tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post69046549583814345..comments2024-02-28T08:18:10.886-08:00Comments on vitum medicinus ::: a life of medicine: Top 10 List: Pieces of advice for pre-med studentsVitum Medicinushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994320714669547787noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-61167173802866310832010-10-25T13:11:37.697-08:002010-10-25T13:11:37.697-08:00Hi My son is the first year med school tsudent. He...Hi My son is the first year med school tsudent. He called me to say that he wants to quit the school. I am torn apart. On one side he is making his choice which is his right. On the other side I am wondering if hs is making this choice for the right reasons. Is it harder then he thought? Would he adjust if he stays in school a bit longer? Should he complete at least the first semester and take time off so that he has an option of coming back?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-84906623354900488342009-01-24T13:02:00.000-08:002009-01-24T13:02:00.000-08:00Many doctors do need a lift.The problem at hand is...Many doctors do need a lift.<BR/>The problem at hand is the hemophilia community especially in Illinois. The hemophilia doctors, nurses, and social workers in many Illinois healthcare treatement centers are very abusive, harsh, cold, criminal-minded, uncaring, neglectful and too hard on patients. Patients depend on these doctors because because they want their medicine and to live and there aren't too many doctors available. Doctors are making the hemophilia patients have too many Emergency Room Visits and hospital and clinic visits when they can treat it at home most of the time. Doctors are trying to greedly make extra money off the patients and make them get extra ER visits and, unnecessary surgeries and other test that they do not need. Docotrs are prying on a few patients who they think are stupid and over billing them and making them come to the doctors a lot and not servicing a large variety of patients. The hemophilia doctors and nurses in Illinois need to be audited. They are out of date with their care, the doctors are tool old and do not study and their treatment is really too primitive and overblown and out of proportion to be dealing with needles, syringes and other intricate supplies. They need a new staff of more younger and experiences doctors and nurses. The doctors are grumpy and do not want you to page them or call them. The nurses are irritable and grumpy and do not want to be bothered and make the patients care difficult and uncomfortable because they do not want to work in the first place. They yell at the patients and cause them stress and emotional damage. They cause abuse in the patients families and the doctors and nurses also appear to be too overstressed with hemophilia and have a sickness theirself.<BR/>These treatment centers for adults and children are mainly the problem: Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, University of Illinois Hospital, Michael Reese Hospital, Cook County Stroger Hospital, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke Hospital, and Illinois Masonic Hospital- all in Illinois, seem to be the main problem Hemophilia Treatment Centers that need correction and improvement. The patients just cry all the time and then they make them go to a lot of clinic appointment and the doctors threaten them to look like they are perfect to make their reports look good and successful. They don't give them all the medicine they need. They experience many bleeds because the doctors won't give them their Factor to use at home. They try to get them in the Emergency Room then hospital so they can make more money of of them. Hemophilia medicine is very expensive and doctors get greedy off patients. They make them do extra strenuous activites so they will need more Factor from the doctors and the doctors can make more money. The are viewed as specimens and not human beings. The pressure is really bad on children and adults to be perfect and not get bleeds-to look perfect. No one is perfect-not even those who don't have hemophilia. The doctors and nurses are harsh and mean to patients when they get a bleed. It is just sad that they try so hard to live a normal life and these greedy doctors try to make them look bad to make a buck. They should have a heart for Hemophilia! The patients suffer from doctor's abuse. This is definately true in Chicago and Illinois treatment Centers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-78459905176592452082008-12-11T01:21:00.000-08:002008-12-11T01:21:00.000-08:00I know this is an old blog, but I happened to come...I know this is an old blog, but I happened to come across it. Thanks for posting this. I understand that it takes a lot of time and effort to pour your thoughts onto the web in an engaging manner.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-79544366822784385552007-08-05T09:03:00.000-08:002007-08-05T09:03:00.000-08:00Thanks for posting this, it's given me quite a bit...Thanks for posting this, it's given me quite a bit to think about. I've already somewhat failed #2 -- a single bad semester pushed by GPA below last year's cutoff for my home university. Fortunately, I'm pretty well set for the rest of the points, especially #4.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good writing!aidanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03317710558470898058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-6696829904500446932007-08-01T15:59:00.000-08:002007-08-01T15:59:00.000-08:00Vitum,I agree with you on getting into Canadian sc...Vitum,<BR/><BR/>I agree with you on getting into Canadian schools. That's why I, and many of my classmates, ended up in the Caribbean. There are Canadians studying medicine all over the world, because it is next to impossible to get into a Canadian medical school.<BR/><BR/>I was one of those who had outside interests in undergrad, and don't regret letting my gpa slide to pursue them. I have always thought that the profession needs doctors who are accustomed to living a full life, not just well-acquainted with the four walls of the library. And in case you were wondering, I graduated with distinction for both my undergrad degrees, and got a 32 on my MCAT. It's just that for med school, it wasn't enough.<BR/><BR/>And yes, I was too stubborn to want to play the games. That may have been a failing on my part, but I don't regret it, or the journey I've been on trying to get into medical school. In some respects, it feels as if I maintained and developed a firm sense of who I am, and didn't try and make myself into what the admissions committee wanted me to become (I think there's a blog post there somewhere). <BR/><BR/>Having said that, I wouldn't want to sit on the admissions committee for a Canadian med school. Having to sort through all those applications, most of which were from well-qualified applicants, would be a huge challenge.<BR/><BR/>I agree with you that med school is very challenging, and demands a huge amount of concentration. However, the there are so many options once one's training is completed, that a student needn't fear they are signing their lives away. Many of the doctors I know, while busy, lead relatively normal and balanced lives. It's possible, once residency is over to actually enjoy life.<BR/><BR/>Heck, it's possible to enjoy life in med school.<BR/><BR/>I would caution students who are thinking about a backup plan to think about playing the game. My backup plan was working as a professional musician (which I did). But I think that admissions comittees were confused by my obvious love of music, my obvious professional skills (fairly high-profile gigs with regional orchestras), my starving artist resume (full of part-time jobs and moving around), and my application to med school. It didn't seem to matter that I explained that I loved them both, the fact that I wasn't doing something obviously medically related seemed to be confusing.<BR/><BR/>Research is good. I had the good fortune to have several relatives who are doctors, so I did (and do) know what I was getting myself into. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for a thought-provoking post.Beach Bumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321849281292778811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-61631013889362100602007-08-01T12:08:00.000-08:002007-08-01T12:08:00.000-08:00Appreciate your great list, and the link (wink!) T...Appreciate your great list, and the link (wink!) Thinking about healthcare the way it is today, I would advise anyone considering a pre-med degree to also consider a double major in business, as business and management savvy is really being demanded of so many practices in today's confused healthcare world.<BR/><BR/>In our hospital, a large number of the physicians have been sent, courtesy of our institution, to business classes at a local university!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-43285728201980771132007-07-31T16:47:00.000-08:002007-07-31T16:47:00.000-08:00Good advice, Vitum. Do I sense a little angst or r...Good advice, Vitum. Do I sense a little angst or regret in there? That sounds like the kind of advice I started to give a few years in, when you realize that it's not quite honest to wholeheartedly encourage young people to get into this field.<BR/><BR/>I want to say something encouraging, but it's hard to know what. Try me again in a year. They tell me it gets better. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-82369037225654572612007-07-30T18:45:00.000-08:002007-07-30T18:45:00.000-08:00I think it's a good list. I know a book I'd recomm...I think it's a good list. I know a book I'd recommend, but that'd be crass. The only other thing -- and maybe it only applies to the US -- is to try to get a sense of the present and future possibilites of where it's going and where it will end. Lots of doctors my age are depressed and disappointed and frustrated. The reasons are worth knowing. On the other hand, people just entering the field will have the advantage -- and I'm not being facetious here -- of not having known the good/bad old days. Be sure your expectations are likely to match reality.Sid Schwabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14182853083503404098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29798185.post-7724007984567798902007-07-30T15:26:00.000-08:002007-07-30T15:26:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com