Month: September 2016

Sorry, Can’t Help You

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The fourth year of medical school is sometimes referred to as the “victory lap,” because historically it has been an easier year where you take some chill rotations, interview for residency, and mostly relax before starting intern year.

Fourth year is, obviously, the greatest year for medical school. It’s the last year when you can focus simply on your own learning without yet having to deal with all the horribleness involved in actually working in the hospital – writing the notes, checking the administrative boxes, following decision rules and spending seemingly 90% of your time in front of a computer. There is also significant time built in for important rotations such as “Let’s Go Skiing” and “I’d Like to Drink Some Beer Now,” both of which are courses known for giving out high grades. It’s fantastic. Continue reading →

Status Hazmaticus

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Some changes are coming to the blog – a new layout along with a new title. It’s been five years since I started this thing, and I’ve never updated it.

The new title is “Status Hazmaticus,” which for those of you not in medicine is a play on the phrase “status asthmaticus” – a person who is having an intractable asthma attack. The hazmat part (hazardous materials) is because:

  • I still really like tox;
  • A medical student (and, soon, new intern) is a horrifying danger to all those around them.

Also, it sounds cool.

Helpful Posts

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Since starting this website in 2011, I’ve written nearly 150 posts, covering the trials of a premedical student all the way up to applying for residency. I’ve pulled together some of the most useful ones for students behind me or those aspiring to enter medical school. As always, these are very much tinged with bias, my attempts at humor, and poorly-written movie references. This post will be pinned and updated as the journey continues. Enjoy. Continue reading →

PANIC! At the ERAS

/ Nate / 8 Comments

The inspiration for this blog, originally, was family – in particular, the Bringers of Life and their respective bringers of life. No, this is not an ode to a special love of family; I was really, really tired of explaining the medical school application process to everyone with my last name over and over again.

So I started writing down my explanations online – postbac program to knock out requirements, MCAT, complicated multi-stage application, interviews, second looks – and sending out links to spare myself. It’s been more than five years since my first post.

Sometime late this week, I will submit my application for residency. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ll be applying to “match” in emergency medicine. The process is long, confusing, tortuous (in multiple definitions of the word), and culminates in Match Day. For those of you already in medicine, this post might be kind of boring. I will thus use far more GIFs than normal to keep you interested.

For everyone else, welcome to the madness that is the residency application. Continue reading →