Meredith: "I can't think of a single reason why I should be a doctor, but I can think of a thousand reasons why I should quit..."

Meredith: [voiceover] "I can't think of a single reason why I should be a doctor, but I can think of a thousand reasons why I should quit. They make it hard on purpose. There are lives in our hands. There comes a moment when it's more than just a game, and you either take that step forward or turn around and walk away. I could quit but here's the thing, I love the playing field."

That quote definitely sums up our lives in general and the first week of M2 year. I've been pleasantly surprised at the overall progression of the week - not that I love every class, but that, in general, the material is much more clinically oriented. That makes it much more relevant and easier for me to bring myself to study. On a case by case basis:

ICM - I can see how some people say this class is too easy and gets blown off, but I really, really like it. However, I really, really, really like clinical medicine. Not the books. The first two years have always just been a "learn all I can to be the best physician I can"... not a "I want an A in every class because I love studying and study 20 hours a day and deserve it". Worst part about this one? It's always (so far) at 8:00AM, but so is grown-up life, so I'll get over it.

Genetics - Continuation of last year. I like genetics - it's very NICU related. I've seen most of the things we talk about in class in clinic or in the unit, and it's super cool to get to put them together.

Path - So far, so good. This one's heavily clinically relevant as well. The material isn't fun, and next week should be a REAL treat (I've heard scary things abt immunopath), but it's still a good class. Lab & small group today were easy easy... and very informative.

Micro - So far, this is the one I loathe the most. I loved micro in undergrad, but so far, we haven't talked about one real pathogen. It's all immunology - BLAH. Bring on the bugs already!!! There was also one real interesting rabbit-chasing prof so far, and that's always fun.

Pharm - Ick. It's biochem on steroids so far. We haven't learned any drugs yet - except Ibuprofen... Yup.

In other news, I went to the NICU yesterday to get some baby love. I also went to M & M - which was really interesting, considering I had been in the unit when the case came in. M & M was a combo of genetics and path so very useful.
Tomorrow is the NICU reunion and my quarter-life crisis. However, with these friends and family beside me, I'm excited to start the BEST quarter of it next ;)