Medical School So Far

This blog is jumping in halfway through my second year of medical school. It's been quite a journey thus far. I will occasionally reference old things in a effort to fill in the history, but I'm going to continue from the present for now.



At this point in medical school, my school life is a constant juggling act. I attend University of Illinois, the Rockford campus. This campus is all about Family Medicine. This is great for any medical student interested in practicing medicine in of the primary care areas. You get a lot of exposure to Family Medicine, Pediatrics, OB/GYN, the basics. There are good opportunities for other specialties as well. But it's clear where the focus lies. Great for me that I want to do OB/GYN.



These days, lots of talk focuses on preparing for USMLE Step 1, AKA the Boards. I'm looking forward to it because once we cross that threshold, it means my life will be almost all clinical, and very little classroom work. That makes me happy!



Right now, we're about 80/20 for clinical/classroom. There's still so much to learn, but almost all of it is interesting. And luckily, confirms what I think I want for myself in medicine. We shall see. I'm doing my best to keep an open mind. Who would choose a specialty before they get to see what it's like on the doctor's side?

But at this point, I'm trying to balance staying on top of our current workload, prepare for clinical work, start preparing for the Boards, keep on top of my family, friendship, and romantic relationships. It's quite the life, being an M2 (second year medical student at U of I - Rockford).