April 2019

It’s over! As of today, I can say that I have a Master’s degree in Pharmacology!! There have been ups and downs throughout the year but it has been such an amazing experience. I was able to meet amazing people and learn so much about myself and pharmacology.

During the last month of the program, I was able to experience more about living in NOLA. I was able to visit several restaurants and eat some delicious food. Speaking of food, I attended my first ever crawfish boil and let me tell you, I understand why so many people in New Orleans love crawfish season! It took me a while to learn how to properly twist and eat a crawfish but eventually I got the hang of it!

Lastly, I was able to continue my work with the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Even though the program is over, I plan on continuing volunteering at the ReStore during my gap year.

I can honestly say that this program made me into a better person. I feel that it has better prepared me for the challenges that await me in medical school. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to attend Tulane’s Pharmacology program and my new degree!

Farewell!

April hours: 9

Spring Semester hours: 27

Cumulative 2018-2019 hours: 61

Tasty Crawfish!

Some of our Pharmacology class

March 2019

March was a very stressful month for me. As I mentioned in my last post, we had the NBME exam this month. Studying for the exam was extremely intense. As I started reviewing and studying for the shelf exam, I was blown away by just how much we learned throughout the course. Even though it was a lot of information to retain, I feel that I now have a strong lasting foundation in pharmacology, and I am truly grateful for that. With the NBME exam behind me, it officially means the end of Med Pharm. While we still have our Cellular Control Mechanism course and other electives to worry about, the end of the semester is drawing near.  Just one more month and I will have earned my Masters of Science degree! Like many of my classmates, I am now shifting my focus to the future. I plan on taking the MCAT this summer. I also plan on looking for either healthcare-related or research job opportunities in the New Orleans area, since I plan on staying here after I graduate! For community service, I continued volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I truly enjoy working in the store, knowing that I am helping to support New Orleans Habitat for Humanity’s mission to eliminate poverty housing.

March hours: 9

Spring Semester hours: 18

Cumulative 2018-2019 hours: 52

February 2019

Hey everyone, I’m back again for another blog post. Even though February is the shortest month of the year, the amount of material we covered this month was nothing short at all. This past month, the two blocks that we covered were Neurology and Psychopharmacology. When I started this Master’s program, of all the blocks that we were going to cover in Medical Pharmacology, Neurology and Psychopharmacology were the two blocks that piqued my interest the most. I was excited to understand the pharmacology behind many of the drugs that interact with the brain.  

Our Psychopharmacology exam was today and with that, it marks the end of our last Med Pharm exam before the NBME shelf exam next month. I can’t believe that we have finished all of our Medical Pharmacology. I swear it feels just like yesterday when I was studying antibiotics and NSAIDs back in September. Everything we have learned up till this point will be put to the test when we take the shelf exam next month. Even though it is a challenging exam, I am confident that all the hard work I have done throughout the year will allow me to do well.

With March around the corner, Mardi Gras season is kicking up. This past weekend, I went to my first Mardi Gras parade and I was blown away by how many people were lined up along the streets watching all the floats go by. I knew Mardi Gras was big but I underestimated how much Mardi Gras means to the citizens here in NOLA. I am looking forward to the rest of the Mardi Gras festivities.

February hours: 0

Spring Semester hours: 9

Cumulative 2018-2019 hours: 34

January 2019

Happy New Year! It’s been a while since you have heard from me. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and New Year’s. For me, winter break was very enjoyable, as I was able to go back home and catch up with family and friends.

I have to admit that I was still in winter break mode for the first week of the new semester, but I am now back to my normal routine as the first month of the spring semester comes to an end. Speaking of the spring semester, this semester is going to be pretty intense and stressful for all of us in the Pharmacology program. This March we have the NBME shelf exam, which will be a big portion of our Medical Pharmacology grade. Also, for most of us, we will begin studying for the MCAT. If that wasn’t enough, on top of our Medical Pharmacology and Principles of Pharmacology classes, we have four electives this year. Our four electives this semester consist of Neuropharmacology, Cellular Control Mechanisms, Environmental Signaling, and Endocrine Pharmacology. We also have to prepare 4 presentations for our classes this semester. So as you can see, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said this semester will be challenging.

For community service, before I went back home for the winter break, I was able to continue to work at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. There was a lot more people in the store than normal, since it was getting close to the holidays, but I was able to help all the customers in need. Overall, it was another great experience working with all the staff and interacting with the customers.

December + January hours: 9

Spring Semester hours: 9

Cumulative 2018-2019 hours: 34

November 2018

I can’t believe that the end of the fall semester is almost here. It seems like it was only yesterday when I moved down here to New Orleans to start this Pharmacology program. This month we had 2 block exams which covered cardiovascular, renal, pulmonary, and molecular biology. The CV/Renal block in particular was stressful as it was the longest block and it accounted for the most percentage of points for the medical pharmacology course. For the CV/Renal block it wasn’t enough to just recognize the drugs, their mechanism of action, or their side effects; no, this block and the exam tested our critical thinking and application of everything we covered in class. Not only were there so many drugs to know, but a lot of the drugs could be used in multiple different types of treatments. For example, beta-blockers can be used in the treatment of myocardial infarction, heart failure, hypertension, and many others. So it was imperative that we understood which drug would be the most appropriate to use depending on the clinical indications. Thankfully, our professors did an excellent job in making the topics easy to follow and understand.

With November comes Thanksgiving, and I am thankful to the Pharmacology department in giving us a week off for Thanksgiving. It was greatly appreciated and I took advantage of it to just unwind so I could come back after the break focus for the last couple of weeks of the semester. For community service, I volunteered once again at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It was nice to come back and see some of the staff that I worked with last month. Since this was my second time volunteering at the ReStore I was more comfortable in dealing with customers’ needs and understanding the general layout of the store and where things needed to be.

This will be my last blog post of the year so I hope all of you have a happy holiday season and I will talk to you again next year!

November hours: 4

Cumulative hours: 25

October 2018

I can't believe that 2 months have gone by in the blink of an eye! This month has been very eventful for me. We had our third module exam last week, and with each new module the material grows more and more challenging. Luckily, working hard and putting in those long hours has been paying off as I am able to keep up with the material. The Pharmacology program here at Tulane is very rigorous and the hours needed to fully understand the material has given me a newfound respect for medical students. Thankfully, with each hour of studying I am becoming better and faster at retaining the material.

In between my time studying, I was able to volunteer at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) walk/run for education. The walk raised over $85,000 to help provide scholarships to students in low income families. It was very meaningful to volunteer in something that would provide educational opportunities to others. As they say, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in", and I was more than glad to invest my time in supporting this worthy cause. In addition to volunteering at the UNCF walk for education, I was also able to volunteer at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The ReStore sells donated materials at affordable prices to raise funds for the various Habitat for Humanity programs. While I was there I was able to meet Ritch, who is one of the floor managers, and he told me that last year the ReStore raised over a million dollars to help fund the construction of 30 houses in the New Orleans area. At the ReStore I helped load and unload donated furniture, organized the floor area, and assisted with helping customers locate the items that they were looking for. We had an older woman come into the store looking for window blinds. As I was moving her cart to back, I noticed that in her cart she also had window shades. I politely asked her did she also want to buy window shades, since she only mentioned purchasing blinds, and she said, "no no sugar, I don't want shades, just blinds." Then I kindly showed her that in the cart she had several shades mixed in with the blinds and she was so grateful that I caught her "silly mistake." It was truly enjoyable being able to interact with the customers and I definitely will be volunteering again at the ReStore before the program ends!

October hours: 17
Cumulative hours: 21

September 2018

Hey everybody! This is my first blog post for the MS Pharmacology program in Tulane and I have so much to talk about! I was nervous, at first, about moving hundreds of miles away from home. However, I was excited about starting this new chapter in my life, and so far, I am glad I made that choice. In the first couple of weeks, I tried to experience as much as I can about New Orleans. From eating beignets at the world renowned Café du Monde to walking around and listening to the various jazz bands in the French Quarter, I can see why so many people call New Orleans home.

Last week we had our first exam, which went well, and we have another one on Monday. Each block covers a lot of material and it can get a little overwhelming at times but with the help of my professors and fellow classmates I feel like I will be able to succeed. Getting used to life in NOLA and learning how to study efficiently for the Pharmacology curriculum took a lot out of me but I was still able to find some time this month to volunteer for the American Cancer Society by helping set up for their annual Belles and Beaus Ball. It was great seeing all different types of people working together to help fund local cancer research in order to one day create a world free from the pain and suffering of cancer.

Now that I have said all I wanted to say, I need to get back to studying for this upcoming exam I have on Monday!

September Hours: 4

Cumulative Hours: 4

My fellow classmates and I setting up for the ball