Sitting down to a delicious beer and Philly cheesesteak I reflected on where I had been. Seven schools. Five DO, two MD. Seven different states. Four trips that involved flying. A bunch of money (I’ll break it down for you all soon, applying is expensive).

I realized I was done with all the hard work of the application process. No more essays, no more prepping for interviews, no more smiling all day long. Now I get to sit back, relax, and wait. The relaxing part is the hardest.

I have heard from every school except one which is a state MD school. I’ve narrowed my choices down to that MD school and a DO school. And I’m waiting. Waiting to hear from the state school. Waiting to hear if a scholarship is possible at the DO school.

Waiting.

“Take Small Bites Every Day”

“Find a Mentor”

Just a few of the nuggets in the article. Enjoy!

Related articles:

• Focus on Spending More Time, Not Money, on Things You Enjoy [Saving Money] (lifehacker.com)
• 15 Things More Important than Money [Money] (consumerist.com)

A focal neurologic deficit as I understand it is a deficit that is affecting a specific part or side of the body. Right sided weakness, a facial droop on the left side, or right arm numbness would be examples of a focal neuro deficit. Focal designates that the symptom is in a specific area.

Most people don’t know that, heck, it took me many months to figure it out working as a scribe.

So, naturally, it was surprising and frustrating when a physician I was working with asked a drunk guy coming in complaining of weakness-

“Do you have something focal going on? Anything focal?”

Wow. I think the blank stare would have been the response of 99.5% of the population in a similar situation.

Note to self: never ask someone if they have something focal happening to them, unless my patient is a neurologist.

Dr Paul Farmer can get testy at times. He helped raise money to get blood bank equipment at a rural hospital in Haiti. He was pissed when he found out the hospital was going to charge patients in advance to access it, so he takes matters into his own hands. He states earlier in the book, “I”m an action kind of guy.”

And yes, he does build his own f—ing hospital. And he does not charge patients for it’s services. The story is told in Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.

The book illuminates the many journeys of Dr Farmer and his work to serve the poorest in the world. We see him go from Alabama, to Harvard Medical School, to rural Haiti, south to Peru and across the Atlantic to Russia to name just a few destinations. But the book, like it’s primary subject, is anchored in Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest country.

Dr Farmer’s quest is an inspiring story for anyone, but it has special resonance for those interested in medicine. Reading the book for a second time recently has re-oriented my reasons for going into medicine. I remembered why I wanted to be a physician and travel.

Everyone goes into medicine for different reasons. I am in no place to judge whether certain motivations are superior to others. I only know what makes sense to me. And to me using my knowledge and influence as a physician to serve the poor, well it fits with who I am.

I want to serve those in need. I want to increase access to vaccines, antibiotics and prevention programs. I want to study global public health and make a contribution. I am under no illusion that I want to do this because I am some selfless human being. I want to do it because I think it will be fulfilling and it fits with my faith background.

While Paul Farmer is an inspiration to me, I do not wish to model my life after him. His life really serves best as an example of someone who cares deeply about people and translates that intense passion into meaningful work. And that is something I will always support.

Read more about the organization Farmer helped to start, Partners In Health. They are doing great work in Haiti.

Has anyone else read Mountains Beyond Mountains? What did you think?

One thing I didn’t realize about osteopathic medical schools is that they have early and expensive deposits. They want deposits 2-3 weeks after you are accepted.

This was tough to do, but I didn’t really have a choice. I have three more upcoming interviews but the deposit was due today. If I didn’t pay it I would lose my spot in the class.

It is essentially a $1000 insurance policy in case I do not get in anywhere else (assuming I would want to go to another school). While a grand is tough to swallow if I end up going somewhere else, in the big scheme of things it’s not a huge deal. And if I end up going to the school it goes towards tuition anyway.

Man, this process is long and financially costly. Hopefully I’ll know where I’m going within the next month though. I’m not complaining though, I’m going to be a doctor!

Apply for the Summer Medical And Dental Education Program, a great opportunity for pre med and pre dental students. For all the details check out the site here.

Here is a brief overview:
-The program is a free (tuition, room and board included) 6 week educational experience for those interested in medicine or dentistry. This includes some clinical exposure as well as information on financial aid and career development.
-There are 12 program sites at these schools:
Case Western Reserve University
Columbia University
Duke University
Howard University
University of California-Los Angeles
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical and New Jersey Dental
University of Louisville
University of Nebraska
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Texas-Houston
Yale University

-Application closes March 1st, 2010.

Has anyone participated in this program? Care to share experiences?

Pre Med Basics

• Pre-requisites for Medical Schools. These are the undergraduate classes you need to take to apply to most medical schools.
• American Association of Medical Colleges
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
• AspiringDocs.org List of Helpful Links
• Top Ten Pieces of Advice for Pre Med Students – A great list from VitumMedicinus, a medical student.
• Student Doctor Network – Want a place to interact with other crazy pre med students? This place is for you. Also useful for reading perspectives of students and residents further along the pre med journey. I prefer to use it for this reason.

MCAT Links

Perhaps the most dreaded part of the pre med journey. Be not afraid.

• The Basic MCAT Overview – A brief guide to what the MCAT is all about.
• MCAT home page
• 2010 MCAT Test Dates
• MCAT Registration

Medical School Application

• American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) – Registration and instructions for applying to MD schools.
• American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) – Application instructions to apply to DO schools.

Best Books for Pre Meds

These are books that I have either read and used or heard great things about.

• Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
• Planning a Life in Medicine: Discover If a Medical Career is Right for You and Learn How to Make It Happen (Career Guides)
• Med School Confidential: A Complete Guide to the Medical School Experience: By Students, for Students
• Essays That Will Get You into Medical School
• Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
• How Doctors Think

Pre Med and Med Student Blogs

• Medaholic – Medical Student
• A Med school Memoir – Medical Student
• Vitum Medicinus – Medical Student
• The Impossible Pre Med – Pre Med Student

Pre Med Forums

• StudentDoctor.net pre-Allopathic forum (MD)
• StudentDoctor.net pre-Osteopathic forum (DO)
• The Best Pre Med Forums

It feels great to type that. I recently heard back from my first interview and was granted an acceptance. I was also accepted at my second interview.

All the hard work, the long hours studying in undergrad, the revisions of the personal statement, the tedious application process and the nerve wracking interviews, well, it’s all starting to pay off.

Not that the work was not rewarding itself at times, but ultimately the purose was to get into med school. And I have accomplished that goal.

Unfortunately I have had little time to reflect. I’ve had three interviews in as many weeks. Sandwhiched in between has been 12 hour scribe shifts, Christmas parties, family problems and flight delays. Last week I came home from an interview at 11PM Friday night, worked at 6:30AM the next day, then worked a string of 12 hour shifts until Wed when I left for another interview. I finally made it home yesterday.

I’m tired and looking forward to a break.

But I made it into med school. And that is awesome.

Biggest take home lesson?

The interview is as much about the school evaluating the candidate as it is about the candidate evaluating the school. The school goes out of it’s way to display the best possible picture of life at their institution of learning. Keep that in mind as you go on interviews, it may put you at ease a bit.

Best question during the actual interview? (which by the way was only 25 minutes out of the 5 hour interview day)

If you happen to come to this university (and I hope you do) when we the faculty are watching you walk across the stage during graduation, how we will remember you? This question caught me a little off guard, but has provoked a lot of thought since the interview. I essentially answered it talking about my perceived personal strengths.

So what’s next? I am the lucky recipient of five more interview requests. One is this Friday, another the following Thursday.

All the interviews are at Osteopathic schools. I applied to five MD schools and have one rejection so far, but no interviews. Let’s get a move on MD schools!

I will be updating as I continue with the interview process. It is finally starting to feel like all the hard work on this journey is coming to fruition. The beginning of the next journey is becoming more tangible. I can hardly wait!

Whew.

It’s nice to know that my applications are complete and schools are reviewing them. It’s better to know that they like what they see and they want to know more.

I’m excited and anxious. I thought about how I would answer interview questions last night. The thought crossed my mind, “Do I really want to do this? Am I really sure I want to commit my life to medicine?”

How can you be 100% sure about something? I don’t know. Could there be a calling out there that fits better with who I am, that would make me happier? I suppose. But I do know, medicine fascinates me. I love the interaction with people, the opportunity to be there in difficult times, the responsibility of leadership, the influence a physican can have on a community, the problem solving, the intellectual stimulation, the commitment to life-long learning. I could go on.

As I pondered my life path, I considered what careers I would enjoy more. The only thing that really stood out to me was playing basketball in the NBA. While I have a sick jumpshot and once scored 27 points in a 7th grade basketball game, I just don’t see that as a realistic opportunity.

Of course this is all a little premature, I have not been accepted yet.

Good luck to all applying. It’s a long haul. Look forward to a guide showing how I’m using Google Docs to streamline the interview process.