So unfortunately for me, I didn’t pass my first exam.  And due to my health issues extending my Block 2, and the back to back nature of Block 3 and 4, I didn’t have anywhere to place the retake in my schedule except for following Spring break.  At our school, you have ONE opportunity to retake a block exam.  If you do not pass the second time, you face the dismissal committee.  In other words, you will more than likely either be dismissed from medical school, or you will have the opportunity to repeat your first year.  So when I tell you the pressure was on- I am not kidding.…

In another blink of an eye, two more blocks are done.  Block 3, musculoskeletal wasn’t too bad.  I think because it was a great deal of rote memorization.  It was also a shorter block – only 5 weeks, so the amount of material wasn’t nearly as much when it came down to exam time. Block 4 was cardiovascular, which wasn’t too bad, but thanks largely thanks to my ICU nursing background- a lot of the concepts and pharmacology I was already familiar with.  Next stop is studying over my Spring break for my Exam 1 retake and then onto Block 5!