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.