PREMEDLIFE The Magazine For Pre-Medical Students
September/October 2020
the back to school issue
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THE ART OF OVERCOMING THE NEXT ADMISSIONS CYCLE
How COVID-19 will affect the next medical school admissions cycle
PREMEDLIFE.COM
8 fears that every student must to be successful (and happy) premeds
PREMEDLIFE September/October 2020
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HOW TO EMBRACE ‘MEDICAL STUDENT’ THINKING
THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF A PANDEMIC ON THE MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION
EVERY PREMED SHOULD READ THESE FOUR BOOKS THIS SEMESTER
AS A MEDICAL STUDENT, I KNOW A FEW THINGS ABOUT COPING WITH TIMES OF HIGH STRESS AND ANXIETY.
FUTURE MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICANTS WILL EXPERIENCE THE EFFECTS OF RAMIFICATIONS DUE TO COVID-19 IN THE UPCOMING CYCLE
OUR STAFF PICKS FOR BOOKS THAT PREMEDICAL STUDENTS TO PUT CURRENT EVENTS INTO THE CONTEXT OF PRACTICING MEDICINE.
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contents
SE[TE,BER/OCTOBER 2020
l
Medical students are facing a time that will certainly test their ability to adapt and push through tough times.
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Newsbites
Quick updates on schools that are waiving the MCAT requirement for medical school application for the upcoming admissions cycle, medical students facing higher levels of anxiety amid COVID-19, and how one medical school is attracting different applicants at its regional camps.
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Personal Stories
Dr. Sherly Recinos started medical school in her thirties, and moved to the Caribbean with her husband and three kids. Her journey to becoming a physician is an inspiring story of persistence and determination.
WHAT’S INSIDE...
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How Medical Schools Are Adjusting During COVID-19
The current pandemic is a difficult time for colleges and universities, as they are impacted by having to devise plans to educate students within a new “virtual” reality.
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Why We Need Student Leaders Now More Than Ever During crisis, University of Michigan students made a bold choice to step up and lead from the front for their fellow medical students. Here’s what they did.
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The Book Club
An excerpt from Dr. Michele Harper’s new Memior The Beauty in Breaking. Dr. Harper is a female, African American emergency room physician in a profession that is overwhelmingly male and white.
Digital
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
Combating Burnout as an Undergraduate Student
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It is difficult, if not impossible, to be completely immune to burnout. No matter how passionate or driven you are, you might hit a slump that leaves you feeling unmotivated and unproductive.
What’s on premedlife.com 3 Unique Ways These Medical Students Are Helping During COVID-19
Premed Students Launch App to Connect Those Isolating at Home
School Launches New Curriculum to Support COVID-19 Efforts
The Babysitting Club: After hearing about physicians who would not be able to report to work if schools and daycare were closed, a group of medical students stepped up.
Amid quarantine, Evan Catron, a premed student at Indiana University, created an app that matches people with similar interest. The app is called Quarantine Buddies.
In less than two weeks, The University of Minnesota Medical School quickly designed a new curriculum for medical students to support COVID-19 efforts for first year medical students.
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From the
Publisher
THIS IS ALL SO MUCH.
“The art of being yourself at your best is the art of unfolding yourself into the personality you want to be. Learn to love yourself, be gentle with yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.” – Wilfred Peterson if there’s one thing i’ve learned over these last several months, it’s the importance of self-compassion. The start of this back to school season marks a time unlike any other. We are facing a reality that has changed our lives in a monumental way to say the least. With all that has unfolded over the last several months, we thought it was important for our readers to think about Why Every Premed Should Be Thinking About How COVID-19 has Impacted Their Pathway to Medical School (pg. xx). Whether you’re starting off this school year back at home, on campus, or have made the decision to take some time off, it is important to take the time to lean into the what has become a common notion of not being okay and being okay with not being okay. In this issue, we’re committed to sharing with our readers content that will help in some way or another get through the tough days and make the most of those days that seem relatively a little bit better than others.
In this issue, we also take a look at how pre-medical students and other members of the medical school community are taking a stance on advancing racial justice and anti-racism. We knew how important it was to share thoughts on why We Need Student Leaders in the Medical Community Now More Than Ever (pg. xx) and 5 Books Every Premed Should Read About Issues of Social Inequality (pg. xx) to help inspire positive action and understand the gravity of systemic oppression. Deeply rooted discrimination and racial inequality is deeply rooted in everyday experiences. The unfathomable notion that the lives of Black and Brown citizens in our country are considered less valuable than the lives of others has caused overwhelming feelings of grief and anger. THIS IS ALL SO MUCH. So it is important that you remember to take things day by day and revert back to the simple adage of moving forward through each day by putting one foot in front of the other.
-Tasheema P.
Tasheema Prince Tasheema Prince Publisher @PrinceSheem tprince@premedlife.com
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PREMEDLIFE the lifestyle magazine for premedical students www.premedlife.com
Founder & Publisher | Tasheema Prince VP, Development| Monique Terc Contributing Editor | Njeri McKenzie 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.
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Newsbites
GETTING IN
medical school admissions amid covid=19 By Rachel L O’Connell, Michael T Kemp and Hasan B Alam (from the Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA).
Background On January 20, 2020, the United States confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).1 Less than 2 months later, on March 11, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.1 In response, the Centers for Disease Control created a set of guidelines which would attempt to slow the spread of the virus. These included more frequent handwashing, maintaining 6 ft of distance between individuals, and wearing face covers when in public spaces.2 Around the world, rapid changes ensued. Businesses closed their doors, universities eliminated in-person classes, and major sporting events were cancelled. As the pan-demic continues, the ramifications become more extensive. In the United States, with Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) examination dates being cancelled, universities moving to online classes with a pass/fail grading system, and the potential for interviews to be affected, it is likely that future medical school applicants will experience the effects of these ramifications due to COVID-19 in the upcoming cycle. Ramifications of COVID-19 on MCAT Testing The MCAT has long been a staple of the medical school application process.
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While aptitude tests such as the MCAT have conflicting evidence regarding their predictive validity,3 it does not change their importance in the current system. Unfortunately, all MCAT examination dates were cancelled globally for the month of April, with planned resumption on May 29.4 Testing in late April is typically the last time for an applicant to take the MCAT and receive their score for timely submission of the application in late May.4 With social distancing recommendations extended nationally,1 it seems plausible that additional examination dates may be cancelled or delayed. To compensate for these cancelled dates, the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has added 3 new test dates and will temporarily offer 3 slightly shorter examinations with staggered start times for upcoming examination dates.4 While typically the test starts at 8:00 a.m., the new start times have changed to 6:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., and 6:00 p.m.4 Adding in additional testing slots, however, does not change the fact that a number of applicants would not have their MCAT score before the application opened in late May. One potential solution to this problem would be to allow applicants to submit their applications with-out an MCAT score with the stipulation that they will submit it later, after they are able to take the test. This will have cascading effects which could delay when admission coun-
<<< Medical students
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adjusted to changes quickly rolled out after the pandemic hit.
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Newsbites
cils will have complete applications from their applicants. Some applicants may not be able to submit their score until mid-October which is well into when medical schools would typically begin offering interviews. It is unclear how this delay in MCAT scores will ultimately affect medical school selection of applicants and to what extent they will experience subsequent delays in their own application processes. Current and Future Performance Measures Used in Application Review While previous academic performance does not provide the complete narrative of an applicant, it does help predict a student’s academic performance in medical school.3 To abide by social distancing recommendations, universities across the nation cancelled in-person classes and switched to an online class system. On top of this, many universities offered a pass or fail system to accommodate students’ worries about academic performance during this stressful time. If a class is taken pass/fail, the grades cannot be calculated into a student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA). Therefore, this means that a traditional applicant’s calculated GPA could be missing approximately 16% (1 of 6 semesters) of the grades previously accounted for in past application cycles. Even with undergraduate institutions offering a pass/fail option to students, many medical schools have made statements that while they will accept the pass/fail grading system, they recommend against using it.5 However, if a student chooses to use the traditional grading scale, it is not clear how this most recent semester will be weighed against others in light of the high stress and associated confusion created by the pandemic. It is difficult to predict to what extent this will affect the selection process, but medical school admission councils may consider finding alter-native types of information as additive indicators of future performance. A previously published systematic review has demonstrated that prior academic performance has a high predictive validity regarding future performance; however, other factors also con-tribute to one’s success in medical school.3 Given recent changes and the potential reduction in reliability of academic indicators, these other nonacademic indicators should receive more attention. Although measurements of nonacademic and academic factors are not equivalent, pivoting to a greater focus on nonacademic measures is in line with recent approaches to view applications more holistically outside of academic performance alone. One potential reliable and vali-dated approach would be to employ situational judgement tests (SJTs) which can provide insight into nonacademic characteristics.3 Situational judgement tests provide hypothetical ethical situations to which the test taker must respond. The test takers are then assessed and given a score based on their response to
the situations. One example of an SJT, of several, is the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (Altus Assessments, Toronto, ON). While this test has recently gained popularity among medical schools, not all require the test, and this is not the only type of SJT available.6 The test is done online, is monitored via a video camera to ensure integrity, and scored remotely by trained human beings.6 This allows the entire process to be completed while observing the current social distancing recommendations, making it a feasible option in the midst of the pandemic. Incorporating SJTs as a selection factor supplementary to other currently used nonacademic factors, such as interviews, could help medical school admission councils use a more holistic approach by placing greater weight on additional nonacademic characteristics. This could be especially beneficial when changes due to COVID-19 could render academic performance – a typically reliable and widely used selection factor – less reliable.
“Fortunately, the AAMC already has a program in place to help those who would otherwise be limited in their ability to apply to medical school due to financial struggles.”
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Application Cost Considerations as a Result of COVID-19 The costs associated with the medical school application process are not insignificant. In 2019, 36.7% of those entering medical school spent more than US$2000 on secondary applications.7 This does not include the costs of primary applications which can also add up quickly, depending on the number of schools that an applicant applies to. Fortunately, the AAMC already has a program in place to help those who would otherwise be limited in their ability to apply to medical school due to financial struggles.8 The AAMC Fee Assistance Program is designed to help applicants afford the costs associated with the MCAT examination and application fees.8 To be eligible for the Fee Assistance Program in 2020, the total family income for the year of 2019 needs to be at least 300% lower than the national average.8 However, unemployment has spiked due to COVID-19. In April 2020, the number of people in the United States who were unemployed rose from 7.2 to 23.1 million.9 Given that these changes are occurring in 2020, they will not be reflected in the 2019 statistics. People who did not meet the requirements in 2019 may now be facing insurmountable financial struggles due to the COVID-19-associated economic downturn. Using financial data from prior years may not be appropriate for this application cycle because they do not reflect the evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. One solution to this issue could be to expand the eligibility of the current AAMC Fee Assistance Program to include those impacted by COVID-19. Expanding eligibility could help to maintain the applicant pool and reduce the effect of active financial limitations that were not previously present. Anoth-
er solution could be for individual medical schools to waive their secondary application fees for a wider number of applicants. This could be used – even after the COVID-19 pandemic – as a method to increase opportunities for a diverse pool of applicants by reducing the financial barriers associated with the application process. Interviewing While Maintaining Social Distancing One potential long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is the possibility that social distancing recommendations will persist into the interview season. One solution to this problem would be to move interviews into a virtual setting. There are multiple types of interview formats. One popular type is the multiple mini interview (MMI) format which has been found to be more reliable and valid than traditional interviews.3 Interestingly, this format has already been tested in a virtual setting. A study at the University of Sydney had their international applicants use a virtual platform to complete the MMI, while the local applicants continued to use a traditional in-person format.10 They found that there were no significant differences between the scores of the 2 groups, indicating that the online version of the MMI is comparable to the in-person MMI.10 This evidence supports that schools should consider this mode of interviewing. Around the world, large technology companies have already moved their interview process online in response to COVID-1911 – a process that could potentially be replicated easily in medical schools.
innovate. These opportunities include consideration of new selection measures to assess performance and potential reductions in financial barriers. The changes to the application process, with appropriate consideration, may have the potential to actually increase opportunities for applicants. Future studies should investigate further to evaluate the ramifications of COVID-19 and its impact in the United States on selection criteria, financial burdens for students, and diversity pools. Although this article highlights the potential effects in the United States, future studies should also consider these impacts on medical education within the context of the larger international community. Author Contributions All authors contributed substantially to all aspects of this article and participated in drafting of the article and critical revisions. They have approved the final version of this article and have participated sufficiently to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. References 1.Taylor DB. How the coronavirus pandemic unfolded: a timeline. The New York Times. June 9, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html?auth=linked-google. Published February 13, 202 0. Accessed March 28, 2020. 2.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How to protect yourself & others. https://ww w.cdc. gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html. Revised April 4, 2020. Accessed May 8, 2020.
Online Interviewing: Cost Considerations There are also some non-COVID-19-related benefits that are worth noting in relation to transitioning medical school inter-views to a virtual setting. This type of transition would allow applicants to save money by eliminating the travel expenses associated with the interviews. In 2019, 45% of those entering medical school spent more than US$1000 on interview-related activities.7 These costs, in the current economic environment, could become prohibitive for some applicants. Moving inter-views online would also help to reduce this cost by eliminating travel and hotel expenses. Again, in line with our argument above, these changes could help to reduce financial barriers of the upcoming and future application cycle. Assuming applicants have access to appropriate technology resources, these changes to the interview format could make some institutions more accessible, even after the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, some have estimated that 98% of college graduates in the United States and 95% of those who have completed some level of college education are internet users.12 While a majority of applicants may have internet access and could benefit from such changes, schools should also be cognizant of applicants from groups that have differential access to technology. These include those who live in rural locations, are minorities, or come from low-income households.12 Schools may need to consider additional assistance for these applicants on a case-by-case basis. The outcomes associated with such measures should clearly be the foci of future investigations.
3.Patterson F, Knight A, Dowel l J, Nicholson S, Cousans F, Cleland J. How effective are select ion methods in medical education? a systematic revie w. Med Educ. 2015;50: 36- 60. doi:10.1111 / medu.12817. 4.Association of American Medical Colleges. Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the MCAT exam. https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/coronavirus-mcat-faqs/. Updated April 1, 2020. Accessed May 8, 202 0. 5.Marcus J. Pass/fa il grades may help students during the COVID-19 crisis, but could cost them later. PBS NewsHour. April 7, 2020. https://ww w.pbs.org/news-hour/education/pass-fail-gradesmay-help-students-during-the-covid-19-cri-sis-but-could-cost-them-later. Published April 7, 2020. Accessed May 7, 2020. 6.CASPer. About CASPer. takecasper.com/about-casper/. Accessed March 31, 2020. 7.Association of American Medical Colleges. Matriculating Student Questionnaire – 2019 All Schools Summary Report. https://ww w.aamc.org/system/les/2019-12/2019MSQAllS choolsSumma ryReport.pdf. Published December 2019. Accessed March 31, 2020. 8.Association of American Medical Colleges. Fee Assistance Program Essentials – Calendar Year 2020. https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media /ler_public/ae/59/ae59f03f-2cf44481-9ba0-91bf5aa04a64/2020-fap-essen-tials-nal.pdf. Published 2020. Accessed April 5, 2 020. 9.Bureau of Labor Statistics. e Employment Situation – April 2020. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm. Published May 8, 2020. Accessed May 8, 2020. 10.Tiller D, O’Mara D, Rothnie I, Dunn S, Lee L, Roberts C. Internet-based multiple mini-interviews for candidate selection for graduate entry programmes. Med Educ. 2013;47:801-810. doi:10.1111/medu.1 222 4. 11.Harper J. Coronavirus: job interviews go online as candidates stuck at home. BBC News. March
Conclusions Amid the confusion brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing remains clear: the ramifications will likely impact the medical school application process in the United States. Delays and changes are expected throughout all aspects of the process. These include changes to the MCAT, the application itself, and the actual interview process. However, the negative consequences that COVID-19 will have on this can present opportunities for schools to
16, 2020. https: //www.bbc.com/news/ business-51847888. Published March 16, 2020. Accessed March 31, 2020. 12.Internet/Broadband
Fact
Sheet.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/inter-
net-broadband /. Published June 12, 2019. Accessed May 7, 2020.
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Newsbites
MCAT
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In a piece published online for Inside Higher Education, MD-PhD student Lala Tanmoy made the case for making the MCAT optional for medical school admissions. Tanmoy points out that amid the COVID-10 pandemic, the inequities around that MCAT are now exacerbated and “it is possible that the psychosocial and economic challenges that minority communities are facing during this pandemic, compounded with already existing structural barriers, may inadvertently lower MCAT scores for many applicants.” Tanmoy puts for the argument that, for the upcoming enrollment cycle, the MCAT should be option in order to make the admissions process fair and equitable to all applicants. “Every day, we deem our own professionals ‘heroes’ for fighting COVID-19,” Tanmoy concluded. “Now, we must also take similar heroic steps and make sure that every aspiring physician, including disadvantaged minority applicants, get a fair chance in the admissions process. The time is here, and the time is now to reimagine the richness of a diverse physician workforce. And a critical first step is through reimaging the applied use of the MCAT and making it optional.
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Doing Away with MCAT During COVID-19
MENTAL HEALTH
Already High Levels of Anxiety Among Medical Students Remains
During the COVID-19 outbreak, the overall level of anxiety in medical students does not appear to be higher than usual, according to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study, led by a team of international researchers, involved a systemic review and mini meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence of anxiety in medical students during this pandemic. The findings from a PubMed search of cross-sectional studies on medical students during the pandemic found that the prevalence of anxiety in medical students was similar to that prior to the pandemic but correlated with several specific COVID-related stressors. “Since student distress and untreated anxiety are reported to negatively impact academic performance, professionalism and empathy towards patients, and contribute to academic dishonesty and attrition from medical school, addressing the effect of COVID-19 on this specific population is of uttermost importance,” the authors noted. “In addition, the personal costs of anxiety should not be overlooked, since it is associated with a lower quality of life, loss of relationships and depression, among other things.
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Newsbites
ADMISSIONS
Stanford University Pauses MCAT Requirement for Applicants
Medical School Commits to Holistic Admissions Review
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In June, the Stanford School of Medicine announced that candidates would not be required to submit a Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score during the 2021 admissions cycle, due to the ongoing pandemic. According to the schools website, “the choice to take or re-take the MCAT examination is up to the applicant” but “in fairness to all applicants, the MCAT will not be part of the screening and initial review process for interview decisions.” In an article published by the university about the decision, Antony Wong wrote that “Stanford joins UCSF in making MCAT scores optional during the screening and interview process, although several other peer medical schools have opted to wait for MCAT scores to come in, as opposed to making them optional. Harvard Medical School announced that it “will accept MCAT scores at a later time,” and UCLA will wait for a score before reviewing an applicant’s file, though its Vice Dean had signed a joint statement with Stanford in April reassuring that applications could be submitted by the October 15 deadline without an MCAT score.”
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MCAT
ADMISSIONS
New Location Attracts Different Applicants
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) conducted a study to look at whether the applicants and accepted student pools differed for the school’s 3-year and 4-year campuses. What they found was that the school’s 3-year regional campus attracted and selected students with differences from those at the schools 4-year campus. Specifically, after adjusting for other characteristics, students matriculating to the regional 3-year campuses were nearly four times more likely to come from a rural county and have slightly higher medical college admission test (MCAT) scores. “These findings are similar to those from other schools that have examined whether recruiting and accepting more students from rural backgrounds has a negative effect on the academic credentials of their medical students.”
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In a letter to the editor published in the journal Academic Medicine, a pair of faculty from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, shared how the institution has remained committed to enhancing holistic review practices during COVID-19 and outlined several steps the school has taken over the course of the last several months. First, the admissions committee reconvened remotely and put in place general faculty resolution to ensure that applicants would not suffer from or be held accountable for circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While keeping the school’s current minimum standards and requirements, the committee made the decision to consider the effects of the pandemic on each applicant. Next, constant updates to the premedical community were constantly communicated. Specifically, the admissions page was updated to notify students about the disruption in admissions requirements, as well as a frequently asked questions section to address MCAT postponements, interruptions in extracurricular activities (i.e. clinical, volunteer, and research opportunities). In addition, a new question in the secondary application for applicants to describe how COVID-19 has affected their pathway to medical school . Lastly, a number of virtual experiences were planned for prospective applicants including the school’s ‘Second Look Day’ event as well as a post application workshop to assist applicants with identifying way to improve their application, illustrate how best to document and discuss lessons learned from interrupted experiences, construct a plan for reapplication. In an effort to support the school’s mission and align their practices with “diversity-related workforce development and social accountability principles,” admissions deans met individually with unsuccessful applicants and provided specific recommendations to improve their application. “The flexibility of holistic admissions has allowed us to remain committed to our mission,” the authors noted. “We hope these actions can be generalized for other schools to address issues related to COVID-19 and reenforce their mission during crisis decision making.”
Getting In
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How Your Tough Pre-Medical Experiences Will Serve You Well
For many students, the journey to medical school comes with a story of challenges and obstacles. But don’t think that the circumstances that arise are all for nothing. by Sheryl Recinos 18 | PREMEDLIFE.COM | September/October 2020
he day that I received my medical school diploma in the mail, I cried. I held it up as a badge of honor; proof that people like me could overcome the impossible and become who we were meant to be. Not only was I the first physician in my family, but I was coming to understand the role that childhood trauma had paid in my unrelenting desire to pursue a career in medicine and the impact it would have on patients during my training and my career. It was no easy feat; I entered a Caribbean medical school at 31 years old, tugging along my husband and three school-aged kids as we journeyed to a new country. I gave up my well-paying high school science teaching career and placed my family in extreme poverty and uncertainty as the following four years unfolded. I was afraid throughout my studies that something would happen and my dream would dissolve. I developed an extreme test anxiety that rose up in waves of panic during exams, and almost cost me my chance. And I held many jobs while in school, in order to help keep a roof over our heads and food in my kid’s bellies. When I started medical school, I was afraid to speak my truth. I didn’t realize the power in whom I’d been and who I was becoming. I was too focused on just getting in, and I didn’t want to take risks. I was afraid to talk about my early experiences growing up in a severely dysfunctional household. I didn’t want to tell people that my mother had suffered from mental illness and that my father had raised me and my siblings after she left. I also didn’t want to talk about my own struggles, first as a runaway teen, then as a foster child, and later, as an incarcerated youth when my own father pressed charges against me at 13 for stealing money from him when I ran away. At 16, when I left for good and ended up on the streets of Hollywood for several years, I felt like I was solely responsible. I blamed myself for my erroneous mistakes in my teen years, and I had accepted the story that I’d been told throughout my upbringing and adult years. I had made those mistakes. I had shamed the family. I was lucky that they forgave me. Only, that’s not the whole story. I wasn’t allowed to discuss where I’d been or what challenges I’d encountered. In exchange,
my children had an extended family that really didn’t spend much time with them. But as I went through the rigorous training of medical school, certain truths became evident to me. I was different because of my experiences, and my difference was not inherently bad. Patients recognized my differences, even if I never said a word about where I’d been or what kind of life I’d lived, and they felt comfortable telling me their own frightening truths. This led to better health outcomes for numerous patients, and started to push me down a path I hadn’t expected. When I sat down to prepare my residency application as a fourth year student, my worldview had shifted. I was ready to speak up, and I wanted to train in a program that wanted to train someone like me. I was warned by kind physicians who wanted the very best for me; certain details don’t belong in a personal statement. They are too personal. But I decided to take a chance, and I was rewarded for it. Even though I had extreme test anxiety and my board scores weren’t stellar, even though
I struggled in some of my basic science courses, I had made tremendous efforts in clinical sciences. My personal statement, letters of recommendation, and dean’s letter told the true story; I wanted to be a physician to serve people like me. I wanted to be a family physician to help people who needed second chances; people who had experienced severe childhood trauma. Looking back, I am so appreciative of the fellow medical students, resident physicians, hospital staff, and attending physicians who saw and heard me. They gave me a chance to start developing my voice, and by the time that I finished residency, I was ready to speak up for people like me. I wrote a heart-wrenching memoir about my teenage years called Hindsight: Coming of age on the streets of Hollywood. Many readers asked for more, and wanted to know what my medical school years were like, since it was apparent to them that I must have had a unique medical school experience. They were right. I am proud to announce the publication of my second memoir, Beta Blockers
and Coffee: Stories I probably shouldn’t tell you from Medical School. When I’m not writing, I am eagerly seeking to build up my community. I mentor several medical students who have personally experienced homelessness. I volunteer at a youth homeless shelter in Hollywood, and I founded a scholarship fund there for youth who find their way of the streets and want to attend college. Additionally, I continue to encourage colleagues to stop being gatekeepers of medicine. When we make it, we have a very unique role. We aren’t meant to be the gatekeepers to continue medicine as it’s always been. We’re here to break down the gates. Just as my medical training gave me an opportunity to speak my truths in a very important way that allows me to advocate for the needs of homeless youth and people who experienced childhood trauma, we are all responsible for opening up this important field to people from all backgrounds, so that the future of medicine will be diverse and representative of our patient populations. p.
Get Your Mind Right
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What’s on your mind?
THINKING LIKE A MEDICAL STUDENT
As a medical student, I know a few things about coping with times
of high stress and anxiety. During
COVID-19, this type of thinking is really (really) useful.
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I
t’s beyond clear to all of us that when we ended 2019 and rang in 2020, not of us could have imagined how much our lives would change. Even after months after the COVID-19 crisis rocked all of our worlds, we still have not clue about how much longer this pandemic will lasts, or how or lives will be altered moving forward.
To be honest, we really just have to come to grips that it is still very unclear what the impact of this pandemic will be long term, and millions of students do not know when, or if they will return to campus. This is a lot. I, for sure, will not dare to form an idea of how I think this will all unfold in the end, but I do, however, know a thing or two about how to successfully move through
tough times and bouts of uncertainty. As a medical student, I’m presented with the ups and downs of the medical school journey on a daily basis. I wake up each day knowing that things will get harder before they get easier. While the current pandemic has certainly brought a whole new element into the mix, my anxiety about keeping it together as a medical
student played a huge role in my reality even before this COVID-19 mess hit. The funny thing about all of this of course is that as a future doctor, it is my duty to care for others, even if my own reality is battling with keeping it together on the most basic and simple level as one needs to make it through a day. Over the course of my journey as a medical student, I have had the opportunity to learn that navigating through challenging times isn’t just a part of getting through medical school – it’s a very important skill for doctors to have as they enter into the workforce and begin interacting with patients. No matter if you’re a pre-medical student, still in high school, or just a college student having a hard time managing the bizarre stress that they we’re all undoubtedly going through at this present time, there are a few pieces of advice I’d like to offer that have helped me manage the feelings of uncertainty that have tried to break me down: 1. Shape Your Premed Experience Successful medical students do a good job at taking time to reflect on their lives and take a close look at the desire to practice medicine. They write their thoughts down. They can actually see themselves being successful in their classes and along their journey. While many students may not take the time to organize their
thoughts and think deeply about the intentions behind each and every step of the process, successful medical students write down the vision they have for their lives and the goals they are going after. Then, they get started on crushing their goals. If you are willing to commit to constantly working on yourself, you will naturally begin to get a better understanding of yourself and your self-confidence will grow as well. As someone who is pursuing a career in taking care of others, when you have a firm understanding of yourself and value your strengths and the characteristics you bring to the table, you will have a greater ability to also understand and value those around you, including your future patients. 2. Learn to Focus Your Energy It is this characteristic that is one of the most critical when it comes to succeeding as a student. With the great demands on pre-medical students, it can be easy to become distracted and overwhelmed by thoughts of to-dos. Successful premeds learn to hone in on the ability to concentrate to make the most of your resources and efforts. Think about ways you can constantly “work on yourself ” and gain wisdom that will help you reach the goals you desire. To be successful, you will most likely need to acquire a greater set of skills than you currently have.
Working on your ‘medical school mindset’ is one of the best kept secrets to performing well as a students and it is one of the best actions you can undertake. Who you are, what you tell yourself, your study habits, and thought process will undoubtedly put you on the right track. 3. Be a Motivated Self-Starter Successful medical students are not only motivated to reach their goals but are also bona fide self starters. They are more likely to face obstacles and challenges directly. Being a self-starter is an overlooked way to become a well-rounded student. Students who strive to be lifelong learners make sure they have opportunities to learn new concepts and ideas. Many students may think that with their super packed and busy schedules there is no additional time to learn anything more than what is already being required of them. Successful medical students understand the importance of personal growth. They are in a constant state of striving to learn and do more. This self-directed quest for knowledge pushes them forward and helps them stand out from others. Think about some of the simplest ways to nurture this trait. One easy way to get started in this area would be learn on the go. Find an audio book that suits your interest as a way to gain new knowledge in an easy way, low-stress way.
4. Collaboration is Key Successful medical students learn very early on that sharing is caring and they become very good at it. As a future physician, being able to work with others in an important part of being a medical student. In fact, admissions committees recognize that a student’s ability and interest in collaborating with others is just as important as more obvious skills such as effective communication and motivation. As a pre-medical student, it is important that you understand the importance of sharing information and ideas, but also know that the opinions and feedback from others is just as helpful. 5. Critical Thinking is Critical Studies have found that college and universities do not do a very good job at teaching critical skills to students during their undergraduate years. So, as a pre-medical student, it is important that you being developing and improving your skills in critical thinking as early as you possibly can. Think about critical thinking as more than just gaining more knowledge but as a way of thinking about whatever challenge or obstacle that comes your way so that you’re planning for the best possible solution. Students who are good critical thinking. “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” - Albert Einstein. p.
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Admissions
THE NEXT MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CYCLE AND COVID-19 If you haven’t already noticed, COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed all of our lives as we knew it. While medical schools are working tirelessly to make adjustments during these uncertain times, the admissions cycle for Fall 2021 entry and the cycles that will follow will be something no one could have every predicted.
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Shortened MCAT Exam: Over the Summer, the Association of American Medical Colleges announced that the MCAT exam would be temporarily shortened to lessen the impact of MCAT cancellations due to COVID-19 and in an attempt to provide testing to as many individuals as possible who had a desire to take the test this year. While the number of scored questions will remain the same, the exam time will be reduced from a total “seated” time of 7 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours and 45 minutes. Examinees will still be expected to demonstrate the same knowledge and skills at the same levels of difficulty as on the full-length exam, sitting for the same four sections as originally required: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills; Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior.
Virtual Interviews Using New Tool For the 2021 admission cycle, it is most likely that medical school interview sessions will be held virtually. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AAMC collaborated with member medical school to create VITA, a video interview tool for admission to supplement in-person interviews. While medical schools will ultimately determine how they will incorporate VITA during their admissions process, it was a tool designed to complement the live interview process and not replace it. The tool is not designed with any artificial intelligence algorithms or computerized assessments or scoring, the VITA interview is built to provide admissions officers with information about an applicant’s journey to medical school and five of the core competencies for entering medical school: social skills, cultural competence, teamwork, reliability and de-
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o, to help pre-medical students who have spent years preparing for this year to be the year they would enter the medical school admission cycle, it may be helpful to take note of a few observations on what has changed for the upcoming cycle and the potential long-term effects for medical school candidates who are considering going to medical school now or even years from now.
pendability; and resilience and adaptability. According to the AAMC website, the interview consist of six areas on personal experience, past behavior, and situational questions. The AAMC notes that VITA was designed with all applicants in mind and it has taken steps to minimize the risk of bias within the process, including “offering unconscious bias training to all medical school staff involved in the admissions process.” Online Course Acceptance Historically, online classes and online degrees were not looked upon in a high light
among medical school admissions committees. Before COVID-19, pre-medical students were sternly advised against taking any of their medical school prerequisites online. Now, as we fast forward to our new reality of an online learning environment, online course now accepted. Due to most, if not all, undergraduate colleges and universities switching to an online curriculum during the pandemic, medical schools are updating their policies to now accept online course if they are offered by the school at which the candidate was enrolled prior to the pandemic. p.
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Personal Story
BETA BLOCKERS
She started medical school in her thirties, and moved to the Caribbean with her husband and three kids. Her journey to becoming a physician is an inspiring story of persistence and determination. By Dr. Sherly Recinos The day that I received my medical school diploma in the mail, I cried. I held it up as a badge of honor; proof that people like me could overcome the impossible and become who we were meant to be. Not only was I the first physician in my family, but I was coming to understand the role that childhood trauma had paid in my unrelenting desire to pursue a career in medicine and the impact it would have on patients during my training and my career. It was no easy feat; I entered a Caribbean medical school at 31 years old, tugging along my husband and three school-aged kids as we journeyed to a new country. I gave up my well-paying high school science teaching career and placed my family in extreme poverty and uncertainty as the following four years unfolded. I was afraid throughout my studies that something would happen and my dream would dissolve. I developed an extreme test anxiety that rose up in waves of panic during exams, and almost cost me my chance. And I held many jobs while in school, in order to help keep a roof over our heads and 24 | PREMEDLIFE.COM | September/October 2020
food in my kid’s bellies. When I started medical school, I was afraid to speak my truth. I didn’t realize the power in whom I’d been and who I was becoming. I was too focused on just getting in, and I didn’t want to take risks. I was afraid to talk about my early experiences growing up in a severely dysfunctional household. I didn’t want to tell people that my mother had suffered from mental illness and that my father had raised me and my siblings after she left. I also didn’t want to talk about my own struggles, first as a runaway teen, then as a foster child, and later, as an incarcerated youth when my own father pressed charges against me at 13 for stealing money from him when I ran away. At 16, when I left for good and ended up on the streets of Hollywood for several years, I felt like I was solely responsible. I blamed myself for my erroneous mistakes in my teen years, and I had accepted the story that I’d been told throughout my upbringing and adult years. I had made those mistakes. I had shamed the family. I was lucky that they forgave me. Only, that’s
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Personal Story
not the whole story. I wasn’t allowed to discuss where I’d physicians who saw and heard me. They gave me a chance been or what challenges I’d encountered. In exchange, my to start developing my voice, and by the time that I finished children had an extended family that really didn’t spend residency, I was ready to speak up for people like me. I much time with them. But as I went through the rigorous wrote a heart-wrenching memoir about my teenage years training of medical school, certain truths became evident called Hindsight: Coming of age on the streets of Hollyto me. I was different because of my experiences, and my wood. Many readers asked for more, and wanted to know difference was not inherently bad. Patients recognized my what my medical school years were like, since it was appardifferences, even if I never ent to them that I must said a word about where have had a unique medI’d been or what kind of ical school experience. life I’d lived, and they felt They were right. I am comfortable telling me proud to announce the their own frightening publication of my second truths. This led to betmemoir, Beta Blockers ter health outcomes for and Coffee: Stories I numerous patients, and probably shouldn’t tell started to push me down you from Medical School. a path I hadn’t expected. When I’m not writing, When I sat down to I am eagerly seeking to prepare my residency apbuild up my community. plication as a fourth year I mentor several medstudent, my worldview ical students who have had shifted. I was ready personally experienced to speak up, and I wanted homelessness. I volunto train in a program that teer at a youth homeless wanted to train someone shelter in Hollywood, like me. I was warned and I founded a scholarby kind physicians who ship fund there for youth “When I sat down to prepare my wanted the very best for who find their way of the me; certain details don’t streets and want to attend residency application a a fourth year belong in a personal college. Additionally, I student, my worldview had shifted. I statement. They are too continue to encourage was ready to speak up, and I wanted personal. But I decided colleagues to stop being to take a chance, and I gatekeepers of medicine. to train in a program that wanted to was rewarded for it. Even When we make it, we train someone like me.” though I had extreme test have a very unique role. anxiety and my board We aren’t meant to be the scores weren’t stellar, even gatekeepers to continue though I struggled in medicine as it’s always some of my basic science been. We’re here to break courses, I had made tremendous efforts in clinical sciences. down the gates. Just as my medical training gave me an My personal statement, letters of recommendation, and opportunity to speak my truths in a very important way dean’s letter told the true story; I wanted to be a physician that allows me to advocate for the needs of homeless youth to serve people like me. I wanted to be a family physician to and people who experienced childhood trauma, we are all help people who needed second chances; people who had responsible for opening up this important field to people experienced severe childhood trauma. from all backgrounds, so that the future of medicine will be Looking back, I am so appreciative of the fellow medical diverse and representative of our patient populations. p. students, resident physicians, hospital staff, and attending
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Campus Edition @ Loyola University
The Effect of Step 1 Being Pass/Fail on Pre-Med Students
istockphoto/ fizkes
Doctors incur an immense amount of responsibility as they are held accountable for the health and well-being of their patients. To be prepared for this duty, they undergo rigorous training and extensive education during medical school. by NAAZ KAHN
Their knowledge is then assessed by a series of licensing exams known as Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3, which they must pass to be able to practice as physicians in the United States. The United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 assesses the entirety of the knowledge learned within the first two years of medical school and indicates the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s readiness to become a doctor. The iconic assessment was previously graded with a numerical score but in February 2020, the National Board of Medical Examiners
announced that starting in January 2022, the USMLE Step 1 will be graded as either pass or fail. The three digits score assigned to Step 1 ranges from 1 to 300, with 194 being the score required to pass. The score achieved is the primary factor considered when students apply to a residency program during their final year. More competitive specialties, such as dermatology or plastic surgery, typically required higher Step 1 scores. Pass/fail grading eases the pressure to achieve an exceptional score and encourages
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students to be well-rounded. Other aspects of a residency application include extracurriculars, research experience, Step 2 scores, and letters of recommendation. Although these were always key components of a medical studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residency application, they are now more important than ever as residency programs begin to emphasize a holistic approach to choosing candidates. How does this substantial transition in the analysis of a medical student affect an undergraduate student who is yet to attend medical school? For starters, medical school applicants will likely need to consider additional characteristics besides academic preparation for licensing exams when selecting a school that is the best fit for them. Students may need to consider qualities such as if the university provides resources to develop extracurricular interests, opportunities to pursue research, and access to create meaningful connections with faculty and staff. These things are essential to adequately assess if the medical school will support the student to be the best version of their selves outside of the classroom. Since the
USMLE Step 1 is now pass/ fail, students must be able to have opportunities to set themselves apart from other applicants by pursuing their passions. The transition to pass/fail Step 1 grading may also increase the pressure and desire for an undergraduate student to be accepted into a more competitive medical school. Step 1 was an opportunity for medical students to demonstrate their individual academic strengths through a standardized exam, regardless of the ranking of the medical school they attend. Since Step 1 scores can no longer be compared, medical students who attend higher-ranked institutions may have an upper hand for residency applications. It is very important to keep in mind that regardless of where someone goes for medical school, the success they achieve is entirely dependent on what initiative they decide to take rather than the reputation of the school they attend. The arguments presented are just a few speculations concerning what residency programs will value in candidates. We must give the new process time to proceed to know with certainty.
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Feature Story
LEADING FROM THE FRONT During crisis, University of Michigan students made a bold choice to step up and lead from the front during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what they did.
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onfusion. Frustration. Panic. When COVID-19 hit, the challenges of medical school were now bumped up against the burdens of the pandemic and medical students experienced unprecedented changes. For the students at the University of Michigan Medical School, this was an opportunity to step up and bridge the gap between medical students and the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration during this time of crisis. The disparate needs of the schools 800 students would require thoughtful and equitable decisions followed by actions. While the value of a student government may not have previously be exactly clear before, the COVID-19 outbreak became a moment for Student Council leadership to devise creative solutions to many pressing problems and partner with administrators to provide guidance. The students were able to respond quickly and thoughtfully to the unprecedented constraints of being a medical student during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Feature Story: Leading from the Front
During a time of uncertainty and crisis, the ability of students to think nimbly and take action has never been more important. The medical community is facility challenges in an overwhelming way: The pandemic is rocking the health care system, patients are suffering and losing their lives in an astonishingly devastating way, and concerns about health inequities are turning into rage and anger. Student leaders in the medical school community, and even in the undergraduate environment are stepping up to bring a kind of passion and determination for change to navigate such an unpredictable time we are facing. The ability to take action and lead has long been a key trait of successful pre-medical schools who are able to demonstrate these skills to admission committees. But it no longer comes second to academic abilities, not for medical schools looking to train physicians equip to make change for the better in the health care industry. “The response to COVID-19, however, has required rapid decision making in a time of rapid change and uncertainty, and because of the immense new clinical and administrative burdens, faculty and administrators have not had their usual capacity to gather and respond to the varied opinions within the student body,” the students wrote in a Perspective piece published in the journal Academic Medicine.
In response to the need for student input, UMMS Student Council stepped up to provide a direct, curated, and manageable pipeline of student information, increasing the capacity of the administration to respond to student concerns by relying on medical student leaders to represent the student experience. LESSENING THE STRESS AMONG FIRST YEAR STUDENTS Faced with an experience often described by the phrase “like drinking from a firehose,” completing the first year of medical school during a pandemic took this overwhelming time for these students to a whole new level. So, one of the priorities of the Student Council was to address the “cognitive load” of these new students by working with the dead for curriculum and first year course directors to find creative ways to minimize academic burdens without jeopardizing a student’s chance to successfully complete the required competencies. The simplest level of this step led to identifying content that could be merged, postponed, or even eliminated. Furthermore, to address the “existential question” these first year students faced regarding their role in the greater health care community during the pandemic, “student Council representatives identified preclerkship students’ calling to serve and, in response, organized stu-
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dent efforts, partnering with the administration to create a living document of nonclinical opportunities for students to support the community.” MITIGATING CONFUSION AMONG SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS How would students continue learning safely in the clinical during the COVID-19 pandemic? To tackle this question, the Student Council decided to partner with the administration to provide student input on new clinical student guidelines to maximize safety, including prohibiting students from providing direct care for COVID-19-positive patients
or persons-under-investigation to minimize student exposure and conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and encouraging students to self-isolate for any personal or family medical comorbidities. However, when the Association of American Medical Colleges announced on March 17th that students be removed from clinical duties, medical school leadership decided to suspend clinical student rotations. During this time, student representatives worked effectively to serve as liaisons between administration and students. “By understanding the immediate needs of students, Student Council was
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hospital needs and create new clinical opportunities, such as a respiratory therapist extender curriculum,” the students explained. “As the initiative grew, all UMMS students were invited to join the M-Response Corps, eventually including over 500 students from across the student body. The M-Response Corps illustrates how students and the administration partnered to maintain fundamental UMMS principles, like the importance of service as a calling in our profession, while respecting restrictions related to working in the clinical environment.”
able to use established relationships with the administration to provide answers and ultimately functioned as a valuable resource by using effective student-preferred modes of communicate,” the students wrote. STUDENTS MORE POSED TO ASSIST For the third- and fourthyear students, the onset of the pandemic presented a unique where while the students were completing their core medical school training, they would still need the structure that a clinical elective offered to help during the crisis. The Student Council said that
they sensed a strong sense among the students to serve as volunteers within the health systems and were determined to bring structure to the volunteer efforts. As a result, a group of student volunteers, who called themselves the M-Response Corps, organized to offer their time and talents to the health care system to help combat the pandemic. “Members of the M-Response Corps received accelerated training to provide much-needed services, such as phone triage, specimen processing, and PPE donation gathering. Individual students also worked with faculty members to identify
A (VIRTUAL) MATCHDAY CELEBRATION To save the important tradition of the highly anticipated Match Day celebration many medical students long await, the Student Council-led Match Day Planning Committee worked with the school’s communications team to hold the online celebration of acknowledgment and celebration. To do this, students created a website that would give deans, faculty, and other mentors the opportunity to share congratulatory messages by uploading videos to the page. “These creative solutions provided comfort for students who desired to celebrate in front of peers, friends, and family, but ultimately recognized that a traditional celebration was in direct conflict with the same public health measures they
entered this profession to uphold,” the authors wrote. A SET OF PRINCIPLES FOR STUDENT LEADERS For the medical school community during this pandemic, it has been an incredibly trying time, requiring changes to how medical school operate, provide a learning environment for students, and adapt to an ever-changing health care system. For medical schools across the country, like Michigan State University School of Medicine, it has presented a time to take a look at the current state of medical education, but also consider not only what is next, but what the future will look like. For the students at MSU, there were three clear guiding principles that formed the basis for getting through times of uncertainty. Here’s a look at the principles they hope will help guide other student leaders in the future: 1.Lean Into Changes to the Status Quo When working during times of unpredictability, it was helpful to adopt the practice of explain the reason behind the decision that were being made and communicating that during such a time of uncertainty, there were just some questions that were impossible to answer. To read the full article, visit premedlife.com
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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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The Book Club
4 Books Every Premed Should Be Reading Right Now
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington Have you wondered why efforts to recruit minority populations for clinical trials study the COVID-19 vaccine have been a struggle? Could the distrust in medical research among some black populations be rooted in early encounters between Black Americans and Western medical researchers? Medial Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present is an account of a full history of medical mistreatment among Black Americans. The book is a compilation of years of research in medical journals and experimental reports that have gone undistributed. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo If you haven’t read Dr. Christle Nwora’s piece “Medical Schools Need to Do Much More to Protect Students of Color From Racism” – you need to. Dr. Nwora, like many students of color in the medical school community face uncomfortable encounters and conversations on a daily basis. In So You Want to Talk About Race, concepts that may be new to you or your fellow classmates are introduced and explained. From topics like white privilege and intersectionality are covered, Oluo also offers real-world 36 | PREMEDLIFE.COM | September/October 2020
solutions for unpacking and confronting one’s biases.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning By Jason Reyonds & Ibram Kendi As a future physician, there are many themes in Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You that will or currently relate to your life. From decision-making and community activism to integrity and social justice. In a ‘Letter to the Editor’ written by N. Jia Ahmad and March Shi, third-year medical schools at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the need for anti-racism training in medical school curricula was made clear. In the last two years we have learned about health professional implicit bias, cultural competency, and health disparities through our preclinical curriculum, the authors wrote. “But as others have powerfully documented,1 mere exposure to these lessons is insufficient to create a cohort of medical professionals who can transform understanding into action.” Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji As future physician, it is key that self-perceptions about one’s own biases are challenged. In Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, the authors take readers on a journey that will provide a space for the exploration of “the hidden biases we carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality.
Getting In standing, author Elizabeth Gilbert reflects on how to stay present, accept grief when it comes and trust in the strength of the human spirit. “Resilience is our shared genetic inheritance,” she says.
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How You Can Survive and Thrive in a Crisis The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our worlds upsidedown and inside out. This crisis has presented challenges for pre-medical students, but it has also given them an opportunity to begin to develop the skills and abilities they’ll need as future physicians. From pre-medical students to practicing doctors, the medical community is facing unprecedented challenges. Students who we’ve talked to have shared what they’re most afraid of – keeping up with the academic demands of being a premed student while dealing with the unsurmountable stresses of everything that comes along with living through a pandemic. What’s encouraging is how these premed students are responding to their worries by pushing through their fears and getting things done. They tell themselves that they will not only survive this crisis but will also come out on the other side as a pre-medical student who is more resilient than ever. Here are six TED talks to help you manage your stress and anxiety during this pandemic: Elizabeth Gilbert: It’s Okay to Feel Overwhelmed. Here’s What To Do Next If you’re feeling anxious or fearful during the coronavirus pandemic, you’re not alone. Offering hope and under-
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Kelly McGonigal: How to Make Stress Your Friend When we think about stress, most of us think of it as the enemy. Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others. Susan David: How to be Your Best Self in Times of Crisis “Life’s beauty is inseparable from its fragility,” says psychologist Susan David. In a special virtual conversation, she shares wisdom on how to build resilience, courage and joy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Responding to listeners’ questions from across the globe, she offers ways to talk to your children about their emotions, keep focus during the crisis and help those working on the front lines. Andy Puddicombe: All It Takes Is 10 Mindful Minutes When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10
whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in uncomfortable positions.) Tim Ferriss: Why You Should Define Your Fears Instead of Your Goals The hard choices -- what we most fear doing, asking, saying -- are very often exactly what we need to do. How can we overcome self-paralysis and take action? Tim Ferriss encourages us to fully envision and write down our fears in detail, in a simple but powerful exercise he calls “fear-setting.” Learn more about how this practice can help you thrive in high-stress environments and separate what you can control from what you cannot. Guy Winch: Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid We’ll go to the doctor when we feel flu-ish or a nagging pain. So why don’t we see a health professional when we feel emotional pain: guilt, loss, loneliness? Too many of us deal with common psychological-health issues on our own, says Guy Winch. But we don’t have to. He makes a compelling case to practice emotional hygiene — taking care of our emotions, our minds, with the same diligence we take care of our bodies.
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The Goods
Study Buddofficy Memory Kit
This kit comes with aromatherapy rollerballs, each a custom mix of essential oils blended with soothing jojoba oil, plus a unisex aroma-absorbing lava pebble bracelet.
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Annotator Highlighter Pencils
Meet your new study buddies: pencil-highlighter combos from sisters-turned-inventors Sophie and Izzy. They were tired of going back and forth between a bunch of different utensils when they studied. So, they did something about it, and the Annotator was born.
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The Happiness Planner
This helpful book guides you through 100 days of intention-setting and self-development. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be introduced to positive habits, including: starting each day with an inspiring thought; cutting out things that hold you back; training your mind to always look at the positive side of things; mastering the art of resilience; and strengthening relationships with your loved ones.
Floppy Disk Notebooks
Each is spiral bound with 100 blank pages between two upcycled 3 1/2-inch floppy disks. Toss into your purse or backpack for quick scribbles and sketches—just know that anyone of a certain age who sees them will be tempted to start up a conversation about DOS. Set contains three notebooks.
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My Quarantine Chronicles Journal
In the time of COVID-19, every day brings fresh news and new developments. Emotions are amplified; “regular” activities take on deeper significance. What better time to start a journal? By recording your personal experience, you’ll be able to look back at the bigger picture—and see how far you’ve come.
u Introvert Candles
Husband-and-wife team Spencer and Kenzie Findlay offers an ode to introverts in a comically creative way. Choose from three small-batch candles named after behaviors commonly associated with keep-to-themselves types: Canceled Plans (with notes of aloe, agave, and chrysanthemum), Do Not Disturb (with traces of cedar, vanilla, and sandalwood), and Introvert (with hints of rose, cassis nectar, pomegranate). Available in vibrant colors contained within white glass-blown tumblers, each candle brightens up any solitude seeker’s precious time alone.
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LAST WORDS
I had to overcome these fears to be successful...
The path to medical school is hard. It can also be scary. But during these times, it might help to remember the words of Jack Canfiled that “everything you want is on the other side of fear.” One of the most basic human emotions is fear. It works like an instinct and is wired into our nervous system. While feelings of fear can kick in when we might need, to keep us safe, but fear can also be our enemy. Fear can keep us from moving forward along a path of progress and the more we try to avoid something that we may be afraid of, the harder it may be to overcome an obstacle. There are many similar fears that premedical students face. If these fears aren’t confronted, they may keep you from reaching your goal of gaining admission into medical school. Fear that you are not smart enough. Thinking that you are not good enough or will be smart enough to get through you classes to get into medical school is a big feat. You know your weaknesses best and sometimes you find yourself asking: What if 42 | PREMEDLIFE.COM | September/October 2020
I’m not good enough?” Well, there’s a name for this – imposter syndrome and it’s real. After you identify and accept that what you’re feeling is indeed imposter syndrome, own it know that you will now take steps to turn this attitude around. Think of your imposter syndrome like your inner bully who you refuse to let get the best of you. Take a moment to reflect on all the things that you have already accomplished or are currently doing and celebrate your wins, no matter how big or how little. And lastly, stop frigging comparing yourself to other premeds. Fear of failure. Chris Hardwick once said: “No human ever became interesting by not failing. The more you fail and recover and improve, the better you are as a person. Ever meet someone who’s always had everything work out for them with zero struggle? They usually have the depth of a puddle. Or they don’t exist.” It is important to reframe your thinking about failure. Yes, the stakes are high and you’re trying to get into medical school. When you think about failure, you think of possibly not moving forward along your path to get into medical school. Everybody loves to hear a story of a successful premed who gets into medical school. Living vicariously through those who have accomplished what we hope for. But, hearing these stories of success and nothing else isn’t helpful in the long run since you don’t get a full view of the journey: the challenges, the struggles, the obstacles, the failures that would eventually add up to the success. The truth is, where there are plenty of stories of premedical students who have been successful but there’s something about a story from a premed who turned failure into success to get into medical school. You heard the saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” and that’s just it – you’ll be better off in the knowledge that you’ve gained from your experience with failure and you’ll be stronger and wiser when something else comes your way to trip you up. >>To read the full article, visit premedlife.com
