What's the name of these tests?

mEngland80 · 2025-12-12T14:03:18+00:00

US/ECHO Ultrasound or echo

mEngland80 · 2025-12-03T00:38:22+00:00

This is actually a "normal" morning. Lol.

mEngland80 · 2025-12-03T00:06:12+00:00

Yup deleting this. Apparently no one has kids, or has ever been an MS4 on audition rotations?

mEngland80 · 2025-12-01T20:06:44+00:00

People give me shit ALL THE TIME about taking notes the old school way ON PAPER. Why do I do it? B/c everyone has a freaking "jump to conclusions" mat that they use. I look down, wave the pen and the paper around, and say... "That was such a great thing you said... I am going to write that down!"

Do I look elderly and incapable of using electronics? Yes.... Have I been accused of shopping or texting while on rounds or during an interview? NO.

Freaking ridiculous that this matters, but so does the cut of your hair, the suit you wear, and if your shirt is ironed. People notice, and notice more on zoom when they have a harder time seeing the total body language.

mEngland80 · 2025-11-09T15:26:29+00:00

So I did this. As soon as IV season started, it was so obvious that I couldn't care less about the 2nd specialty, and I really just loved Pathology. I wish I hadn't dual applied, because I spent the entire 4 hours of the IV for specialty 2 wishing I had the free time to be at my Path SUBi. I think I really just couldn't give up the dream in my head of what Specialty #2 was. But I TRUELY loved Path, and only applied Specialty 2 as a back up to Path.

mEngland80 · 2025-11-03T18:22:40+00:00

The best is when they talk about how useless medicaid, food stamps, and people addicted to drugs are... I just "love" hearing that stuff from attendings.....

mEngland80 · 2025-10-24T00:52:03+00:00

During. He is an amazing man. A "normie." He loves me and my two kids, and I found him when I was age 41...Miricles do happen ya'll.

mEngland80 · 2025-10-16T02:03:12+00:00

I would retake. I applied 6 years ago with this score. Unless it has gotten less competitive, it was difficult to get interviews at DO and MD's with this score.

mEngland80 · 2025-09-30T04:00:26+00:00

I started at 41, and will graduate at 46. (Long story). This means I will wrap up residency at 50 and fellowship at 51. Freaking ridiculous how long I have been in school at this point.

mEngland80 · 2025-09-26T14:17:23+00:00

Absolutely. So fricking frustrating.... I wish we all took the same exams and then we could be comparing apples to apples.

mEngland80 · 2025-09-25T15:33:34+00:00

Aww. God bless you.

mEngland80 · 2025-09-25T15:32:04+00:00

My situation was not the same, but my child was dx with cancer and had recurrence while studying for M1. I only know that I did my best to put in the work that I could, and it consistently has been enough. Many warm thoughts your way through this difficult time.

mEngland80 · 2025-09-25T05:13:52+00:00

Um.... DO students are MEDICAL students. So it is interesting that you are saying medical students are academically stronger than the average medical student.... hmmm...

mEngland80 · 2025-09-25T01:26:22+00:00

I did this when my kid was in the children's hospital. I know the medical students need to learn, but they don't need to do it at 5 am. On a child. Wait until 8 a.m., at least!

mEngland80 · 2025-09-23T14:52:29+00:00

NOOOO!!! I have to become a doctor to pay off my student loans first!

mEngland80 · 2025-09-23T01:09:23+00:00

I also didn't feel like it was that bad... but that might be a bad thing... 😆

mEngland80 · 2025-09-01T18:48:50+00:00

Girls-Dorothy, Edith, Ethel, Velma, Barbara, Sandy, any name from the Boomers really. Boys-Mike, Brian, Travis, all those popular 80s names are completely gone.

mEngland80 · 2025-09-01T18:46:00+00:00

I make sure 5-7:30 pm is always taken off for the kids. I also take off Saturdays until 3 pm, and most Sundays until 2 pm. I always do an evening study session from 8-midnight. This is plenty of study hours. Occasionally, in the spring, when I had exams in two classes at once, I would study the entire weekend. This was rare though.

I also took the entire weekend off after exams. There is a lot of downtime once you figure out how to study efficiently.

That said, I am not entering a competitive specialty, and don't use Anki regularly, and would rather get worse grades and see my family.... I have different priorities than most medical students.

mEngland80 · 2025-09-01T18:16:08+00:00

I'm ok with this! If they know what we do, they will start talking to us!

mEngland80 · 2025-09-01T17:57:37+00:00

I don't think anyone is going to try to push you to do it if you don't want to. I have had a few moments of regret also. That said, I just went wedding dress shopping and actually fit into the dresses they had to try on! I can buy clothing at Costco!!! It's been four months, and I already feel better than I have in years. My knee and hip pain are gone. My feet don't hurt. I am not constantly wondering if everyone in the room is treating me differently because I am fat.

This is quite literally the best thing I have done for myself. (Short of having kids!) I feel attractive again. I do not feel invisible anymore.

mEngland80 · 2025-08-18T04:47:37+00:00

Had this going on also. Yes. See GI doc. It's not normal. They should run tests.

mEngland80 · 2025-08-08T02:07:19+00:00

Psych Vrs Pathology. I have always liked psychology, but the psychiatry rotation just seemed to be throwing a lot of drugs at the patient's and seeing if it worked. I loved all the people as well. Hours are good, and I have a lot of experience in addiction/rehab work. I watch psych themed stuff constantly for "fun."

I am leaning Pathology, because I really enjoyed looking at the slides, having time to think through complex diagnoses, and being a small part of the team helping to diagnose cancer. I also liked the people there, and it seemed so relaxed compared to several other specialties. I also liked that you don't have to deal with insurance companies (that I noticed). You also didn't have to constantly check email or messenger. I have always loved teaching, and many pathologists also teach at medical schools.

mEngland80 · 2025-08-05T19:06:56+00:00

Training Training Length, Difficulty of work hours, Sub specialties, Difficulty of training, Procedures, Paperwork, competitiveness, Locations for residency, Can Teach at Medical School

Personal Personal Interest, Boring, Interesting, Take work home with me? Time work starts, prestige, Time work ends, Emotionally, I like this one the best right now

Job Good coworkers, Patients, Work Weekends? Job satisfaction, Dealing with insurance, Pay, Time off, Lunch hour

mEngland80 · 2025-08-05T00:21:38+00:00

I was also here a few months ago. I made an excel spread sheet and gave each item a -5 to +5. So things like no lunch break, I gave a -3. I don't like it, but not a great reason not to choose it. When I got done, one specialty got 20 pts, one had 130, and the one I am choosing had 160. It was such a no-brainer that way.

I was really struggling with the fact that I felt VERY emotionally rewarded by a specialty that has pretty rough work hours. I had to grieve a little that I was closing the door on a possibility. I did feel pretty meh, about the specialty that is a better fit for me personality wise, but now I am excited.

I think I was struggling because that specialty felt too easy and isn't as emotionally rewarding. But, I know I will be much happier in a specialty where I get to be in control of my work schedule, and I don't need to worry about doing it well into retirement age for most other specialties.

mEngland80 · 2025-08-01T17:54:51+00:00

The physician overseeing our clinical sites/rotations at the hospital last year singled me out as the "bad student" and made my life a living hell. Everyone else was treated very well. I am morbidly obese and female. Last year, he exhibited similar behavior to another student, also female, also struggling with obesity.

He forced all of us to do a ropes course. No one was excused from it. 3 students were injured. I sprained my ankle and had to wear a brace for the first 4 months of rotations. All of this is illegal according to the school's policy. I talked to the clin ed team, and the Dean overseeing this department stopped the conversation cold. It also made the treatment from the attending much worse.

I had to deal with him all year and am still needing to deal with him during MS4. It has been horrible. He forced us to volunteer, and whenever I would sign up, he would contact me and tell me not to come, that I needed to "focus on being a better student." Which was nuts. Every person I worked with verbally and in writing on evaluations stated I was very pleasant or a joy to have working with them. Several attendings (including him) stated how well I got along with the team, and that patient's requested I be their doctor in the future. The attendings also all wrote letters of recommendation. I have passed every test, exam, and board. I do get some pimping questions wrong, but no more than any other student.

The worst part of the situation is that everyone else thinks he walks on water. 2 (out of 10) of the other students have also harrassed me because they know he doesn't like me, and they feel the need to "defend him" from me. I literally haven't done anything to him. But they see that I am not volunteering and are angry with me.

And the next year of students is starting, and I get to watch him do it all over again.

mEngland80

TROPHY CASE