Motherhood is infinitely harder than I ever imagined. You hold your newborn in your arms and think, "I'm going to do everything right," to protect, encourage, educate, support, and nurture that little one through life. And then somewhere down the road you realize that your child actually has her own personality...her own free will. So much for doing everything right!
Every now and then, working professional, full-time student, and motherhood don't really mix well. Last week, those aspects of my life down-right collided. I was one crabby mom. This has got to be the greatest struggle for me in making the decision to go to medical school. So what about the debt? Who cares about the exams? Those are stresses I can manage. Those are challenges that I can "work-through" with my intellect. Feeling like my home-life is spinning out of control is not.
No, my home-life is NOT spinning out of control, but I'm keenly aware that it doesn't take too much to get that way. A crazy week now and then is not a life-style. I think it is important for kids to learn that challenges come, you work through them, and you're on to the next thing life has to offer. I don't like the idea of kids feeling like life is one constant challenge after another. I find myself wondering what I'm truly signing up for as I get ready for medical school. I'm not too worried about carving out family time in the first two years, but internship and residency are a whole other thing.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Health
Have you ever noticed how many heavy healthcare workers there are? Pick a profession...nurses, physicians, pulic health, pharmacists. (OK, it seems like most physical therapists put it into practice, but they are probably the exception.)
Today I'm at a conference for health educators. I'd say that this group is probably more fit than mosts...maybe only half are in the "overweight" or "obese" category. (I'm including myself; BMI is currently 25.5--so close!) Healthcare is not known for healthy lifestyles. Twelve-hour (or longer) shifts powered by Diet Coke really aren't conducive to living a balanced, healthy way of life. Stress elvates blood glucose, which takes its toll on the body. Feelings of not having enough time make it easy to excuse yourself from exercising.
A cardiologist touched on the role of physical exercise as preventive care, commenting that his patients were too "busy" to exercise--too busy to take care of themselves. Some didn't understand why they weren't losing weight even though they exercise regularly. (The example he gave was of a woman who spent 20 minutes on a stationary bike two or three times a week--no where close to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.) Then he shared that he got up to exercise from 5:30 until 7:00 each morning. He was a pretty trim guy who recognized that knowledge doesn't matter much if you aren't willing to put it into practice.
As I see it, I've got a year and a half to figure out how to strike a balance. Now, I recognize that most people don't really think of medical students as living a "balanced life," but I do believe balance is always a worthy goal. If I can't make my peace with food and find myself regularly working up a decent sweat before med school starts, I'm not going to magically live that lifestyle afterwards. It just strikes me as so painfully ironic that healthy living is so easily dismissed by those who are regularly advising people how to live.
Today I'm at a conference for health educators. I'd say that this group is probably more fit than mosts...maybe only half are in the "overweight" or "obese" category. (I'm including myself; BMI is currently 25.5--so close!) Healthcare is not known for healthy lifestyles. Twelve-hour (or longer) shifts powered by Diet Coke really aren't conducive to living a balanced, healthy way of life. Stress elvates blood glucose, which takes its toll on the body. Feelings of not having enough time make it easy to excuse yourself from exercising.
A cardiologist touched on the role of physical exercise as preventive care, commenting that his patients were too "busy" to exercise--too busy to take care of themselves. Some didn't understand why they weren't losing weight even though they exercise regularly. (The example he gave was of a woman who spent 20 minutes on a stationary bike two or three times a week--no where close to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.) Then he shared that he got up to exercise from 5:30 until 7:00 each morning. He was a pretty trim guy who recognized that knowledge doesn't matter much if you aren't willing to put it into practice.
As I see it, I've got a year and a half to figure out how to strike a balance. Now, I recognize that most people don't really think of medical students as living a "balanced life," but I do believe balance is always a worthy goal. If I can't make my peace with food and find myself regularly working up a decent sweat before med school starts, I'm not going to magically live that lifestyle afterwards. It just strikes me as so painfully ironic that healthy living is so easily dismissed by those who are regularly advising people how to live.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Watching my future insanity play out...
Holy smack! How many schools does a person need to apply to?
A friend is applying this cycle. She's a late applicant. (No, I didn't say "old" applicant.) She took her MCAT in September and just got her personal statement finished last month. Just yesterday she confessed that she was thinking of sending applications off to "a couple more schools--just to be safe." Oh, I forgot to mention that she has already sent her application to 22 schools. Twenty-two schools! As an "older" applicant (mid-twenties) her rationale is that she must do everything she can to secure her spot this year, as time is money.
With the wisdom that comes with age, I kindly suggested that she might say to herself, "I've done my research and I know that these five schools are well-within my grasp," take a couple of deep breaths, and just chill. Her response was, "Yeah, but I think that there are a couple more schools that I could have applied to that don't have their deadline until next week." I just smile. "If it makes you sleep better, then do it."
Is that what I have to look forward to? Second-guessing, trying to maximize every possible chance I've got to get in? Hmm. Probably. I'm taking steps to avoid finding myself in that same up-against-the-wall scenario my friend is in.
Here's my game plan:
First (and kind of duh), I'm applying early. I've got my personal statement in the works and I'm scheduled to take the MCAT in April. That leaves me with May to enter transcript data, shepherd my letters of recommendations in, and fill in all those time-consuming, irritating parts of the AMCAS application.
Second, I'm including a few DO schools in my application. It seems like some individuals view DO programs as an after-thought. ("Oh, no, I didn't get in to the MD programs I thought I was a shoo-in for...quick, scramble, hit up the DO schools before their deadlines.") DO program usually have later deadlines than MD programs. I really believe that the fresher the reviewer's eyes are when he or she looks over my application, the better odds I have.
Finally, I'm prepping myself for the inevitable. I know that next fall will take me to the brink of insanity as I wait to hear back from the schools I pick. Knowing what's on the horizon, I'm working on a coping strategy that includes staying away from Student Doctor Network next fall (I love the site, but I know when I'm in the midst of my craziness I don't need to be seeking advice from other crazies), training for a few races (at least one half-marathon and maybe an early-spring marathon), and getting a message before each interview.
So stick around and see what happens Fall 2012. Hopefully I won't be telling myself that two dozen applications really isn't that many.
A friend is applying this cycle. She's a late applicant. (No, I didn't say "old" applicant.) She took her MCAT in September and just got her personal statement finished last month. Just yesterday she confessed that she was thinking of sending applications off to "a couple more schools--just to be safe." Oh, I forgot to mention that she has already sent her application to 22 schools. Twenty-two schools! As an "older" applicant (mid-twenties) her rationale is that she must do everything she can to secure her spot this year, as time is money.
With the wisdom that comes with age, I kindly suggested that she might say to herself, "I've done my research and I know that these five schools are well-within my grasp," take a couple of deep breaths, and just chill. Her response was, "Yeah, but I think that there are a couple more schools that I could have applied to that don't have their deadline until next week." I just smile. "If it makes you sleep better, then do it."
Is that what I have to look forward to? Second-guessing, trying to maximize every possible chance I've got to get in? Hmm. Probably. I'm taking steps to avoid finding myself in that same up-against-the-wall scenario my friend is in.
Here's my game plan:
First (and kind of duh), I'm applying early. I've got my personal statement in the works and I'm scheduled to take the MCAT in April. That leaves me with May to enter transcript data, shepherd my letters of recommendations in, and fill in all those time-consuming, irritating parts of the AMCAS application.
Second, I'm including a few DO schools in my application. It seems like some individuals view DO programs as an after-thought. ("Oh, no, I didn't get in to the MD programs I thought I was a shoo-in for...quick, scramble, hit up the DO schools before their deadlines.") DO program usually have later deadlines than MD programs. I really believe that the fresher the reviewer's eyes are when he or she looks over my application, the better odds I have.
Finally, I'm prepping myself for the inevitable. I know that next fall will take me to the brink of insanity as I wait to hear back from the schools I pick. Knowing what's on the horizon, I'm working on a coping strategy that includes staying away from Student Doctor Network next fall (I love the site, but I know when I'm in the midst of my craziness I don't need to be seeking advice from other crazies), training for a few races (at least one half-marathon and maybe an early-spring marathon), and getting a message before each interview.
So stick around and see what happens Fall 2012. Hopefully I won't be telling myself that two dozen applications really isn't that many.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Drafting My Personal Statement
I recently met an MD/PhD student who offered to assist me with crafting my personal statement. What a relief! I've gotten my first draft to her (and she's already given me feedback). I have a few other people who said that they were willing to review it (2 MD clinical professors, 1 MD not associated with the university, 1 second-year student). So much is riding on this single essay--it's a bit frightening. My plan is to go through a few rounds of revision with a single reviewer before sharing it with others.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Introduction
I think my husband has just about heard it all. And so I am casting my words out into the Blogosphere. (I guess I'm saying, "Who cares? Maybe someone.") In truth, he is supportive, but this venture is inevitably far more thrilling to me than it is to him.
So here I am. A mother with a full-time job and a heavy course-load getting ready to take the MCAT in April. And I'm 37. I'll be 43 in June 2017--the same month I become an MD. I feel like right now I am looking at the travel brochures for the biggest journey in my life. Where to go, how to get there--the future feels pretty uncertain, but that's were the adventure lies.
So here I am. A mother with a full-time job and a heavy course-load getting ready to take the MCAT in April. And I'm 37. I'll be 43 in June 2017--the same month I become an MD. I feel like right now I am looking at the travel brochures for the biggest journey in my life. Where to go, how to get there--the future feels pretty uncertain, but that's were the adventure lies.
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