The first week of A and P was a little bit of a shock when it came to work load, however the words of Dr. Klepach about the importance of self care and stress management resonated with me. Also I wasn’t scared of the workload because my last jan plan was the 8 am to 4 pm emt jan plan that was monday through friday so I wasn’t used to the normal jan plan experience like the other students. The class is full of mostly pre med students who are driven into a mode of stress and grade fixation in order to get into med school. This makes it hard for these students to truly listen to Dr. K when he tells you that it isn’t the grade that matters in this class, and rather it is about learning how to manage all the information that he is throwing at you in a healthy way that is sustainable. In this way I believe that this class is truly one of the best classes for pre med students in that you are not only learning an immense amount of information that will prove useful later on in your career but you are more importantly given the opportunity to practice healthy life skills and habits that prioritize your mental and physical health without the stress of getting 100 percent on every assignment. The life skills that this class as well as the resource of Dr. K himself provides is arguably more important than all the anatomy and crazy historical stories that contextualize the a and p through the semester. The workload is intense however it is manageable. I suggest using the resources of the lab and the models it has to study along with other classmates in order to study for the lab practicals in a way that is not only more fun but also more effective.
Over this jan plan, I feel like I have definitely grown as a student in becoming more efficient with my studying in order to free myself to do more stuff that I enjoy. Prioritizing giving myself time for me to clear my head and get some exercise has not only helped with physical health but I think helped my mental health as well. This combined with my management of stress as well as sleep prioritization I think has helped me and can be seen in my growth academically at managing the material. I am very appreciative for the way Dr. K runs this class and I think it is a refreshing change of pace that can honestly benefit any student.
– Elliot Hammerness