Good morning all. I can't believe it's already Week 14 of my
seventh trimester. It doesn't just seem like the tri has flown by,
but the last 2-1/2 years also seem like a blur. I've learned a lot
this trimester about being a physician, and I'm ecstatic to put
what I've learned to use next trimester in Student Clinic.
I'm so surprised at the amount of information I've been taught,
and even retained a bit of, over my time here at National. I can
remember starting first tri in cadaver lab and literally shaking as
I walked into my first lab practical final. I used to think there
was no way I could take that many classes and pass, let alone
retain the information for future classes and tests. We've become
so conditioned to the rigorousness of the program, that now I stare
down the 12 finals I have over the next 2 weeks without a
quiver.
Where does this confidence come from, you may ask? The answer to
that riddle is by being prepared. I had to learn how to learn, if
that makes any sense. It took stumbling and sub-par performances my
first trimester to teach me how important it is to be prepared. I
want to say over that first break between first and second tri, I
studied for about 2 hours a day to be ready to kick some butt when
we started up again. I've kept this tradition alive now for 2
years, and for 2 years I don't remember a single exam I've been
nervous for (except for national boards).
If you know me down here, you know I joke around a lot during
the day, and may even have a little reputation as a partier, but
now you know my secret of being a closet nerd. I love to learn, and
the material and skills we're picking up intrigue me, so studying
has become more of a hobby than anything else. I hope this message
gets across to those that have asked me how to beat their
test-taking anxiety. By making your chore a hobby, it makes being
prepared that much easier and hopefully drops your anxiety
levels--that plus a 12-pack doesn't hurt either.
Thank you to everyone who has been reading the blog throughout
the trimester and especially those who have taken the additional
time to shoot me emails. I would also like to thank Mrs. Marie
Olbrysh [editor] and Rachel Campbell [webmaster] for making this
blog a reality, and Deb Bechtel for constantly reminding everyone
about the blog and to continue reading it.
I hope everyone smashes their finals and has an incredible
winter vacation. Happy holidays to all, and if you find yourself
around Tampa, shoot me an email so we can meet up for a drink.
Catch ya on the flip side,
Dex