I want to remind myself of the gift I've been given by being accepted to medical school in the first place. It's such a gamble to get in; having the right MCAT score for that year, picking people who are able to write a competent letter of reference, the most compassionate interview committee. I'm such a lucky person to have been accepted anywhere given my, err, colourful background.
That I've got to this point in my medical career and haven't been kicked out means to me that I made the right choice. People say that it's hard to be kicked out, but it's not that hard. I've seen it happen several times.
I've whined about not getting my number one choice in residency. Poor poor me. I made it to residency. This is a huge gift.
So, now I want to look at the criteria I set for myself when I applied for med school in 2006. That seems so long ago now. Apparently they were good criteria since I got in with one just the one application.
1. I took a good look at why my marks were so terrible (really terrible, worse than your worst) - it was something I could easily fix and did. Essentially, I needed to stop drinking/partying and learn how to study. I made a plan. I also set up my office so that everywhere I looked I saw things that encouraged me to keep studying.
2. I took a leave for a semester to test myself and see how I could do. Given my past credits, I was able to take a 4th year physio course that is known to be a killer. I told myself if I could get an A, I would let myself continue back to school full time. I got a 92.
3. I talked with EVERYONE I could about their jobs - techs, nurses, docs, surgeons, everyone. If I was going to start over, I wanted it to be worth something at the end and wanted to make sure it was what I thought I was going for. Happily, it was.
4. Rather than just getting enough credits and doing the bare minimum, I did a full second degree in something that I loved and that would lead me to a great plan B career. For me, my plan B was a masters in Health Economics. It was a way I could help Canadians' health if I wasn't a physician.
5. I spent the money on the Princeton Review classes. Not cheap to be sure, but so worth it in the end. Part of my poor marks initially was that I didn't know how to take MC exams and the PR helped me with that. I'm sure any other class would as well, but PR fit my schedule.
6. I looked for EVERY resource available at the school for helping me succeed - how to read papers, math lab help, essay editing, study hints, how to learn - it made me a better learner and set me up for success in med school. While you're never too old to go back to school, it doesn't get any easier.
7. My partner and I realistically discussed each of my intermediate goals and what each meant (graduate from undergrad with poor marks, get into a masters program but not MD, would I try to apply a second time etc.) Having a good idea of what to expect from each other along the way was useful and kept me focused and on my game. For me, I would have applied twice but then called it quits.
8. I really want to practice rural medicine. I kept a painting of a rural scene by my desk in undergrad and during med school to keep me focused on what I'm doing.
9. I kept my social connections tight. Just because you have this brilliant plan for the future doesn't mean you shouldn't be living right now. Balance is key. If you can't balance your life in a way that makes you happy, you're doing something wrong. This has been the plan that worked best for me in my medical studies. So many people, especially med students think that they will be able to start living once med school is over...once residency is over....once they are done with locums...once they have kids and their own practice....whatever. Now is when we live, not later.
10. It feels like there should be a 10 but I can't think of one.
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