First week of school!

Well, the first week of school has come and gone already!

Let's go day-by-day...

Day 1: Wednesday
According to any older student I spoke to, the seat you get in the first week or so is the seat you'll have for the rest of the year (and some say for all 3 years!) Consequently, that means you have to get to class VERY EARLY. Taking this literally, a few others joined me in arriving at the building at 6:50AM. Waking up before the sunrise is not fun when you've been sleeping until 3AM every night of the summer...

I got the seat I wanted! Third row, where there is a stair for my height issues, and not too close to the center to be in direct vision of the professor, but not so far to the side that I can't see the board.

[8:00-9:15AM] First class is Basic Pharmaceutics 1 with Dr. Moo Cho. He's a petite Asian man with a thick accent, but he seems nice. This class is what I'm afraid of most, so I'm guessing I won't like him for long. I shouldn't jinx myself, though!

[9:30-10:45AM] Then comes Biochemistry... which apparently will be exactly like BCH4024 at UF. Doesn't mean it will be any easier, but at least I'll have been exposed. The first few lectures are orgo reviews... fun!

[11-11:50AM] Third, is Physiology. Three years ago, it was taught in conjunction with the medical school across the street, but then the pharmacy school decided to bring it "in-house" and now it's taught by a UF Alumnus! Dr. Andrew Persky is super awesome (obviously, my adjective handbag has thinned out a bit).

Common hour is 12-1PM. No classes or review sessions are allowed to be scheduled at this time. These are usually when meetings are for organizations... quite convenient! On this day, there was an informational session/lunch provided with Kappa Epsilon, the all-female pharmacy fraternity. Met some great girls and seriously considering pledging :)

[1-2:50PM] FINALLY, came Health Systems. Besides scientific courses, part of the curriculum are courses that teach you about the other aspects of health care. This particular class will teach some practical things, including: structure of the US health "system" (in quotes because ours is so fragmented, it can be hardly called a system... ask me about it!), Medicaid/Medicare, health reform, medication therapy management (MTM), and public policy.

Despite the class being right after lunch and the end of a long day, the discussion-driven style keeps you awake, plus it's refreshing to talk about things that have real-life applications.

Wednesdays are the LONGEST day for PY1's. Schedules aren't regular (MWF, TR) so this just happened to be the day that all classes meet. It was nice to experience that first so that the initial exposure was rough and all you can go is up!

Day 2: Thursday
Since Day 1 was so long and started early, I was able to sleep early again but there was no need because my first course didn't start until 1PM!

[1-5PM] Pharmaceutical Care Lab. I think I'm really going to enjoy this lab. It's structured into Medical Terminology, Top 200 Drug List, Compounding, and Self Care. Each we we'll have lists of terms and drugs to learn and be quizzed on. Some days we will compound, and others we will have presentations of assigned over-the-counter/herbal remedies. We will also learn how to use blood glucose monitors and how to check blood pressures so that when our patients ask us, we can instruct.

We also must dress professionally to each lab. Love dressing up! Although this means I will have to buy some new wardrobe...

That night was another KE event, a dinner with the girls. Met even more great people!

Day 3: Friday
Fridays vary in length because some classes are canceled and the others are optional review sessions. This particular Friday, it was just a physiology review on the renal system.

During Common Hour, Senate sponsored a lunch to have with our mentors. My mentor is amazing! But I won't get into too many details :)

That evening was the CAPS Back-to-School Picnic where interested students got to see what they are all about. I'm stoked to be a part of it and all that they do. Among many things, they have numerous patient care projects including: Generation Rx, Operation Immunization, Diabetes, Women's Health, etc. It's a great way to be involved in the community and in campus.

Overall, great week! Can't wait to get into the meat of the classes next week and experience a full week plus work.

Cheers!