<< Back to Newsletter

M1 - Class of 2014

By Matt Hire, Class President

As I write this, the M1 class is officially six days out from our first exam. This brings with it both stress and excitement. While we are spending hours pouring over the seemingly endless biochemical pathways and potential genetic defects, we also are feeling like now, for the first time in our academic careers, we are learning information that will actively impact our future patients. Similarly, our endeavors in the Patient-Physician-Society side of our curriculum have begun to mold our skills in the humanistic side of medicine, which is what brought most of us to medical school in the first place. Our professors and mentors are constantly reminding us that while we are still technically students, we have officially become "professionals," and must think and act accordingly.

To that end, we have begun exploring the multitude of opportunities available here at Feinberg. The various health clinics have been flooded with eager M1s looking to hone their clinical skills. Some of my classmates have undertaken research, whether it is in a brand-new lab or continued research from prior experiences. Others are active in the various service and social organizations made available through the Feinberg and Chicago communities – programs like the Jugulars (Feinberg's juggling club), Chicago Youth Program tutoring, and intramural sports.

Having been here for a little over six weeks now, I think I can safely say that the adjustment period is ending and we are now truly feeling like medical students and, for those of who came from other parts of the country, like Chicagoans. Listening to our predecessors' stories of the barrage of things to come over the next four years, it sounds like M1 year is something to cherish, and I think the newest class here at FSM is doing just that.

M2 - Class of 2013

By Paul Bottone, Class President

It hasn't taken the Class of 2013 long to realize that second year is "more" than first year in many ways. We have more lectures, more exams, more weekend nights in front of the computer, and more standardized medical licensing exams (one, to be exact) than our freedom-loving freshman counterparts. Our lecture material and our other coursework—the Patient, Physician, and Society (PPS) curriculum that is part of all four years – also are more relevant to treating patients, however, which does make things a bit more exciting!

While the prodigious amount of information that we are attempting to push into our brains may seem overwhelming most of the time, it is also rendered particularly interesting by the new ways in which we see it brought to life. Each of us has a faculty preceptor, a physician with whom a student works for one afternoon biweekly, and on our visits, we see real patients presenting many of the clinical scenarios discussed in our lectures or problem-based learning sessions. All second-year students also are required to attend rounds on a weekend morning, to get a glimpse of the responsibilities of the third year, which grows less distant and less abstract each day, and this, too provides an affirmation that all of it is, in fact, important.

We are not thrust into these settings—doctor's offices, hospital floors—unprepared to take active roles, though. Our PPS coursework is now largely comprised of ever more complex interactions with Standardized Patients, as we are taught the best ways to elicit medical histories, write case summaries and, as always, communicate in clinical settings. We discuss good approaches to sexual histories, counseling for alcohol and drug use, and many other topics that can be difficult to broach but are important for us to consider. Fortunately, the actors who portray our "patients" are well aware of each day's topics, so we know they have prepared themselves... although they do try to make us believe that they are as uncomfortable as the real patients we will be seeing more and more!

M3 - Class of 2012

By Terrance Lee, Class President

The Class of 2012 is almost done with our second rotation block, meaning we're soon halfway done with our third year. We all have had at least one rotation under our belt and are becoming more comfortable with our role in the hospital. However, we are still always humbled by the new experiences that we have every day, and often are privileged to work with physicians who are great role models for us.

Each week can definitely feel like a rollercoaster, but it is still a privilege to take care of patients and learn from them. All of us can recall encountering difficult situations, challenging patient interactions, and sleepless nights in the hospital. All in a day's work! But along with those challenges, we all have had many memorable experiences - delivering our first baby, or receiving a sincere compliment from a grateful patient, or participating in a 10-hour surgery to excise a cancerous mass, or witnessing a previously psychotic patient respond favorably to medications.

We've been working hard in hospitals and clinics across Chicagoland, but we are all looking forward to a few days off during the holidays - so we can talk with "normal" people who don't speak medical jargon and aren't evaluating us!

M4 - Class of 2011

The fourth-year class is busy preparing for their residency interviews, which happen from November through the end of January. During this process, they are traveling all over the country to meet with program directors so they can narrow down their possible choices for residencies. In February, they will submit their rank list to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and on Match Day 2011 on March 17, they will find out with the rest of their classmates which program they matched to. It's a critical period of their medical career as they are trying to lay the path for their future after medical school.

In addition to the residency interviews, some M4 students are doing research or embarking on a global health experience, while others are fulfilling sub-internship requirements, doing a teaching selective, or participating in an Emergency Medicine or Critical Care rotation.

<< Back to Newsletter