wordsthatididntsay replied to your post: For the last couple weeks I have been waking up at…

Strenuous back breaking labor. Or just working out really hard at the gym hahaha.

Well Monday and Tuesday I did a lot of yard work for my uncle.  Every other day I have been going to the gym for two hours a day trying to lose my end of semester chub.  I would have thought the same thing though.  The only thing I can figure is my body is not used to the extra sleep, but it is strange to wake up at the same time every day.   

“What is this patient doing in the hallway?” the nurse said sternly, guiding a patient back into the room.  I looked around, confused about where I was.  I must have fallen asleep. 

“Shit, this is bad,” I thought to myself.

The lecture I got was not fun.  It was 4 am, and I had been up since 6 am the previous morning.  I had been called in as a patient sitter because they were short staffed.  I already run on little sleep, and I should have said no to the over night shift.  But I am a sucker for helping out.  After my last class I headed to the hospital. 

I was lucky.  This patient was someone with dementia, and he was relatively harmless.  Often I sit with suicidal patients, or patients who are detoxing.  Sometimes they are very angry about being there.  As it turned out I had fallen asleep.  The last thing I remember was reading.  Honestly, had this been someone trying to commit suicide or a druggie who wanted to be gone, it could have been a million times worse.

I screwed up.

I have written about accepting circumstances and taking responsibility.  In this instance, neither of those would have helped.  What happened, happened.  Sometimes you don’t see bad things coming until after they hit, or things go awry despite your best efforts. What then?   

Surprisingly, my advice is similar.  Accept you screwed up, take responsibility and then act.  I have screwed up a lot, this is but one example.  I have totaled cars, lost jobs and bombed tests.  Each time I tried to find a lesson to learn, and each time I started by accepting responsibility.  You can save face in the worst situations by just saying “it is my fault.”

Then you have to fix the situation.  After getting my lecture from the nurse I apologized, explaining how I messed up.  I then asked if she would be willing to sneak me coffee.  It is against rules for sitters to keep drinks in the room with the patients, but I told her I didn’t want the situation to happen again.  She agreed.  That was the last time a patient walked out on me.  My lesson was to not over estimate my abilities and to be more careful, both of which I did. 

Just like every challenge is an opportunity to grow, every failure is an opportunity to learn and modify your approach.  Did the last test go horribly bad?  Maybe you need to find a new way to study.  Did you get fired from your job?  Perhaps your behavior warranted it.  Before blaming others for your failure, look for how you might have caused the situation.  Again, you can’t be blamed for everything.  A lightening strike, or freak occurrence, can not be blamed on you.  Nor the actions of others.  But you would be surprised what outcomes you can trace back to your own actions.

Hiccups like this happen.  But you can’t let it define you.  Sometimes you have to hit some bumps in the road before you become successful.  Hell, I am still just bumping along the road of life.  You have with in you everything you need to succeed, as long as you take the right approach.  Always accept life how it is.  Take responsibility for the out comes in your life.  And act to make things better.

Good luck. 

For the last couple weeks I have been waking up at 4-4:15 am.  No matter when I go to sleep or where I am sleeping I am wide awake at 4.  Usually I can go back to sleep afterwards, but it is starting to be annoying. 

Maybe I can take some melatonin to help reset my biological clock.  Any other suggestions? 　

Kiwiwannabemd has graciously taken time to answer the question for my New Zealand follower.  Here is a more informed reply to the previous question.

kiwiwannabemd:

Anonymous asked: Hi Not Quite Doctor! Um I’m having a hard time with organic chem and only managing with B+ scores but I’m doing well on the other core papers about A+ or A. Do you think one crappy core paper would hurt my chances? Thanks!

Here’s my two cents from somebody studying at the…

Following the ever trend setting WayFaringMD, I set up a skype account to go with this blog.  Chances are I won’t be on often, but when I am I will make sure to announce it.  So add me, I will try to stay logged in for a while tonight.  The account is TheNotQuiteDoctor.

Anonymous asked: Oh I forgot that the system was different here in NZ haha. Well core papers are what they will rank you with once you get by with the minimum GPA for the year's applications (usually B+, but could change based on the class' performance). At the University of Auckland there are four core papers and organic chem 110 is one of them. Sorry for the confusion!

Unfortunately I don’t know much about the schools in New Zealand.  I will say that here in the states a B+ in organic is good.  I am sorry I am not much help for you!  I also believe that grades aren’t the only deciding factor.  The worst they can do is say no when you apply.  I wish you the best of luck.

Anonymous asked: As the summer draws near, students are finding jobs, filling volunteer spots and taking classes. I, however, am not. the volunteer position I was counting on filled quickly and now I face an empty summer. My question to you now is where to go with this large amount of time. I am a rising sophomore hoping to find some sort of meaningful experience and would appreciate any advice you'd have to give.

I think students often get set on the idea that what every they do as volunteer work has to incorporate health care.  Personally, I believe that joining a project and dedicating a lot of time to it says more about character that a few hours volunteering in a clinic.  Maybe the volunteer position you wanted is filled, but there is always a need for volunteering somewhere. 

I would check out nursing homes or hospitals first.  This would offer direct patient interaction.  If that doesn’t work look into community outreach.  Could you volunteer at a shelter?  Maybe a soup kitchen?  All of these things can broaden your perspective and would be great to talk about in interviews.  Even street clean up projects or habitat restoration would show a resolve to better the world around you. 

If all else fails, create your own project.  There are all kinds of organizations that need funds and fund raisers.  Perhaps you can throw a party or start a fund raiser for a disease research group (cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, etc).  It doesn’t have to be complicated.  At my school a girl started a doughnut run challenge to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.  To participate you raised so much money as an entry fee, then you had to run half a mile, eat two doughnuts and repeat several times.  I don’t remember how far they ran, but it definitely generated public interest.  Silly things like this can draw people out and raise lots of money.  If you want a meaningful experience what better way than taking on a volunteer project of your own? 

Don’t be discouraged, when life throws a kink in your plans it is just an opportunity to step off the beaten path and do something different.  Think how much projects like these could make you stand out from other applicants.  Its not about what the volunteer work was, but what you took away from it and how you can present it to an interviewer.  Find something you can be passionate about.

Good luck!

Anonymous asked: Hi Not Quite Doctor! Um I'm having a hard time with organic chem and only managing with B+ scores but I'm doing well on the other core papers about A+ or A. Do you think one crappy core paper would hurt my chances? Thanks!

I am not familiar with what a core paper is.  Could you provide a little more info?

I will say, however, that a B+ in orgo is nothing to laugh at.  I scraped by with a low A in orgo II because by some miracle I did well on the final.  Before the final I was definitely in the B range.  I don’t think any school would reject an app based on a B+.  Maybe when I understand what I core paper is I could give better advice.

Acceptance is the first step to change.  But it alone does nothing.  After you acknowledge what is, you have to act (see previous blog: Accept Everything).  In the last blog I talked about two modes of thinking that basically can be summed up as: I control the outcome and the outcome is controlled by my circumstances.  Which mode of thinking do you think leads to more success?

If you take responsibility for your life, for your out comes, you give yourself the power to change it.  Let’s jump back to my example of the teacher with a thick accent (something I have personally dealt with).  Some students in that class were content to bitch about the circumstances they were placed in.  To me, difficult circumstances are just opportunities to grow.  Once you accept the situation then you can plan how to affect the outcome.  I have a teacher with an accent that is hard to understand, what can I do about that?  I chose two different routes.  First, I spent more time on the assigned chapters and the power points she went over.  Chances are, like most teachers, she follows these two guides pretty well.  Second, I recorded the lectures.  Then, on my own time, I could repeat what she said as many times as I needed to understand her.

How do you think I fared in the class?  I did much better than the students who bitched all the time.  As soon as I accepted the circumstances and put the responsibility on myself to improve the situation, I freed up lots of brain power for finding a solution. 

I will add this, some circumstances are beyond your control.  You can’t predict the weather, or other people.  But that is no reason to not accept responsibility for how the situation is handled.  Last semester I had a teacher who hated me, the reason why is unknown.  Students would often talk to me after class to ask why she seemed to single me out the way she did.  What could I do?  I went to her office, which didn’t help.  I asked advice from other professors, which also didn’t help.  Her tests were essay tests, which meant I was at her mercy.

I could have rolled over.  I was already in med school and I knew she wouldn’t flunk me.  Instead I put it on myself.  I worked my ass off for a B, and I pride myself on not giving up.  

Everyday you will find struggles.  But accepting things gives you an opportunity to act.  Taking responsibility for the out come gives you incentive to keep moving forward and find a solution.  Sometimes that won’t be enough.  What happens when you fail?  Tune in next time to see.

Anonymous asked: So I know a lot of people apply to a large number of medical schools when the time comes but I will be limited significantly with only having about 5 to choose from with 2 of them being of higher rank. The reason for this is that I simply will not be able to afford the expenses that would come along with going out of state along with application fees and traveling for interviews (if I'd get any). I guess my question is, am I pretty much set up for failure by having these limitations?

No, I don’t think so.  But I would mention this, the goal is to get in the first time.  You might find some safety net schools that are right at your stats or below for acceptance.  Taking a year off of school will hurt you in the long run.  Chances are you will start having to pay on student loans, and you miss a year of potential physician earnings.  Even if you take out a loan, I would pay the extra to apply to a few safety schools that may not be in your 5.

If I can offer any other advice, let me know.  Good luck!

Anonymous asked: i had a really rough semester and i had to withdraw from a class and i finished with a 2.85 (because my credits were so low [10] I got a C, B+, B+, B for my grades) My cum GPA is still a 3.68. Are my chances for med school ruined?

I would never say your chances are ruined.  A 3.68 is not a terrible GPA.  I would apply with that, and hopefully you are a freshman or sophomore, meaning you have time to make that up.  You didn’t mention an MCAT score so I am guessing you at least have a year before that.  Bust your ass to bring up the grades, kick ass on the MCAT and you are golden!  Just remember, you might need to explain this semester in an interview so either have a good story about it or find a way to preemptively talk about it in your personal statement.

Good luck!

“The teacher has a really thick accent.”

“He doesn’t teach what will be on the test.”

“She doesn’t seem to know what she is talking about.”

These are all excuses that I have used in the past.  I am sure many of you have used some variation.  While they may be useful for venting, ultimately they got me nowhere.  In fact, statements like these have always given me excuses to quit trying.  The natural flow of thought being that my fate is relegated to some circumstances beyond my control.  Luckily I learned early how to correct this thinking.

Because I am a stubborn person by nature, I naturally like a challenge.  For some reason, when placed in classes like this I, and several of my peers, buckle down and deal with what ever road blocks have been placed before us.  Meanwhile some students just roll over, content to take what they believe fate has handed them.  So what is the difference in the two groups?

In my opinion it is thinking.  In fact this is substantiated by various pieces of research presented in The Art of Learning.  When studying students they generally can be classified into two mindsets: I control the outcome or the outcome is out of my control.  Students who believe they control scholastic outcomes will equate their studying habits to their level of success.  Students who don’t believe they control scholastic outcomes tend to believe their level of success is determined by the teacher or their natural abilities (these are the students who say “I am just not good at math,” when they do poorly on a math test).  The excuses they conjure up give them the out they need, it allows them to no longer try.  It may even be a defense mechanism, you can’t be disappointed by your performance if you don’t try.

So how can you fix this?  My first piece of advice is to accept everything.  Whether this applies to school or any complication in life.  Until you fully accept your current circumstances you cannot change them.  For example, you could spend time wishing your teacher had better English and no accent.  But that won’t change the present circumstances.  The first thing you should do is accept that you will have difficulty understanding this professor.  When you do that you can move in a positive direction and spend time on solutions, not wishes.   

This is the first step.  I plan to write more, and break it up into digestible chunks.  But try this, the next time you catch yourself wishing things were different just stop.  Think about how the situation is, and take a breath.  Just accept it.  Then we can tackle whats next, action. 

This is a pretty wild series of anatomy drawings.  Click the image to see more.

Anatomical figures made out of felt.  They are pretty amazing.  Click the image to see more.