*Laughs in anxiety* || NB1 || SGU Term 2
Life Updates.
My plant babies maybe have doubled since I last talked to you? I love it. I got my string of pearls!
DIYs. We’re almost finished with the garage and garage gym. Once we paint the door and get some gym mats, I’ll be posting it. Since the weather is becoming less hostile, I’m going to move my veggie garden outside. We started building raised planters for outside. For my office, I’ll be building a bench for my plants because they don’t fit on my shelf anymore.
The finished DIY planters
Live to Eat. I was feeling uninspired with food so I decided to make a food challenge where I cook recipes from one country/region every week. So far I’ve done Japan, Oceania, and Spain. Check out my series for food pics!
Amazing Anzac cookies inspired from Australia!
A vlog?! I started filming a vlog. Growing up, my parents filmed our lives so much. I love it when we go back every so often and watch them together. It feels like finding lost treasure, looking at the lives you’ve lived. Also, when I was considering SGU or any Caribbean school I scoured the internet for any record of the school. So hopefully I don’t look too cringe, I know reddit hates medical community members on social media (except Doctor Mike).
Funny how my garden moves every time I write a blog
NB1 Module.
So neuro is broken up into 3 parts, I believe 3 weeks or so each. I’m not sure how it’s broken up, but wow that first block was the worst block I’ve ever experienced. There was a curve implemented on test scores because it was completely on-brand for 2020.
NB1 Content
I need to preface that I don’t have any experience with neuroscience and NB1 was almost strictly neuroanatomy. So if you do, that will be very helpful! I can’t get over how confident that first week made me feel. We even had lectures reviewing pathways that we just learned in DM. I was thinking “was this the big bad NB monster?”
I didn’t know I was lost until I was lost. It felt like I was wading through unfamiliar waters fine. So we’re spending a week reviewing things - I should have suspected something here because we never review anything. AND they reorganized the module so it was difficult to follow older term resources. So I turn around and there was an implicit expectation to learn neuroanatomy (yes of all the anatomies, this one) on my own. I didn’t know why I didn’t expect not only did every valley and bump of the brain has multiple names and functions or that there would be soooo much crossing and landmarks that we would be expected to know. There was no lecture or hint on how to understand neuroanatomy which I feel is quite different than the anatomy I’ve known. To kick it off, the week following the NB1 test they teach us all the high yield and somewhat complicated reflexes. Anyway, I discovered Ninja Nerd neuroanatomy way too late. There were such limited resources on neuroanatomy, but Ninja Nerds saved my butt.
Outside Resources for NB1
I purchased a FreeMedTube subscription which gives you access to all the main med videos like B&B and pixorize. I don’t regret that at all.
Anki! I wish I had fixed my Anki so much sooner! Now a week into NB2, I realize how off the Anki passed down from the previous term was because of the reorganization. I know if I had accessed the right cards prior to the test, it would have saved me a lot of pain and points. I really like the explanations and extra resources on the back. of the cards. The cards actually explain and test a lot of high yield content that I didn’t see in the lecture, but saw on the exam.
I’m trying to maintain a YT playlist for every module, see here.
NB1 Study Schedule
The first week went really well. I remember feeling proud of hitting 12 days of completing all my tasks on my Focus To-Do list. Ignorance is bliss. The second week I started to feel something was off even though I was crossing off all the things on the list. Wednesday of that second week, I knew I was actually not in the good place. I had a slight panic attack (it’s fine) because I had never felt so behind and overwhelmed. The third week, I abandoned my schedule and tried to incorporate as many practice questions as I could.
Timing
Three weeks is fast. I think starting off the block intense and putting in a little more time during the first week would have made a critical difference.
Advice looking back
If I could do this over again, I would have ensured my anki deck was on point. It might be more beneficial to use PLGs for this module since it’s so complex. It felt as if I didn’t know what I didn’t know - so I couldn’t prepare for it. If I could tell Day 1 NB1 Rainee anything, I would tell her “yes, you’re responsible for that very obscure content. Don’t wait to be taught this because it will be too late".”
Extracirriculars
The vibe in PLG and AEP (peer tutoring) sessions is changing. I think we’re all tired. I’m glad my peers give me grace and don’t expect me to be an expert because I’m 100% not. I actually started the paperwork for a Nutrition Medicine Club - it’s happening (hopefully)!
Improvements for NB2
Balance: Okay maybe I can’t afford to end my day at 5PM, but I want to be more practical and end around 8 PM.
Anki: Making fewer cards and merging my profiles was key. It looks and feels less cluttered.
Pre-reading has been helpful!
NB2 is a mix of hardcore NB1 and psych stuff which I love - I’m excited. Also, we have around 5 tests in the last 2 weeks of this term (NB2, NB3, BSCE, Lab, and OCEX). Oof.