Page 6 - Spring 2016
P. 6
e 6
Samantha Claassen
Class of 2019
University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita
The Most Enjoyable Learning
Medical school has been a different educational experience than the last 17 years of my
life, which I have spent getting up every weekday morning to sit in a classroom. In some
ways, I am still listening to lectures, memorizing material, and regurgitating information
on tests. However, all of the information is so meaningful and applicable to my future
career – to my ultimate goal of improving the health of rural Kansans – that it is the most
enjoyable learning that I have ever done. While these first two years of medical school
are largely filled with classroom learning, the schedule includes standardized patient clinics, simulations, and small group
experiences to remind my fellow aspiring doctors and me what we are ultimately working so hard for.
My day usually begins around 6 a.m., as I like to get a morning run in before starting a day full of studying. For me, exercising every
morning helps relieve some stress before starting a day full of to-do lists. I finish my morning routine in time to make it to the
three morning lectures that begin at 9 a.m. While most of my classmates watch the recorded lectures in the afternoon, about five
of my Wichita campus first year classmates watch the lectures live on campus. We are able to interact with the faculty and other
students in Kansas City and Salina through the ITV intercom set-up and occasionally the lecturers will come to give the lectures in
Wichita.
Lunch is often a good time to take a break from studying for various interest groups and other informational meetings. Guest
physicians may come in to talk about their experiences for a Rural Medicine Interest Group or Family Medicine Interest Group
meeting. The school provides sessions on financial management while in medical school or study tips for preparing for exams.
Many interest groups and organizations also hold meetings in the evening so that third and fourth year medical students who are
currently doing clinical rotations are able to attend. Interacting with these students who have gone through first and second year
and came out (mostly) unscathed provides further motivation that we will soon be able to take part in the healthcare of real life
people, too.
The afternoon schedule provides variety – each module (the four to eight week blocks that we take our courses in) the activities
change based on the topic being covered. Local actors serve as our standardized patients so that we can learn and practice clinical
skills. In histopathology lab, we examine digital slides of the changes that occur with disease in tissues on a microscopic level.
Small groups and problem-based learning sessions give us the chance to work as a team of seven to eight students to dig deeper
into the topics we are covering in lectures. During the second half of first year and the beginning of second year, we travel to
Newman University to use their cadaver dissection lab for our anatomy education. Being able to visualize the human body and the
effects of various diseases on human anatomy through these dissections is truly valuable.
I am often able to head home from school around 5 p.m. for a change of scenery for my evening studying. Though the studying
does not stop on the weekends, I always make an effort to set aside time to spend with my family, friends, and fellow med
students. In addition, there are opportunities for us to begin serving and improving our clinical skills by volunteering at the student
-run JayDocs clinic or other special events, such as vaccination clinics.
Medical school is a long journey, but I am confident the hours of studying and skills development will pay off richly when I am able
to care for my own patients in rural Kansas in just a few more short years. After seventeen years of education, another seven years
of training is a small price to pay to be able to save lives and positively impact Kansas communities.
The University of Kansas School of Medicine ranks in the top 10 percent for producing graduates
who practice in rural areas.
*from a 2010 report by Association of American Medical Colleges.
Samantha Claassen
Class of 2019
University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita
The Most Enjoyable Learning
Medical school has been a different educational experience than the last 17 years of my
life, which I have spent getting up every weekday morning to sit in a classroom. In some
ways, I am still listening to lectures, memorizing material, and regurgitating information
on tests. However, all of the information is so meaningful and applicable to my future
career – to my ultimate goal of improving the health of rural Kansans – that it is the most
enjoyable learning that I have ever done. While these first two years of medical school
are largely filled with classroom learning, the schedule includes standardized patient clinics, simulations, and small group
experiences to remind my fellow aspiring doctors and me what we are ultimately working so hard for.
My day usually begins around 6 a.m., as I like to get a morning run in before starting a day full of studying. For me, exercising every
morning helps relieve some stress before starting a day full of to-do lists. I finish my morning routine in time to make it to the
three morning lectures that begin at 9 a.m. While most of my classmates watch the recorded lectures in the afternoon, about five
of my Wichita campus first year classmates watch the lectures live on campus. We are able to interact with the faculty and other
students in Kansas City and Salina through the ITV intercom set-up and occasionally the lecturers will come to give the lectures in
Wichita.
Lunch is often a good time to take a break from studying for various interest groups and other informational meetings. Guest
physicians may come in to talk about their experiences for a Rural Medicine Interest Group or Family Medicine Interest Group
meeting. The school provides sessions on financial management while in medical school or study tips for preparing for exams.
Many interest groups and organizations also hold meetings in the evening so that third and fourth year medical students who are
currently doing clinical rotations are able to attend. Interacting with these students who have gone through first and second year
and came out (mostly) unscathed provides further motivation that we will soon be able to take part in the healthcare of real life
people, too.
The afternoon schedule provides variety – each module (the four to eight week blocks that we take our courses in) the activities
change based on the topic being covered. Local actors serve as our standardized patients so that we can learn and practice clinical
skills. In histopathology lab, we examine digital slides of the changes that occur with disease in tissues on a microscopic level.
Small groups and problem-based learning sessions give us the chance to work as a team of seven to eight students to dig deeper
into the topics we are covering in lectures. During the second half of first year and the beginning of second year, we travel to
Newman University to use their cadaver dissection lab for our anatomy education. Being able to visualize the human body and the
effects of various diseases on human anatomy through these dissections is truly valuable.
I am often able to head home from school around 5 p.m. for a change of scenery for my evening studying. Though the studying
does not stop on the weekends, I always make an effort to set aside time to spend with my family, friends, and fellow med
students. In addition, there are opportunities for us to begin serving and improving our clinical skills by volunteering at the student
-run JayDocs clinic or other special events, such as vaccination clinics.
Medical school is a long journey, but I am confident the hours of studying and skills development will pay off richly when I am able
to care for my own patients in rural Kansas in just a few more short years. After seventeen years of education, another seven years
of training is a small price to pay to be able to save lives and positively impact Kansas communities.
The University of Kansas School of Medicine ranks in the top 10 percent for producing graduates
who practice in rural areas.
*from a 2010 report by Association of American Medical Colleges.
