An Ironic Fortune and an Update!

This past saturday was my grandmother's birthday and we went to Ling Ling, an amazing Chinese buffet, to celebrate. This was my fortune from a fortune cookie! I found it to be very ironic and relevant! ^-^

In addition, I had to drop chemistry and chemistry lab this upcoming semester because I needed to make myself more available for a part-time job. It was just a sacrifice that I had to make. Hopefully, I will get a job soon!!!!! xD

My Fall 2013 Schedule!

I know that it doesn't quite fit and is rather small, but oh well! xD

This will be my first time taking this many credit hours at once. I was told by my pre-medical advisor that it would be prudent to take on this type of workload in order to get my degree sooner and to look more favorable to medical schools in the future. She also mentioned that if I am unable to juggle all of these classes at once, I could always drop a course before it starts to effect my GPA.

I'm going to have an interestingly difficult time this upcoming semester, but I AM READY! BRING IT ON~!!!

July 2013 Update!

Well, it's been a while since I posted on here! Not a whole lot has happened since my last post, I am still volunteering every sunday and am looking for more physicians to follow!

Unfortunately, I have also experienced some less than favorable situations as well. My unemployment benefits expired abruptly and I got a rejection from a position as a medical records converter due to my upcoming school schedule. This also happened a few months ago at a pediatrician's office for the position of receptionist. It's one thing to be told by a prospective employer that "it just won't work out" or "this job just isn't the right fit for you", but to hear more than once that you are a "perfect" candidate for a position and the only thing keeping from getting the position is your school schedule...it can leave you feeling rather hopeless.

There were a few days where I felt just that, but it didn't last long. I am determined to succeed and know that I am finally following the right path...the path of medicine.

I do have some more good news amongst all of this chaos...I took a chance and applied to a company called PhysAssist Scribes, an ED Scribe program that I heard many good things about. I was thrilled to find out that there is a local hospital that is connected with the program! I filled out the application, answered a few essay questions, and took a typing test and the wait began. Luckily, I only waited for about a day and received an email stating that they saw me as a "Quality Applicant" and that they wished to interview me!!!

I was so overome with happiness, scheduled the interview, did a few more necessary pre-interview things, and had the interview earlier today! It was through Skype so it was a little awkward at first since it was my first time doing an interview in this fashion. After a few minutes, I felt very comfortable and answered all of the questions she asked. I got to talk about my aspirations and respond on how I would react to certain scenarios that I may encounter while working in the ED.

Overall, I think it went quite well. I think that being an ED Scribe would be the perfect stepping stone for my journey to become a physician! ^-^

After Eight Hours of Shadowing...

I can say that it was a wonderful experience that only solidified my resolve to become a physician. I learned a lot from the NP that I shadowed and took plenty of notes on each patient. I will not disclose any of this information here, but I can say that I witness a multitude of different patients. Their ages ranged from 15 to 87 years old!

Family practice is interesting because there is such a difference between each patient and what they are coming in for. I couldn't help getting excited over what I was going to see next. Unfortunately, the MD in the office had a medical student shadowing and working with her so I didn't get an opportunity to shadow her, but the NP that I did shadow was amazing! She was so professional and knowledgeable about everything. She explained a lot of things to me and always made sure that my questions were answered. She even gave me a few things to look into before I came in that had to do with the patients I was expected to see.

I learned that there are several ways that you can quit smoking from a medical standpoint; I learned about Chantix, Nicitrol, and Wellbutrin to name a few. I also learned that the thyroid stimulating hormone on blood work for a young girl can fluctuate because it is part of the endocrine system and can be due to changes in hormone levels. I learned what a hemoglobin alc is and the normal range of lipids. I learned how to present a patient and how to ask anticipatory questions depending on age and gender. That is just the tip of the iceberg of what I learned at this family practice!

Overall it was a great experience and I was told that I am more than welcome to come back and shadow some more before the summer is over! I just might, but I am now looking into shadowing a local psychiatrist. At first, I thought that it was against HIPPA for me to sit in with a doctor and patient as I did at the family practice. It just didn't seem likely, but I used a great resource that I have been using for years called StudentDoctor.Net to see what others thought on the subject. Many said that it was fine as long as the patient was okay with it.

I spent a good majority of my night looking up local psychiatrists and assessing their educational background and overall ratings by their patients. I ended up making a list of about 5 psychiatrists to call on Monday! My grandmother also mentioned that I should contact the family practice that I shadowed to ask if there are any that they would recommend. I have some work to do! I'm glad that I enjoy all of this!!! ^-^

Shadowing at a Family Practice!

I am excited to announce that I begin shadowing my primary care physician and one of her nurse practitioners tomorrow! I called them last friday and they got back to me that day and told me to come in today at noon so we can create a tentative schedule for me to shadow. I will be shadowing a NP tomorrow and a MD on Thursday! I will be there for a total of four hours each day and they told me that I can do it for however long I want.

I am also oddly enthused by the fact that she gave me a few things to look into before I come in tomorrow. I have to look up a few meds, some labs, and learn about the average range of lipids! She also mentioned that she will teach me how to "present a patient" the easy way so I am more prepared for med school! I can't wait to go tomorrow! As soon as I return home, I will make another post! See you then! ^-^

Second Day of Volunteering!

Hello all! Yesterday was my second day volunteering at a local hospital! It's a great experience and although it can be a bit boring in between errands, it is so worth it!

When I signed up, I got to choose between a vest or polo t-shirt...I chose the vest because I can wear my own clothes underneath! ^-^

Like I said previously, this was my second time volunteering. That being said, I was more prepared for the day ahead. There are usually two others volunteering on Sundays, but for the past two weeks, it has only been me and a man named Pat. He is really helpful and has accompanied me for a lot of the errands because he knew that I was new at this. I got to transport a patient and ran three specimens down to the lab...ALL BY MYSELF! Whooo!!! :P

The hospital is also nice enough to pay up to $3.75 for us to eat in the cafeteria! So nice! I can really get a lot with $3.75! xD

Overall, it was a great second day! There were more errands and I got to roam around the hospital a little to figure out where everything is! I love being a volunteer!!! ^-^

Books, books, and more books!

I know that as a pre med, I should be prepping myself for the long and treacherous road ahead so I like to read up on medicine and medical school! I'm so lucky that I love to read! ^-^

I went to my school's library and took out a few books. Can you tell what I want to specialize in??? Well, I know that my specialty is subject to change, but psychology and psychiatry are my passion! I am actually planning on purchasing Case Files: Psychiatry on Amazon HERE.

I actually bought this book the other day. So far, it's been such a joy to read about what is to come. There is a section in the beginning where you have to answer questions about why you want to become a physician and then they explain both the pros and cons of even considering the decision to be a physician. It's a great read and I highly recommend it for anyone considering being a doctor, in medical school, or for the family members and friends of a pre medical student. You can buy is on Amazon HERE.

The next two books I am looking to buy are:

You can check these out on Amazon as well HERE and HERE. 

I think that reading is a fundamentally necessary thing to do, especially for a pre medical student. It's good to look ahead and learn a thing or two about good studying habits as well.