As I finish out the remaining few weeks of my degree in Naturopathic Medicine, I continue to reflect on this journey.

One piece of advice I do not think I have mentioned in this blog before is to really work hard to approach this program with fresh eyes, and to not have any preconceived notions when you start! What do I mean by that? Basically, there is a lot out there about how hard medical school is, and about which course subjects are the toughest. However, I have learned that different subjects are different for different students! Some students really excel in anatomy, or biochemistry, etc.

When I started this program, I was absolutely terrified of the biochemistry courses, but they ended up being some of my favorites. I also surprisingly loved the microbiology classes, and learning about the different viruses, and bacteria! By keeping an open mind, I was able to excel in those courses.

The flip side of that is also true. I was expecting to love anatomy, and I did! However, I also really struggled with the memorization of all the details we need to know. Some of those anatomy courses were the most difficult for me! My point is this: make sure you approach each class for what it is: an opportunity to learn as much as you can to better assist your future patients.

At the end of the day, that is what matters. Enjoy it, fall in love with the material you are learning. I found it helpful to always ask myself, “How could I explain what I just learned, to a future patient one day?” It helped me to process the information and try to think about how it could be applied clinically. While this is more difficult in some of the basic science courses, remember that the science of Naturopathic Medicine is rooted in the basic sciences–literally, everything relates back to the basic sciences!

Over the weekend I went home to take some graduation photos with my family since our in-person graduation was cancelled due to COVID. Here is a fun photo with all nine of my nieces and nephews (including my newest 4-week old nephew who I was able to meet for the first time)!

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