Andrew Franklin

So four weeks into the new academic year and I have to say it has been rather pleasant so far. Of course its always hard to tell how well things are going before the first set of exams, but to be frank I’ve rather enjoyed the freedom (in the absence of clinic or simulated patients) that pertains to having no classes scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursday. The price of such a luxury does result in long days sitting in a classroom on Mondays and Wednesdays, but I’ll take it for the indulgence of a cheeky lie-in every now and then. I don’t want you to think that such a schedule has been completely wasted with an extra few pushes of the snooze button. On the contrary I have made some endeavors to be somewhat productive. For example I am lucky enough to be a member of a research group working for Dr Yavuz. Along with some fellow 2^nd years and 3^rd years we are collecting data on diabetic patients. I wont go into details of the research but from a student’s point of view it’s been a great experience to interact with patients and practice our under-developed pod-med skills.

These past first four weeks have also had a sport theme for me, and while I continue to hack at dimpled balls in a vain attempt to at least look somewhat presentable on the golfing green or more so the rough. I have also plied my trade with the OCPM soccer club. We have been meeting regularly every Sunday morning at the Independence high school for an informal ‘kick-about’ for some time now. It’s been a great way to get active and get the lungs going for at least a little while. I encourage anyone who is interested in ‘the beautiful game’ to come along and get involved, before it gets too cold (although we will then move to an indoor league). Incidentally the soccer club also had a trip a few weeks ago down to Columbus to watch the MLS game between Columbus Crew and Philadelphia Union. And although I would always argue that it’s no EPL (English Premier League) it was a great day out with many OCPM students attending and the home team taking the points.

My other recent sporting escapade has been at a local rock gym, there is something rather rewarding about the challenge of negotiating yourself up a wall, there are levels for every ability (I started on a ladder!) and wonderful way to distress from school.

With exams coming up I think such activities will be temporarily curtailed for now, but it’s nice to know there are many avenues outside of school that we can all take part in. Good luck in your studies.       

Andrew Bernhard, 3rd year @ OCPM

So, I’ve been on this site for a couple months now and haven’t really talked about myself much. Also, I now have the opportunity to add posts specifically for the OCPM community. I feel like that’s a bit of a privilege, so I couldn’t pass it up. Now, I’ll use this post to introduce myself to anyone who is reading and state what I plan to do here.
My background is deeply rooted in the sciences. I graduated from John Carroll University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a chemistry concentration. I enjoyed my time there and appreciated the broad liberal arts education, while my religious courses taught me to be more open minded. One professor, Dr. Miles Coburn, really influenced my interest in evolution, global climate change, and biodiversity, while John Carroll’s brand new science center provided some sweet facilities.
From 2007 to 2009, I worked at the American Red Cross as a lab technologist. I helped supervise a team that was responsible for maintaining a quality blood supply, through quarantine and labeling. The Red Cross taught me the importance of precision and accuracy in every task, as well as the troubles with multitasking.
Since 2009, I’ve been at school learning how to be a doctor. I do well, academically, but I never worried as much about that. What I am more proud of are my extracurricular activities and relationships. I am the student body secretary, a tutor, teaching assistant, DPM mentor, and, now, professional blogger. I try to give back to the school, and students, as often as possible. Personally, the friendships I’ve built at OCPM, I think, will prove to be lasting.
Outside of school, I love my wife and dogs. I like playing ukulele and reading about science, religion, and rational thought. All very exciting things.
If you’re at OCPM, just say hi. I’m easy to get along with and pride myself on answering any question you may ask. I’m very bald, fairly pale, and I’m usually trying to wear some sort of “ironically funny” tee shirt, or so I’ve been told. I plan on using this site to share goings-on in the OCPM community, interesting journal articles, and other podiatry topics.
Thanks for stopping.

2nd year student Andy Franklin

Hi my name is Andy Franklin, I am a second year here at OCPM, and it’s certainly a great feeling to be able to say that “2^nd year”. At times it had felt like we were destined to be perpetual newbies. The year was a long one, and certainly challenging but with that invariably comes the inherent pride to say that I, along with my peers made it! Bring on the next year.

My route to OCPM may be considered less than conventional. I was born in Essex, England and in various parts of England is where I resided for the first 26 years of my life. I had chosen a career in Chemistry and had come to the US to work in a research lab at Florida State University. My plan was to come to the states for a year or so and then head back to the motherland. Overtime however two notable things happened. One was that I was getting to rather like my life here in the states and the other more pertinent issue was that I was becoming less satisfied with my life as a chemist. To cut a long story short after a lot of searching I found myself here at OCPM.

Looking back on the first year with perhaps a hint of a rose tint, it was a great experience, the work load certainly asked a few questions of us all especially in the second semester but I guess no one said it would be easy. Looking at all the new first years coming in it reminds me of my experience not so long ago; making new friends, getting used to the work load and getting used to the Ohio weather were some key issues in those early months (to be honest I’m still trying to become accustomed to the weather) I would have to say that the summer term was certainly my favorite for obvious reasons, not only does the sun shine but the credit hours are considerably reduced and so you are able to rediscover the things you enjoyed when you had a normal existence. For myself and a lot of my friends that was playing golf, there are some great courses here and while I remain a less than the average player it’s a great why to get out and enjoy the surrounding areas with friends. 

Well as the new academic year beckons, I wish a sincere good luck to all the students here at OCPM. I look forward to sharing my views and experiences with you throughout my 2^nd year.