our Medical education.

And oh well, it becomes tougher and tougher each day. There was a constant pounding in our hearts on what more acidic test will be given on the following day or how much more pages and chapters be added for the following days discussion and so on.

As for my part, I relied on my adaptation skills. after all in whatever circumstances, species try to adapt to environment, and so do I. But despite of all the fear I have if i can make it through, my heart just wouldn't stop leaping for joy for the very fact that the fountain of my inspiration, and the very desire of my heart is now almost near reality. I am at Med school now, all I have to do now is to believe that I have what it takes, and with Faith I can make this through. =)