if I have surgery..

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armybound said:
can I use it as an EC? is it clinical experience, volunteering, or shadowing?
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Sure you can! Just twist it around and mention how much you learned during your stay at the hospital, how the doctors let you watch over what they were doing. Don't forget to talk about your out-of-body experience while under anesthesia that allowed you to observe the entire surgery.

Good luck :luck:
 
I was going to ask if you were awake during the surgery. Then it would be shadowing. But since you could 'smell yourself' I think it could be clinical as well. Tough choice...
 
Not worthy of an EC. It misses the "extra" part in extracurricular unless you think your surgery was optional. 😀
 
MChitty said:
I was going to ask if you were awake during the surgery. Then it would be shadowing. But since you could 'smell yourself' I think it could be clinical as well. Tough choice...
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I asked about local instead of general anesthesia but they wouldn't let me stay awake for it.'

you learn A LOT about the process and fears/nervousness from being a patient though. very interesting experience.
 
armybound said:
I asked about local instead of general anesthesia but they wouldn't let me stay awake for it.'

you learn A LOT about the process and fears/nervousness from being a patient though. very interesting experience.
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Hmm... well, on the TMDSAS personal biography (or was it chronology, one of the two), you COULD put it there (since even taking the MCAT is used as an example), but it's not worthy as an EC on AMCAS.
 
I was just kidding about using it as an EC. but it was a good learning experience. it's always good to see the other side of medicine, it helps you relate to your patients.
 
armybound said:
I was just kidding about using it as an EC. but it was a good learning experience. it's always good to see the other side of medicine, it helps you relate to your patients.
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Hmm... definitely put in on your TMDSAS app now. That's something I don't think most pre-meds experience. And you can relate it to medicine! 😀
 
Another question: should I lump all of my medical stuff into one EC or keep them separate? I was thinking of lumping them together, but I don't want to confound the adcom by having too much in one EC. You know: the APRN giving me the tetanus booster, the DDS extracting my wisdom teeth, the complete physical with my MD, etc. Of course, I wouldn't list any of my well-child-checks, because AMCAS specifically says post-highschool experiences, but seriously -- any advice? I'm so confused! 😕
 
Captain Fantastic said:
Another question: should I lump all of my medical stuff into one EC or keep them separate? I was thinking of lumping them together, but I don't want to confound the adcom by having too much in one EC. You know: the APRN giving me the tetanus booster, the DDS extracting my wisdom teeth, the complete physical with my MD, etc. Of course, I wouldn't list any of my well-child-checks, because AMCAS specifically says post-highschool experiences, but seriously -- any advice? I'm so confused! 😕
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I'd just list it as one, "Maintains good health practices" or "Practices preventive medicine"

Something like that
 
may i ask what type of surgery it was?

circumcision?
 
armybound said:
I was just kidding about using it as an EC. but it was a good learning experience. it's always good to see the other side of medicine, it helps you relate to your patients.
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I totally agree. I think everyone has been a patient in some way or another, at some point in their life -- but to undergo a major procedure/surgery gives you a first-hand perspective on what it's really like. My valve replacement surgery was something that not only made me want to pursue cardiology, I believe it'll make me relate to my future patients a lot better, having been under the knife myself.
 
I'm recovering from shoulder surgery I had last week. I know my ortho surgeon pretty well and he knows I'm going to med school so I think he was a little more... open to me then your typical patient 🙂 When we first decided to go ahead with surgery he busted out the CT and MRI scans and showed me what was going on, as well as some assumptions the radiologist made. He made sure I got a pretty comprehensive set of pictures during my surgery too and walked me through what he saw/was doing in each one as well. Cool stuff. I highly recommend getting surgery to everyone 😉
 
I'm writing about my own experiences with surgery in my PS....it's a legit thing. I certainly have had enough of them. If only I could count the number of hours I spent in the hospital towards shadowing....

I did end up officially shadowing my orthopedist, though, because I had spent so much time around him anyways. I would show up for my own appointments, get checked out, and then follow him around for the rest of the day. It worked out pretty well!

(ps how'd that sex change go for ya?)
 
Dang it, I totally missed out on adding another EC to my app last year! 🙂

Had a little "mishap" with a drill while working a few years ago and ended up having two surgeries to reattach and fix a finger. And technically they woke me up during one of the surgeries so that I could flex the finger.......so.....couldn't I have said that I actually participated in a surgical procedure? 😉
 
nlax30 said:
Dang it, I totally missed out on adding another EC to my app last year! 🙂

Had a little "mishap" with a drill while working a few years ago and ended up having two surgeries to reattach and fix a finger. And technically they woke me up during one of the surgeries so that I could flex the finger.......so.....couldn't I have said that I actually participated in a surgical procedure? 😉
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that's hardcore

does it work fine now? get all feeling back?
 
nlax30 said:
Dang it, I totally missed out on adding another EC to my app last year! 🙂

Had a little "mishap" with a drill while working a few years ago and ended up having two surgeries to reattach and fix a finger. And technically they woke me up during one of the surgeries so that I could flex the finger.......so.....couldn't I have said that I actually participated in a surgical procedure? 😉
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wow, that's intense.

I would totally freak out if one of my fingers got cut off. a neighbor of mine cut off four of them in a lawnmower accident, and was remarkably calm. I would be the idiot screaming and babbling incoherently.

I hope your finger healed fully! :luck:
 
ssquared said:
wow, that's intense.

I would totally freak out if one of my fingers got cut off. a neighbor of mine cut off four of them in a lawnmower accident, and was remarkably calm. I would be the idiot screaming and babbling incoherently.

I hope your finger healed fully! :luck:
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For the most part. I can't fully bend the distal joint, so when I make a fist that index finger doesn't curl in all the way. Normally don't notice it in normal everyday "use", only when doing something with fine motor control using that finger and my thumb do I notice some sensation weirdness.

Luckily it was at work, so workers comp covered it all, and at the time I was working for a home theater company and one of our customers was a good hand surgeon so I was able to have him do it.
 
armybound said:
can I use it as an EC? is it clinical experience, volunteering, or shadowing?
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Sorry, if you were totally serious about medicine you would have wisened up and performed it on yourself. There's a missed opportunity, bud 😀
 
Hot dang, I am suure gonna put down that bit 'bout my circumcision.
 
apnea said:
you'd be the first one to complain if it hadn't, too 🙄
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do what?
adamMD said:
Aren't you already finished with your app? How could you use it?
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I'm really just kidding about using it as an EC. I did have surgery this morning though, and it was a good experience as far as seeing it from the patient's point of view. I'd never try to use it as an EC though.
 
I had (have) a rare chronic disease, and I have been through numerous ERCP's, liver bx's, and a major surgery (at my med school of choice I might add) about four months ago. This disease forced me to take a year off between high school and college (and took a good amount of time out of high school, however I still graduated on time) but I'm hoping I can use it to my advantage when I apply to medical school.

Whats cool is that my doc said she can get me a job in research at the school, and maybe even a research grant. I also plan on shadowing my endoscopist this year (I have gotten to know the endoscopy staff very well in my city)

So all of this kind of puts a "sugar coating" on a very bad expierence.

Anyways, I'm new... so hello!
 
As a person with a chronic disease that requires weekly surgeries, I find it extremely insulting that anyone would suggest that there is a positive side (ie - getting an EC on your app) to debilitating medical procedures. You have insulted every ill person out there, and it is obvious to me that none of you will make good doctors. I plan to report this thread to the mods and have all of you banned.
 
Tired said:
As a person with a chronic disease that requires weekly surgeries, I find it extremely insulting that anyone would suggest that there is a positive side (ie - getting an EC on your app) to debilitating medical procedures. You have insulted every ill person out there, and it is obvious to me that none of you will make good doctors. I plan to report this thread to the mods and have all of you banned.
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i had just typed out a response to this, before recognizing the sarcasm. Close call.
 
KeyzerSoze said:
i had just typed out a response to this, before recognizing the sarcasm. Close call.
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the "weekly surgeries" tipped me off.

but it did take a second. my sarcasm meter is off kilter this week.
 
ryno said:
I had (have) a rare chronic disease, and I have been through numerous ERCP's, liver bx's, and a major surgery (at my med school of choice I might add) about four months ago. This disease forced me to take a year off between high school and college (and took a good amount of time out of high school, however I still graduated on time) but I'm hoping I can use it to my advantage when I apply to medical school.

Whats cool is that my doc said she can get me a job in research at the school, and maybe even a research grant. I also plan on shadowing my endoscopist this year (I have gotten to know the endoscopy staff very well in my city)

So all of this kind of puts a "sugar coating" on a very bad expierence.

Anyways, I'm new... so hello!
Click to expand...


Definitely use this to your advantage since you've experienced healthcare from multiple angles. I have a good friend who battled cancer a few years back during his last couple of years of undergrad (I think he spent maybe just an extra year finishing up his degree b/c of time off in the hospital) and ended up going to med school with a really strong personal story to motivate him, plus, knowing him, I'm sure it was a killer PS that he wrote.
 
ssquared said:
the "weekly surgeries" tipped me off.

but it did take a second. my sarcasm meter is off kilter this week.
Click to expand...

I didn't catch the sarcasm either... when I read it, my jaw dropped a little. :laugh:
 
ryno said:
I had (have) a rare chronic disease, and I have been through numerous ERCP's, liver bx's, and a major surgery (at my med school of choice I might add) about four months ago. This disease forced me to take a year off between high school and college (and took a good amount of time out of high school, however I still graduated on time) but I'm hoping I can use it to my advantage when I apply to medical school.

Whats cool is that my doc said she can get me a job in research at the school, and maybe even a research grant. I also plan on shadowing my endoscopist this year (I have gotten to know the endoscopy staff very well in my city)

So all of this kind of puts a "sugar coating" on a very bad expierence.

Anyways, I'm new... so hello!
Click to expand...

Welcome! Yeah, like was said... this is going to help you KILL your PS, secondaries, and interview. Shadowing and volunteering is great experience, but there's nothing like being in the thick of things. Like you said, a very sweet sugar coating on a very bad experience. Best of luck to ya!
 
armybound said:
in all honesty, I had a pilonidal cyst excised. it does not feel good.
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I had one of those about, um, ten years ago. Having it surgically excised under general anesthesia wasn't as bad as having it drained in the ER with a local. They evacuated the room! As the last nurse left the exam room, I heard her say to everyone outside, "Whatever you do, don't go in there!"

A couple minutes later the doctor made the incision and I understood her remark. It was um, rather fragrant. Anaerobic bacteria, and lots of it. (3-4cm deep? I don't quite remember.)

I would have asked the doc more questions about the cauterizing scalpel he was using, but at the time I was running a fever of 104 so my curiosity was dampened a little bit. Apparently he'd never used one before, but he'd called another surgeon about my case, and the other guy had recommended this particular scalpel, which seemed to be cordless. My guy said it worked "really good".

I had to wear maxi-pads "backwards" for several weeks to absorb the drainage. That was weird.

They excised it in the OR some weeks later, after the infection was under control.

Hope yours heals up soon, armybound!

Miss D.
 
I definately learned a lot from my arm surgery. It was an emergency surgery, but I was in the hospital for about a week after so I learned a lot about what patients experience. I deal specifically with suicidal/confused patients so coming out of anesthesia and being on all the pain medications certainly was an eye-opening experience. It's quite easy to become annoyed with confused patients, but being in their shoes makes it very different. I also got to go through all the fear and anxiety of going into surgery, the extreme anxiety of not having any clue about what's going on, being cared for by nurses, all that good stuff.

I wouldn't put it as an EC, but you can definately work that into your essay or something. Empathy is a great quality in a doctor.
 
Miss Diagnosis said:
I had one of those about, um, ten years ago. Having it surgically excised under general anesthesia wasn't as bad as having it drained in the ER with a local. They evacuated the room! As the last nurse left the exam room, I heard her say to everyone outside, "Whatever you do, don't go in there!"

A couple minutes later the doctor made the incision and I understood her remark. It was um, rather fragrant. Anaerobic bacteria, and lots of it. (3-4cm deep? I don't quite remember.)

I would have asked the doc more questions about the cauterizing scalpel he was using, but at the time I was running a fever of 104 so my curiosity was dampened a little bit. Apparently he'd never used one before, but he'd called another surgeon about my case, and the other guy had recommended this particular scalpel, which seemed to be cordless. My guy said it worked "really good".

I had to wear maxi-pads "backwards" for several weeks to absorb the drainage. That was weird.

They excised it in the OR some weeks later, after the infection was under control.

Hope yours heals up soon, armybound!

Miss D.
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Glad to hear someone knows what it's like! Though I'm not too glad, because I know how painful it is and would not wish it on anyone else.

My pilonidal was actually well past the "cyst" stage. I've been dealing with it for about 5 years, and it had already drained and become an open cavity. The doctor said it had actually tunneled under my skin to leave a ~15cm hole which had to be covered with a skin flap. Not a fun time!

Thanks for the well wishes 🙂
 
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