This year I moved from Portland, Maine to Toronto, Ontario for Naturopathic Medical school which started in September and just ended Dec. 22nd. Looking back I thought I knew what was coming at me but once I got into the program I realized it was much bigger and harder than I could have imagined.
For the first semester you have 12 classes in total which are:
Anatomy I
Physiology I
Biochemistry
Botanical Medicine I
Homeopathic Medicine I
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Ethics and Jurisprudence
Health Psychology
Research
Clinic I
Naturopathic History & Philosophy
Biomedical Integration
A couple of these classes were only half the semester long which was great, and a couple didn't have any exams (only assignments) which was also a plus. With that said, for midterms we had 5 exams in 5 days, and finals were 8 exams in 10 days - it was definitely tough and a big change from University. This semester was also 100% online which made it a little challenging as well.
I won't bore you with the details of each class, but what I will say is that I learned SO much! During undergrad I studied International Business, which I learned quite a bit about running/managing a business, but this one semester of ND school I learned more than I thought I could ever shove into my brain. I am excited about the coming semester and years because I have already seen so much growth in myself.
Gastroparesis wise, botanical medicine was my favorite class. There are so many herbs that can make such a difference in peoples lives that they don't know about. My tip to you is to work with a professional whether it be a botanist or a Naturopathic Doctor (depending on your state or province). Herbs are so powerful and can really help with not only gastroparesis but just about anything!
To finish off this post I want to list some things that I learned this semester that helped me make it to the end:
Stop comparing yourself to others. Whether you're in school or not, the comparison game will literally tear you apart. I found myself for the first couple months beating myself down wondering why I can't keep up with many of my peers. Truth is - we all come from very different backgrounds, some have parents in the medical field, some studied science all through university, some are already a different type of doctor or have worked in the medical field, and then there are others such as myself that have none of the above... and that's okay! One of my professors always said "you can't compare apples with oranges!" and it's very true.
Everyone is in the program for a reason. Once I realized that we were all drawn/called to this profession for some reason, it made comparing myself to others meaningless. Regardless of how I do in Anatomy compared to others doesn't matter - 10 years from now we'll all be incredible doctors running our own businesses and helping our patients in every way that we can. Anatomy year 1 won't be on anyone's minds.
Don't delay studying. Starting out the semester I didn't put in enough time towards my studies and I really regretted it later on. Later I was stuck inside for the entire day cranking out as much as I possible could. My brain hurt, my mental and physical health diminished and I was miserable. But, comparing to University I really didn't know what to expect going in. But now I know what I need to do for this next semester to be a lot more successful.
Don't fear growth. With how drastic of a turn my life has took in the past year, what I've learned is to not fear growth. I honestly feel like a completely different person living a completely different life. I've been in Canada for 6 months (as of tomorrow), and that truly blows my mind. If I feared growth I wouldn't be here right now. Medical school scares the crap out of me, but if you don't jump out of your comfort zone every once in awhile you won't grow and what is life without growth?
Lean on friends for support if you need it! I have met a really great group of people in my program even with school being completely online this semester. I never thought I'd need to ask for others notes, or to vent about my grades and concerns but I did... more than once. After midterms I was truly a wreck. I didn't come close to hitting the marks I wanted and for a few classes; the marks I needed... which threw me into quite the depressive state. I had many classmates reaching out to make sure I was okay and offered anything they could to help me. This made me feel awful at first, but it also reassured me that our program really is about helping each other get to the finish line. By the time finals came around, I had people messaging me for help and venting about classes and grades which made me feel much better that I too could be of help to them. At some point we will all need to lean on each other for support.
Don't abandon your mental, emotional or physical health! By the time midterms came and I didn't get the marks I needed, I poured all my time into studying and I lacked on my physical health the most. I wasn't as active anymore, I stopped using the gym, some days I didn't even go outside for fresh air. It was really hard at that point to manage it all, but I know that in the future I need to make sure I stop even for 10 minutes and get in some movement. Meditation and yoga is also really helpful as a study break or a between classes stretch break.
Plan time for date nights/family time. Making sure you do stuff that is outside of school and your house is huge. Spend time with your partner, family or friends. Your schooling is important, but it's not as important as your health.
Make your study area a place you want to be. Organize, decorate, do whatever you need to do to create a space you like because you'll be in it a whole lot! Making sure you're studying in a quiet, comfortable, roomy, cute space is essential. I actually moved my study space so that this next semester I am in a much better area than I was which I think will make a huge difference in how I feel.
Remember to breathe and go easy on yourself. You may not get things the first time around and that's okay! There is so much information being dumped on you that it's honestly impossible to remember and know it all. Take a deep breathe and remember that in time, you will understand it.
Remember your "why", have fun, and try to enjoy the process. Remembering your "why" I think is something very relevant in medical school. You have to constantly remind yourself why you want to become a doctor. Something I did throughout the semester was re-read my essay for med school. It was really helpful during the times I wanted to give up. Also try to have fun and enjoy the process. Go out with friends, talk with peers about school, laugh and have some fun. If you don't make time to try and enjoy your life then you will be miserable... (a lesson I learned the hard way).
Those are pretty much all of my thoughts for this semester! It was a challenging few months and I’m really happy to have it behind me! I’m also excited for a fresh new semester.
Stay healthy, happy and motivated,
Loreal
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