Our time in Mali was a mere two weeks but an awesome two weeks at that. Describing the details of a third-world healthcare system and lifestyle doesn’t seem possible. I believe most of us can’t even contemplate such a thing. Before leaving for Africa I dreamt of how I thought it would be, yet life in Mali was far beyond my thoughts. I couldn’t have imagined such a place because I have had no life situations that would ignite those kinds of images….nothing to compare that lifestyle to. In the same regard I could have never dreamt of the kind of love, joy and hospitality of such a poor people either. Going into the trip I prepared myself for the hopelessness and sadness of such a place. Yet the whole time I was there I was surrounded by and filled with a joy I have rarely experienced in my life. Granted there were hopeless situations all around. However, the people seemed to be joyful in the midst of what would break many of us. Where I thought I would see sadness I saw contentment and strength.

To say these people are some of the strongest emotionally, physically and mentally I have ever met would be the understatement of the year. I wouldn’t last six months living the life most of these rural Malians live day in and day out. Granted, there is always the argument that what we see as such a difficult lifestyle is actually simple and easy for them, because that’s all they have ever known. Though that is true, it doesn’t diminish how honorably they handle what I believe many Americans couldn’t. To see 4- and 5-year-old children washing clothes, grinding millet and sweeping the dirt floors is a good picture into their reality. Instead of throwing fits over watching “Dora the Explorer,” these children stoically abide by their cultural customs and do their part in keeping the family going. The Malian people’s strength seems to be instilled in them from a young age and grows as they grow.

I thought I would go to Africa and give everything I could to help the Malian people. Little did I know that instead they would help me way more than I could ever help them. These beautiful people showed me that richness doesn’t come from material possessions. That even a place that seems filthy and hopeless is full of happiness. They confirmed that instead of finding your hope in how much you make or how many accomplishments you achieve, life is truly about loving others and living joyfully while doing it. It’s a simple lesson I had to fly halfway across the world to learn; I’m so thankful I was given the chance.

I know you probably want to hear medical stories about our time there so I will try to write some more blogs shortly…be on the lookout.

Luckily, I have a great doctor to work with and the day went as smooth as could be. I love learning hands-on or being able to watch others do it. So I feel as though my knowledge and application of that knowledge will expand 10-fold this year. I am excited to see how much I grow in my abilities as a health care practitioner.

I know this post was short but I will keep you updated as time goes on. Watch for my update coming soon about the physician assistant national conference I attended in Atlanta, GA recently!

Granted there are places I am going I don’t know a single soul and fear making friends, finding a place to live and not becoming a hermit. But overall I am beyond excited for the experience that lies before me. Our clinical coordinators spend hours working on schedules and making phone calls and I do not envy their job in the least bit. Plus, I trust they know way better than I do what rotations will challenge me and help me become the best healthcare provider I can be. So I am excited to step into the unknown and trust my expectations will be blown away.

For those of you wondering what my rotations are…I will share a few. The rotation I am naturally the most excited about is in Mali, Africa. I have been chosen to be a part of the team with Medicine for Mali. I am one of two students chosen from the PA 2011 class and hold the honor dearly. I can’t wait for the amazing opportunities I will have to care for and love the people of Mali. I am counting down the days till I get to meet the people I have prayed for and longed to care for, for such a long time.

Another rotation I am ecstatic about is my cardiovascular surgery rotation. I have always been so intrigued with the human heart and believe this will expand my knowledge in such a great way. My other rotations are all over the place: Des Moines, North Carolina, Cherokee, Ia, and many more.

I will keep you updated throughout the year about my time at these rotations and the awesome stuff I am learning. So wish me luck because I will need it.

Daley & Jo Kelly, PA program director.

I should preface this blog letting you all know that I may officially have the worst luck at winning things of anyone I know. I tell myself it’s because I love telling stories and it gives me great stories to tell. So it’s a rare day when something overwhelmingly great happens to me and honestly it may be the only time I am speechless.

Well on May 6 I had one of these great experiences. I was awarded a scholarship by the American Academy of Physician Assistant Foundation committee. I am not sure that my facts are correct but I believe over 200 applicants applied for 77 scholarships and I was lucky enough to be one of those  chosen to be honored. It’s definitely not because I am an amazingly awesome person but because they saw something on my scholarship worth honoring and I feel beyond blessed that they did.

So I would like to thank the AAPA for the generous gift. I am not one to really want everyone to know I was rewarded with something but was asked to share it on my blog, so here ya go.

In officially one week we are finished with our didactic (classroom) year. For those of you unaware of how our program is set up, here is a quick rundown.

Our program starts in June and from that point on we go through numerous classes that give us the best comprehensive study of all aspects of healthcare. This is called our didactic year and that is what I will have officially completed in one week and one day.

We then begin our clinical year. Our clinical year is 12 months and depending on the schedule we get, we do between 12-14 rotations. Most rotations are a month long and there is a possibility of a few two-week rotations as well. During that time we will take all the knowledge we learned during our didactic year and apply it to patients and diseases that we will see throughout the year. Our rotations consist of: 12 weeks of family practice, 12 weeks of adult primary care, four weeks of emergency medicine, four weeks of psychiatry, four weeks of surgery and 12 weeks of electives.

The combination of our didactic and clinical year will help prepare us for our boards and, most importantly, for our career as healthcare providers. Needless to say…I am beyond ecstatic to get out and have face-to-face contact with patients. This is what I have been working for my entire life and it’s crazy to think the time has come!

We begin rotations June 7 and I know it will be such a great experience. Then after the clinical year is over we come back for a 25th month on campus. During that month we GRADUATE (whoot whoot), prepare for boards and present healthcare presentations. So I am officially nearly half way done with this program and look forward to whatever the next half of my time in this program will hold.

Last Friday my class had the opportunity to participate in a casting lab put on by a few of our faculty and some local healthcare providers. Let’s just say we had a blast…as I am sure you can see from the pictures.

We learned how to splint both the arm and leg, as well as how to make a arm cast. Not only did we learn how to make a cast but we also learned how to use the saw and cut them off. I was pretty nervous at first but was a pro in no time. This is just another thing I love about this school—all the opportunities provided to us before we go out on rotations to fully prepare us.

Just thought you all would enjoy the pictures. Have a great week!

It’s nearing the end of things here at DMU and my inability to comprehend leaving my friends has made me want to spend every waking moment with them. You would think we would get sick of each other being together every day for 8 hours but it seems that’s not the case. I leave class and within 30 minutes am calling one of my classmates wanting to hang out or just spend time before we are all separated all over the country. It’s kind of a strange thing. You show up as a group of strangers starting down a crazy intense road. Over the year you learn together, stress out together, laugh together and become a family. Its cliché, but its like one big family over here in the PA wing.

My classmates are the ones who have helped me get through classes I never thought possible, listened when I was stressed to the max and just plain made my year. I know this is all sappy but it’s the truth and I have been thinking a ton about it lately with the end creeping up rather fast. We currently only have 18 days of class left….CRAZY…it felt like we just started yesterday.

Anyways, all that to say sorry I have been MIA but I have been spending my time trying to have fun with my friends with the small amount of time we have left. I promise (okay, let’s just go with hope) to update on other things of my life soon.

Anyways on to my thoughts: I believe everyone has a passion. Something ingrained in their character and something that takes a huge part in shaping who they become. These passions bring out the best (and even the worst) in many of us and allow us to experience a joy that wells up within our soul and a heartache that can be devastating.

Most of us give our life fighting for, loving, giving, working and caring for these passions in hopes to improve, live out and experience whatever that passion is. I am not just talking about something you like to do but the thing that brings you life and rocks you at your core! For some this is raising a family, for others it’s becoming the best at something (sport, art, music, dance, etc.), for most of us at DMU it’s medicine, and the list goes on and on.

If you know me well at all you have probably heard me talk about this passion of mine so much you are sick of it! I have a passion to care for, love and serve the underserved. Those people looked over by society because it’s easier than actually doing something, those born into a life they don’t deserve, those surrounded by poverty and strife and those just plain lacking hope. Ever since I can remember I have had this passion and it seems to be growing by the minute. I am not sure how it will play out, how it will be used in my future or where I will end up but I know this passion of mine is not a coincidence and I hope it will be used to change the lives of others throughout the world (corny but so true)!

So with all that said, I can now get to the point of this entire blog. I recently found a video that depicts in picture the heartache I feel and the longing I have to love and serve children around the world who have never been given a chance. Sorry for the religious commentary if that’s not your thing but I promise this video will move something in you and is worth the watch. Warning: this video is sad and graphic.

Most of you probably have no idea what our schedule looks like here at school considering we rarely come out of our little nook in the Academic Center. However I am going to give you a rundown of what my personal life looks like as a physician assistant student. Granted, everyone is completely different but for the most part this is a good idea of what life looks like for most of us. Things have changed throughout the year and depending on what classes we are taking the load is much different.

Right now my week looks like this:
Monday through Friday we have class from 8 a.m. to 50 p.m. with an hour lunch break. Rarely, we get out early but when we do it’s like Christmas (a little present each time). There are other times we have SPAL or simulation labs and things will look a bit different. For the most part I will take an hour break each night to grab dinner, work out, or do something to try to stay sane. I usually study 4-5 hours a night depending on what test we have that week. I will say this second semester I have found more time to hang out and watch pointless TV that seems to make me happy (Grey’s, Idol, Project Runway, etc).

I do attend Bible studies each Monday for 2 hours, teach hip hop class on Wednesday for an hour and nearly always take Friday nights off to do something fun and relaxing. I will say the schedule was much different during anatomy, physiology and pharmacology classes when I normally always studied on Friday nights. I just came to a point where I realized how beneficial it was to take a few times a week to enjoy myself and for me that is Friday nights.

Saturdays and Sundays are my make-up days. I usually study ALL day, like 8-10 hours. YES, you’re right, that’s insane. I typically study from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and have church Saturday nights. Sundays I study from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (with intermittent breaks throughout the day). Granted, this is not the same for all students but is what my schedule looks like. So we are busy people, to say the least.

Now that I have fulfilled your dreams of knowing every detail of my life (haha) I will leave you with a picture of me and two of my classmates doing what we do best….studying! But don’t worry we do it in style at the local coffee shops while filling ourselves with caffeine!

This is me stuffing my face with last minute chocolate and candy before I stepped on the scale for the first time!

Many of you may know about the Dump Your Plump program going on here at DMU. Dump Your Plump is a 10-week team wellness challenge amongst the faculty, staff and students here. Teams have 4-10 people and are in essence competing for health. There will be participants trying to maintain their weight and others that are trying to lose some. All participants are required to work out 5 times a week for 30 minutes at minimum so it looks like the Wellness Center is going to be packed!

Well folks, I am taking up the challenge and trying to dump my plump. I am actually not focusing on the weight loss part but am hoping by working out on a continual basis the weight will come off and just be an added bonus.

Let’s just say…I don’t really enjoy working out all the much and probably enjoy sweets a lot too much so this is going to be a big challenge for me. But my team is awesome and I know they will be dragging me to the gym….even if I am kicking and screaming (which is a highly likely). My hopes are that at the end of these 10 weeks my body will crave to work out and my behaviors/attitude towards working out will have changed.

So here’s to making one healthy decision at a time in hopes to impact my health in positive ways. Good luck to all of you who are participating and I’ll keep you all updated on how the dumping is going!