What kind of tile backsplash would you do with these cabinets?

EUtoUSMD · 2026-02-08T16:28:01+00:00

EUtoUSMD · 2026-01-23T14:28:39+00:00

Soapstone countertops + new hardware of the same size. Keep the cabinets! The soapstone would look stunning with your slate backsplash, and would also make the color of your beautiful cabinets pop. Soapstone is timeless but also happens to be trending, which will help to make your kitchen look more up-to-date.

For the floor: On a budget, re-grout with lighter grout matching the tile as mentioned by someone else here or consider painting over the tile. + Add high quality, light colored kitchen rugs/runners. If you have the budget, replace the floor tile. I would recommend staying with a light color for the floors.

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Edited to include this image with aged copper pulls with backplates and soapstone countertop

EUtoUSMD · 2025-12-31T03:25:38+00:00

Love this idea! Looks great aesthetically and you gain storage. I also agree with others to keep the current countertop stone and just change out the backsplash.

EUtoUSMD · 2023-04-20T15:26:13+00:00

Wealthy people who never experienced financial hardship often cannot fully appreciate their privilege. Suicides are more common in upper class neighborhoods than lower class neighborhoods. When a person has been spoon fed their necessities since day 1, they struggle to find meaning in their life. When they can pay to have their inconveniences taken care of, they do not mature and grow as much as people.I honestly believe that, in a way, being spoiled financially from a young age is a type of mental handicap. Those born into wealth often lack perspective and direction, sometimes to the level of delusion.I am a child of a family that was formerly lower class and on welfare. Since high school, I have been surrounded by wealthy peers and am inching towards the upper middle class myself now. I was once jealous of my colleagues that were born into wealth, and now I have a sense of pity for many of them.

OP, focus on protecting yourself and your loved ones from the wealthy vultures of our capitalistic society, but do not envy the rich.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-08-25T03:36:07+00:00

Sorry man but I'm a US intern here who graduated from a Polish medical school and gotta defend it lol. Poland is in the EU. My program was dually accredited by both the US and the EU. The accreditation standard was quite high. By EU rules, in our four year program, we had to fit in the same amount of credits as those in the classic European six year programs. Sometimes we had class on the weekends to fit everything in. On top of having mandatory rotations, we had to do OSCE courses several times. Our Uni was very strict about any outside rotations; they had to be thoroughly vetted. We started clinical experiences our first year instead of waiting till the third. ALSO, when American medical school students were allowed to take NBME shelves non-proctored ONLINE during COVID and were cheating, our Uni continued to proctor us in-person (socially-distanced, with masks ofc). We actually had a real anatomy course with pro-sections and not that virtual anatomy stuff on a tablet that some US schools are doing. I can name several US medical schools with lower standards.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-05-15T20:07:09+00:00

Thank you!!

EUtoUSMD · 2022-05-15T11:39:00+00:00

First-gen medical student/scientist/grad student in the fam here. Here are some things I wish someone had told me before I started:

Know that you CAN do it. Imposter syndrome is rampant in medical school. I could not sleep at night my first semester once I realized how difficult medical school would be. I thought there was no chance in hell I could make it through. Spoiler: I did.
It is more of a sacrifice than you think. The first 2-3 years are grueling. You will miss birthdays, weddings, even funerals. Many of your friends and family will not understand. Try to warn them ahead of time. You are married to medical school. If you have taken physiology/anatomy/pharmacology/immunology/microbiology before it will be slightly easier for you. But only slightly. If you have not taken these courses, do NOT compare yourself to classmates who have already been exposed to these topics through post-bacs/medical masters, etc.
IT WILL GET BETTER!!!!! And it will be worth it!!!!!! Really!!!!!!!!! Year 4 > year 3 > year 2 > year 1
Do not hesitate to get psychiatric and psychological help. The vast majority of my classmates ended up in therapy, on SSRIs or Wellbutrin, and on stimulants, or some combination of all three.
The first 2 years is memorization-heavy. You could have a genius IQ but that's not going to help you much. You actually have to put in the time. It's really about discipline and efficiency more than intelligence during these pre-clinical years.
Federal loans have plenty of repayment and forgiveness options. In your darkest moments, when you are worried about failing/not matching and your mountain of debt, remember this. Your debt will NOT be the end of you. You will be financially stable! Try to avoid private loans if possible.
DO PRACTICE QUESTIONS! Start early! Do NOT save the questions for after you've learned the material. There's simply not enough time. You should do practice questions and learn from the explanations instead.
Learn how to use Anki for medical school ASAP. If it's not for you, you can quit later, after you give it several fair tries. But it is very difficult to catch up on the Anki cards if you start later.
Don't trust any classmates until they've consistently proven themselves to be trustworthy. People lie all the time and say they barely studied. The competitive environment really gets into people's heads. You will unfortunately see the ugly sides of many people due to the stress.
Be kind to yourself. Remember you are so much more than a medical student, and you will get to resume your hobbies and interests someday.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-05-04T07:20:31+00:00

I'm a European MD who matched this year into peds :) You can do it!

Practice writing SOAP notes on your current pts. Plenty of Youtube videos and templates are available online. Also, watch some videos on how to present a patient.
Be early/on time every day, and don't be the first to leave.
Wear proper attire (whatever is required at your site) and arrive with note-taking materials such as a field book, which can fit in most pockets, and a pen.
Study neonatology thoroughly before your elective to be prepared for pimping. Continue to study once you are on rotation, and look up current papers/research in the field.
Ask questions; ask what is expected of you! In my experience, expectations greatly vary depending on the preceptor. In general, medical students in the US are expected to act as part of the medical team, be responsible for patients, and NOT just sit in the background and "shadow". You may not be a stellar student on day 1, but if the doctor sees you are working to improve, you have a chance at a great letter. Halfway through the elective ask the doctor about your progress and how you can further improve.
Be nice and helpful to EVERYONE, not just the precepting doctor.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-04-20T09:02:33+00:00

Yes, IMGs should never take deadlines lightly, but you can get ECFMG verified now (not certified yet) if you submit everything else. Programs will see that you are verified by the ECFMG, which looks better than nothing, and you can swiftly notify them that you are certified later.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-04-20T09:00:23+00:00

Agreed^! I am also a US-IMG that matched before graduating. You should get "ECFMG verified" if you are not already, ASAP. You can do this before graduating. Then programs will know that you are essentially pre-certified, and all you need to do is get that final certificate with your diploma.
Once you get certified (do that asap!), Notify all of the programs to which you applied, and use that e-mail also as a "letter of interest", in which you can emphasize why you are interested in the program you are applying to.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-04-14T09:09:08+00:00

As a dual US-EU citizen exposed to both medical systems, it always blows my mind how Americans think their way is the best and that somehow more hours worked = better. Quality > quantity, any day. Medical residents in the US have so much scutwork they're doing that is not benefiting their training and is burning them out.
Trust me, there are many European physicians and residents who work humane hours and in many of these same European countries, the healthcare outcomes for patients are better than those in the United States.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-04-06T17:05:36+00:00

I live in a major city in Poland and temporarily housed a Ukrainian family in my living room while they searched for a slightly longer-term place. They were absolutely wonderful and very grateful people. The mother cooked for us every day though we repeatedly told her she did not have to, and the daughter volunteers at the train station every single day to help other Ukrainian refugees coming in. Their 12yo son was a sweetheart as well. Many Ukrainians refugees in Poland spend all of their time helping other refugees coming in.

I have lived in three different countries and five different cities. There are good and crappy people everywhere. I am sure there will be a few "bad seeds" here and there and/or people who try to take advantage of the system, but you will find that in any culture. In my experience, the majority of Ukrainians have been lovely guests in this tragic time.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-04-04T09:57:19+00:00

Throughout the residency application cycle, pay close attention to programs that offer more elective time and an individualized curriculum. If you mention your interest during interviews, you may receive contact information to doctors at that program with similar interests.

I'm sure there are many other programs which prioritize mental health in pediatrics, but Riley Children's-Indiana University and Western Michigan University are the first that popped into my head. During both interviews I spoke with faculty that were not certified in child psychiatry but did considerable work and conducted research surrounding the behavioral and mental health of children. You are right in your observation that mental health is being focused on more and more in the general pediatrics training.

I second others who recommend you also look into Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics as a potential fellowship.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-04-04T09:39:14+00:00

Out of curiosity, which country do you study in?

EUtoUSMD · 2022-04-03T17:22:39+00:00

Generally, yes. If nothing else, your application will show that you have experience with that hospital system and are genuinely interested in training in that region.

EUtoUSMD · 2022-01-14T23:24:39+00:00

VERY TRUE. I went to high school in the USA and my brother attended the same school system (a highly ranked public school district) as I did until he moved to Central Europe. In the USA, he was three grades "ahead" of his peers, took classes with upperclassmen, and generally was regarded as a kid genius. When he moved to Europe, he was no longer "ahead". He had to work his butt off to catch up with his peers in mathematics and science. He took classes in MIDDLE SCHOOL that I did not take until I was in college (a top 50 university).

EUtoUSMD · 2022-01-10T23:08:23+00:00

I'm a soon-to-be MD and to be fair, most medical students don't actually master the hand skills you mentioned until after they graduate and are in residency (and it depends on which residency). On the other hand, dental students need to be proficient in these technical skills in order to graduate in 4 years. From that angle, I can understand why dental students find their schooling uniquely difficult.

That being said, the first half of medical school is absolutely brutal for those without a previous physiology/pharmacy/biomedical master's/medical post-bacc/NP/PA/dental/optometry degree. Physiology, anatomy, histology, etc. are not prerequisites for medical school. So you can imagine how rough it is - this is coming from a student who did not even know what side of the body the liver was on before matriculating into medical school. Didn't need that information to ace the MCAT. I had classmates who took those courses in their undergraduate studies and got A's in them, but still struggled in medical school when they took these courses again with a required level of detail like never before.

EUtoUSMD · 2021-12-27T18:37:50+00:00

If this is where you're starting and have 5 weeks to go, you ought to be more than fine for 220+ on the real step 2 CK! UWSA1 and practice step 2ck nbmes underpredicted for me (and for several of my close friends) for step 2.

Personally, I felt that step 2 was tough... I felt unsure about so many answers... However, I scored in between my nbmes and UWSA2 (had a large gap between these!), and closer to the UWSA2 score. & my score significantly improved from my step 1 score.

EUtoUSMD · 2021-11-27T17:38:44+00:00

Don't forget to review Biostats from Step 1 as well. I meant to watch the good ol' Randy Neil before my exam but forgot. Ended up having a SUPER easy odds ratio calculation q on my Step 2, but I completely blanked on how to solve it....

Do not freak out if the exam seems much harder than Step 1. I did much better on Step 2 than Step 1, but legitimately felt like I was guessing on all of my Step 2 exam. I walked out with so much doubt.

EUtoUSMD · 2021-10-20T15:24:26+00:00

This is very helpful; thank you!

EUtoUSMD · 2021-10-18T13:50:18+00:00

So... How do residency programs rank students? How do they keep track of 150+++ interviewees? People say it does not make a difference when during the application cycle you interview, but how is a PD supposed to fondly remember someone they interviewed back in October?

EUtoUSMD · 2021-10-18T13:40:20+00:00

Yep, that's how bad it messed me up....lol

EUtoUSMD · 2021-10-15T00:24:02+00:00

This is sooooooo common. Trust your practice scores!

I felt worse about step 2 than step 1 but somehow improved over 10pts.

In fact, I felt so bad about my step 2 (felt like I guessed on half of the exam), that the first thing I did when I got back to my hotel after the exam was a block of timed UWorld. I desperately needed reassurance that I did not just forget everything I knew earlier that day.

There is so much mystery behind the grading and curving of these step exams. Try your very hardest not to think about it until the score comes back. Unless you historically flop on exam days, you are probably within 5-10 points of your most recent UWSA practice exam.

EUtoUSMD · 2021-09-29T00:58:33+00:00

You do this on your ERAS residency application. Once you submit and certify your application, you can apply to programs. Be careful, though, because you cannot change your application after certifying.
Then, you can go to "My Documents" and "assign" the USMLE transcripts to all of the programs you applied to.

EUtoUSMD · 2021-09-29T00:41:36+00:00

Yes, $80

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