Medical Specialty Flow Chart

A fellow scribe (now former scribe), shared  a pretty cool residency flow chart with us.

I don't know if it was a comical layout, or actually a pretty good judge.   It actually makes since when you check it out.. :)

Saturday Night!!!

So I added the exclamation marks for anyone who is actually out doing something on a Saturday night.   I myself am in PJs before 9pm and wondering why in the H E double hockey sticks there is nothing to watch on 200+ channels.

So after an episode of Monk and Big Bang Theory I decided to document my thoughts for the day...

I think I am going to throw caution to the wind today and just go random.  No rigid format for me today.. :P

So I worked today and actually had the opportunity to work with my favorite doc.  We just seem to have a good rapport and good laughs.  I feel very comfortable on my shifts with her and we are from the same area.   Usually we work pretty hard on our shifts, but today was slow.  There is a new mid level (more on that later) and my doc has to go see their patients as well, so I didn't chart on the normal amount of patients.

**** Random note, Iron Chef is on in the back ground and their secret ingredient is tilapia.  FRESH ALIVE tilapia.  And they just pulled them out of the water, threw some in cold water, some in the fridge, and they just chopped them up... O M G... I see why some people are vegetarians. End Note**


Ok... so... basically it was a slow day, but a very good day. Hmm... I forgot where I was going with that...  Anywho.. I will move onto the new mid-level.  Since they had to wait also to get their patients checked I had the opportunity to ask a few questions.   I basically was able to confirm some of my original thoughts and reiterate what I have heard from other PA's.  It is very flexible career choice, and you are able to enter the work force sooner and accumulate fewer loans and you get a broad array of information.  However with the shortened timeframe you are limited in how much time you can spend on more detailed information.   I really appreciated the time and thoughts on the topic.

I think that's mostly it on the work related stuff.  I spent some time yesterday searching part-time jobs on the internet.   I saw some potentials, but to be honest I am not very excited about having to updated my resume and fill out all those freaking online applications... Ugg..   I still don't know how in the hell I am going to do a second job,  I have already cut down on my shifts at the hospital so I can focus on my grades, but the bills gotta be paid.  And I think fitting in additional work a few hours a week will be easier than 10 hour late night shifts.   I saw a couple "personal assistant" jobs that are flexible.  I think I am going to try for those.


So school is going pretty ok.  So far maintaining my A in Biostats, also got an email from my Session 2 brain and behavior class that starts on 7/8.  So apparently they require the textbook, and its taught by 3 different professors...

On the book front I am actually trying out an online book rental site. BookRenters.com.   It was 45 bucks for a 6 week rental.  Where as to buy a used one from the campus book store or online  it would have been 100+ bucks.  This is my first time renting a text book, this concept wasn't such a big thing the last time I was in college.

Hopefully it all works out.

Ok so this is getting a little lengthy, which is probably why I normally have sections so I can stay on topic.  :P

Hmm... what else did I want to include...  I NEED to work out... I don't think I have worked out more than 2x a week since I started class.    I don't know why its so hard.   I need to find something that I enjoy and don't want to miss.   I am just not very excited about going to the gym to get on a machine.

Also on a more personal note, I need to try and get out more, meet more people while is still have the time.  I am pretty sure when I get into med school I wont have that option between studying and doing my little ones stuff.

Oh yea,  I FREAKING MISS TRUE Blood!!!!    So as part of budget trim down attempt I got rid of premium channels, and the new season of True Blood and VEEP on HBO, just happen to start during their free-view weekend.  So I watched one episode and now I need to know what happens...

And after checking Amazon, it looks like they don't start selling the streaming episodes until after the season over which SUCKS!!!!!!!!!  ARGH....

Ok, one more thing... I saw "The Heat"  with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy yesterday.  I thought it was pretty good.  I kind of wish they would have limited the previews, because I believe some of the stronger funnier parts were used in previews, so they were not really funny in the actual movie.   But overall I really liked it, I didn't laugh as hard as I did at Bridesmaids but it was a solid movie.

I am still trying to decide if I want to go see Superman.  I have never really been a fan of Superman movies, so I am not very optimistic about this one.

Ok I am seriously going to stop talking now, I think I am just babbling.

To post-bacc or not to post-bacc... that is the question (to which i have no answer)

So I called and emailed the post-bacc** contact for the application review, and didn't hear back.   So I just decided to stop by on my way from school yesterday.  The main contact wasn't there, but another representative offered to give me as much feed back as she could.

It basically boiled down to.
I was a borderline for admission but

• I only had 1 LOR from a science professor/medical professional
• My previous degree was not science enough
• No research or strong exposure to the field

Her recommendations

• Take upper level Bio classes
• Get another 1 or 2 LORs
• Retake MCAT since it will hit 5 years by 2014 application

All very good info, but basically these are all the things I am trying to do to apply to Med school in May. 

So now I need to decide if I should apply to the program, or just Med school

My initial concerns regarding applying to the post-bacc are:
1. I would have to move my MCAT date up to at least Oct or Nov
2. My financial reserve wont last 18 months.
3. The program is SUPER competitive and if you are not in top 5% it can hurt you more than help.
4. I am afraid to put off trying to get in Med school another year, I'm not getting any younger and I want to get in before "life happens" and I cant.

Timeline ( Post-Bacc v. Med School )
August - 
Sept -
October - Retake MCAT (post-bacc target)
November -
December - Post Bacc app Opens
2014
January - Retake MCAT ( Med school target)
February -
March -
April -
May - Post bacc program starts
        - Apply to Med school for 2015 admission
June
July
August
Sept
October
November - Med school interviews start
December
2015
January
February
March
April
May - Complete Post-bacc program - Apply to Med school for 2016 admission
June
July
August - Med School Starts

If I apply to post-bacc AND medical school AND get into both
1. I will still need to complete the program and work in interviews somehow
2. I will not be able to work (more loan money)
3. The only true benefit of the program would be early exposure to the material


If I apply to post-bacc AND medical school BUT only get post bacc
1. I will be ready to reapply the following May
2. I will have a foot in at my local Med school if I perform well

If I ONLY apply to post-bacc AND get accepted to post-bacc
1. Good prep, if I do well I have a good chance of getting into a med school
2. Good exposure to rigor of courses
3. Expensive
4. Delay med school for 1 year
5. More loans accumulated, and more interested on deferred

If I ONLY apply to Med school BUT do not get accepted
1. I cant apply to program until December 2014
2. Will be in similar scenario that I am in now
3. But I could get in some A&P at community college and also apply PA.


                                     OMG!!!!  Decisions Decisions


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**post-bacc:

Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs

A number of schools offer postbaccalaureate premedical programs to assist individuals to pursue a medical career after they have already received a Bachelor's degree.

The purposes of these programs vary. Some are designed for persons wishing to change careers; these individuals have not yet completed the science courses required for medical school application. Other programs are designed for persons wishing to enhance an existing academic record; these students have taken the requisite courses, but need to improve their GPAs to increase the competitiveness of their medical school applications. Still other programs are specifically designed to assist persons from groups currently underrepresented in medicine or from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.  source: https://services.aamc.org/postbac/

Not a lot going on

So not a lot new going on..

school:

So far Biostats is going pretty well, averaging an A, still have an exam in a couple of days an then our final early next week.  I just have to make sure I am know my formulas.  The last test only had like 4 problems on it, so there is not a lot of room for error.

I am really looking forward to Brain and Behavior next month

I need to set up a study schedule for the Pre-calculus CLEP test.  I think I will do that tomorrow.

Work:
I am working fewer hours since starting summer school, and to be honest I am pretty ok with that. I am averaging only a couple of shifts a week.  Its killer on the paycheck, but I am able to stay on top of home work, and get my little one to and from where she needs to go for all her summer stuff.

Plan:
I have not stopped by the grad school office about the post bacc MS program app review. 
I also have not registered for the MCAT yet.
so I am running a bit behind on a couple of things.

also on the post-bacc program front. I talked to a current med student from that school at work, and she says the program is SUPER intense and only 20 of the 150+ students actually get into that medical school.  That's kind of scary especially to take a year out and pay 10 grand for the program.   But even if you don't get into that program you still can apply to other schools.

Rugrat :
so far so good, we made it back from National safely and they did pretty well.  I am happy for the season to be mostly over.  She has one more competition but its only 1 number.

She has a few camps for the summer, so I appreciate having the time to get her too and from her activities for the most part.

And even though she has something to do M - F, she still complains when we don't go anywhere on the weekend. My child is never satisfied.

Life :
Even less going on here.. outside of school and work. But that's usually the story of my life.. LOL.   I think I need to plan something fun for myself when my lil one will be out of town for a couple of weeks. We shall see..

I guess I will get some dinner on the table...

Maintaining

Straight to it I guess.


School -

So I got an A in my 2 week intersession class Evolution and Ecology. It was a pretty interesting course and the teacher did a very good job of making 4 hours of class 5 days a week bearable.

I just recently started my 5 week session I class Biostatistics.  The teacher is really nice and has his notes online.  Also didn't have to by the book, which for someone that is financially challenged like I am, I really appreciate that.  :)   I really think an A is doable in this class, I had Business Statistics, and regular statistics in the past.  So as long as I show up to class and do my homework I should not have a problem.

I am also starting a home study Pre-calculus class AGAIN...  The Coursa.com class I started before is no longer available. I going to try this Math 101 website.   I just need to brush up enough to take the CLEP exam, so I can go straight to calculus.  There were no pre-calculus classes that fit my schedule at the community college this summer or in the fall.   I also cant really add it to the my university classes for fall because that will add on to my tuition, and I just cant afford that.


Work -

Scribing
So this is still a bit of a rollercoaster although the peeks are becoming a little less dramatic. Or I guess I should say the valleys are improving.

I had a shift with one of the docs they only let the seasoned scribes work with and actually survived it with a compliment at the end of my shift, so that was very helpful in my overall confidence in this job.

I have a shift today with another of the more challenging docs.  If that goes well, I will have only a couple more "hard" ones to work for.

***** update: so I survived the shift today with the other doc.  It seem to have gone well for the most part. This doc is pretty specific in the way they like to see the information presented, so I tried to really remember all the dos and don'ts for each chart. Luckily today was not a super busy day.  I think I did ok , but the doc didn't go over all the charts before I left, I hope the mistakes were minimal.  This particular doc documents all the mistakes in an email to the ED lead doc, who then reviews it and sends it to the chief scribe, who then gets onto us about it.  So that's kind of scary.  But there was no yelling or berating, so I think that means I was successful.  :) ********

 A couple days ago had a very nice shift, with a doc that I had at the beginning of my training who was very encouraging at the time.  I had the opportunity to work with her because someone needed a trade.  She s just an overall nice person who enjoys her job and helping others.  NOT saying the other doc don't, just it is very obvious that she does.   She is also one of the docs that really explains what she is doing and shows you findings on labs and imaging.   So it was a really great night!

On a related note, I am considering taking my scribe hours down to the part time schedule. First, because of the classes in the fall, and second to find a second job that pays a bit more.   I am burning through my resources, and I want to get ahead of it before I wash out.   But I cant let it interfere with the end goal, so that's going to be a challenge.   Which is why I have to do less scribing.  You can only take 10 hour shifts, where as I could possible find a why to do multiple 5 hour or so shifts on a as needed bases.

A lady at my daughters studio posted a link about needing a babysitter.  But I feel a little weird as an adult that has a child older than hers asking her about the job.  I may go ahead and do it though.  Because in the end its about getting the goal.  Not my pride.

"The Plan"

So far, still mainly on track.
I am going to commit to registering for the January MCAT next week.
I called the local med school about my post-bac application review, but they referred me to email a lady who just so happen to be the lady that told me to call.
I emailed her again, but she has not responded.  I am thinking about stopping by the office on Monday after class to see if I can speak to someone face to face about it.  (Thanks for the idea Rocki)

Still need to get back on the volunteer train.  I am going on 1 year of no volunteering activity. Its just a bit challenging right now to find the time.


Our Chief scribe is leaving, and I was talking to another scribe at work and she was like, if this person has been here for like 2+ years, has been Chief scribe for 1+ year and still didn't get into her schools of choice, what does that mean for the rest of us...    That was a pretty scary thought, but you have to remember that application process is complex with multiple variables.  And each person plugs in different variables into their equation.  It could have been anything from grades, # of schools applied to, # how a person did in their interview,  and so much more...

I can only hope, I find the right equation to progress to the next level.  I have given up a lot, and I plan to work hard to achieve it.


My Rug rat -

She is doing pretty well.  Got grades back for the year.  She had mostly A's and Bs,  there was one C but it was a 79, so I am going to let her do her summer dance camps, and stay in dance next year. 

She still continues to grow,  she tried out for the Teen team next year ( currently on Juniors 1 level below). She feels like it went pretty well.   One of the docs where I work seen her dance at a school function and complemented her on her talent.  It was like.  "I remember you saying she danced, but she was actually really good" LOL. 

She as nationals next week, so we are heading out for a 13 hour drive next week, I have to miss 2 days of class and an exam.  :(  But my professor was willing to allow me to take it when I get back.  So that was pretty awesome.

Next years school situation is still stressing me out, I originally sent in the "decline" for her current school, but was offered another option from the director.  I have until Monday to decide what to do.  It is really driving me crazy.   You want to make the right choices for your children, and when you have two things to choose between and neither are "bad" that makes it even more of a challenge.

My mom continues to be a tremendous help as always.


Life -
not a bunch going on, outside of what's above.  Had a great conversation with my big bro yesterday and he was very encouraging.

lease is about to be up, tried to look around to see if I could find anything less expensive.  And really the only thing that looks decent are mobile homes or income restricted apartments. 

I'm not totally sure how I feel about either.  I may go look, but I wont be saving a significant amount maybe approx. 100$ a month  or 1200 a year.  Which is a decent amount when you make minimum wage, but after you throw in moving cost, and time off your back to around 700 dollars a year.

There just seems to be a few big decisions that need to be made, and I think stress myself out about trying to make the "right" one. 

I had to stop running for a week. I hurt my toe, doing back flips on a trampoline.  But I am starting back slow.  I am determined to have a significant increase in my running endurance by my birthday!  I decided I am not going to sign up for anymore 5Ks until I either meet my personal goals, or have someone that will train with me.

Hmm I think that's all the big happenings I wanted to document.