fredsfieldnotes

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‘But man is not made for defeat,’ he said. ‘A man can be destroyed but not defeated.’

Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea (via theliteraryjournals)

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Re-post this if you are a Nurblr or Medblr! How many of us are there???

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Holding on to this one belief will push you to strive to be better.

Cannot emphasize this enough.

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Some of these were really great.

Some TED talks that will change your life.

How to make stress your friend by Katie McGonial (14.5 minutes) 

“Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.”

8 secrets of success by Richard St.John (3.5 minutes)

Why do people succeed? Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success.

A simple way to break a bad habit by Judson Brewer (9.5 minutes)

Can we break bad habits by being more curious about them? Psychiatrist Judson Brewer studies the relationship between mindfulness and addiction — from smoking to overeating to all those other things we do even though we know they’re bad for us. Learn more about the mechanism of habit development and discover a simple but profound tactic that might help you beat your next urge to smoke, snack or check a text while driving.

Don’t regret regret by Kathryn Schulz (17 minutes)

We’re taught to try to live life without regret. But why? Using her own tattoo as an example, Kathryn Schulz makes a powerful and moving case for embracing our regrets.

How to make hard choices by Ruth Chang (14.5 minutes)

Here’s a talk that could literally change your life. Which career should I pursue? Should I break up — or get married?! Where should I live? Big decisions like these can be agonizingly difficult. But that’s because we think about them the wrong way, says philosopher Ruth Chang. She offers a powerful new framework for shaping who we truly are.

The danger of silence by Clint Smith (4 minutes) 

We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don’t,“ says poet and teacher Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice.

How to speak so that people want to listen by Julian Treasure (10 minutes)

Have you ever felt like you’re talking, but nobody is listening? Here’s Julian Treasure to help. In this useful talk, the sound expert demonstrates the how-to’s of powerful speaking — from some handy vocal exercises to tips on how to speak with empathy. A talk that might help the world sound more beautiful.

Your body language shapes who you are by Amy Cuddy (21 minutes)

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

The happy secret to better work by Shawn Achor (12 minutes) 

We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.

A call to men by Tony Porter (11 minutes) [TW: graphic desc. of rape] 

At TEDWomen, Tony Porter makes a call to men everywhere: Don’t “act like a man.” Telling powerful stories from his own life, he shows how this mentality, drummed into so many men and boys, can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and each other. His solution: Break free of the “man box.”

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Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions.

Brain cell connections and the cells themselves degenerate and die, eventually destroying memory and other important mental functions.

Memory loss and confusion are the main symptoms.

No cure exists, but medications and management strategies may temporarily improve symptoms.

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Definitely starting to realize some of these stereotypes. 😂

what are the different specialty stereotypes (for example, the jock orthopedist etc)?

Family Medicine - touchy feely save-the-world types who focus on the big picture instead of minutiae.

Ortho - dumb jocks / carpenters

Internal Medicine - super nerds, very inquisitive, thrive on minor details

Radiology - pale hunchbacks hyped up on coffee so they can stay awake in dark rooms in front of screens all day. Always either super quirky or boring as watching paint dry.

Neuro - the nerdiest of all the super nerds

Anesthesiology - the guys who smoked a lot of weed in undergrad…and probably still do. Super chill folks. 

ER - adrenaline junkies who function better OFF their ADHD meds. They all drive X-Terras or Jeeps or bike to work.

Psych - A little on the crazy side themselves. 

Pathology - Foodies and food obsessed (srsly lots of things in pathology books are named after food). All wear glasses due to prolonged exposure to microscopes

Derm - Perfect skin, manicured nails, always offers Botox or steroids

Pediatrics - Colorful socks, bowties, no white coats, and superhero costumes on Halloween. Girl/Guy next door types. Most likely to be seen at ComicCon in cosplay.

Urology - Usually fun loving guys who are everybody’s buddies. And they have so. Many. Weiner Jokes.

PM&R and Sports Medicine - very nice ex-jocks who got a shoulder injury and couldn’t do ortho but who still have active lifestyles. Had difficulty deciding between PT, ortho, and neuro for the rehab components.

OB/GYN - Amazons. Fiercely protective of their patients, and not afraid to chew you out in a heartbeat. But they won’t mess up their makeup while they do it. You’ve seen Mean Girls, right?

General surgery - Workaholics. A chance to cut is a chance to heal. 

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On my reading list.

‘I made a decision: I would push myself to return to the OR. Why? Because I could. Because that’s who I was. Because I would have to learn to live in a different way, seeing death as an imposing itinerant visitor but knowing that even if I’m dying, until I actually die, I am still living.’

Paul Kalanithi was just finishing his training as a neurosurgeon when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This is his heartbreaking, moving, yet beautiful account of life before and after the diagnosis, and his thoughts and reflections about the meaning of life and mortality. He died in March 2015, aged 37, while still writing this book.

I won’t speak any more on this, because my words won’t do this book justice, but I will say that I urge you to read it. Not just medical students and doctors, everyone and anyone should read this book - it is not one that you will forget easily.

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This Taiwanese Teacher Has Some Mad Chalk Drawing Skills

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I wish I read this before applying!

First, I’m going to give you my biased  opinion: your personal statement will not make up for low numbers. If your GPA and MCAT don’t meet a school’s minimum threshold, then you will not make the cut for a secondary (except schools who send them to everyone) let alone an interview. This is the game. Play to win.

The 2017 AMCAS application opens for submission this Tuesday, June 7. By now, you should have the grades, the MCAT score, and the extracurriculars. Your medical school personal statement is your opportunity to tell admissions committees (adcoms) what the prerequisites can’t: about you, the human. You were a person before ochem, before volunteering at a hospital, before shadowing a PCP. You’re going to get a million chances on your application to tell them about the activities that prepped you for med school, but only one (until you get an interview) to tell them about who you are. I want to share tips with you on how to do this in an actionable and thoughtful way. Goal: to get you as many interviews as possible and increase your chances of getting accepted.

Tell a story.

If your essay starts out anything like, “I want to be a doctor because…”, then you’re doing it wrong. Open to the first page of three of your favorite books and notice how chapter 1 begins. The beginning of your essay is your opportunity to grab the admissions reader and convince them you 

are their next class of 20xx graduate. Imagine them in their office after a long day. They’re glancing at the clock at 4:40PM, aching to go home. Give them a reason to stay longer! If your personal statement is a narrative that leads the reader through your life, whether you decide to write about one experience or several, it’s more likely to be read through to the end and remembered!

Start with a scene and build on it.

Put your reader in a moment with you that, for you, relates to why you’re pursuing medicine. My biased advice is that this should be an experience that really happened to you and shows your soft skills, like how you’re reflective, kind, and perceptive. Guide them through the scene for a few sentences and be judicious about what you tell them. Then, hit them with the goods. Tell them what you learned from the experience + why and how it led to you now applying to med school.

Use active voice + verbs.

Active voice commands attention. Every word you use and sentence you write in your personal statement should be purposeful and ultimately relate back to your desire to be a doctor. “I led Premed Warriors at Sharp Middle School for two years and established the first scholarship program providing financial assistance to underserved students,” is stronger than “Premed Warriors was an organization I worked with for two years.” The first sentence has action verbs like LED, ESTABLISHED, PROVIDING. It is also in active voice with the declarative phrase “I led” vs. in the second sentence, it sounds like so…there was this thing…I did a thing there…yeah…No! You kicked butt! You gave your precious time! You’re awesome! Show the admissions reader the sacrifices that you made to be a physician.

Show don’t tell.

This is one of the most common pieces of writing advice and it’s 100% true. “I am compassionate” is douchey. But what about, “Walking through the nursing home, I noticed Bill teetering over the side of his bed rail. ‘Can I get that for you?’ I asked, knocking on his open door before entering.” The word compassion isn’t even needed in the second example. It’s implied by being shown. Do this. It takes more time to construct your ideas in this way, but it makes your story more impactful and more memorable. When the admissions officers are all sitting in a conference room deciding who to interview, give them a reason to say, “That applicant who wrote about the nursing home,” instead of “I dunno, *picks up random packet* how about this one? Haha.”

Be genuine, but don’t word vomit.

Use real experiences that happened to you in your personal statement. Don’t make things up. Put a spotlight on your growth up to this point in your life rather than embellishing. With that said, be conscious of the experiences you’re writing about and especially, how you’re writing about them. Consider if an idea may be questioned or taken the wrong way. If you feel hesitant about any of your artistic choices in your personal statement, have a few people across the age spectrum read it and give you feedback.

Whether you’ve finished your personal statement or are just getting started, I hope these tips help you maximize your chance getting into medical school. The med school application cycle is no different from the rest of premed life; it’s long and grueling. It’s also temporary! Enjoy the ride. Best of luck!

How to Maximize Your Medical School Personal Statement was originally published on Premed to MD

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Back when I was studying for the MCAT. GOOD TIMES 😑😐😑😄

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First post on Fred's Field Notes

Just started a blog! Fred’s Field Notes – A Journey through Medical School, the World, and the Mind fredsfieldnotes.com

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“If there’s a chance then it’s worth a try. Even if nobody else wants to try, I will try. A lot of these kids have exhausted all their options. They may have had several surgeries elsewhere and it’s either hospice or one more try. My colleagues are amazing. So I know that if I can get this lump out, the child has a chance. I view each of these kids as my own. My team is amazing but I take 100% responsibility for the outcome and I don’t like to lose a drop of blood. So it’s a lot of stress. I have four grafts in my heart. My neck muscles are always tense. Some of these surgeries have probably taken years off my life. But tumors kill kids in very horrible ways. So if there’s a chance, I will try.” ———————————————————— As we learn these stories, we are trying to raise $1,000,000 to help the team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in their fight against pediatric cancer. Thanks to the 15,000 people who have contributed so far. We’re almost 60% of the way there. Please consider donating:http://bit.ly/1TpFcdy