The first week of medical school flew by faster than I thought. Our orientation week started on August 20th and finished on the 24th. Each day was pretty jam packed with various activities. From obtaining our orientation bags (containing many free pens, water bottles, books, agendas, dissection kits etc) to having a formal at the 360 restaurant of the CN Tower, I've had the privilege to meet many of my classmates who all come from very interesting and diverse backgrounds. We have already started lectures and have dived right into anatomy which needless to say, is A LOT of information to digest, especially as I've never taken anatomy before. I had my first experience with cadaveric dissections yesterday. It was definitely an eye opening experience and really goes to show how different the human body is between individuals.
While orientation week was definitely a lot of fun, my start to medical school didn't exactly go as I had planned. Firstly, I fractured my third toe on my right foot during O-week. It was the most random event and occurred via a speaker box beside the podium in one of our lecture halls falling on my foot . Needless to say, three hours of that day was spent in the ER waiting for a doctor to tend to my broken toe. I'm fine now and am starting to walk without much of a limp but my toe is still quite swollen - I guess it'll be awhile before I can wear heels again! On the bright side, as one of my peers put it, "The fact that you were a patient before medical school even began means that you're going to be a great doctor!" Yep. I like his way of thinking.
The second event that happened during O-week was a tragic one. I found out that one of my family members who was the inspiration for me to pursue medicine, had succumbed to cancer. I found out the news on the day of my stethoscope ceremony so you can imagine just how devastating it was for me that evening. On the one hand, I was trying to be happy and enthusiastic but the news made it hard for me to enjoy the ceremony. I'm slowing coming to terms with her passing thanks to the support of my family and friends. I'm thankful for the fact that I had the chance this year to tell her that I got into medical school. I knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was 11 and I remember that she always had the utmost confidence in me in achieving this goal. Thus, to be able to have told her the great news on May 15th is something that I will always be grateful for. I will always remember the lessons she taught me, her words of wisdom, and her love of medicine and hope to utilize these lessons to become the best physician I can be to my patients.
Even though medical school didn't start off the way I expected, I'm taking it one step at a time, enjoying the experience and living my life to the fullest everyday. I'm truly thankful for having the opportunity to pursue my dream and can't wait to see what the next four years has in store for me.
Sounds like a jammed packed day. Just wait till you start learning about billing. That was my favorite part of my schooling. I decided to try out physical therapy billing since PT was my minor. It's like a whole other world. Good luck with your studies!
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