The Taste of Failure
Posted by medaholic in Medical School, Thoughts on January 7, 2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenhackett/2660248865/
Failing is a bitter medicine to swallow but like medicine, it is ultimately good for you. And even though I’ve accumulated my share of mistakes over the years and I am not really affected too much by it these days, there are still incidents and failed attempts that bruise my ego and leave me questioning my abilities.
I was recently reminded of these feelings of frustration and self doubt when I received a series of rejection letters from a few jobs and scholarships. It has been a while since I last ran into such “bad luck.” Sometimes the competition is just too fierce and sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw.
I can still remember being denied admissions to my top choices for university programs, all seven of them. And I still remember the countless hours I spent filling out applications for scholarships I never did win or jobs that never got back to me. I vividly remember getting rejected from medical school the first time I applied; I was devastated. Or being rejected the second time the next year, it wasn’t any easier.
Failing is a part of life. It’s easy to forget that sometimes, especially when you compare yourself to people around you. As humans, we often choose to see only what we want to see. While we often praise the success of others, we rarely focus on our own strengths and tend to focus on our own shortcomings. We tend to ignore the importance of making mistakes and how our successes often arises from tough situations.
It’s good to be reminded once in a while what failure tastes like. It’s like a strong smelling ginger that awakens your sense of complacency. And although not everything will always go my way, I remain optimistic. Because looking back now, my current achievements and success was built on overcoming my own failures. I became a more responsible student after my rejection letters. I became a more patient person as I waited to enter the medical profession. I will be a better person because of my failures.
As a wise personality from my childhood once said, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”
Learning to Learn in Med School
Posted by medaholic in Medical School, Pre-med, Studying, Thoughts on December 31, 2009
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Learning in medical school is quite different from learning in a undergraduate setting. The concepts of medicine themselves aren’t that hard to grasp or different from the biochemistry, physiology and general biology in a typical premed course.
Simply put, each individual concept in medicine is easy to understand; connecting all the ideas and knowledge together is the more challenging part and is what makes a doctor. The increased volume of knowledge, need for long term retention and integration with clinical skills is what makes learning in medical school different, but not necessarily more difficult. Although, I have only studied medicine for a short time, I have begun to notice what works for me and what doesn’t and would like to share my own lessons on learning medicine.
1. Be an Active Learner, not a Passive Student
Learning is fun! As a medical student in preclinical and clinical years, your main responsibility is to learn, doing so in a respectful and enjoyable manner. No one is as responsible for your education than yourself. It’s your job to make sure you acquire the knowledge and clinical skills needed to become a competent doctor, not your school, not the licensing board, but YOU!
Do you still remember your transition from high school to university and how nobody was there to hold your hand anymore when it came to learning? Same goes in medical school. Luckily, there is no shortage of things to learn and do in medicine. Don’t feel obliged to just stick to just whatever the professor or lecturer says in the classroom, medicine is a far broader field than most know. Shadow, get clinical exposure, talk to physicians and learn outside of the classroom. Don’t spend all your time just focusing on material that you will be tested on, take time to learn what is important and essential to the practice of medicine! You would be surprised how poorly what is tested and what is important correlate, just ask a practicing doctor.
Remember that you are not in medical school to get good grades so you can get into the residency of your choice. That may have been true in your undergraduate studies, but it shouldn’t be in medical school. You are studying to become a doctor and you should ensure that you take the necessary steps to become a good one. Never let school get in the way of your education.
2. Nobody Remembers Everything their First Time Around
There is a lot of memorization in medicine, there is no avoiding it. But even the brightest students don’t remember everything their first time through. Spaced and constant exposure to the material is needed for any long term memory to be created.
Cramming may work to pass an exam but I highly doubt you will learn anything in the end. That is why I have found frequent reading and continual exposure critical to acquiring and retaining large amounts of knowledge. You may not remember all your antibiotics and bugs the first time through, but the more you repeat it, the better it sticks.
However, I must caution against repeating a lecture over and over again. Many schools record their lectures for student convenience and I think it is a waste of time to attend a lecture and then to go home replay the same lecture. Not only are you spending twice the time to cover the content, you are also becoming a passive learner who is hoping to absorb all the information by osmosis. It is the same as glazing over lecture notes repetitively but never taking the time to grasp the concepts. That is why focused and active learning must always take place.
3. Build a Basic Skeleton, then Fill in the Details
With the vast amount of knowledge to be learned, it’s quite common to get caught up with memorizing minutiae. After all, most exam questions tend to be focused on specific nitpicky facts. However, if a skeleton of knowledge isn’t built for each topic before these details are learned, it becomes hard to keep track of all the information floating around.
For any disease, I try to approach it in a systematic and consistent way. I like to start with a good definition or summary sentence for each new term. Using a good medical dictionary (and acronym and abbreviation dictionary) can make a big difference. Mondofacto, MedTerms, Medline, MediLexicon, Taber’s or even a dictionary or wikipedia are good sources.
Always start with the basics if you do not know them. Normal human physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, etc should be understood first before learning about the abnormal pathophysiology and disease states.
Apart from Etiology, Epidemiology, Clinical Signs, Diagnostic Tests, Treatment, Prognosis, etc I try to summarize the main points for each disease on one page of paper. Often a review book such as Toronto Notes or First Aid can be an excellent resource to learn the key and essential facts. Once you have the main points down, feel free to fill in any additional details.
4. Learn from Multiple Perspectives – Peers included
It would be a shame if your entire medical education was based on just your class lectures and recommended readings. Sure, the material you will be tested on will be from these notes but there is also a lot of material that will be left out that is important! Furthermore, class notes are often poorly organized and sometimes even incorrect.
Better yet, once you begin learning from multiples sources (and not just wikipedia) you will be able to differentiate what is important and what is not. The key concepts and facts will be repeated in multiple books because … they are important! Even comparing your class notes with a textbook will help you organize the information better and in turn you will spend less time with irrelevant material.
This applies to more than just textbooks. Learn from different teachers, learn on the wards and learn from your peers. There are a lot of nifty learning aids and tools that you may be unaware of.
5. Make the Knowledge Your Own
Take ownership of the things you learn about. If that means rearranging lecture slides into something you can understand, do it! Mark up your textbook with multi-colored highlighters and side notes if it will help you learn. If you want to learn the difference between multiple diseases, creating a comparison table is an excellent exercise and quick visual aid you can use.
Similarly, creating your own mnemonics or finding ones you will remember can make dry material more interesting. Create songs, rhymes and dances when possible.
Every time you create your own notes, you are reorganizing the information in a way that you can understand and digest. However, I would caution against just copying out notes mindlessly. You must organize the information to suit how you learn.
6. Ask Questions
There is no quicker and effective way to find your gaps of knowledge than by asking questions. That is why tests are such a practical tools in learning and that is why pimping (pdf) by attendings can be beneficial to you.
The pursuit of knowledge begins with a good question. After going over a topic, I like to turn over my notes and ask myself some questions. What did I just learn? Why is such and such important? How does this relate to this other condition? How can I differentiate between this and that? In doing so, not only do I come to realize what I don’t know, but I also create links between different concepts which further solidify my base of knowledge.
7. See one, Do one, Teach one
The old adage of seeing one, doing one and teaching one holds true when practicing clinical skills. It combines the best of repetition, active learning, different perspectives and taking ownership to help you learn and remember.
All students will observe, proactive learners will do, few will teach. I guarantee that if you take the time to teach somebody else a topic or a technique, you will end up benefiting from the experience. Even though I am not a big fan of group studying, one type of group work I do enjoy is when every group member first does their own reading and studying and then comes together for a review session. Every member is assigned a topic to go over and teach; they are to be the expert. By teaching in front of your peers, you get to know your topic inside and out because you will need to outline and explain all the concepts clearly. Furthermore, your peers will ask questions that can identify your weaknesses and similarly, they can contribute to the discussion if details were left out.
8. Practice Makes Perfect
Finally, I’ve come to realize that the journey I am on is a long one and everything doesn’t always come easy the first time around. I often forget my anatomy or confuse two different things for each other. I mispronounce drug names and many times I just don’t know. But luckily, I am still in the early stages and there is much more to go and with dedicated practice, I will improve. It’s important to set high standards but not to be too hard on yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither were doctors in days, weeks or even a year. It takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in a field (Outliers, Gladwell) which roughly works out to be somewhere after medical school and in residency. And even though I feel as if I have learned a lot, I know that there is still much more to learn ahead of me. So I look forward with optimism and excitement because I am slowly getting better at learning and I find learning medicine fun. =)
If you have any tips on how to learn, please leave a comment. I would love to hear how other people approach their learning!
I’m Back
Posted by medaholic in Uncategorized on December 24, 2009
Finally have some time to reinstall the website and add in some new features. It should be all done by the end of the week.
A scary thought crossed my mind tonight. I know how to get into medical school. I understand how the system works. I played the game and succeeded.
What happens if I don’t succeed in becoming a good doctor? What if I am inadequate?
A New Beginning
So starts my second year in the long arduous journey of medicine. In the last year, I feel as if I’ve definitely changed as a person; to what extent I still do not know. But I also find myself more focused now and a bit more certain about the kind of future I want to make possible.
And as usual with the start of the school year, I will be getting back into a routine and running this blog/website will definitely be a part of my schedule. Many changes to come including adding ads and sponsored links. I hope my readers won’t mind. It’s still a pretty big experiment for me but the whole idea came from a book I have just finished reading called Free: The Future of a Radical Price
Basically, the premise is in order for things to be “Free” – especially for web content – there should be a model that ensures it is possible. And for digital information, the advertising model is one of the best and most effective ways to do so. In fact, to a point where customers (readers) actually prefer to have them on websites as it helps bring relevant information to them.
I don’t know if what I’m doing is the right move or readership-suicide, but it’s something that I’m going to try and if it doesn’t work out, I can always revert back.
More updates to come!
Why the MCAT is Necessary
Posted by medaholic in MCAT, Medical School on August 2, 2009
A lot of people complain about the MCAT. I know I wasn’t too keen to study for it. I hated grueling through long verbal passages and needing to practice writing “MCAT-styled” essays. But in the back of my mind, I always thought of the MCAT as an essential and important test to have taken regardless of your score.
The Journey, not just the destination – I’m a firm believer that the process matters just as much as the results in anything we do. There is always such a strong emphasis of getting a good score in the MCAT and needing to meet cut-offs and school requirements that not many pay attention to how they study for the MCAT.
I can only speak from personal experience but I know that studying for the MCAT definitely made me a better student. And it wasn’t because I got a “good” score. Instead, it was during the process of preparing for the MCAT that I was able to develop effective study habits and disciplined time management.
More than another hoop to jump through – Many people see the MCAT as just another obstacle between them and medical school. It’s a thing you just do to get it over with. I urge you to take this opportunity to improve yourself and become a better student and hopefully one day a better doctor. With every challenge and difficult circumstance we face in life, there is also an opportunity for change and growth.
Really analyze how you study, how you learn and what peaks your interest. Find your strengths and weaknesses and nurture and compensate for them. If you were never the type of student to have a focused time-schedule, now may be the best opportunity to try it out. I know I played around with several different learning styles before I settled down on the best one for me.
Life-long Skills - Build your stamina and endurance. Practice learning and reading for fun. Learn something new each day. Learn how to tolerate stressful situations and doing things in a limited amount of time. One practical habit I acquired after writing the MCAT was to read the news everyday. I started out reading the news to get ideas for the MCAT essay. I now read it to learn more about our world.
A lot of premeds always ask me how to get into medical school. And when I tell them about the MCAT and what type of a test it is, the majority fear or dread writing the exam. They wish they would rather not have to write it. I disagree.
The MCAT is as much of a discovery process as it is a proof of your critical thinking abilities and test readiness. It’s the type of test where you CAN study for and prepare yourself accordingly. It’s not just testing your inherent intelligence but also how much you prepared to take it. If you haven’t taken the MCAT, I’m not sure if you are ready for the rigors of medical school.
Up to that point, how many 5 hour exams would you have written? Would you know how to study effectively and efficiently? Would you have the endurance and persistence that medicine requires?
That’s why I think the MCAT is not only necessary for standardizing scores, it is an essential part of the medical school admissions process. It’s a badge of honor, a reward for your hard work. Work hard for the MCAT and I guarantee that you will learn more than just physical sciences and biology. In partaking in this exam, one of which thousands have gone before, you are completing another rite of passage of medicine. Cause face it, there will be many more exams after this one, you might as well get the most out of it.
Links
Work has been busy. I’ve been doing all sorts of stuff related with Swine Flu. I haven’t had time to write anything, so instead here are some links to articles I have read recently (big reader of NYTimes anyone?) and also some links to useful study websites. Hopefully this will be stimulating and help with your school work. Sorry for the lack of posts. I’ve working on another project for now that’s taking most of my time.
One thing I’ve found is the more I learn about medicine, the more I have to know than just the science, pathology and clinical skills. Medicine is truly an art – a combination of communication skills, leadership, management, negotiation tactics and patient compassion. There’s also many fields that you must be aware of like public health, political advocacy, career-lifestyle challenges and health economics, even if they are not your areas of expertise. It’s challenging but also rewarding.
Health Care
A Doctor by Choice, a Businessman by Necessity
Does More Sleep Make for Better Doctors?
Tweeting From the Operating Room
When Doctors Make Mistakes
Links
Second Rate
Posted by medaholic in Admissions, Medical School on June 28, 2009
Sorry for the lack of updates. I have just started YET another summer of research and there’s an awful lot to learn. I have also been doing some traveling here and there and enjoying one of my last summers.
The Waitlist
I know firsthand from talking to my classmates that a lot of medical students that were accepted off the waitlist often feel like they are second-rate students. They weren’t good enough for the first round of selections and they only got in because the school had a quota to fill.
They call this the alternate syndrome.
The Solution
To any applicant accepted off the wailist, let me reiterate and repeat that regardless of your background, degree or ranking by the admissions committee: everyone is starting at the same starting line
Medical school is a brand new start. A clean slate for everyone. If you keep comparing yourself to others and what they have already done, you will miss the picture of what you are about to do! Medical school is an interesting and challenging period and each individual handles it differently.
Some of the best undergraduates end up being below-average medical students while waitlisted students excel. Your past matters only up to a point. When you begin medical school, your efforts and dedication from there on will determine how far you will go.There really is no difference between the 100th ranked student and the 101st who just happens to be on the waitlist.
So if you just got off the waitlist, congratulations! You are going to be a medical student and eventually a doctor. What do you call a medical student that graduated at the bottom of his class? A doctor. Don’t let this alternate syndrome mentality prevent you from trying and being your best.
Unsustainable
Posted by medaholic in Admissions, Thoughts on June 11, 2009
First: I would like to thank everyone for their comments / emails / support. I greatly appreciate them all.
I have been running this site for almost a year now. During that time, I have had several popular posts, I made a fairly complete flow chart outlining the whole medical school admissions process and I have had several thousand readers. However, I believe this site is not sustainable without some changes and further personal incentive.
I’m not trying to be greedy. There is a cost to run this site, it’s approximately $80 a year for the server, domain name, etc. Additionally, the time needed to run this site, maintain it, and create more content can be quite a burden. For all the time (and time is precious) I put in, I don’t get any money out of it. And lately, less and less satisfaction. If only this site could be more sustainable…
I believe if there was a reward system (Either personal satisfaction or monetary) in place, I would be more inclined to create content. I know this is the internet, information should be for free! But considering my knowledge and experience, I think I could go out and easily charge $50 / hour doing medical school admission consulting. I don’t want to charge money for this site. For my qualifications: I got into medical school early, I did well in my undergrad studies, and I believe I did fairly well on my interview. Furthermore, I have helped out with the admissions process, reviewed essays and references, been an interviewer and have successfully helped more than 10 people I know successful get admitted.
So I’m asking readers, What should I do? Should I switch to advertising, a subscription, sponsorship or a donation model to keep this site running. Each will have its own pros and benefits. It sucks that I have to even consider this, but I have to consider my own needs too and as a medical student with doing well in my studies as a priority and growing debt, I don’t want to have to worry about this site.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for posting comments, I appreciate all of them. Some of them are very helpful, encouraging and thought provoking.
EDIT: The main purpose of running this site is NOT for the money. A commenter posted out that there are a lot of free services out there I could use to. After reading that, I think what I actually want is a connection between the effort and work I put into this site and a reward or personal satisfaction. (I posted in the comments about this). I am not planning to shut down my site, just perhaps find some motivation and reevaluate my reasons for running this site.
It feels like I’m writing to an empty audience sometimes, a monoquily if you will. The main purpose of this blog is not to journal my day, write about my feelings and thoughts (although I do that now and then). It want to help people understand the medical admissions process, help them become better students and make them more informed about health issues.
Perhaps it’s a writer’s block or burnout, but there are days when I log-on and I just don’t want to do anything. Somewhere along the way, I lost a bit of the joy I had in the beginning. It’s partly due to doing the same thing over and over again – helping people with their “What are my Chances” questions or the should I take Organic Chemistry in the summer? – but another aspect is it’s hard to get satisfaction out of helping an anonymous person you have never met and who’s only purpose in contacting you is to get something out of it.
I help out people all the time in person, giving them strategy and tips on how to do better in school, what medical school is like, etc. And although that’s the same thing, I get some personal satisfaction. I can see my results. I will hear back from them if they get into medical school and that makes it worth it. There is a connection between my efforts and a final reward, whether that is personal satisfaction or gratitude.
Why I don't think I will be a Primary Care Doc
Posted by medaholic in Medical School on June 8, 2009
I have nothing against primary doctors. Family physicians and front-line health care workers are important. They are severely understaffed. The shortage is a real concern. But the more I think about what I want as a career, what type of a balanced life I want to live and what type of things interest me in medicine, the more it seems as if becoming a specialist is for me.
While looking at how doctors choose their residency, I came upon a survey published in the CMAJ.
And don’t get me wrong, it’s not the prestige and money that’s attracting me to choosing a specialty. I think it’s the academic challenge and ability to pursue intellectual interests is what appeals to me. I love teaching, I have tutored and taught science classes for the last 4-5 years. I enjoy research, as long as I get a fair bit of autonomy and responsibility.
Finally, I love academia. I’m pretty certain I want to pursue academic medicine, practice in a university-hospital setting, have teaching hours. If I didn’t pursue medicine, graduate school would have been my next choice.
I guess I still haven’t gotten any closer to deciding on what specialty I would like. More to come, as I find out myself.