October ePortfolio Blog

October was very interesting and challenging in terms of content. It included the the skeletal system and represented the start of the most challenging subjects yet, the autonomic nervous system and the cardiovascular system. These subjects were challenging in the way that the pathophysiology of these systems are so nuanced. The autonomic/peripheral nervous system represents one of the most interconnected systems so having to understand its manifestations in everything from the eye to the bladder was a lot to remember, but having nmemonics like SLUDE and blind as a bat... were really useful! What makes the cardio module difficult for me at least is the application of everything from the nervous system on the workings of the heart in ion channels, depolarization, and repolarization and how that promotes the circulation of blood throughout different parts of the heart and circulatory concepts like blood pressure. Next, while I usually am able to pick up understanding drug mechanisms and applications relatively easy, the pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of the drugs within the ANS and cardiovascular module have been difficult to remember as it has a lot to do with pathophysiology like in activation and inhibition of certain receptors and what that manifests as physiological response wise. Overall, although this module has been difficult to conceptualize, I still have enjoyed learning about the pharmacological application to various medical conditions. In other news, I just signed up to volunteer long-term at Tulane University hospital and cannot wait to start next month and see where I'll be placed and in what capacity I'll be helping people!

Volunteer hours this month: 0