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MSNBC.com: Young doctors graduate in Somalia

December 6, 2008 by 10 Comments

Source: MSNBC.com: Young doctors graduate in Somalia

I just read this article on MSNBC (link above). It’s pretty crazy. And I thought medical school was hard for me. The article tells of 20 men and women who are the first medical school graduates in the country of Somalia in almost two decades.

The students literally risked their lives to attend medical school. One student recounts becoming trapped under crossfire almost seven times during his commutes to the university. Another two of their classmates were actually gunned down recently.

What a story of dedication. I don’t think I would have the will or the passion to attend medical school in those types of conditions.

I admire these people. I don’t know what motivated them. Maybe they all have a desire to help the thousands of Somalis that are in desperate need of healthcare. Maybe each person found their strength in different places. But they are now equipped to help fellow-countrymen in the war-torn country of Somalia.

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life, News Tagged With: ,
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Sometimes I Wish…

November 27, 2008 by 8 Comments

Sometimes I wish that my childhood was filled with more academic failures. I’m not trying to sound arrogant or anything. Medical school, I have found, is one of the most humbling experiences one can go through. At this point, I don’t think I’m a genius at all. But, I suppose one could say that life is one long, humbling experience as well.

Occasionally I’ve been asked, “Are you smart?” The question doesn’t really make any sense to me, and I don’t know why people ask it. It’s probably a question better suited to sort out the arrogant from the humble. But what has become my customary reply to this question is, “I used to believe I was smart. And then I started Kindergarten.”

It is no secret that the majority of medical students performed very well during elementary and/or high school. (For traditional students, college is pretty much a given because college performance plays a large role in medical school acceptance.) And this is a very good thing. But because of past performance, there is an added pressure to continue to do well.

The bright students in elementary school are expected to do well in high school. Brilliant high schoolers are expected to make it into good colleges/universities where they will choose from among the toughest fields of study so that they can accomplish great things.

What kind of great things? How about significantly contributing to society? Or changing the world?

Talk about pressure…

And so, sometimes I wish…

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life Tagged With:
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Conversations: Feeling Unprepared

November 1, 2008 by 4 Comments

I recently had a conversation with my cousin (who also happens to be my classmate). The conversation was sandwiched between a couple hours of studying about ischemic heart disease, vascular disease, valvular disease, and congenital heart diseases. We were preparing for a Pathology lab where we were scheduled to do some “team-based learning.” (These team-based sessions involve working in groups of five to figure out a diagnosis based on a small clinical vignettes. Once the diagnosis is obtained we usually have to figure out the mechanisms leading to the condition.)

The conversation took place right after I showed her a sample test that applicants to the San Francisco Police Department can download at the department website. The first few sections were really simple and we skimmed through right through it. It felt easy. (At least the first sections felt easy. There was at least one section towards the end that looked pretty tricky.)

I’m not sure who first verbalized it, but we noted how it had been a long time since we had walked into an exam feeling fully confident in what we knew and of what the outcome would be. So far in medical school it hasn’t mattered how much I have spent preparing for an exam. I have never walked into a test site feeling like I know everything as well as I should. Maybe that one student that keeps scoring between 98-100% knows how that feels, but I sure don’t. And that is a very frustrating thing.

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life Tagged With: ,
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Funny

October 31, 2008 by 2 Comments

It’s funny, the things we do to avoid certain people. You know what I mean. You’re walking through the supermarket and, spotting someone you’d rather not talk to, you jump into the nearest aisle and pretend to be interested in the displayed products even though you’re really looking out of the corner of your eye to make sure that person doesn’t walk by and notice you. And then you feel eyes on you because you’re the only guy in an aisle filled with feminine products. You look up and realize that while trying to fake interest in the products in front of you, you have been “staring” at a large selection of pads and tampons.

Or maybe, standing around at an event you see someone you want to avoid. Thinking yourself the stealthy type you gracefully glide through the crowd towards the door and mentally pat yourself on the back for an evasion James Bond would be proud of. That is, of course, right before you throw your weight into pushing open a firmly looked door. Why is it that people seem to never have both doors unlocked at the same time? They’re double doors for a reason, but maybe the reason is to make unsuspecting people look utterly foolish.

I am not saying any of the above situations have ever happened to me. But there are times when I just don’t feel like being friendly and outgoing.

Are physicians required to “put on a happy face” at all times? Do they have to be ever-joyful, always-friendly, bubbly people?

I sure hope not. Cause I sure don’t feel this way… In fact, most of the time I feel pretty drained, tired, sleep-deprived, and stressed out.

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life, Opinion Tagged With:
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Can’t Focus…

October 27, 2008 by 2 Comments

I really need to get focused.

I was sitting at my desk at 10:45 and just couldn’t concentrate. The bad thing is that I should be more focused now with exams coming up next week. I decided to call home and say hello. I talked to my dad for about 20 minutes. He suggested I go walk around. So while I talked to him I walked around the block.

Now I’m back. And I feel the same. I don’t feel more awake than before. Nor do I feel more inclined to studying. But oh well. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. Unfortunately, in my case, it isn’t just sometimes — it’s all the time. And that can be draining…

Do you have any tips for how to get refocused when you just don’t feel like studying? I’ll take all the help I can get!

Anyways, for now, back to the books…

Filed Under: Medical School, My Life Tagged With:
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Loma Linda University: Perspectives from non-Adventists

October 19, 2008 by 7 Comments

Related Post: What is Loma Linda University Really Like?

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while now. Occasionally I get a question like this: I’m not Adventist, but I am a Christian. Should I apply to Loma Linda University?

In a previous post (What is Loma Linda University really like?) I wrote that I have not heard any complaints. Although I did write that I had never asked any of my classmates directly. Well last week I got the chance to ask two classmates who are not Seventh-Day Adventists how they felt about Loma Linda University. The gist of what they said is that while they might not believe everything Adventists believe, they are happy with their decision to attend a Christian medical school like Loma Linda.

I also found a blog entry by another classmate. He is Episcopalian and he writes about his thoughts on Loma Linda University at his blog Northwest Anglican. The post is titled Surviving Medical School with Faith Intact.

This article is from Spectrum Magazine and references the article above: Thoughts from an Episcopalian at Loma Linda University | Spectrum.

A quote from the post:

Another conversation I’ve had with some of my classmates is a “what if” conversation considering whether we would have gone to some of the more prestigious schools we applied to had we been accepted. And there was a time when I would have said, “yes,” that if I had gotten into Harvard or Mayo Clinic that I would have gone there. But looking back on this year and considering things with the eternal perspective of the importance of my soul, I would have to say, “no.” Think what you will about Seventh-day Adventist theology, but I have to say that they have founded and nourished an institution where a Christian can become a doctor and where they can be affirmed and encouraged in their faith in Jesus Christ. For this I am very thankful to my Adventist brothers and sisters.

Hopefully this will help those trying to decide which medical schools to apply to.

Filed Under: GUIDE, Medical School, My Life, Other Tagged With: , ,
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Medical Mission Trips

September 28, 2008 by 3 Comments

At the end of each year, a number of freshman medical students go on medical mission trips. Looking back on my summer, I wish I had gone on one of these trips.

As I mentioned in another post, I often get asked what Loma Linda University is like. In a previous post (What is Loma Linda University really like?), I mentioned that service is really emphasized here.

The Class of 2010 put together a couple videos to show the types of things they did during their first summer. Below are the two videos telling the stories of these students and the patients they met.

Disclaimer: There are a couple graphic photographs (medically related). Be warned.

Part 1

Part 2

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