October: The Return to Normalcy

 Semester hours completed: 5/12 hours 

 

Wow, I cannot believe it is the end of October! It goes without saying that this semester has been far from normal, but it has certainly been nice to be back and in-person for class post-Ida evacuation. While the month flew by, it was not lacking in excitement, and it has been so much fun getting to know everyone in the program! I feel that I have developed some life-long friendships in such a short amount of time and plan to continue cherishing our time in this program together. 

 

This past week, we started the CV Pharm module, which is one of the topics I have been the most excited to dive into and learn more about. Over the span of my life, I have had multiple family members who have experienced different cardiovascular issues. As a child, I could never understand the specifics of their conditions, so it is definitely a full-circle moment for me. I am looking forward to learning more in the upcoming weeks, and I am especially excited about the CV simulation exercise on our schedule next week.

With the addition of some independent study days this month, I was able to begin doing some volunteer work within the community. Last week, Megan, Alex, and I volunteered at the American Red Cross in Baton Rouge. While we were there, we put care packages together for those affected by Hurricane Ida and disaster shelter starter kits for the Red Cross to use in their future relief efforts. I really enjoyed getting to give back to the community, and I am looking forward to serving more in the upcoming months and getting to meet more locals within the New Orleans community.