career woman

Featured On: what med students feel

12:37 PM

I'm excited to share an interview I did for my fellow med student and blogger Anum who blogs at whatmedstudentsfeel.wordpress.com.


Our presence as women in medicine continues to grow and I'm proud to be part of a community of fellow female med student bloggers working hard to empower and inspire women at all stages of their medical career. Click the link below to see some of my honest answers on marriage, motivation, faith, feminism and discrimination.


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On Becoming "Jaded"

5:57 AM

I think that those of us who've dreamed of being a physician do so for one overarching reason: to help people. The desire to genuinely improve the lives of others often serves as motivation to get through all of the challenges that come along with working towards a career in medicine. I often hear about third year medical students allegedly becoming "jaded" as they go through their clerkships, losing parts of their humanism and ability to empathize as long hours, difficult interactions and the nuances of working become the norm. This is something I heard about almost as soon as I started med school. And, from the sound of it, it seemed inevitable. It also seemed to be met with a dichotomy of opinions: some people saw this potential disillusionment as a badge of accomplishment to be praised along the road to becoming a bonafied physician; while others (myself included) saw it as something worrisome, unreal and (hopefully) avoidable.




I'm only four months into my third year clerkships and though my understanding of this subject will continue to evolve, I would be lying if I said I hadn't caught glimpses into the abyss of what it could mean to become jaded. This is meant to be a positive post, but I'll try to shed some light on some experiences I've already encountered that may contribute to the issue.


 

Coming from first and second year "patient instructor" encounters where the history portion of the H&P is carefully planned and the answers are consistent, transitioning to interviews on clerkships presented new challenges. Among these are patient forgetfulness and omission of pertinent information, or simply not asking the right question at the right time. Missed information can be very stressful, and even embarrassing, when you're confronted about it on rounds. This is something that happens to all of us, we're learning how to be doctors after all and mastery takes time! I think the only way to feel confident even if you do forget to ask something, or if you've gotten different information than your attending or resident is to try your best. There's no shame in that. Nevertheless it can be easy to be discouraged, and even place resentment on patients or your superiors.


 

Another big example that has been on my mind a lot lately is that of being too "naive." This is something I've been told (and heard my fellow med students get told) over and over. I think that as freshly minted third years we are simply excited to be working and learning actual medical management in real-time and that this excitement comes with a willingness to learn, to be inquisitive, and to be positive. It's an unfortunate reality in medicine that our patient's often come with a litany of social issues that can affect their health and must be addressed. Although varied, this includes things like poverty, homelessness, lack of access to food, and abuse. Nowhere is the issue of being too naive more obvious than in pediatrics, however. Child abuse and neglect is a horrible, and very real problem. In order to protect our patients we must question everything, from the validity of their lab results to the honesty of their caregivers. Children are an extremely vulnerable population and generally cannot advocate for themselves. As medical students we like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. We like to envision our adorable pediatric patients as loved, cared for, happy. But that's not always the case, and I think it's these cases that make it hard for medical professionals to remain trusting. The most intense stories I've heard have actually come from the nurses I've worked with and how it changed their views of patient care for better or worse. I appreciate their candor in retelling these stories so that I may learn what to look out for and help me realize that caring for patients can often be extremely emotionally challenging.


 

I might be a naive medical student, but as of right now I refuse to become "jaded." I hope that the experiences I come across these last couple of years of med school, residency, fellowship and beyond will help me become a better person for the benefit of my patients & their problems, not in spite of them. I hope that the lessons I learn along the way help me develop a healthy sense skepticism that does not compromise the care of my patients. Some of my goals as I venture forward are to stay positive, compassionate, committed to service, empathic, but realistic. To that end, I'd like to share one of my favorite quotes from none other than Khalil Gibran:

 


I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy.
I woke and I saw that life is all service.
I served and I saw that service is joy.




Thanks for reading!

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Those Before Us

11:00 PM

I've been working a lot of hours lately, and though I've thoroughly enjoyed pediatrics, it can get hard to be away from J, Melo, my family and the general comforts of being home. But I've been making an effort to keep things in perspective and truly appreciate the experiences I have.


 
This week I tried to remember that the struggles of those before us shape the paths we take in life. I think this is especially true for the children of immigrants or other groups who have overcome adversity and created a better future. I'm fortunate to be where I am and I have put my body, mind and heart through so much to get here. Nevertheless, I can't dismiss the reasons I even have the opportunity to work this hard.

 

Both of my parents started working as children. Education was something far beyond their reach. Each of them arrived in the US ready to work simply because whatever life they could find here was so much better than what they could ever achieve in Mexico. They never expected things to be easy, and their hard work has left a timeless footprint. Through them I learned the value and power of perseverance.


 
Growing up my mom, a housekeeper her whole life, made sure that my sisters and I knew that doing well in school was our only job so that we could one day earn a living with our minds instead of our health. I think that was one of the post powerful things she ever taught us.


 
No matter what you're going through, I think it's important to be mindful and appreciate what got you to there and how privileged you are to be worrying about things people only wish they could worry about.


 
Thanks, Mom.



From left to right: my sister, my mom, my youngest sister, and me.

My Favorite Loft Finds

1:34 PM

Happy October!


Fall fashion is my favorite. It's cozy, sophisticated and usually modest which makes this season a good time to stock up! Since I started third year I've learned the value of a good work wardrobe. With limited time to go shopping these days it's been hard to add pieces to my closet but thankfully I found a wonderful store that has a ton of clothes I love all in one place: Loft. This isn't a sponsored post, I just wanted to share some of my favorite Loft finds in case anyone needs some cute, sophisticated work clothes (most of which I've actually purchased!).


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Button back sweater || Everyday blouse || Feminine tunic


       


Cozy cardigan 1 || Cozy cardigan 2 || Cozy cardigan 3


 

Life

5 things I would tell myself as an MS1

6:10 AM

I'm officially four months into third year which is totally crazy to me. This is the year we all look forward to as med students, but I often find myself looking back on my first two years with nostalgia. That's not to say MS3 isn't exciting, just that I wish I had enjoyed those first two years a little more. So here are 5 things I wish I knew as an MS1!


1. Don't buy all those books! Starting first year the biggest questions on my mind were "how do I study, and what resources do I need?" I was so accustomed to undergrad where the resources were concrete: lecture slides, notes, and sometimes a course textbook. I rushed to buy textbooks during my first block that I never ended up opening. Don't feel the need to buy every book or resource that's thrown at you. Take the first couple of blocks to understand how you learn best because the amount of knowledge you need to amass and commit to memory is unbelievable so being honest with yourself is a necessary skill. Honestly, I didn't figure out how I learned best until the middle of my second year. It's all about being honest, being flexible and listening to your needs! If I could go back I would take a more minimalist approach in terms of resources and ask for advice from upperclassmen more often.


2. Relax, you have more time than you think. One of the biggest differences between my undergrad experience and the first year of med school was how much time I had. Whereas I was struggling with juggling multiple majors, volunteering, work and my personal life during undergrad, my med school schedule was a lot more simple because the scheduling was done for me. I actually had way more time the first two years of med school than I ever expected. If I could go back I would tell myself to take advantage of that time. Besides studying I would spend more time on myself and less time worrying about not having enough time!


3. Shadowing is important. I think I greatly underestimated the value of shadowing. I was wrong to think I would be "in the way" and wish I would have taken more advantage of the free time I had my first two years to shadow. If I could go back I would tell myself to shadow in every single specialty I find even a little intriguing. I think it would have helped me shape my vision of a career sooner and with more confidence. Plus, shadowing in medical school is so much better than shadowing as an undergrad. Physicians are incredibly receptive to med students shadowing and some will even let you actively participate.


4. Spend more time with ones you love / doing what you love. It was easy to get caught up in the "I need to study 16 hours a day to be a successful med student" mentality when I was surrounded by my competitive classmates. My second semester of MS1 I decided to podcast from home and only attend required lectures and it did wonders for my sanity, lol. I think it's super important as a med student to keep parts of your life separate from medicine, and I have a feeling this will remain true during my career! If I could go back I would tell myself to slow down and take more time for J & Melo, my family, my interests and my inner peace overall.


5. Enjoy it. It is such a privilege to be able to study medicine. I often think of all of the factors that have lead to my ability to pursue my dream and it helps me to put things into perspective. I always try to keep a positive outlook on life and the last two years have been no exception. This is a point I would recommend to anyone, even if you're not going into medicine. If you're doing what you love, why not just enjoy the process and do good along the way?



 

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