January/February 2016

MED STUDENT PENS LETTER ADDRESSING FREDDIE GRAY CASE | NEW MED SCHOOL TO OPEN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

PREMEDLIFE

HOW HARD IS MEDICAL SCHOOL?

Getting into medical school is one thing making it through to graduation is another

January/February 2016

速

PREMEDLIFE.COM

The Magazine For Pre-Medical Students

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January/February 2016

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“It’s long been said that learning information in medical school is like trying to drink from a fire hydrant.” p. 20

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IS MED SCHOOL HARD

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HOW HARD IS MEDICAL SCHOOL?

WHY ORGO IS THE MED SCHOOL WEED-OUT?

THE FIRST TIME YOU WATCH A PATIENT DIE

PERSPECTIVES AND ADVICE FROM CURRENT MEDICAL STUDENTS ON FACING THE DIFFICULTIES OF MEDICAL SCHOOL

A LOOK AT A FEW REASONS WHY ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IS THE WEED-OUT COURSE FOR PREMEDS

A MEDICAL STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE WITH THE FIRST TIME SHE SAW A PATIENT DIE

January/February 2016 | PreMedLife Magazine |3

contents

A third-year medical

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

l student chronicles her

medical school journey

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In The News

New medical school will open in Southern California, study shows some medical student plagiarize personal statements, and med student pens letter addressing controversial topic.

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Are You A “Real” Premed?

The question warrants asking, considering the high percentage of students who start out their undergraduate careers with a premed designation on their major tracks versus the relatively low percentage of students who actually graduate from undergrad having completed all their premed requirements.

WHAT’S INSIDE...

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Medical School Chronicles

A third-year medical student shares her experience and gives advice and tips on making it through. The workload is large, and it’s coming quickly without stopping. That being said, those who dedicate themselves to working with the material rather then against it will succeed.

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Motivational Medicine

A sophomore at a small school in Maryland shares a few realizations about the life he and other premed students have chosen and come to live

March/April 2015 | PreMedLife Magazine |19

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

istockphoto © peshkov

Digital

MCAT: How I Got Over The 500 Hump

We all look back and think about certain things we wish we could have done differently; whether it is after the end of a semester, year, job, or undergraduate career.

What’s on Premedlife.com?

You’re Probably Doing it Right, Despite Common Belief I’ll start by letting you in on the best kept secret in the pre-med world: truthfully, none of us are 100% sure we are taking the right steps, or doing the right things at all times.

Hindsight is 20/20: Things I Wish I Did Differently As A Premed We all look back and think about certain things we wish we could have done differently, whether it is after the end of a semester, year, job, or undergraduate career.

GO BEYOND THE PAGE

Escaping the Winter Blues Here on the East Coast, it is officially winter time although it was really slow to come. Many of us on the East Coast spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day with a light sweater or even a t-shirt depending on how warm it was.

You’ll find the icon on selected pages throughout the issue. That’s your signal to grab your smartphone or tablet and go deeper with the content on that page. Here’s how: 1. Download the free Layar app from the Apple or Android store or at layar.com 2. Launch the app and scan any page displaying the icon.

3. Premedlife videos and other bonus content will instantly appear on your device.

6 | PreMedLife Magazine |January/February 2016

From the

Publisher

#NOFILTER The only thing I really recommend, if you’re starting out in stand-up is to not try to copy anybody else. You can be influenced by people. I was influenced by Steve Martin and Bob Newhart and Woody Allen, but I never tried to be someone else. I always tried to be myself. And the reason people are successful is they’re unique. -Ellen DeGeneres no matter what topic related to getting into medical school we write about in the pages of this magazine, or discuss or make a big to do about, at the end of the day

being true to yourself and what you really want is all that really matters. It is one of the most important things that will matter when it comes down to getting into medical school and (being happy) practicing medicine.

During the medical school admissions process, and as you go through medical school and begin your career in medicine, being truly passionate about practicing medicine and helping patients will come through in many different ways.

Whether it be as you write your personal statement or sit across from deans and directors during your admissions interview, those around you will see your passion for what it really is and if it indeed is medicine. If becoming a doctor is something that you’re truly passionate about and have seriously considered, then it will shine through in everything you do.

No matter what part of the process you’re at, we’re about being that ‘something’ to help inspire you, drive your passion further than you thought you could drive it, and help you see your vision through. And while times can get challenging and tasks become demanding, the simple act of just taking one step at a time and thinking one thought at a time is one of the most powerful ways you can continue the process of getting into medical school.

So how do you do this? You can start by never letting the sometimes overwhelming process of applying to medical school and taking the necessary steps, courses, and actions, take your down or waver your passion. The good news is, this should be difficult for you, since pre-meds are already some of the most committed and determined people out there.

Here are PreMedLife, we truly believe in fueling your dreams so that you’ll go out and fulfill your dreams of becoming a doctor. The message in each article you read is simple: Go and become a doctor, go forth and conquer this medical school admission journey, because in doing so, you reach your goals. I think that we’re doing our part. I hope you’ll do yours.

Tasheema Prince

PREMEDLIFE the lifestyle magazine for premedical students www.premedlife.com

Founder & Publisher | Tasheema Prince Executive Vice President | Monique Terc Contributing Editor | Njeri McKenzie Online Marketing Consultant | Portia Chu Contributing Writers Ervin Anies, Seemal Awan, Marilyn Chu, Andrew Goliszek, Desiree Hykes, Anthony LaFondr, Billie Holladay Skelley Find us on Twitter @premedlife Find us on Facebook.com/premedlife Here’s How to Reach Us: Kisho Media, LLC P.O. Box 7049 New York, NY 10116 Main Office (347) 857-7491 Have a Story Idea?

Email us at editor@premedlife.com Want to Subscribe?

Visit www.premedlife.com and sign-up to our mailing list to receive an email when the latest issue is available online Want to Join Forces? (a.k.a. Partner With Us) Email us at info@premedlife.com Advertising Inquiries?

Email advertise@premedlife.com PreMedLife magazine is published six times per year by Kisho Media, LLC. and copies are provided to select colleges and universities free of charge. The information in PreMedLife magazine is believed to be accurate, but in some instances, may represent opinion or judgment. Consult your pre-medical/pre-health advisor with any questions you may have about the medical school admissions process and related topics. Unless otherwise noted, all articles, photographs, artwork, and images may not be duplicated or reprinted without express written permission from Kisho Media, LLC. PreMedLife magazine and Kisho Media, LLC. are not liable for typographical or production errors or the accuracy of information provided by advertisers.

PreMedLife magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertising. All inquires may be sent to: Kisho Media, LLC. P.O. Box 7049 New York, NY 10116 To reach us by phone call (347) 857-7491 or email us at info@premedlife.com.

Tasheema Prince Publisher @PrinceSheem tprince@premedlife.com

8 | PreMedLife Magazine |January/February 2016

November/December 2015 | PreMedLife Magazine |19

Premedlife

S T U D E N T A D V I S O RY B O A R D

The PreMedLife Student Advisory Board is an exemplary group of premed students from a variety of backgrounds who have a wide range of accomplishments. They will help keep us informed about what we need to know to make PreMedLife magazine the go-to resource for aspiring doctors.

Follow us @premedlife

Tisha Berg UCLA Extension

Viven Chen University of Miami

Samantha Culver University of Vermont

Caitlin Draper University of Arkansas

Jared Eaves The University of Texas at Austin

Austin Greer Indiana Wesleyan University

Charis Guinto Evangel University

Hannah Hoekstra University of Minnesota

Lisa Lachhman Pace University

Austin Newsman Georgia State University

James Rock Slippery Rock University

Tyra Turner Agnes Scott College

10 | PreMedLife Magazine |January/February 2016

M I NOS CAN ACH IEVE ANYTHING. We make sure they get to college. Federal Student Aid provides more than $150 billion each year in grants, loans, and work-study funds to make college possible for anyone with the mind to get there.

Learn more about money for college at StudentAid.gov.

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NEWS

“We have a duty to not simply heal our patients but also to take that further step and do our part to improve the potential outcomes for society.” {PAGE 16}

Wikipedia / Coolcaesaria

Kaiser Permanente to Open Brand New Medical School in Southern California

The managed care consortium, Kaiser Permanente, is opening a new medical school, according to a release issued by the group.

The move is part of the group’s effort to meet the country’s demands for health care. The school will redesign the physician education around a strategic plan that includes “providing high-quality care beyond traditional medical settings, acknowledging the central importance of collaboration and teamwork to inform treatment decisions, and addressing disparities in health.”

“Opening a medical school and influencing physician education is based on our belief that the new models of care mean we must reimagine how physicians are trained,” said Bernard J.

Tyson, chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. “Training a new generation of physicians to deliver on the promise of health and health care demonstrates our belief that our model of care is best for the current and future diverse populations in this country.”

Among the advanced skills students at the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine are decision making, teamwork, the use of technology, evidence-based medicine and communication customized to address the needs of specific patient populations.

“Medical education needs to change to keep pace with the changing health care delivery system and changing patient needs,” said George

Thibault, MD, president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, which is the only national foundation dedicated to improving the health of the public by advancing the education and training of health professionals. “Kaiser Permanente is in a position to make important contributions to these changes by bringing its vast experience with teamwork, coordinated care and technology to medical education. Kaiser Permanente’s proposed new medical school will join other new schools and reform-minded existing schools in this effort to better align medical education with contemporary societal needs.”

The Kaiser Permanente Medical School will be located in Southern California and is slated to open Fall 2019. ¡

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CC Flickr / velkr0

NEWS

premedlife

istockphoto/ Rawpixel Ltd

Some Med Students Plagiarize Personal Statements, Study Finds Plagiarism occurs in residency personal statements, with a higher incidence among graduates of non-US medical schools, according to a report published in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia Case Reports.

According to the report, past reports of plagiarism in personal statements by medical students applying to residency programs has led to advice to students to avoid plagiarism and how the act could be detected by special software.

For the report, researchers screened personal statements of 467 anesthesiology residency applicants from 2013-2014 using a software called Viper Plagiarism Scanner, and studied them for plagiarism.

The researchers found that when quotes and commonly used phrases, 82 personal statements included content that was not original, defined by having 8 or more consecutive words.

In a similar, but older study from 2007, researchers also found evidence of plagiarism in residency application essays, but pointed out that it was more common in international applicants. However, the report did state that plagiarism was indeed found in essays by applications to various types of specialty

programs, from all medical school types, and surprisingly, even among individuals with academic honors. Specifically, evidence of plagiarism was found in 5.2% of essays. Among the characteristics

linked with the prevalence of plagiarism included in medical school location, previous residency or fellowship, lack of research experience, volunteer experience, or publications, a low USMLE Step 1 score, and non-membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Both studies highlight the existing evidence that medical students are still getting caught up with trying to pass off someone else’s work as their own to further their medical career. Studies and reports such as these should certainly act as a deterrent for any student getting ready for medical school. Studies like these are proof that plagiarism does indeed happen and the potential consequences of such a desperate act. Pre-meds considering careers in medicine should know that while getting into medical school and ultimately residency programs is hard, taking the honest route is always the best way to go. ¥

premedlife

NEWS

istockphoto/ mrdoomits

Medical Student Pens Letter Addressing Freddie Gray Case

In a letter written to the editor of Academic Medicine, Dr. Farzon Nahvi, a third-year emergency medicine resident, uses the example of the Freddie Gray, a Baltimore man who died in police custody, to call out the “untraditional” duties of physicians.

In his letter, Dr. Nahvi points out that “the full circle of responsibility of physicians extends beyond the patients right in front of them,” he states. “We have a duty to not simply heal our patients but also to take that further step and do our part to improve the potential outcomes for society.”

Through various examples of suspicious activity, like a patient who comes in showing injuries consistent with punching or a baby showing possible injuries from abuse, Dr. Nahvi points out that suspicion surrounding the Freddie Gray case was due to “a misalignment of the facts between Mr. Gray’s injury pattern and the claims of Baltimore’s deputy police commissioner, that ‘non of the officers described any use of force.’”

Through rigorous training physicians are prepared to notice when the facts of an incident

are stated and the actual injury presented to them. “As such, whether by marching, writing an op-ed to our local newspapers, or petitioning to our lawmakers, we have a responsibility to speak out and lead the charge for investigation and intervention in these instances,” Dr. Nahvi concludes. “While it often may be ultimately found that there is indeed no abuse or wrongdoing, just as with cases of suspected criminality or child abuse, we must use our unique position and skillset to do our part to protect the vulnerable within our society. ¡

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MIND

New Year, New Goals A

s 2015 is coming to an end, many of us will sit down and think about our experiences and the types of changes we would like to make for the upcoming new year. We think to ourselves 2016 is the year that we will do better, act better, and perform better. How do we make sure to keep our new year resolutions?

Pick a couple of resolutions.

When you walk into your local gym for the first time in the new year, you will look around and see a lot more people than you are used to.

Everyone, yes everyone is headed to the gym during the new year. Studies have shown that the number of people that visit a gym or purchase a gym membership in January is the highest in comparison to any other month of the year. But when you visit in February or March you notice the number of people coming to the gym is starting to decrease and the crowds are limited just to the people who regularly come in. This is the typical new year resolution predicament. Everyone commits to a healthier lifestyle in the new year but not everyone is able to continue with their resolu-

tion. The reason for this is that most people will come up with a long list of resolutions and it will be difficult to stay on top of all of the resolutions.

A good way to avoid getting sucked into trying to keep up with too many resolutions is to pick a couple (2-3) and stick to those. Hold yourself accountable for those resolutions and ask someone around you to help you stay accountable.

Freshman For a first year premed student now that the first semester is over, this is a great time to look back at your first semester grades and think about how you could have done better. Its possible that studying more, going to office hours, or more time with homework were reasons that held you

topics that you may be interested in.

There is always space for a premed student because the premed student will do the work that no one else wants to. But if you keep running out of options the best thing to do is tell a research group how interested you are specifically in their research and what you would bring to the table. This type of commitment and motivation will prove to your research group that you will be good on their team.

back from doing well so improvement in one of these is a great resolution for the new year. I remember making the resolution of studying for my classes in the library right after I got done with a lecture because that would help me remember the information better.

If you did well during your first semester then congratulations! Something that would make an excellent resolution for you is to motivate yourself to think about getting more involved in extracurricular activities, research, or summer activities. This is the best time to start thinking about getting involved in even one activity but it is important to start getting involved. The earlier you start to get involved, the more time you will have to build on those activities.

Sophomore Sophomore year is a weird year because it feels like you just started college and yet the phrase that must not be named (the MCAT) has started coming up here and there.

A great new years resolution for you sophomores is to plan to start thinking about making sure you have enough extracurricular activities and if you do not then make a resolution to participate in more activities. If you have not started research yet and would like to this is a great time to start and can be part of your new years resolution. You could propose to look through available projects or

Junior This is one of the hardest years during your undergraduate career. This is the time that you will most likely be taking a bunch of science courses and also have to think about when you are planning to take the MCAT. I decided to take the MCAT at the end of my third year so the second half of junior year was a difficult time.

I was taking 3 science classes which all had labs included and then also doing research and studying for the MCAT. So for me, before the new year started, I decided to make a resolution of making sure to give myself some time each day. In order to hold myself accountable of letting myself take a break here and then, I had my roommate help me with making sure I did not overwork myself. I did not want to get burned out even before I took the MCAT. Senior You are at the point where you have interviewed and have either heard back from med schools or still have some interviews in the new year. For those of you who have heard back positive news, a great resolution for the new year is to try and enjoy your last semester in college as much as you can. Also if it is possible, enjoy your summer before you start med school. If there is something you really wanted to do that is time consuming then this summer is the best time to do it. You will have time during med school to take breaks (contrary to common belief ) to do fun things here and there but you just won’t have time exactly when you want it or as long as you want it.

So this is a good time to make a new year’s resolution to cross off some of those more difficult things on your bucket list. ¡

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istockphoto © Topp_Yimgrimm

Premedlife

January/February 2016 | PreMedLife Magazine |19

FICTION

First Do No Harm

by Billie Holladay Skelley, RN, MS

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istockphoto Š VILevi

Premedlife

a

n Englishman, a Scot, and an Irishman were drinking at a bar.” Not another joke.

This was Sister Margaret’s idea. “Go interview Dr. Michael Murphy,” she said. “It will help you to interview someone who has worked in the area of your chosen, future profession.” Sister Margaret knows I want to become a hematologist. It has been my dream ever since my father died when I was child, but this interview is going nowhere. For the last thirty minutes, all I have heard is jokes. There is no way this inebriated figure practices medicine.

“Dr. Murphy, I came to ask about your profession.

Why did you go into medicine?” “Who are you again?”

“Caitlin McCarthy…from Trinity College. Remember, I called you about this interview.” “Wait. Just wait. An Englishman, a Scot, and an Irishman were drinking at a bar. A fly came along and landed in the Englishman’s drink. ‘That’s disgusting’ the Englishman said, and he got up and left. Another fly landed in the Scot’s pint. The Scottish gent grabbed the insect and threw him to the floor. ‘That’s better,’ he declared and went on sipping his brew. Soon another fly landed in the Irish fellow’s beer.

Quick as a wink, the Irishman scooped up the bug by its wings, held it over his pint, and said, ‘All right, spit it out you little thief!’” I manage a smile. It’s an old joke, but being Irish myself, it always strikes a humorous note—at least compared to the previous selections he has offered.

“Dr. Murphy, why did you decide to practice hematology?” Instead of answering, Dr. Murphy sits back, closes his eyes, and begins to snore!

Exasperated, I leave the pub and head over to Sister Margaret’s office. She has to assign me someone else. I find her in and quickly explain her error in assigning me Dr. Murphy to interview. “Pardon me, Sister, but he’s an alcoholic.”

“Well, Caitlin,” she responds, “that’s a quick diagnosis from someone who has never practiced medicine.” “Sister, his eyes are yellow, his speech is slurred, and he set up our interview in a pub!” “Dr. Murphy does drink too much.

I’ll grant you that. He no longer practices medicine, but you can still learn from him.” “Learn what, how to tell jokes?” “Dr. Murphy was once a talented and respected hematologist.” “Why is he not still practicing?” “Are you familiar,” Sister responds, “with the tainted blood scandal that occurred in the 1980s? Almost 5,000 people were infected with hepatitis C and 1,200 more got HIV.” “Yes, the blood was contaminated. My father had hemophilia. He was one of those patients. He died in 1992.”

“Well, Dr. Murphy was the Director of Blood Procurement for the National Health Service in the 1980s.”

I can’t believe my ears. Did Sister Margaret actually send me to interview the monster who perpetrated the disaster that eventually cost my father his life?

“The blood products,” Sister continues, “came from the

United States. Dr. Murphy had no way of knowing they were contaminated. It wasn’t till months after they were administered that people became ill. By then, it was too late.” “He should have known.” “How could he? Like everyone else, he thought the plasma was safe. When he learned the truth, he was devastated. Caitlin, do you have any idea what it has been like for him? Watching patient after patient succumb. Almost 1,600 people have passed from these infections and many others remain terminally ill. Dr. Murphy watched many die personally, until he couldn’t take it anymore. He stopped practicing, but there was no escape. To this day, he scours the obituaries in the morning paper worrying who else he will find.” “Sister, how do you know all this?” “My brother had hemophilia.

He also was infected and died in 1990. I loved my brother so much. For years I questioned why it had to happen, but in time, I recovered. For Dr. Murphy, there is no recovery. Each death is a new horror for him.” “Is that why he drinks…to forget?” “He drinks because he can’t stop remembering.”

“Why the jokes?” “He compensates with jokes. Tragedy and comedy can be closely related.” “Okay, Sister, I may have judged him hastily, and I’m sorry…but what does Dr. Murphy have to do with me? I want to be a doctor to help people…to make them better.” “You have an admirable goal, but I sent you to Dr. Murphy to learn about making mistakes. Doctors are human beings, and like all people, they make mistakes. Sometimes factors are out of their control, and other times the mistakes come from their own doing. Can you, Caitlin, live with the mistakes you will make?” Never once have I thought about this.

“Medicine,” Sister continues, “is a demanding profession.

It can be fulfilling, but also draining. I want you to be certain you know what you’re getting yourself into and that you can live with any mistakes you may make.”

I cannot imagine hurting one person, let alone several.

Even more unimaginable is living with the guilt and shame. I’d be haunted by any mistake I made, especially if it resulted in the loss of someone’s life. I finally understand where Sister is going with all this. Is it possible she knows me better than I know myself? Perhaps, I’m not ready for the pressure and responsibility of a medical career. “I’m not sure, Sister. I’ve never thought about medicine this way. You’ve given me something new to consider.”

I leave Sister’s office and return to the pub. Dr. Murphy is drinking with another man. Watching him, I consider that physicians heal others, but perhaps many cannot heal themselves. Would I be in the latter group?

Maybe my dream is not based in reality. I have a lot to think about. As I turn to leave, I hear Dr. Murphy say, “Did you hear about the doctor who walked into a bar?

He should have spotted it.” ¡

INSIGHT

istockphoto Š maurusone

Premedlife

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The PHD Dual Degree INSIGHT FOR PREMED STUDENTS WHO ARE CONSIDERING THE COMBINED DEGREE

By Dr. Anthony LaFondr

I

n medical school it is now possible to combine your medical degree with a JD, MS or even a PhD. Many of my students have asked me about combined-degree programs. The experience of applying to medical school and combined degree programs is unlike applying to college. The stakes (both financial and other) are higher, and the career implications are much greater. I tell students there is a crucial question they need to answer before applying. Is the PhD dual-degree right for your career goals?

The answer depends on your academic interests and career plans. Do you want to be a physician-scientist?

Do you see yourself doing research and making discoveries? Is this pursuit even important to you? Many students enter medical school with some idea of their eventual specialty.

If an MD-PhD is of interest to you, determine if the specialty(ies) you are considering is one that is compatible or associated with PhD training.

For example, if you know that you want to do basic cell biology research and run a lab in the basic sciences, a PhD is the most appropriate degree, not an MD or DO. On the other hand, if you would like to do clinical research, an MS combined with your clinical degree may be your best option. While you don’t need to know exactly what research interests you, you should decide if the PhD is

right for you at all before you apply.

Many MD-PhD programs have more rigorous academic and research requirements compared to the MD/ DO only application. Previous research experience is important to your chances of admission, if not outright required.

You should also realize that medical schools and graduate schools are like apples and oranges. Medical schools focus on teaching the practice of medical science. The curriculum is designed to train you to be a physician, not a researcher or scientist.

Graduate school is meant to instill the skills necessary for scientific exploration, and how to develop as a principal investigator. Medical schools emphasize the acquisition and application of current medical knowledge; graduate schools emphasize search for new medical knowledge. Most MD-PhD graduates spend more time on research than on clinical practice and are employed in academia or at research institutions.

If you are interested in research but worried about extra time in school, you should know that medical schools do not typically provide research training. If you choose to attend medical school but not a dual degree, and you want to enter clinical research, you will end up spending considerable time as a fellow after your clinical training learning how to do research. Analysis of National

Institutes of Health (NIH) data shows that medical graduates and dual degree graduates who are able to win research grants usually achieve this milestone around the same age.

This means that skipping the PhD on your way to a research scientist career will be unlikely to save you much time. If you “know” you want to be a physician but less sure about your goal of becoming a scientist as well, apply to medical school. If you change your mind, many schools offer the opportunity to transfer into a dual degree program for qualified students (check with schools before you apply). If you get all the way through medical school and then decide to enter a research track, you can also get your research training then. Transferring from a PhD program into a dual degree is much rarer, more difficult, longer and usually more expensive.

In short, you should consider a dual degree PhD program if you want to make your career as a physician-scientist. There are several things you want to consider when you examine schools with a combined degree program. One of the attractive things about doing a dual degree program is that many schools offer fellowships that cover tuition for medical school and graduate school and offer a stipend of around $30,000 per year.

While the size of the stipend is not a major factor, you should talk to students in the programs you interview

with to see if the stipend received is sufficient for the costs of living where the school is located. If you do decide to apply, apply early. The goal of an MD-PhD program is to train physician-scientists. If a majority of a school’s MD-PhD graduates end up in full-time private practice, you should consider carefully and ask the school to explain, if they can, the misalignment. Many students use perceived prestige or US News and World Report rankings to decide where to go, like they may have done when applying to college. Do not put too much weight on those rankings.

Better to look at the school’s research financing, their rate of placement of graduates in NIH and other governmental research fellowships and career training grants. You may also consider the time it takes the average student to complete the program. The national average is about 8 years. With these factors and the advice above, you will be in good shape to find a program that suits your needs and will provide you the best route to your desired career. ¡

Dr. Anthony LaFondr is the MCAT Content Director at Next Step Test Preparation, a company that specializes in 1-on-1 tutoring for the MCAT. Dr. LaFond is an MD/ Ph.D. and has taught the MCAT for over a decade and has scored a 42 on the test himself.

Premedlife

F E AT U R E A RT I C L E

How Hard Is Medical School?

By Marilyn Chau

THE TRUTH ABOUT AT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER GETTING ACCEPTED

It’s long been said that learning information in medical school is like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. You simply can’t imbibe everything that is thrown at you, even if it’s thrown at you from the front of a large lecture hall by a lecturing doctor. At the same time, there still is a good deal of information that you do have to learn in medical school; the fire hydrant scenario holds some truth. It, however, is arguably not the only applicable medical school metaphor. When surveying a spectrum of first through fourth year medical students, their perspectives and advice on facing the difficulties of medical school was both terrifying and encouraging at all once.

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istockphoto © Paul-Daniel Florea

“I think medical school is kind of similar to playing tether ball back in elementary school,” reflects Nathan (a current second year medical student). “Only, it’s like the ball just keeps swinging your way, and instead of pounding the ball back towards your opponent, you’re basically just ducking and dodging the ball as it swings towards you constantly.” While his words don’t necessarily seem like the most encouraging bit of reflection at first, they do hold some strings of hope to hold onto. For one, Nate’s words show that even though that tether ball keeps swinging towards you, if you have deftness and endurance, you can stay in the game successfully. Medical school does not stop or slow down, except perhaps for your school year breaks (Christmas and spring break, your first two years) and summer break (between your first and second years). Towards the end of the game, things also slow down; fourth year at most schools is considered to be the “promised land” of medical school, with time for interviews and relaxing a little bit before the madness of intern years and residencies starts.

Another somewhat more appalling analysis of medical school life is brought to us from Steve, a third year medical student who compares the endurance and mental toughness of the battle of medical school to training for the Navy Seals. While obviously not anywhere nearly as grueling as Seal training, medical school does require its students to push through and work harder than they’ve probably ever had to work before; medical school is a

very different game from undergrad or other careers even. However, as with Nathan’s statement first, this comparison of medical school to a very grueling physical and mental challenge also has its bright side; even though it’s hard, it’s still doable. In fact, it’s so doable that there are many others who have gone before you (and who might possibly be your teachers,

residents, and attendings during your four years of medical school) and can show you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. As with any challenge, however, medical school will be hard, but it will also show you that you’re capable of far more than you ever thought you were.

Personally, as a medical student myself, I find that the marathon

analogy is really the best way to answer the question, “How hard is medical school?” Running 26.2 miles may sound like an impossible task to many people, but the fact remains that it’s entirely doable—and not only is it doable, but it’s also very possible for people to do it very well. The key to this success, however, lies in their training. A successful marathoner

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HOW HARD IS MEDICAL SCHOOL

trains his body by adding on mileage to his weekly runs, working up closer and closer to the actual race mileage; this is a physical task as well as a mental one, as running for hours on end can be very boring with plenty of opportunity for your tired mind to convince you of seemingly reasonable reasons to quit. In addition to long runs, a competitive marathon runner also works on improving his short sprinting muscles. Not only does doing so improve overall muscular strength to help prevent from running injuries, but it also gives him the power to be able to dig deep within himself and give himself an extra spurt of energy to push through the finish line on race day.

As with a marathon, “training” for medical school requires mental and physical toughness. How each student builds up this toughness will vary, depending on specific study methods. For most students, however, medical school success requires the ability to study for hours at a time for days in a row. Training for this might mean forcing yourself to focus and study until a timer goes off, setting goals for covering study materials in a day (and teaching yourself to stick by them), or creating a study schedule for yourself during which you gradually increase your study hour increments. Just like training for a marathon might mean different ways to get to the same goal, so prepping your mind to have the mental endurance and focus for medical school might mean training in different ways for different students.

In addition to training for the long study spells of medical school, just as with marathon training, successful medical students also know how to prepare their minds for short spurts of extra energy demands.

Specifically, even though medical school is always a “long run” race, its test weeks and finals periods are more of a time for sprinting. It may just be a sprint to the weekend, but in medical school, even a short two days off can seem like a glorious luxury. How hard is medical school? It’s as hard as a marathon, filled with a requirement for mental endurance but still completely doable if you’ve prepared yourself adequately.

Additionally, it is important to point out exactly what makes medical school so difficult. After all, many premeds are used to a demanding schedule with little time to do much else besides studying. As Brian, a current third year resident explains, “The material you learn in medical school is typically not any harder than what you might have to learn in an organic chemistry class. In fact, a lot of medical school’s concepts are pretty easy to grasp. The difficulty of medical school lies in the amount of material, not in the difficulty level of the concepts presented.”

His statement is something that I really have found true for myself. Medical school’s primary difficulty, at least for myself and for many of my friends, is mostly found in your constant battle against time. Time is needed to cover materials that you need to know. Time is needed to learn everything that you need to understand for your USMLE Step exams; even if material isn’t conceptually

difficult, the amount of material still requires you to make good use of your time at all times.

This means that for many students, the major struggle of medical school probably won’t lie in an inability to understand the concepts taught but in a difficulty to manage time wisely in order to allow for adequate time to study all materials. If studying all the time is what you were born to do, then this challenge of medical school probably won’t prove very difficult for you. However, if you’re like the majority of people, you’ll quickly realize that your mind (and body) simply can’t solely study. Your personal health thrives in a lifestyle when you’re active physically and taking times for other activities (like enjoying healthy eating) besides studying. Learning to find a balance between a dedicated study lifestyle and setting aside time for other healthy life choices is arguably one of the hardest challenges faced by medical school students.

While all this discussion of the difficulties of medical school might make it seem overwhelming to think about having to endure it all for a whole four years, medical student hopefuls should take heart. Even though medical school is four years from your white coat ceremony to your graduation day, it isn’t actually four years of focused studying day in and day out. Instead, the most intense years of your medical school studying career are the first two years. Following these first couple of years, most students then take their USMLE Step 1 exam prior to beginning the next half of their medical school experience.

This second half of medical school is made up of your “clinical years,” during which the majority of your time is actually spent in a hospital or other clinical settings. These years give students the opportunity to try out most of the major specialties of medicine prior to applying for residencies during their fourth year of school. In fact, for most students, the third year of medical school is the most difficult part of their clinical years—fourth years at most medical schools across the nation allow students more than ample time to travel to interviews and to sometimes take time off prior to graduation and the start of residencies.

What does all of this boil down to? Simply put, medical school is difficult.

This difficulty, however, lies primarily in the amount of material—not in the difficulty of said materials. Budgeting your time in medical school, and finding a way to lead a balanced lifestyle is often the hardest part of a medical student’s struggle, but even though medical school lasts for a total of four years, only the first two years of medical school are mostly focused on studying and testing in a traditional classroom environment. As a whole, medical school is challenging, but it’s far from impossible. It’s tough, but it’s doable if you’ve prepared your mind to focus. It’s long, but this focused studying part of it really isn’t as long as it might seem as first. For the dedicated, focused, determined premed student, medical school is just a challenging—but perfectly doable—step on the road to becoming an excellent physician. ¡

“Just like training for a marathon might mean different ways to get to the same goal, so prepping your mind to have the mental endurance and focus for medical school might mean training in different ways for different students.

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You’ll put your passion to work to help those in need, and you’ll gain experience you can’t find in other kinds of entry-level jobs. You’ll also receive:

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istockphoto / LeshkaSmok

28 | PreMedLife Magazine |January/February 2016

A closer look at why organic chemistry is the weed-out course for medical school candidates.

By ANDREW GOLISZEK

organic chemistry Ask any premed student and most will tell you that organic chemistry, especially organic chemistry II, is the toughest course that they’ve taken in college. At some schools, professors take pride in making this the weed-out course for potential medical students; and I’ve personally known good students who’ve given up on medicine just because of organic chemistry.

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Study hard, and study every day. The only way to get an A in organic chemistry is to spend at least 10 hours a week studying. If you’re not used to spending this much time on a single course, get used to it because it’s very easy to fall behind and get lulled into a false sense of security. Organic chemistry requires that you study and review every single day so that the material becomes familiar and less intimidating.

Understand, don’t memorize. One of the biggest mistakes students make when learning organic chemistry is trying to memorize everything. Naturally

Dr. Andrew Goliszek is the author of The New Medical School Preparation & Admissions Guide, 2016. He has been a premed advisor, research associate at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and winner of the NCA&T College of Arts & Sciences Faculty of the Year Award.

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istockphoto / tupungato

There are a few reasons for this. At there will be memorization involved, but one large university, where a thousand more important is your ability to really “The only way to get an freshmen wanted to go into medicine, a understand what’s going on so that you “A” in organic chemistry professor actually said that he needed to can solve problems that you’ve never seen weed out as many of the weak students before. Each concept in organic chemistry is to spend at least 10 as possible to make the advising and the builds upon previous principles, so get in hours a week studying.” application process more manageable. the habit of reviewing summaries and notes What school, according to the professor, from previous material as new material is wants to have hundreds of weak appliintroduced. cants who have no chance of getting into medical school? Another reason is that Draw out mechanisms. Even if you don’t organic chemistry requires more study have to draw out mechanisms to get an time than just about any other course, and answer, do so anyway. By drawing mechanaturally the weak students will drop out. nisms, you’ll get a better understanding of If a student can’t spend 10 or more hours the chemistry involved and you’ll become a week studying for a single course, there’s more intuitive. One of the best books I’ve no way that they’re going to get through seen for helping students visualize organic medical school. molecules is Pushing Electrons by Daniel The reason admissions committees Weeks. look closely at organic chemistry grades is that organic chemistry requires not only Work as many problems as possible. It’s memorization (although some claim that it not enough to read and understand the doesn’t) and lots of study time, but probmaterial. You have to work lots of problems lem solving skills. Even though you won’t in order to apply the concepts you learn. have to know much organic chemistry as a Always study with a pencil and paper, physician, the fact that you were able to do and never resort to the answer page until well in the course says a lot about 1) your you have seriously attempted to solve the study habits, 2) your motivation, drive, problem. When you get an answer wrong, and determination, and 3) your problem understand why. It’s not enough to read solving skills. through problems and look at the answers.

An A or B in organic chemistry tells You have to do the problems. the admissions committee members that you have what it takes to get through a Work in groups. Organic chemistry is one tough medical school curriculum. One of those courses where it’s helpful to study of the reasons that students do poorly in groups. Ask each other questions, solve in organic chemistry is that they have a problems together, and teach one another. preconceived notion that it’s the toughest If you can explain a concept to someone course they’ll ever take. That may be true else, then you know that you understand it. for some, but many students do very well in organic chemistry and actually find it Don’t wait to get help. Falling behind is fun and challenging. It doesn’t have to be one the biggest reasons for failure, so as the hell-on-earth class that everyone dreads soon as you encounter problems, go see the and that many fail. It could actually be instructor or tutor for help. Don’t underthe course that makes you a much better estimate the value of extra help sessions. If applicant and helps you do well on the they’re offered, go to them, ask questions, MCAT. The following are 6 ways to make and review what you’ve learned. It’s hard to organic chemistry easier and keep it from catch up in organic chemistry once you’ve being the weed-out course that will keep you out of medical school: fallen behind, so the best way to do well is to try to get ahead of the class and look for help at the first sign of trouble.

Don’t believe the hype. Many students go into organic chemistry scared out of The way in which you learn and practice organic chemistry will be very their wits simply because they’ve been told that it’s the toughest course they’ll beneficial to the way you’ll learn material in medical school. Courses such as ever encounter. Some professors also scare students into believing this. Although medical biochemistry, pharmacology (which has a lot of organic compounds), it is a tough course, it doesn’t have to be any more difficult than other science microbiology, and pathology all involve concepts that build on each other, classes if you apply yourself and study hard. The material to be mastered in ormuch like in organic chemistry. Perhaps this is why admissions committees ganic chemistry doesn’t change, only the way professors teach it. So go into the believe that doing well in organic prepares you for the way you’ll have to think class expecting to spend a lot of time studying and reviewing, and then study. and approach classes in medical school. ¡

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MED SCHOOL DIARIES

The First Time You Watch a Patient Die A student reflects on a unique experience during her medical school training

I

t is late at night but you have no idea what time it is because you have been sitting in the Emergency Department for hours. You cannot even remember what time your shift started. Was it 8 or 9pm? Your stomach grumbles out loud but no one seems to hear. Everyone is consumed by patient records on their computers and no one seems to even get hungry. The packed snacks disappear though whenever you come back into the room. You ask the Doctor you are working with about the patient you have just seen. He dips his hand into his left pocket, pulls out a kit-kat, offers you one, and says it does not look great for her. You see, this is a 78 year old woman who had a heart attack 3 days ago but came in today because her chest pain would not get better.

She tells me she was watching TV three days ago when she felt a sharp pang in her chest and subsequently her left arm went numb and felt painful. She thought maybe it was indigestion because she had something different to eat that day. She got a couple of Tums and continued to watch her shows, not thinking twice whether this could be something worse. She is after all a generally healthy 78 year old only on three medications of which one is Vitamin D. She comes into the Emergency Department via ambulance with unrelenting chest pain and says that she feels like she cannot breathe. We try to figure out what is going on and they come in and do a quick EKG (short for electrocardiogram) in order to see if she is having a heart attack. You are sitting in the room as the results of the EKG are being printed. The nurse hands you the EKG and even as a medical student you know that it looks off. You smile at the patient and tell her you will be right back. Your pace quickens as you search for the Doctor and when you finally see him, he can tell there is a look of alarm written all over your face. He stops what he is doing and follows your lead.

You pull out the EKG and show him. A concerned look comes over his face and you realize this is one of those times you hoped maybe even wished that your interpretation of the EKG was incorrect. From your right, you hear the sound of an alarm go off in the direction that you just came from.

The Doctor looks over at you and gives you a questioning look wondering if it is possible that Mrs. A could have anything to do with the alarm that just went off. We rush

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istockphoto © Wavebreakmedia

over to Mrs. A’s room and see a crowd gathered inside and outside the room. The Doctor and I push through the crowd and see other Doctor’s already surrounding Mrs. A who are trying to figure out what is going on. I jump in line behind the nurse who is performing CPR and in two minutes it will be my turn to perform CPR. When the nurse in front of me finishes a two minute round of CPR I am up next to perform. You do not realize how tiring CPR can be especially when you are not a 6 foot guy. As I am performing CPR, one of the Doctor’s has figured out that there is blood surrounding the heart. All I can think is how did this happen in just a matter of a couple of minutes. I literally left Mrs. A just a couple of minutes ago and we were laughing about something. She was completely fine and yet in the span of literally 2-3 minutes she was now lying on this hospital bed in the Emergency Department being given CPR by a medical student.

Later while discussing Mrs. A with the Doctor, we talk about how the EKG showed the presence of a heart attack that occurred a couple of days ago. So what must have happened was she had yet another heart attack when I left her to go find the Doctor. Since she had a heart attack a couple of days ago it weakened her heart and then when she had another heart attack sitting in the Emergency Department the weakened part of her heart burst open and caused blood to accumulate around her heart. If this happens for too long it can cause the heart to not be able to pump blood to the rest of the body. This is exactly what happened to Mrs. A. By the time they figured there was blood around her heart, too much blood had accumulated, and even removing the blood was unable to do anything for Mrs. A. I performed the last round of CPR for Mrs. A before they decided to stop and pronounce her dead. In the haste of the situation, the first round of nurses that came in actually redirected Mrs. A’s husband and daughter into the bathroom while the Doctor’s were attending to Mrs. A. As I stepped away from Mrs. A, my heart slowly shuddered because I remember that Mrs. A’s husband and daughter were just a couple of feet away in shock, fear, and anxiety listening to the medical terms being thrown out and not knowing what was going on. As Mrs. A’s husband and daughter stepped out of the bathroom all they saw was Mrs. A lying on the bed defeated. The look on Mrs. A’s husband’s face when he saw his wife lying lifeless was heartbreaking. He broke down right in front of the Doctor and I. He could not believe that she was gone. He knew this day would come but he never thought it would be so sudden. He always imagined a struggle towards death, never such a sudden drifting away of a person. He told me how she is the only woman he has ever been with since the age of 16. He had been with her for 62 years and cannot imagine a day without her.

As I walk away, the Doctor comes up to me and asks if I am okay and if I have ever seen a patient pass away. In an attempt to appear strong I tell him I am doing more than okay and have seen plenty of patients pass away. Little does he know that Mrs. A is the first patient to ever pass away in front of me. The Doctor gives me a pat on the back and thanks me for my help with the patient. I look up at the clock and see that there are still a couple of hours left in my shift and surprisingly I feel fine. I go to see other patients after the passing of Mrs. A and finally it is time to get ready to go home. It has been such a tiring night and I am ready to jump in my bed. As I am driving home I remember Mrs. A and her warm personality. I think of her being so full of life. I think of her laughing at a joke I said right before I left her room. I think of her husband and daughter sitting in the bathroom overhearing the noises just outside in the room. I think of her body lying motionless and it is my turn to break down. There is an overwhelming desire to cry and I have to pull over to clear my head. I sit right there on the side of the road paralyzed thinking about Mrs. A. Was there anything I could have done differently to change the outcome? I cannot help but think this way. When I am ready to drive again I go back to my apartment and have to talk about Mrs. A to my roommates and my family.

In trying to act like Mrs. A’s passing did not bother me, I actually was affected more. Mrs. A was the very first patient I ever saw pass away and in trying to act like it was no big deal, it made me feel even worse. In some cases, I should have allowed myself to experience my natural feeling of sadness and remorse upon the passing of Mrs. A. Although I did not know her well, the small amount of time I had spent with her left a mark on me. It is so important to take time to understand your feelings and let yourself be content with how you feel. This goes back to your life as a premed student because there will be times when you are obnoxiously busy trying to learn information and you may receive some bad news about a family member.

Do not just continue on with studying and submerging in your work, take some time to evaluate yourself and give yourself time to be remorseful. The passing away of someone right in front of your eyes is a completely different experience that you cannot prepare for and the first time it happens to you, allow yourself to feel what you want to feel. ¡

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CHRONICLES

MEDICAL SCHOOL CHRONICLES

istockphoto © CHAIWATPHOTOS

Premedlife

Desiree is a third year medical student currently on rotations

H

ello everyone, my name is Desiree and I’m halfway through my 3rd year. During my medical education, I’ve utilized my knowledge and teaching experience to become a tutor in various subjects. I’ve assisted students before medical school as well, and I bring my passion for teaching outside the classroom into the wards. Some of the most common questions I get when I sit with students are: How do I prepare for Subject X? I’ve got X books, which ones are good?

The last test didn’t go so well, what do I do?

How did you get such a good grade in X? The answers to these questions are varied per individual, but there are some common themes I feel could be stated here to help you all.

One of the most difficult tasks when entering medical school is adjusting to the academic demands. In undergraduate education, students follow a particular study method allowing them to succeed. However, when coming to medical school, the academic demand is similar to the wave scene in the Interstellar movie. The workload is large, and it’s coming quickly without stopping.

That being said, those who dedicate themselves to working with the material rather then against it will succeed. Below are some tips and tricks I’ve told students about various courses, Boards, and the clinical years. Before delving into each particular subject, let’s pause for a moment for a few universal tips: Know yourself. How and where do you best learn? Do you enjoy working in groups or by yourself? Do you prefer visual information, video guides, textbooks or diagrams? Do you benefit from lecture hall or independent study? The answers to these questions will vary per subject, don’t think this is a bad thing. Some classes I deeply enjoyed attending lecture for, others required my own time where I could be in a quiet environment to think. What matters in the end is your performance in the subjects, not how you achieve your knowledge in them.

Know others around you. Say you feel solid on information in a particular class, see if you can teach that same material to a colleague who may be struggling with it.

This is where my tutoring came in handy immensely. Students may not have ever been exposed to the material you’ve learned, give them the knowledge and refresh your own by teaching them. Not only could you get paid for doing this, you also are assessing your true mastery of a subject by giving its knowledge to another. You also prepare yourself for the day when a patient sits in front of you, and the knowledge you obtain is vital when explaining a diagnosis, laboratory studies, prognosis, or

physical exam.

Know what’s coming for you. There is an excellent quote in one of my favorite books, “The Art of War” that states, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Do not be afraid of not knowing, take this as a chance to find out what you need. Do not become prideful or egotistical about what you do know, remember you were once without that knowledge. Use your mastery for good, apply it for your dreams and where you see yourself. Now for some particular subjects: ANATOMY: One of the more challenging subjects in medical school, students I teach either love or hate this subject. Each school teaches Anatomy in very different ways, thus there is no one written way to master the material. Some tips are: Start early. If you have lectures on anatomical subjects and clinical correlations to this subject, start studying them early. Break each lecture down into small pieces, work with chunks of material until you can start linking them together. For a nerve, can you tell me where it comes from and goes to? What happens when that nerve is severed? For a muscle, what does it do? What other muscles near it function in the same or opposite way? For an artery or vein, where does it branch from? What is its purpose, is it deadly if it bleeds out? Know where everything is first, then study the clinical correlations to that part of the body and explain to me (or your partner) why this correlation happens.

34 | PreMedLife Magazine |January/February 2016

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Practice. Each school should have a cadaver lab, and the lab should not be for just a few hours of dissection. Lab sessions themselves can be chaotic, go when the lab is empty and you can think. Focus on a particular section of the body (or part, like muscles or nerves) and practice identifying these on your body. Then find another body of the opposite sex (this is especially important in the Pelvic region) and practice again. Once you feel comfortable, have a study session with a small group and quiz one another. Practice makes perfect, and more importantly, retention.

PHYSIOLOGY: Sometimes offered in partner with Anatomy, and sometimes a course on its own, this is the story of the body when everything goes right. Treat this as such, tell me the story of how a particular organ works on its own and as part of a larger system.

Explain to me (and maybe one day your patient) how the heart normally beats and how this shows up on an EKG in the pattern it does. Tell me how muscles contract and why electrolyte levels are so crucial in this process. How does the food you eat get digested and why? How do neurons speak to one another, and with what neurotransmitter? This is the chance to be a story teller or chef, tell me how this system works from start to finish (like a heartbeat) or follow the recipe to reach an end product (digestion and absorption). As stated earlier, when you feel comfortable knowing the material, teach it to another person. If there are practice questions available, utilize them (be it from a textbook or teacher). It’s one part to understand the story of proper bodily function, it’s another to decipher it when given a clinical question about it or what happens when this function goes awry. This leads me to my next subject…

PATHOLOGY: This class was not offered to me until 2nd year, but regardless of when or how it’s offered, this is the counterpart to Physiology. Understanding how the body works properly will make this, the study of the body gone wrong, much easier to understand. To really get the most from this class, link this with Physiology. Let’s take the example of an MI (myocardial infarction, heart attack). Review how the heart conducts and contracts, then explain what happens when parts of this system go wrong. You block vessel X, what part suffers in what way? How does this affect the electrical system, and thus show up on an EKG? What symptoms will the patient have, and why?

Another example: Pancreatic Insufficiency . Review from Physiology how this organ functions, what triggers it to do so, and how this plays a role in absorbing what we need to function. Now destroy this system (diabetes, pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis) and explain how this will affect the organ, but also the person in what way. What will they suffer from in 1 year, 5, or for life? Linking the two subjects together will not only help you recall the right and wrong of the body, but well prepare you for the Boards and Wards. Patients will often question what went wrong, it’s your job to explain to them what happened and what could be done about this. Pathology is not a vacuum of information, it’s interlinked with bodily function and what we can do to correct it, which leads me to my next subject….

PHARMACOLOGY: This was offered mainly in 2nd year, so as stated before each school has its own way of teaching this matter. However, here is your chance to study this like a language.

First, what’s it called? What endings match each drug? What category is it (antibiotic, anesthesia, pain killer)?

Second, what’s it do? Where in the body or bacteria does it act?

Third, working and wasting takes how long? How long does the patient need to take the medicine before an effect comes into play?

How is this drug eliminated from the body, and how is that clinically relevant if that elimination system does not work properly (example: kidney or liver failure)?

Fourth, what should the patient be on the lookout for? What side effects does this drug have, and if the patient experiences them, is there another drug that could be given instead? If a patient is already on medications, does this new medicine cause any interactions? Example, some medications cause birth control to not function as effectively, due to the liver having to work with the medicine and birth control pill. Rifampin does this, and if the patient is not told about this interaction, she could obtain an unwanted pregnancy! Second, a patient on nitrates after his MI should not be taking Viagra (sildenafil), as this could cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. ¡ >>> To read the complete article, visit www.premedlife.com.

Desiree Hykes is a third year medical student currently on Rotations. She is an experienced tutor in subjects like Anatomy, Pathology, and the Boards. She also was a Student Ambassador for her medical school and is a current Student Ambassador for Figure 1, a medical and educational website. During Rotations she works in the Emergency Room once a week for additional training. She is pursuing a Trauma Surgery specialty, and in her free time she enjoys reading, writing, and sewing.

January/February 2016 | PreMedLife Magazine |35

LO O K I N G F O R WA R D

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istockphoto Š Rawpixel Ltd

Premedlife

istockphoto © Rawpixel Ltd

are you a

“real” premed?

T

he question warrants asking, considering the high percentage of students who start out their undergraduate careers with a premed designation on their major tracks versus the relatively low percentage of students who actually graduate from undergrad having completed all their premed requirements. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with a need to change your major or choose another career track—college, after all, is a great place to discover your strengths and interests—there are also a few things that “true” premeds tend to have in common that sets them apart from those who switch out to another career choice during undergrad. The following questions, when answered correctly, are what sets real pre-meds apart from the crowd: Are you willing to sacrifice fun for focusing?

As anyone knows, the premed track is definitely not for the faint of heart. Science courses tend to be difficult, particularly when you’re studying “higher” premed requirements like organic chemistry. Because of this, you’ll most likely be spending a good deal of your time studying for tests; unlike high school where a decent percentage of your grade in a class might come from homework assignments, grades at the collegiate level typically are based primarily on exam scores, at least for science courses. Because of this, doing well on exams is essential to maintaining a competitive GPA. On top of simply studying for a busy schedule loaded with science courses, premed tracks are also filled with long lab hours. While there’s always a chance and a hope that you will get out of a lab early, there’s also the chance that you’ll be stuck filtering your chemistry product for the full four hours. Additionally, competitive premeds are often involved in numerous extracurricular activities, from volunteering around a city to leading biology clubs to contributing to undergraduate research projects. When it all adds up, a true premed will find that he or she will have to commit most of his/her time to focusing on having a competitive medical school application. While this certainly doesn’t mean that true premeds never have time for fun, it does mean that you’ll probably need to say “no” to some undergrad events at times.

Are you interested in medicine because you care about people?

Saying “I want to go into medicine because I want to help people,” has long been mocked as the cliché medical school admission essay statement, but there’s a flip side to this as well.

While saying “I want to help people” is far from a strong argument for convincing an admissions committee why you’re a unique applicant, being someone who simply doesn’t care about

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LO O K I N G F O R WA R D

humanitarian causes really won’t help you during the long nights of studying either. Specifically, if an interest in the potential of earning a relatively high paycheck is your primary reason for wanting to go into medicine, then there’s a good chance that you’ll drop off the premed track sooner or later. There are other career tracks where a passion for money can be a better source of motivation than the field of medicine. If you really want to go into medicine, caring about people is a must.

Is taking a summer course or having to taking a heavy load of courses within a quarter/semester an option for you?

It’s true—you can be a premed concentration in any major, science or non-science. The “premed” designation simply means that you are someone who completes the required premedical school courses, including basic biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Other courses like calculus are often recommended for having a competitive application as well. While it’s obviously easiest to fit these premed courses into a biology, chemistry, or other science major, it still is definitely possible to be majoring in anything and attend medical school; you just need to be able to fit these courses into your schedule somehow. For some students, this might mean taking an extra heavy load of courses during a semester; for others, it might mean fulfilling some of their premed coursework requirements over a summer break. Whatever the requirements may be, true premeds will be dedicated to staying on the premed track, even if it means that completing their undergrad degrees takes extra time or money.

If you find yourself with time between undergraduate school and medical school, what will you do with it?

While some students dream of completing their medical degrees by the time they’re 26 or 27, the truth remains that statistically this isn’t very likely.

The average entrance age of a first year medical student is older than that of an average college graduate. This means that many students end up taking “gap years” in between completing college and enrolling in medical school. For some, this simply means that they take the liberty to defer their already offered enrollment for a year. For others, this means that they are still needing to get accepted into medical school.

For those who fall into the latter camp, the answer to this question (What will you do with any time between undergrad and med school?) is really important for determining how likely they are to ever eventually enroll in medical school. If they are taking a year off to prepare for and take the MCAT (or even retake the MCAT), then they need to ar-

range their schedules so that they have time to aptly study for it. If they are taking time to earn money through employment, then they ideally should be employed in a science or medically-related field, either through research labs or through a healthcare career opportunity. As a whole, students who intentionally spend any time between undergrad and medical school in such a way that it enhances their applications are much more likely to be considered serious premeds than those who do not use their time intentionally.

Have you created a strong base of encourage-

“The average entrance age of a first year medical student is older than that of an average college graduate” ment for yourself?

The saying “You are who your friends are,” holds some truth when you’re a premed. While it definitely does not mean that you can only surround yourself with people who are also premed majors, it does mean that you should be intentional in your friendships. Being a premed major is not easy, and you’ll need to have friends that are there to encourage you to push through studying when they might be out partying. (You’ll also need friends who know when to pull you away from your books for a good study break too though!) Medical school is much, much harder than undergrad, and having a strong base of friends who believe in you and your dreams is crucial to your success.

On top of having a good group of friends, seek out mentors who will be good influences for your path to medical school. This can include doctors and other healthcare professionals who were once in your boots. It can also include other adults in other

professions that are willing to hold you accountable to following through with your goals, even when things get tough.

Are you intentionally exposing yourself to the healthcare practice?

Whether you’re applying to DO schools or MD programs, a requirement across the nation is that of shadowing experiences. Ideally, a shadowing experience should overflow into medically-related volunteer work or possibly even a medically-related employment opportunity prior to enrolling in medical school. Schools look for premed candidates who not only are capable in the classroom (as shown through their MCAT scores and GPAs) but also are knowledgeable of what the groundwork of a physician’s life really looks like. Being a real premed goes beyond just being a student of your college; it extends into being a student of the healthcare field as well.

What will you do if you aren’t accepted into medical school on your first try? This question, perhaps even more than any of the other ones, really is the one that separates serious from non-serious premeds. Generally speaking, premedical students are those who are used to doing well; they often haven’t had to deal with facing rejection. Medical school, however, is an entirely different playing field from undergrad, and there are many excellent premed candidates who for some reason or another are not accepted on their first tries. What they choose to do then is really what determines whether or not they will someday be wearing a white coat as a medical doctor.

Reapplying is an obvious step for anyone who has been rejected but still truly wants to be a physician. The steps that students take to ensure that they eventually do receive an acceptance letter, however, are what determines the likelihood of that acceptance ever happening. This requires a careful evaluation on the part of the student to determine what might have been the reason for the lack of an acceptance letter, and is also requires taking appropriate steps to address those issues for the next admissions cycle.

Overall, declaring yourself a “premed” major takes relatively little work. However, actually following through all of the premed requirements take a good amount of commitment, both to being focused in your studies and to being focused on making good friendship decisions. While this list is not a guarantee for success as a premed, it still is a good series of questions to run by yourself in determining just how serious you are in your desire to one day become a successful physician. ¡

38 | PreMedLife Magazine |January/February 2016

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Premedlife

Motivational Medicine

By Ervin Anies, USNA ‘18

Pre-med. This term is synonymous with sleepless nights, caffeinated mornings and the occasional mental breakdown due to our hectic schedules. I myself am among those privileged few, and now being in my sophomore year at a small school in Maryland I have come to a few realizations about the life we all chose to live.

Understanding that there are many exceptions to the rule (i.e. high IQ’s and academic geniuses to name a few), then you are stuck with me and the other 90% of pre-meds: “the hard workers”. There are many nights where I look at the unforgiving clock and think “is this really what I want?” It is at those very moments where you have to dig real deep and push through in order to keep going.

Being a Pre-Med is hard and no one ever said that it was either easy or a guarantee, but that’s just it. As future doctors we have to understand that on those operating tables and in those waiting rooms we will experience the most heartbreaking moments of our lives when we fail to meet expectations. And it is that same bitter taste of failure that resonates with

us on our exams and quizzes that we must learn to look forward to, as an opportunity to fuel both our motivation and success. Yes, it sucks, but unless we learn to “embrace the suck” failure will forever be our one weakness.

I apologize about that first paragraph (I admit it is a bit gloomy to start off an article with), but it brings me to next point which is on humility.

I cannot tell you how many times in high school that I thought that life would be this easy and Undergrad/Medical School would be a breeze, boy was I wrong. I remember staring at my first semester’s transcript and thinking that I was way in over my head to think that it would be as easy as high school, it smacked me right back into reality.

And over the course of finding my confidence again I realized that hubris was my downfall and only by being humble could I ever recapture success.

Humility, especially as doctors is an extremely vital trait to have especially in the field(s) that we aspire to go into. Sure, everyone wants to be “that guy or girl” but the truth is that we are not and in the end

it is our own actions that speak the loudest.

But perhaps the most profound thing that I learned in my time as a Pre-Med has been to “just be myself ”, and you should as well. Many of us strive to be the 4.0 GPA 40 on the MCAT student that we think that Medical Schools look for but 50 years down the road when you are the one donning your own white coat, will you honestly be able to say that you did it “your way?” To be the best doctor, you have to be you. There is no one like you and that is what Medical Schools are looking for; past all of the scores and rankings they want to know if you will be a great addition to the medical field that they represent. Your uniqueness is what will make you the best physician that you possibly can be and the sooner that you realize that the better off you will be in making your journey into medical school. So remember: “embrace the suck”, stay humble, and be yourself. So grab yourself another cup of coffee, crack open those notes and let’s continue on this journey together because the world needs curing and it all begins with you. ¡

42 | PreMedLife Magazine |January/February 2016

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