Has anybody read this blog??

[brodaiga]

Very good info from an MS1's account, his struggles, and his tips on studying in med school...

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[anon-y-mouse]

I don't see what's so excellent about this blog.

For those who are too lazy to go to the blog: URM (black) student's experience at some Carib med.

Failed anatomy, whines, blah blah... I mean it is an interesting peep into the world of med school, I suppose. He's not a very good student in the first place (others in his class seem to pass), talks about how Carib med students "outdo 85% of American med schools" in the same shelf exams, doesn't seem to know all the parts of the body... I'm not sure... it's just very self-aggrandizing, but I suppose you need a healthy dose of that since you're ego is going to be slightly bruised for getting out of the country. I don't think I would want this guy as my doctor though, if he's struggling so much with all these classes... he claims he's going to crush his USMLE and that's all that matters. yeah. right.

To be honest, affirmative action could have helped this guy a LOT more...

Interesting reading, maybe, if you're interested in off shore schools and are not an above-average student.

 

[Gavanshir]

Very interesting read. One has to respect and appreciate an honest blogger who writes his life experiences for others to learn from.

His take on the "Danger Zone" was quite good. Here is part of section 2, looks like he might be talking about students like you, anon-y-mouse:

2. You must be careful in your dealings with students. The reality of medical school is that there will be many students who don't have your best interest at heart. Be careful not to listen to them. I'll give you an example of something that happened this semester. I was speaking with girl who had failed all of her anatomy tests (until this last one). While she was telling me about it, a student overheard her and started laughing quietly but loud enough to where we could hear him. He looked over, while smiling, and asked her how she was doing. "fine," she replied. He then walked away with a big smile. She then asked me later if I observed what she had just noticed. I told her that I had also noticed him gloating in her failure. "That mother****er. I hate these cut-throat dinguses," she replied. I just told her not to let it get to her. It is the reality of every medical school. You have to let it go and move-on.

The cut-throats will eventually become arrogant doctors who will eventually be sued for malpractice. Their the reasons that no one feels sorry for doctors when they get sued.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

I don't see what's so arrogant or cut-throat about passing, honestly. Would you rather have the "arrogant" doctor who passes, or the "down to earth" one who fails all their anatomy tests? Recollection / knowledge in a life-or-death situation, the ability to know exactly what course of action to take, is really important. While his honesty is refreshing, it won't help him save lives.

 

[Gavanshir]

I don't see what's so arrogant or cut-throat about passing, honestly. Would you rather have the "arrogant" doctor who passes, or the "down to earth" one who fails all their anatomy tests? Recollection / knowledge in a life-or-death situation, the ability to know exactly what course of action to take, is really important. While his honesty is refreshing, it won't help him save lives.

I don't really think it's about passing courses, I think it's about having the compassion to help a failing student in need, or at least showing understanding rather than passing judgement and harshly pointing out their weaknesses. The fact is that everyone will most-likey experience moments of weakness throughout their lifetime and although I accept that it is a cold cold world and the weak will get stepped on, it would show a very positive character trait if a successful student lends a helping hand to one who is in need.

I really don't think medicine is ALL about competence and knowledge, a big part of it is compassion and the ability to help your peers rather than stepping all over them. I don't mean to attack you on a personal level but am simply using an anonymous example to portray the nature of a large group of premed students.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Right, I see what you're saying.
I personally have no problems with helping people, and one of my EC's (which I didn't report anywhere) was basically helping friends pass orgo/biochem/neuro/etc. Where there's a will, there's a way.

I really don't think there should be a sense of entitlement in this field though -- "I've always wanted to be a doc, so despite my repeated and chronic inability to learn x, I still think I should be able to do it". Maybe for something like business, but meds? I feel it's like the controversial situation with firefighers... ones who didn't pass because they couldn't meet the minimum physical standards. Yeah, that can be overcome with a ton of hard work, but some people are just not cut out. The practice of medicine is a process of continuous, lifelong learning... this sort of thing is going to keep biting him in the ass unfortunately. Good for him that he is willing to persevere, but if I'm sick, I want the most competent doctor working on me.

 

[ballsbreaker]

Very interesting read. One has to respect and appreciate an honest blogger who writes his life experiences for others to learn from.

His take on the "Danger Zone" was quite good. Here is part of section 2, looks like he might be talking about students like you, anon-y-mouse:

I don't think it is fair/nice to say that anon-y-mouse may be like this. Do you know him to say that? If you want to use an example, then use a hypothetical one.

The blog seems cool and I don't think that it matters where someone goes to school---just what they know and how good they are when they have the title doctor attached to their name. not everyone is gonna do awesome in med school, but hopefully it’ll all come together in a short time and definitely before they get out! I'd rather have a doc that was kind and knew all his ****, but if I had to choose between a hardworking but not the smartest most intuitive doctor and a brilliant dingus, I’d pick the dingus just as long as he had an o.k bedside manner and did not make his patients feel like they were inferior to him. Some docs can be pricks in their personal lives but are way cool to their patients and know their stuff.

 

[fullefect1]

Very good info from an MS1's account, his struggles, and his tips on studying in med school...

Click

I don't think I would take advice of someone who is failing classes on how to study in med school. But it is an interesting little blog.

 

[Flopotomist]

anon-y-mous, I agree with you. There, a nice short post. lol.

 

[Flopotomist]

I only read the bloggers first post, and I will say that I think he made a very good (painful) decision to retake anatomy so that he could learn more. I will say though that less time blogging and more time studying next term might be helpful.

 

[63768]

I only read the bloggers first post, and I will say that I think he made a very good (painful) decision to retake anatomy so that he could learn more. I will say though that less time blogging and more time studying next term might be helpful.

yes. his entries are long-winded and overly verbose. like anon-y-mouse, i think this guy is just whining a lot. sure it's a cutthroat world in medical school whether you like it or not, but that same desire and ambition to be the best is what separates doctors from other professions. what other profession will take almost a decade out of their lives, endure long hours, and tough situations, and make life-altering choices?

i honestly don't see cutthroat as bad. i know i will be one of them one day.

 

[brodaiga]

Did you guys read the part about how the most successful students in his class study? It is similar to the new study style he adopted. When going on interviews and talking with students, they said everyone has a different style and do what works best for you. What worked best for me in undergrad was only attending lecture to take the exams, and learning the powerpoint a couple days before. I have been quite successful with this. Obviously, this will not fly in med school and I will need to get a better work ethic. So i may take some of his study tips and adopt those. And for those criticizing like anonymous, what difference does it make whether he is black or going to the carib? Why don't you see if you can learn anything from his experiences instead of bashing him for failing anatomy. Going to med school with a head start and a solid study plan is the first step on the path to success.

 

[brodaiga]

"is is the hardest class load that I have ever taken even with good study methods, and All of my energy is being used to get past it. Plus, this is a Caribbean school. The end game of going to a US school is doing poorly and not getting a good residency. For a Caribbean school, it's flunking out and ruining your life."

 

[Brandon123]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for reading my blog. It will go down in a little bit, but I must admit that it has been quite an experience.


Just to clarify a few points.

The blog went on for over a year. Yes, I started out weakly. However, I eventually learned how to study and now I am performing very well. Well enough to be one of those "stories" of someone who started out weak and killed the boards.

For any weak student, don't give up. It's often the study approach -- in both premed and medical school. Finally, ignore what other students do. Insecurity runs rampant in this field and there are those who will always want to stereotype you into some sort of caste system to make themselves feel better.

Yes, I am black or "urm" as was referred to. Yes, I go to a Caribbean Medical Student. Furthermore, I struggled at the very beginning of my medical school tenure. But I guarantee that I am not struggling now. When those exams come back, all those preexisting beliefs are over.

Work hard. Don't accept others opinions of yourself, and you will discover a lot. I discovered a lot of qualities about myself through medical school. Good luck in the future!