The Start of Spring

Happy New Year!

   Glad to be back and start the spring semester at Tulane's Pharmacology Program. Currently, classes are still hybrid and Covid-19 testing is being performed biweekly. Covid vaccine clinics are being offered at Tulane and many of our classmates have scheduled their appointments. The vaccine is optional and is being offered to the students. The pandemic is still ongoing and numbers are still rising in Louisiana. Not much has changed except the increase in mandatory testing. 

   Looking at the schedule for the spring semester seems very busy. We are expected to take the NBME Shelf Exam at the beginning of April. This exam is going to measure how much we were able to learn and take away from this program. I'm feeling a bit nervous but I'm glad to hear Dr. Clarkson will be reviewing with the class. Some of our classes will also be ending earlier than expected to allow us some time to study for the shelf exam. Other than the exam, this semester is different than the fall. We are participating in more group presentations than before. Group presentations in this program are great! I would say these group presentations are fun and not meant to stress you out. The professors tell us to have fun with the presentation, which brings out the creativity of the students here. You get to connect with your classmates and share your interests and goals. Also, I think learning with a group of your peers works better than trying to understand the materials yourself. 

  

  Not much has changed but I hope to finish this semester strong. I and a group of friends in the class are hoping to volunteer for Second Harvest Food Bank this semester since last year we had such a blast. I am also going to continue to write and send letters to the patients at different healthcare facilities. I'll update you on what happens next, stay tuned!

Tracy Vu