One of the cardinal signs of obsession is when the object of one’s focus begins to play a prominent role in their dreams. In the case of medical students, it’s not unusual for us to have haunting nightmares of exams on subjects we’ve never studied, or peculiar fusions of reality and fiction in some medical or scientific principle…Then there are the dreams when you’re suddenly free-falling  and about to hit the ground. I’m pretty sure everyone has that last one, but only medical students, while falling, start counting and naming the bones they’re about to break when they land. But last night, I had what was almost certainly the wackiest studying-induced med school dream of all time…

Posted in Current Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Student Life | 2 Comments

A few weeks ago, my classmates and I celebrated another major milestone in our academic pursuits. Having concluded our first semester, we are now 1/8th, or 12.5%, finished with med school! This achievement marks a brief pause in our studies during which we might reflect upon the progress we’ve made since beginning in August. Again, I can’t pour out enough egregious praise on all those who helped us make it so far. Whether they be professors, staff, upperclassmen or alumni, everyone did their part to provide us with advice and assistance whenever the opportunity arose. That being said, however, I do regret that so many of these helpful individuals shamelessly propagated a certain myth which, through my personal experience, I have found to be entirely untrue. Indeed, there is one aspect of life in Des Moines about which I was lied to…

Posted in Current Students, Des Moines Events, Life in Des Moines, New Students, Student Life | 9 Comments

Today, in the spirit of the season, I’d like to share a piece of poetry that I’ve just concluded as a departure from my usual blogging style. In recognition of the men and women who continue to work in EMS and emergency rooms across the country this holiday season, I’d like to present my latest literary creation: a med student’s version of “The Night before Christmas.”

Posted in Community Service, Current Students, DMU Alumni, Student Bloggers | 2 Comments

Posted in Life in Des Moines, Student Bloggers, Student Life | 9 Comments

With Thanksgiving break rapidly approaching, I feel as though I ought to share a peculiar observation with my friends and classmates before they return home to visit with loved ones. Though we still have quite a ways to go on our quest to become doctors, many of our friends and family members believe the change from “layperson” to “physician” to be an instantaneous one – that the second an individual can add the “OMS-1” (osteopathic medical student-year 1) after their name, they ought to be held in regard amongst actual medical experts. To those who have not yet returned home since beginning medical school, I might advise that you watch for this most peculiar phenomenon.

Posted in Current Students, Student Bloggers, Student Life | 4 Comments

Dr. William Child, a surgeon in the civil war, once wrote that “After a great battle, the whole Army is like a great monster panting for breath.” The same could be said for a class of medical students after a difficult exam. Indeed, I like to think that Dr. Child drew from his own experience as a student in penning this metaphor.

Posted in Anatomy, Current Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Student Bloggers, Student Life | 6 Comments