Well, I didn’t really finish my last post because I had to go to class and then you know, commuting back, kids, exhaustion.  I’m not one to get stressed easily but I am freaking the f*** out and extremely overwhelmed.  We have mandatory and non-mandatory classes, meaning you have to be there for the mandatory ones, but the non-mandatory ones you can watch on your own time via the online course system (Blackboard).  So in my head, I’m thinking that watching all the non-mandatory sessions that night or the next day will save me time, as I can watch them at 1.5 speed.  Sounds good in theory right?  Except it’s…

Well, the day is half over for most of my fellow students but my day more or less just started.  I worked until 11pm last night and when I got home, I had to get everything ready for my two older kids for THEIR first day of school so I didn’t get to bed until 1am.  Then, I’m guessing because of first day jitters, my daughter woke up at 430am, waking up her brother and the baby in the process.  I was able to get the two older ones to go back to bed but alas, once the baby’s up…. She’s up.  Everything went off without a hitch getting everyone…

I met up with my mentor today before work to glean some last nuggets of wisdom before starting school tomorrow (a week long orientation rather, which is then followed by the official starting of classes).  As always, he delivered, with tips for studying and retaining the vast amount of knowledge that med school offers up.  “You need to study for medical school like you’re drinking Lake Michigan from a straw.”  He elaborated by explaining how necessary it was for someone in my position, with the immense responsibility of raising children and having a career on top of med school, to continuously take in and review the material, little by little,…

So I first found out about RIMSAP through a past photography client of mine who had gone through the program.  I don’t think I would’ve had a chance of getting in had it not been for this program.  RIMSAP stands for Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program.  This program, a result of efforts from the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Medical Society, assists pre-med students that desire to practice in rural areas after training in gaining admission to medical school with a heavily weighted recommendation.  I grew up in rural Illinois, currently raising my kids in rural Illinois, I couldn’t imagine living and working anywhere but a rural community. …