It is Week 14! That means only one more week before the break. Over the weekend, my friend Alex and I attended the Blink-182 concert in Tampa. It was a fantastic concert. I unfortunately had to miss the Rowdies game, but it was worth it to see one of my favorite childhood bands. They played all their hits, old and new from “All the Small Things (1999)” to “Bored to Death (2016).” The entire concert was amazing! All American Rejects and A Day to Remember were the opening bands and both of those bands would be great to see by themselves. To see all three in one night was surreal. Definitely one of the best shows I have ever seen!

As I previously mentioned, this trimester is coming to a close. Practical exams are this week and written exams are next week. Another two-week break follows before continuing onto sixth trimester. To say this trimester was unique would be an understatement. Not only was it my first trimester in clinical sciences, it was also my first major injury in over 10 years. It is also many of my friends’ last trimester and that is one of the saddest realities of all. I am going to really miss all the guys currently in 10th trimester who are about to become doctors. That said, I am happy for them and know they are going to make us all proud while practicing in the field and helping their patients.

Looking back on this trimester I am pleased with how much I learned. I am starting to think clinically rather than just memorizing in-depth scientific information. Though some classes introduced us to clinical concepts in the basic sciences phase, all the classes in the clinical sciences phase focuses on applying knowledge rather than simply understanding it. The coolest part is how it all sort of “clicks.”

Time and time again I asked the students in clinic how they became so good at evaluating and adjusting. The response was very similar across the board; they all said it sort of just happens. At the time it sounds crazy, but they were right. The curriculum builds in a way that we are becoming doctors without realizing it. I am confident I could manage plenty of patients right now and I am only halfway through the program. There is still a lot to learn but I have made tremendous strides since day one.

Prior to coming to this school, I thought I knew a lot. My anatomy classes in undergraduate were very clinically oriented but my undergraduate education was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how much clinical information is actually required to be a practicing physician. I am confident I will do well on my upcoming exams because I know I have learned a lot this trimester despite missing time due to my fracture. It has been a wild 14 weeks, and I am sure Week 15 — Finals Week — will be just as fun as ever! That said, I am off to study for my eight exams.

If you have any questions please email me at [email protected]