Hello! I'm Susan, one of the 2nd year Biomeds contributing to the blog. If you'd like to read a little about how I came to be a Biomedical Sciences student at PCOM, check out the "About me" section of my Blogger profile.
For this first post, I'd like to give you an introduction to the Biomed program, and a closer look into our very first course, Molecular Basis of Medicine (MBM).
For this first post, I'd like to give you an introduction to the Biomed program, and a closer look into our very first course, Molecular Basis of Medicine (MBM).
- PCOM Graduate Program in the Biomedical Sciences:
The Biomed program starts as a one-year certificate program, wherein we take 7 courses worth 29 credits. The school year starts in mid-August, ends in late May, and is broken up into trimesters. The first trimester consists of Molecular Basis of Medicine (MBM), and Infectious Process (IP). The 2nd trimester consists of Gross Anatomy and Histology, and the 3rd trimester consists of Neuroscience, Medical Pharmacology, and Physiology. All courses are taught in the evenings, three days a week, and your classmates are your fellow Biomed students. If you wish to complete a second year in pursuit of a Master of Science in Biomedical Science degree, you can undergo an internal application process in the Spring of your certificate year, and if accepted, start either during the Summer immediately after the certificate year, or during the Fall. PCOM does a much better job of describing the nitty gritty here.
Now, prior to my first lecture I was advised to have fun but to work hard because this is a rigorous program... yet for the first few weeks, I couldn't help but look back to my undergrad days and think, "I only start with two courses, I can keep working as much as I am now, see friends all the time, and still do well."
Grad school is a whole different ball game. The Biomed program is a full time program. The coursework is not insurmountable but I had to make sacrifices in order to meet my goals and keep up with the lecture material. I set high expectations for myself; I didn't simply want good grades, I wanted to become one of those students that knew enough background info that I could manipulate the lecture material as it was being lectured... I wanted to learn the material, and use it to try to understand some of the prevalent diseases we hear so much of on the news.
Even though there were nights this school year when I had to remind myself, time and again, of the reasons why I wanted to push myself to do well, anytime an old friend would ask, "how's school going?" I couldn't help but smile and tell them, "I'm sleepy, but I've never been happier." Truth is, I love learning about the life sciences, and in this program I am surrounded by 70ish others just like me. For the first time in a long time I was internally driven to learn, I was excited about my schoolwork, and I didn't have to hide my excitement for molecular mechanisms. With all that to gain, what's a little sacrifice every now and then?
Now, prior to my first lecture I was advised to have fun but to work hard because this is a rigorous program... yet for the first few weeks, I couldn't help but look back to my undergrad days and think, "I only start with two courses, I can keep working as much as I am now, see friends all the time, and still do well."
Grad school is a whole different ball game. The Biomed program is a full time program. The coursework is not insurmountable but I had to make sacrifices in order to meet my goals and keep up with the lecture material. I set high expectations for myself; I didn't simply want good grades, I wanted to become one of those students that knew enough background info that I could manipulate the lecture material as it was being lectured... I wanted to learn the material, and use it to try to understand some of the prevalent diseases we hear so much of on the news.
Even though there were nights this school year when I had to remind myself, time and again, of the reasons why I wanted to push myself to do well, anytime an old friend would ask, "how's school going?" I couldn't help but smile and tell them, "I'm sleepy, but I've never been happier." Truth is, I love learning about the life sciences, and in this program I am surrounded by 70ish others just like me. For the first time in a long time I was internally driven to learn, I was excited about my schoolwork, and I didn't have to hide my excitement for molecular mechanisms. With all that to gain, what's a little sacrifice every now and then?
- MBM:
The course name says it all! We learned some molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics in a clinically relevant manner. You won't learn diagnosis, or too much pathology, and you won't see patients. What I mean by clinically relevant is evident in some of the topics covered: Hormones, Human Molecular Genetics, Generation of Energy from Dietary Carbohydrates, Diabetes Correlation, Hemoglobin... the list goes on. Plus, you will have a few Team Based Learning (TBL) exercises to do with your assigned groups. TBL assignments consist of a made-up patient case that is relevant to the material recently covered in class, which you and your team try to solve. You will be provided with physical exam findings, patient complaints, lab reports, etc., have a designated amount of time to research and meet with your group outside of class, and then meet in-class to take a quiz and answer questions. It's SO MUCH fun!!
This course, as most courses in the program, is taught by various lecturers. Each lecturer will post a handout and a powerpoint presentation on Blackboard before his or her lecture. Sometimes this is posted a week or more in advance, sometimes you only have a day or two advanced notice. I benefited from previewing the posted material before class, even though it was a time-consuming study method. My hand was much less tired of writing, and I had a better understanding of the information at the end of class, when I took the time to read through the handout, compare it to the powerpoint, and make a rough outline (maybe with a few questions) of the material before class.
This course, as most courses in the program, is taught by various lecturers. Each lecturer will post a handout and a powerpoint presentation on Blackboard before his or her lecture. Sometimes this is posted a week or more in advance, sometimes you only have a day or two advanced notice. I benefited from previewing the posted material before class, even though it was a time-consuming study method. My hand was much less tired of writing, and I had a better understanding of the information at the end of class, when I took the time to read through the handout, compare it to the powerpoint, and make a rough outline (maybe with a few questions) of the material before class.
Although the course is taught by different professors, lectures build upon the information provided by previous lectures, and a lot is covered during a class period. A few missed classes can sometimes feel like a month's-worth of missed material; it was to my advantage to keep on top of my readings and studying, and my previewing practices helped me connect the new material back to the older information. I spent many a late-night (not only before an exam) previewing, reviewing, making note-cards, checking online textbooks, e-mailing professors, etc. You'll hear this next line again and again, and I don't mean to sound preachy but: the majority of us can't learn all the material the night before an exam (or the weekend before).
With that in mind, MBM taught us to study both for factual knowledge AND for a deeper understanding. Oh how many of us wish we had known to do this before the first exam! Facts are great for some types of tests (such as quizzo) but they may not be very useful if you can't apply that knowledge to new situations (read: such as with developing a thesis topic); the reverse is also true. I learned best when I studied the facts, studied the context in which they appeared, and then changed the situation and asked myself, "How do the facts apply? What have I changed, and how will that affect the outcome?" You'll see what I mean when you get to the metabolism lectures. =)
One concept that was foreign to me prior to my time at PCOM is this: Don't be afraid to ask the lecturer for clarification. I used to be the type to keep my confusion to myself and work furiously alone to try and figure it all out; it was a tiring and frustrating endeavor. During the fall trimester, I quickly learned that PCOM has an open-door policy, and our professors really believe in it. This means that you can walk into their offices, and if they're not in the middle of something else, they will sit down with you to talk or help you out. Cool right? They genuinely want us to do well, and enjoy sharing knowledge.
