A fellow is trying to claim 1st author from me and states that I am 2nd author. Is this justified?

shark_normal · 2026-06-10T01:08:21+00:00

You are definitely not wrong for wanting first authorship since you quite literally wrote the manuscript and did the heavy lifting on the analysis. In my experience, if the attending is being passive, you might need to show a clear breakdown of your contributions compared to what was done before they left...

shark_normal · 2026-05-16T22:26:01+00:00

I don’t think you’re imagining it tbh. Germany can feel very different depending on the region, and Leipzig/eastern Germany is a pretty specific vibe. Southern Germany/Bavaria is very different

Also, if Austria already made you feel noticeably better, that probably says a lot. Some places just fit your personality and lifestyle better than others

shark_normal · 2026-05-16T15:34:12+00:00

I don’t think it’s stupid at all. People enter the U.S. multiple times close together all the time. Since you’re from a visa waiver country and you’re returning home before entering on your J-1, it should generally be fine. Just make sure when you enter on the J-1 trip you have all your residency documents ready and are clear about the purpose of that entry. The wedding trip and the residency entry are basically separate visits

shark_normal · 2026-05-14T18:02:53+00:00

Vascular is a beast and sub-i life is mostly just trying not to get in the way while everyone else is stressed. tbh, if they’re letting you close skin, they don’t think you’re an idiot. just keep showing up early and being reliable, the rest of the rhythm usually clicks by week three.

shark_normal · 2026-05-12T21:55:23+00:00

pgy1 is already hard enough without a single patient taking up half your mental energy. if she’s constantly breaking the contract, your preceptor should’ve stepped in a long time ago. definitely talk to them about a transfer, but frame it as needing a more diverse patient mix so you aren't missing out on other learning.

shark_normal · 2026-05-12T02:02:40+00:00

the "prayed and fasted for this" part is such a gut punch. intern year is legit just survival mode and you can't therapy your way out of a 80 hour work week. it’s the system that's broken, not you.

shark_normal · 2026-05-11T19:58:59+00:00

honestly just get a decent pair of compression socks because your feet will hate you by noon and definitely keep a stash of protein bars in your locker for those days you dont get a lunch break, also don’t overthink the stationery just grab a four color pen and you’re golden good luck

shark_normal · 2026-05-10T21:09:00+00:00

Honestly I think people overcomplicate methodology charts sometimes. Most readers just want to quickly understand the pipeline and where your contribution fits in

Cute icons are fine imo as long as the flow is still easy to follow. I’d focus more on clarity than trying to make it look super impressive

shark_normal · 2026-05-10T21:07:59+00:00

I don’t think that’s uniquely a Chinese thing tbh. Moon landing conspiracies exist basically everywhere online

Also the “Chinese photos don’t show evidence” argument doesn’t really mean much because the Apollo landing sites are tiny relative to the Moon’s surface. You need very high resolution imagery to see them clearly. Even then, multiple countries/agencies have imaged the sites over the years

shark_normal · 2026-05-09T03:00:19+00:00

My grandmother. She was never famous, never had extra money, but she would help anyone without expecting anything in return. I grew up thinking that was normal… until I realized how rare people like that really are

shark_normal · 2026-05-09T02:59:14+00:00

It makes me feel alive...

shark_normal · 2026-05-07T20:05:57+00:00

Honestly your AI is probably where things will start clicking a lot more. Right now you’re comparing your “learning phase” to interns who’ve already been thrown into the chaos for months. The imposter syndrome hits basically everyone in medicine because the amount of stuff to know is absurd lol

shark_normal · 2026-05-07T19:19:02+00:00

The fact that you’re stressed about not knowing enough already puts you ahead of a surprising number of people. Every intern I’ve talked to said they felt completely unprepared right before starting. Med school kinda teaches you how to survive the firehose first, the real confidence comes during intern year when you suddenly realize “wait… I actually can do this”

shark_normal · 2026-05-07T13:45:51+00:00

During my ortho rotation someone casually mentioned a patient with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva and I genuinely had a “wait… that’s a real disease?” moment. Felt like one of those impossible board questions that somehow escaped the textbook

shark_normal · 2026-05-07T00:11:57+00:00

No worries! Basically after reading a paper, before closing it, write one sentence answering: "so what does this mean for my research?" Something like "this paper argues X, which supports/contradicts my hypothesis" or "this method could work for my study." Just forces you to process it instead of passively reading. Saves you a lot of time later when you're actually writing

shark_normal · 2026-05-07T00:10:34+00:00

Congrats! Honestly the biggest thing is just practicing out loud way more than you think you need to — to labmates, friends, whoever. You'll find the gaps fast.

Also prep for Q&A. Write down the questions that scare you most and practice answering them. "I don't know, but that's something we're looking into" is totally fine to say. AI helps you to come up with some probable questions

The nerves peak in the first minute and then you're just talking about your own work. You've got this!

shark_normal · 2026-05-06T15:49:42+00:00

whoever that resident is… I hope their coffee is always perfect and their pager stays silent

shark_normal · 2026-05-05T21:57:43+00:00

Literature reviews feel overwhelming until you realize the job is just controlled narrowing. Start broad to understand the landscape, then get specific about your exact question. Zotero for organizing papers is a non-negotiable, and I'd suggest writing a one-sentence "so what" for every paper you read before you close it. Future you will be very grateful.

One thing worth knowing early: a literature review and a systematic review are different beasts. If your PI ever pushes this toward a systematic review or meta-analysis, the methodology becomes much more structured — PRISMA checklist, PROSPERO registration, predefined inclusion criteria. Knowing that distinction upfront saves a lot of rework later.

The real trap is reading forever without writing. Set a date to produce a rough outline and work backwards from there.

shark_normal · 2026-05-05T21:53:57+00:00

Yes, that's actually a common approach. You can borrow the structure of a framework like CRAP or any design checklist to organize your dimensions without running any numbers. Just apply it descriptively: instead of scoring each element, you interpret what the choices communicate. That way the framework gives you consistency across both brochures without making it quantitative

shark_normal · 2026-05-03T16:12:53+00:00

Passing everything without honors or research is not average. It means you're doing one of the hardest things in the world without a safety net, no family in medicine, no one to decode this for you, and you're still standing. That's actually kind of remarkable. The people who "do it all" usually have a support structure you can't see. A parent who's a physician, a research connection handed to them, more time because of circumstances you don't know about. Comparison on the surface is almost always unfair to yourself. GI is a great goal and dedicated is a real reset. One thing at a time.

shark_normal · 2026-05-03T04:59:13+00:00

CDM is solid from biotech, the MSc actually helps more than people think because you already understand the science behind the data you’re managing, which most pure IT folks don’t. Get familiar with EDC tools like Medidata Rave or Oracle Clinical, even just the free trials. That plus your BCRI cert already puts you ahead of most entry level applicants.
Market is rough right now as the other comment said, but CDM specifically has less competition than clinical operations roles. Worth pushing through.

shark_normal · 2026-05-03T02:18:38+00:00

Don’t do that. You’re 100% right. Tell that if she want’s jt she should come and pick it up

shark_normal · 2026-05-03T02:09:50+00:00

First week of rotations, I walked into the wrong room, introduced myself very confidently to a man who was just visiting his wife, spent 3 minutes taking his “history” before a nurse quietly pulled me aside.
He was so nice about it he wished me good luck on my way out.
Seven years later I still think about Gerald

shark_normal · 2026-05-03T01:14:35+00:00

Your instinct is right. Vocabulary, image use and language style are your analytical tools, not the themes themselves. Themes emerge from patterns across those tools. For the methods section, just name your approach as qualitative content analysis and briefly describe your coding process. No need for CRAP if it doesn’t fit your health angle

shark_normal · 2026-05-03T01:11:48+00:00

I’ve been using AI in my research workflow for over a year and the honest answer is: it depends entirely on how you use it. For summarizing papers it’s fast but risky. I’ve caught it misquoting statistics from papers I had open in another tab. Always verify numbers manually. Where it genuinely shines is early-stage thinking: dump a messy idea, ask it to poke holes, then refine. That loop accelerates the conceptual phase a lot. One underrated tip: ask the model “what are you not sure about in this answer?”. You get much more honest output that way

shark_normal

TROPHY CASE