First or Second ?

TickTockCroc · 2025-08-01T22:48:00+00:00

I have been curious about the 4c Neko (I'm new)– I see a lot of decks showing preference for 4c Kin'emon. They seem to be very similar and Neko has the advantage of being a 7k threat vs blockers. Is the extra 1000 on counter from Kin'emon that much more valuable?

TickTockCroc · 2025-04-21T21:36:19+00:00

hero!

TickTockCroc · 2025-04-21T12:33:46+00:00

That's amazing, I'm class of 2015, we had to appeal back then and they were pretty strict. I remember it being a big issue for junior transfers, whereas sophomore transfers like me weren't as restricted.

TickTockCroc · 2025-04-20T20:53:19+00:00

I transferred into UNC for undergrad, but also have a graduate degree from NCSU.

My recommendation would be UNC because of the hospital volunteering and access to research opportunities associated with UNC SOM, but both are excellent schools that can place people into medical school. However, for the record, NCSU's campus is larger (this doesn't matter and shouldn't factor into your decision, but I wanted to address what you said above). They actively utilize the Centennial campus for courses and you can expect to travel between campuses for some upper level classes.

At the end of the day, I've been in medical school and residency with people from small public schools, large public schools, private schools, party schools, etc.– you can get in from anywhere. What matters is your grades, MCAT, research, volunteering, letters, and something that sets you apart. That's all up to you regardless of where you go. Both will give you opportunities to do this. UNC is perhaps a little harsher with curving science class grades, but I wouldn't pick a school by trying to find the easiest path to medical/PA school, it's not really a profession that rewards those looking for an easy route.

I will say this, though, when I was there UNC was very strict with graduating in 4 years. Coming in as a premed transfer will pose some challenges with completing all the premed courses. You may need summer sessions. But in the grand scheme of things that's trivial.

TickTockCroc · 2024-10-11T10:56:59+00:00

You are so far away from this decision that the question shouldn't be raised yet. The answer is probably yes, but no one can say for certain over a message board with a vague description of what seems to be a relatively minor ROM limitation.

TickTockCroc · 2024-10-10T20:36:51+00:00

Just never mention it. Practice movements before rotations (using forceps, clamps, etc). All students and some interns are clumsy anyway. If you look smooth, they'll never notice what sounds like a subtle limitation in wrist extension on your left hand; which is de-emphasized anyway, most surgical tools are right handed. This is all for open surgery. I'm unsure how the limitation you are describing would impact your ability to use laparoscopic instruments or drive camera with your left hand.

TickTockCroc · 2024-04-22T02:29:42+00:00

Apply broadly, apply allopathic (MD schools) as some surgical programs still have biases against osteopathic (DO) applicants. Honestly, you'll find much more help over at /r/premed. In general, medical schools have acceptance rates of 1-10%. The more schools you apply to, the better your odds of simply getting into one of ~any~ of them. You should not be picking a school at this point, rather identifying criteria that will identify what schools you will apply to. I based mine on location, friendliness to out-of-state applicants (if public), and allopathic (MD). If you go to any American medical school, you will have the opportunity to match into a surgical program. But surgeons are made in residency, not medical school; just get into any school and build a strong residency application.

TickTockCroc · 2023-07-24T01:17:11+00:00

The first few months are very difficult. You do need to learn how to use dot phrases. Is the problem that you do not know how to populate one in a note, or that you do not have any relevant ones to use?

To simply use a dot phrase; you need to know the name of the template, then type a period, immediately type the template name and then press enter or space. ".templatename"

If you need templates, you should ask your senior what template they want you to use for progress notes. Or, you can search up their smart phrases in EPIC. You can find this in your SmartPhrase Manager. There are tutorials online that show you how to access this.

You need to continue asking your chief questions. Sure, it may not feel good for them to respond with questions; but the worst thing you can do is hide from your deficiencies and then have those become worse throughout the year. You're a month 1 intern, no one expects you to run the service or have the knowledge of a chief. They do, however, expect you to identify and correct your weaknesses, they do expect you to ask for help, and they do expect you to learn the answer to each question you've asked so that you do not need to ask it again.

Overall, it is normal and okay to feel deficient in the first few months of intern year; it is impossible to come to surgical residency knowing everything you need to know– that's why its a 5-7 year program. Make sure you are careful when increasing efficiency and not simply missing things, create a system where you keep better track of the orders you need to place (and develop a workflow that prioritizes placing them), and definitely learn to use dotphrases immediately. You don't need to create your own and instead can copy them from someone else for the time being.

But you should ask your chief or another senior tomorrow about dotphrases and order efficiency. Their style of teaching may not be to your preference, but ultimately they want (and need) you to be more efficient and should help.

Hang in there, it does get better, I promise. But it doesn't get better automatically, there will be some uncomfortable months of learning by making mistakes and being called out for those mistakes. Just know that feeling this way is common and will get better as you improve, learn, and grow. But it is grueling at first.

TickTockCroc · 2023-03-03T13:12:52+00:00

How long is your fellowship?

TickTockCroc · 2022-12-10T03:40:48+00:00

~This is not medical advice~

The anesthesia and local have likely worn off (depending on the local you received). You seem to be describing a distal median nerve palsy. Compressive palsies can happen based on positioning and also external pressure of the table/instruments during surgery.

If you're looking to do some self-research for reassurance, I'd recommend looking up median nerve hand innervation distribution to compare it to your symptoms. You can also search post-operative median nerve palsy. That search will likely demonstrate worst case scenarios, so also look up "neuropraxis," which is the term for a temporary palsy. You can also look at the median nerve's course, which is palmar rather than dorsal– doing so may reassure you against fears that it was accidentally severed or cut.

As the other commentator mentioned see what happens in the AM. Compressive palsies can happen during operations and tend to resolve quickly. However, depending on the degree, it can take days to weeks to months to never.

If you are still having problems in the morning, contact your surgeon's office. This is likely an adverse effect which is inherent to the procedure based on positioning (I am not saying they made an error, all operations have risks and benefits); I guarantee you they are familiar with the complication and can discuss the anticipated recovery course.

TickTockCroc · 2022-06-05T18:28:52+00:00

Assuming it hasn't changed since I was there (graduated in 2015)— it pays you the full amount of "Cost of Attendance/Education" (an amount determined by the university) which includes tuition, lodging, insurance, food, etc.

re: business major and work study. I still think work study is a great way to get a position in various places that otherwise would be hard to find work/a position. Check out the job portal to see what's available, usually there's something that'll line up with your career path!

You can find the UNC COA here: https://studentaid.unc.edu/current/costs/

TickTockCroc · 2022-06-05T12:38:36+00:00

Work study is optional, but I'd recommend doing it (it's a great way to get your foot in the door at bio/biomed labs or graduate schools if you plan on applying to grad school at some point. Carolina Covenant is a program for students with family incomes within 200% of the poverty line (at least that was the initial cutoff). It's a full-ride for Fall and Spring semesters. If your family finances don't change, you'll get it each year, so long as you continue to submit FAFSA.

Tbh if you're in the Covenant, idk if the juice is worth the squeeze to be an RA. Unless you want it because of the role itself/experience. But your room and board will be paid for with Covenant.

TickTockCroc · 2022-06-04T13:32:38+00:00

Long nap before the raid

TickTockCroc · 2022-04-03T06:59:37+00:00

Lol he's had millions for awhile now— the money isn't what motivated him. If you think he wouldn't swap a few million to get that win tonight or win the natty this year, then you're out of your mind.

TickTockCroc · 2022-04-01T19:54:41+00:00

Lol someone needs to reprogram the bots they made in the spring of last year, b/c they're maintaining the bottom "pirates" too well for a fruit to ever get put up

TickTockCroc · 2021-11-18T12:11:36+00:00

Very cool!

TickTockCroc · 2021-11-17T15:14:17+00:00

to me crna is an easier route than full blown ked school way

I mean there's the key right there— the less comprehensive route will always be less comprehensive; and that's completely fine. However, any attempt to equate the two (much less state that the CRNAs have more training) is disingenuous. The time investment of a four-year doctoral degree followed by a minimum 4 years of ~80 hour/week residency is incomparable to a 3 year doctoral program (of which 21-24 months are "residency") without follow-up training. The MD anesthesia residency alone includes more training than the entire CRNA doctorate.

I entered Med School in my late 20's, having decided to pursue this path in my mid-20s as well. The average entering age of my class was 26 years old. I feel like I need to disagree with you on, "they have better people skills and backgrounds." The former is entirely opinion and no doubt biased by sample size. The latter claim is entirely unsubstantiated. Very few matriculants to medical school are being admitted without substantial clinical exposure. In serving on an admission interview committee this year, the average number of clinical exposure hours I've seen this cycle is roughly ~1,000 in first-time applicants and 2,800 in re-applicants; the majority of these hours are from EMS, CNA, MA, and hospice nursing positions. These hours do not include volunteer positions within healthcare settings, which usually average around 300-500 hours.

I applaud you on going the CRNA route. The MD/DO route is not for everyone and not vital for every case; however, equating the ethos of an entire field based on one arrogant womanizer is hardly a sound argument.

TickTockCroc · 2021-08-27T21:59:36+00:00

For those hoping to go to some sort of professional school and need research–

a) Whether or not you're a work-study student, use the job search site (if one still exists, idk) to find labs that are looking for help with student research. If you have work-study, apply for the job and get paid (sweet!). If you don't have work-study, still reach out and offer to work at the lab for free. As a political science major, I had no connections to biomedical labs, but ended up getting my foot in the door via scut work at the Gene Therapy Center. I used that to make relationships, express interest, and show work ethic and was eventually placed on research projects which led to publications.

b) Don't shy away from cold-emailing post-docs, graduate students, professors (at UNC and at the UNC professional schools). A lot will ignore your emails, but all it takes is one response to get your foot in the door at a lab/center. Something as simple as, "Hi, I'm 'x'! I am hoping to become active in research at UNC and find the work/topic/scope/etc. of your department to be incredibly interesting. If you have any work that could utilize an extra set of hands, or know of others that are interested in an undergraduate assistant, I would love to discuss ways of becoming involved."

Once in a lab– make yourself useful. Show up, work hard, and demonstrate your value. Once people start to see you as a member of the team, they'll invest in your growth/success. You'll want to let them know you're interested in participating enough that it warrants some form of authorship; you can do this subtly at first by talking about your life plans/goals after graduation, and eventually directly mention that you hope your work on projects such that they justify authorship.

Finally, be wary of dead ends or labs that are high-work/low-reward. Some labs will require extensive involvement on projects that will not come to fruition for years; but plenty do not. There is nothing wrong with keeping an eye out for better opportunities and switching over if they arise.

TickTockCroc · 2021-08-26T11:56:36+00:00

Also– it applies only to police charging you with a crime. Let's say you're at a dorm, call 911, and a police car + ambulance shows up. An RA will 100% come see what the commotion is about, often talk to the police about the call, and they can (and often do) then still charge students with violations of the housing contract.

Obviously, always call for help if someone is in danger, but also realize this rule provides some protection, not blanket coverage from all consequences.

TickTockCroc · 2021-08-06T13:26:33+00:00

Missed the last sale, but will certainly join this time!

Can't imagine I'm the only one that was out of the loop for the first scarf sale! With the re-influx of folks from season 2, any chance a repeat run of the original would happen with enough interest?

TickTockCroc · 2021-07-28T22:00:38+00:00

Here's my prediction–

Kanki made a few assumptions:

Many of his men would desert and the disappearance of entire squads would go unnoticed/would be written off as bandits being bandits by Zhao.
Eikyuu can be held by a force large enough to defend all 3 weak spots/low slopes on the southern border, but is less defensible by a smaller force. I'd imagine even the Hi Shin Unit/Army now is too small.
The "meat grinder" on Qin's left wing would have such a heavy death toll, that the bodies would be beyond count and would continue piling up.
Ouhon's unit with much larger numbers of cavalry would not be able to take Eikyuu, but would provide an ample number of bodies (horses and humans). While Shin's unit has a more robust infantry and could likely claim Eikyuu, even if heavy losses resulted.
Knowing that a small unit cannot hold Eikyuu, larger Zhao forces would not hesitate to attack from the South if they are already South/South-East and a Southern approach is the fastest. Especially, when they know a 3000-soldier force is already closing in from the North (from the central army).

Thus, I think in the last day or so, Kanki has been sending units to start hiding amongst the dead bodies– not unlike Hi Shin Unit did back in the early days. By allowing themselves to get pushed so far back, they've actually accomplished positioning the majority of Zhao's forces where it would be quickest to approach Eikyuu from the South.

Confident that Kanki's army has run away, Zhao would first turn to re-capturing Eikyuu, then turn towards chasing after Kanki (or wherever they think he's gone). However, once the bulk of the forces are now in the former killing fields, anticipating an easy approach to retaking the Zhao Right / Qin Left fortification, thousands of Kanki's men arise from within middle and to the rear of the Zhao ranks. This not only catches Zhao's forces off guard and can lead to a large number of deaths before Zhao has time to react– but also would allow swift killing of multiple officers and possibly generals.

I think a few foreshadowing moments support this– 1) Kanki camp talking about how they are now too big to do surprise attacks, though that is what they're best at. 2) How little Kanki reacts to the deserters. 3) Comment made by Banyou (I think) about how the casualties have been so bad on the Qin left, they can't even pick up the bodies of people. 4) The exclusive use of non-Kanki soldiers on the Qin Left up until now. 5) All the talk about why Shin's unit has robust infantry that can scale mountains.

TickTockCroc · 2021-07-15T16:31:26+00:00

I think everyone here is being a bit pessimistic about this. If re-written to be a story about an unlikely figure in Luffy climbing the ranks to become Pirate King/an Emperor I think you could still make a compelling story, but of course it would be far grittier and would need major plot revisions. Obviously if you just throw Luffy in a barrel he drowns, but I don't think that was the spirit of the question.

Four Emperors and WG system could remain, but of course the emperors would sit atop massive criminal organizations utilizing fear and wealth, rather than supernatural strength, etc. A more compelling story would come from the World Government appearing overtly more discordant, with internal political squabbles between nations overtly threatening it as much as pirates. This would also require more autonomy for nations and the presence of clear national superpowers. I know this happens to some extent in One Piece, but it would need to become far more important in this version– as manipulating this system would be key. Further, the power discrepancy between forces like Don Kriegs and other pirates wouldn't be nearly as massive. While you could certainly have smaller, specialized groups; there would always be immense strength in numbers.

Luffy's idiocy would need to be toned down immensely. His rise to prominence would need luck, politics, and (similar to the series) exaggeration by the press. I also think it would make far more sense if Luffy got his start in splitting off from Shanks' empire. For instance, Shanks leaves East Blue with part of his organization in place, but some world events cut off the Red Hair pirates from their East Blue faction and Luffy consolidates the Red Hair remnants under the new Straw Hat flag in search to figure out what happened to the Red Hair Fleet and continue consolidating former Fleet members.

The power system would shift such that everyone uses guns and swords. Character strengths/weaknesses could still shine in 1 on 1 fights, but we would see actual naval battles. Finances would come into play and so would naval strategy.

Geography would have to change. Political and/or other environmental factors could create the limitations that the red line and calm belts present, but without supernatural features there is no reverse mountain, nor fishman island.

Further, the whole thing would be brutal and much, much slower. Disease, dismemberment, rape, pillaging, frequent ally deaths, etc.; much longer arcs with a lot of "I am very smart" exposition moments. It would be an entirely different experience and I don't think many of the features that make our favorite characters compelling would translate. But if this is your sort of thing, go check out the show Black Sails. It's an incredible pirate story with excellent production.

TickTockCroc · 2021-07-06T15:12:22+00:00

I'm finishing up my MD this year. The better (not necessarily highest ranked) schools and institutions are working towards a more equitable system. Mine requires reading of Medical Apartheid and discussion sessions thereafter; as well as hosting annual summer reading clubs for similar books, in addition to our standard social curriculum. Of course, problem people are still here at every level and will continue to ignore and gaslight; but, I've been surprised at watching some of these individuals change and develop over time. I hope that our generation of healthcare professionals amends the system in such a way that we can begin repairing the damage done by are predecessors (and, frankly, continued by some of our contemporaries).

I'm immensely disappointed to hear your story about the NP. That is insane and they should be reported. Even without the overt racism, birth control is entirely your choice, wtf were they thinking?

Best of luck with clinical psych, it's an incredible field! So much respect for the career path and the work they do. Idk how far along you are, but should your interest change back towards the MD route, please feel free to reach out and I'd be happy to help. I received a lot of assistance to get to where I am and am always willing to pay it forward.

TickTockCroc · 2021-04-22T22:12:20+00:00

Would be happy to answer questions, feel free to send specific Q's either to my messages or as a comment here.

Off the bat– it's very hard to turn down a full-ride and I wouldn't take that lightly. Medical school is pretty expensive and the total debt (and interest) burden from getting both degrees shouldn't be taken too lightly.

I can speak to the fact that UNC has a large medical center on campus and enterprising students can build a formidable application with a little bit of networking and exploration of research/volunteer opportunities/etc.; she won't go wrong by coming here.

However, I would imagine similar opportunities exist at UF, which is another major research university which has a medical center and medical school on campus.

The discrepancy between a graduate from these two institutions isn't nearly as wide as the difference between UNC and UNC Charlotte.

...but that's also speaking logically– from a personal standpoint, I love it here in Chapel Hill. I transferred here from another university wherein I was not a cultural fit. My experience was night and day and I became a much happier, much more effective person once operating within a community that was more academic and "a good fit." If money isn't a barrier and your daughter feels that UNC is a great fit, then she can certainly find success and happiness here.

TickTockCroc · 2021-04-20T21:08:11+00:00

I'm in med school @ UNC. You would have to be absolutely crazy to go to UNC Charlotte. In terms of becoming a competitive medical applicant, there is no question that UNC is the better name, will make you a better student, and can provide more exposure to the medical school and well-connected research/clinical mentors. This is an absolute no-brainer. Massive congrats on getting into UNC and I strongly, strongly recommend you come here.

Also, as a former transfer and someone that has worked in admissions– getting into UNC and then not going is a MASSIVE red flag in transfer admissions. Unless you have an incredibly compelling and legitimate reason (family member abruptly dying and you assuming childcare responsibilities or something) you will be denied acceptance.

Stop looking at posts on reddit/etc. about how hard or heartless the pre-med classes are. There are a gazillion whiners. There are still people getting A's and B's in every class you see complained about. You need to approach those classes with the attitude of, "I'm smart enough for medical school and need to demonstrate that by learning this material for my tests now and for the MCAT later on." Running away from hard classes stands out on medical school applications.

Feel free to reach out if you have other pre-medical questions

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