March 1, 2009

So, I received this text: “Your advice was so true. Thanks! ” This text was from a first year student who I talk to quite frequently.
This morning we were talking on the phone about our Sunday plans. I was all geared up to run some errands at the local Dollar General (I am trying to be more frugal with my loan money in 2009) and the ready to hit the books for a solid six hours, and then to watch one of my favorite movies—The Notebook…NO! Wait, I mean, Braveheart, yes Braveheart. I was going to watch Braveheart. As we are talking, my friend says that she is going to watch an episode of Showtime Series while she is cleaning and then study.

In the spirit of giving advice to your juniors and accepting advice from your seniors (see previous blog) I figured that I would give her a little piece of advice: “What ever you do, do it 100 percent. If you are studying, study one hundred percent. If you are relaxing, relax one hundred percent.” Too many times, it seems that medical students fall into the trap of studying only 80 percent while the other 20 percent is spent looking at facebook, listening to music, or day dreaming. And, on the flip side, when relaxing, only relaxing 80 percent of the time—all the while they are thinking about what they need to do for CBL or the next S&I quiz, or what lecture they need to listen to, or what slides in histology that they need to review.
This type of behavior is extremely counterproductive. You never truly get a break from studying and you never truly relax. So, what you are stuck with is this: Sub-par studying, and Sub-par relaxing. What does this lead to? Well, it leads to a constant feeling that you are never getting anything done quite all the way—it is like a nagging feeling that can bother you like sand in your shorts, a thorn in your side, or even like a relentless mother-in-law. Believe me, it took almost a full year for me to realize that this mistake makes for a tiring life in medical school.

I am getting to a point with all of this, and here it is: If you are planning to go to medical school, don’t leave undergraduate days (or if you are working, the days before medical school) too far behind you. What I mean by this is that life is about balance. Yes, medical school is by far the biggest undertaking that I have ever done, but, without balance, I would lose the joy that I find each and every day in what I have chosen to do. I love that I can learn about OB/GYN during the week and then study it on the following Sunday afternoon and then that same evening know I plan to watch The Notebook…NO! Wait, I mean Braveheart, yes Braveheart. I plan to watch Braveheart.

I have found a truth to live by as I get busier and busier with studying for block, studying for boards, and doing student government tasks: If I fully do what I am doing to the fullest extent that I can fully do it then I am fully doing what I should be by doing it fully well. Wait a second, did that confuse you? It confused me, so I will echo what I said before: “Whatever you do, do it 100 percent. If you are studying, study one hundred percent. If you are relaxing, relax one hundred percent.” I have found that following this mantra has helped me to learn as much as I possibly can in school while enjoying the many other facets of my life outside of medical school. This has truly helped me to become the happiest person I can be—and after the text I received today, hopefully it has motivated my friend to do the same.
 

Hi. I’m Chad Keller, a 2nd year CPC student. I am right on the cusp of being a non-traditional student because after college at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, I worked for 3 years. I was a Mathematics major and took all the pre-med classes in case I someday wanted to go to medical school. You might be wondering what you can do with an undergraduate math degree? A few months before graduation, I wondered the same thing and came to one solid conclusion: I could get into sales—and that is exactly what I did. I worked in this field for 3 years, but I can tell you that about 9 months into the job, I realized I wanted to become a physician. I knew that I wanted to take care of people for a living. So, I spent about a year or so taking a few classes in the evening, studying for the MCAT, taking the MCAT and applying to schools. There you have it, my life before medical school.

I was in class today wondering if maybe there was something wrong with my Wernicke’s Area. If you don’t know what that is, I can tell you. It is the part of your brain where you recognize speech. I was sitting in a great lecture today for Neurology block and wasn’t following the lecture 100% of the time. This professor is an excellent teacher and always presents his material in a very straight forward and understandable way. Since, today, I felt like I couldn’t understand the words that were coming out of his mouth, I figured that I must have developed a lesion in my Wernicke’s Area. Or, more realistically, it is the middle of Neuro Block and I am still working on mastering the course material—and could be feeling a little anxious about the upcoming lab practical.

I am going somewhere with this story. Although, at times, I may feel anxious about an upcoming practical, or worry that some days I am not grasping every single concept in lecture—I love medical school! And, I especially love OU-HCOM. I decided to go to OU for a whole host of reasons, but the most important reason is the same reason that I want to become an osteopathic physician- I like the people! It is true that DO’s are great and the faculty and staff at OU-HCOM is great as well. I fit in here, I am comfortable, and I know that if I need help with course content, loans, or any other aspect of medical school, someone at OU-HCOM will be willing to help me with a smiling face. For me, choosing OU-HCOM was about a perfect fit.