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Medaholic Turns Five

Source - Flickr

Last week, this blog turned five years old. Apart from the 48 hours of downtime I had while migrating servers, there was not much fanfare - no celebration, no new theme, not even a post. Now on my first free Sunday in a month, I have a chance to reflect about it.

In many ways, this blog has been a reflection of what I have done in the last half decade. This blog and its readers have been with me through premed, medical school, clerkship rotations and residency. Through my posts, I’ve tried to share my thoughts on what being a doctor is like. I’ve written before about death, sickness and health. When I have busy rotations, I tend to post less. When I have free time, I try to grow the site. Along the way, I met many who are also on the same journey as me.

It’s been an unexpected and humbling experience. Unexpected because I didn’t think I would make it this far and do so well. Humbling because of all the support and encouragement I’ve received from readers.

For those who aren’t aware, this blog was initially called Open Source MD. The site is still up if you want to check it out. Reading through my old posts, I could tell I was naive and overly ambitious when I first started this blog. I was a new medical student trying to make my mark on the internet and change how patient care was delivered, without having ever cared for a patient yet. There is a paragraph I want to quote though because I think it still holds true.

“I hope that I can look back four years from now at these posts and still realize that I have my optimism and ideals that lead me to this profession. Through recording my memories down and reflecting on my personal growth, perhaps I will gain a better understanding of medicine.”

I can say confidently, that I do have a better understanding of medicine now. I have helped patients overcome their illnesses and I have harmed patients. I have broken bad news countless times. I have laughed with with patients, I have cried with them. What a privilege it is to care for patients.

Moving Forward

Looking back, Medaholic has gone through several phases. Initially, I wrote articles on how to get into medical school - which included posts about the MCAT, application process and interviews. As I went through medical school, I talked about medical education, note-taking, surviving clerkship and preparing yourself for residency. And currently, as I am completing residency, I am focused on work-life balance and career development.

Obviously, medaholic addresses a wide audience from high school students to residents - that’s why this year I asked Lizz to join the team. She is where I was exactly five years ago and about to embark on her own journey - I’m sure she has lots of potential and a wealth of information to share. So instead of focusing past topics - MCAT, Admissions, Interviews, Medical School - I will let Lizz take up the flame and run with it.

As for me, I’m still around and I know it’s time I start writing for myself again. I am going to write about things I’m interested in and not on topics that I’ve outgrown. I want to look back again in five years time and see how much more further I’ve gone. There are still things I will still be doing because I enjoy it such as reviewing apps, books and resources. But I also want to challenge myself with new things. I don’t want to be the blogger who writes little substance for the sake of writing. I have some projects and topics I want to write about soon.

So here’s to the next five years at medaholic, I’m looking forward to it. I hope you will too.

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5 Comments

  1. Billy Woods November 10, 2023

    Congratulations on the 5 years; so much has happened and I really appreciate all that you have done.

    I am not sure why, but this post has an underlying bitter-sweet feeling.

    • medaholic
      medaholic November 11, 2023

      Writing this post made me reflect on how far I’ve come and what I want to focus my future efforts on. Bitter because it’s a closing of one chapter (premed, MCAT, admissions, med school) but sweet because it allows me to move on to newer things.

  2. Sarah November 29, 2023

    I just want to say Congrats on all your accomplishments thus far!! I’ve been reading your blog for nearly 4 years now - it’s a pleasure/privilege to sort of get a glimpse of your life as a med student/resident. Thanks for sharing your personal moments and thoughts with us. I truly wish the best for you in your future endeavors!! 🙂

  3. Stephanie July 15, 2023

    Do you still review apps?

    • medaholic
      medaholic July 21, 2023

      I do when I get a chance, life’s been pretty busy.

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