Melissa’s Journey to Medicine

February community service: 12 hours  Spring Semester total: 17 hours  This month's service hours were an experience. These past few weeks' in-class lectures, we are currently learning about the CNS and its diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, stroke, seizures, and epilepsy. Coming from a biology major my undergrad classes mainly focused on the human body, cellular mechanisms, and the general scope of biology. Currently finishing up the neurobiology module, a particular module I found great interest in compared to other lectures we had completed in this program. The mechanisms, functions, and pharmacokinetics of drugs relating to the current diseases and the neurological pathways gave me a completely different approach to the function of the brain. Recently on one of my service days in the hospital, I was able to visually see a patient who had a stroke during a parade in Mardi Gras. The patient was 50 years old (a pretty young man) and had a generalized stroke at...

January community service: 5 Spring Semester total: 5 Winding down to the last few months left in the program and I can honestly say I am excited but also nervous. I am excited about what the future holds for me and my journey to becoming a physician is getting closer and closer, however the feeling of taking national exams and the intensity of this semester's test-taking (shorter time, more challenging modules). In all, I am truly proud of myself for the growth, lessons, advice, and assistance from staff, professors, and also ms2 students. The journey of completing this program made it a lot easier for me. Thankful to UMC nurses and medical liaisons for the small teaching moments in helping me with my medical career. Every Tuesday you never know what is expected to come in those double doors of the emergency room but in all the different cases of patients it makes it even more interesting and fun. This semester I am hoping to expand my knowledge and carry the information learned i...

  November community service: 8.5 Fall Semester total: 25 Few weeks remaining in the semester and we are on the last modules of the fall semester. It has been about two weeks since Dr. Clarkson emailed the whole class informing us of the upcoming events/lectures that will take place in the last few weeks of this fall semester. Suddenly, it hit me that we have about three weeks in the semester and I am nearly halfway done with the program. I am truly proud of myself for watching my growth and expanding my learning techniques over the weeks. My study habits have changed in the most effective and beneficial way and this has been proven by the increased percentage of exams and independent quizzes. I have gained more self-confidence and assurance within myself these past few weeks by truly believing in myself and being more open to learning and studying from my fellow peers and doctorate professors. Also, volunteering at UMC has also changed my perspective on life, especially during thi...

                 It has been exactly three months since this program started and I can truly say it has been a roller coaster (but a good thing lol). I met a lot of new people during my time here, created friendships that will go beyond this program, and networked with many intelligent professionals these past few weeks! Early October I met an MS2 student while getting lost in the Hutchinson Building, I can truly say it all worked out for my own good! She has helped me emotionally and academically by giving me so many gems and knowledge for my current program and my future years in medical school. She was also a student in this Pharm masters program which made it so crazy and cool all in one! Another crazy thing that happened is I was able to use the fundamentals that we are studying in class in real-world applications. About two weeks ago while completing my other community service in LSU Health,  one of the toddlers that I teach i...

Moving to New Orleans has been quite an experience for me! Adapting to this new environment, the culture, surrounding communities, and most importantly this new chapter of my life.  I am very grateful and blessed to be able to have such an amazing and supportive program coordinator, directors, and professors. Since the beginning of school the motivation, support, and guidance I have received have continually given me the reassurance that I will do well in this program and expand my skills and knowledge in my health career. By improving and learning new study techniques finding my strengths and also working on my weakness I have truly grown so much in the past month and can only imagine how much I will grow by the end of the program! Beginning my volunteer in LCMC Health has opened my eyes to many walks of life and the health system of New Orleans. I currently volunteer in the emergency department and on the first shift alone I have experienced and seen so much in such a short amoun...