First Quarter Wrap-up

With our first quarter wrapping up and winter rolling in, it has been a very busy few weeks for us at the UC/CCHMC Genetic Counseling program.  With the unseasonably warm weather, it has been a challenge for us to start buckling down and studying for our finals next week.  The second years came back from the NSGC conference in San Diego and we were all very jealous.  It sounds like they had a blast at the conference and I can’t wait to go next year.  It is nice to look forward to three weeks without Molecular Genetics exams, lectures, or all of our other time commitments in a busy schedule with winter break coming up.  It hasn’t been all work though, we have still found time to get together to have a Thanksgiving feast with our classmates, tried many local eateries together, and have had volunteer activities such as PROM and VCFS support group.  It has so far been a very rewarding experience and it is shaping up to be a wonderful end to 2011. 

As a first year, I also started clinic rotations since my last blog post.  All of us first years are in an observational rotation with various clinics.  I am in general pediatrics right now and have learned so much from just observing a genetic counselor for a few cases a week, as well as figuring out case prep, EPIC, and case summaries.  It is just as exciting as I thought it would be, and I think everyone else in the year agrees.  I am learning more than I had hoped about specific disorders, and have seen a few really interesting cases.  We are getting more into role plays in class with IGC , and this helps with clinic too as we are practicing empathy, contracting, and medical intakes.  I am looking forward to lysosomal storage disorder clinic next quarter, as that will bring on a whole new set of genetic conditions for me to learn about, as well as taking on a role or two.  Yikes!

Recently we first years have gotten our thesis matches which we will be spending the next year and a half on.  There were many interesting topics, such as exomic sequencing, personalized medicine, and a study looking at direct-to-consumer testing.  I received my match on looking at adoptive parents with children who have DMD and their experiences.  I am so excited to get started, and I know a lot of the other first years are as well. 

I am hoping to make a more specific post about things we have learned such as exomic sequencing, course work, and other program happenings over winter break, so stay tuned! : )

Posted by Amy Gladstone, First Year Student

Work Hard, Play Hard!

The quarter is officially over! The first years survived and the second years are in the home stretch!

I think a big part of being successful in any graduate program is to know how to balance - your school life vs. your home life, fun vs. work, knowing when you've reached your limit, etc. I feel like this is even more important in our lives as GC students. We are learning how to build rapport with our patients and families, how to support them, how to give them a helping hand when they may need it. I feel like in learning to do that, we spontaneously do it with each other. I know I could go to any one of my classmates and ask their perspective on something, or help with a concept - we truly do all support each other. While we are here at the hospital and "on campus" for long days at a time, we also make sure we have time to have fun and explore Cincinnati!

Here are some of our adventures...

September: Most of the first years ('12) and some second years at a Prom for Special Needs Children at a church on the West side of Cincinnati. Each of us got an "escort" and got to do things throughout the night like dance, play games, and eat food! Our escorts ranged in age from teens to adulthood and it was a really good experience and it was fun to dress up and enjoy the night together!

November: With 12 people in a class, it's easy to find things to do. Nicki Smith ('12) found a great event at Eden Park in Mt. Adams, a neighborhood of Cincinnati, with hot air balloons! They light them up at sunset, and you can even get hot chocolate.. I was really jealous of all my classmate that got to go! It really seemed like a fun event. In general, Cincinnati promotes its park program which makes the fall season really enjoyable and a nice break from school work!

As we come from all over, it's been really fun to learn what people consider "cold" or "a lot of snow." I'm from Northeast Ohio and am used to inches of snow from Lake Effect weather.. But some of my southern classmates (Chandni from Alabama, Laura from Florida) really enjoyed the first snow Cincinnati had! All of us snow gals are teaching these Southern Belles how to drive safely in the weather, even though they seem to be a new fan of car-pooling!

As you can see, there's plenty to do in Cincinnati and in having fun outside of the hospital and classes, I feel like it makes our time at school that much more productive. We know each other very well and are able to provide feedback during roleplays, or help during stressful times in ways we may not have been able to if we didn't know each other so well. This is part of the reason I personally came to Cincinnati - it feels like home! As we all went our separate ways for Christmas break, it was exciting to hear everyone's plans but I think we're already looking forward to being reunited for Winter Quarter!

Happy holidays from the UC GCP! :)

Leslie Gress, First Year