MedEx Tier IV, hello:)

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.

​The battle of fighting denial is like a rollercoaster. I convinced myself so well to believe that every dental shadowing experience was a thrill, that I wanted to invest four years of school into becoming the dentist that not only I "wanted" to be, but one that my family was proud of me being.

The climb: the part of my pre-dental journey that I was struggling with accepting. I did not want my whole high school and college career to go to waste since countless of those hours were spent in a dental office.

The fun ride down: but I will be a dentist and my family will be so proud of me graduating dental school.

The end of the ride: But am I truly happy and content with my choice?

I went into Day 1 not pre-dental. It felt good, a little stressed, but I was happy. I value myself and I always want to do what is best for myself. After the feeling of letting being pre-dental go, I felt confident in who I was going to become. I prayed for it for a very long time and that feeling finally kicked in.

Just like the start of Tier 1, I was nervous because I knew I was going to meet new people. Unlike Tier 1, we are very fortunate enough to be provided with apartments 10 minutes away from the hospital. With this though, I feel very home-sick living in Greenville. I think it's because my safe space is in Spartanburg (my hometown), an area I am very comfortable with. I know myself though and in about 3 days I will be A okay! 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.

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! We watched a bunch of videos, practiced CPR many times, and took a test at the end of it in order to see if we are able to get our certification. Luckily, everyone passed and we are all CPR certified! It does feel very cool to say "I am CPR certified" however, I think that the first time I will have to use it will be pretty nerve wracking. After certification, we headed to lunch around 1pm and Chick-fil-a stared me down as I walked through the cafeteria and out. I have been counting my calories lately in order to eat a more healthy diet and I did not cave! I know that I am bound to one day though. After lunch, Eli (an M2) gave us a tour of the hospital and the med school. She knew it in and out and while every walk way looked the same to me. After learning a little bit about the hospital set-up, we ended our day with an ice-breaker. We through around an inflatable ball that had questions written all over it. Whichever question your thumb landed on is the one you answered. There were some pretty silly questions like "Which is your favorite finger?" (the one I got). I answered that by saying the finger with my Clemson ring on it because Go Tigers. Duh. That icebreaker was a great way to relive some stress and to get to know more of my peers!

When I got home that night, my best friend, Michael knew I was feeling a little out of place living in Greenville so he took me to get some ice-cream, and of course that fixed everything! So sweet of him, he's always looking out for me. and Michael if you are reading this, I'll always have your back too, buddy:)