What if you do something wrong? Dr. Cox plz answer

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I have the original...well, not THE original but a reproduction I picked up at Barnes and Noble.

I'd LOVE to have an original. I have several old medical textbooks...in many cases they are hiliarous. I love the one labeled "Hormones and Hysteria". I'm sure it would send many a feminist through the roof! 😀
 
Kimberli Cox said:
I have the original...well, not THE original but a reproduction I picked up at Barnes and Noble.

I'd LOVE to have an original. I have several old medical textbooks...in many cases they are hiliarous. I love the one labeled "Hormones and Hysteria". I'm sure it would send many a feminist through the roof! 😀
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I liked the copy of the original Merck manual that came with the 100th addition. Lots of great medicine with Mercury in them. Umm umm.

David Carpenter, PA-C
 
core0 said:
I liked the copy of the original Merck manual that came with the 100th addition. Lots of great medicine with Mercury in them. Umm umm.

David Carpenter, PA-C
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Hey I have that issue as well!
 
Cheisu said:
1. What if I take a step that messes up my career? Are there exact steps I should take from here? ACT or SAT?
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I've actually got an idea of something related to medicine/science that you might be able to do now.

Does your school have an AP Anatomy class? Junior year in high school, I took a class where we got to dissect cats, baby pigs, and others animals. It was an awesome introduction to anatomy, and in hindsight, I wish I took the time to learn more. (*FYI - The inside of a clam looked like peanut butter but smelled horrible, so it was a few years before I ate another reese's peanut butter cup!)

If your school doesn't have it, maybe you can approach your principal about starting a class like this for interested students.

Cheisu said:
2. I have a habit of asking ALOT of questions. Does this annoy people?
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Please keep this in mind - this is a forum where med studentes like myself get a rare and valuable opportunity to learn from both residents and attending surgeons. I've personally learned A TON from just reading these threads. Before asking a question or posting, please just ask yourself if:
1.) I can easily look this up somewhere else &
2.) is this question a good use of the time of those who are kind enough to voluntarily post here.

This website really is an invaluable resource so we need to be respectful of the time of those who post here so they continue to post. Good Luck w/ everything!
 
Playmakur42 said:
I've actually got an idea of something related to medicine/science that you might be able to do now.

Does your school have an AP Anatomy class? Junior year in high school, I took a class where we got to dissect cats, baby pigs, and others animals. It was an awesome introduction to anatomy, and in hindsight, I wish I took the time to learn more. (*FYI - The inside of a clam looked like peanut butter but smelled horrible, so it was a few years before I ate another reese's peanut butter cup!)
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High School Flashback. :scared:

I took Anatomy, Physiology, Organic Chemistry, and Molecular/Cell Biology in my senior year of high school (on top of AP English, Multivariable Calculus, etc.). What a tremendous headache I had. This followed a year where I took AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Calculus BC, on top of other classes.

I did it because I was told that, "Well, if you see these things now it'll give you an advantage in college."

I didn't think so. All I remember is having a really stressful time.

When I went off to college I still spent every frickin' night in the library studying until 2AM along with the other losers who called themselves "premed." And I continued this nonsense until I finally burned out around my third-year in med school and just didn't give a crap about anything. I don't think I even recovered until around my second-year in residency that I realized I'd better haul ass.

I say just be a kid. It'll be the last time in your life you'll get to do great things like take courses you may actually care about. I'm not saying don't study, but just remember that you're young only once in your life and college is a unique experience that you shouldn't waste on being premed if you can help it.

I took "Circus Performance" in college and loved every minute of it. Learned how to walk a tight rope, juggle, and all sorts of neat circus things... To this day, it impresses the chicks a helluva lot. 😉
 
smq123 said:
Right - but it doesn't go both ways. Either you expect us to take you seriously as a "future surgeon," or you expect us to remember that you're still in high school.

In any case - now you know for the future. 🙂 But in all seriousness - stop reading ACLS guidelines, and start doing something fun. If I were 16, and could do it all again, I'd spend a lot more time studying other languages and studying abroad. 🙁 [**Sigh**]
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But I enjoy reading ACLS guidelines. What else am I supposed to do?

Relationships= waste of time. High school relationships almost never last
sports= obsolete
 
Kimberli Cox said:
The above is good reference material to store away, Cheisu.

As easy going as I am (and there are not many surgeons who are), even if you meant it to be a joke, many many many surgeons will not take it as such. Particularly females.

We (female surgeons) have a great deal of difficulty in educating people/patients that female surgeons/physicians do exist and a fair bit of difficulty in getting respect, often from nurses. Should you encounter a surgeon with a chip on their shoulder about such, your joke would almost certainly be seen as offensive.

My ex had a "theory" that all female surgeons were bitches. So everytime I got upset about something he did, warranted or not (at least in his mind), I proved his theory (at least in his mind). He alwys said he was j/k but doing so only made me madder, of course.

Don't make the same mistake and push someone's buttons. For me, its people assuming I must be a bitch because I'm a surgeon; for many others its being mistaken for a nurse.
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Odd. Whenever I see a woman wearing OR attire, I usually assume she's a surgeon.
 
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Playmakur42 said:
I've actually got an idea of something related to medicine/science that you might be able to do now.

Does your school have an AP Anatomy class? Junior year in high school, I took a class where we got to dissect cats, baby pigs, and others animals. It was an awesome introduction to anatomy, and in hindsight, I wish I took the time to learn more. (*FYI - The inside of a clam looked like peanut butter but smelled horrible, so it was a few years before I ate another reese's peanut butter cup!)

If your school doesn't have it, maybe you can approach your principal about starting a class like this for interested students.



Please keep this in mind - this is a forum where med studentes like myself get a rare and valuable opportunity to learn from both residents and attending surgeons. I've personally learned A TON from just reading these threads. Before asking a question or posting, please just ask yourself if:
1.) I can easily look this up somewhere else &
2.) is this question a good use of the time of those who are kind enough to voluntarily post here.

This website really is an invaluable resource so we need to be respectful of the time of those who post here so they continue to post. Good Luck w/ everything!
Click to expand...
Thank you! See, these are the kind of simple responses that keep me occupied for a while! A while ago, I brought up a "medical club" idea at my school, did a poll, and got a lot of yeses. I went to the principal, and he said he would approve it for reviewing by student council. Guess what? Trying to find someone to sponsor the club, they said for me to see them in the middle of the year (which will be soon coming up). But guess what happened in the mean time? A GUITAR HERO CLUB!!!! And I was like "you have to be kidding me.
 
Cheisu said:
But I enjoy reading ACLS guidelines. What else am I supposed to do?

Relationships= waste of time. High school relationships almost never last
sports= obsolete
Click to expand...

You sadden me. 🙁

ACLS guidelines might help someday...VERY far down the road...but what about doing stuff that will help you do well in college? I did a lot of high school debate (geeky, yes - but fun!), which definitely improved my writing and speaking skills. Both of which, incidentally, are also important in med school.

Play video games or learn how to play an instrument - I've actually heard ENTs say that they seek out people who can demonstrate good manual dexterity.

Cheisu said:
Well, let me say this. If I enjoy reading about current medicine and anatomy, what should I read? Or will reading about it now mess me all up with the new stuff I'll eventually learn in med school?
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No, it won't mess you up - because it will be a minor miracle if you retain ANY of it. Not to mention that it would also be a minor miracle if you actually understood any of it.

This will sound really sappy - but it makes me REALLY sad that you're trying to speed through and learn so much about medicine/anatomy/surgery RIGHT NOW. Part of the enjoyment of med school is the process of learning this stuff alongside your classmates. The sudden joy of discovering that, hey, you've learned more than you'd ever imagined possible. And the feeling of awe that you get when you're listening to a bunch of attendings arguing over techniques...and you suddenly realize that you UNDERSTAND what each side is trying to say. And suddenly realizing that, without knowing it, you've developed your own opinions about that same topic. I can't even describe it, but the process of gaining knowledge in med school is the best part of the journey. And that's one of the best things about medicine - that process never ends, because there's always new stuff to learn. Why are you trying to deprive yourself of this, by trying to cram all this info in now, so early on? To me, it seems like you're fast-forwarding the journey just to get to the "fun parts." And that's understandable, but that's not how this process works. Slow down, and enjoy each step. You'll never get to revisit the step that came before, so enjoy it when you can.
 
Cheisu said:
Relationships= waste of time. High school relationships almost never last
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:laugh:

When I was your age it wasn't about finding lasting relationships, it was about trying to get laid.
 
Yeah, I mean, if you want to be cynical about it, all relationships will either end in a breakup or wedding.

But that's not a good way to go about life.
 
Cheisu said:
But I enjoy reading ACLS guidelines. What else am I supposed to do?

Relationships= waste of time. High school relationships almost never last
sports= obsolete
Click to expand...


Not trying to be confrontational, but what do you mean by sport=obsolete? Soccer was my life in high school and early college (knee trouble ended that), but I belive it taught me responsibility, hard work, sacrifice, and to work well as a team, all very important qualities to have in a career in surgery. My point is that in high school and college, there are many things that you can be involved in that are fun and may help later in ways you don't anticipate. I like the idea someone posted above of trying to learn a new language. I'm still just a 4th year med student but there have been soooo many times already that speaking spanish would have been a huge help.
 
JMarshall said:
Not trying to be confrontational, but what do you mean by sport=obsolete? Soccer was my life in high school and early college (knee trouble ended that), but I belive it taught me responsibility, hard work, sacrifice, and to work well as a team, all very important qualities to have in a career in surgery.
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I agree - a lot of the surgeons seem to have played a fair amount of sports, particularly when they were younger. I think it does teach a good "teamwork" mentality, but it also seems to have given these guys a fair amount of mental and physical stamina. :laugh:

Not to mention the fact that the former college swimmers seem to be the only people who truly function well at 4:30 AM...it must be all those early morning practices....
 
I totally agree w/ all the others here that disagree w/ you that sports = obsolete. I wrestled all my life until injury in college ended my career (16 years). There isn't a whole lot that a sport as physically & mentally grueling can't teach you about hard work, motivation, time management, etc.

There is a hell of a lot about adversity that athletics teach you. As a student in college, med school, & as a resident your life will be about adversity & how well you can work through it. Just going to school, reading about ACLS, & believing in witches isn't going to teach you anything practical about living in the real world.
 
I agree with smq123. What fun is medical school going to be if you've arleady studied everything before you get there? Yes, most high school relationships don't last, but they are good practice for future ones that might.
 
Agree that sports are key. I ran track and played soccer throughout high school, and you learn some very valuable skills that you otherwise might have missed out on.
 
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Blade28 said:
Agree that sports are key. I ran track and played soccer throughout high school, and you learn some very valuable skills that you otherwise might have missed out on.
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I can play a mean game of Trauma Center on Wii!
 
If you really think sports are obsolete, wait until you're retracting in a long surgery and your traps & delts are screaming in pain because you haven't lifted weights your whole life.

Or wait until you get put into an orthopaedics OR and the only topic of conversation is who won which game last night and why. The studying I did for ortho? Had nothing to do with bones, and required the tutoring skills of my preppy boyfriend who was appalled when I asked "Who's Peyton Manning?" 😱

And you're talking to someone who read "House of God" as a junior in high school; I can probably relate to your enthusiasm. 🙂

Then again, In high school I also won a number of championships in springboard diving, had two relationships that lasted longer than 18 months each, sang in all my school's choirs, did genetics research, played the piano, and worked as a lifeguard; almost none of which was directly "useful" or "applicable" for when I'd end up in med school, but what it DID do was make me a well-rounded person with varied experiences that each taught me valuable lessons. Granted, I'd never seen an ACLS guideline, but I knew how to problem solve, think on my feet, persevere with something I found difficult, had good hand-eye coordination and proprioception (invaluable in an OR when you don't want to contaminate something), and knew how to supervise, delegate, and co-operate.

Life's not about doing one thing and one thing only. Each individual thing is just another piece of an enormous pie, and pardon me if I find it better not to be modest and only take one piece but to eat the whole damn thing.

I know it may feel like we're all being short-sighted, bitter and tired, or just picking on you but I think we've got your best interests in mind.
 
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