Weeks two and three passed quickly, possibly due to the general confusion groups of fresh students feel, possibly because our schedule is beginning to make sense. Either way some time to reflect has been useful.
Week two was a little on the strange side. A plethora of newness from the timetable to teaching room abbreviations, best places for food or where to park, how to use the vast array of new software (or not) – all became sources of intrigue and frequent questions. There was a lot to take in and although our timetable didn’t look particularly onerous, by the end of the week we’d completed multiple activities, walked around four different campus locations and climbed many, many stairs. According to Fitbit I clocked up over 150 active minutes within two days… and big chunks of both were spent in long lectures.
Our module for week two, Communication and Professional Values, consisted of two-hour lectures followed by a couple of two-hour seminars. Long days were interspersed with a visit to the infirmary museum, online activities, a technology drop-in and uniform fitting. We also encountered our first experience of working in subgroups.
Round one with the sorting hat went well enough, our subgroups started to form and no-one seemed left out or isolated. But it takes time and effort to form good relationships with new people so finding out that these embryonic subgroups would soon be sorted into smaller sub-subgroups for our team presentations (the first summative assessment with a deadline rapidly approaching) was met with mixed emotions.
Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) formed the core focus of week three, and introduced a slightly different module style. Shorter more intense lectures followed by longer subgroup workshops. After a brief introduction to another new software resource, I decided some personal trial-and-error learning seemed the best way to master our ‘essentials of anatomy and physiology SmartBook.’
In reality I haven’t quite mastered the ‘SmartBook’ yet but I have the app and I like it. Becoming familiar with the technology and the learning approach will probably take a little time, but I can honestly say I enjoy this learning resource and gain something from it every time I use it.
A&P isn’t an easy subject. It isn’t one you can wing – well I certainly can’t. Encouragingly, the science I learned many moons ago seems not only to have lodged in the archives of my brain but also appears capable of resurrection! I vaguely remember anatomy of the heart and the respiratory system – it may be slightly ropey but this recall feels reassuring. I am not completely devoid of A&P knowledge and fortunately, rediscovering how our bodies work is proving even more fascinating now than it was during 6th form. There is ever such a lot to learn though and the first exam is only 14 weeks away. Guess what I’ll be doing over Christmas…
Revision 📚📚📚📚📚👩💻📚📚📚📚📚
Highlight of the fortnight: Uniform fitting. Completely straightforward and in a size that made me happy. As MiB say, welcome to the last suit I’ll ever wear.
Learning point of the fortnight: The human body is far more complex, perfectly adapted and intriguing than most of us ever imagine. It’s not just flesh and bone, it’s science, precision engineering and the most beautiful fine art too.
Hopes for next week: Positive meeting with Aacdemic Personal Tutor, uneventful second sorting hat adventure for our smaller sub-subgroups and a clearer idea of the first assessment because it’s not far away!
Final thought…
And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings
Meister Eckhart
Art, Science, Heart ❥ 
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