Endure to the End

Have you ever had one of those times where you feel like you are at mile 25 of a marathon and just realized that the last mile is up a 10% incline? That’s about how I feel. Today was the last day of class for the second quarter of school. One more to go and I will be done with my first year. However, next week is my finals week.

I already had finals for my OMM class last week. It was a two-parter (written and practical). I did alright. I scored slightly above average, but not what I had hoped for. However, there is some controversy. The final lecture given was poorly done. Worse than the delivery, was the handout. Our exams are primarily taken from our lecture handouts. When they printed them (from the PowerPoint slides) they did a “background print” which reversed the text coloring. In other words, all of the text was white (on a light gray background). None of the notes were legible. We asked the professor about the notes and he indicated that we would receive new notes from the department secretary.

Exam day rolls around and we had not received any notes, so we concluded that that lecture would not be tested on the written notes. Wrong. 10% of the questions were from those notes. In discussing the exam with other students, it turns out that the secretary did print new legible notes and put them in the OMM lab. However, she did not tell the class that they were available or where they were. There were about 5 students that happened upon the notes and got copies. They did not let the other students know about the notes either. The really sad part is that one of the recipients is our class liaison and should have emailed the class to let us know about the notes.

Well, the secretary thinks that the exam is OK since a few of the students found the notes. Of course, that doesn’t sit well with the other 150 students that did not. A few (5) have formed a formal appeals committee (med school beurocracy) to appeal those questions. Who knows what will happen.

This coming week I have 5 final exams. Friday is my last one. Fittingly, it is Anatomy. I have enjoyed the course, but it has been a challenge. Following the exam, we are having a memorial to pay respect to the donors. Then we package the bodies for return to the donor program. We have had to keep ALL parts removed in a large plastic bin under our tables. The donor company verifies that all parts are accounted for thanks to the UCLA scandal.

I have a TON of studying to do over the next week for my exams. I hope things go well. I am in a good place with regards to my grades. I’ve done well enough this quarter so that I only need about a 30% on my exams to pass, but of course I want to do as well as I can.

Wish me luck (or skill, whichever works)!