Aspiring Surgeon

Hi! I'm Stefan, and i'm studying medicine in hopes of becoming a heart surgeon.

[study-medicine-with-stefan]

Where are you from?

Russia/Norway!

[littlewoman-bigdreams]

Must Have’s while working in the medical field.

This list is tailored more so for hospital and long term care shifts, but can fit for any type of work and shift!

Running Shoes

Nursing type clogs are very popular, but they don’t agree with my back! So if you’re the same type of person, I recommend Adidas Running shoes! I work in the OR, these shoes cant be out of the surgery wing so dirt isn’t a problem… But I went with all black for other sanitary (or sanity…) reasons. The color doesn’t change WHATS on your shoes, but blood is hard to see on black shoes so it’s more so a mental thing! Also, try to have a spare pair.

Active Jacket

I am a cold person, but I don’t want to be sweatinf if I have to take off running or get into a situation where I can’t just stop to take off an overly warm jacket. In the OR we are provided scrub jackets, but I loved this running jacket in long term care.

Watch

I have an old fashioned ticking watch, but if you struggle to translate that into 24 hour time, invest in a digital watch where you can always have the 24 hour time on your wrist! But, make sure it blinks, has a timer, or something, to make taking vitals easier.

Coffee Mug

This one is a given… I stick to a small coffee mug so that I don’t find myself drinking an entire pot of coffee in the first hour at work, but again this is personal preference. I woukd suggest getting a cup that can double as a coffee cup and ice water cup.

Copper Braces

This is one that I wish more people would have told me about! I know we are all young and don’t think about it yet, but you will. And our bodies should be our first priority. Invest in good, discrete back and knee braces! I LOVE copper fit compression ones. This job is hard and your body will thank you in 20 years (even in 5 years).

Planner

Medical professionals lead busy lives. Planners make it so much less stressful. Try not to rely so much on your phone calender/timer. Writing things done makes organizing mentally so much better and you can use planners for so much more. Lists, random notes, writings, etc. And they’re not banned on the floor.

Pens

ALL OF THE PENS. SMOOTH WRITING ONES. BLACK. SO MANY PENS.

Stethoscope

This one is iffy. Stethoscopes are NOT necessary especially if you are not taking vitals. If you dont have to spend 80-200 dollars on a stethoscope yet, don’t! Your time will come to wear it proudly, don’t rush it. And littman is not the only good brand out there. I prefer MDF, for both the price and quality.

Compression socks

Life. Savers. Wear these one time and watch/feel your life and body change. That is all.

Glass Tupperware

Invest in glass tupperware with seperaters for easy meal prep. Heavy duty glass can be hot, cold, or both and is can be microwaved/ovened/dishwashed. Plus it’s so much easier to clean if you leave a little somethin somethin in your bag for a little too long.

Okay guys… I hope this helps! Feel free to reblog and add your own must haves! I’m always looking for more things to make life and long shifts easier!

[tobeagenius]

How Do Medicines Work?

part 1 here

[medicalstudentlife97]

BEST MNEMONIC EVER

(also my regular expression in semester)

source: insta @neet.usmle.centre 

[er-cryptid]

My mom pronounces acetaminophen like “I said a muffin”

[biomedicool]

Penicillin

Penicillin is a widely used antibiotic prescribed to treat staphylococci and streptococci bacterial infections. 

beta-lactam family 

Gram-positive bacteria = thick cell walls containing high levels of peptidoglycan

gram-negative bacteria = thinner cell walls with low levels of peptidoglycan and surrounded by a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) layer that prevents antibiotic entry 

penicillin is most effective against gram-positive bacteria where DD-transpeptidase activity is highest.

Examples of penicillins include:

amoxicillin

ampicillin

bacampicillin

oxacillin

penicillin

Mechanism(s)

Penicillin inhibits the bacterial enzyme transpeptidase, responsible for catalysing the final peptidoglycan crosslinking stage of bacterial cell wall synthesis.

Cells wall is weakened and cells swell as water enters and then burst (lysis)

Becomes permanently covalently bonded to the enzymes’s active site (irreversible)

Alternative theory: penicillin mimics D-Ala D-Ala

Or may act as an umbrella inhibitor

Resistance

production of beta-lactamase - destroys the beta-lactam ring of penicillin and makes it ineffective (eg Staphylococcus aureus - most are now resistant)

In response, synthetic penicillin that is resistant to beta-lactamase is in use including egdicloxacillin, oxacillin, nafcillin, and methicillin. 

Some is resistant to methicillin - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).  

Demonstrating blanket resistance to all beta-lactam antibiotics -extremely serious health risk.

[intellibujo-blog]

Happy Sunday! 💓

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I make my notes and how I keep everything clear and organized, so I’ve compiled a quick list of some of my habits and tricks that keep my notes in order:

Use different coloured pens.

Personally, I use black for regular notes; blue or purple for what I consider “side notes” (i.e. extra information, examples, etc.); and red for key terms or concepts that I will need to remember the most. Keeping an organized colour theme helps when you go back to study for the exam, because it is a visual reminder of the least and most important bits of information!

Give each highlighter a specific purpose.

Depending on the notebook and course, I often switch up my highlighter plans ~ for no particular reason other than to keep myself entertained 😋 But I like to set one colour for, say, Chapter/Sub-unit headers, names, historical dates, etc. That way when your eyes are going quickly through your notes, you can easily locate the beginning or end of a particular topic. And as a very visual person, having a lot of different colours in my notes keeps me focused and less overwhelmed.

Make important headers stand out.

For me, this usually means a particular colour (like a blue highlighter) or some sort of border around the title. My easy go-to is the bubbly-border shown above. Make it easy on yourself when trying to locate a topic!

Print out and tape/glue key tables and diagrams.

Obviously this is more work than some people might be interested in, and often depends on the course. These are my pharmacology notes, so I didn’t need to print out so often that it drove me crazy. One way to alleviate this is by planning ahead and leaving space in your notebook for where you want a particular table/diagram to go, and then printing them all at the same time. It’s not for everyone, but I like the option when I know I will have to remember certain diagrams or tables!

Don’t try to fill up space.

If you end up with a short paragraph or lots of room on the sides, leave it be. The best way to study later on is by going through your notes and adding little extra pieces of information to solidify your understanding. For me, this often means writing definitions in the top margin of my pages… not ideal for neat-ness, but who cares! Your notes are meant to be filled up.

Don’t stress about imperfections.

If you find yourself hating how big and sloppy your writing has become, move on. The worst thing you can do for yourself is waste time rewriting information you already know. If you need to use white-out, use the white-out; if you need to cross out a word, scribble away! Your notes are your own domain and they do not need to be flawless.

I’m sure I’ll think of more tips and tricks, but that’s all for now. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask! We’re all in this together 🤓🤓🤓

Much love xx

[thewriterkb]

Medical pills dissolving in water. Are there any other pills or tablets that would be cool to watch dissolve? 💊💊⠀

Via Macro Room

[gomedorgohome]

Pharmacology can be challenging. Any tips for making the subject more bearable?

Fun fact: at my university, pharmacology is considered to be both the most important and the most difficult subject during our time as medstudents, so believe me I understand finding it challenging. Here are some rules I try to stick by, in order to make studying it more effective and bearable- hope something helps!

1. Go to every class prepared (at least a little bit)Read something about the topic you’ll be covering in class before you have it- sure, maybe you won’t understand everything, but believe me, it will be much easier to pay attention in class and actually learn something when you won’t be hearing about certain mechanisms and drugs for the very first time

2. Ask questions until you understand completely If you don’t understand something don’t be ashamed to ask- chances are your professors heard that question before and can explain it much simpler then it is explained in a textbook. Remember- they are there to help you learn and when it comes to pharmacology fully understanding all the processes and mechanisms is key

3. Find a study method that works for you In every other subject I study by making pretty detailed notes, but when it comes to pharmacology I realised this method doesn’t work for me at all and instead I profit much more from making flash cards (Quizlet is great for it!) and simple diagrams of mechanisms instead- try studying pharmacology in a completely different way than you usually study and see how it goes

4. Use a many resources as possible There are tons of textbooks- find one you like studying from best. Check out YouTube and KhanAcademy for films covering topics your studying

5. Study regularly I can’t stress this enough- revise after each class! That way if you realise you still don’t understand something you can ask your professor during your next class and avoid the situation when you realise your exam is in 2 days and you still don’t understand something that you were supposed to learn 4 months ago. Also remember- it is a huge subject and if you leave all the studying for the last minute you might simply run out of time- so study regularly!

[er-cryptid]

My mom pronounces acetaminophen like “I said a muffin”

[altafpatel]

Recently a 16y old died from caffeine induced cardiac event.

Here is what caffeine does to your body if consumed in excess.

[necessaryhealth-blog]

NCLEX Pharmacology Medical Suffixes

-amil = calcium channel blockers

-caine = local anesthetics

-dine = anti-ulcer agents (H2 histamine blockers)

-done = opioid analgesics

-ide = oral hypoglycemics

-lam = anti-anxiety agents

-oxacin = broad spectrum antibiotics

-micin = antibiotics

-mide = diuretics

-mycin = antibiotics

-nuim = neuromuscular blockers

-olol = beta blockers

-pam = anti-anxiety agents

-pine = calcium channel blockers

-pril = ace inhibitors

-sone = steroids

-statin =antihyperlipidemics

-vir = anti-virais

-zide = diuretics

[themed-student]

Medical School Resources! (and other human biology,physiology,biochemistry-related resources)

Hi Everyone! 

Update: I am now officially done with my second year! I know i’ve been MIA on here for a while now - but that’s only because I was drowning in textbooks and assignments! I will be writing a whole other post on what my second year in medical school was like - so watch out for that :)

I, for one, can not just rely on one method of learning. Meaning, I’ll jump from videos, to textbooks, to flashcards. In this post I’m going to list some of my holy grail youtube channels that have helped saved me. 

1) Handwritten Tutorials

https://www.youtube.com/user/harpinmartin

Every video in this channel is short, but not so much that you feel like you’re missing out on information. Definitely one to save as a favourite!

2) Armando Hasudungan

https://www.youtube.com/user/armandohasudungan

The best thing about this channel is the fact that there are over 300 videos, covering a wide range of core topics in endocrinology, neurology, physiology and pharmacology. Another pro is the presentation of topics (otherwise considered snooze-worthy) in an artistic manner!

3) Speed Pharmacology

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-i2EBYXH6-GAglvuDIaufQ

Raise your hand if you’ve ever fallen asleep trying to read about the mechanism of action of opioids, their side effects and contraindications. I know I have. Fret not, for this youtube channel will introduce you to a world where pharmacology is actually interesting.

4) Wendy Riggs 

https://www.youtube.com/user/wendogg1

Wendy Riggs is a very down-to-earth professor in Northern California, and she covers a wide range of  topics in Anatomy, Physiology and General Biology. 

5) Anatomy Zone

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAnatomyZone

A better way to learn anatomy is to supplement your textbook information with videos from this channel. The explanations and visuals provided are absolute gold.

I hope you all find these channels as helpful as I did!

[broona]

We’re back at it again, fighting for a great show with amazing representation because people keep sleeping on them. So if you’re looking for a fun and light show that is centered on a latinx family, has lgbt rep, talks about depression, anxiety, ptsd and so many important issues, be sure to watch One day at a time on Netflix. For now, enjoy Elena and her S.O. protesting to save their show. #RenewODAAT

[cwote]

Friendly reminder to check you’re not holding tension in your body. Let your shoulders drop, unclench your hands and jaw. Take a deep breath. Much better.

[inky-duchess]

WIP HOSPITAL: STITCHING A WOUND

Again not a doctor, don’t try this at home and don’t exert characters after injuring them.

Stitching up a wound is a writer’s bread and butter. Hell, we stitch up more characters than surgeons do people. We could use some help because some of us are either bad at sewing, never sewed or think a person is a ripped pair of jeans.

Things we have to know:

A character should only attempt this if no doctor is around.

If you fuck up, you can cause yourself tissue damage and give yourself an infection.

All items must be sterilised

When a Wound actually Needs to be Stitched

Wounds are longer than 20 mm

Wounds deeper than 6.5 mm or when you see a bone

When a wound is deep over a joint and opens up whenever moved.

Wounds on the any area you don’t want scarred badly i.e. face.

Wounds bleed after 15-20 minutes of direct pressure.

Items needed

Sewing needle, curved is best

Material, sterilized

Something to sterilize items. Alcohol, boiling water will do if without medical disinfectant

Thread. Yes you may use dental floss.

How to Stitch a Wound

Wash out the wound with boiled water or alcoholic spirits.

Sterilize your needle and thread by boiling. A needle can be sterilized over an open flame.

Start stitching. Ensure that the stitches are evenly spaced. If the skin puckers, you have pulled the flesh too tight. The skin should be touching be not puckered

Finished off stitch by applying a surgeon’s knot

Wash wound gently with boiled water or alcoholic spirits.

Bandage with clean, sterile cloth and change dressing regularly.

[pizza-and-studying]

My spotify links

Because why not?

Workout

https://open.spotify.com/user/05ms9puxz5ikefe5u49y51l1l/playlist/48B2X9uYALesspW6HLws7O?si=yrps1XBVQsO7OBv4Km_6Kg

Spanish Music

https://open.spotify.com/user/05ms9puxz5ikefe5u49y51l1l/playlist/2nWvIVrpur4y3O1F5iYJMV?si=e7NeEvGoTrqAmw8R5fQ0gQ

CPR songs (100 bpm)

https://open.spotify.com/user/05ms9puxz5ikefe5u49y51l1l/playlist/7gd3plwhEbTbBKNfiDXLAT?si=1eO3O5M1QZm3o9ovZHIl3g