Why Canadian Medical Schools Suck

I know what you're thinking: here goes another rant about how a Caribbean student didn't get into medical school back home in Canada, but actually...it is quite the opposite.

Growing up in Canada, for me, was the best gift that my parents could have ever given me. My three sisters and I not only grew up on a farm, but we were surrounded with 3,000 acres of farmland to roam and completely immerse ourselves in. My parents still reside on our farm, and going home to visit is always a breath of fresh air...literally and figuratively. Canada is a pretty amazing country, and no, not because of our "free" healthcare, that we are allies with every country, we know when not to get involved, and we know when to act. Canada is everyone's best friend that they have had for several years, and we don't want to make anyone angry...but those who tend to get the short end of the stick are unfortunately....healthcare providers.

Canada has officially fourteen medical schools, and for a population of 35 million, fourteen schools is definitely not enough to compensate for the people/physician ratio. Compare that to our fellow neighbour, the Good Ol' US of A, which has not only Allopathic (M.D degree) schools, but Osteopathic (D.O degree) schools as well. Hundreds of schools established, and the biggest kicker is that they are constantly opening new ones. According the AAMC, quoted on kaptest.com "in the next two years, we can expect seven new medical schools to open in the United States in Washington, Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Oregon." SEVEN new medical schools, and what is sad about this is that Canada has not opened a medical school since Northern Ontario School of Medicine in 2005, ten years ago almost to date. According a paper written by Strassel et al.(2009) in the Academic Medicine Journal titled Canada's New Medical School: The Northern Ontario School of Medicine: Social Accountability Through Distributed Community Engaged Learning, a long winded title to mention in their introduction that "This paper outlines the development and implementation of NOSM, Canada's first new medical school in more than 30 years." How sad is that? Not only that, but according to the same paper: "[NOSM] seeks to recruit students into its MD program who come from Northern Ontario or from similar northern, rural, remote, Aboriginal, Francophone backgrounds." So you are probably thinking.."great!...I might have a chance at this!" I am from a small farm town in Ontario, with no more than 300 people in my area, I have dealt with the rural aspect all my life (an hour and a half bus ride EACH way to school), I understand and appreciate rural physicians more than ever, as I have had the privilege interacting with many of them, I graduated with a 3.5 GPA from a top ranked U.S school in New York, played NCAA Division 1 basketball fifty hours a week and graduated with distinction as I simultaneously obtained my B.Sc in Biology degree. I could go on about my medical placement volunteering in Vietnam at an orthopedic hospital, and how I have numerous extracurricular activities to my name...but the sad part is...NOSM does not care. Canada has opened up a medical school for the first time in 30 years (which was 10 years ago) to students who need to be rural, aboriginal, and/or francophone, yet Canada persistently strives in being "diverse". Oh Canada eh?

McGill School of Medicine just recently was put on probation, according to The Globe and Mail article, "The flaws include concerns over students' learning experience and the quality of instruction in women's health". Furthermore, in the same article "In one of the more significant findings, the assessors said the school failed to ensure all students had the same experiences regardless of which hospital or clinic they were training in." It doesn't stop there, "McGill is not the first Canadian medical faculty to be targeted by accreditation bodies. The University of Saskatchewan’s medical school has been on probation more than once, and Dalhousie University’s medical school was put on probation in 2009." Another recent uproar was an event that involved a professor at Queen's University in the Kinesiology and Health Studies Department, Melody Torcolacci, who was caught teaching anti-vaccine lectures over several years to students (The National Post). She has been since removed from the position, but it was never discovered until a student brought this to the attention of other faculty members, and which brought swift action to take place. Oddly enough, my father, who attended Queen's University for undergrad, mentioned she actually coached him in shot put, let's be thankful that her anti-vaccine ways did not influence my parents' decision for my three sisters and I.

I am not writing this article to point out all that is wrong with Canadian med schools, I am bringing it up because things have to start changing. Just recently, Ontario announced that is will cut fifty residency spots over the next two years according to an article from CBC News: "Health Minister Eric Hoskins is defending the Ontario government's decision to eliminate 50 medical residency positions when hundreds of thousands of people don't have a family doctor" (Aug 2015). This announcement literally came out two weeks after a statistic outline was addressed that more than 800,000 Ontario people do not have a primary care physician. How is this even okay? Why are we cutting residency positions when there is a massive need for physicians in Ontario? Oh wait…here it is: "Ontario has nearly doubled the number of first-year medical residency spots since 2004 to about 1,200 a year, and is now scaling back to make better use of scarce health care dollars, said Hoskins." We have "scarce" health care dollars? Where is it all going? We only have FOURTEEN medical schools across the country, and only SIX in Ontario, but we have limited funding so we have to cut back? The U.S is opening medical schools left and right, but we can't seem to manage 1/100 of healthcare costs that they have. People always ask: "Oh where are you attending medical school? U of T? McMaster?" And the sad part is, many qualified, and even over qualified Canadians are heading abroad, as the acceptance rate for medical schools across Canada is  staggering 4%. 4% of Canadians who apply to get into Canadian medical schools, but we have such a massive shortage of healthcare providers. This statistic, among others, does not make sense. The numbers get worse, according to Oxford Seminars, that 5,000 applicants apply to McMaster School of Medicine every year, do you want to know how many get in? 200. NOSM? More than 3,000 apply...how many they take in? 64. 64 people in one medical school class is complete nonsense, especially as Canada pleads rural areas need the most help; then enroll more rural applicants! C'mon Canada! Queens? More than 4,000 apply..and they take 99 students. When Queen's officially opened in 1854, do you want to know how many students they enrolled back then? 23. So only 76 more people have been allowed me be admitted since 1854...that is sad. I also found out last year when I was applying that they have designated spots for incoming Asian international students, honestly, that is what the undergraduate admissions coordinator said verbatim when I called to inquire about the stats of Queen's, which I found out along the way that Queen's does not like giving numbers. It is disappointing to know know that Canada does not want to change when our country is ever changing and the demand is more than ever. The amount of students that want to be physicians, and the need for such physicians is such a linear relationship, but Canada tries to compensate with our amazing benefits along with our use of ludicrous taxpayer money. We will always have a saturation of students leaving this beautiful country of ours to attend medical school at more than 300% of tuition of that of our Canadian med student counterparts, leave our family and friends for quite a long duration, and to only be given limited spots to return to our residing homeland because there isn't enough spots to be accepted in the first place.

All in all, the education that I am receiving at Ross is above par and I am happy that I did not take "no" as an answer. I sucked it up, did not give up on myself, and found an alternate route that will allow me to be the best physician that I can be. We are already in second semester, and tomorrow I get to interview a patient in front of eight other people. Where at the end of the interview we all discuss and students give constructive criticism of what I could improve on, and what I did well. We are implementing a systems-based practice where we work together in the healthcare field, and I only wish Canada would listen. Then you get the med school forums and blogs that bash any International Medical School Graduate (IMGs) that are studying outside of Canada, this one was just lovely from Healthydebate.ca "I know several individuals so under qualified they could not even secure an interview at a Canadian medical school, then essentially purchased MDs from the Caribbean, Ireland etc. These people now feel it is their “right” to practice in Canada. I would rather an IMG who earned their degree, than a Canadian doctor who bought theirs overseas." So much for a "healthy debate" forum eh? Sadly, this was from a Canadian medical student, and if they are so arrogant and ignorant about their prestigious degree than I am surprised there were so many spelling errors in his paragraph that my OCD took over and I had to correct before re-posting it here. It is sad to know that our fellow Canadian medical students have such a stereotypical, preconceived view of the offshore medical route, but sadly...I am not surprised. So for every 99 people that get into Queen's, are the remaining 3,901 students rejects or "not-fit" to be a physician in Canada? Of course not. Those that settle and take "no" for an answer are. I would want to walk into an office of a physician, whatever the location their degree, and know they worked their butt off to get where they are today. To know that they might not have gotten into their first, second, third or even their Canadian choice for med school, but let that "no" fuel their determination to excel even more. THAT is who I would want as my physician. THAT is what determines excellency.

I am off to study airflow resistance of the lung, and as I do...I remember why I am here. I am here because I am supposed to be. Canada lost out on a potential great physician, and with all the laws and cut backs that are happening in Ontario, my desire to return is slowly fading with time. I would rather practice in a country that needs and understands the value of a hard-working Caribbean medical student, rather than making them jump through hoops. To return to a country that is in desperate need of the help, but just can't come to terms with making a change for the good of the people, is not appealing to any professional degree holder, and in the end, I am saddened to be a Canadian citizen.

Rant over.

Bye for now,

-E

References:

Branswell, Helen. "Queen’s University Professor under Fire for Anti-vaccine Teachings Granted Leave from Course. "Http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/queens.  National Post, 9 Feb. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

"Canadian Medical School Profiles." Oxford Seminars.ca. Oxford Seminars. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

Hause, Emily. "How Many People Get Into Medical School?"Http://www.kaptest.com/. Kaplan, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

"Ontario Cuts 50 Medical Residency Places, Critics Warn of Doctor Shortage." Www.cbc.ca/news. The Canadian Press, 10 Aug. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

Peritz, Ingrid. "McGill University Takes Hit to Prestige as Medical School Put on Probation."Http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/mcgill. The Globe and Mail, 18 June 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

Strasser, Roger, William McCready, and Marie Matte. "Canada’s New Medical School: The Northern Ontario School of Medicine: Social Accountability Through Distributed Community Engaged Learning."Academic Medicine 84.10 (2009): 6.Http://nosm.ca/uploadedFiles/About_Us. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

Bonjour Semester Deux!

Hey everyone! We made it safe back to Dominica, it was an adventure, but we are here! *whew*

As I sit here in our new apartment looking over the ocean, with our cute little puppy, Domi, at my feet, I can't help but smile and think to myself how lucky we really are. Tropical Storm Erika hit Dominica hard, with over thirty deceased and about fifty missing, it is so hard to see a country that is struggling. It is crazy to believe that we are starting class Monday morning with no delay in schedule, and that even though the entire country lost power, water, and internet about five days ago, we are all here to continue medical school with everything up and running.

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind. They went wayyyy too fast. My friend Viive visited us from Estonia (within Europe..don't worry...before I met her I didn't know it existed either ;)), and we spent our time in Barbados and then we were stuck in Guadaloupe for about four days waiting to hear from Ross. Unfortunately, Viive couldn't make it to Dominica with us, as they had ferries for students first, and then family and visitors second. It wasn't a problem of her visiting Dominica, it was the fact that she may not be able to get out in time for her flight back to Europe. We said our goodbyes about five days early, and that was pretty hard as we have that friendship that's like: "Alright..well..see ya in three years maybe??" So that is always not a fun goodbye.

The trip back to Dominica was not a fun one. Anyone who knows me knows that I get SO sick on ferries. We waited in line in the heat for about an hour and thankfully Ross paid for our tickets. We boarded the packed ferry and went straight to Portsmouth, as the roads from Roseau (the original ferry destination stop) to Portsmouth are not accessible due to the storm. In the end, we are here. We are safe. We FINALLY have power, water, and internet at our apartment and fresh groceries in the fridge...so bring on Semester two! The reason that some of the title of this post is in the french is that fact that Guadaloupe is a french speaking country, and if you don't know french..look out...they do not like you haha Stephen and I tried to manage our way through, and didn't do too shabby...but if Mr. Russel, my former Grade 12 french teacher, could hear me now..he would be so disappointed.

While unpacking our stuff and checking my Ross email, I got an awesome opportunity from Ross asking me to be a tutor for the incoming class. I was so excited, as it showed that my hard work paid off and was noticed by the university. I can't wait to help out some firsties while simultaneously helping myself stay on top of the material for the Step 1 exam. <-- already freaking out about this exam even though it is a year away. I also got another email from one of the amazing professors at MERP, Dr. Lindner, who asked me to be a representative from RUSM to prospective MERP students, as they do webinars for students to allow them to speak to us and ask questions. There is one representative chosen from AUC (another Caribbean medical school) and RUSM, so I am very happy to stay a part of the MERP program and community! Thank you Dr. Lindner for thinking of me. Furthermore, I have gotten some amazing emails from my blog that literally made me tear up. So many nice things were said not only about the blog, but me personally, so for that I thank you. I also have many instagram followers that ask numerous questions and follow my journey throughout Ross through my pictures (@d1todr). One follower in particular is a current MERP student and he suggested that I do a video for his MERP class and talk about my time on the island thus far; and I thought this was a great idea. One email later in to Dr. Lindner, I am recording myself tonight and sending the video to Florida and Canada so both classes can see my beautiful face haha it looks rough right now due to traveling, so sorry in advance Merpers.

I love being a part of such a great community of not only prospective Ross students, Caribbean med students, current students, but MERP students as well, I have connections with all of you and I am forever grateful. To the 1st semesters that saw me in IGA here in Dominica yesterday and follow my blog and took the time to say hello and introduce yourselves, you honestly make me happy! Thank you so much. Thank you for reading and please do not hesitate to ask me questions!

Off to walk our little princess, Domi, and give her a nice bath after. This is going to be a busy semester, but I am ready. Cardio Physiology here I come!

Bye for now,

-E xo

Picccccsssssss:

I can't...look at that face!

All ready to go!

Beautiful Guadaloupe.

Cronk and Vegas

She has gotten so big since when we first found her on the street!

The death that was this volcano hike. 3 hours.

Love him.

Barbados!

Steve being the best teacher I know xo

The Calm. The Storm. The Aftermath.

Helloooooooooo my lovely readers! I AM alive! I promise! I finally have the mental capacity to sit in front of my computer and write. I am officially DONE my first semester of medical school, and boy, was it tough. I am officially a 2nd semester Ross student and it feels quite nice to say that.

The last time I have written I think I just finished Mini 4? Or maybe it was Mini 3, but either way, it has been a long time since I have written and the past 5 weeks have been crazy. Our last week of the semester, we literally had four exams in seven days. It was a lot to take in, but I made sure to pace myself through that high stress level time.

So where do I start? Do I talk about the "hell week" or the death that was Mini 4? Or do I talk about saving a puppy on the side of the road that was bound to have a short life close to these busy streets? Do I talk about how I am officially a part of the PAWS at Ross Eboard for next semester? Or that I made the Dean's List Honour Roll for this semester?! (I am spelling "honour" the Canadian way...#britishsystem) So much has gone on that I have to think back to my memory so I can tell you all about my crazy last month. Mini 4 was hard. It just is. Thankfully, I have had immunology before with MERP, but if you haven't, you will be studying your buns off even harder. Thankfully, I kept my study strategy consistent, and even though I kind of questioned it a bit at times, it all comes through in the end. I ended up getting a high enough score to keep me in the running in getting a "high pass" for this semester. For 1st semester at Ross, the curriculum is set up where you will get a P or an F. Pass or Fail. You still get numerical grades, but in the end, either you are passing....or you are failing. You can also get an "HP" which means high pass, where you score higher than an 85% for the semester, and thankfully I worked hard until the end to get that HP. If you are wanting to return to Canada, they see EVERY SINGLE GRADE that you have ever gotten at Ross, so just keep that in mind. This is where I had to make a decision for myself. It was Friday night, all of our grades to date are uploaded and I calculated that I had already passed the semester even if I didn't write our 25% cumulative final. I am exhausted, a tad burnt out, ok...a lot burnt out..and I have to decide if I want to work for that distinction. Thankfully, I have Steve here to say to me: "you have worked this hard all semester...would you be happy with anything less?" And knowing me...I know that I would not be happy if I got any lower knowing that I could do it if I just put the effort in. So I cracked open my books on that Friday night...and started studying for my final. It was a long, long haul that weekend, and there were many points where I just had to go lay down for about 20 minute increments, as it felt like my brain was literally melting. Semester 1 is tough....it's so called "the weed out" semester...because that is exactly what it's doing. It is trying to see who is tough enough, not only physically as you have to endure the heat, eat right, sleep right, fuel your body right, but also mentally tough...because the days get very long, very quickly. The final was actually not terrible, very specific but not anything too out of left field. I left feeling confident and that I was ready to be done with this semester already! I'll hopefully qualify to be an Anatomy TA for next semester for all the firsties! (I can say that now because I am now a 2nd!), but it will be great to keep anatomy fresh for Step 1 studying.

During these intense study days, Steve and I went for a walk and we were greeted by this sweet, sweet little pup. She was starving, had ticks on her, and definitely had fleas. My heart literally sank when I saw her and to be honest, I could not leave her knowing she is out there alone. We live on a very busy road (thankfully moving next semester) and I know that she would either get hit, or die from infection/worms/disease. I am part of this amazing group called PAWS at Ross where we help students who are bringing their pets down to the island with up to date information on shots, flights, etc, but we also try to help the many strays that Dominica is unfortunately known for. It is really hard on me walking by and seeing a stray dog, and knowing me, I am going to try and do something about it. So, the little girl pup that we named Domi is coming with us to our new apartment next semester! Our new apartment does not take dogs and after pleading with our new landlord she is charging us 200 US just to keep her for 2 months...I will work my magic to make sure she stays with us the entire time. I have created a GoFundMe account for her and PAWS at Ross as this club is in much need of help. We have only three Eboard members, while some clubs have more than ten and access to so many resources. We literally have very little funds and have twelve dogs in our care right now that the $ is coming out of our pockets. To paraphrase a conversation that I was having with a very good friend of mine, that it takes a special person to be a part of PAWS at Ross. It is not like the other groups where you get that rush of taking someone's blood pressure, educating them on how to eat right and care for themselves, taking blood or listening to a child's heartbeat. PAWS members have to understand that all of our hard work might go unnoticed, or that we literally pick a puppy off the street and smuggle him into a "no-pet" apartment because that is what is morally right. We see a lot of heartache with animals, and more than you can imagine. The amount of students that just walk by a little puppy and do not do anything astounds me, as we are not here to be only physicians, but here to make a difference in the world. So as that is said, here is what I am proposing as my readers who have been with me through thick and thin..that if you donate to help Steve and I and the amazing people who are a part of PAWS..I will write you PERSONALLY about my "tricks of the trade" with passing first semester without even having to write the final. I will answer ANY questions you may have about anything and everything and I will tell you my study secrets...honestly...they will help you. If we could get to even $1000 raised, that would help us spay and neuter a big chunk of our dogs, and that would mean so much to us! So please, even if it's $5, every bit helps and I will make sure to include lots of pictures of cute little Domi. I will reply as soon as I can and make sure when you donate, put your full name and comment on the blog with your email, and I'll write you guys! Last thing, PLEASE share share share! Sometimes when these campaigns get in the hands of the right people, they take off (or so I only hope). And how amazing would it be to raise enough money so this club does not have to be waiting on paycheck to paycheck to take care of these little guys. That is all I will bug you with...but all I ask is that you take 1 minute of your time to donate, it is really that fast.

Here is the link, just click!: http://www.gofundme.com/kygsy6r8

Well guys, I can finally enjoy my night knowing that is off my chest now and you know what I have been busy with ! Not only school anymore! haha I am off to a friend's house to hang out and relax with Steve, it has been too long where we can just kick back and relax. Thank you for all that you do, for being in my corner, reading and encouraging me, and above all else...listening to my chaotic thoughts at times. This is where I am meant to be, and I am so happy that you are all along for the ride. #DonateforDomi!

Bye for now,

-E xo

Pictures!

These 6 black pups were found in a crate on the side of the road :(

My little girl :)

I could take all of them if I could

There she is. Look at her ears?! How can someone just walk by? I had to scoop her up.

Enjoying the beach and PUPPIES!

Beautiful Dominica.

This place really is beautiful.

5. Classes. Left.

Yes, people, you read that right. FIVE classes left of my first semester of medical school and it truly has been a whirlwind. Even though we have five classes left...we have about four lectures per day, so roughly twenty new lectures stand between me and the end of an amazing four months. But who am I really kidding? There is no such thing as an "end" when you enter the world of medicine, or any professional avenue that encourages/requires life long learning. I think that is why I was drawn to medicine in the first place, with every new study completed, a new drug produced to help children with seizures, or a new medical discovery, it is the unknown that keeps our species pushing to find those answers, and it really is incredible.

It is a rainy Wednesday evening and I just got up from a much needed nap. I try not to take naps, because the people that know me..a nap to me is someone else's total sleep time haha. It is really easy to get behind here so every hour has to be carefully programmed. Sleep to long? There goes potential study time, but for me today: Sleep>Study. Since there are so few classes left, and going on five weeks of material for this next exam, a bunch of our semester grade comes down to the last and final week of 1st semester. As of yet, we have had: Mini 1: 10%, Mini 2: 12% Mini 3: 13% and Two Anatomy Lab Practicals: 10%. So all students have a total of 45% completed going into what is termed: "Hell week on the island". To be honest, I do not think it will be that bad as long as you budget your time wisely. 55% of our grade is determined in less that seven days, which means you could be doing phenomenal, but then completely blow it in the last week. WHICH IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, just putting it into perspective. Our first hurdle is Mini 4, which is about 190 questions and is a beast of an exam. It is the most information covered at one time for an exam (5 weeks) than we will ever have on the island. Talking to some 4th semesters, they all say that Mini 4 of 1st semester is the hardest exam they have taken to date, because of the shear volume of material. Two days later we have our Histology practical (5%) and the next day we have our last Anatomy Lab Practical-Head and Neck (5%), and two days later, yes, ONLY two days, we have our cumulative final worth 25%. It will be a tough week, but as long as you do well on Mini 4, you are setting yourself up really well for the final, and that is really all I am putting my energy towards. *fingers crossed*

I have been trying to stay on top of material more so this week as my Saturday morning will be filled helping out with US Navy's  "Continuing Promise" mission. The US Navy is doing an incredible thing throughout the Caribbean that help residents get the care they need. They will be traveling on the USNS Comfort Ship and I'll be sure to post of picture of it within this post, as it truly is incredible. There are about 4,500 physicians and nurses aboard who will try and give care to as many patients as possible and Ross University has the privilege to send students to help out throughout the week they are here. I am SO excited to just be in the presence of some of these amazing caregivers and help give back to this beautiful island. Knowing myself, I know that having my Saturday morning and a bit of the afternoon away from studying may cause me to question if I should go, but I just feel that we are enrolled at Ross to become the best version of ourselves, and by me going, it will give me that boost of motivation to get through these next two weeks. I have signed up for physical therapy, internal medicine, and cardiology, so we shall see how it goes!

Overall, I am extremely happy that I am here. I messaged my mom last night: "going on hour number 18, but I wouldn't want to be putting this much effort into anything else." Which is SO true. Why work hard at something for so long when it doesn't even make you happy? I blame part of that on society, but then there has to be something inside of you that is willing to take the leap and make the change if you are doing something that you do not like. Like I have said in one of my posts before, I may not have wanted to be a doctor since I was a little girl, with a sign on my door that says "Dr. Cronk" or have been "following my dream" ever since. I am far from that, it took me awhile to figure out my path in life and you know what? It's OK. Being 26 or 27 (just had a birthday, wooo to being 27!) and not realllyyyy sure if you are in the right field is normal and I think a lot of people look at me and think I have it completely figured out. WRONG. There are some days I question if this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life, but like I said to my mom last night, I wouldn't want to work this hard at something if I didn't want to do it. There are two types of people in this world. The people who understand what they love and will fight for it, and there are those people that do it just to get by. You can't be in the latter group here. You just can't. You have to wake up everyday and KNOW..I can do this. I am here. I am ready for today. Sure, you can have those moments of doubt, but then you have to listen to that inside voice and know deep down that you are here to practice medicine. You are here to make a difference in this world, as this world is in such desperate need of physicians. You can do this. You got this.

As this novel of a post comes to a close, I did want to mention the amazing and thoughtful comments on my blog and instagram, you all are amazing and help me keep going when the nights get very long. Also, I have gotten a lot of messages recently asking if I could give out my personal email to answer questions about Ross and the island, and although I would LOVE to, I think it would be best if questions were asked on instagram, as most of my pictures talk about Ross and the island itself. Just search @d1todr and you should see that recognizable face pop up:) You can also leave comments on here, which I get a notification by email when a comment is made. I will try and check my emails on a consistent basis!

Off to go over today's lectures, and the fact that it is already 6:45pm, I might be up a tad later tonight. But you what? I am ready for it. 5 lecture days. Final: Aug 17th. Barbados for a week. Semester 2.

I can do this. I got this.

Bye for now,

--E xo

Obviiii:

USNS Comfort. Wow. 

Can't wait to help out on Sat!

Dominican Sunset

Our lockers :)

How we hang out together.

How I can study and workout at the same time!

Clinical Skills lab!

Everyone loves Emma hugs.

New student center!

Love him.

3/4 sisters

Mini 3 Hurdle

First and foremost I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Ross University for re-sharing my blog on their facebook page last week, it was so nice to log onto instagram and see many new followers and about 1,000 new views on the blog! Second, hello to all the new followers! Welcome, welcome :) I hope this blog gives you some insight not only into Ross, but my life journey as well, it has already been quite eventful. To all my usual followers, whattttupppp.

Well it is the evening of the aftermath that was Mini 3 and whoa. That exam was a marathon. It was only 1 hour and 53 minutes and 84 questions, but I am definitely still feeling the effects. I studied at my kitchen table for three days straight and did not see the light of day, but managed to pull a 92% on this one, so I am pretty happy! I usually don't ever comment on marks (yes, in Canada..we say "marks", not "grades") but I was pretty proud of this one. I studied a lot and pretty intensely, as the material was quite dense and the amount was ridiculous. I have definitely found a trend within med school where the professors give you JUST enough where the shear volume of material is out of your comfort zone. The key to this is to just stay on top of it. I have always heard upper semesters saying: "just study everyday"...well..what does that really mean? What are you actually doing from hour to hour? How do you study? To summarize and to let people know my typical day, I thought I would share what a typical 1st semester mediasiter at Ross University looks like:

6:00am--> Wake up/Breakfast
6:40am-7:40am-->Gym
8:00am-1pm--> mediasite lectures of the day and make study sheets simultaneously
1pm-2pm-->Lunch
2pm-7pm-->Review material taught that day
7pm-8pm--> Dinner
8pm-11pm--> practice questions/finishing up material/if have time: pre-read for tomorrow's lecture
11pm--> TRY to be in bed...usually 12am.

Med school is tough. Actually..it is quite brutal..but it is doable. You have to be able to have self motivation, discipline, motivation, and a dash of tenacity because that is what will get you through those long nights. Ross is awesome, and I am not saying that because I go here and that I didn't get into Canadian med schools (*shakes fist*), but they really set you up for success. All professors want you to succeed and their doors are always open and will get back to you within 24 hours with an email response. I am really impressed with their Clinical Skills Curriculum here, as I have had two patient interactions already, and in Canada, that is not until about your third year at the majority of universities. I performed an abdominal exam on a patient where I touched their stomach to feel any abnormalities (palpate), using my finger and a tapping technique to listen to tympanic and dull sounds (percussion), and listened to normal bowl sounds in all four quadrants of the abdomen using my handy dandy stethoscope (auscultation). Actually, the appropriate order should be 1) Auscultate,  2) Percussion, 3) Palpation and EVERY time in that order. Seeing a live patient has made all this studying worth it, as you can be so involved in your notes that you sometimes forget why you are here. Last week's clinical skills sessions definitely solidified my reasons for being here.

I am happy to have more people on this journey with me, and in a weird way, I can physically feel all of you cheering me on. I love writing and telling you all about my experiences, whether they may be good, bad, or both at the same time. I had a moment today where I couldn't stop smiling. I finished my exam....walked to the mail room on campus, and in the corner of my eye I saw all these kids running around on this huge field...and there was Steve (FYI for the newcomers: Steve: boyfriend who is on the island with me) and he was teaching his health class outside. All these kids ranging from 6-9 years old as happy as can be, and him noticing me after my exam with the biggest smile and wave (I probably looked like death), and having the bright sun shining down on us. It such an awesome moment. Theennnnnnn I went to the beach and ordered a strawberry daiquiri. Life is great.

Well folks, as they always say, work hard play harder...which really means I am watching lectures tonight from our lectures on Friday that were not tested on today's exam. I will play hard when I have that M.D. after my name..until then..it's back to the grind.

Next obstacle ahead: Anatomy practical on Monday and Mini 4 in 5 weeks. BEAST of an exam. Let's do this.

Bye for now,

--E xo

Pics!

Love love love Lululemon! Loved working here before Med School! (miss you Trev!)

Throwback Tuesday

Love them.

Some of the group. Lookin' sharp.

Love this babe. I am huge lol

Woop! Class of '19 :)

Dominica Love. 

I miss them :(

Fighting The Fatigue

Hello my followers! I know...I know..it has been awhile since I have written and as I have come out of my hibernation which is called medical school, I noticed that I am getting about 45-50 views on D1toDR every day....wow..I will try and blog more I promise!

A lot has happened since I last posted, some good and some bad, but for the most part...things have been going okay. We are in Week 7 out of 15 of first semester, and things have definitely picked up a bit. Okay..things have picked UP A LOT AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON. Whew..okay...now that's out of the way, we have been learning some pretty complex medical processes but I have to keep telling myself to take it one day at a time. For the people that know me, I LOVE study sheets with colour...and I mean lots of colour. I am finding currently that I am running out of hours in the day to create my study sheets as the information is way too dense. I pick and choose now as to what I condense into study sheets and what I decide to print and highlight from the slides. What am I trying to say is that my study habits change all the time. With every exam. With every lecture. And that's OKAY. Some students have now decided to go to class, because it is very easy to fall behind with mediasiting lectures.

Our next exam is July 7th (My mom's birthday wish should bring me some luck!) and that is our 3rd out of 5 total exams. So far we have have had two exams which my grades reflected how hard I worked. I studied a lot...and I mean...about 12-13 hours a day. Every break is timed and factored in carefully and even skype calls are limited to about 30 minutes. Time is of the essence and my friends and family are more than understanding that my nights never end at 9pm, more midnight or 1am so quick chats are the best chats :) We had our lab practical last week as well and that was definitely an experience. Knowing me, I am pretty good under pressure, but the sound of those bell ringer exams get me very nervous and knowing you have only 60 seconds to answer a question before the next bell sounds off is pretty nerve-wracking. Ross University has an AMAZING anatomy lab and probably the best faculty, instructors, and Teaching Assistants. We have a 25 cadaver lab, and that is only heard of throughout only a handful of med schools in the U.S. Ross does an amazing job at preparing us for the lab practical with having the anatomy lab open from 7am to 11pm every day, even weekends. There is ample time to study and it is actually quite creepy being there alone...with 25 bodies..on a Friday night...and its the 13th..ok kidding...I don't think it was the 13th. But still...it's definitely creepy.

But let me be honest with you tonight and say that I am actually really tired. Week 7 is where I can finally say that I had to fight through the fatigue these past couple days. I actually fell asleep sitting up for who knows how long with my headphones on listening to a lecture...that's pretty bad. I think it's pretty safe to say that making it to Week 7 and now feeling this way is pretty good, but I know that I need to get back to my regular schedule. It is 9:20pm right now and I physically and mentally couldn't study, so I thought: "I am going to write tonight." It honestly makes me feel better, and I feel that you guys can get a sense of how I feel in times like these. Medical school is a whole new level. You think you know long hours. You think you know what tired feels like. But when you are $20,000 in and you mentally can't read another sentence, anxiety kicks in because you KNOW you need to know this by the next day as it is only going to get harder. You have to know when to fight it or when to let it be. Tonight: I am letting it be. I am tired. Really tired. But will wake up tomorrow at 6am and get back to my workout routine and hopefully things will kick back into gear.

Thanks for your support and following my adventure, don't forget to follow me on instagram: @d1todr. Off to bed and will hopefully wake up refreshed!

Bye for now,

-E xo

Pics:

First patient interview attire!

Oh how young I look and I miss my hair!

That NCAA life.

From one beach to another with this guy :)

I love him.

In the T dot!

It's Okay to be Okay

Hey everyone!

It is a beautiful Thursday morning here at Ross, and let me tell you...I haven't been able to enjoy it as I have been inside all this week studying my buns off! This week marks one month since the May 2015 incoming class has been on this island of Dominica. I know everyone says "time flies", but wow...when you are wishing you had one more hour left in you to study and it is already midnight, to wake up at 6:30am to do it all over again..you think the days would go slow..but it surely has felt the opposite. I wanted to do a quick blog post this morning before my lectures are posted online, so I thought..."I think I have time to blog!".

For those of you that just read that and questioned: "Lectures posted online?!" Yes. That is correct. I am officially a "mediasiter." What that means is that here at Ross U, classes are not mandatory, they already have your money, so they really don't care how you use your time to get the information you need. What mediasite offers is a way to watch the lectures on your computer, with options like play, stop, rewind, fast-forward, and speed up at 1.4X, 1.6X, and 2X. The biggest thing with medical school is finding your study strategy...and finding it quickly. After the first week of classes, I knew that it was consuming way too much of my day to go to class from 8-12pm and then do my study sheets per class, which was taking me another 6 hours. So I thought..if I could watch the lectures on about 1.6X speed and do my study sheets simultaneously, I could leave a couple hours a night to study that material. So voila...I am a mediasiter as of Week 2. By no means am I perfect at keeping a schedule and there are days where I feel so overwhelmed with material I just want to curl up in my bed and pull the sheet over me, but I take each hour slowly and try to absorb everything like a sponge.

That is why I wanted to title this post as such, because there have been many times thus far where I haven't felt rockin'..and that's okay. I have learned that everyone has their unique story in being here, and I have to stop comparing myself to others. Some people learn differently, some people can read a whole powerpoint presentation and just get it, some people can work on their cadaver in the anatomy lab and just understand all the origins, insertions, and innervations (*shakes fist at them*), and some people don't need to write everything down, colour-code, and then have to re-write everything on a white board like me. I am here at 26 (almost 27!) because I have realized that I love people, functional movement, health, and medicine way too much to settle for anything less. I may not have known I wanted to be a physician when I was 6. I may not have wanted to be a physician until about 2 years ago, but you know what? That is okay. That doesn't mean I will work any less harder, not get up early to workout before my lectures, go to suture skills lab to practice my skills, or enjoy clinical skills as much as I did yesterday if I didn't want to be here. Life is exactly that. Finding your passion, and even through those tough moments of not feeling 100% or even 50% for that matter, you still see light at the end of the tunnel. My light at the end of my tunnel has me owning my own gym, being the lead Physiatrist and educating in functional movement for people with congenital, or devastating life-altering events. Helping them walk again or strengthen their movements is what would absolutely give me joy going into work everyday. Find your light, and just know that it is okay to be okay...and that not everyone's light will burn as bright as yours, or may be burning even brighter at times, but you have your goal..and that's all that matters.

Bye for now! Off to listen to my Mitosis lecture..oh how I wish it was just as in depth as high school.

-E xo

Pics!

Oh how I love these pictures, such a fun day!

Love him

Pretty happy with this guy

Our favourite lake in NZ!

The White Coat Ceremony

Just getting the coat and walking outside for pictures!

Oh how I love them all!