I think that I’m going to stop visiting the Pre-Allopathic forum section of the Student Doctor site. I’m going to stop visiting the MCAT forum too. People are way to stressed out on those forums. It really doesn’t make any sense. In the MCAT forum, they ask questions about every little thing, and me who hasn’t taken the MCAT yet starts to get anxious because everyone else on the forum is anxious.
Another thing that pisses me off is all the talk of affirmative action on the pre-allopathic forum. Everytime I see one of those threads I just stay away. People get WWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY too worked up about this. Yes, affirmative action is sometimes unfair to those it doesn’t apply to. Personally, I feel that I can get into whatever school I want to based on my hard earned credentials. But the sad truth of the matter is that just because of my race, there will be instances when my credentials won’t matter. Just a thought, why am I the only black diary writer on student doctor? I’m not at all accusing Dan and Brian about anything, but it is interesting. Everyone inside is slightly prejudice, AA is there to protect URMs against that. Yes, asians and whites, affirmative action many times slaps you in the face, I’m sorry. But it’s not going anywhere either. Instead of complaining about it, make yourself stand out by doing mission work, or by feeding the homeless every weekend. Something that proves that you’re more than just a brain, but you’re a future doctor that actually cares about human beings. I think the pre-allopathic forum would be a hell of a lot better if people stopped complaining about why did this person get in. Focus on why you didn’t get in, it’s not just because you are a overrepresented minority, but its because you are an overrepresented minority who didn’t have anything else to bring to the plate like ridiculous shadowing experience, or ridiculously good mission work, or ridiculously good musical talent, or ridiculously good artistic skills, etc. You just need something that is ridiculously good other than your MCAT scores and your GPAs, cause too many ORMs have those. I’m done ranting about that. I’m sure I’ll get a bunch of nasty comments from those that didn’t get in , but I guess that’s part of being a diary writer. So many people read these things that you’re bound to offend someone. If you want to know where I stand, I plan to get into wherever I’m going because of what I’ve achieved. But at some schools, AA is needed; its not going away, stop complaining.
I got my poster printed at Children’s Hospital today. It looks so (for lack of better words) pretty. It’s even prettier because I got it printed for free. I chuckled when I got it because it looks so professional that it looks that I actually accomplished something this summer researchwise. For those premeds out there, don’t be scared away from research because of my extremely negative attitude towards it. If you have the right personality, research will be heaven for you; but I don’t have it, and I hate it. My poster presentation is tomorrow at 12 noon, so pray for me; I might actually be asked some questions by the judges.
I went to shadow a emergency medicine doctor last night. I couldn’t stay long because his shift is from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. I just couldn’t hang with those kind of hours. But from what I saw while I was there, I was impressed. The first cool thing about ER docs is that, if you work at a level 1 trauma center, you get to where a flight suit and go up in the helicopter. Its so cool!!! They look like fighter pilots, but they are ER docs. Another cool thing about them is that they see so many different patients during the course of a day, so you are presented with many different medical puzzles to figure out. The only thing I noticed that I didn’t like was the length of patient contact. You really only spend at the most about 15 minutes with each patient, then you send them home (after you’ve figured out whats wrong with them and helped them of course). But it really seemed like the trauma surgeons had more long lasting patient contact. That may be because their patients are usually really sick and have to stay in the hospital longer, but regardless, they still spend more time with their patients than ER docs do.
I went today to talk to Dr. Davis, who is the only black surgeon in the UC hospital system, and who also happens to sit on the admissions committee. But he was called to the OR, and had to cancel our appointment. But I got to talk to another attending who was more than happy to write me a recommendation. A word of advice to the premeds; always, and I mean always form friendships with the big guys. And I don’t mean kiss up to them until they like you, but show a genuine interest in what they do, and they will write you a huge recommendation. The trauma surgeon I was shadowing graduated from Northwestern University, and happens to be real cool with the dean of admissions. Guess who’ll be writing me a special recommendation when I apply!!! The biggest piece of advice I have is NETWORKING; do it, love it, do it some more. It’ll get you places you never thought you’d be.
One of the girls who’s in my research program just got engaged!!! Now I know that guys usually don’t get excited about stuff like that, but I honestly can’t wait to get engaged. I’ve already been thinking of ways to propose (he he he). But I have a question for you girls out there, do you care whether the diamond is a .50 carat or a 1 carat? Does the size of the stone matter, or the beauty? Cause I’m pretty sure I’ll be broke when ring buying time comes around, and I don’t think I’ll be able to afford the size he got her (it was a 1 carat diamond, set on platinum).
One of the ER docs explained to me the condition they thought the 16 yr. old who got shot had. They thought that he might have developed a cardiac tamponade. Here’s what I recall him saying: For most structures in the body, you have 2 outer layers. A visceral layer which is around the organs and a parietal layer which is more so on the chest wall. The heart also has a visceral and parietal layer. In between those layers (in the heart) is a potential space, which is filled with just enough fluid to reduce friction. When, for some reason, too much fluid fills that space it increases the rigidity and pressure of the heart. When the heart is too rigid it can no longer relax in its normal cycle. During a normal cardiac cycle, the ventricles relax so that they can fill up with blood to pump out again. When, because of a cardiac tamponade, the heart can’t relax, the ventricles can’t fill up with as much blood as it normally does, therefore the efficiency of the systemic circulation is greatly decreased and the whole body isn’t perfused well. This is called a cardiac tamponade. When the 16 yr. old got shot, the bullet lodged itself either into or right beside his medistinum (the space surrounding his heart). This might have caused abnormal bleeding in his pericardial cavity, possibly increasing the fluid level in between his 2 layers, and causing a cardiac tamponade. They had to rush him to the OR to make sure this wasn’t the case.
That’s just a little info in case any of yall get shot in or near the heart and wonder what might be happening to you (just kidding). I’m tired of typing and think I might be developing carpal tunnel syndrome; I’ll bill you guys my medical costs (he he he).
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