1st week of medical school: DONE

Well, I successfully completed my first week of medical school. It's not what I expected, but this isn't a bad thing. I expected that we would dive into the basic medical sciences but this wasn't the case. This first week has been about teaching us HOW to be medical students. To be sure, we've had some didactic lectures, mainly in DOCS (Developing Osteopathic Clinical Skills), but most of the week has been devoted to teaching us effective study skills, professional identity formation, and what resources are avaliable to us as student doctors. Many of us also met our upper classmen 'siblings'; mine is an SNMA (Student National Medical Association) member and an OMS-II. Though he's more than a decade younger than me, we share some traits and I think that we'll get along well. I was also given the option of joining a study group with two other students, one of whom is an Air Force veteran. I haven't fully decided if I want to use a study group or not but I will call these guys this weekend to see where their heads are at.

We signed up for the EMT-Basic class and even those of us who are currently licensed as EMTs, RNs, PAs, or some other health provider, have to take the class. Its all good though. It'll count as CEUs and it'll be a nice skills refresher. Once the EMT class has concluded, we'll start early clinical experiences, depending on where we are at with the COVID-19 epidemic. Right now, the positivity rate in San Antonio is doubling every couple of days and while most everyone on campus is masking up, there exists a possibility that we could move to online learning and the early clinical exposure could be canceled. If the clinicals aren't cancelled,we'll be tasked with doing ride-alongs with San Antonio Fire EMS, shadowing/working in school health clinics, doing street medicine with the UIWSOM mobile clinic, and shadowing in local primary care offices. They also told us that they are working on an MOU with a local section 8 housing development to have UIWSOM students, UIW nursing, pharmacy, optometry, and PT students to provide health and social services to the residents. Looking forward to all of this.

I've got two quizzes to complete tomorrow and I'll also start working on my EMT modules (They are taught by RC Health in case anyone reading this wants to complete an online EMT course). Other than that, I'll spend the weekend getting ready for next week. They will be introducing a little more content to us so I'll have a little more reading to do. Tomorrow, I'll post about how we conduct the case based learning in our SIGS class.

UIWSOM Match Data

UIWSOMs first class graduated in May 2021. They had about a 95%-96% match rate. The COMLEX Level 1 first time test takers data showed an 83.22% pass rate. This is on par for a new school. As time goes on, the COMLEX Level 1 and 2 scores should only get better.

UIWSOM Outcomes of the Match, 2021

Time management in medical school

Though I haven’t started medical school yet, I will employ one of the tools that allowed me to be a successful doctoral student at the University of Missouri. I kept a schedule. The amount of material that I had to learn and synthesize was vast, though not as vast as what I will be facing in medical school. Furthermore, I worked three jobs during my PhD program; there was just too much stuff for me to remember in a given day. So, I found a nice template in Excel and I kept a weekly schedule throughout my PhD program and I firmly believe that it helped to make my path easier and more palatable.

So, we were given access to some study schedule templates by our learning department and I’ve taken a first stab at creating my first week’s class and study schedule. I plan to make these each week but one thing that is important to note is that if the schedule you are making doesn’t work for you, do NOT be afraid to switch things around. You’ll notice that I included my sleep and waking times, along with the times that I eat and go to the gym. It’s important that you schedule your personal time so that they do not get left out. After a few weeks, I’ll come back and comment on this schedule.

Medical school is going to be tough so learning how to manage your time will help to maintain a strong academic performance as well as balance with the life that you want to lead outside of school. Thus, some of the things that are important to do in addition to the schedule include the following:

1. Be consistent
2. Eliminate distractions
3. Attend lecture and pay attention (If attending lecture works for you that is!)
4. Prioritize
5. Schedule time for self within your study schedule
6. Use the best review resources
7. Take time off when needed

Was issued my white coat today...

Today marked day three of new student orientation at University of The Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. Loving what I am seeing, hearing, and experiencing starting with the diversity in the class. By my count, it looks like my class has 5-6 Black men, including myself and I've seen 5-6 Black women as well. Looks like my class is made up of somewhere between 5.9% to 7.2% Black students. Compare that to 1%-2% at ATSU-SOMA in most years. There are significant numbers of Latinx and S.E. Asian students in my class as well and I've heard that something like 45% of the class is made up of under represented in medicine (URiM). There are 167 students in my class and we have a group photo coming up. When that gets posted, I'll be able to say for sure how many Black students are in my class but I will say that for now, its a very comforting environment.

Was issued my White Coat today & for me, it really did signify the move from PhD student/candidate/graduate to medical student. As I was driving in today, Eminem’s “I’m not afraid” came on and I was reminded about my homelessness, being legally blind without health insurance at one time, and my battles with PTSD. I was also reminded about the love & care that I have been blessed to receive from my wife, my friend & mentor Rob Henderson, my sisters, Pat, Deb, and Kiara, my two “daughters”, Destiney & Asia, my boy Chuka, and all of the other members of my village who helped to make these accomplishments possible. I have a single minded purpose to do what God put on my heart but will not get there except for the love and support of my tribe. 💯

… it's been a ride Everybody, I guess I had to Go to that place To get to this one …

… ‘Cause ain't no way I'm a let you stop me from causin' mayhem When I say I'm a do somethin' I do it I don't give a damn what you think I'm doin' this for me, so fuck the world, feed it beans It's gassed up, if it thinks it's stoppin' me I'mma be what I set out to be, without a doubt undoubtedly And all those who look down on me, I'm tearin' down your balcony …

~ Eminem

#MizzouMade #Mizzou #SinclairSchoolofNursing #PhD #classof2021 #UIWSOM #DoctorofOsteopathicMedicine #classof2025

It's finally dawned on me. I'm going to be a medical student.

My wife and I have been living in San Antonio since the 25th of June, but I've still been in dissertation mode for most of this time. Well, I can report that as of yesterday, it's finally truly dawned on me that I will be a medical student as of Monday the 19th. Wow. We were at the grocery store yesterday when I got an email from UIWSOM regarding the orientation and after reading it twice, I looked at Eboni and said, "I'm really going to be a medical student aren't I? This is really happening." She looked at me with a smile and said, "Yes, its what we've been chasing for all of these years." A tear started to well up in my eye and Eboni and I hugged right there in the vegetable department at Walmart.

Monday, orientation starts with tours of the campus and the Brook's area and at 2:30 PM, I have to go get my school ID badge, diagnostic kit, and have my laptop assessed by the IT department to ensure that it meets the schools requirements. Then Tuesday through Thursday, orientation will be from 8:30 AM until 2:30 PM. On Saturday the 24th, we'll celebrate at the White Coat Ceremony, and then on the 26th, classes start. Wow.

Tips to help get through the 1st year of medical school

As I'm gearing up for the start of my new academic year as a medical student, I've spent some time thinking about what helped me get through my recently-completed PhD and I figured that these tips will be useful in helping to get me (and you) through my first year of medical school:

1. - Establish a set sleep schedule and avoid caffeine or eating right before going to bed. TBH, I need to avoid all caffeine as I developed a minor abnormal heart rhythm due to the excess consumption of caffeine.
2. - Eat breakfast and make sure to drink plenty of water.
3. - Look into a gym membership and, establish a regular work out routine. I just jined the Planet Fitness down the street from school and have a 40 minute, three day weekley weight training routine followed by 20 minutes of cardio. On the days that I do not lift, I will do 30-45 minutes of cardio.
4. - Be realistic with when and how often to study so as not to overwhelm myself.
5. - Keep in touch with my support system and know when to ask for help. Easy to do as my wife and I live together and the rest of my most important family is just down the road in Houston.
6. - Practice some form of self-care daily.
7. - Practice self-compassion.
8. - See my doctor about my mental AND physical health when I need to.
9. - Pay attention to my spiritual health.

Closing one chapter and starting another

This past weekend, my wonderful wife and oldest sister hosted a graduation party for me. For as wonderful as the gifts were, the real treat was fellowshiping with my family. COVID-19 kept us apart for much of the year so being able to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, mentees (yes, they are every bit as much family as my blood kin), and my in-laws was the real gift. This past weekend also really showed me how loved I am. A man who has a loving family is never poor. Or alone.

The other thing that this weekend symbolized is the closing of a chapter and the starting of another. When I set out to get into a U.S. medical school in 2016-'17, I had no idea how I was going to do so. I had little guidance and little money. I also wanted to earn my PhD so I started that in the late spring of 2018. Wow. That was a LOT of work. I was a full-time doctoral student who also worked full-time teaching at three different universities. Simultaneously, I was preparing for the MCAT, helping Eboni with her dissertation research, and eventually, moving to Austin, TX, working on medical school applications, starting a new job, and dealing with the COVID lock downs.

With the help of God and my hard-charging wife, I successfully completed all that I set out to do. I wrapped up my PhD with a 3.759 overall GPA and a successful run of co-authored articles on top of a well-done dissertation. My wife and I grew closer during the COVID pandemic and I love that most important role that I have in life: That of being a husband. I also successfully navigated the medical school admissions process, earned a full scholarship, and will be starting medical school at UIWSOM on July 26th. In fact, orientation will be the week of the 19th and the White Coat Ceremony will be on Saturday, the 24th. I really am closing a significant chapter of my life and preparing to start writing another. I'm not nervous at all but I am apprehensive and ready to get this party started as I look forward to what the Lord has in store. I'm hoping that, in addition to a successful first year of medical school, to drop 100 lbs. (I am contemplating re-enlisting in the Texas Army Guard via the Direct Commissioning Program for medical officers), and I hope that Eboni and I will have a child. There is a lot to look forward to and I look forward to everything that the Lord has in store for me!