The Calm After The Storm
In so many ways the storm has passed. In the more literal sense we just got done with a pretty major snow storm. To be fair, its not the biggest I have seen, but it is has kept me bottled up inside and away from the horses for the third day in a row. Scotch is doing well though and even seems to be thriving on the colder weather. Its a certain irony that a horse whose bloodlines lie in the burning desert is doing so well in the frozen north, but I suppose its all in what you're used to.
This past semester was an endurance test beyond any measure I have yet seen. Part of it was because of therapeutics cases, we had an assignment every week and tests anywhere from every other week to every three weeks, so there never really was a moment of calm. It was not a textbook case of stellar performance on my part, but I survived and actually did very well for the most part. There were a few places where it was a major question mark as to whether or not I would actually weather this storm. In particular, the first immunopharmacology test proved not as easy as I had hoped, but I rallied for the next two and was able to pull a good grade in the class. That's better than some of my compatriots can say, some might not have survived final test in therapeutics. Because it is such a major class, you not only have to have a passing grade overall, you have to pass each individual section. So you could have an A going into the final and if you score a 69 on the final, you'd fail the course. Most of us left the thing wondering if we would be joining the class of 2012. I maintained my usual reserved confidence. Having done the best I could, I saw no point in further worrying until there was cause.
There were many good things about this semester. The same day of the aforementioned first immunopharmacology test that did not go well, I was honored to be elected chapter delegate for the Creighton ASP. Which means I will represent Creighton on the legislative issues proposed to APhA this year. Its quite an honor. I'm looking forward to the big moment associated with the position, which is the national meeting of APhA in Washington DC this March. For the uninitiated, I'll make some clarifications. APhA is the American Pharmacists Association, THE group for pharmacists. ASP is the Academy of Student Pharmacists, an offshoot of it. Pharmacy students actually make up a pretty significant proportion of APhA membership, so we actually get our own group within the organization. I also made a bid for the pharmacy leadership society Phi Lambda Sigma (I had noticed that the Greek letters were the initials pharmacy leadership society, rather clever) and got accepted. We had our initiation banquet just a few weeks ago. Seems like a lot longer, I suppose the sudden burst of winter weather has had something to do with it.
This semester has also had some very trying moments. My election as chapter delegate saw an overwhelming show of support by my classmates in the bid to have me elected. I won by a very significant majority and was very pleased by this, but the victory was marred by some rather disparaging comments, on Facebook of course. One consistent pathology of the comments made against me, very few have the temerity to actually make them to my face. I actually would have a lot less problem with that; it at least shows a level of conviction and courage and I also prefer to face my problems rather than have them whispered about behind my back. I have little or no respect for someone who has a problem with me and takes the gossip column approach to dealing with it. For my part, I said nothing about any of this. I knew that this was one fire that was best left to burn out on its own, anything I did might just cause it to flare up.
More vexing than that was the return of an old demon. This was about the time during my time at the School of Mines that things started to take a major turn for the worse and history repeated itself. I find myself wondering what I'm doing there. I know its an investment for the future, but its an open wound in my soul to be so far away from the things I care the most about. Not to mention that I'm spending this time away grinding away at work for pretentious individuals who care little or nothing for how much this is taking out of me. I like a fair number of the professors and I've even become quite good friends with other, but others seem like the same martinets that turned the respect I once had for educators to contempt long ago. Its even more vexing considering how much the concept of the Creighton value system and professionalism are shoved down our throats. I believe in leadership by example and if you can't get the people in charge to set it, how do you expect to translate it to the students? Perhaps that is merely the long disillusioned individual that I am talking.
I survived to fight another day, that's the important thing. And I think I can endure the next semester much better with the knowledge that it is the last one I will spend in the classroom. Next June its on to rotations, and then eight five week periods of learning by experience (which is the area I excel at beyond all others and I do pretty well in all the others if I apply myself, that's my only downfall) are all that separate me from being John Myers, Doctor of Pharmacy. This time next year I'll be on the verge of that big moment.
This past semester was an endurance test beyond any measure I have yet seen. Part of it was because of therapeutics cases, we had an assignment every week and tests anywhere from every other week to every three weeks, so there never really was a moment of calm. It was not a textbook case of stellar performance on my part, but I survived and actually did very well for the most part. There were a few places where it was a major question mark as to whether or not I would actually weather this storm. In particular, the first immunopharmacology test proved not as easy as I had hoped, but I rallied for the next two and was able to pull a good grade in the class. That's better than some of my compatriots can say, some might not have survived final test in therapeutics. Because it is such a major class, you not only have to have a passing grade overall, you have to pass each individual section. So you could have an A going into the final and if you score a 69 on the final, you'd fail the course. Most of us left the thing wondering if we would be joining the class of 2012. I maintained my usual reserved confidence. Having done the best I could, I saw no point in further worrying until there was cause.
There were many good things about this semester. The same day of the aforementioned first immunopharmacology test that did not go well, I was honored to be elected chapter delegate for the Creighton ASP. Which means I will represent Creighton on the legislative issues proposed to APhA this year. Its quite an honor. I'm looking forward to the big moment associated with the position, which is the national meeting of APhA in Washington DC this March. For the uninitiated, I'll make some clarifications. APhA is the American Pharmacists Association, THE group for pharmacists. ASP is the Academy of Student Pharmacists, an offshoot of it. Pharmacy students actually make up a pretty significant proportion of APhA membership, so we actually get our own group within the organization. I also made a bid for the pharmacy leadership society Phi Lambda Sigma (I had noticed that the Greek letters were the initials pharmacy leadership society, rather clever) and got accepted. We had our initiation banquet just a few weeks ago. Seems like a lot longer, I suppose the sudden burst of winter weather has had something to do with it.
This semester has also had some very trying moments. My election as chapter delegate saw an overwhelming show of support by my classmates in the bid to have me elected. I won by a very significant majority and was very pleased by this, but the victory was marred by some rather disparaging comments, on Facebook of course. One consistent pathology of the comments made against me, very few have the temerity to actually make them to my face. I actually would have a lot less problem with that; it at least shows a level of conviction and courage and I also prefer to face my problems rather than have them whispered about behind my back. I have little or no respect for someone who has a problem with me and takes the gossip column approach to dealing with it. For my part, I said nothing about any of this. I knew that this was one fire that was best left to burn out on its own, anything I did might just cause it to flare up.
More vexing than that was the return of an old demon. This was about the time during my time at the School of Mines that things started to take a major turn for the worse and history repeated itself. I find myself wondering what I'm doing there. I know its an investment for the future, but its an open wound in my soul to be so far away from the things I care the most about. Not to mention that I'm spending this time away grinding away at work for pretentious individuals who care little or nothing for how much this is taking out of me. I like a fair number of the professors and I've even become quite good friends with other, but others seem like the same martinets that turned the respect I once had for educators to contempt long ago. Its even more vexing considering how much the concept of the Creighton value system and professionalism are shoved down our throats. I believe in leadership by example and if you can't get the people in charge to set it, how do you expect to translate it to the students? Perhaps that is merely the long disillusioned individual that I am talking.
I survived to fight another day, that's the important thing. And I think I can endure the next semester much better with the knowledge that it is the last one I will spend in the classroom. Next June its on to rotations, and then eight five week periods of learning by experience (which is the area I excel at beyond all others and I do pretty well in all the others if I apply myself, that's my only downfall) are all that separate me from being John Myers, Doctor of Pharmacy. This time next year I'll be on the verge of that big moment.