Spring Cumulative: 13 hours
After finishing our NBME final and our last Cell Control Mechanisms exam, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I was very nervous about beginning this program at a new school and moving to New Orleans. I was living even further from home than I have ever been and had to try and make it on my own. When I finished undergrad, I still had reservations about myself, wondering if I have what it takes to become a doctor. This program has helped me regain confidence in myself. I am grateful to have been a part of a program that truly embodies Tulane's mission statement "Non sibi, sed suis". The path to becoming a doctor is a challenging and stressful one, but I did not feel alone. The enormous support from the professors and staff motivated me to keep pushing forward and believing in myself because I felt they believed in me. Even though the program is done, the grind doesn't stop. I have already begun studying for the MCAT again and working on my applications while striving to adopt a healthy lifestyle through it all.
In November before our Thanksgiving break, my class worked together on a group service project. We made holiday cards for the Louisiana Methodist Children's Home, and so we decided after our last exams to all get together and do it again. It was a lot of fun hanging out with my classmates again in a non-stressful environment. We jammed out to music, joked around, and showed our card-making skills off.
When I was at LSU, a personal passion of mine was HIV prevention and education where I was the chairman of LSU's Be PrEPared committee. Baton Rouge and New Orleans had the top 5 infection rates in the country. I focused on providing education and testing opportunities for the LSU campus and the surrounding Baton Rouge community. It was challenging finding places in New Orleans that were accepting volunteers especially because COVID was still a prominent factor during the fall semester. However, in line at the pharmacy, a lady had a shirt for Crescent Care, which is a local healthcare clinic in New Orleans, I began talking with her about my past work with HIV and she said I could come volunteer. I was able to actually administer HIV tests and help providers counsel the patients on prevention, testing, and the next steps if they, unfortunately, tested positive. I find working with infectious diseases can be emotional, but the intimate connection you make with a patient and supporting them in what seems to be the darkest point of their lives sometimes is an unbelievably rewarding experience.
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