At work | Postbac Premed

At work, thinking about how I can increase my productivity. Obviously by not blogging. I guess the real issue is my prioritizing what to study. I frequently lose sight of what is important and I have to back track to get back on track. It is frustrating to no end. However, I know I can do this. I can make it to medical school.

Another Reason for Med School | Postbac Premed

Why Med School?
- Everytime I hear about black and people of african descent without medical care. At a lecture about developing speciality care centers in Africa, I would sooo love to do that. Maybe, I should plan a medical clinic getaway for my next vacation.

But, what am I doing?

The secret behind learning any new skill quickly

The-secret-behind-learning-any-new-skill-quickly

“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.