humanitarian

For real ?? ??? ?????

I’m pretty sure I’d be stuck in middle school if I didn’t know this technique. This might be the biggest cultural shock in last 5 years

I supposed that at least fellow East Asians are doing this but there’s no info besides the ones introducing stuffs from my country

I thought this could be useful for somebody, but a person told me they don’t sell the sheet there. So just listen

Also if you’ve used the technique in the school please tell me where are you from.

So you prepare your notebooks. The point is to write the stuff you want to memorize in orange

And you prepare a red, transparent sheet. I haven’t got one with me so I’m editing the image but you know what I mean by the picture. Imagine the sheet is on the notebook.

And then you hide the orange letters with the sheet. And go “hmm what was the Czech word for even though?”

You slide the sheet down to check the answer. And continue. “Now what was the Czech word for even though/even if?”

“Oh it’s i když”. Then continue. If you want to, draw an ! next to the word you can’t memorize. Or something like that.

You want to memorize something printed?

Then highlight the word with a dark green pen

And the sheet. Now who was the dude who held the Slavic Congress of 1848?

Oh it’s Palacký (btw yes, they teach you about him if you’re in an advanced class)

I suppose this is especially handy in our education system where kids are forced to memorize tons of facts

You may not be able to adopt this style even if you find useful because it seems like they don’t sell the seat overseas. I’m aware of it.

Also speaking of redsheetified maps can you take a look at a creation by 18yo me. It’s Colonial Africa

I’ve always been kind of clumsy. I was that little girl who always ended up being super awkward and thus ashamed of it.

I’ve been called stupid for laughing at pointless things during class. I’ve had professors who told me that I « wore too much mascara and that it was ugly » in front of the whole class.

I had friends that stopped talking to me because I wasn’t as fancy as the other people in my school and because I wasn’t wearing those « super trendy » Juicy Couture velour joggings during sports class. I was only 14 at the time.

When I started my first year of med school - which is the selective year here in Switzerland- I had people telling me that I was showing off too much and therefore I would never become a Doctor just because I had my hair and makeup done every morning when I showed up to uni at 6:30 am in order to get the first row seats for the morning courses.

I had people telling me that I was « too pretty » to become a Doctor. I had people telling me that if I was too feminine, the patients would think I’m a Nurse instead of a Doctor (with all my respect for Nurses, who do an AWESOME job!).

Even if I didn’t show it, all those remarks really broke my heart. I spent so many nights crying and asking myself if I was good enough, smart enough or even if I just deserved to be where I wanted to be. Every night I was sweating to the point I had to change my sheets, I lost 6 kgs despite it wasn’t my wish, I barely talked to people other than my family or boyfriend.

But I kept going. Despite all the insults, all the implicit remarks, and how ashamed I used to feel.

Deep down I knew that passing that year was my goal. That being the best doctor I could ever be was my dream job. Every time I had someone telling me something about the way I looked or the way I behaved, I would show up the next day, with my hair and makeup done, wearing my boots whose heels made that « clic-clac » sound every time I stepped a foot on the floor. 

And of course, it didn’t really stop people from saying things behind my back.

I studied twice more than I used to, I knew all my notes by heart, I passed from the one whom never understood anything about physics to the one who could explain easily magnetism laws and principles to the few colleagues I had.

I passed that first year, passed that exam where 80% of the others -people who were talking behind my back included- failed. I was so proud of myself.

What I learned during all these years and especially during this first med school year, was to believe in my self - in my capacities, in my knowledge and my willpower- despite all the negative crap I kept hearing.

I learned that if people were rude to me it was because of how they felt about themselves.

I learned that, if you really want something, you’ll manage to get it, no matter what. Because I am awesome the way I am.

Side note : I’m not victimizing myself AT ALL, I always felt like this experience helped me grow as a person and is part of who I am now  :)

wait until after syllabus week to buy your textbooks. they might not be required. it’ll save you money 

prioritize your classes by number of credit hours. more credit hours = bigger impact on your GPA. sometimes there’s not enough study time to go around  

if you wanna dress up for class, dress up for class. if you wanna pull up in the sweatshirt you wore yesterday, that’s okay too 

locate your classes before they start, so you don’t get lost on the first day. check and see if your college has an app of some sort with a campus map! 

old exams are more valuable than life itself  

set your class schedule as your home screen until you’ve got it down 

Chegg.com. you’re welcome 

carry a sweatshirt. it may be 100 degrees outside but chances are it’s 30 degrees in your lecture hall  

keep your syllabi  

write things down!! planner, phone, laptop, etc.  

sit in the front. go up and introduce yourself to your professor after the first day, say you’re looking forward to the class. build a relationship! Professors do not round grades for students they don’t at least recognize 

bring your chargers with you everywhere 

sometimes it’s easier to wake up early and study for an exam than stay up late the night before  

shower shoes. have you ever heard of toe fungus 

the dorms are bad BUT you will get through it (and make friends while doing it) 

there’s no such thing as a condom that doesn’t fit    

every time you skip class it costs you money. go to class. (unless you are dying or have no other time to finish something for another class)

your mental health is important. college can be overwhelming. know your limits. seek help if you need it. 

sometimes if you go to your professor’s office hours and ask questions a day or two before an exam they will steer you towards information that will be covered 

find your study space. the library is your friend  

parking is a bitch and a half 

it’s okay to miss your parents. call them. (they miss you too) 

talk to your advisor!!! let them advise you!!!

don’t study yourself into the ground. after college you’re a real life adult - enjoy college while it lasts. go out, make friends, if you drink, do so responsibly. uber exists for this very reason 

keep an eye on your drink at all times 

don’t feel pressured to go out and drink because college. it’s not for everybody  

on a related note: pedialyte is your friend  

don’t be afraid to drop a class that doesn’t fit you, but talk to your advisor first 

chances are you’re paying a lot of money to be where you are. party if you wanna, but do not let it interfere with your grades.  

you’re gonna get a lot of free stuff. take advantage 

if you can handle it with your class load, get a job. it’s a good way to make friends. 

it’s okay to change your major. really! 

first semester is easier if you get involved with something!!   

there will be weeks when you have nothing due, and then there will be weeks when you have 5 exams 14 assignments and 2 papers due all at once. take advantage of down time. work ahead!! make life easier for your future self  

carry a water bottle  

exercise will not only help avoid the freshman 15 but also make you feel better  

it’s okay if you’re not best friends with your roommate 

communicate if they are doing something that annoys you  

keep your dorm clean. the only thing worse than a tiny space is a messy one 

• Your professors are there to help. Absolutely go see them for class help, advising, scheduling, etc., but try to make an appointment ahead of time either directly with the professor or with the department’s administrative assistant. This ensures that the professor will not already have another student in their office, lets them prepare ahead of time for whatever specific topics you want to discuss, and means they will have enough time to cover your questions.

Proff: What’s the first step to solving any problem? Class: Don’t panic. Proff: And why is that? Class: Because we know more than we think we do.

You have a patient come in with a stomach ache, nausea, feels tired and sort of generally miserable, no other obvious characteristic symptoms.

Out of 100 patients like this, 90* will be a minor gastroenteritis or whatever, maybe you ate something bad, here’s some nausea medication, go home and eat bland foods and get enough fluid and sleep it off.

And 7 will be appendicitis or gallstones or pancreatitis and need to be admitted to the hospital, 1 will be a heart attack with atypical symptoms, 1 will be the first sign of cancer, and 1 will be some weirdo disorder with a name like “Coleman’s 4268py deletion snydrome, Type II”** that you never heard of.

If I were a doctor, this would make me terrified to ever tell a patient “maybe you ate something bad, go home and sleep it off.”  Even though that’s usually the right answer, and even though it’s a waste of time and money to do an EKG and CT and 4268py test on everyone with a tummy ache–it’s got to be anxiety-provoking to not be certain that you aren’t missing something.  And at some point you will send someone home only to get a call the next day that they collapsed and now they’re in the ICU (or the morgue).  And it’s got to be really hard to go back to work after that and say “go home and sleep it off” to your next patient, even though that’s still usually the right answer.

I’m understanding more these days how tough it is to live with that kind of risk and responsibility.

*not actual statistics

But I have learned to learn from those times. I refine my differential diagnosis, I sharpen my senses. I vow to avenge that death/bad outcome like a father over his murdered son’s grave, while also vowing not to start ordering CT scans for every stomach ache.

Though there are many times where I’ve had a patient come in and I have no idea. They could have anxiety or they could be having frequent PVCs or SVT. Like, I can do the EKG but if they aren’t actively having it, I don’t have any information. It can be hard to know what to do. 

Things to bear in mind too:

1. We are human

2. Humans - just like life itself - are imperfect. Ergo, we will never be 100% correct 100% of the time, because not everyone presents with 100% the same textbook symptoms 100% of the time either.

This is something that patients as well as healthcare professionals have to understand.

Of course, that’s why we keep learning. Medicine is always an evolving subject as we keep trying to gain knowledge. It will never stop evolving.

For me, I safety net every patient I see. I don’t have a crystal ball. I am not god, but all I can do is try and educate and explain, and always forewarn worst case scenarios.