The Not Quite Doctor

The day-to-day musings and reflections of almost-docs on their medical school adventures!

[thenotquitedoctor-blog]

That awkward moment when your triple boarder psychiatrist is your resident for peds 😐. Guess I'm going to be drafting an email or two tonight....(he's not unprofessional or anything. I doubt it would be a problem but technically I suppose it amounts to a conflict of interest if he's asked to evaluate me later on).

[thenotquitedoctor-blog]

A Few Quick Updates

Passed Step 1! Woot woot! In a weird way, I finally feel like I’ve earned my place here, even though technically I did years ago. Imposter syndrome is real, guys. Tell yourself every morning that you’re a boss for making it to med school. It’s a long road, and sometimes we lose sight of how far we’ve come when we start comparing our journey and progress to that of others.

I’m currently on my pediatrics rotation. The kids are great and M3 already seems immensely better than M2 in many ways. It has its own stressors to be sure, but I’ve come home exhausted and content-ish most days as opposed to studying til exhaustion and then rinsing and repeating the next day.

My personal life hasn’t changed all that much and is still a huge source of stress, but it’s somewhat easier to handle now that I’m spending most of my days doing something that I find fulfilling and that stirs up a bit of excitement and joy. Those are emotions I hadn’t genuinely felt for some time.

[md-admissions]

ATTENTION INTERNS.

AS PROMISED, IT HAS ARRIVED.

What this is: ideas and tips from a soon-to-be R2 who has survived intern year to help you function as an effective intern so you can focus on the important things: caring for your patients, learning and growing as a physician

What this is not: an encyclopedia, a bible you follow to the letter. The Immutable Truth of Intern Year Reality. This is not going to teach you medicine. This is not geared toward a specific specialty; it is designed to be helpful to an intern starting in any specialty training program.

Where did the self-care part go? For every time I attempted to write it or sought folks to help me write it, I came to realize that everyone’s idea of self-care is different. The basic tenet of self-care in intern year is: remember that if you don’t care for yourself, who will care for your patients? So remember that you deserve and need time and attention for your sanity. And everyone gets by better when they help each other. 

Please feel free to download and use. Please let me know too if I’ve made any errors or if there are things that require editing!! GIVE ME FEEDBACK SO THIS CAN GET BETTER WITH TIME.

[md-admissions]

PDF LINK HERE.

[nursefuratu]

Pokemon in the hospital

I’m seeing pediatric trauma patients who didn’t want to get out of bed to ambulate because of pain now walking the halls in search of Pokemon with smiles on their faces. This is such an amazing thing.

[gemmacorrell]

[tastefullyoffensive]

by Gemma Correll

[pointless-letters]

“Getting a part-time job that pays enough to live on and cover any tuition fees and other costs of going to university is as easy as that.” confirmed Alan with a single snap of his fingers as he sat atop his golden throne of self-righteous smugness, when Pointless Letters reached out for comment. “After all, it worked for me and there’s no way that things can have changed that much for students today. The world doesn’t just change, you know.”

“Next thing you’ll be telling me that people can’t afford to buy houses.” he added, later.

[aspiringdoctoruk-blog]

I’d love to get a part time job that can pay off nearly £100,000 of debt !!!

[dxmedstudent]

For students with a full time degree with intense hours and high burnout rates, finding time for a part time job (not even the fictitious kind which could repay student debts) would put even greater strain on them and might just not be a good idea.

At my university, med students with part time jobs were more likely to end up with resits and my friends with part time jobs due to necessity really struggled. It’s just not an easy answer.

Also, I do wonder what tariff his own tuition fees were at. Students before me paid £1000 per year. My year paid just over £3000. They then raised it to over £9000 per year only three years later. They are already thinking about raising it again. Before anyone talks about this, they have to consider that the fees we all paid are not equivalent.

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

Growth is painful. Change is painful.But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.

Mandy Hale (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

[md-admissions]

On Call ID Queen

Nothing warms my heart over a call weekend like texts from all over the hospital from friends and colleagues complimenting and flattering me. So that they can get antibiotic codes and consults. “Babe I need you.” “You’re my only hope.” “Love, can I ask for a favor?” “HALP KWEEN.” It feels good to rule. Don’t worry, I rule judiciously.

[sheisamedstudent-blog]

09.07.2016

As I finished my summer internship very quickly this year, I decided to come back to my hobbies - reading, gaming and, of course, drawing and graphics design!

Here are some of my first works done in Corel Draw. I think of creating more of such med school-related graphics - a great way to connect all the different areas I’m interested in. And to appreciate our wonderful studyblr community! ₍ᐢ•ﻌ•ᐢ₎*･ﾟ｡

[dxmedstudent]

These are beautiful!

[tachycardic-tendencies]

Amazing! Tbh would buy these if that was a thing

[dxmedstudent]

Me too! @sheisamedstudent we would love lots of medically themed motivation :)

[threadless]

[thenotquitedoctor-blog]

Obligatory end of pre-clinical years post

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

I would suggest that if you spend less time running away from problems and trying to rid yourself of them - and more time accepting problems as an inevitable, natural, even important part of life - you will soon discover that life can be more of a dance and less of a battle.

Richard Carlson (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

[thenotquitedoctor-blog]

Hi there

Hey lovely followers, Step 1 is over and I'm doing a little better. Going to hopefully launch a series of posts soon explaining what has been going on (it's just been a hard year all-around and throughout most of it, I didn't really know what to make of it, or what to write, or if I'd just end up discouraging people from pursuing medicine if I wrote from the deeply sad and frustrating place I was in) and any tips/hints etc. I have for surviving M2 as well as some reflections on dealing with depression and difficult family issues during medical school. Hope all of you are doing well and kicking ass in your respective fields and studies! Best wishes, -TNQD

[thenotquitedoctor-blog]

[larstheyeti]

I can’t be trusted with myself

[officialintj]

Hey!  INTJs!  Reblog this with your career area/area of study.

I’m curious about what you guys are up to.

[cardiacattack-deactivated202106]

Pediatric Cardiac ICU nurse!

[md-admissions]

Internal med resident physician, planning on doing a fellowship in infectious diseases!!

[telep0rt]

Fourth year medical student matching in surgery in March! :) 

[thenotquitedoctor-blog]

2nd year med student, probably pediatric infectious disease medicine!

[heyitsthatalmostdoctor]

Let’s talk about the HPV.

I recently gave a presentation about vaccinations and HPV and I think it’s an extremely important topic. Remember, I am not a doctor yet, and I am not your doctor, and I am not trying to give medical advice. This post is a mix of facts and my opinions, and it’s meant to be purely informative and educational. You can get more information about HPV from the CDC and I recommend you talk to your doctor about your concerns and what’s best for you. If you have any general questions, you know where the ask button is.

What is HPV?

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a family of over 100 viruses that cause warts. Some of them just cause the normal warts on skin, but more than 40 of them can be transmitted sexually and can cause genital warts, in both males and females. A person can have HPV and not have any symptoms, but they can still pass it on to someone else. It’s the most common type of STI and nearly all men and women who are sexually active will get one type of HPV at some point in their lives, even if you only have sex with one person. In women, HPV can infect the cells of the cervix so that they mutate and become cancerous. HPV causes virtually all cervical cancers and 5% of total cancers worldwide. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer-related death in developing countries. But this is totally preventable.

A vaccine has been developed against HPV-16 and -18, the two strains that are known to cause over 70% of cervical cancers. (There are newer vaccines that protect against more strains). The vaccine is a series of three shots over the course of 6 months, and the full series is recommended for optimal protection.

Who can get the vaccine?

Anyone can! It used to just be given to girls, but now it’s given to boys too. The CDC recommends vaccinating preteen boys and girls, ages 11 and 12, but it’s safe for women until the age of 27 and men at 22. 11 and 12? Why?! Let’s think about this. The sooner a person gets a vaccine, the sooner they can be protected against the disease. If a child is vaccinated before they become sexually active, they can develop immunity to HPV and can prevent infection before they even start thinking about having sex.

Should I get the vaccine?

Are you sexually active? Do you plan on ever being sexually active? Do you want to protect yourself from STI and cancer? If your answer to any of those three questions was yes, then you should get the vaccine. Again, I’m not your doctor. I’m just some person on the internet. But I think everyone should get the HPV vaccine because the vaccine is safe, effective, and provides long-lasting protection against cancers caused by HPV, so I suggest you call up your doctor and have a chit chat with them about what’s best for you.

But, wait! I heard –

Let me stop you right there. I’ve heard all the rumors and propaganda from the nay-sayers, and here’s my opinionated rant: don’t listen to any of it, it’s a bunch of bull shnikey backed by 0 factual evidence. I’m a medical student and I believe in evidence-based medicine and I think the anti-vaccine “movement” is one of most detrimental things to have happened to public health this century. Western medicine is not perfect, it has its flaws, but it’s continuously evolving and it’s the best we have right now. There are very many doctors, scientists, researchers, out there developing new and better ways to prevent diseases, save lives, cure illness. Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines save lives. Yes, vaccines have side effects in some people, and that sucks, but the benefits of vaccines outweigh any potential risks of side effects. Please don’t put yourself and those close to you at risk because of something some lifestyle blogger tells you is true (about medicine, fashion is another story).  The medical field is here to help you, it loves you, it wants you to be safe and healthy.  Do your own research and speak to experts, make your own decisions. Love and protect yourself.