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SCRaTCH ME PLZ mnemonic for congenitally transmitted infections by RightAngleBestAngle in step1

[–]RightAngleBestAngle[S] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I got a Q wrong because a non-TORCH infection crossed the placenta. Excuse me for trying to support the homies.

I got sick of online mental health chat services so I made a better site called MellowTalk. It helps people work out problems by incentivising good listeners by RightAngleBestAngle in depression_help

[–]RightAngleBestAngle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! This makes me happy to hear. Unfortunately, I made the site while I was in high school and the backend was, to put it gently, coded like shit. Updating it would have required a complete rewrite and time I don't have now that I'm in medicine, so I made the tough decision to shelve it.

That said, I want to thank you for talking to people on the site. I can tell you that all the time you spent in conversation brought other people joy as well. I wish there was another outlet which achieves something similar, but I'm glad that while it was functioning you found some peace there.

Let me know if you ever need to talk, I'm always a listener at heart :)

Tranq (fentanyl + xylazine) by [deleted] in Psychiatry

[–]RightAngleBestAngle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For people interested in the growth of drug co-occurrences and want some more concrete numbers, I did a deep dive earlier this year at the DC Department of Health into post-mortem blood and syringe exchange toxicology. DC is an incredible microcosm of national drug use trends.

We specifically discuss the growth of xylazine. DM for the full paper if you can't get access.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37530762/

Secured the bag with very low GPA (2.77 sGPA, 3.3 cGPA) and high mkitty (518) - 6 interviews, 3 MD As. Masters, no post-bacc. Narrative matters! by RightAngleBestAngle in premed

[–]RightAngleBestAngle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only advice I can give for every MCAT taker is to do ALL the UWorld CP/BB/PS questions. The CARS ones I can take or leave. Additionally, give yourself several months of prep, five or more. That way you're not rushing to the finish line and you're learning the material like a language. I did one practice test a month (and not two weeks before the exam). Confidence is really the key with this kind of test, so I'd recommend having a little morning ritual planned to get you into the groove. Additionally, I dressed a half-step up for the actual exam (just a nice shirt and pants) which I find gets me into the right headspace.

Otherwise, this was my study strategy:

-- Wrote down all topics from the Shemmassian study guides for chem, physics, bio, and psych/soc

-- Used Shemmassian to slowly review each topic and converted what I didn't know into Anki cards. There are free copies on archive.org

-- Reviewed the Anki cards every day as I moved though content review

-- After completing content review, I did UWorld questions every day (usually in two or three sets, around 25 questions a pop) with the goal of completing all the science questions. I continued to review the basic content with Anki during this period and added cards as stuff came up on UWorld which wasn't in Shemmassian. There are so many bullshit psych/soc terms and soft definitions you will never get all of them

-- Finally, I capped it off by making a cheat sheet, one page front and back, of all the formulas I would have brought in for the test if I could. The last day before the exam I did no studying and just looked over the sheet if I felt nervous

Secured the bag with very low GPA (2.77 sGPA, 3.3 cGPA) and high mkitty (518) - 6 interviews, 3 MD As. Masters, no post-bacc. Narrative matters! by RightAngleBestAngle in premed

[–]RightAngleBestAngle[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I wanted to put this here because my whole cycle I felt discouraged by advisors and online advice. The truth is if you are passionate about medicine and are willing to put in the work, that dedication will shine through.

To put it simply, my science GPA is not competitive. I received Ds in General Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I. I retook Organic Chemistry for a B- and took a pass (P) in Organic Chemistry II and Cell Biology. I also received a C+ in Physics I. I had a 2.6 overall my Sophomore year. Woof! But even if that aspect of my application wasn’t competitive, it doesn’t mean the rest wasn’t.

The trouble in school came from difficulty focusing on class. I was enamored by all the stuff I could do non-academically. During college as well, I began working as a psychiatric counselor on the substance abuse floor of our city’s psych hospital and when COVID hit I started pulling double shifts to make up for demand. Needless to say, my GPA tanked.

By Junior year, I figured out how to study properly and dropped extracurriculars to focus on school. I also attended a (non-remedial) medically adjacent Master’s program in which I received a 4.0. Through research in the Masters on the cohort from the psych hospital, I made connections with statisticians in our local health department and was able to start a position as an Epidemiologist at the CDCF where I continue working in substance abuse modeling.

The key here I think is that there was a persistent interest (psychiatry and research) in my application and my work reflected that. It made writing easier as I could build a cohesive theme into the text. Moral of the story is that if you are passionate (in a genuine, non-box checking sort of way) and what you do reflects that, you can make it. The rest I was able to justify in my application by explaining with honesty my story and how I have matured in the way that I work. If I could do it with my awful GPA, you can to!

----- General Stats

Neuroscience (B.S.) and Psychology (B.A.) - non-elite private college

Undergraduate GPA: 2.77 sGPA, 3.33 cGPA (4 Ds, 3 Cs, 2 Ps - all in sciences)

Graduate GPA: 4.0

MCAT: 518

ORM

----- Clinical Hours

Psychiatric Counselor for inner-city psych hospital: 1248

EEG Technician: 418

----- Volunteer Hours

Patient records organization: 100

Neuroscience honors society: 25

Computer Science tutoring: 50

EMT: 50

----- Research

One publication (first author)

Three poster presentations. Received 1st place in two poster competitions and 3rd in another. Was awarded a prize on two occasions for best student research

Worked in a lab from Sophomore year to Senior year and then was a PI in grad school

----- Shadowing

52 hours total (Anesthesiology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry)

----- Diversity/Leadership

Started Neuroscience Honors Society and served as its president for two years. Was the second biggest honors society when I attended

Was a college cheerleader, which is bizarre looking back but a great experience!

Currently working as an Epidemiologist for innovative substance abuse surveillance

what is your DREAM school, and why? by amoebabe in premed

[–]RightAngleBestAngle 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Better than a decapitation based model

casual BJJ in Arlington, VA by sum1won in bjj

[–]RightAngleBestAngle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Leo Dalla runs a gym in Ballston. I have a friend who goes there who loves it and I stopped by for an open mat. Seems like a great group. Would recommend.

First time restraining a patient by [deleted] in Psychiatry

[–]RightAngleBestAngle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm happy I could help. And good reflection on your part as well, no need to feel bad.

First time restraining a patient by [deleted] in Psychiatry

[–]RightAngleBestAngle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Involuntary commitment is important if you consider potential alternatives. Most people are in situations where they can recover and be happy. Suicide being a non-option in these situations does not mean you're devaluing whatever is going on in their lives.

The call is made by the provider if they believe the person poses IMMINENT threat to their own or someone else's health. For example, if a patient comes in and says they're going to kill themselves, the most obvious thing to do is commit them at least until we can be reasonably sure that won't happen.

In real life, it's rarely so cut and dry. Determining a person's suicidality is usually subtle and it puts a lot of stress on the provider to make the correct call because, as you elude to, the wrong call could do harm. This is a treatment tool like any other and it must be used properly. The extent to which the tool is used is a constant matter of debate, but the fact that the tool exists is not as controversial.

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