“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” - Jim Ryun

Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones. - Benjamin Franklin

How to Change a Habit - Lifehacker

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle

Surrender Yourself to Your Dreams | Postbac Premed

Success comes when you surrender to that dream—and let it lead you to the next best place.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/What-Oprah-Knows-for-Sure-About-Finding-Success#ixzz2EhNzi5kc


This quote sounds about right. I haven't fully surrendered myself to all the hard work that becoming a medical doctor entails. I come close to it tip toe around it but I just need to full sink myself in it and keep it up. I always start of the semester with a bang. I am working hard and producing results and I get tired and burned out by the end of the semester which is now. Is this normal? I level of commitment seems to drop off as the semester gets towards the end. 

Visualizing Success | Postbac Premed

When I had my aha moment earlier this week, I decided that I needed to learn how to take myself to a different mindset. I changed up my study music and began visualizing my success in school and life in a far more detailed way. Now, I just need to see if it produces results.

http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/12/22/the-cognitive-visual-strategies-of-top-athletes/

Feeling Comfort in Underachieving

I woke up this morning asking myself "What would life be like if I woke up trying to be my very best?" I know this might be a weird question to some people being as half way through my premed prep I should be over this. However, I still haven't seen my best in my premed classes. I have done okay but not great like I need to be doing. So, what can take to this next level?

I firmly believe it is waking up with my intention to do my very best each day. I should be doing this already but sometimes I feel like I am kind of slogging through life. Being premed and life in general can get boring, dull, and repetitive. Somehow I feel comfort in being my old self and being smart but slightly underachieving. I know I have what it takes to get into a great school but something within stops myself from taking it to the next level. I found this article that kind of explains how I am feeling. I need to learn how to find comfort in stretching my comfort zone.

I hope today is the start of a change in my life. I notice my friends around me reaching great heights that I know they could not have achieved without pushing themselves. It is my turn to do the same. Allow myself to be great.

Premed Finances | Postbac Premed

I need to remember these tips for med school and get started now.

1. Choose the cheapest school you can get into

2. Consider the merits of “scholarship” programs carefully

3. Minimize your loan burden

4. Remember it’s easier to be poor when you’re young

5. Don’t cheap out in the wrong places

6. Get a sugar momma

7. Begin your financial education

8. Pick a residency in a low cost-of-living city

http://www.theherocomplex.com/top-8-financial-moves-to-make-as-a-pre-med-or-medical-student/

Mind blown

I already knew I did not know a lot about medicine but I am educating myself. However, I spent several hours reading kevinmd.com and my mind is blown about the stuff I covered. I was primarily reading up on managing medical practices. There is so much that goes into Medicine that I feel most people don't realize. I studied health care mgt in my masters program and I am still amazed at how much I don't know considering this is supposed to be my area.

All I can say is that the comments on kevinmd.com shattered a lot of my preconceived notions of what a being a physician would be like. Then, I looked up some books mentioned on the blog on Amazon. So, I am going to have some hefty reading coming up about medical practice management.

I think Medicine is one of the most amazing careers which is why I know its for me. However, it is so scary and complex. The debt can be mind numbing. I think first generation people going into the field should all be required to have financial mentors or some sort of strong role model they can reach out too. There are so many mistakes that can be made for peoples whose families arent from this background can make.

I am going to try my best to get as much help as possible to make my dreams come true. 

My Fav Hopkins Doctor

Dr. Q

He is great! Enjoy. 

Week 1 in Biochem

Here are some of my key posts from SDN and other places that I am going to apply to Biochem.

Memory tips? Memory aids? Advice on how to memorize things instanteous?

http://calnewport.com/blog/2009/05/07/the-grade-whisperer-mikes-pre-med-nightmare/

http://calnewport.com/blog/2007/09/24/monday-master-class-use-focused-question-clusters-to-study-for-multiple-choice-tests/

So far, I have made up question clusters for Lecture 1 and 2. I have answered some of the questions.
My strategy for the first exam is going to be Reviewing, Understanding, and Memorizing in chunks. There is just no way I can understand the whole lecture the day its assigned. I am splitting all the lectures into 3 different review sessions. Each will be 2-3 hours in length.

Wish me luck. I hope I know this stuff like the back of my hand by this weekend.

Confidence & Keeping My Spirits Up | Postbac Premed

I know I have a long journey ahead of me. I am looking forward to these next few months and really nailing my classes. However, there have been some naysayers lately. Not all the time. Every now and then I will tell a person my career plans and they make some negative comment. I really do not like this. So, I decided to not tell people anymore. I am going to makeup some alternative life goals and tell people so they stay out my business.

Why does this bother me? I simply do not like the negative energy at all. I can't have negative people around me especially when going after this goal of mine.

What I really wish I had right now was a personal cheerleader. I had this when applying to my masters program. When I was studying for the GRE...I had a great friend cheering me along and I excelled beyond my wildest expectations.

I really wish I had someone like this for applying to medical school. I do have some people but they are not near me locally. Locally, I am still somewhat new to the area I live in. I don't have a best friend I can go over and hang out with when I am having a low point. I have to call people several states away.

I wish there was a way to feel this void I have in my life. A personal cheerleader for those tough spots while being premed makes the road a bit more tolerable & fun.

Maybe, I need to put out a call for a nontrad premed study buddy. Requirements: positive can do attitude and we will support each other no matter what. Also, they should compensate for my weak areas.

I wonder if I can find someone to fill this role.

Developing Improved Studying Habits | Postbac Premed

I am on a one year journey to turn my life around. I want to apply to medical school next year. The thing is that I need to get a 4.0 gpa. Yes, a 4.0. I have some ugly undergraduate grades that I need to improve from.

So far, I have gotten some great advice from my tutor and other nontrad premeds. I am creating a problem sheet with all the problems taught in class. I make sure to review this master problem list daily. I think the thing that helps me the most is teaching myself out loud the lesson before it is discussed in lecture. I am not just simplying reading but really engaging myself in the material and trying to teach it to someone that doesn't know anything. I think this with the daily review of practice problems is going to help me succeed.

I am really excited I think I might have found a system that works. This along with my tutor has been great!

Now, I just really need to focus and get into time management.

This book has been key to my academic resurgence.

Death and OB/GYN | Postbac Premed

I have been seeing a lot of pregnant ladies in the clinic. I have had a gyn visit as well. I would really enjoy the privilege of being an ob/gyn and taking a part in peoples lives in such an important way. Then, I watched the doc series Boston Med. They spoke of some ob/gyn getting sued for 26 million and quitting medicine. Some residents spoke about their first year and a mother dying 4 hours after child birth. This stuff is really real. Obviously, I know their is a risk of death in anything. However, to see the life leave someone right in front of yours eyes while you try to save them must be something else.

I am sure the day will come when I lose a patient. I just need to understand in what capacity can I handle it. Will it be a dementia patient who finally passes away? Or will it be a cardiac arrest of someone I am caring for during residency? Will it be a pediatric case - where a small child with car injuries dies despite my teams best efforts?

I really need to sit back and think about what I think I can handle as I move forward with this career path.

While Medicine is exciting, I have to remember it is just a job. There is no other job that I want. However, I have to remember that is not going to be all fun and roses. These might be some of the toughest times of my life. I think it will be worth it though.

Extra Long Shadow Session

Saw some interesting patients today. The thing that struck me most was the pregnant women. Their male partners seemed to be more worried and concerned than them. It was interesting to see all the cultural beliefs women have about childbirth. I got to see someone get a pap smear done. It was a lot less awkward than I thought it would be. I guess gyno could be in my future. What else? I can't be a shrink. Met someone that is trying to actually quit smoking because of the effects it has on their health. It was nice to meet motivated patients. 

Finding a job I can do during my postbac

I am making progress with this. 1 offer and 3 interviews. woot!

Terms to remember

False positive
False negative
Positive data
Negative data
gestalt
interobserver reliability
intraobserver reliability

I know I kind of didn't pay attention in some of these MPH courses. However, seeing these physicians practice. It is showing me the importance of being able to interpret data and studies to decide what is best for my patients. I think remembering these terms will help me have stronger conversations with physicians.

Vertical Line Thinking

Is there more to be found beyond what is seen here? Keep searching until you are satisfied to find everything. I need to always ask myself this.

There is a need of creativity and imagination when clinical findings and data don't mesh well. A lot of physicians are afraid to think outside what is known.

Clarify expectations upfront.
Perfect can be the enemy of good.

Satisfaction of Search

This is another error that is often made. This is a tendency to stop searching for a diagnosis once you find one that suffices. A good doctor will search for everything and not one answer that suffices.

I think I am guilty far too often of this type of thinking. I need to work on decreasing this type of thinking in my everyday life. I think by looking at the different types of cognitive errors physicians make. I can see errors in my own thinking and start to remedy then before medical school.

Commission Bias

Commission bias is the tendency towards action rather than inaction. The likely happens with doctors whose egos are overinflated. In these cases, these doctors decide on a course of action even if they are not sure of the diagnosis.

Personally, I have seen this take place in my shadowing and personal experiences with physicians. Luckily, the people I have met shadowing did not do that as much as other physicians I have encountered.

I think the doctor I have liked the best so far clearly gave reasoning for a certain diagnosis with his patients. If they were low income or had a low health literacy, he really broke it down to their level of understanding. He did a great job of trying to relate with his patients. I really enjoyed his honesty when he did not know why a certain thing caused something he stated it. He also cited medical literature to his patients so they could know what he was basing is medical decision on. Loved it.

Post Bac Article in NYTIMES

I love patient care!

This is what I have been waiting for. This is the only job that my heart melts. It just feels so right that I am in the room with the patient. Chatting with them and providing patient care. I just love the patients. Even the non compliant ones. I think all these people have such interesting lives and are so fascinating. I need to keep hanging out with patients and the community until I am in med school. I love it! Research can not top the feeling it has of helping a patient.

Preparing for physcians shadowing

read about clinical reasoning!

Shadowing Day 1

Can I see myself doing what this doctor does on a daily basis?
Yes!! maybe with more female patients/old people/kids
Can I see myself as a colleague of this doctor?
yes i can ...he's a great and sociable guy
What are the joys and frustrations of this career?
none...
What are the pros and cons of this particular type of medical practice?
Consider: size of practice (solo or group), types of patients (age, sex, problems/diagnoses, insurance), size of community, salaried or self employed, paper charts or electronic medical records, hours and call schedule, family life, community service and/or influence, ability to practice in rural area or overseas
Am I drawn to diagnostic problem solving?
hmm need to explore this
Am I drawn to procedures?
maybe need to find out
Is the doctor involved in clinical research?
not much
Is the doctor involved in "bench" (lab) research?
nope
How does the doctor learn more about his/her patient's personal lives? How is it factored into the patient's care?
a lot of open ended questions ....
How does the doctor relate to his/her patients?
Consider: formal or friendly approach, standing up or sitting down, rushed or not rushed, listening or interrupting, speaking with words that the patient can understand or speaking medical jargon or speaking in patient's primary language if it isn't English
he had relaxed body language/like he was chatting with a friend but serious about his medical care
What factors seem to play into how the patients respond to the doctor?
demeanor/presentation
How do I feel when there is no "cure" or treatment options?
okay for now unless its life/death i might be sad
How do I feel about chronic problems compared with acute problems?
indifferent at this point
How do I feel when I see patients who don't listen to advice or who don't take good care of their health?
the physician is frustrated and upset
Did all patients with the same diagnosis seem the same? If not, how and why might they have been different from one another?
Need more data to do this ....
Do I like situations in which a decision has to be made quickly?
he didn't make any situations quickly
Do I like the pace of this type of practice?
yes i did ...slow get to speak with patients
What did the doctor do when s/he didn't know the answer to something?
he said he didn't

Common Family Medicine Problems

Why I am doing an informal postbac | Postbac Premed

The main reason is money and convenience. I am comfortable where I live now. I can pay in state tuition. This is probably the biggest perk. I am confident I can get things done here.

What did I get myself into?

Right now, I am applying to part time jobs. I am taking a full course load + writing a thesis. I am really excited about this one epidemiology course I am taking about drug safety. Anyways, I am working a part time job and I am volunteering. I am really excited for all the things I will be doing but where is the time.

One thing that would make this all better is finding a job I can work at while completing my requirements. This would be a huge relief and I can focus on what I want to do. Given the job market, you have to apply to so many jobs to get a response. Personally, I like to find a contact that works where I am applying but I am in a new city for my masters. This has proven more difficult to do than it has in the past for me. In addition, everyone wants a personalized resume and cover letter. I calculated the time it takes for me to do this. It takes an hour to write a tailored resume and cover letter for 1 job. This is a full time job in itself.

I am going to have to find a way to apply to all these jobs so I can pay for my premed classes. At the same time, I have to study intensely for my courses and complete a publishable thesis.

These next few months will be a true test of my time management skills.

Daily Med School Motivation

As a part of my quest to become a doctor, I have started a reading program for myself. I try to read books every day about what it is like to be a medical doctor. My first book that I am reading is how doctors think. This book gives great accounts of different types of mistakes physicians often make in their thinking.

The one that has stuck out most to me so far is attribution error. This is the problem of over attributing things to a persons nature and not facts presented. This often happens with physicians when their patient's nature according to the physician does not match up with what the patient is really like. Think of it like a soccer mom that presents herself well so the physician assumes she is fine. In reality, she is an alcoholic but doesn't fit the classic appearance of one. This would cause a physician to miss out on important diagnoses because he never considered this condition.

I am still working my way through the book. Also, I am looking for my next book for daily motivation. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Why I am starting this blog?

I am about to go back and complete my premed classes. Currently, I am getting a masters degree in a health related field. I will be taking my classes where I am getting my masters degree. It will be an informal post bacc but I want to share my experiences along the way.