September/October 2017 by PreMedLife Magazine

September/October 2017

premed superstars ADVICE FOR PREMEDs ON GETTING THROUGH YOUR PREMED JOURNEY

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premedlife September/October 2017

THE SECRET TO GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL? STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT

HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

I’M IN MEDICAL SCHOOL. HERE’S WHAT I WOULD TELL MY FRESHMAN SELF

FROM THE MOMENT YOU DECLARED THAT YOU WANTED TO BECOME A PHYSICIAN TO THE THINGS YOU TELL YOURSELF WHEN THINGS BECOME CHALLENGING, YOU’VE HEARD THE SAME THING...

GETTING GOOD LORS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS.

IN FACT, I’M NOT JUST IN MEDICAL SCHOOL, BUT I’M ALSO ALMOST DONE WITH MEDICAL SCHOOL.

September/October 2017 | PreMedLife Magazine |3

contents

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

5 ways to stay resilient during your pre-med and medical school years

The Future of Medical Technology

Feeling Stressed? Try Talking to Yourself in Third Person

If you were to talk to yourself, it might feel a little strange. But, don’t be so quick to judge the idea because there might be a really good reason to start -- especially if you were to ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed and need to clear your head.

WHAT’S INSIDE...

How to Create a Personal Brand for Getting Admitted into Medical School

When I begin telling people that I wanted to be a doctor, I’m going to be honest - I panicked. I hadn’t actually completed all the things I needed to do to get into medical school, and it felt like I was taking on something that was much bigger than anything I had ever done before.

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Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Before committing myself to becoming a physician, everything seemed to align in a way that imposed a deep level of security in my future.

Digital

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

I’m In Medical School. Here’s My Advice to Premeds

istockphoto/xx

Successfully jumping through all the pre-med hoops to make it into medical school is a huge accomplishment..

What’s on Premedlife.com How to Stay Sane as a Premed It’s Friday night, you hear several footsteps making their way down the stairs, laughter, and a group of well-dressed undergraduates making their way to a party.

Here’s What You Should Know Before You Hire a Med School Consultant Each year, thousands of pre-medical students think about ways to make themselves stand out. But going the consultant route is not always for everyone, so how do you decide if it’s right for you?.

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The MCAT and the Need for Speed I recently listened to an MCAT podcast that spoke about a big worry among MCAT test takers. The worry was that they kept running out of time on CARS passages and passages from other sections..

From the

Publisher

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? “Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just... start.” - Unknown There’s no better time then now to start taking the steps you need to get into medical school. It’s the begin-

ning of another school year and as usual, we here at PreMedLife are rooting for you as you begin, continue, or come to the end of your premed journey. From start to end, there will be good days, there will be not so good days, then good days followed by more good days and then not so good days may follow. The most important thing to remember during these times is that everything you experience will be an opportunity for you to become better. Better than you were before, better for yourself, better for those around you, better for your future patients, and better for the future of health care. What you will bring to the table as a individual will be different from what someone else can offer, and that’s perfectly fine and honestly, the way I think it should be. Everyone has something special to offer and that something special will be what will help you standout from other premed during the application process. That something different will be what you will use to tell your story. That something different will be what makes you part of the next generation of physicians. Regardless of the moments you will have during the course of this year, we here are PreMedLife have always been believers of the power within, and despite not wanting to sound cliche, if you’ve paid attention in class, you know that you were literally born a winner.

Tasheema Prince Tasheema Prince Publisher @PrinceSheem tprince@premedlife.com

PREMEDLIFE the lifestyle magazine for premedical students www.premedlife.com

Founder & Publisher | Tasheema Prince VP, Development| Monique Terc Contributing Editor | Njeri McKenzie Online Marketing Consultant | Portia Chu Find us on Twitter @premedlife Find us on Facebook.com/premedlife Here’s How to Reach Us: Kisho Media, LLC P.O. Box 10572 Rockville, MD 20849 Main (646) 571-8035 Have a Story Idea? Email us at editor@premedlife.com Want to Subscribe? Visit www.premedlife.com and sign-up to our mailing list to receive an email when the latest issue is available online Want to Join Forces? (a.k.a. Partner With Us) Email us at info@premedlife.com Advertising Inquiries? Email advertise@premedlife.com PreMedLife magazine is published six times per year by Kisho Media, LLC. and copies are provided to select colleges and universities free of charge. The information in PreMedLife magazine is believed to be accurate, but in some instances, may represent opinion or judgment. Consult your pre-medical/pre-health advisor with any questions you may have about the medical school admissions process and related topics. Unless otherwise noted, all articles, photographs, artwork, and images may not be duplicated or reprinted without express written permission from Kisho Media, LLC. PreMedLife magazine and Kisho Media, LLC. are not liable for typographical or production errors or the accuracy of information provided by advertisers. PreMedLife magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertising. All inquires may be sent to: Kisho Media, LLC. P.O. Box 10572 Rockville, MD 20849 To reach us by phone call (646) 571-8035 or email us at info@premedlife.com.

8 | PreMedLife Magazine | September/October 2017

Getting In

THE SECRET TO GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL? STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT.

THIS IS PROBABLY SOMETHING YOU NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW. Here are three things you need to know to reach every milestone on the road to medical school:

istockphoto/ LightFieldStudios

Believe this overplayed saying. From the moment you declared that you wanted to become a physician to the things you tell yourself when things become challenging, you’ve heard the same thing: “Hard work pays off.” But you’re probably thinking, of course it’s easy for someone who is already in medical school or already practicing medicine, or even someone who is just trying to give you some words of encouragement to tell you to just keep pushing forward. But it’s true. Sure there are many premeds who’ve worked their behinds off and failed to get into medical school, but the only difference between them and success is determination. Whatever you want to call it, determination, persistence, grit, tenacity, it all comes down to the same thing. >>>

September/October 2017 | PreMedLife Magazine |11

If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop thinking about it...

...donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop working for it. www.premedlife.com

Getting In If you refuse to accept any form of failure, you will succeed in the end. The power of persistence bring a lot to the table when it comes to getting into medical school, and in some cases it can even be more important than all the planning that goes into applying to medical school. Mike Tyson once said, “everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face,” and when you “get punched in the face” as a premed, it is persistence and preparedness that may very well be more important than the best possible premed plan or premed guidance that you could have. As you begin executing the steps of your medical school admissions plan – signing up for courses, volunteering at hospitals, securing summer internships – even the best plans will probably need to be adjusted. In the end, your persistence will get you through more than you initial plan will. You’re planning for medical school and this is real life. What is also true is that things don’t usually go as planned. So it is very important for you to be ready when an unforeseen challenge rears its ugly head. Whether you starting deep in the thick of it during your junior year in college or have finished undergrad and pursuing your post-baccalaureate degree, you’ve probably noticed that plans can change, and sometime very often. But a premed has to be confident in order to remain strong as well as determined. Successful premeds must stay focused on the goal ahead in order to plan for potential setback and adjust accordingly. Facing failures along the way does not mean that you’ve failed. Failing occurs when you let challenges and adversity cause you to stop trying. Another thing to keep in mind is that being persistent and tenacious is what makes premed successful. One of the top factors medical schools look for in potential students is character, which some behavioral experts say is built during the third and fourth time at trying to achieve a goal. Not the first time. During the time you try to gain admission to medical school, there will be things that are just simply out of your control. But that’s no reason to panic and make silly decisions. You simply have to keep a positive mental attitude and keep pushing toward your goal. In the face of success, stay passionate. There will come a time when you’ll know you are getting into medical school. No doubt will enter your mind and receive praise and recognition from those around you. When this happens, you may face a moment to revisit your passion for medi-

cine. The truth is, your journey is just beginning and you will need to be thinking of what attracted you to medicine in the first place and not lose sight of that. You’ll mistakenly believe that all the hard work is done – but the true is, it is just beginning. The less you think and reflect on your passion and closeness to medicine, the hard it will be to get through medical school. Never stop reminding yourself why you wanted to become a doctor in the first place. Even with what will seem like a never ending list of responsibilities, it could be easy for premeds to get caught up in the “robotic” routine of someone planning to apply to medical school. But you’re able to guard against this trudge of being a pre-

Don’t freak out. Everything will be okay. If you’ve ever heard the say “grow where you are planted” this will go a long way as you pursue your dream of becoming a doctor (with a passion for something, of course) med. Try this: Every day, before you do anything, take a moment to remind yourself why you want to become a doctor. This is important for you to stay pumped and motivated about practicing medicine, and it is important for your premed potential. Your passion inspires you and will be evident to medical school admission committees when the time comes to speak with the face to face. Your passion speaks to why you are doing what you are doing. As it become more and more competitive to gain admission to medical school, it is your passion that will ultimately differentiate

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you for other applicants. Without it, you put your admission to medical school at risk. Keep fueling your “why” as you pursue admission to medical school. Another thing successful premeds do to stay passionate about becoming a doctor is to fall in love with a problem, issue, or challenge in health care. By falling in love with a problem, you as a premed are able to adjust and adapt to personal challenges and obstacles because you know the end goal and are diligently working toward a solution. Many premeds fail because they fall in love with the thought of becoming a doctor. Don’t let that happen to you. Put a legitimate reason behind why you want to practice medicine. Don’t freak out. Everything will be okay. If you’ve ever heard the say “grow where you are planted” this will go a long way as you pursue your dream of becoming a doctor (with a passion for something, of course). Medical school success stories are often filled with accounts about getting through difficult times to emerge as a better applicant and student. And a successful premed journey is not for the faint of heart or for the weak of spirit. Thinking about the bigger picture and the grand scheme of things when it comes to getting into medical school can do wonders. By thinking big picture and end goal, you may find it easier to overcome tough times and handle the ups and downs of the medical school journey much better than those who are shortsighted. A successful premed’s life is incomplete without challenges. Studying long hours, MCAT pressure, tough courses and stress are unavoidable, but as a premed, defeating challenges and failure is key to the success of your journey. To help stay positive and reassure yourself that everything will be fine, try repeating positive affirmations about who you are and what you are capable of achieving. By telling yourself over and over gain (with conviction) that you have what it takes to get into medical school, you are basically training your brain to believe what you are staying. Choose a couple sayings for yourself that represent your goals and what you are passionate about, such as ‘I can handle whatever comes my way in biochemistry,” or “there is a lesson in everything.” The act of repeating these says will change the way you react to negative things that happen, making you more resilient in the end. And each time a negative thought enters your mind, don’t dwell on it. It’s okay to acknowledge that you are having these thoughts and feelings, but once you do, don’t stay there. p.

Getting In

How to Write Your Own Medical School Letter of Recommendation Getting good letters of recommendation (LORs) is an important part of the medical school application process. Often, medical schools request that at least one letter is from a physician or other healthcare worker. For most pre-meds, this means having to ask someone who they might only have “shadowed” for a few times for a letter of recommendation; while an understood part of the application process, it’s still awkward to have to ask someone who barely knows you to write you a strong letter commending your qualities and capabilities. Because of this, it’s becoming more and more common for pre-meds to write their own LORs. Such a letter is then submitted to the physician for approval and subsequent actual submission to a school. Writing your own praises can be awkward, but here are four things to keep in mind if you find yourself in this situation.

RECALL SPECIFIC EXAMPLES In addition to using power words, take things one step further by providing specific examples that exemplify the character qualities you’re claiming to possess. Are you a “team-player”? Recall a story where your assistance helps the medical team operate smoothly. Are you “empathetic” or “well-prepared for clinic”? Mention an incidence where you saw a need to comfort a patient and acted on it, or a time where you had researched a patient’s condition prior to seeing them. HIGHLIGHT THE BEST OF YOU This one should go without saying, but it’s still worth emphasizing. Most people are uncomfortable praising themselves, and for good reason: humility is a trait that’s wanted in physicians. However, keep in mind that medical school application committees will be reading this letter as if it has been

16 | PreMedLife Magazine | September/October 2017

written about you, not by you. If it helps make things easier for you, write the letter as if you were describing your best friend (who just happens to be applying to medical school as well). Write how you’re teachable, reliable, or empathetic. In general, think of the character qualities that a school would want in a candidate, and then be sure to mention the ones that you yourself have. REFERENCE YOUR CV: Finally, it’s understandable to want to have the opportunity to showcase some of your non-clinic work without seeming unrealistic in the “author’s” knowledge of you. This is where referencing your CV (or resume) enters the picture. Including a phrase such as “Additionally, as evidenced by his/ her CV…” opens the door to mentioning any number of extracurricular/ non-clinic activities to round out the letter. Not only does this create a stronger letter, but it also provides an easy way for the clinician to get to know a little bit about you without having to actually sort through your CV on his/ her own. p.

istockphoto/ LuminaStock

USE POWER WORDS Instead of saying that you’re “kind,” or “smart,” use language that evokes stronger imagery. “Compassionate” or “empathetic” are both stronger words that can be more specifically applied to the medical field than “kind.” Similarly, admissions committees already know that you’re a “smart” student—you’ve completed premed courses successfully—so descriptors such as “inquisitive,” “adaptive,” or even “intellectual” are better options.

istockphoto/ emrahkarakoc

Getting In

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DEAR FRESHMAN SELF, I’m in medical school. In fact, I’m not just in medical school, but I’m also almost done with medical school.

ust yesterday I submitted my residency applications through ERAS (the Electronic Residency Application Service), hoping that A growing number premed are turning to things, post-baccalaureate programs interview offers will soon follow. of I spent monthsstudents on that application—rewording rewriting my statement, waiting for my gain admission school. This issueinisthededicated those taking letters oftorecommendation slowlyto be medical uploaded. Overall, I feel confident materials thattoI submitted; I knowthis that to some programs I might not be the perfectpath candidate, but I believe that I have enough solid material to at least make me an interesting to pursue a career in medicine. >>> one. Perhaps the only part of my application that I really wish looked better is my application photo. It’s a professional one, taken by my medical school, and I feel like I just don’t look my best in it. While it is very obviously me, it just doesn’t look like the best version of me. I look tired. I know that I was tired on the afternoon that it was taken—I was switching from night shift to day work and hadn’t slept well in a week—but I still wish that somehow I looked a little more lively, a little less aged by nights spent answering pages with the intern. Still, there’s a part of me that submitted that photo with pride. I was (and am) much more tired now than I was as a freshman in college, but I am also more confident, more capable, and closer to achieving my dreams than ever before. It wasn’t an easy path to get here though. While I would do it again if tossed into a time machine and given the choice, I still wish I had known a little more of how my journey would look before committing to it. Specifically, I wish I had known the following 10 truths:

September/October 2017 | PreMedLife Magazine |19

You’re going to make it: Perhaps this is the most important item to start out with, particularly when considering how you’ll often feel like success will never come. You will succeed, but it just won’t be easy. You’ll struggle in sophomore year of college, wondering why organic chemistry is taking so long to “click” for you. Junior year will be a little smoother, but your first time at taking the MCAT will mean that the year will feel like it ends in disappointment. Senior year will be busy, with throwing yourself into too many community service and campus leadership opportunities while trying to balance your senior research project. In the end, however, you will make it. Every long night, every hour in the library will pay off… eventually. Some people get to go straight from undergrad to medical school, but you won’t be one of them: Maybe you already caught the drift of this by my mentioning of your first try at the MCAT not going ideally, but I still need to make sure this point is known. Some of your friends will graduate from college with medical school acceptance letters in hand, already excited for their White Coat Ceremonies in just a few months. You won’t be like this. You’ll graduate wondering if you chose the right major, if you chose the right career path. You’ll head back home to study to retake the MCAT…twice. (That’s right—you’ll dominate the exam on your third try.) Those years that you’re studying and reapplying won’t be wasted though; you’ll reconnect with close friends and find that you have the life skills to financially support yourself. You’ll travel, broadening your knowledge of the world. You’ll get into medical school, but you just won’t take a direct route. Failures, even repeated failures, don’t mean that you won’t eventually succeed: This is a truth that extends beyond taking and retaking the MCAT. It’s a truth that will apply in medical school as well. As is already apparent, you’ll struggle not just to enter medical school but also to succeed in school. High school was fairly easy for you; you worked hard and were always rewarded for your dedication. Freshman year of college will be the same, if not easier than high school (no more AP classes!). College as a whole will be a challenge, but no more so than the challenge you expected when you signed up for a premed-focused chemistry major. Medical school, however, will be a whole different beast for you. For the first time in your life you will fail tests; for the first time ever, you’ll need to repeat courses. Getting a less than ideal MCAT score at first will be nothing compared to the fear and disappointment you’ll feel after your first set

of medical school exams. In the end though, you’ll succeed. You’ll come out stronger, smarter, and more empathetic towards others struggling in life than ever before. You know yourself better than anyone else does: While it’s important to always carefully consider the advice of others, it’s also important to acknowledge that you really do know yourself best. You’ll save yourself a lot of anxiety if you don’t go chasing after the suggestions of others who don’t know you very well. Be confident in who you are. Be willing to change, but make your decisions with caution, knowing that some parts of you don’t have to change for you to be successful. Anxiety is real: Before medical school you knew what it was like to worry. Medical school will teach you what it’s like to deal with anxiety. Some people face their failures with confidence that they’ve learned the lessons they need to be successful. Unfortunately, you’re not naturally one of those people. Your first failures will also be the sources of your first bouts with anxiety—that deep feeling in your gut and heart that you suddenly just don’t know and don’t know how to know. Anxiety is a foreign feeling to you right now, in your freshman year in college. You’ll see it peek out at you occasionally during your journey through undergrad, but it won’t be until you’re in medical school when it fully rears its ugly head at you. You’ll learn to conquer it, but it won’t be easy. You aren’t alone in your journey: The good news is that even though you’ll struggle through your journey, you won’t be alone in your challenges. On a broader scale, there are thousands of other students dealing with your same hopes, worries, and fears. On a more personalized note, many of those “other students” will actually be your classmates. The pre-med and medical culture has traditionally been one that discourages openly confessing if you’re struggling, but be the one to act counterculturally. Let others know what you’re dealing with, and you’ll more than likely find out that you aren’t alone. Getting into medical school isn’t the hardest part: You may have gotten this idea by now, but I need you to know it anyways. Yes, getting in will be hard for you. You’re dedicated, diligent, and persistent in your pursuit of an MD, but the struggles are far from over once you are accepted into medical school. You’ll continue to deal with failures (followed by eventual successes) throughout your basic science classroom years of medical school. Your clinical rotations will be better, but there will

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still be days when you come home wondering if you’ll ever be “good” at what you’re doing. Getting into medical school won’t be the hardest part for you. Getting up each day of your journey with passion to continue to pursue your ambitions despite setbacks will be your biggest challenge. It’s ok to doubt your dreams: Some days you’ll go to clinic or class feeling like a fraud, because you went to bed and woke up wondering if you really want to be a physician. That’s ok. Even the most successful practitioners have days when they’ll wonder if they would be better suited for a different career. Don’t let a few days of doubting make you feel like a fraud. You’ll need to constantly remind yourself throughout your medical journey of why you wanted to be a physician in the first place, and that’s ok. You will cry: You’ve never really been a crier for either the happy or the sad events of your life, but medical school will change that. You’ll cry when you fail your first set of tests. Sometimes you’ll cry alone in your room; other times you’ll cry in front of your friends, sitting on their couch while holding their new puppy for ultimate comfort. You’ll cry at your patient interactions too—the first time you treat a domestic violence victim after an assault. There will be happy cries too, like when you help deliver your first baby while on your OBGYN rotation. It’s ok to allow yourself to feel and viscerally express these emotions; too many doctors get accused of being calloused and heartless, and you don’t have to let yourself be one of them. You will succeed: Finally, I know this point is in the same general theme as my first one, but it is worth repeating. You will succeed. You will fail multiple times during the journey, but you will succeed in the end. You’ll be writing this letter to your freshman self after finally reaching the “promised land” of your 4th year of medical school. You’ll be loving your rotations and excited for the future. You’ll come through this process wiser and more resilient than you ever dreamed. You’ll have the tools not only for treating your patients with kindness and quality care, but also for facing the future in residency training, wherever it may take you. p. Kim is a current 4th year medical student, wrapping up her training in southern California. While she struggled to get into medical school, she’s found that her strength is in clinical work with patients (and not just studying books in a classroom.) She’s submitted her applications for residency and is stoked about the upcoming interview season and the new adventures that next year as a practicing physician will bring.

A CHART DOESNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T EMPATHIZE.

I DO.

Before reading a chart or lab report, a DO sees a human being. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine practice their distinct philosophy in every medical specialty. A DO first considers the person within the patient.

Learn more at DoctorsThatDO.org

Getting In

Through the Ups and Downs

istockphoto/ Rawpixel Ltd

5 ways to stay resilient during your pre-med and medical school years

etting into medical school is hard. Once you’re there, however, the battle is still not yet fully won. You’ve worked hard to get there, and you’ll have to work hard to stay there. While most medical students who start on their journey towards earning their MD do indeed earn it, a good number of those same students arrive at graduation day feeling burnt out, wondering if they chose the right path for their lives. As you start off your medical school career, check out these tips for staying resilient through the ups and downs of school.

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BE HONEST

Opening up about your struggles and doubts can be a terrifyingly vulnerable experience, but it’s an important one. More than likely you’ll find out that you aren’t alone in your exhaustion; your colleagues are probably struggling with the same feelings. Sharing how you’re feeling can provide the opportunity for others to open up as well. Sometimes just realizing that you aren’t alone in your exhaustion can be enough to lift you all out of a rut.

DIVERSIFY INTEREST

This one is more difficult to balance in medical school, but it is equally important. A sure way to burn out in academics is to only have studying and clinical work on your plate. Instead, plan time within your schedule to enjoy the hobbies you invested in prior to school. Remember all those things you listed on your medical school application as hobbies? Take time for them while in school too. Your brain needs a break from studying.

GET AROUND PATIENTS

Seemingly simple, this piece of advice is really most relevant for medical students in their first or second years (before they’re in their clinical rotations). Often it’s easy to lose sight of what drew you into medicine in the first place when you’re stuck wading through books at the library all day.

Whether is shadowing a physician or taking time to read stories of patients and how their healthcare workers affected their lives, force yourself to stay reminded of why you entered medical school in the first place.

REST

It sounds like an impossible task, but making yourself actually get a decent amount of sleep can make all the difference between a burn-out and a thriving student. Sure, you’ll often have to operate on a lack of sleep during residency, but there is minimal advantage to forcing your body to function on little sleep during medical school. Staying up every once in awhile to study for a big test may be reasonable, but walking through school in a constantly sleep-deprived state won’t make you a better doctor.

GET HELP

Finally, getting professional help should be a top priority. The suicide rate among doctors is significantly higher than that of the general population. It’s naïve to think that this rate is something that only becomes an issue after completing medical school; realistically, the problem starts within the culture of medical school itself. If you’re showing signs of depression, seek professional helps sooner rather than later. Being “resilient” is important for completing medical school, but doing while addressing your mental health is even more important for your long term prognosis. p.

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September/October 2017 | &PreMedLife 1-800-462-1944 | Hamden North Haven, Magazine Connecticut |23

Trends

THE FUTURE OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY By Abaan Merchant

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istockphoto/ chombosan

istockphoto/ mipan

The recent technological boom has revolutionized our lives by delivering endless information to our fingertips. Advancements in medicine have led to increasingly efficient means of providing patient health and care. From robotic surgery to telemedicine, patients and professionals are growing more reliant on technology to improve diagnoses, patient care, and quality of life. Recently developed technology has focused on allowing for an earlier diagnosis while increasing physician efficiency and healthcare accessibility. Today’s medical advancements have become synonymous with “early prevention.” Medicine has traditionally focused on “tertiary

prevention,” which aims to limit disability only after a disease has taken its toll on the body. This trend is a result of limitations in medicinal knowledge and equipment. As new technology is introduced, the modes of care are beginning to shift to “primary prevention.” This promotes a healthy lifestyle and aims to diagnose health problems before they can affect the body. Medicinal technologies have also developed a “primitive intelligence” that assists healthcare professionals to better perform their work. For example, nearly all US healthcare institutions have now implemented a CDSS (Computerized Decision Support System). This system automatically integrates pertinent patient information as well as related evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and presents it to the physician. By reviewing the information in the collected documents in a matter of seconds, the CDSS can provide physicians with accurate diagnoses, recommendations, and treatment plans. Inspired by the success of the CDSS, new programs continue to be generated to increase healthcare efficiency and reduce human error. The third and most transformative change has been the introduction of “portal technology” to patients. They now have greater control over their healthcare experiences by being able to easily and safely access their medical records. In recent years, devices tracking health statistics of individuals have seen an increase in usage. Nearly all major electronics companies are releasing their devices with built-in programs that can encourage and promote a healthy lifestyle. These applications can sum up recorded information such as sleep schedules, daily exercise, and nutrition. This can prove to be a useful insight for physicians by allowing them to suggest improvements in lifestyle choices based on the collected data. Technological advancements continue to lay the foundation for a healthcare system without limits. Increasing accessibility and reducing cost and error are important points to focus on if we hope to provide the best quality of care. As technology continues to be developed, the burdens and restraints presented to us today will certainly fade. p.

Follow your calling. The Premedicine and Professional Health Careers program prepares students interested in applying to medical school and other health-related programs. The concentrations are designed for students who have not completed the courses generally required for admission to these schools. All courses offer undergraduate credit.

CONCENTRATIONS • Premedicine

• Preclinical Psychology

• Prenursing

• Prephysical Therapy

• Prephysician Assistant

• Prespeech Pathology

Apply today — sps.northwestern.edu/health • 312-503-2579

Getting In

istockphoto/ masterzphotois

FEELING STRESSED? TRY TALKING IN THIRD PERSON “Madison will do better next time.” “Madison will not let anyone discourage her.” If you were Madison and were to talk like this to yourself, it might feel a little strange. But, don’t be so quick to judge because there might be a really good reason to start -- especially if you were to ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed and need to clear your head. In a study conducted by researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, two experiments showed that “self-talk” or talking to yourself in the third person voice may have a positive effect on your emotions. Specifically, if you talk to yourself in the third person voice, you can get a hold on your emotions and ultimately reduce your stress level. For the study, the research team asked participants to reflect on their feelings linked with seeing “aversive” images from the International Affective Picture System and recalling painful personal memories using either “I” or their name while measuring brain activity.

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In the end, there findings revealed that “because of its simplicity and effectiveness, third-person self-talk could prove useful for promoting emotion regulation in daily life.” So, how does this apply to your pre-med life? It seems that talking to yourself in the third person voice gives you an opportunity to see things in a different perspective, ultimately helping you create some distance between you and a would-be stressful situation. “We all have an internal monologue that we engage in from time to time; an inner voice that guides our moment-to-moment reflections. Although people frequently engage in such “self-talk”, recent findings indicate that the language they use to refer to the self when they engage in this process influences self-control. Specifically, using one’s own name to refer to the self during introspection, rather than the first-person pronoun “I”, increases peoples’ ability to control their thoughts, feelings, and behavior under stress,” the authors wrote. p.

T:8.5”

Dr. Maurie Markman, MD Medical Oncologist

T:11”

WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY,

STAND UP. When someone you love is diagnosed with cancer, you have the power to help. There are many ways you can stand up and show that you care. THEY TALK, YOU LISTEN. One of the most helpful and important things you can do is listen— without judgment and resisting the urge to give advice. DON’T ASK, DO TELL. Instead of waiting to be asked for help when it is needed, be speciﬁc about what you can do and when, such as: prepare a meal, babysit, pick up groceries, help with pets, or provide rides to and from appointments. Pamela Cromwell Cancer Survivor

LIVE AND LEARN. Educate yourself about your loved one’s diagnosis and treatment. When you understand what a cancer patient is going through, you’re better able to help keep information clear, track questions, and know how you can be most useful.

Christina Applegate SU2C Ambassador

STAY CONNECTED. After the initial diagnosis, people tend to drift away. Be someone to count on for the long haul. Check in, send a quick note, or drop off a book. Small gestures go a long way. Visit ShowThatYouCare.org to learn more about how you can stand up for someone you love.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a proud supporter of Stand Up To Cancer, an initiative designed to accelerate groundbreaking cancer research for the beneﬁt of the patient. Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

10249646_SU2C_ChistinaApplegate_8.5x11.indd

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If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop thinking about it, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop working for it.

www.premedlife.com

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Staying Motivated

30 | PreMedLife Magazine | September/October 2017

WILL YOU Getting into medical school is getting harder.

GO ALL

Here’s how to create a personal brand for getting admitted.

THE WAY? Too busy? Think you can be successful without one? Here’s why your personal brand matters when it comes to applying to medical school.

When I began telling people that I wanted to be a doctor, I’m going to be honest – I panicked. I hadn’t actually completed all the things I needed to do to get into medical school, and it felt like I was taking on something that was much better than anything I had ever done before. What saved me was thinking about things differently and taking on the challenge of building a “brand” for myself – my own personal brand. Then I realized, this was probably the best think I could do for myself and give me the opportunity to go through an exercise that would force me to be extremely self-reflective. In the end I realized that the things that made me stand out from everyone else are the things that would ultimately make me shine as a medical school candidate. Here are a few reasons why it’s very necessary, to have a personal brand if you’re a millennial premed:

September/October 2017 | PreMedLife Magazine |31

WHAT SAVED ME WAS THINKING ABOUT THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE OF BUILDING A “BRAND” FOR MYSELF – MY OWN PERSONAL BRAND.

YOUR PASSION, PERSONAL MISSION AND VALUES MATTER TO MEDICAL SCHOOLS. A lot. If you way you want to go to medical school today and declare yourself a premed, you stand a 32% chance of getting accepted. Smart premeds realize early on that getting into medical school is no walk in the park. And, if you can’t really say what your passion for medicine is and what your personal mission is, how can you hope to move forward in a meaningful way and present yourself to medical schools as such? Just going through the exercise of thinking about a personal mission, coming up with a vision for yourself in the medical world and being aware of your values may very well give you tons of clarity about who you are and where you want to go. You might be surprise how many thoughts and feelings you have inside of you that – when organized in a systematic way and put on paper, come together to form a practical way to move through your medical school admissions journey. I’ve talked to many successful medical students and practicing physicians. How did they become successful, and remain happy and sane? The number one thing that drove their success was passion. When most successful premeds start out, their passion was to pursue medicine and succeed at getting into medical school. Their passion for succeeding and avoiding failure causes them to learn things they didn’t want to learn or do, like taking Organic Chemistry and studying for the MCAT. Because they were so passionate about becoming a doctor, the things they didn’t like about the process became their “friends.” Passion in medicine is important if you want to be a successful medical student. But, is passion really necessary?

HAVING PASSION WILL BE WHAT WILL DRIVE YOU. Passion will keep you going in light of the challenges that the medical school process will inevitably come your way. There may come many times when you’ll want to throw up your arms and simply give up, but your passion will help you to keep going. The point is – you’ll need to have some sort of passion. Whether you are passionate about serving others, or if you’re passionate about finding a treatment for a disease affecting someone in your family, make sure that passion is present. Your passion for something will ultimately lead to your success. Your passion for pursuing medicine will be one of those intangible things that drives you as a premed, getting you through the ups and downs of getting into medical school, and ultimately dictates the success of any premed. In the end, if you’re not passionate about what you’re working toward, you might as well change your career path now.

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YOU’RE PUTTING YOURSELF AT A DISADVANTAGE IF YOU DON’T ESTABLISH A PERSONAL BRAND. If you don’t have a strong and visible personal brand, you are essentially putting yourself at a disadvantage when it comes to being successful at getting into medical school. Personal branding is becoming a requirement for anyone student looking to get into medical school, get a better internship, get noticed by professors, take their extracurricular life to the next level, or even meet new mentors. If you haven’t already figured it out, personal branding is a way for you to “market” yourself and your passion for medicine as a brand. Everyone has a uniqueness about them and a unique personal brand, even if you don’t realize it – yet. But what should be your goal is getting to a place where your personal brand is not only powerful, but also “attractive” and visible to the world. So, what does your personal brand look like? It would simply be an authentic display of who you are when you are engaged in various aspects of your academic and personal lives. Developing your personal brand when it comes to presenting yourself as the best medical school candidate possible will require that you find your true voice. When you ultimately find your voice, those around you will start to notice, which in turn will help build your self confidence and self-esteem, which in turn will put you more in touch with your passion in a more meaningful way. In the end, the best way to start figuring out your personal premed brand is to identify who you are not.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE. According to the AAMC, some admissions committees do search for applicants online. The first question to ask: do you even know how you’re appearing and coming across online? This is something that’s very important and if you haven’t done so already, you’re going to want to take a look. Chances are, you are using at least one social media platform, so you’re going to want to make sure they present you in the best light possible, and make you look like a great candidate for medical school. Why not go ahead and make an ‘About

istockphoto/ Rawpixel

Me’ page if you haven’t already done so. This will give you considerably more control over your online presence and can give you the ability to have some control over your personal brand. Personal branding is not a difficult concept to grasp. What you’ll basically want to do is be known as a great candidate for medical school, and you want to be able to stand out in the minds of admissions committees. And when it comes to displaying your personal brand online or virtually, you’ll need to determine how to make your personal brand memorable. This can often be done by highlighting aspects of your background and/or personality. Highlight some part of who you are or an ability that will help your personal brand stick in the mind of those who you want to make a good impression on. There are many, many opportunities for you to build yourself up. Look around and see how you may be able to get involved with different opportunities, events, and activities that may ultimately help you create a strong, memorable personal brand as you prepare to present yourself to medical schools for admission.

GETTING STARTED ON CREATING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IS EASY. Getting started on creating your personal brand is easy. Just start by asking

yourself these questions. 1.) What are you truly passionate about? Here’s where you are going to want to take a moment to think deeply about what energizes you when it comes to pursuing a career in medicine, and what things you truly enjoy doing. 2.) What do you strongly believe in? This is very important because it’s sort of like your life mission statement. It will help you think about your approach to pushing forward and achieving your goals. 3.) What are your top three strengths? This will help you talk about what you feel you do better than other premeds, to set you apart from other applicants. 4.) Are you a strong leader or a good follower – or both? This will be a good thing to know because it is a way to highlight the types of roles and positions that mesh well with your strengths. 5.) What do other people say about you? Ask family, friends, classmates! You may have strengths that others are aware of that you may not be quite aware of, or skills you need to showcase more so that others know they exists. If you are serious about creating a personal brand as a premed, this exercise is designed to help you solidify your personal branding efforts. So, take a few moments to answer the questions, thinking and writing what comes to mind.

September/October 2017 | PreMedLife Magazine |33

Premedlife

THE GOODS

Anatomical Apron

Sip away at your morning beverage from a mug that shows your complete and utter indifference, because nothing’s worth bothering over until you’ve finished that morning cup. In a debossed box on the side, onlookers will find your true feelings: “meh.”

Meh. Mug

u 34 | PreMedLife Magazine | September/October 2017

Science! Stationery Set

A hardcover journal to show your work, binder clips with scientific symbols, sciencey file folders, a memo cube for jotting down quick notes, and a black ink gel pen.

Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap

Shower Shock is an all vegetable based glycerine soap. Scented with peppermint oil and infused with caffeine anhydrous, each bar of Shower shock contains approximately 12 servings/showers per 4 ounce bar with 200 milligrams of caffeine per serving.

100 Tricks to Appear Smarter in Meetings

Think medical school interview. Complete with illustrated tips, examples, and scenarios, 100 Tricks to Appear Smarter In Meetings gives you actionable ways to use insipid words like “actionable” to sound smart. Every type of meeting is covered, from general meetings where you stopped paying attention almost immediately, to one-on-one meetings you zoned out on, to impromptu meetings you were painfully subjected to at the last minute. It’s all here.

u Pizza Bags

So stop trying to shove the entire pizza box on a shelf where it doesn’t really fit anyway, and start storing your leftovers properly! These Pizza Bags are just the thing to keep each individual slice safe from the elements inside your fridge that are out to ruin your perfect pie slices.

September/October 2017 | PreMedLife Magazine |35

LAST WORDS

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

by Emil Baftirovski

BEFORE COMMITTING MYSELF TO BECOMING A PHYSICIAN, EVERYTHING SEEMED TO align in a way that imposed a deep level of security in my future. Foolish enough to believe that I was going to become a musician, my life at that point in time was quite literally analogous to the beat of my drums, and to the song that accompanied it: steady, rhythmic, and like your favorite upcoming chorus, predictable. Emigrating to the United States when I was young, I can distinctly remember noting some of the humor when my family tried to converse with others from a vocabulary of three words. It was essentially the biggest emergency my family faced at that time. In April of 2008, however, the loss of my father stunned my family, and the song that accompanied my drums essentially lost its rhythm. My youth played a big part in the lack of my ability to conceptualize the magnitude of what had occurred, and obtaining closure on the matter seemed impossible. Having lost a guide and a teacher in my world, I taught myself to tie a tie via YouTube tutorials and I learned how to shave by mere repetition. In light of this event, I employed the same type of perseverance that my parents utilized when first stepping foot in this country. The loss of my father proved to be an example of the dark reality within our existence, but the growth I experienced in the aftermath has been the most amazing journey in my life. Simply put, my mindset changed. The rush of ambition that woke me up every morning was unlike any other emotion I’ve ever felt. I experienced a certain dynamic with science that still resonates with me today; my ignorance led me to believe that science took my father from me, but the mechanism that I employed to help me cope with my perceived reality was up to me. I embedded into my brain the idea

36 | PreMedLife Magazine | September/October 2017

that my potential is not, and should not, be defined by forces outside of my control. In other words, I made myself function on the belief that any failures or accomplishments in my life should be due to my personal efforts and not something that takes control of my life without my discretion. With that discovery, I converted the bitterness that I felt towards science into a strong motivation to dissect the topic down to its core. Engulfed with a strong onset of purpose, my goal was/is to master the art of being a physician so that I can understand why and how my loss occurred. Eventually, my plan was to use these revelations to help others through their challenges. With this understanding came a new level of maturity that I experienced, one that allowed me to move forward from a dark situation and to channel its lessons into progress for others. With that being said, that’s the origin of my love for medicine. The idea of one progressing through their adversity, overcoming its mental, physical, and emotional effects, utilizing the lessons learned form those experiences, and in turn helping others through their challenges is what exponentially propelled my level of commitment to this field. Of course, I cannot be naïve enough to believe that my experiences will be the fuel to the well-being of a patient, but I certainly take pride in the fact that some level of understanding between patients and I will arise due to my personal experiences that have lead me to becoming their physician. Perhaps, a well - established patient—physician relationship is the result of this encounter. Whatever the case may be, a sense of understanding for what another person is going through, whether that understanding is specific or general, is vital to the development of that patient-physician interaction. I am meant to be a man for others and have developed a deeper understanding of what it means to become one. This journey has tested me in ways that are seemingly unimaginable, but it has certainly blessed me with opportunities, mentors, unforgettable experiences within the clinic, and people from all over the world who have shared their stories with me. I’ve fallen asleep at a 24-hour Starbucks, confused chick peas for cocoa puffs after a long night of studying, and built up a tolerance for caffeine trying to get to where I want to be, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Medical school, to me, is more than the 4 years that await my arrival. It is the discovery of me while practicing my passion of caring for others. I have certain melodramatic moments through this journey because that’s what my life has given me. To be able to say that I’ve had the chance to apply to medical school – let alone attend it – is a dream come true, considering the hardships that I’ve experienced through my journey. All in all, I am no longer the little boy that depends on his mother’s touch for the reassurance of security through a dark time, but instead fill the shoes of a man that commits his life to reassuring others their unfortunate realities by the application of knowledge, compassion, and empathy. This journey is bigger than one individual, and it is important to note that we are all anatomically similar; our backgrounds, experiences, and passions differentiate us. Catering to these complex differences is certainly a challenge, but it is one that I am eager to accept.

istockphoto / lzf

Premedlife

MACHINES DO NOT LISTEN.

I DO.

Before you talk to a doctor, choose one trained to listen. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine practice their distinct philosophy in every medical specialty. A DO is trained to first consider the person within the patient.

Learn more at DoctorsThatDO.org