A question I am posed with often is, “How should I study for medical school?” This question comes with a complicated answer. When I first started medical school, I was frustrated and asked students in classes above me what the best method to tackle studying for preclinical courses is. My peers would share their study […]
Dealing with Chronic Illness as a Med Student
One thing I’ve learning while being a medical student is that not only is learning how to care for patients a heavy load, but so is being a patient. In college, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. After years of feeling fatigue, brain fog, unexplained weight gain, and hypersensitivity to temperature change, I was put on […]
Study Tips for Histology
Histology is a class that looks at the microscopic anatomy of tissues and is taken in the M1 year of medical school. It serves as a basic introduction for classes such as pathology or microbiology. I found histology to be quite difficult since, at first, everything just looked pink and purple to me. Here are […]
Should You Take a Gap Year?
With the rising competitiveness of medical school, the level of anxiety students face increases as each year goes by. Many students are unaware of the specialty they want to pursue when entering medical school and even if they are sure, most end up changing their mind upon entering clinical clerkships. This, in turn, gives medical […]
July: A Time of Transition
Whether you’re starting your first day of residency or another year of training, July is a time of transition. It’s the busiest time of year in medicine as we close one chapter and start another. I’m still in awe that this is the start of my PGY-3 year in psychiatry. Before I know it, I’ll […]
Study Tips for Biochemistry
Biochemistry usually is one of the most comfortable classes in the first year of medical school since everyone has taken it at some point before matriculation. Although it may feel familiar, it’s not the same as undergraduate biochemistry. Here are a few tips that helped me in biochemistry. Read the Lecture Presentations – Most of […]
3 Books Worth Reading as a Medical Professional
Although I’m in residency, there’s still that special feeling I get from summer—I think of water, sunshine, and reading a good book. In fact, I had a conversation earlier this week about books. Digital reading versus carrying a physical book says so much about someone, and that the books people read share a lot about […]
Are iPads Helpful for Medical Students?
Many people wonder if iPads are actually useful for medical students. The short answer is yes. Most of the people in my medical school classes have iPads. An iPad can be used for taking notes, annotating PowerPoint presentations, and taking photos. Most commonly, I see my fellow medical students use it as a second screen […]
Fighting the Caribbean Medical School Stigma
As a Caribbean Medical Student, I often find myself correcting and educating others, both in-person and online, on the misconceptions they have regarding Caribbean medical schools. The most often misconceptions I hear are: “Most Caribbean students never get a residency position.” The first time residency match rate for students attending my medical school in the […]
One Health: Where Human and Veterinary Medicine Combine
Recently, I started watching the television series ChicagoMed with my husband. While watching Season 2, Episode 11, resident cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Rhodes was paged to repair an atrial septal defect . . . in a panda. At first, he stated that there was no way he could perform the surgery due to his human-only training. […]