Jordon Coward's Pharmacology Experience

Hey! Welcome back! March has been has been one hectic month. We've all been aware of COVID-19 but I don't believe we were prepared for what followed, America especially. I never thought I would be in the middle of a pandemic but here we are. The viral crisis is dominating headlines and altering every facet of life as we know it. Social distancing has been the phrase of the hour, requiring everyone to self quarantine at home to avoid close contact with others to contain the spread of the virus. I never realized how much I touched my face until I wasn't allowed. The pharmacology program and professors have been amazing with the seamless transition amidst the worldwide panic. A number of my friends have told me of their programs and the difficulty to maintain normality. We're now on the home stretch to completing the program. One more test in Cellular control and a number of presentations and our time is coming to a bitter sweet end. I recall saying how fast time ha

Hey! Welcome back! First off let me say Happy Black History Month! For being the shortest month, February was really action packed. A month full of research, presentations, tests, and preparation for the shelf exam that's in a couple of weeks. And I must say the shelf exam has my nerves in shambles. Even though in my time in this program I have honed my preparation skills, the sheer volume of the total curriculum can be overwhelming at times.  I made sure to fully digest the information that we've learned in the past two modules. Neurology and Psychiatric pharmacology weren't really on my radar before but I found them to be strikingly interesting, specifically schizophrenia. I was amazed on how misinformed I was on the topic of schizophrenia. I found myself removing all the misconceptions of this disorder from my brain. This module opened my eyes and pushed me to be a bigger advocate for mental health issues.  February was not only packed fulled of information bu

Welcome back! Wow! The first month back flew by! I couldn't be more happier with my first block test results. Learning about endocrine pharmacology and how to treat diabetes was almost like a review to me being that it is so prevalent in my family history(bitter-sweet). One of the highlights of my learning experiences so far is learning about how stress effects us in the our endocrine pharmacology class taught by Professor Lindsey. I knew that chronic stress wasn't beneficial for our bodies but learning its physiological implications on the body lead me to make a couple life changes lol.   Consistent  stress hampers the ability of ones immune system to actively fight off infections and diseases. Academic life has been one of my biggest stressors in the past so this experience has me theorizing different methods to battle chronic stress stimulated by stressful environments. I've even found time to meditate in the mornings!  It helps that this semesters schedule is a little

December hours: 2 Total Fall Semester hours: 13 Well… We did it! My first semester of graduate school is complete and now we get some time to step away and breathe. This journey has only reached the halfway point but I’ve already learned so much. Not just from an Pharmacology standpoint but about myself as well. With that being said, I thought I'd leave you with a couple of tips that got me through my journey so far.  1.) Plan ahead and schedule. Mapping out your day to day schedule leaves little room for error. Utilizing each minute of your day leads to a level of preparation that no inconvenience could stymie. Good luck is a residue of preparation! 2.) If you don’t know, ask questions. Whether it’s a professor, student or tutor, make sure to seek out answers to any confusion. 3.) It’s ok to let your brain relax sometimes. Graduate school can be stressful at times but it’s not an impossible feat. Meditate, find a hobby, or anything that will allow your brain to recharge. 4.

November Volunteer hours: 8 Total Semester hours: 11 Welcome back to my Blog! November has been an eventful month. The cold is approaching and my first semester as a graduate student is coming to a close. Everyday I am reminded that I made the right decision in being apart of this program as I continue to grow as a student and professional. Before getting a week off to enjoy my family back in North Carolina I had to tackle the Renal and Pulmonary module. In this module we learned how to treat hypertension, erectile dysfunction,  urinary tract infections, pneumonia and asthma. The anti-hypertensive portion of our studies was significant to me due to the condition being so common in my own family. I found myself checking my family tree and analyzing the risk factors and lifestyles of my relatives. The amount of eyes rolls  I received at thanksgiving dinner while trying to advocate for my relatives health is it's own testament to the amount of information I consumed from this m

Happy Halloween! Its feels like yesterday that I submitted my last post. October has flown by and we've already completed 3 modules with the 4th on cardio-vascular physiology and patho-physiology coming to a close this week. The semester has reached its midpoint and the finish line seems like its in sight. Our 4th module exam based on the cardiovascular system really hit home. I lost my aunt to stroke recently so learning the intricacies of the grim reaper known as heart disease put a lot of things into perspective for me. From beginning to end, every note I've taken seems to be interconnected to treating heart disease. One of the highlights of this module was the CV simulation. Being apart of the simulation and having to make quick, informed decisions to save a patients life was an extremely rewarding feeling. It makes those long, tedious hours of studying worth it. I wasn't able to get any volunteer hours this month but I plan on beginning my volunteer tenure at Och