Hey there summer! It's hard to believe that summer is finally here. The last few weeks of school were busy, but there was also time for some fun.

The end of ID came with a bit of sadness and a sigh of relief. While the block involved a great deal of studying, it was also really fun. I loved the detective work of ID, figuring out what illness patients had and what the best treatment would be. At the same time, five-week blocks are always a bit intimidating because of the amount of knowledge we must acquire by the time we take the exam. However, all was well, and we ended our last multi-week sequence of the year.

The next week, we jumped right into Clinical Foundation of Medicine (CFM) weeks. The big focus of this CFM block was taking a history and performing a physical exam. These are huge components of most fields of medicine, so it's really important to learn how to take a thorough history and perform a physical exam (H&P). After all, these are the skills that will help us figure out what is ailing our patients. The weeks culminated with our CFM instructors watching us perform an H&P and giving us feedback. My friends and I spent the week practicing our H&Ps on each other, and all of the practice paid off in the end.

CFM weeks are also a time for fun. The first weekend was Biorhythms and a quiz-free weekend! During the winter biorhythms show, I watched my friends perform, and they convinced me that I had to do the spring show. I didn't regret it at all! I was part of the lyrical dance, and we performed to Ben Folds' "The Luckiest." Our talented choreographer, Megan, created a beautiful piece, and it was great to show off our hard work during the show.

The second CFM weekend, we had a take-home exam, and it was also Memorial Day Weekend, so many of us spread around the country for the long weekend. I headed to Chicago for the weekend, and I had a great time running along the lakeshore, eating great food, and enjoying the sunshine.

On the Tuesday after Memorial Day, we started our last block of the year, Human Growth and Development. It was a four-day block, but it was packed with lectures and small groups about the different stages of childhood, adolescence, and old age. We had one last exam, and then we were done for the summer.

I can't believe that the year is over already. It's also hard to believe that this is our last summer, as we will be on the wards at this time next year if all goes as planned. That's so strange to think about but very exciting at the same time. For now, I'm going to enjoy the warm weather, sun, and summer festivities in Ann Arbor. As always, thanks for reading! Until next time, go out and enjoy the sun (but wear sunscreen)!