I’d spent a month rotating at my #1 hospital, I made tons of connections, I PRAYED. So when I didn’t match, I felt like I’d failed.
I love my program, but matching to my #1 would have meant being closer to my village. Bigger city. New adventure.
I’d be lying if I said I don’t think about what life would be like if things worked out how I planned. But when I remember the number of things I’ve prayed for, that I’m now thankful that I did not get, then maybe someday I’ll understand why things unfolded like this.… or maybe I won’t. Oh well.
I’m so blessed to be at an amazing program with excellent training and kind, genuine people. So regardless of my location, I still get to build a life and home I love.
And oh, what a blessed girl I am to have my K. You can see the disappointment in the way his arms drop, but almost instantly, he pulls himself together and reminds me of everything I still have to be proud of.
Overall, I think it took five or six meltdowns for me to start feeling better. But I promise it does get better🤍🥹
1. I miss engineering. I hope I get to combine it with medicine someday, but until then, I miss it.
2. Some days I feel like I’m missing out on life. I’m watching people my age travel the world, see their families, live their lives… I know I’ll get there eventually but some days, I wonder if I’d be there right now if I’d stayed in engineering.
3. Some days I wish I pursued medicine earlier. Then I remember that God’s timing is perfect. Then I go back to wishing I pursued medicine earlier. El oh el 🤡
4. I still struggle with balance. A lot. I try to prioritize myself despite being so busy but sometimes it just doesn’t work.
5. I was diagnosed with ADHD but I act like it doesn’t exist 💀
Where do I begin?
At the end of university, I had everything lined up to have a great career in engineering. So imagine how I sounded when I said “God told me to go to medical school instead” 🫠🥴. I sounded even more ludicrous when asked how I would do it and I answered “I don’t know yet”.
7 years later, and there are no words to accurately explain how far God has brought me, how securely He has held and carried me, how intentional He is with me.
I remain in awe of you, Jesus. El Roi, the God who sees me. O ran mo n’ise f’aya ti, the one who sent me and backed me up. My thankfulness has no bounds.
Go where God sends you. I am evidence that He keeps His promises.
About 70% of med school grads have student loans. If you’re one of us, here are a few ways to minimize your debt:
✨Work before starting med school (and during, if you can). Borrowing even just a few hundred less every month will save you significantly in the long run.
✨Choose your school based on cost, not just prestige. A state school vs. a private med school can mean a $100K+ difference in debt.
✨Negotiate your financial aid package.
Most students don’t realize they can appeal their aid offer. If a different school offers you more, use it as leverage.
✨Apply for scholarships aggressively.
Most students apply once and stop. The ones with the least debt applied every single year — even in their 3rd and 4th year.
✨ Live below your means during school.
Roommates vs living alone. Cooking at home. Budgeting!! These choices compound over 4 years.
✨ Borrow only what you need
Just because you’re approved for $50K doesn’t mean you take $50K. Borrow per semester based on actual need.
• The first time I lost a patient, I took the next day off (and I felt bad about this 🫠). I still can’t explain what I felt, but I just couldn’t go to work. I also avoided that room for the rest of the week.
• One of my most unhealthy relationships is with food and it’s becoming more obvious in residency. I don’t only stress eat- I also eat to keep myself occupied. Big task ahead? My first instinct is to get a snack to keep my going. I don’t think I’m the only resident that does it but it doesn’t seem healthy 🥴🙃 • We take pride making patients well, but I wish we were trained to also take pride in the patients who we did everything for but who still didn’t make it. • Anesthesia scares the heck outta me🥴🫠… cos wdym I’m supposed to put my patient to sleep then take over their breathing (and so many other things) 💀
• My life would probably be much easier if I accepted that I had ADHD. El oh el
#fyp #residency #anesthesiology
“I’ll make it up on my day off”.
Didn’t do all my practice questions? I’ll make it up on my day off. Didn’t get through all my emails? I’ll make it up on my day off.
El oh ELLLLLL
I act like days off came with a magical wave of energy. I also forget that on days off, my day 8 to 12 hours of work is simply replaced by regular life stuff- laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep, REST.
So day off after day off, I found myself going to bed with a to-do list that was still only half complete cos I packed so much into it.
What’s working better?
✨Creating real, doable to-do lists both on my work days and my days off. Planning to do 2-3 hours of studying after a full day of work isn’t realistic. Planning to do 6 hours of studying on a day off is also not realistic. I’d rather put down 45 mins per day and consistently complete it.
✨Getting even a little bit of my work done everyday; it’s not all or nothing. Planned 10 practice question but only got 5 done? That’s still better than 0.
✨Integrating my life and work, instead of trying to completely separate them. E.g- Grocery shopping isn’t only for weekends anymore. If my weekday ends earlier than planned, I can do a quick stop at the store on my way home- one less thing to squeeze into the weekend.
Diagnosing a patient with something you may only ever see once or twice in your career is so fascinating at first… but also remember that behind that diagnosis, CT Scan, room number, and list of symptoms, is someone’s dad, mom, sister, best friend… someone’s person.
