From Ecuador to Iowa, Ortho to Community Healthcare: the Last of the Summers

These M2s made the most of their “break.” Summer in med school: is it beach vibes or big-doings? Turns out, it’s a weird mix of both—and we’re here for it. In this episode, we get the inside scoop from second-year med students Tyler Pollock, Cara Arrasmith, Anjali Puranam, and Sophia Nopoulos on how they spent their first “break.” Spoiler: it includes orthopedic research, global health rotations in Ecuador, community hospital crash courses, and teaching the next wave of M1s! We’re also talking about gap years. Yep, those mysterious in-between years that admissions committees don’t actually hate. In fact, they might be your greatest flex. Whether you’re curious what a summer research fellowship really looks like or wondering if you’ll be the only 27-year-old in your class (you won’t), this episode proves you’ve got options—and none of them are bad. Stick around for pediatric murmurs, shoulder anatomy, and why some med students literally dream in Spanish.