First Day of School!!

Ever since I set up my UCLA email account back in August, the emails of opportunities have been literally never ending! One of these opportunities was a pilot graduate course which I started this past Thursday. For medical students, it was a course they were already required to take. But, for the Advanced Practice Nurse, it was a pilot program which allowed for integrated interdisciplinary instruction.

Initially I was a bit curious as to how the concoction would work. I've dealt with residents in the hospitals before, but never have I been in a class with MD students (who weren't even residents yet). Plus each course roster purposely consisted of only 10 students!

The class discussion unleashed the human side in all of us. I thought about my cousin, Ate Jennifer, who is also in medical school and wondered if she felt the same way these medical students felt: confused, fatigued, and uncertain. Unlike the MDs in the class, the RNs have already been exposed to various clinical experiences and have been fitted into our specialty shoes. Our graduate school experience was designed to build upon our specialty, not take rotations to find that "nitch."

Overall, I think this is going to be an enriching experience. My intimate group of 10 were all unique, kind, and welcoming. I guess this is what everyone refers to when they talk about UCLA and networking. It was amazing to discover that 6 students came from different parts of the US, while 2 students came from different countries. I guess its a little bit nerdy of me to say but, just like five year old kids are excited for their first day in kindergarten, I'm soooo excited for my educational experience here at UCLA! Go Bruins :-)