To Be...A Spartan MD

How does it feel to complete the first year of medical school? I feel like I have already learned so much in such a short period of time. The year went by so fast! While it feels like just yesterday they presented us our white coats , we are now already a quarter of the way done! With a year of medical school at the College of Human Medicine under my belt, I feel a lot more comfortable knowing what is expected of me as a medical student. Beyond the training's challenges, there was also something interesting (and unexpected) that I learned in the Early Clinical Experience (ECE). Shared Discovery Curriculum ECE from MSU MD on Vimeo . One of the biggest challenges students struggled with from my perspective during first year was simply figuring out how to study. Classes weren’t too bad in undergrad—you put in the work and things went in your favor. At least, it seems that way in hindsight. For me, MCAT prep was challenging relative to undergraduate course work. It w...

Graduation for the College of Human Medicine Class of 2018 is this weekend as we prepare to give our best wishes to the next crop of Spartan MD's. Including students who participated in the National Residency Match Program (NRMP), students who participated in the Advanced Match, and students who participated in the Military Match, 96 percent of those seeking residency secured a match this past March. A total 37,103 applicants entered the match for 33,167 positions, the most ever offered in the Match. Both of those figures are record-highs that made the 2018 Main Residency Match the largest match on record, according to the NRMP . The College of Human Medicine (CHM) contributed 163 students to that total. From those who matched, 42.5 percent are entering a primary care residency, the exact same percentage from a year ago for the Class of 2017. While the percentage is the same, there were particular changes to the top six specialties: 1. Internal Medicine (23 graduates...

For many years, third- and fourth-year students in the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine have used their spring break to go on medical mission trips all over the world. This year, dozens of first- and second-year students joined them on trips to Haiti and Cuba, as part of the new Shared Discovery Curriculum , which places students in clinical settings a few weeks into their first year. Jack Wesley, a first-year medical student, said he wasn’t all that worried about giving physical examinations to real patients – checking children’s blood pressure, poking their fingers for blood tests and palpating their abdomens for masses. Nor did he mind spending his spring break in an impoverished country nearly 2,000 miles from home, where he used his newly acquired skills to provide health care for children who otherwise would go without it. “I honestly felt very prepared,” Wesley said. “If there was anything the College of Human Medicine did well, it was preparing...

People might think I’m crazy, but I was actually excited to move to Michigan from California. It was a nice excuse to travel and explore a new place that I might not have otherwise considered visiting. So far, I love it here. You get to actually experience the four seasons. I moved here in late July and Michigan was gorgeous at the time. I left California experiencing 110 degree summer days to temperatures in the mid-80s and 90s. Fall was also beautiful, but it was way too short! The orange/red hues from the leaves changing colors made for some pretty cool picture ops. Winter has been surprisingly wonderful. Some of my classmates, like myself, were ecstatic to see the first snowfall. This rang true for those classmates from out of state, at least. There were definitely a lot of snaps and excitement that day. I had seen a lot video posts on Snapchat of classmates walking through the snow. I was mesmerized by the beauty of it all. Yeah, it gets pretty cold, but you get acclimat...

After receiving the acceptance phone call from Dr. Maurer, College of Human Medicine Assistant Dean for Admissions , it kind of seemed surreal that I had been accepted. That feeling could be from dreams I would sometimes have of being accepted only to wake up realizing it hadn’t happened yet. I know. The waiting game is the worst. It didn’t really hit me that I was going to be a doctor until I received my white coat. That made it real. Since the white coat ceremony, we hit the floor running since the first day of class was the day after the ceremony. There was an adjustment period trying to figure out how best to study the material. It wasn’t that the material was difficult to comprehend, it was just the shear volume! You naturally try to find a balance between personal life and school. I think I’ve developed a good balance now to keep myself sane (although I’m sure my classmates will say that’s debatable). After the first couple months of medical school, I’ve definitely le...