March 2022

March: 0 hours

Spring Cumulative: 3 hours 

With March behind us, we are really entering the homestretch of the semester. The topics we covered in the last couple of modules have definitely been my personal favorites! Although I may be biased after majoring in neuroscience and doing research in neuropharmacology in undergrad, I think that neuropharmacology and psychopharmacology are incredibly deep and interesting fields within medicine. Ultimately, because we know so much less about the brain compared to the rest of the body, it can be hard to find the best fit for a medication, whether that be for intolerable side effects or lack of response. The effectiveness and response that a person has to a medication have so much individual variation that even the most knowledgable and skilled physicians still have to go with trial and error, even with extensive treatment algorithms and proven empirical treatments.

With Med Pharm and Principles already wrapped up for the semester, the focus for the rest of the year becomes preparing for the NBME Shelf exam and wrapping up the final set of presentations.  Our final exam really provides a unique challenge compared to what we've had so far. All of our exams this semester have been divided into digestible chunks of information in each of the modules, with a more manageable amount of content per module. This time around, with all the material available for testing, it will require our preparation to be greater than the sum of each part; to be able to distinguish between toxidromes, treatment effects, and different classes of medication will take plenty of review. All that being said, I am looking forward to being evaluated in a way that's similar to the amount of content we have to deal with in medical school, and seeing how far I've come this year!




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