I'm an M2.

Seriously, that sentence STILL weirds me out. :) I still feel like an M1...although I suppose since I've only had one day as an M2, that's understandable.

I'm feeling good about this year. Summer vacation was a (much-needed) attitude adjustment for me. As my friend LawyerM puts it, I got rid of my resistance to school-related things. I'm ready for new information and ready to put some elbow grease into studying.

First day today...lots of first day things, including discussion of new procedures for testing (all computerized this year!), more NBME exams, and the addition of BLS and ACLS training to our curriculum this year. We heard about the new mentoring program that our assistant dean of student affairs is SO very proud of. Well, really I was hearing it for the second time, because we had a meeting a few weeks ago about it for those of us who signed up to be mentors for M1 students.

Three hours or so of immunology lecture followed in the afternoon. First lecturer was not very organized...he's one of those people who intuitively understand the topic they are discussing, so they don't discuss it very well. Know what I mean? :P Second lecturer was better - much more organized and easier to follow. So far it seems okay, although I think having immunology in grad school has something to do with that. :) I'll take all the help I can get!

Tomorrow we have clinical medicine lectures, we begin our psychiatry course, and we have more immuno lecture. Plus I have a meeting with the other 3 tour guide coordinators to finalize the selection of the M2 student tour guides for the year. It will be a long day but hopefully will help cement my second year status into my head.

I've been thinking a lot about a patient I saw at Cass Clinic this weekend. I obviously can't give specifics, but she needs some prayers.

It was so good to meet some of the M1 class tonight at the welcome picnic that CMA hosted with JMSA and IMSA, the Jewish and Islamic student groups. SocialChairA did such a fantastic job (along with his counterparts from the other groups) of getting all the food and making sure everything on Belle Isle went off without a hitch.

I really am enjoying being on more solid ground this year. So much about the first year of medical school was about learning to be okay with uncertainty...which was a hard lesson for me to learn, if I'm being totally honest. SO very hard. But this year I am coming to school with a better understanding of what is expected of me, what my classmates and friends are like (and who they are!), and just how much hard work is ahead of me. So I guess I'm learning to love my M2 status after all. :)