I tend to have pretty good timing when it comes to getting sick, namely that I get sick during breaks from school. So since it’s Spring Break I obviously have a nasty cold (my COVID antigen test was negative.) This post is brought to you by herbal tea.
Half-way through the first semester! I thought I’d discuss some class points in a little more detail.
I appreciate how the program has made content between our courses reinforce one another. If we are learning about the abdominal cavity in human anatomy, then we are also learning about the gastrointestinal system in anatomical techniques and microanatomy. I’ve found that I’ve been able to make connections more easily because of this instead of feeling like I have to cognitively juggle too many subjects at once.
Taking Human Anatomy with the physician assistants has been a good experience. It is indeed a class oriented mainly towards the physician assistants, as the lectures often delve into patient interactions that pathologists’ assistants will never have. Regardless, I appreciate the opportunity to learn from the perspective of a clinician. This sort of cross-learning can only help strengthen the healthcare team. I hope it has also been helpful for them to gain an appreciation of how important laboratory professionals are to their work and what our goals will be in the workplace compared to theirs. The two cohorts bring very different perspectives to the cadaver lab, both of which I think are important to recognize. At the end of the day, both groups bring professionalism and a willingness to learn that I admire.
Lastly, I’d like to take a moment to dig a little deeper into the mindset that has been helping me so far. Graduate students are known for being high-achievers in undergraduate studies. In fact it's necessary for getting into graduate school at all. We often say that “we love a challenge” when asked to describe ourselves. So the goal of graduate studies is indeed to challenge us students! I’ve noticed the method to our studies is similar to that of a physical training method that I learned studying kinesiology, progressive overload. In progressive overload training, weightlifters have calculated the maximum weight they can lift once for a given movement, and then their training is designed in such a way as to increase that number. This means that their performance sometimes falls short of what is asked of them, and this is purposeful. By asking the body to do more than what it currently can, adaptation can take place. The same thing applies to our studies here, the professors purposefully give us more than we think we can handle with the expectation being we will occasionally fall a little short. It’s not the grade on a single test that matters, it’s the adaptation that occurs when we fall short that then allows us to succeed overall.
After we recently got back a difficult exam grade, one of my classmates said “trust the process”. This is possibly one of the biggest things to understand in this program. We worked hard to get here, and we are continuing to work hard in the program, but we have to trust that the system wants us to succeed. Just like when your muscles burn during a workout, sometimes studying hard hurts a little, but you have to trust that the Coach has your best interest in mind.
Fun stuff! Here are some photos from a day hike I went on through the Outdoor Recreation Center at WVU. I highly recommend going on one of their trips if you are student!
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