This is the end....

On Tuesday, we had our final exam in the Masters in Pharmacology program. And it feels good to be done! This program has been a great experience and my knowledge of Medical Pharmacology will serve me not only for the MCAT but has prepared well for medical school. I have also met wonderful people and made great friends through the program and in the city. Some of the professors are amazing because they were very supportive and didn't hesitate to offer us advice for medical school applications. One of the most memorable quote by Dr Kadowitz is "The best medical school is the one that you get into!". LOL This program has also helped me honed my studying skills and being able to process a lot of information usually in a small amount of time...thinking of all the drugs we had to know for the Shelf  (something that will be needed very much in Med school). It has also reinforced my will to become a physician, and has given me a confidence boost!

The volunteering portion of the program has been one of the highlights. I don't think I would have gotten to know and understand this wonderful city (in terms of education and daily needs, among others) if I had not volunteer my time with KIPP, Habitat for Humanity and Green Light New Orleans. I'm also glad I am staying until the end of May, which will be an opportunity for me to explore even more the city: visit museums, visit interesting neighborhoods, enjoy local food and soak in as much as I can.


About Volunteering:
This month, I volunteered a coupe of times at KIPP. I also had the opportunity to volunteer at the International School of Louisiana (ISL) in Metairie. The school has 3 campuses, one on Camp Street, on in West Bank and one in Metairie. Parents choose what language they want their children to learn between French, Spanish, Chinese and many others. Children then are put into classes that are taught entirely in the language chosen. I get to spend the whole day with children who are fluent in Spanish and get to see the various activities they do in class, all in Spanish, while they have at least on English course. The school is so diverse, with children coming from all over: Ecuador, Colombia, Nigeria, US, Japan and so many other countries! These kids are very lucky!! I also had the opportunity to go with them to a field trip to the New Canal Lighthouse, near the lake Pontchartrain (which by the way as I learned during the trip, is not a lake but an estuary!).
It is great that the children get to learn to speak another language fluently. I believe this offers wonderful advantages, especially in today's world of globalization. I, myself, am multilingual and speaking different languages has helped me navigate through various cultures but also open myself to different cultures. And this can only help me as a future physician who will deal with patients from various cultural backgrounds.
I'll be posting pictures shortly....

Volunteering hours for Spring Semester:
KIPP: 14hrs
ISL: 16hrs
Soil sample collection: 2 hrs

March

I can't believe it is almost the end of the program (in less than 2 months). This got me thinking about things I have done right during this year, and things I wish I had done.

But first thing first, we had our NBME shelf exam on MArch 19. It is the final exam in Pharmacology and it tests our knowledge of all drugs we have learned throughout the year. Although the exam was long, I think it was fair (Dr Clarckson handpicks all the questions!), and everything that was on the exam has been covered in class. Truly, all you need is the amazing pharmwiki (just know it really well), go through the block reviews and one additional book that may help is Deja Review Pharmacology. Don't be afraid to use mnemonics to help you (no matter how ridiculous they sound, as long they help you recall the drugs and important side effects!). This should help you get through the exam and hopefully ACE it.

In about 2 months, I will be leaving New Orleans, and I don't know when I'll be back. One thing I regret is not having explored this city more, and not having taken advantage of all the great things it has to offer (especially in terms of culture). Although I made wonderful friends in the program, part of me wishes I also took time to meet  and get to know people outside the program, locals! I've been here for almost a year, and I don't think I know this city at all. I hope to do so during my last two months here: go to the museums, participate in some of the numerous cultural activities that the city has to offer and hopefully interact more with people from here. I will let you know in the next blog post how this goes.