October Blog

For the past few weeks, I have found the material in the program getting increasingly more difficult. After performing well on the first two exam modules, I felt confident for the third one, however, I was not prepared enough and scored lower than I anticipated. I learned that my weakness is in the cardiovascular system, so I plan to study extra hard for the upcoming exam. Rather than just studying from the power points, I made flashcards and outlines in my notebook. I have also found that making concept maps have helped me to learn the information better. In addition, I began writing out the various clinical conditions and then what drugs are used to treat it in different colored ink to keep the drugs organized in my head. Recently, I have been recognizing several drugs that members in my family take for hypertension and heart disease. Understanding the chemical basis for the different drugs prescribed has helped me to understand the condition and the severity more clearly. This new knowledge has also encouraged me to eat healthy and exercise to avoid these problems in the future. Yesterday, our class separated into groups to do the CV simulation. This simulation was my favorite part of the program thus far. I learned so much more from the real life scenario than just reading about the drugs in my own time. I did not volunteer this month, but I did stop by the LASPCA shelter on the West Bank, and plan to volunteer there soon. I have six volunteer hours thus far, and those hours were from the LASPCA Beer Fest last month.