I'm going to be honest here for a moment.
Last term was one big belly flop. To continue the metaphor (poorly), I dove headfirst into the deep end and drowned. I tried to do the breast stroke but could barely doggy paddle for 10 minutes before my arms disintegrated and burst into flames. You get the idea.
The good news is that it established my limits and gave me an idea of what the content is and how to tackle it. The bad news is I have 3 "NP" grades on my transcript and I still have to take chemistry.
Moving on to the present moment, I'm taking two upper division psychology classes, two substance abuse prevention seminars, and a class on the biology of cancer (+lab). It's going way, way better than last quarter and I'm guessing I'll have somewhere between a 3.5 and 3.75. I really do love biology and this class in particular is fascinating. I've decided to choose bio courses that interest me rather than just go through the standard General Biology I/II/III sequence. There are a lot of other really cool-sounding courses that meet medical school requirements and I think I'll find them more engaging than those huge lecture classes.
I've been thinking a bit about doing medical school in a foreign country, perhaps in eastern Europe. It's much cheaper and there are many internationally accredited programs taught in English. No time to really delve into that right now though... two midterms left this week, time to study.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
So special
With old family friends coming to visit and all the details of my college apartment move to iron out, medicine (and more specifically, my chemistry textbook) slipped to the back burner. Another recent time-consuming development came in the form of a tiny orange ball of fur:
As you may or may not know, I already have a 10-month-old cat. This new guy (Charlie?) was acquired in the hopes of keep my other cat entertained since I will soon be quite busy with school/work/volunteering/etc and she won't have me around to harass all day. Here's hoping they don't hate each other.
On to more relevant issues...
When discussing my potential career as a physician, I'm often asked what area I'm most interested in. I will admit that this is something I've given a good deal of thought to, since from the very start I've always thought in terms of "I'd love to be a (specific specialization)" rather than just "I'd love to be a doctor." The differences between the various medical specialties are so varied and so significant in every way imaginable: patient contact, required knowledge, physical skills, paperwork, compensation, day-to-day activities, hours, and the list goes on. I don't think I'd believe a pre-med who said he or she "just wants to be a doctor".
So, with that on the table, and with the understanding that this is all quite likely to change once I get to medical school, here are the areas I'm interested in:
As you may or may not know, I already have a 10-month-old cat. This new guy (Charlie?) was acquired in the hopes of keep my other cat entertained since I will soon be quite busy with school/work/volunteering/etc and she won't have me around to harass all day. Here's hoping they don't hate each other.On to more relevant issues...
When discussing my potential career as a physician, I'm often asked what area I'm most interested in. I will admit that this is something I've given a good deal of thought to, since from the very start I've always thought in terms of "I'd love to be a (specific specialization)" rather than just "I'd love to be a doctor." The differences between the various medical specialties are so varied and so significant in every way imaginable: patient contact, required knowledge, physical skills, paperwork, compensation, day-to-day activities, hours, and the list goes on. I don't think I'd believe a pre-med who said he or she "just wants to be a doctor".
So, with that on the table, and with the understanding that this is all quite likely to change once I get to medical school, here are the areas I'm interested in:
Thursday, August 21, 2008
NICU Shadowing
First impression: So! Awesome!
I arrived a little early, around 7:50 when I was supposed to be there between 8 and 8:15 (I gave myself a full extra 45 minutes in case I got lost on the way). One of the two physicians working that day was there already and introduced herself and the nurses, pharmacists, etc as they filtered through the office. She also gave me a HIPAA-related confidentiality form to sign.
A bit later the second doctor arrived and the two of them, along with a nurse practitioner, consulted about how the babies had been overnight. Everyone was friendly with me but in a sort of guarded, professional way (the guardedness eased as the day went on).
After an hour or so of watching the first physician type in notes on her patients (which was actually pretty interesting, especially since she would explain things to me as she went), we went and examined a 34-weeker. I got to use a stethoscope for the very first time and to be honest couldn't hear a whole lot, but I suspect I wasn't listening correctly.
The rest of the morning was spent alternating between more paperwork and patient examinations, including a very sick 25-week-old twin. I was struck by the cool nonchalance with which the physician listed off all of this baby's life-threatening issues. This isn't to say that she seemed uncaring or emotionally detached (though I could see how some might view it that way), just very collected and straightforward. It was impressive. I guess that ability comes with experience...
There was also an admit from another hospital who was dealing with the aftereffects of her mother's substantial drug abuse during pregnancy, but compared to the 25-weeker she seemed a veritable leviathon of health and vigor. Her intake exam included using an ophthalmoscope (at least I think that's what it's called) which was pretty cool, though I made a fool of myself trying to use it without actually putting it up to my eye.
The afternoon was spent mostly in a weekly rounds meeting, in which about 10 people from different areas of the hospital met to discuss various aspects of the neonates' care. The attendees included a social worker, a lactation consultant, the NICU manager, the nurse practioner I mentioned earlier, and of course one of the physicians I was shadowing. I was highly impressed by the collaborative effort being put in to ensure that these babies not only get well but also have safe, stable home environments to go to once they're ready.
All in all it was a fantastic experience, and really cemented my interest in neonatology as a potential specialization (though I'm about 6 years away from even thinking about that).
I arrived a little early, around 7:50 when I was supposed to be there between 8 and 8:15 (I gave myself a full extra 45 minutes in case I got lost on the way). One of the two physicians working that day was there already and introduced herself and the nurses, pharmacists, etc as they filtered through the office. She also gave me a HIPAA-related confidentiality form to sign.
A bit later the second doctor arrived and the two of them, along with a nurse practitioner, consulted about how the babies had been overnight. Everyone was friendly with me but in a sort of guarded, professional way (the guardedness eased as the day went on).
After an hour or so of watching the first physician type in notes on her patients (which was actually pretty interesting, especially since she would explain things to me as she went), we went and examined a 34-weeker. I got to use a stethoscope for the very first time and to be honest couldn't hear a whole lot, but I suspect I wasn't listening correctly.
The rest of the morning was spent alternating between more paperwork and patient examinations, including a very sick 25-week-old twin. I was struck by the cool nonchalance with which the physician listed off all of this baby's life-threatening issues. This isn't to say that she seemed uncaring or emotionally detached (though I could see how some might view it that way), just very collected and straightforward. It was impressive. I guess that ability comes with experience...
There was also an admit from another hospital who was dealing with the aftereffects of her mother's substantial drug abuse during pregnancy, but compared to the 25-weeker she seemed a veritable leviathon of health and vigor. Her intake exam included using an ophthalmoscope (at least I think that's what it's called) which was pretty cool, though I made a fool of myself trying to use it without actually putting it up to my eye.
The afternoon was spent mostly in a weekly rounds meeting, in which about 10 people from different areas of the hospital met to discuss various aspects of the neonates' care. The attendees included a social worker, a lactation consultant, the NICU manager, the nurse practioner I mentioned earlier, and of course one of the physicians I was shadowing. I was highly impressed by the collaborative effort being put in to ensure that these babies not only get well but also have safe, stable home environments to go to once they're ready.
All in all it was a fantastic experience, and really cemented my interest in neonatology as a potential specialization (though I'm about 6 years away from even thinking about that).
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Nuttinhoney
Still in limbo land between summer vacation and fall term so for the most part there's nothing going on.
But! Tomorrow I'm going to be shadowing physicians in a NICU which I am really excited about. For those who don't know, 'shadowing' is an activity in which bright-eyed, bushy-tailed premeds follow around doctors doing their day-to-day doctoring stuff. I am not 100% sure of what this entails exactly, but that's why I'm doing it, eh? I know a lot of pre-meds use shadowing as some kind of 'resume filler' but I can honestly say that I am stoked about getting a glimpse, however small, into the life of a physician. There are no medical doctors or nurses in my family so beyond my experiences as a patient and as a student, the world of professional medicine is still very foreign and exciting.
Update tomorrow evening I'm sure...
But! Tomorrow I'm going to be shadowing physicians in a NICU which I am really excited about. For those who don't know, 'shadowing' is an activity in which bright-eyed, bushy-tailed premeds follow around doctors doing their day-to-day doctoring stuff. I am not 100% sure of what this entails exactly, but that's why I'm doing it, eh? I know a lot of pre-meds use shadowing as some kind of 'resume filler' but I can honestly say that I am stoked about getting a glimpse, however small, into the life of a physician. There are no medical doctors or nurses in my family so beyond my experiences as a patient and as a student, the world of professional medicine is still very foreign and exciting.
Update tomorrow evening I'm sure...
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Forward motion
Unless there is some kind of special pre-health program at your university the term pre-med is quite meaningless. Up until about a month ago I could not bring myself to respond to the ever-present "What's your major?" question with anything more than "social work" or, if I were feeling particularly expressive, "family & human services". And then one day, in a blinding moment of decisiveness and without any paperwork whatsoever, I shyly slid in "pre-med, actually" at the end.
The truth though is that I haven't taken a single required course for admission to medical school and, despite its lack of concrete definition, I don't feel that I have any real claim to the pre-med status. So in an effort to turn this around (and to better my chances of acing those classes when I do take them), I am devoting several hours every day to studying. I'm also coming up with a plan of attack for filling in the other gaping holes in my competitiveness as a med school candidate. So far it looks like this:
The truth though is that I haven't taken a single required course for admission to medical school and, despite its lack of concrete definition, I don't feel that I have any real claim to the pre-med status. So in an effort to turn this around (and to better my chances of acing those classes when I do take them), I am devoting several hours every day to studying. I'm also coming up with a plan of attack for filling in the other gaping holes in my competitiveness as a med school candidate. So far it looks like this:
- Either apply for a preceptorship through my university's pre-med society or personally track down a private practice physician to shadow
- Start volunteering at the emergency room near campus
- Find a way to align the required internships for my FHS (family & human services) with my medical aspirations
Monday, July 28, 2008
And so it begins
I am 21 and staring down the barrel of my 4th year as an undergraduate student. I have never taken a chemistry class or cracked a college physics textbook, nor do I have any idea where my pancreas is located. And yet, here I am - an artistic, easygoing, cynical mathophobe - running for the last car on the pre-med track.
Since it's summer right now and my courses haven't started, I'm contenting myself with some light reading, including "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry" and a book specifically intended for future health professionals who want to know why the heck they have to take physics. All of the material is new to me and so far it's fascinating but it hasn't been enough to stem my anxiousness about the actual classes. Who knows what the lectures and labs will focus on? Or the MCAT, for that matter?
I know that the whole "well-rounded student" thing will be in my favor during med school admissions, but majoring in social work and having lots of volunteer experience will only take me so far if I can't pass organic chemistry. I have never been so motivated or focused in my life, making the prospect of failure that much more pointed and devastating.
Whatever internet gods there may be out there... please let me survive the next two years.
Since it's summer right now and my courses haven't started, I'm contenting myself with some light reading, including "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry" and a book specifically intended for future health professionals who want to know why the heck they have to take physics. All of the material is new to me and so far it's fascinating but it hasn't been enough to stem my anxiousness about the actual classes. Who knows what the lectures and labs will focus on? Or the MCAT, for that matter?
I know that the whole "well-rounded student" thing will be in my favor during med school admissions, but majoring in social work and having lots of volunteer experience will only take me so far if I can't pass organic chemistry. I have never been so motivated or focused in my life, making the prospect of failure that much more pointed and devastating.
Whatever internet gods there may be out there... please let me survive the next two years.
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