MS3 Core Study Resources

Hi friends!

LONG TIME NO BLOG!!! I'm so sorry I've been so incredibly busy at the hospital and studying plus I haven't really known what I could even blog about for you guys (suggestions are open).

But considering I'm on my LAST CORE ROTATION OF THIRD YEAR... where has the time gone?!

I thought I'd compile what I used to study for each core. Now this is what worked for me and how I study best (visual learning and lots of repetition).

I used Online Med Ed across the board for all of my cores. I found it isn't as detailed as what NBME's are but it is an amazing summary of topics so I'd try to watch those videos in the first week to get a good foundation for my core.

UTILIZE THE NBME's!!!! Those were great learning resources. Again I used those for every core - I'd spread them out throughout the core and take a day going through the questions afterward.

Family Med: Case Files, Online Med Ed and NBME

Peds: UWorld, Online Med Ed and NBME

Psych: Online Med Ed, UWorld, First Aid for Psychiatry and NBME

OBGYN: Online Med Ed, UWorld, Case Files(while I was on the floor on 24's I'd go through the cases), NBME

Surgery: Online Med Ed, Pestanas, NBME, UWorld(Surgery, GI, Cardio, Renal, Rheum)

Internal (Currently): I'm trying to make myself go through one organ system a week using Online Med Ed, UWorld, and Step Up to Medicine + NBME's

Apps I've Used:

• UWorld
• Epocrates: pharm app
• BMI calculator
• UpToDate
• AHRQ ePSS: screening tools depending on patient age, gender and smoking status
• MDCalc: various scores or screening tools
• Bilibaby: especially for NICU
• ABFMExamPrep: Family med questions
• VaccineSchedule
• Aquifer Cases

If there's anything else you want me to write about please let me know!

Jen

Rotation One Done

Friends!

I just finished my family medicine rotation! To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement. I’ve known I belong in primary care for a long time. I’ve always enjoyed sitting with people and learning more about them and how I could help them. After going through this rotation I’ve grown to appreciate and respect the job of a primary care doctor more than I ever did before. They can be a patients voice, their shoulder to cry on, their sounding board, their confidant, a friendly face, the only stable portion of a persons life and so much more. The role of a general practitioner has been made to be someone who just writes referrals out and moves onto another patient. After this rotation I can assure you they are so much more than that. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing doctors who love and care for their patients more than I can begin to describe. They came in every day with a smile on their face ready to absorb any pain or suffering their patients were going through. They guided their patients through the medical system, trying to make sense of the complexities of it.

I’ve honestly loved working with the patient population I’ve seen at my clinics and within the hospital. I have learned so much in a few short 6 weeks - I’m excited to see what I will continue to learn and grow through during my next rotation.

As I’m sure you’ve all seen through my blog so far - Medicine is tough. I’ve only known the academic aspect of it and boy that was something. Being on the other side and learning about the clinical side of medicine makes me realize how seemingly “easy” the academics were.

*anyone in the basic sciences reading this probably having serious palpitations right now trust me it’s worth it*

The learning curve is steep - trying to grab my book knowledge, multiple choice question answering brain and let it grow to allow me to see the diseases and pathology in front of me (still trying to figure it out). All while trying to learn a new location, with new people a WHOLE new environment. I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I thought, “How am I going to make it through this?” multiple times a day.

Guys, somehow... even when you think you can’t make it through it, you always do.

- Jen

You CAN do it.

Hello my friends!

I've been living in my classroom studying my life away (more so than usual). Third is turning out to be one busy semester but we're getting more into the clinical and pathological aspects of medicine so it is VERY interesting.

I haven't written a post because I've been finding it kind of difficult to find some inspiration to write. Normally I'd write about keeping the motivation high and remembering why you did this... but since I couldn't even practice that skill myself I felt like theres no way I could write about it. I'm feeling the toll school has taken on me mentally and physically. I've been so tired, with no amount of coffee or sleep helping.

I've pretty much hit a rut.

And I feel like everyone around me has felt like they've gotten into a rut too. Every time I see something like this happening around me I try and think about what good will come from this.

Over the past three weeks I have had multiple conversations with multiple people about how stressed they are and how they don't feel motivated.

I noticed a trend - when people were consoling me about if I could get through it they were so positive and motivational. They had all the confidence that I could pull this off. But when the conversation turned and we were talking about them, their mood changed and the positivity and confidence faded. Which pulls me back to a conversation I had with a good friend about confidence. She told me a quote and I will never forget it...

"You need to learn to be your own best friend"

And I thought, how powerful is that? It should be so easy - yet it is one of the hardest things to do.

I'm guilty of it - friends and family continuously tell me, "Jennifer you're more than capable of this" but I'm my own toughest critic and things that make my parents more proud than they already are just make me shrug my shoulders. 

So I challenge you, and I will continue to challenge myself to try to become my own best friend.

- Jen

2X - Let's Do This!

Hi friends!

I'm writing to you after my second day of classes and after being on the island for roughly a week. We've had our introduction into our second semester and I'm looking forward to it. I've been told it's a very heavy physiology semester (not my strongest subject) so I know I'm going to have to work hard to do well this semester. We do a lot more clinical skills classes this semester which I am very excited for because it makes all of the hard days in the library seem worth it.

As much as being in the big city with all of my Starbucks cravings satisfied I found myself missing this island I've come to call home.

This is what I found myself missing on a daily basis:

1. The climate

• Toronto was a little too chilly for my liking. I keep on saying I'm a pretty horrible Canadian when it comes to accepting winter - I've learned it's worse after I've been living in a warm climate for four months.

2. The ocean

• I love the water, the beach, swimming, laying by the water... I could go on for ages. I'm fortunate enough to live right by the ocean so I get the lull of the waves putting me to sleep after a long day at school. My first night at home I was so exhausted but I found I could not fall asleep because it was SO QUIET! I lost my ocean sleep maker. 

3. The locals

• Even after one semester on the island you get to meet and love the lovely people of Dominica. They're always so happy and friendly - again comparing to the people of Toronto who are always in a hurry and very busy. I have to admit I was guilty of sitting at home telling my parents that I missed all of my island family

4. The routine

• As much as 14 hour days is long and painful I honestly missed them. At home I found I had no schedule and was running around trying to get everything done and trying to see everyone as quickly as possible before I came back to Dominica. 

5. My Island Family

• Not only the locals of Dominica I missed my friends. Even though we spend all day with one another I have grown to love them like I do my own family. I've said time and time again I know I wouldn't have made it through first semester without them and I can't wait to go through the rest of my semesters with them by my side.

Talk soon,

Jen

My last Starbucks :(

On my way to St. Maarten

First day back

Sunsets

Sunsets

Brace yourselves - Mini 1 is here.

Hey guys!

I was planning on blogging once a week - I promise - but I quickly realized that it would not be possible. The work piles on quickly. As I mentioned before for two lectures a day I am doing a significant amount of work in the evening to stay on top of my studies. Here's a typical day.

6:30 am - wake up
6:31 am - make coffee
8:00 am - 2:00 pm - classes
3:00 pm - gym
4:00 pm - study
7:00 pm - dinner
7:30 pm - 11:00 pm - study

And then do it all over again the next day. One important thing that has been drilled into our heads is to keep on top of your school work. Even if that means you staying up later to finish your notes for that day you should do it. In undergrad I would aim to stay on top of rewriting my notes on a daily basis buuuuuut if I happened to click on an episode of Greys Anatomy instead I wouldn't be too concerned.

I told myself I was still technically learning since it is a medical show ;)

It's impossible to do that in medical school. The vast amount of work that is given to you - and that you need to learn gives you little to no time to binge watch Greys Anatomy or whatever other TV show you Netflix in your spare time.

Now I should probably get back to studying and practice what I preach.

Until after mini 1!

Jen

Medical School Week 1

Hello friends!

I just finished my first quiz of medical school along with my first week of medical school. Let me just emphasize one thing...

I was not ready for that.

The difference between undergrad and medical school is astounding. You can think you will prepare all you want but it will never be enough until you're actually there. The information comes at you much quicker and you have to do a lot of the work on your own.

For example - I have two two hour classes a day. That easily amplifies to 4 + hours of work in the evening.

Is the work impossible? No - but it is a lot.

Along with the fact that you can no longer memorize and regurgitate information. The questions asked are testing your clinical knowledge - you can know a biological pathway theoretically but would you be able to notice it in a clinical question?

That's all for now! Let me know if there is anything you'd like me to specifically talk about.

- Jen

A Lesson in Humility

Hey!

After about a month on the job, AND ABSOLUTELY LOVING IT, I've found one reoccurring theme in my daily activities.

As many of you know I have my BSc in Kinesiology, so I came into this job thinking it would be relatively easy. Boy was I mistaken.

*My med school interview*

"Jennifer, what do you think the most important quality of a doctor is?"

"Humility. As a doctor I believe you will never be the best at anything. Sure you may have mastered your way of a treatment but there is always going to be someone out there who has a different way of approaching the situation - and their way could work better"

*End Scene*

Now, you may be wondering why I've decided to relive that nerve wracking moment in my life. I believe humility is not only the best quality you could have as a doctor but as a person as well.

I've done it, you've done it, we've all done it. You look at a job and you think to yourself, "That job looks so easy. I'd be able to do X, Y & Z". After doing this job I have decided to never do that again.

I always thought being a receptionist wasn't going to be too difficult of a job, take peoples payments, book them appointments... ect. After working for a month and getting to points where I was about to cry behind the front desk I've realized it's one hell of a difficult job.

As a receptionist you are the front line of the clinic. If people come in angry they take it out on you, if they call angry it's on you, if scheduling doesn't work out it's on you... basically if anything doesn't work out the way they want it to it's automatically your fault.

With saying that, I have met some very pleasant and amazing people at the clinic so obviously anywhere you go you're going to meet those bad apples. I'm just vocalizing the fact that I didn't realize and appreciate how much receptionists do and what they deal with.

All the best,

Jen

Post Grad Life

Hey guys!

I am writing to you after my first week of work at the clinic. It's been a long week with lots of new things to learn but I have gotten through it. The area where I work is very pretty and there is a stunning park with access to the boardwalk, which I always go to before work (with a starbucks blonde misto in hand) ;).

Everyone in the clinic has been very warm and welcoming, doctors, physiotherapists, clients, massage therapists, chiropractors and the other admin staff. So far I have enjoyed every minute of having a "big girl job".

Some may wonder why I would work at a sports med clinic as an admin staff:

a) In order to work with clients I need a license (obviously I don't have one)
b) I want to see the behind the scenes activity so that one day when I am that doctor at a sports med clinic I can appreciate the admin staff and all of the hard work they do to keep the clinic in order

Other than working my butt off and trying to get my brain back to fully functioning power I've just been enjoying my summer. I've joined a group of students I'll be going to school with in the Fall and a lot of them have been asking if they should be studying before going.

There has been a lot of mixed responses on this topic but I will leave you what my orthopaedic surgeon told me...

"Do good work, have fun, and learn every day"

- Jen