Anatomy & Cappuccini

Wow thank you for the clarity, I NEVER thought about that before! 

Actually, I think you’re right. I’ll have a pretty hard time. Why not choosing a more « family friendly » specialization like internal medicine or pediatrics so I can have plenty of time to take care of my family. Because yes, I’ll have to do it ALL BY MYSELF (you know, because my husband will be too busy building his own career) and at least I won’t have to worry about not filling my logbook when I’ll get pregnant and take care of a baby. And I always loved visiting patients FOR HOURS just to adjust a diuretic (sorry pals, I really hate that).

Oh and guess what, orthopedic surgery is the man’s specialization by excellence. I mean, have you seen all the blood ? And the hammers ? It’s like building an IKEA wardrobe everyday, and I don’t think a « classy » woman like me would fit in that environment. And they say guys in there can really be douches and I’ll have to be build a tough personality if I don’t want to be humiliated everyday. You see, I think you’re totally right, why would I ever want to be in a place dominated by men, I don’t even have the physical stature to do that (you know, I’ve never had to plant a nail in my entire life).

Of course, I’m being ironic and I’m exaggerating a little too much but this is really what I hear the most whenever I tell someone that I’m interested in orthopeadic surgery. I also realized that I always had to justify myself when I got asked that question when instead I wouldn’t have to do it if I chose another specialty. I know people usually just want to be kind and helpful but I think our studies and our profession is already super hard (since medicine takes up to 80% of my life and I’d be lying if I said otherwise) so YES of COURSE I know that it’s gonna be hard, but thanks for the consideration. 

I fell in love with ortho during my clinical rotations, and I enrolled for a year in general surgery, starting in Nov. 2021. I’ll see how it is by myself, and maybe one day I’ll give up and you’ll think « see? I told you! » but for the moment I want to try and make my own opinion.

So if you’re in the same situation, let me tell you something : you signed up for 30+ years of hard work and endless shifts, so yes your life will be pretty shitty anyway, so choose at least something you’ll enjoy doing on a daily basis.

You’re welcome,

Starting clinical rotations can be overwhelming. If you’re like me, you may spend the first days stressing about where you should go, what questions are legit to ask and how you should behave. Most of the time you may have no idea of what your superiors are talking about and you just fake a smile and pretend you know exactly what you’re doing.  Meanwhile it’s totally normal to feel lost during the first days of your arrival in a new care unit, it shouldn’t last and you should be able to get more comfortable with the team you’re working with and become more autonomous. Here’s how to get the most of your clinical rotations:

ALWAYS introduce yourself when meeting with a new team : it will always be appreciated and people should be able to reach out to you if they need it

TAKE NOTES and always keep a little notebook in your pocket! I actually own 3 (yes it may be a bit excessive) : one for patient’s history, one for personal notes and another one for definitions and scores

Ask for feedback. The resident you’re shadowing may not necessarily think about giving you a feedback, or maybe he won’t pay enough attention to what you’re doing, and that’s why it’s better if you ask specifically for a feedback, especially when completing a task that you’ve been asked to do.

If there’s a « down » moment when you don’t have anything to do, ask if there’s something you can do for help, even to other members of your team. Don’t hesitate to reach to the nurses or the other medical staff and ask for some teaching! I once spend an entire day with the nurses of my unit so I could learn how to properly draw blood.

If there’s really nothing to do, use this spare time to study a specific subject, and ask your resident if you can present it to him : not only it forces you to study a subject, but you’ll also be able to actively recall it better

Before seeing any patient alone, make sure you went through his medical history so you already know if there’s a specific topic you have to investigate more : be prepared for questions from your assigned residents/physicians!

MAKE THE CALLS. I know, I know, making phone calls is SUPER SCARY (especially when you have to call chiefs and professors). However, I like to say that it’s like running : the more difficult it is, the more you should do it. Prepare what you have to say so you don’t loose yourself during the call, and force yourself to make the phone calls as often as possible. You’ll gain more and more confidence and you won’t be so scared anymore.

NEVER be late.

If you feel there’s something wrong (with you of with a situation) : talk to your assigned resident/physician. They know how overwhelming it can get, so don’t hesitate to reach out for help

Bring snacks. And a big water bottle. Avoid drinking too much coffee.

Being a medical student has many good sides : you can get a first hand-on experience with patients without huge responsibilities, it is the BEST time to make mistakes and ask « silly » questions ! If you don’t do this during this time, you won’t be able to do it later.

Most of the time, you’ll feel like you know nothing, and you’ll forget about things you learned the day before. It’s normal. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Be patient. And LISTEN.

ENJOY YOUR TIME ! Be curious about everything, make new friends, talk with your patients, see as many things as you can, because this is the only time where you can get all these possibilities!!  

This is the first (and I hope the last) time in our lives where everything is shut down, where meetings are forbidden, and where the future is shaped day by day. Despite the fact that I’m really lucky and grateful to live in a country such as Switzerland, which didn’t suffer as much as some other countries and where the lockdown was less severe, my mind still went through different phases. And besides learning how to bake banana bread and realizing I don’t need a gym to do proper workouts, I wanted to make a list of everything this really special situation taught me.

Medicine is definitely the career I want to pursue. I’ve been in a really confusing place last year where I kept wondering if being a doctor would make me fulfilled and happy and if it was the right choice for me. But when the #covid started in Switzerland, I couldn’t imagine myself staying at home and wait for it to pass, and I was thrilled when I knew I could help! I spent 5 weeks volunteering at the hospital, the situation got better really quickly and I hadn’t so much work to do in the end, but I’ve never felt more in my element than during these 5 weeks.

Another thing that amazed me is the sense of #community that emerged from all the confusion created. All the volunteers, associations, but also platforms, crowdfunding and social media dedicated to the help of the most vulnerable and healthcare workers really made me proud and hopeful for our future.

Another area of my life that was really affected : relationships. I discovered that I needed connection more than I wanted to admit. I always thought I was ok in doing things on my own but I had a really hard time finding the right balance and I think I’m finally getting somewhere. On the other hand, I feel like I’ve never had so many friends in my entire life : I reinforced my relations with lots of people, made new friends and opened up with people I never thought I would.

I also learned a lot about myself, since this kind of situation makes introspection inevitable. Some old memories arose and confronted my current reality. I questioned lots of aspects of my life, and really took the time to analyse what I was lacking in my life in order to feel this sense of « wholeness » I was apparently lacking. I did lots of journaling, and figured out new projects I wanted to work on, new goals and I also redefined some of my priorities and I think I’m finally finding a new, more accurate and exciting balance.

Last thing that I learned during this quarantine : how I cope with stressful situations. I figured out I was handling my stress and feelings in healthier ways than I used to. I wasn’t trying to numb my feelings but allowed myself to actually *feel* and then let go… I now know that I’m able to handle critical situations and that I’ll always find my way out of difficult times.

I’ll be working in the Internal Medicine department (starting on Monday) to look after Covid patients. 

Feeling happy and anxious at the same time. 

Wish me luck! 

« Nous sommes en guerre » (We are at war). These were the words the French president pronounced, just after he announced the lock-down of the entire country. As I was watching the news, I got up to cut myself a piece of bread and ate it compulsively. And then I cut another one, still eating it without thinking.  Then I started biting my nails and felt my chest tight, and it reminded me of my not-so-old anxiety days. As they were watching the news with me, my parents were talking on the phone with their own families (who have also been locked down for 2 weeks now in Italy), trying to manage their own stress. That restlessness feeling was growing stronger, my headache got worse, and this is when I realized that this whole situation was giving me too much anxiety. That’s when I realized I had to do something about it.

This situation is, to say at least, historical. The whole world is concerned. I mean, the last time something this huge happened was during the war! And feeling a little (or really) overwhelmed is more than normal. However, I think we can all do our best to calm down and focus more on what’s important. So if you’ve been feeling really nervous lately, this post is for you.

Watching the news is important for updates, but spending all of your days in front of the tv can quickly become overwhelming, especially when you’re also spending time on social media which is also full of (sometimes fake) news. Try to turn off the TV and limit the time you spend on social media.. Use the airplane mode when you go to bed, and don’t hesitate to put WhatsApp groups on silent mode for a few hours whenever you feel the need.

It’s ok to feel a bit of FOMO when not being online 24/7, especially now that everyone is having a huge party on social media, but since we’re all going to spend the next weeks stuck at home, putting yourself a limit when it comes to social media is crucial if you don’t want to be nervous and bothered by the general atmosphere

So what will you do during the time you spend offline ? Well here are a few ideas : yoga, meditation, journaling, drawing, writing, calling a friend, working out, sleeping, watching a movie, reading, cooking…

I also recommend not checking your phone first thing in the morning, take the time to get out of your bed and have breakfast before checking your phone… Because if you read bad news, I can assure you that you’ll feel nervous the whole day.

It is important to remember that even if the world outside is shut down and seems scary this is TEMPORARY and that we all should take this time apart to pause our lives for a moment. When we’re used to running from place to place and working with other people it can be quite difficult to slow down, but right now is a great time for introspection, and for raising self-awareness. So accept what is. Literally, EVERYONE is in the same situation as you.

Use this time to get some REST. Try to wake up naturally, take your time, don’t rush anything. You’ll be fine.

Be aware of your emotions. Listen to what they have to teach you. You have now the time to get to know them better and working on letting them go.

Remember the good news. 42% of confirmed cases of covid-19 are healing, which means that 81’772 people in the world are doing great. And so are you.

Every library is closed, so are universities and you may be desperate because the library was the only place where you were able to focus.. I totally get you! But as someone who’ve spent most of its school years studying at home.. I can assure you that it’s totally fine! You just need a few techniques and organization skills and you’ll see that everything will be ok ! So here we go : 

Clean and declutter your study space. Store the books you don’t need anymore and only keep the essentials on your desk. I’ll share with you an old article I wrote on Tumblr about how to upgrade your workspace!

Block distractions : give your phone to your mom, use the Forest app, the Flipd app or just put it in airplane mode !

Cut the outside noise : a good playlist (my Lofi playlist for example :P), earplugs and the door shut can help you be in the « library » mood…

Make a study plan and try to stick to a routine.. It’s easy to lose track of time when you spend all of your days at home! This is why keeping a healthy routine and set hours for meals and breaks is really important!

Since it’s easier to get distracted at home, make sure to take more breaks than the usual (for example a 45min study session and a 10 min break).

If you have online lectures and a #studybuddy that you trust, why not split the work (for example you follow half of the lectures and your colleague the other half) and then sharing your notes? Also, why not creating a Google Drive with your colleagues so everyone shares their notes? The quarantine will be long so a little support from each other is more than welcomed!!

You can also have skype sessions with your colleagues to debate about a subject, or quiz each other so you don’t feel too alone and you keep track of your progress :)

You can also take the time to go deeper into the subjects you have to study and not only scratching the surface like you may be used to do ! This is also a great way to discover if you’re more interested in some subjects than others and who knows, maybe you’ll find a new passion !

If you feel like you can’t focus anymore then.. stop. It’s totally fine to not being able to study all day, especially when you have nothing else to do and when the deadlines are still far and unsure. So Take this time to enjoy your family, work on yourself, read a book, or start a new hobby.

So.. Schools are closed, everything is basically down and you’re up to at least 2 weeks of quarantine. You’ve bought your toilet paper, made your pasta stock (no penne lisce of course, who tf eats them anyway?!), completed 30 levels of CandyCrush and now you may be wondering… What the hell will I do during this whole time??

Well… I got you covered. I’ll just make a couple of articles on how to help YOU to make the best of this homestay! side note : this may be the first and the last time that you can save the world from your couch, so be happy about it : we’re living a historical moment!).

First things first : MAKE A LIST. If you don’t stop one moment and think of everything you need to do, you’ll end up doing basically nothing, and this is why SUMMARIZING what you need to do can help you have a clearer vision : What are your top priorities (school work, job/college applications, deadlines, thesis, etc.)? What are your other priorities (exercising, cleaning the house, doing your laundry, washing your hands, feeding the cat…)?

Now that you’ve listed your work/home obligations you have 2 choices : either you have so much workload that you’ll basically only do this (and this quarantine will rather look like an exam session => I’ll write a 2nd article on how to study efficiently at home) OR you have still plenty of free time !

Which leads to asking yourself what are the things you’ve always wanted to do/improve/try but never had the motivation/time to? The examples are infinite : finish a book, start a blog, declutter, meditate more, journaling, etc..

Once you’ve made your list, you can PLAN your days. It doesn’t need to be super serious like a study plan but just knowing what you’ll be up to each day will make you less anxious and the time will pass faster.

Last thing : don’t forget to CHILL ! As I said, it’s the first time you won’t feel guilty about staying at home! So keep some time apart to watch your favorite TV show, enjoy precious moments with your family, sleep, and take care of yourself.

So tell me.. What would you like to do during this quarantine? Do you have any goals?

I’ll come back very soon for more details !! In the meantime, please STAY SAFE, wash your hands and AVOID close contact!!

Thank you very much💕💕

Happy new year guys! Currently studying for my exams which are in 3 days!

2019 has been a pretty challenging year for me. I started it being scared and anxious about everything, and I ended it single, with new career goals and surrounded by my best friends. Here are 20 lessons (100% tested and approved) that I learned along the way!

1. People only show their best sides to you but you would be amazed by how many people share the same feelings as you

2. If you feel like you can’t be yourself around a certain group of people, then you’re hanging out with the wrong group

3. Notice people who make you feel energized and happy VS people who drain all your energy. It’ll change your life.

4. You don’t need to justify yourself when you say « no » to something

5. However, you should say yes more often to spontaneous proposals and experiences

6. Honesty is a sign of respect

7. If you don’t give your 100% to something then you’ll be less likely to get that 100% back

8. Choose flaws over qualities. Your dream job also consists in not-so-dreamy parts, and this is what you should consider when choosing your career. The same applies with friends/lovers.

9. The person you sit in front of at the library can become one of your best friends (true story for me)

10. 99% of the scenarios you imagine in your head will never happen

11. Changing starts within YOUR thoughts and how you react to them.

12. Just because you’re offended it doesn’t mean that you’re right

13. Keep a critical eye to everything you hear/see.

14. Being vulnerable is a sign of strenght and not a sign of weakness

15. You can cope with a lot more than you think

16. Your life can totally change in a year and you can be a whole different person only if you’re willing too

17. Cherish what you already have in your life, happiness lies in gratitude

18. Wanting to be perfect for others will only make you seem a boring and hypocrite person

19. The habits you adopt now will define the person you’ll be in the future

20. Be curious. Read books, listen to podcasts, travel (even in your country), and talk to new people