Halloween in the MICU: I was on call overnight, wearing a headband with droopy bumblebee ears, black and yellow clashing with the somber gray haze of the team room. Thus far, my call nights had torn 10,000 holes through my soul. Each was a devastating routine during which people of great medical mystery would rush(...)
residency
Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match
Posted by | A Day in the LifeFor fourth-year medical students across the country, the end of January means the culmination of months of struggling to keep suits unwrinkled, waiting at airport gates and sleeping on friends’ couches. This process did not just begin. Many students begin bracing themselves for The Match the moment they stepped into their first medical school class.(...)
Speaking From Experience: Advice For Residents and Fellows
Posted by | A Day in the LifeBiomedical Odyssey bloggers past and present share their experiences and offer advice to prospective residents and fellows. Here are a few of our favorites: Applying for Residency: Parts One, Two and Three A fourth-year medical student offers pro tips and lessons learned during the residency application process. Advice from a Senior Resident to a New(...)
I’m Alive!
Posted by | A Day in the LifeHer first impression: The supernatural world was surprisingly similar to reality. She opened her eyes and looked around. Lifting her hand in disbelief, she slowly flexed each intricate finger muscle. She gingerly touched her nose and ran her hand through her hair. “Are you an angel?” she asked. This 80-year-old lady had recently been diagnosed(...)
Delivering Your Goals
Posted by | A Day in the LifeOn Day 1 of my residency in the Gyn/Ob department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, I remember feeling intimidated by all the skills that I had to develop: placing orders, writing notes, managing labor, performing vaginal deliveries, repairing lacerations, performing C-sections, placing Nexplanon implants for contraception, managing triage patients, answering consults, and(...)
Transcontinental (or “Not-So-Long Distance”) Residencies and Making It Work
Posted by | A Day in the LifeMy Match Day in March 2015 was probably one of the best days of my mid-twenties. I stood around a table with my best friends and my significant other — also a medical student — as we opened our Match letters together. It was our best day — I was headed to Baltimore, and he(...)
Welcome to Internship! Tips from a Graduating Resident
Posted by | A Day in the LifeEvery March, thousands of fourth year medical students simultaneously open letters containing the names of their future residency programs. A pediatrics resident nearing the end of her training reflects on things she wishes someone had told her as she prepared to become an intern. Most days, you will have to choose between getting enough sleep,(...)
Reflections on Residency from a PGY-3: The Beginning of the End
Posted by | A Day in the LifeIt’s the beginning of my third and final year of residency, and I can finally see the light at the end of the training tunnel. Second year was challenging — the first half was filled with weeks of nights, a crash course in pediatric intensive care, and months on the pediatric hematology and oncology floor.(...)
Inside a Med Student’s Mind On a Patient Visit
Posted by | A Day in the Life(Disclaimers: Although much of the following comes from my medical education, it should not be generalized to all medical students. Certain details — name, identifiers, complaints — have been modified for privacy reasons.) 7:59 p.m. I am standing outside the patient’s room in the hospital. She has just been transferred from the emergency department (ED).(...)
Kid in a White Coat
Posted by | A Day in the LifeI am no stranger to medical institutions. I’ve spent time in hospitals and clinics all throughout my life — shadowing physicians, working in the operating room as an administrative intern and now as a first-year medical student. However, while walking through the busy corridors of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, I feel distinctly different. Of course,(...)
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