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Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
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7:27 pm - Been a while!
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- Graduated in May! Can now place ", MD" after my name and say that I'm a doctor (though I rarely do), although it still feels very weird to be referred to as such. Maybe it's something you grow into. Obviously, this also means that I passed step 2 of the USMLE as well.
- Have a job! At least from June of this year to June of next year for my first year of postgraduate medicine. Was unable to match or scramble into a categorical medicine spot (despite being one out of the last five considered for one spot in New Jersey), but thanks to a kind residency director, and the even kinder ACGME and associated organizations, I was able to get a preliminary medicine spot. This means that I have essentially my first year of postgraduate training (first year of residency - intern year) covered. However, this also means that I don't have anything yet for the future. If I was categorical, I would be set for the next three years in becoming a General Internist (which is what I want to do, for the time being). I still want to be a General Internist, so I'm currently in the process of trying to see if I can stay on for two more years by acquiring an empty categorical spot (not necessarily likely, but possible), as well as reapplying for medicine spots that begin in my second year of postgraduate training. Because of the way funding works for residency program by the government, the program itself would be on the hook if I started all over again for the first year, since my current year is considered adequate enough for what I would need to continue onward with studies, and the government only pays the first time through, which is probably more information than you wanted to know.
tl;dr: Have a job until June, trying to see if I can extend said job.
( Read more... )
current mood:  pensive
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| Saturday, September 4th, 2010
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10:21 am - It's been a while...
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And stuff has happened, to the point where I probably can't remember it all.
Currently, I'm in the second month of my 4th year of medical school. When we get to this point, save for one month of surgery, one month of medicine and one month of some type of primary care rotation (be it family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, etc.), you can choose what you want to do for the rest of the months of your year. If you manage to luckily stick to the timeline of when things should be completed up to this point and are slated to graduate on time barring any random circumstances, you also get to use one of these months as a break month. I used August for that, since I was just coming off a year (from July to July) of 3rd year, and thinking about it, I haven't really had much time since I started medical school to actually relax to a certain extent until that month. And even though this month was free, I still had to study for two major examinations: Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Clinical Skills (CS) which make up Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination.
( More testing and tripping. )
current mood:  awake
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| Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
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8:03 am - Man... a third of my third year already done.
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Reading the post title should let you know that I passed the Step 1 of the USMLE, but barely. And the gap in time between this post and the last one should also tell you that I've been pretty busy(/lazy) as well. Fun times.
So third year and fourth year in medical school are our clinical years, where we spend time in hospitals switching between different rotations covering different main specialties. I had finished my first (and the longest) rotation in Internal Medicine, which was four months divided into one month blocks: one month in the clinics, one month on the floors at a hospital both at home and away, and one extra month of Neurology sorta placed in there somewhere. It's been time-consuming, and working six out of seven days a week is tough, so I give even more props to people who work day in and day period. I've seen some good things like patients beating the (statistical) odds of survival for certain conditions that they have, or people who've had rapid recoveries from life-threatening situations. I haven't seen anyone die yet (and thank goodness for that), but I have seen the "End of Life preparation Talk" a couple of times, and it's been hard to watch. I have to wonder how long it will take (if ever) for me to be used to (not comfortable with) giving those talks as a physician.
While I've had an interest in ophthalmology from the start, I've been keeping my options open for what I might specialize in for the future, partly because of necessity (my stats versus the typical stats places me at a big disadvantage), and partly because of giving all things that I can experience a fair shake. And so far, I don't think I would mind working in Internal Medicine in the future. It's a crapload of busy work though. Man.
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| Saturday, June 27th, 2009
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2:49 am - Now that I'm listening to Michael Jackson's songs again...
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...I think to myself, "Shit. We're never going to hear a great singing voice like that ever again."
Rest in peace, King of Pop. :(
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| Sunday, June 7th, 2009
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10:14 pm - Wow. How about three months slow and then some.
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In a previous post, I did mention that if I had time and could make some, I would go to Katsucon this year. Well, I did. It was a short con experience, but I did have an awesome time with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) kawaiiguy who I hadn't seen in a while till then, and his acquaintance.
So why am I posting this now? Because though I only have a couple of days left before I take the boards, I'm stupidly distracting myself, and hopefully by seeing what I'm writing here, I can snap back into focus. Later.
current mood:  working
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| Friday, May 15th, 2009
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3:35 pm - So very lazy.
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It's been a while.
- 2nd year is essentially over class-wise, but I still have the looming USMLE step 1 ahead. I'm planning to take it on June 8th, and at the moment, I don't feel like I know anything at the moment. At the same time, I'm not panicking because I feel like I don't know what I'm talking about, and that the knowledge is just there in need of a good jogging, so I'll be trying to do that as I come till the end.
- At the beginning of April, my grandmother on my father's side passed away. As she lived in Nigeria, I was only able to meet her once in 1997 when I visited with my father and older brother. We couldn't understand each other, but I could feel the love from her just the same, and I hope that I was able to reciprocate at the time. I'm sad, but not too affected from the, though for my father, who talked with her as much as he could over the phones over the years, visited whenever he had the chance to, and always loved telling stories about his past with her and his father, it was pretty painful for him. He was able to go to Nigeria to set up and attend the funeral, where other family and friends where there to provide comfort and happiness in the time of sadness, and while it will still take a lot of time before the hurt starts to subside, he's feeling better. I continue to do what I can to support him when he needs it as well.
-Sakura Blossom festival. Managed to visit a couple of times. Managed to meet up with a good Cornell friend to see part of the Japanese Lantern lighting ceremony (which was too long to stay through because of too much pomp, not enough circumstance), and hooked up with my good good Cornell friend kawaiiguy for the Sakura Matsuri, where we walked around, took pictures of different stuff, ate food that didn't sit well with us, and listened to Ai Kawashima sing. After both of us bought her "Singles Best" album, we managed to get it signed by her, and I managed to get a picture taken with her, so it was a good day, especially because I was starting to feel a little sick by the end of it all.
I also listened to the group American Short Hair during the Matsuri. Their music isn't necessarily stuff that I would place on repeat, but they sound alright. I'd have to say the same thing with Kawashima, though she's a talented musician. It's interesting too, because when you hear her sing, she's sounds more "real" than other people. I don't know.
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| Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
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7:11 pm - Well, that was fun.
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Four day weekends are great, but knowing that I have a quiz coming up tomorrow makes me wish things lasted a little longer.
That it culminated with Barack Hussein (I feel like emphasizing it to poke fun at people that did, but it's silly, childish, and a wash) Obama being sworn-in for President was great. It's going to be strange for me to actually be able to say President Obama, despite the joy at winning the election and just waiting for the moment. Maybe it was because of the fact that I watched the moment on TV and was not in the close to two million (larger than some people wanted, I think :P) throng that was there, though if I woke up at 6 in the morning (on less than two hours sleep! \o), you bet your ass I would have been there. But it was like a quiet joy suffused me when seeing him finish up the oath, and having the crowd cheer. Though he was already President as of noon thanks to the rules set by our awesome Constitution, seeing it formally was calming, knowing that it's all said and done, and nothing could be done to change it. It definitely ends one of the more stressful periods of my life not related to things like school work and getting ahead in life, but at least for the time being, that was worth it.
( Yay for ramblings. )
On Sunday, I went to the Lincoln Memorial to see the We Are One concert. Traveling there was all well and good, and I managed to get as far as the top of the reflecting pool right in front of the steps to the memorial. What was annoying about it was that that was the limit for anyone who didn't have a special pass to a raised platform for the stage, where I'd never heard of this happening beforehand (I know, I know, "lol everyone involved/equal" and all that), making it that us "normal" people could only see close-up via Jumbotrons what was seen just above us. Though from my position, I could say I was about 100 yards from all the action, and could see it in real-life, but just all small and everything. That being said, the concert was pretty fun, with all the celebrities and music played. I loved how there was no ego-hogging, and it was fun saying that I was in the same space as people like the winning ticket, Denzel Washington, Tiger Woods, Steve Carell, Stevie Wonder, U2, and so on. That and looking back from the reflecting pool to see see it jam-packed with people to the Washington Monument (counts were up to 400,000 people in total), celebrating together was pretty fun. It's an experience that I won't forget anytime soon.
current mood:  contemplative
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| Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
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11:17 am - So, uhhhh...
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Anyone trying to go to the inauguration for any reason? Ticket or no ticket? Staying home, relaxing? :P
current mood:  okay
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| Thursday, January 1st, 2009
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12:45 am - Happy New Year
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I'm probably about to embark in the toughest half of a year that I've ever dealt with before, and while I can't say that I'm anticipating tackling the challenge, I feel like things will keep moving forward, and that's all that matters to me. If I had a resolution, it would be to focus more on the things that matter. Subjective as hell, I know.
Either way, have a happy 2009. :3
current mood: pensive
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| Sunday, November 16th, 2008
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1:22 pm - Seriously.
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Cold sores near the eye suck, like what I have now, and what I've been having on and off every couple of years or so. I can't help it, but it does feel like a bullseye for people to focus on, if just for the fact that I look like I got slugged in the eye for a couple of days. And while my actual eye hasn't been bothered by one of these yet, the fear of this happening is always on my mind when they occur.
These tend to happen whenever my body feels stressed in some way, be it mentally or physically. I think for this one, it's the worry of an upcoming exam (fear of failure = boo) coupled with sudden weather changes to cause this, but I don't know. The last time I had one was immediately after I graduated from Cornell, and it wasn't that serious. Besides, having gone through a year of med school, as well as a convention or two hasn't done anything to it so far. So who knows?
Anyways, these suck, and I wish they'd disappear for good in the future. Till then, I'll gulp down acyclovir like a madman. :P
current mood:  annoyed
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| Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
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8:43 am - Go! Obamaaaaa!
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I'm psyched, to say the least. :P
Granted, this is silly, but why not? :3
current mood:  ecstatic
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| Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
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3:39 pm - "Short" update.
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2nd year of med school is... 2nd year of med school. The subject matter hasn't gotten that much more complicated (though it's still an increase from last year), but the real pain is that it's literally like >2x the material that I got from last year. I'm staying afloat, but barely. But it should be cool as long as I keep reminding myself what my priorities are; it doesn't help that I've been having trouble motivating myself to go over the work other than "if you don't do it, you FAIL!". It's fun actually doing things, like running visual acuity and visual field tests for glaucoma screenings, like I did at the Congressional Black Caucus a couple of weeks ago. Hands on stuff is much more interesting than just sitting and trying to take in the information being given to me, especially when it's not given too well. But continuing to plug away on it is necessary if I want to get to where I want to go.
( And now some copy pasta from my anime blargh, with some edits )
And if my schedule permits me, I feel like I should be able to go to Katsucon, since it's at the same exact place. :P
On another random note, politics is bugging the hell out of me right now. :3
current mood:  a wee bit under the weather
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| Monday, August 4th, 2008
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10:48 am - Soooo... yeah.
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It's been a while.
Well:
- I survived my first year of med school and am currently in the second week of my second year. Now's the time to start getting serious. So I should probably not be writing this post in class. Oh well.
- I did research over the summer. Did some interesting, possibly useful things like talking to patients, watching colonoscopies, and doing lots of busy work looking at pathology reports. A little DNA extraction/analysis didn't hurt too, in addition to going to a convention and having my name in an abstract, though it's only an abstract. I found that research is serious business that seems to move very slowly, and that it's something that I probably wouldn't do as a career. But as something on and off again? Maybe.
-In a couple of days, I should at my first con at Otakon. My current worry is finding a way to get there, since I've already preregged and especially because I'm obligated to pay for a hotel room as part of a group whether or not I go. But I should be there.
I'm sure there's more stuff that I'm doing, but nothing can come to mind at the moment.
current mood:  blank?
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| Sunday, April 13th, 2008
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2:33 pm - The Sakura Matsuri and other stuff.
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So yesterday I went to the Sakura Matsuri, an event near the end of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which was sort of an "all about Japan" festival. It was predicated by the Cherry Blossom Parade, which was entertaining save for the blocks of minutes between some groups because of performances in other areas and what not. But oh well.
Being who I am, with an anime blog and all, I checked out everything the festival had to offer, but spent most of my time looking at what the "J-Pop Land" had to offer. And it was alright I guess. I had a couple of "I'm getting too old for this" moments, such as seeing a DDR setup and playing a couple of songs on there (but for someone who hasn't played in 11 months, I haven't lost much, if at all), jamming on Guitar Hero 2 with random people, or observing a cosplay contest that was being held on the main stage. I kept face-palming and covering my eyes when I saw how some of the contestants acted on stage, but then I wondered why I was caring in the first place. Maybe it's my worry about how anime culture is seen as a whole in the US, but seeing that they were fine with it, I shouldn't really be complaining or worrying about it. Especially since I didn't participate in it myself. And I could say it was a "pleasant" surprise, since some of the cosplay was pretty good (shame I had no camera, or maybe that was a good option). And I saw a good Nanoha cosplay, so yeah.
I went to the festival two weeks ago to walk around the cherry trees alongside the Tidal Basin and near the FDR/Jefferson memorials, and that was fun as well. This being the first time that I've done that makes me wonder how much I've been missing doing stuff in DC until recently. And if I have time, I definitely want to go to next year's festival.
Finishing up on my first year of med school, and it's been interesting. It continues to be tough but fair, and in some ways easier than Cornell, while harder in other ways. I was burned out for a couple of weeks after the Neuroanatomy section, but I feel like I'm back to normal now, and am just pounding things out to finish and hopefully relax somewhat over break.
And today's my 22nd birthday. Just thought I'd like to let you know. ;P
current mood:  chipper
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| Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
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1:52 pm - Hrm...
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| Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
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12:19 pm - Oh yeah...
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Two months is it?
So medical school isn't as bad as I thought it would be, and it's not kicking my ass, but at the same time I'm hesitant to say it's the reverse. I'm doing pretty well, but you never know what's going to happen in the future. I also began a preceptorship where I'll be shadowing an ophthalmologist (or eye doctor) for about 9 weeks. It's very interesting so far. The doctor is very congenial with his patients, and I'm able to see how he performs an eye exam: What he looks for to make diagnoses, and things like that. Good stuff.
And I keep forgetting, but I've had an anime blog for a couple of months now for those who don't know: http://bignanime.wordpress.com
Fun times have been had with that at least. :P
current mood:  meh
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| Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
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9:21 am - First impressions of medical school classes
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Just when I thought that I had escaped biochemistry and orgo... o_o
It's not quite as bad. A lot more info to take in though. :P
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| Thursday, July 5th, 2007
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12:02 am - Summertime...
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Lounging around with nothing to do is boring, and makes me miss my friends at Cornell... -_-
current mood:  nostalgic
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| Saturday, May 26th, 2007
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8:15 pm - What to say...
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In only a couple of hours, I will be holding a diploma signifying that my 4 years at Cornell have not been wasted. And while I'm happy about finishing, it's very bitter that I won't get to see some awesome people I've come to known as regularly as I do now. But everyone in college faces this, and most move on. Hopefully I can.
Regrets? Not summoning up the courage to ask to do research when I had the chance, to go to the Lab of Ornithology and the Observatory, to go to more social events than I have done, and so on...
But what can I do now? Breathe in all the experiences I've had, and believe that I've become a better (or at least more mature) person from my time here. :)
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| Sunday, May 13th, 2007
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10:11 pm - Time for the last run.
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One more final to go, then that's it. Fill out some surveys, fool around for a couple of days and leave...
Jeez. College went by way too fast. :3
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SCIENCE!