Temporary Shower

Now that I am done with third year, I feel like I can share some wisdom on what to do for each rotation. Coming back from a 4 year leave of absence, I was definitely at a disadvantage knowledge-wise but I managed to honor 4/7 clerkships, high pass 2/7, and sadly only pass surgery. That said, I don't regret any of the resources I used and think anyone can get honors with the right mindset and the right study material. I hope some of you find this useful. General Advice You always have to try your best in clinic. It sucks when people ignore you or doesn't like you but swallow your pride and try to please them. At most schools, evals from your residents/attendings make up a good portion of your clerkship grade so do not overlook the importance of showing up early, being prepared, and being eager to learn. That said, don't play "the game". Go home when they tell you to go home. Don't try to outshine everyone around you. Instead, spend your free time at w...

I did it! I am officially done with MSIII forever!!!! We just got our grades back for Family Medicine so now I can breath a sign of relief that I passed everything. YAY! Reflections: Things I liked: - The hours!!! My attending worked 6am-6pm because he liked to get in early and review his patient's charts. I only worked 8-5 but having nights and weekends is wonderful! - The breadth. I like seeing kids and adults Things I disliked - The monotony. It seemed like we saw the same things every day: diabetes diabetes diabetes! - The patients. I am sorry to say this but I learned I am just NOT interested in outpatient. I first thought this might be because I had been shadowing too much before so if I saw and worked up patients on my own, it would be more fun but I was wrong. I find it all really boring and tiring and I find it hard relating to patients who aren't really sick, who are not compliant with their meds, and who always just wants more meds. 

I can’t believe I am done with IM! It was a beast! I have never studied so hard in my life! I actually finished last Wednesday since last Thursday was Thanksgiving, It was nice that they gave us some time off because I am pretty burned out. Haha. I had a checklist of things I wanted to do during those 4 days from doing my laundry to pre-studying for Surgery but with all the family parties, birthdays, baby showers, etc, I didn’t even make it half-way down the list. The important things are done though and I feel refreshed from having a few days off. I seriously think I need a week off between every rotation! Here are some pictures: I was going to update the blog sooner but to be honest, I hadn’t gotten my shelf scores yet and I was scared I had failed. I talked before about how internal medicine covers 80% of what we need to know this year and to be honest, even with all my studying, I didn’t feel great coming out of the exam. The question prompts were long and I fe...

I have been thinking about what to write but nothing is coming up. I have a loooonnnng laundry list of things I need to do but I can’t seem to cross even one thing off my list. This is mostly because I am dependent on some other people for most of these things but it is driving me crazy. Amongst the things I need to do are some more research papers. I am trying to collaborate with some ophthalmologists to beef up my resume but one of my experiments fell through this week (because the samples were bad) and the other one is stalled because I have to meet with the PI to go through the data. Blah I guess I am also a bit nervous because there are so many changes ahead. I will no longer be working in a lab, Dave is changing jobs, I will be married soon, and I won’t be able to travel as much. So much change in a short amount of time makes me really nervous. OK...enough compliant.  Some developments: I celebrated my 28th birthday! Eeek I feel old. Dave and I went to Ikea ...

CARE fair was a success. Even though I haven't held a stethoscope for two years, most of the physical exam came back easy. Besides...we had a cheat sheet on what we had to do so it was fine. Amongst the patients I saw was a women with carpel tunnel syndrome, a man with a herniated disc, and a girl with growing pains. It was cool to diagnose and pers ribe further treatment. After CARE fair, azzy and I went out for drinks at a dueling piano bar. It was really cool to watch the musicians go at it. I also got to see ash later at another bar so that was nice. Needless to say, I got home pretty late so this morning I slept in. The rest of the day was I eventful. I went on a date and it was fairly good. Then I went to Barnes and Nobel to read. The most exciting thing that happened is I got a happy meal for myself...yup you heard right. I loved happy meals as a kid so I thought why not indulge today and it was great! I got a minions toy and just enough food to feel satisfied. The boy ...

Blah. I haven't written in awhile but so much has happened. I went to Europe (Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey) in May. There, I met up with my classmates who were doing an "end of med school trip". It was a lot of fun. I also got to catch up with my college roommate who is doing a diplomatic stent in Bulgaria. VERY interesting country! When we got back, my friends graduated, I moved out of my apartment of three years....said goodbye to my roommate/friend of four years, and moved back in with my parents. Though I know it is only temporary, I feel like I have regressed. I also feel kindof empty. Life has become a bit bland since everyone has departed. I guess this is where I should regale you with new friendships and such but I am a solitary person....I don't make friends easily (unless forced to) and circumstances are not in my favor for meeting people. All wells. I still have two friends left who took years off to pursue Masters and I know some younger classmates. May...

It has been more then a year since I've left med school to enter my PhD and I have to say that though a lot has changed, some things have stayed the same. Although my friends went on without me, I have still enjoyed their company (even through the tedious third year). I think it helps that my roommate is also my closest friend but it is nice to know that your path does not define your friendship. That said, it has been especially hard this year to watch them take Step 2, apply for residences, teach first year students, interview med school applicants, and go on interviews themselves. I feel like their lives have picked up and the excitement of their residency discussion feeds into my insecurities: Will they all leave? Will we still stay in touch? Will I be left friendless here? Will I feel the same excitement and joy when I go through residence application/interviews without them in a few years? Only time will tell.... In the past year, I have also learned what ...

Death has been haunting me lately. The fragility of life sits close to my heart and breath words like sudden, near, and tragic. We work hard in medical school to preserve life but few mention how science fails, how doctors (oh that holy station) are merely human beings endowed with the knowledge to heal. Yet nothing healed my grandmother. Did the doctors that looked at her CT scan shed a tear for the quarter film of dark contrast? Did the nurse that pulled the plug pray for her safe passing? Will I when I finally become a doctor? These are questions that bother me. It generates moments during the day: I mourn newly made memories as if they are the last, I linger over bodies of lab mice, and I dream of 1st year cadavers. How is it that most of us enter this world in the same way...so predicatable, reproducible, and wonderful yet, we exit woefully to different schedules and in different ways? Is the metronome slowing for my parents? for my teachers? for me? Is learning to stop it, slo...

So...a lot has happened since I last wrote which isn't even THAT long ago. I went to Stanford this past weekend for the annual LMSA (Latino Medical Student Association) conference.....yes I know I'm not Latino but I have many friends who are. Besides, my roommate and her boyfriend are very involved in the program and I like to volunteer for LMSA from time to time. Long story short, when the opportunity to go to Stanford presented itself, I went and had a blast! I got to see Lilly for a few hows :) She was able to show me some of her beautiful campus. Then I attended a few lectures for LMSA followed by a banquet in which many Latinos recounted their struggles in our education system and their desire to succeed. I found that though I am not Latino, I connected with their stories. I think any immigrant going the medicine has somewhat different goals. For most of us, there is a desire to help our communities and people from our own ethnic backgrounds. We realize that not only w...