Samantha Xavier
Week 1: Day 1
Wow, does it feel good to be back at MedEx! It is crazy to think that I started this program when I was a junior in High School. Now, I am a Senior in College, thinking about Occupational Therapy School. Four years ago, I was confused about what I wanted to do and where I would feel happiest. I invested about 4 years of shadowing and volunteer work into dentistry, only to realize that it is not what I truly want to do, and that's okay.
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Just like the start of Tier 1, I was nervous because I knew I was going to meet new people. I also feel very home-sick living in Greenville. Our tier is AMAZINIG. I can tell by the conversations that I have had, that it is going to be a great summer. I am so excited of what is ahead of us.
My best friend, Michael knew I was feeling a little out of place so he took me to get some ice-cream, and of course that fixed everything.
The very first 3 hours of MedEx were spent getting out CPR certification! It was very exhausting and my arms may have been sore after but it was definitely worth it!
CPR certified!
Week 1: Day 2
We had a lot of lectures today and we also got our schedules for who we are going to be shadowing for clinicals! The lectures were awesome. In particular, we had a nurse come in and I think we all loved her. Her personality was so open, she related to us, and she was funny.
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SHADOWING! Although I am on the occupational therapy route, until I find some therapists around the area to shadow, I am shadowing doctors in the hospital! On my schedule, I have things like surgery, the emergency room, psychiatry! But, on Thursday, I get to shadow internal medicine with Dr.Chilcote! I am nervous but also very excited!
week 1: day 3
First off, I am nervous to shadow tomorrow. I had to go pick up my badge, so while I was doing that, I made sure to know where the internal medicine clinic is so I do not run late tomorrow morning. We did some more icebreakers today and I think they really helped us know everyone a little more. They were fun, got us up, and got some laughs out of us. We worked with some M2's and got their advice. My mentor is Anne and she helped me get in contact with some occupational therapists! She gave us such great advice!
Clinical DAY 1!!!
Week 1: Day 4
Today, I got to shadow Dr. Chilcote, a resident, at the internal medicine clinic at Prisma! I was very nervous yesterday but once I met Dr. Chilcote, all my nerves went away. He was so awesome to work with and was so relatable. He told me about his family and how residency was going. He told me that yes it is hard, but I could do whatever I set my mind to. We had four patients today and every one of them had diabetes. I learned that managing your weight, eating healthy meals, and having an overall healthy lifestyle can truly make all your pains go away.
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I saw as Dr. Chilcote urged the patients to eat better or get a walk in. Some of them refused and some of them were not able to afford a healthy diet. He also explained to me that sometimes it does get hard to believe if the patients are telling him the truth and are being honest with quitting certain things like smoking. However, you have to trust the patients and what they say about their personal lives while also advising them to take good care of their health.
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I had a really good first day of clinicals! I ended my day by being featured in a senior residents roast video. It was so funny and so fun to be in!
Week 1: Day 5
This week honestly has been awesome but exhausting. It was so hard to get used to waking up at 6am and being in class until 5pm. I did get a little used to it but I know I will be sleeping in real good this weekend.
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Today we talked to the admissions panel along with a couple of M2's. They advised all the medical students about interviews and what they need for one such as a light for virtual interviews. Dr. Linton and Lucy were so amazing and welcoming.
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After lunch, we worked on our personal statements. I started mine and feel like deleting all of it. But, I know that I should not do that but just try to tweak it to be better. I do want to set up meetings with some of our interns to help me refine it.
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We ended the day with a tour of the Nursing school and it was so cool. They had some very realistic dummies and room set up for the students to practice on.
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