The Wrath of 4th Semester

** Let's out the longest sigh of life** "Ahhhhhhhh"

Hi followers! It is 6:45pm and this morning at 7:30am I had my LAST first exam on the island here at Ross! [That actually sounds surreal to say]. I remember sitting in my very first class at MERP back in December of 2014, and the amount of time that has passed, the amount of information that I have learned, and the friends that I have made are all just amazing and I can not picture myself anywhere else right now. That is a pretty cool feeling to have.

I did an amazing MERP webinar last week where I signed on and chatted to prospective students about the program and asked a lot of questions pertaining to MERP Toronto and how I felt the program has benefited me. This was my third webinar that I have been asked to sign on for, and the first time that I have mentioned my blog to students! I had about ten new followers quite quickly and about five messages so a quick shout out to those people! Thanks for following and welcome!

So let's chat about this exam this morning. In one word: "WHOA". Four weeks of material, cardiovascular pathology, respiratory pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, clinical medicine, behavioral science, and ...nope...I think that's it. Can you say a lot of material? These past four weeks on the island have been the busiest so far for me, and I know that I say that with almost every mini, but really guys, these past four weeks I wanted to cry...a lot. Here was my last week just as an example before the exam today.

[Last Week]

Monday: Class: 8am-4pm
Tuesday: Hospital visit at Princess Margaret Hospital in Roseau: 6:30am-6:00pm
Wednesday: Class: 8am-3pm
Thursday: AIST practical session: 7am-9am, MERP Webinar 7pm-8pm
Friday: Class: 8am-4pm
Monday/TEST DAY

So you are probably thinking, "how do you even have time to study?". I am not going to lie on this one, this was a fight. This was a fight as soon as my feet hit the soil in Dominica. I knew that Semester 4 was tough for a lot of students. I do not know if it is the time on the island thus far, the burnt out, the stress, the thinking "what if" for so many different reasons, but Semester 4 is one that many students do not forget. I knew I had my hospital visit early, and I knew it was right before my exam...so I planned. I planned hard. I knew that I had to get up with the intention to finish the material that day, and I would not go to bed until I have done so. Surprisingly, I ended up going to bed around 11pm/11:30pm every night and then getting up at 6am. The biggest piece of advice that I can give to any student, that is not necessarily even in medical school, but any professional degree, that there is a massive difference with "studying long hours" and "studying smart". I always listen to my body, I always go to bed when my brain is tired. I always eat when I am hungry, and I do not drink those nasty energy drinks. I fuel my body as that is the only way to survive. I am an athlete first and foremost and if I know that my body and mind are not feeling 100%, then I know I will not be able to do well. Like Steve always says to me when he knows I am exhausted and needing to eat: "You never put diesel in a Ferrari."

I have gotten about twenty messages and ten instagram messages last week, which I do love answering [so please keep them coming], about the topic of "how do you do it?" It took me a couple days to find the right answer to that question, as I feel like work ethic, perseverance, and grit are all inherently engineered within me. You just have to want it. You have to want this more than anything you have put your mind to, you have to put aside all distractions, doubt, suspicion, and believe that this is where you belong. I had the nicest message from a fellow follower that said: "your lust for life is so inspiring!" Wow. That was such a compliment because I feel like I am a major pessimist at times and I am working really hard in changing my mindset, so thank you for that message. I absolutely love helping people and getting to them where they need to be, I care a lot. I love our clinical practice exams, as even though the patients are not real patients, I really pretend that they are. On my practical final last semester I ended up getting 100%, as I pretended that this girl really had a terrible migraine that was ruining her every day activities. I believed her and I wanted to help. After I was done, she said that was the best patient-physician interview that she has ever experienced, all because I truly wanted to help her. Medicine is a passion that you have to have within you, no one can make you sit in a classroom for eight hours, then go home and study for eight more. No one can tell you to care, you have to want to care. No one can tell you this is your passion when YOU don't believe it is, because it is too long of a road to be doing it for someone else. Trust me. I love being here. I love Ross. I am thankful for Ross for giving me the opportunity to study medicine.

Like I said on the webinar last week: "My MCAT sucked, my GPA was a 3.5/4.0 which was mediocre for Canadian medical schools, but I have gotten Dean's List all semesters that I have been here, started a brand new club on campus, and won the Ross School of Medicine Scholarship for the 16/17 year, so it does not matter my previous grades, I am kicking butt at medical school and that is all that matters."

On that note, I am off to finish my glass of wine [okay my second glass for the night] and watch a much needed movie to relax my brain. Thank you for reading this massive post, it may or may not be the wine talking ;) Have a good Monday night everyone!

Bye for now,

-E xo

Princess Margaret Hospital Visit- Roseau

Dominica

Sunset Bay with some friends!

Awe :) friends!

Love this chica!

Our little girl

My happy place

Love them

More of PMH

PMH

My clinical buddy, Steve! :) 

My LAST First Day of Classes

Yes, you read that right people, today marked my last first day that I will be sitting in a classroom. So surreal, yet terrifying at the same time. The next step after this is the USMLE Step 1 in October, and the preparation starts now.

Fourth semester is a grind. Classes are MWF and thankfully Tues/Thurs are "off", but still may be filled with hospital visits, AIST prep, and simulation sessions. I feel as though this semester for a lot of students is the "easiest" and they can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I also feel that it is the most daunting, as our time on the island comes to a close, the "real world" sets in.

Entering my last semester on the island is one that I am still trying to find the word to describe. I am shocked at how fast the time has gone, and I am overwhelmed at the material that we have learned so far. I feel proud, but I still feel like there is so much to learn. Thankfully, Ross has a program called IMF (Internal Medical Foundations) after the island and before clinicals to get students up to speed on entering the next step in our studies: clinical core rotations and elective rotations, essentially our third and fouth years.

I am happy to say that I made Dean's List for the third consecutive semester, and I am going to try for 4/4 on the island. I study just a bit harder to make the grade, and with this semester starting off with a sprint, I am going to try and keep that motivation. We also have a cumulative final at Ross (mine is on August 19th) where we get two weeks to study sixteen months of material. I shutter just thinking about it. Two weeks for some students is plenty, but for most, two weeks is definitely not enough to review all of the material that we have learned thus far. That is why my preparation is starting right now, every week I will pick a day to review all of the material from way back in first semester, one year ago exactly! I will try and make notes and highlight my trusty first aid book, along with Uworld and Rx questions. If your an incoming Ross student reading this, do not worry, you will find what works best for you and if you do not recognize any of the resource names, you will have plenty of time to research them. Get through Ross first, then the USMLE exam later (I am still working on that thought myself).

On another note, I got the best email today. One of my favourite MERP professors, or I should just say favourite professor, emailed me today to see if I would like to be interviewed to talk about the MERP program for prospective and current MERP students. I have to send in a headshot and another picture of myself studying and my profile write-up will be on the news section of both the MERP and RUSM websites, pretty cool! With Ross sharing my blog a couple times (thank you to whoever in is Admin reading my blog posts!), it has really created an avenue for me to reach a lot of people, which is amazing. I absolutely love answering your questions, and sorry if I say "refer to my blog", as a lot of students tend to ask my experience with Ross thus far, and instead of typing all my thoughts out again, I just thought it would be easier for people to read what I have to say on here!

I usually do posts in the morning, but I know that I would never have a last first day of classes EVER again, so I made sure to do a post tonight, even though it is 9:30pm. With Domi falling asleep on my legs as I type this in bed, I think it is time to say goodnight. One more semester guys! Thank you for being on this journey with me!

Bye for now,

-E xo

Pics!

Break time in Dundas, Ontario! Loved being home! 

Such a pretty hiking trail

Stephen and his brother James, and the two girlfriends! (Kathryn and myself!)

On our way back to the island, Steve and I stopped in Denver, Colorado as a prospective state for me to practice! Oh how I loved this campus. 

Got to visit one of my besties!

Loveland pass :) 

haha I love this girl!

Cheesman Park in Denver! 

My view on Sunday for brunch. So pretty. 

Goodbye 3X, It's Been Real.

Hey followers! I thought I would take the morning after my exam to relax, recuperate, and write a blog post as I am almost done with Semester 3! So crazy how time flies! I say goodbye to this semester as we have one more exam left next week. ONE. MORE. EXAM. (Thankfully) But to be honest, I really liked the material that we have learned during these 13 weeks. It was pathology, pharmacology, microbiology, a lot of the complex concepts that we will be seeing in our own future practice.

Right now, looking at my desk, I have four piles, all labeled according to the exams we have had thus far. 4 piles. 6 days. 1 NBME final. The difference with this final is that Ross does not write any of the questions, meaning the questions are coming from the National Board of Medical Examiners <-- anyone else freaked out by this title? This final is our first look at how all of our board questions will be presented. I am not too sure what to expect, and to be honest, I am not too sure how to study for this one. I have heard many different opinions about using your notes, not using your notes, pathoma, not pathoma (I have never used pathoma and I almost have 100% in pathology right now), everyone is so different and if I have learned anything this semester, or being at Ross for that matter, is that everyone has their own study strategy. Do not listen to anyone else as you have taken four exams already this semester, and too many more at Ross than you can count. YOU know how to study, you know what is right for you.

With this semester coming to a close, and with our Sports Med Club ending all of our events, it is a great time to reflect on why I am here. This semester was tough, it was mentally tough, but I think I have gone to the gym the most since being here. It is all about balance, as you can feel like you are suffocating with the material. I have gotten many emails and instagram messages (@d1todr), and I just wanted to shed some light on why Ross is a great fit for me and for the many readers that I am so lucky to have reading my blog posts. We are almost at the 20,000 view mark on the blog, which is unbelievable.

The most frequent question I get asked is: Is Ross offering you a great education? Is it worth it?

My answer time and time again has been a resounding: "Yes.", but let me elaborate for a second. Ross is hard. Medical school is hard, no matter the location. It doesn't matter if you are in your home state, home province, home country, no matter where you are studying medicine, it is a grueling four years. The first two years (for us) are on the island of Dominica, and then the next two years are in the U.S for clinical rotations. I have made the decision to stay in the U.S after medical school to obtain my residency, and then who knows where I'll move next. That is a complete other blog post! The medical school curriculum is tailored toward the USMLE Board exams, which are taken by every U.S medical student, and once again-no matter the location of your school. I will take the exact same board exams as Harvard medical school graduates, so my education needs to be upheld to the highest standards to do well on these exams. My first of these board qualification exams is in October of this year (which I am already freaking out about). Ross has to make sure they are teaching us pertinent information towards those exams, and that is why the rigors of medical school foundations is tough.

Before I left for school, a handyman was working on the house that we were house-sitting and I told him I was off to medical school, and he said without hesitation: "you aren't goin' to those places down there like Grenada are ya?". In my head I knew St. George University was on Grenada and 3 times the price of Ross, so...no, I was not going to Grenada, and 2) why the hell does it matter? (excuse my language). It is people like that that really grind my gears because they have no idea what going overseas entails. If I had to choose a physician it would encompass someone who didn't take "no" for an answer, someone who was willing to drop everything to pursue something they have always wanted, and someone who was willing to study medicine away from family, friends, and who would miss out on all life events like birthdays and weddings (sorry Ash xoxo) because they are inside a classroom grinding it out. THAT is who I want as my physician, and THAT is who I want sitting across from me when I need help in the doctors office. It is all about perspective, and to be honest, Ross has made me tougher than ever before, and I will become a great physician because of it.

On that note, since I am a little heated, I will start on pile #1 of my many piles! Thank you all for listening to me rant at times, and for allowing me a voice on how this opportunity to study medicine is so so worth it.

Bye for now,

-E xo

It wouldn't be D1toDR without some pics!

:)

Che's Ice Cream. Can't go wrong.

Steve's class on a hike last semester!

This place really is beautiful.

Seems like forever ago.

Home so soon!!!!

Back in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam while I was on a medical placement. Such an amazing opportunity! This Dr. Was standing on a chair because he couldn't believe how tall I was! 

Home.

Since Jane Goodall's bday was last week, throwback to meeting her in Toronto!

Near the End of the Beginning

Hello followers! I can't believe it is already in the middle of March, time is literally flying down here. I have lots to update you on, as it has been a couple weeks since I have last written. We only have two more exams to go and a practical exam and then I am done 3rd semester! I remember just starting MERP in Dec 2014, wow...

It is 9am on a beautiful Friday morning, with about six hours of lecture waiting before me. I REALLY do not want to start lecture today for some reason, so I thought: "Let's do a blog post!" So much better than learning about GI problems, especially diarrhea, which has been the topic of many lectures this past week. Who knew you could have so many varieties!

We had a really big exam this past Monday, and it was definitely the most material that I had to study to date. It was the "Heme & Lymph" module, which was filled with many blood disorders, tons of pathology, and the biochemistry behind it as well. The whole time throughout the block, I kept thinking how I am never going to get through this much material, it is just WAY too much. The exam definitely proved me wrong on Monday, it was my best score on the island thus far, I never share my grades with anyone, but I got a 92%, which puts me at a rank of 6 out of 199 students. It really opened my eyes to never doubt yourself. I definitely did these past four weeks, but you just have to put your head down, grind it out, but still make sure you are eating and sleeping right! I have answered SO many instagram messages this past week, and even emails! So thank you all who have confided in me to help them along your journey. I find that instagram is the best way to get a hold of me, so if you follow me at @d1todr I can answer all of your questions within 24 hours :)

This semester has honestly been my favourite so far, and many previous students might disagree with me on that one. It is A LOT of information, more than you can imagine, but at the same time, it is definitely doable. You just have to have a plan. You have to wake up every morning and follow that plan through. Day in and day out. No excuses. Med school is literally your full time job! I know at times it can be tough as a lot of your family and friends get to go out and enjoy themselves, and celebrate St. Patty's day with cool green drinks and tons of green attire, while you are inside studying until about 11 pm or midnight, but how amazing will it be to throw a badass St. Patty's party when you are an M.D?! I always keep wishing for my time on the island to be done. I am always wishing for time to hurry up and just "getting these years over with so I can be a doctor already". I have learned that time passes so quickly already, and that wishing it all away will only make myself regret such a thought years down the road. The island is where you learn your medical foundation, high yield information for a medical career, and getting us set up for clinicals back in the U.S. It is a time to really hone your study skills, be familiar with taking a great history of a patient, and enjoy your last bit of the Caribbean for a really long time. I have realized that even though I miss home (a lot) and my family and friends (a lot), I am learning so much here to ever let myself wish for something different.

This past Wednesday some of us has community clinic where I actually got to interview someone in their own home. It was such a neat experience to sit down and interview my very first patient, and even write his vitals in his personal medical book. With no one hovering over our shoulder, or stopping us mid sentence to correct us, it was all on us to conduct the full history and physical exam. To be honest, I was nervous, but the patient was so amazing and cute (I LOVE geriatrics), that he made me feel at ease as soon as we arrived. His little granddaughter that was about 3 years old kept pointing to my stethoscope as I was interviewing and really wanted to sit with me on the chair, and so I pulled her up on my lap and put my stethoscope around her neck and you should have seen her face! The grandmother and even nurse were taking pictures the whole time I was interviewing, it was the cutest thing as she kept trying to listen to my heart! Adorable. These are memories that I will keep forever from my time in Dominica.

I wanted to take a quick second to say we have well surpassed the 18,000 views on the blog, which is CRAZY! Thank you so much for coming along for the ride with my medical school journey, it really has been a roller-coaster of emotions! I am happy I have such an amazing support group and avid readers of my blog posts, so thank you.

Okay, okay, I better start these lectures, it is going to be a longgggggg Friday.

Pictures! As always :)

Cabrits Hike!

The hardest climb ever in Guadaloupe

Another Sports Med Club event! 

Love these girls!

Dean's List for a 2nd consecutive semester :) 

Finally got to get out of the apartment! lol

Yes, You CAN Do It.

Hey everyone! I know...you are probably thinking: "What?! Two posts in one month?" That is right my friends, I actually have time to do another post! This past week in Semester 3X we have had some time "off" from lectures, and the reason I say "off" is that we are all still studying (somewhat). This is the week that Semester 03 (which is curriculum) is learning renal physiology from Semester 2. The curriculum track is based on five semesters, so they learn material at different times than 3X. While they are learning renal physiology, 3X has some time to catch up on our 130 drugs that are being tested on our next exam. 130! Yikes! Wish me luck :)

This past week I have gotten a lot accomplished. I have finished my Service Learning Activity, which is a requirement for all students to finish before they can leave the island. The due date is in your last semester in the 10th week of classes, but they say to get it done as soon as you can. It adds 5% to your current semester you complete it in, so with 3rd semester being quite tough, I have decided to complete it this weekend. Our RUSM Sports Medicine Club organized a trip to Grange Nursing Home, which is about 15 minutes from campus. There were eight residents that we got to do functional exercises with, and believe me, it was much needed. It broke my heart to see that they didn't have any shoes, that their shirts were dirty, and that they bathed in cold water, as the home does not own a hot water heater. One resident was 104 years old, and she is a feisty little thing. I heard that Dominica was one of the few countries that have the most people over 100, I definitely believe it. One of our members had an amazing idea to use balloons as a means of getting the residents to use their arms and legs. Such a great idea! We were able to facilitate many exercises with having them try and catch the balloon, and using their legs and feet to kick it as well. We will definitely be going to back to visit and as a donation our club will be giving items like gloves, soaps, bed pads, etc to the nurses that desperately need them.

I also applied to Ross University's Scholarship this past weekend, where I had to write an essay. 16 scholarships of 3,000 are handed out to students under DeVry's Education umbrella. This includes many schools in the Caribbean and the U.S. I will keep you guys updated if I receive and award! *fingers crossed*. That being said, Ross University School of Medicine's facebook page also re-shared two of my instagram posts. I would like to quickly say thank you to Ross and "Hello!" to all of our new followers and people on instagram; writing this blog has truly given me an avenue to talk to so many amazing people. I absolutely love the emails, comments, and likes, because it lets me know that you guys care and that you are venturing off to medical school and confide in me for help. So, thank you.

I also got to attend a Canadian seminar where we talked with recent on-island students who have written their Step 1 and are now finishing up IMF, which is the next stage after the island. A quick 6 week introduction to hone our clinical skills before venturing off into the hospitals. I am grateful that Ross does this, as it will set you up nicely for core rotations that are completed over 42 weeks. We talked a lot about Step studying, Comp (the cumulative final you write before leaving the island), NBME final exams (which you have at the end of 3rd and 4th semester-yay), and that it is possible to do well. I am not sure if I was tired from studying from our last mini, or that I am lost with these couple days off that I over-think and do not know what to do with myself, but I got in such a weird mood. These past two nights I have gone to bed worrying "can I do this", "can I do well on the step 1", and for those that follow my blog posts and instagram pictures you are probably saying: "yes, Emma, you have gotten Dean's List the past two semesters, you have created a brand new club on campus, and you have maintained a high average". But to be honest, that is such a great accomplishment and I am happy, but it is how well you do on Step 1 that matters for residency. Stephen has been great in being supportive and letting me be in my own bubble at times, because it is scary. You can do all this work for two years and then be stuck. I do not want that.

Then I got to thinking..."Emma...C'mon"
Then I answered out loud: "What?"
My inner voice: "You do not push yourself every day, every night, every weekend, to not pass. You do not move to an island away from family and friends and then have nothing to show for it. You just don't. You have it in you to do well, and you have proved that time and time again."
Me: *sigh* "Ok"
Inner voice: "So stop being grumpy, stop over-thinking, and keep doing what you are doing."

Ok, yes I do talk to myself sometimes, ok? haha. I just had to clear my head, go to bed early, and wake up and remember why I am here. It is hard. No doubt aboot it (in a hard Canadian accent). Medical school is hard, but it is so worth it. The struggle is worth it and your time is worth it. Yes, you CAN do it.

Off to annotate my First Aid Step 1 book, no point in worrying about that exam, might as well try and crush it!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Bye for now,

-E xo

As always, pictures!

Our club at Grange Nursing Home

Abraham :)

Love this picture.

Happy to be going to another Dean's List Ceremony on Feb 26th!

Our Club's big event this semester!! 

Catamaran ride!

My girl!

Love these girls!

Love him too! :) 

Hello Semester 3X is RIGHT!

Hello my long lost blog followers! I am so sorry that I have not been able to write in such a long period of time. The struggle is real in second year of medical school. Let me give you a quick summary of my last month, it surely has been busy:

1.) Started Semester 3X. The "X" means accelerated, so I am completing my foundation of medicine courses in four semesters instead of it stretched over five.

2.) I am the Founder and President of RUSM Sports Medicine Club on campus. It has been busy, but it also has been a lot of fun. We held an anatomy review for the first semester practical, officially announced our big event "The Sports Combine" where we test true fitness and crown the "Fittest At Ross". We are previewing a movie shared with the Neuroscience Club on campus called "Concussion" and are having a panel filled with students and professors to talk about helmet safety and concussion prevention. Attending Grange Nursing Home where we help with bedridden patients and limited mobility patients, getting them up and moving, even if it's wiggling their toes! We have more planned, which makes me excited for this semester!

3.) I just completed another panel webinar with the MERP program. Where I dialed in and talked about my experiences with the program, answered questions, and talked with faculty. It truly is an amazing program so if you are reading this and are unsure of that next step...DO IT.

4.) My first mini went well, I got an 87% which I am happy about. Ross JUST changed their grading policy to where you need at least a 60% in all disciplines before being able to pass. A lot of people are not happy with that change, but it does mimic the NBME and makes us more prepared all around for the USMLE Step 1. (already terrified for that exam in October this year).

5.) I have been the busiest that I have ever been, and the most tired...but I am happy. After the long days, I truly have to dig deep to keep pushing. After watching lectures, making my notes, highlighting (everything), and active listening from 9am-4pm for most days, then to be able to get back to studying for the night is TOUGH.

6.) What no other upper semester told me was the fact that you have time in 3rd. Today is the last day of lectures for our mini exam, and our exam is a week from today. Don't get my wrong, I need a full 6 days to cover this vast amount of material, but it is nice that Ross understands that we need that time to study.

Everything so far, is managaeble, medical school as a whole is manageable. You just have to really want it. You can have an hour or two of being bogged down, not feeling it, or just that feeling of true "what the heck did I get myself into" feeling, but you have to see how amazing the future is going to be. Having your own practice, traveling and doing international medicine, helping those in need, and conquering the massive amounts of exams that lay ahead of us. I always think to myself, there are a ton of physicians in this world (but still not enough), and when times get tough, I know that it can't be impossible. There are too many physicians for it to be unattainable, and when you set your mind that "you can do this", positive thinking does go a very long way.

Off to listen to my first lecture of the day, thankfully we only have three hours today, yay!

Keep the questions coming, keep the comments coming, and just know I am always here to help in any way that I can!

Bye for now,

-E xo

As usual:

Our beautiful logo done by my talented friend, Julia!

My tutoring certificate :)

Happy birthday to my second oldest sis!

11 years with this guy!

Study day yesterday.

Domi doesn't like studying either.

She is such a character.

Laurenie, our PR person, signing people up for The Sports Combine!

Batibou Beach! xo