Chapter 5 - Med School Orientation

Hey everyone I hope you are having a swell day. I just concluded my 5 day orientation for medical school. It has been one of more excitement, sober reflection, talking to soo many upper students, fellow students and faculty, and I am going to share with you what they share with me, and what I took out of it. So, because we are in the Caribbean, they orientation kicked off with exploring the nature isle of Dominica. We visited the native tribe of the Kalinago people, and they taught us their dance. We hiked for 15 mins and got to Emerald pool, we took beautiful pictures of the island.

Ghana brother Andy and I (Naija brother) chilling with them Kalinago people in Dominica

My new classmates. 

On the boat tour of the Indian river, holding an umbrella...one minute its sunshine the next minute, its rain #iloveit

In the middle, with other aspiring med students

THEN! Days orientation quotes and advice.
1. Dominica is where the inevitable never happens, and the impossible occurs daily
2. Where ever you go, go with all your heart
3. From day one of medical school, think like a Physician. Don't do anything you wish your personal doctor wouldn't do.
4. Pro-actively seek assistance before things get too bad
5. Take 5 mins break at least,,to swim in the beach, and take your eyes off study
6. Tturn on long term memory -Recall, do active study, review with peers, interaction, become a tutor to others
7. Get the big picture, view med school from the eagle's eye view, not from the land surface, because things could compound quickly
8. Put in about 6-7 hours of serious study...daily
9. Do not swim in the atlantic ocean it is fierce...many students have had near drown experiences in that ocean, rather swim in the caribbean sea..It is hot and soothing.
10. Aim for above 70% in all your minis and finals exams
11. Study hard and don't be stupid! (my favorite)

These were the advices I got from all the 5-day orientation. Now, I am ready to roll.

Chapter 4 - My Flight and Arrival in Dominica

SAN FRANCISCO - MIAMI - ANTIGUA - DOMINICA = Ross school of Medicine

So, August 22nd 2013 is one of those days I will never forget in my career as a Physician. The beginning of my journey to become a physician. Starting from San Francisco airport. Waiting in line for checking in, en route to JFK New York. Suddenly, the american airline receptionist says, "Hey Chisom, Your flight is being delayed for 1.30 hours..for no reason....that means you will miss your connecting flight from N.Y to Antigua. Oh great!! She continued, But the good news is that if you can run and blow through TSA security in the next 20 mins, you could still catch an open spot for a flight to Miami, and then connect to Antigua... That moment when your family brought you to the airport with drums and horns to bellow your triumphant entry into the airport to fly to medical school., and then all of a sudden you start running to the tarmac to catch a plane without much time to say goodbye. Ok....fine, I finally got through, and 5 hours later..... Welcome to Miami. Upon arrival, I went on a shopping spree. bought a camera, some other electronics, expensive food as the top floor restaurant....I completely lost my composure but for a minute, I missed home, all the wonderful advice from friends, my lovely family in Sacramento, and the fact that I might be coming back home with a long beard and a significant other...the other packages med school could offer. ..That thought escaped with a question from the air hostess.. Would you like some juice?..Ans - Heck Yes!

Stopped real quick at the airport to buy a new camera....just because i could..lol...#med schl.

From my window view ..Florida to the caribbean #takeoff

Finally I made it to the caribbean, and I took a bold step of videoing myself as i walked out of the plane onto the caribbean soil. I must confess I was pretty nervous though, cos idk what the policies were for tourists or students who took videos at the airport, do they shoot them down with a gun, do they get maimed, or greeted with a great welcome dance ,...here is the video of what exactly happened.

Dominica med school baby!is hot and beautiful. everyone wears tank tops and flip flops, everyone walks so slowly on the streets, there is no traffic, no hustle,..its just heavy plantations, windy roads, beautiful beaches, and very inspired medical students walking to and from class. I usually don't know how to express my excited, but I know inside of me is bubbling with joy right now.

Chapter 3 - My packaging so far -1 more week

COUNT DOWN!! Yeap, One more week to Medical school, my room is so scattered right now. I have been having so much fun enjoying this last few days as a free man. Attending  youth explosion programs at my california church, playing drums and piano at events, attending Nigerian parties in holiday inn, going out with friends for lunch at my favorite Crepeville restaurant, going to my gym late at night. The unfortunate truth is that some of this events I will have to be sacrificing for the next 4 years of my life as I join about 21,000 students starting their first year medical experience in all medical schools in U.S and some major Caribbean countries. I am so excited and overjoyed to picture that this day I have so dreamed about has finally come. My family and close friends and relatives have been so supportive and prayerful of my aspirations, and I believe by God’s grace I have gotten the drive I need to succeed.

packing for medical school

So this is the last week before I begin medical school. I call it the last week of Chisom’s unaccounted freedom. Henceforth, all my freedom, my time and my money has to be judiciously accounted for. My ambassadors advised me to pack things that I would definitely need because generally everything is overpriced on the island. Maybe because they are being shipped from continental U.S, or because local store-owners just need a profit, or because they know students are investing in a big industry (Medicine), and they might as well take a little chunk of it. Whatever the reason is, something doesn't add up.  If most local indigenes living in the dominica island live below poverty line and don’t have much money to pay for these things, how then do they afford to buy those commodities?

Now, I am packing my baggages, and I will like to run down an unending list of things to take note of while packing. Don’t forget laptop, tablet, 1TB external hard drive, scrubs, stethoscope, dissection kit, rain boots, tote windproof umbrella, toiletries (tissue, toothbrush, toothpaste, body lotion, e.t.c), surge protectors (for unpredictable electric current), flashlights (for power outages during hurricanes), deet mosquito repellants (for them bugs and mosquitoes whom I share my space with), lighter (not for cigarettes but for lighting up my propane stove), clothes, hangars, school stationeries (whiteboard markers, 2b pencils, pens, erasers, index cards), chocolate, vitamins and foods (my favorite indomie noodles), e.t.c 

On my flight to Dominica I am only awarded one luggage of 50 pounds, but I am going to be carrying another extra luggage of 50 pounds ( for $60) totaling 100 pounds. Question of the day. If you were to survive with only 100 pounds worth of stuffz, for 4 months on an estranged island, what else would you carry? lol.

Chapter 2 - My Interest so far

Why Anesthesia

So, the first question every premed or medical student answers a million times, what areas of medicine are you interested in? I want to be a neurosurgeon, I want to be an E.N.T doctor, I want Orthopaedics, I want OBGYN. Yea right!  there are USMLE step 1&2 exams, Ross Minis, Shelf exams, NMBE, the Match algorithm, residency Interviews and inter-personality traits awaiting you that predetermine where everyone ends up in medicine. There is not one area of medicine that I particularly dislike. I love them all, but I would love a specialty where I can combine my interest for gadgets and technology with my love for people.  My passion is in Anesthesiology.

."I want to combine my love for gadgets and technology with my love for people" -  Dr Chisom-to-be

After my undergrad program at UC Davis, I became an EMT  - The euphoria and burst of excitement from riding in a high speed ambulance. Yes, I was one of those high school kids that would see an ambulance or cop car and start chasing after them in my car to see its final destination, subsequently gauging my speed to avoid the cop from sighting me and writing me a citation ticket. On thanksgiving night of 2010 - one of my ride-along internship as an EMT student, we had a strange call to response to a man who got into an argument with his girlfriend and then shot himself with a handgun. Bro,why would you shoot themselves with a gun? I asked. He wanted to end his misery... I guess people just express themselves in different ways - His misery just began. We were out in a remote county called Amador county which is a rural community about 45 mins away from the big city, Sacramento. We called the nearby emergency room to request if they could receive our patient. The surgeon said No, they couldn’t receive him because there was no anesthesiologist on duty. Really? No anesthesiologist? I was pissed there was no Anesthesiologist, but I was excited about what we were about to do next. Air-lift him by flight evac to UC Davis, the only trauma 1 center in northern California.BUT Again, there were no emergency helicopters available. What a choice day to shoot oneself! My supervisor decided we would drive him code red for 45 mins to UC Davis . I asked with a bit of interest, are we going with lights and sirens. Yessss!  How exciting! I had to compose myself, I was at the back of the ambulance while my two supervisors were in the drivers compartment. Prior to this day, I had planned to video -record my first call. But, this wasn’t an ordinary call. I could barely hold myself talk-less of holding a camera. This was the moment of truth. I think Anesthesiology was calling me. I thought to myself, never should anyone be denied medical attention for the lack of an Anesthesiologist. 

Anesthesiologists are awesome doctors. They are regarded as the surgeon’s surgeon, or as my mentor Dr Padilla calls them. “The kings of the O.R.” They are specialists in opening the most difficult airways, and helping people stay alive during surgery. They are the first figure a patient sees before an operation and yes! They are doctors and  great counselors – reassuring the anxious patients that their lives are in safe hands. I actually hope to impact the lives of patients in any specialty I find myself, but as of the date of this blog, I want to become an Anesthesiologist. If that changes in the future, I will let you know! Quality!

Chapter 1 - My Journey so far

 "DOMINICA MED SCHOOL BABY!. my first blog about my journey to medical school...coined from the video made my students in my new medical school. Although Im not new to the blog world, writing some shitty non-medical related blogs in college prompted me into this. But I got converted after receiving my admission into Medical school. I must say it's a life changing event. To the disguise of my friends and family, I have added a little more swag to my gait, and I sound a little more sophisticated now. But I will be as real as possible on this blog. My journey like everyone elses' is a combination of meandering roads, bumpy streets with so many twists and turns, advise from deans to change lanes, and sometimes, getting pulled over.

I am born and breed in Nigeria, and came to the United States in 2006. Of course I had my own share of cultural shock and peer mockery, I suffered that fresh-off-the-boat stigma. First, I didn't know how to alert the transit bus driver that I had reached my bus stop, and was a little to proud to ask other commuters for help. I'm sure someone knows exactly what I am talking about.

But shortly, I began community college in California for 2 years, and then transfered to UC Davis to study Biological Science, and graduated in 2010, with a gpa not so great but not too bad. The last 4 semesters were the best tho. To make myself a more solid candidate for medical school, I swiped my credit card for 12,000 usd and chose to attend a post-baccaleareate program in Los Angeles. The cons - more years of science study...The pros - I met some long-lasting friends and did my own share of hollywood partying.

Finally I took the MCAT...omg the MCAT!, Thank God its over, I applied and got the best phone call ever...
Admissions - "Hi, May I speak to Chisom Ofodire"
Me - "Yes, he is speaking sir"
Admission - Just calling to tell you we have some good news...even better than what we offered earlier"
Me - (in shock) "I am listening sir"
Admission - Congratulations Chisom, you have been granted a seat in our Sept 2013 acceptance class
Me - (heading to the bathroom to pee) - (Jumping in excitement and injuring my knee), Thank you soo much, I am grateful! (bla bla bla...assuring him that I will be a good boy...like my words made any difference at this point)

Now, Call FAFSA to request Financial aid Loans....The excitement died down.Prior to the point the largest investment was a dell latitude laptop computer with a detached webcam. Now, I am putting hundreds of thousands bounty on my head. Follow me on my exhilarating and exciting journey of medical craziness and life adventure in the Caribbean island of Dominica. Quality!

Enjoy this Dominica Med School Baby rap song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9nE1dg1Og&oq=dominica%20med%20&gs_l=youtube..0.5j0.904.3609.0.6146.13.11.0.0.0.0.289.1735.2j6j3.11.0.eytns%2Cpt%3D-30%2Cn%3D2%2Cui%3Dlr.1.0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.t4rMWKzmAlw