Second Year: Transitions

Second year was one of those strange in-between years.  You have survived first year, but don’t know enough to be fully let loose into the clinic.  The good thing is, you know what to expect.  You come back from a summer off (likely the last on one until retirement), and know you are going to jump headfirst into coursework again.  You know that classes and studying will dominate your days, and you will again get to know the lecture hall as well as the back of your hand. 

Classes:

At my school, second year continues with organ-based modules.  A few weeks are spent learning about the main organ systems including the circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive tract, etc. Clinical opportunities continue to be available, as every other week you still spend a day with a new preceptor. 

The Boards:

The biggest difference between 1^st and 2^nd year is the dominating thought on students’ minds: Step 1.  To become a licensed MD, you have to pass four large, challenging exams: Step 1, Step 2 CS, Step 2 CK, and Step 3.  Step 1 is notoriously known as the hardest of the step exams.  The test has seven blocks of 60 minutes, each block containing 48 multiple-choice questions.  And, the questions are hard.  It is quite possibly the most important score for residency applications.  Being the first exam, you aren’t quite sure which study methods will or will not work for you.  The test covers everything from first and second year of medical school, including a lot of foundation concepts that are not covered in the other exams.  And, of all of the boards, it is the least clinical.

My experiences with Step 1:

- Planning a wedding while studying for boards was a better decision than I thought it would be

- You really can study for 10+ hours per day… everyday… for weeks… and survive

- You need some entertainment during the day to break up the monotony of studying.

- Fewer are better.  Every time another student would talk about a new great book found to study from, I would get the urge to go out and buy it.  After a few weeks of jumping between different books (and wasting quite a bit of money), I discovered it is better to choose one or two thorough sources and do practice questions

- Get some exercise.  Running everyday kept me sane

- Don’t forget to go shopping.  You will need snacks

- Leave some time for vacation at the end

Living with Medical School:

Of all of the years of medical school, I feel second year was the most eventful in my personal life.  It was an exciting year, full of changes and milestones!

- Tony and I bought our first home!  After the disaster of living in our apartment, it was a welcomed change to have a place of our own.  We loved making our little 2-bedroom house a home.  Tony and I enjoyed our adventures to estate sales as well as repainting and redecorating.  We also learned that surprises come with new homes as well.  We didn’t realize it when we bought the house, but the previous owners had a little dog that peed on the carpet in the living room… a lot.  The carpet was only 3 years old (the date was on it), and it had at least 100 stains covering just about every inch.  It was not fun ripping that up, but were overjoyed to see the wood floors underneath. After refinishing the floors, it changed the entire feel of the downstairs

- Tony and I joined the acapella group at our school, “Docapella,” even though neither of us is especially great or even good at singing.  I discovered I am definitely more of a backup singer than a soloist.  However, we made a lot of new friends.  Erik became such a good friend to Tony and I that he became the best man at our wedding later that year!

- We made new friends!  This year, we started spending more time with Matt, another medical student, and his super cool girlfriend (now fiance!!), Ashley.  The dinners, football/super bowl parties, school formals, and movie nights that followed created some of my favorite memories during medical school.

- Tony and I got married!  Growing up, I never was the girl who walked around in my mom’s wedding dress imagining the day I would walk down the aisle.  For me, it has always been more about finding that special person than preparing for a single day.  Deciding on our wedding date was more last minute than we had anticipated.  We only had 4 months to plan the entire event!  We decided on a small wedding with a large reception a week later.

We were shocked by how much enjoyment came from planning this event.  Tony surprised me and really got involved in every detail.  We reconnected with old friends, and were blown away by the generosity from friends and family.  The wedding shower, bachelorette/bachelor parties, and wedding day itself were incredible.  

(Photos by Nathan Lyman, www.tru-e-motion.com)

I will never forget looking down the aisle at my husband and seeing how emotional he became when he saw me.  Certainly an amazing time in our lives!