Tag: Doctors
Will I regret not trying this?
Whether you’re in medical school, on the wards or in a different context…live life in a way you won’t regret when you’re 80.
Don’t let your context determine your choices.
Let your choices transform your context.
It’s not how you start, but how you finish that counts.
Make sure you finish with as few regrets as possible.
Don’t forget your Vitamins
There are 2 classes of biomolecules: macro and micro.
The macro molecules are the ones that hog the limelight: Proteins, Carbohydrates and Lipids. We eat a lot of these each day and we break them down to create ATP …the Energizer bunnies that keep our bodies alive.
But the micro molecules…vitamins and minerals…Don’t get nearly enough attention.
For one thing, we only need a small amount of each one each day (miligrams or mjcrograms). And another thing, is we don’t create any energy from their breakdown.
However.
Even though minerals and vitamins don’t release energy from being broken down, without them it would be impossible to create energy from the Macro Trio of Proteins, Carbohydrates and Lipids.
In other words, the little guys run this show when it comes to regulating the metabolic pathways that keep us alive.
So here’s the question: what are your Vitamins?
I don’t mean your Thiamine, Riboflavin and Vitamin A.
I mean the “little things” that don’t have anything to do with what you’re supposed to be doing…and everything to do with who you really are.
They’re the interests, skills and hobbies that so easily get put off till “later”. They’re also the things you need if you want to generate the maximum ATP from whatever pathway you’re pursuing.
Remember, you only need 900 micrograms of vitamin A each day to maintain your vision.
But if you keep neglecting your intake of it…because it’s only 900 micrograms…the end result could be blindness.
Be honest with yourself about what your Vitamins are…and then be brave enough to prioritise your intake of them each day.
Have fun with it
Don’t do it because it’s on the test.
Don’t do it because your parents want you to be a Doctor.
Don’t do it because you’re afraid of failing.
Don’t do it because it’s expected of you.
Don’t do it because you need to.
Do it…because you get to.
You don’t have to study…you get to study.
And you get to learn amazing things about the human body that were complete mysteries just even a century ago.
I’m sorry for the “grown up” things you’ve gone through that have made you grow calluses and a thick skin…Just to survive.
But the ultimate act of rebellion…And the best way to fight back…is to have the audacity to have fun in whatever you’re doing.
They may be forcing you to learn endless minutiae…But you’re the one who can decide to have fun whilst you’re doing it.
Just cause they’re cracking the whip doesn’t stop you from being able to whistle while you work.
Find a way to have fun with it…Because you can.
Harmonic layering of Anatomy
This is an idea I borrowed from Scott at Scott’s Bass Lessons.
When it comes to playing a bass line, he starts with the rhythm, then the chord, then the chord tone (arpegio) and then finishes with the chord scale.
In other words, he doesn’t just try to play a Groove (Registered trademark).
Instead he lays it down, one layer at a time.
You can do the same thing with anatomy or anything that you’re learning.
So with anatomy, start with a stick man.
I’m serious.
Head, legs, arms, stick body…an extremely simplistic representation of a human being.
Congratulations, you know that humans have 1 head (Not two) and 2 arms and 2 legs.
Great! What else can you tell us?
You could then draw eyes, nose and mouth.
Fantastic! Tell us more!
And then step by step you just keep adding layers to the picture you’ve drawn until it fully represents the human body.
The more layers you can add, the more points you get.
But the point of this game is to take away the fear and feeling of being overwhelmed when studying a topic full of minutiae.
You know way more than zero.
And you can learn all the details if you’ll build up your picture/knowledge, one layer at a time.
Disrupt your personal narrative
Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, epidemiology…
Surgery, paediatrics, geriatrics, obs and gynae, orthopaedics…
First year, second year, third year, fourth year, fifth year, internship, rotations, specialisation…
PLEB, USMLE, Fellowship, Part 1, Part 2, Masters, Diploma…
Now imagine all of this being replaced by a 9 year old with a smartphone.
Imagine all of these formidable bits of paper achievements being as relevant as a greasy newspaper used to wrap up last week’s fish and chips.
Imagine a world where a Doctor isn’t a person…but rather an interconnected network of trillions of devices all focused on annihilating and anticipating threats to the homeostasis of global (and individual) health.
Imagine that everything you’ve been using to define your personal narrative…suddenly vanished overnight, leaving you with one question:
Now what?
These were some of the ideas I was exploring in class today with one of the students who was asking me to give him advice about what he should do.
I think regardless of where you are, the practice of disrupting your own personal narrative is no longer an option.
Because all the changes that are happening right now are asking you whether you’re going to disrupt your personal narrative…or if you’d rather that someone else did it for you.
An important reminder for myself as I battle again with 2nd year basic sciences after a 15+ year hiatus.
I feel that Medicine is in the middle of being completely overturned.
And my goal is to use this blog to document and anticipate these changes…as well as to share my ideas regarding the Okay Doctor healthcare system.
But more than that, the act of committing to shipping out a new idea every day is a way of disrupting my personal narrative…instead of having it done for me.
Don’t just quit (part 1 of 3): Build yourself a runway
Don’t just quit or drop out of Medical school…until you have built yourself a runway to launch yourself into the next level of your life.
This is extremely important, and something I cover in detail in some of the Escape Velocity modules.
That’s because as important as it is to go after your dreams, it’s even more important to be aware of all the deadly obstacles you’ll need to navigate.
Things like parents, cultural expectations, debts, student loans, network pressures, peer pressures, lack of connections, lack of directions, bad habits, addictions, etc
All of these forces have the potential (and incentives) to destroy your dreams before they even have a chance to get off the ground.
But they’ll never get off the ground if you don’t build a runway, a structure, that allows you to build up enough momentum and velocity to escape the gravitational pull of all those obstacles.
Knowing you need a runway might be enough to help you figure out what that means.
If you need more, check out the Escape Velocity modules.
Key message: If you really want to give your Dreams a fighting chance of surviving (and thriving)…take a bit of time to build them a runway.
This is a taster from Escape Velocity: a personalised email course that guides medics step-by-step in how to successfully make the transition from being stuck in medical school…to living a life of happiness, freedom and fulfilment. Admission is by invitation-only. Click here to apply for your FREE invite.