medical school

nooo I am a simple semi-academic hospitalist, and I love my job so much! general medicine is endlessly fascinating and I love our pts and learning new stuff every day. I did seriously consider cards and ID but came to the conclusion that I am v v old and in a lot of debt and it’s hard to beat what I’ve got going now. as it turns out for partner-related reasons I’m moving across the country this summer and just accepted a new job at UCLA.

what’s new with you?

that's really great! semi-academic sounds like a dream rn

i'm the medical director of the BH service at our local hospital and while i very much enjoy clinical work i do not enjoy all the other stuff, i just wanna see patients

I am very glad you did not pursue cardio, those guys (and by guys I mean TOO MANY MALES) are like the dorky orthobros.

I am 90 miles north of LA and my amazing PCP and cancer docs are with the Santa Barbara outpost, also spent time on main campus and am jealous of all the delicious Persian food you will have at your disposal. Keep in touch and we can do LAFAP!

Gbx I bet you are super awesome at your job, even the dreaded admin parts. Thank you for going where quality care is most needed.

*Santa Barbara outpost of UCLA. That org sure knows how to follow the money

Currently studying for the med school entry test (GAMSAT). Absorbing my whole life, but enjoying the process.

hey quincie! i think i am just generally OK at my job (the admin parts) but i appreciate the encouragement. i'm learning that in some important and also very stupid ways that the admin part is pretty essential in our very broken healthcare system (esp here in NM)

HP -- how does med school 'work' in australia? like do you apply after undergrad or are you applying right out of high/secondary school?

There's two routes! Not as familiar with the out of high school one, but from what I know it's for the top 99.99% achievers who do a small but not quite so hard test, followed by a 6 year degree, 2 year fast tracked bio-science undergrad, 4 year med school proper.
I'm taking the other route, where you do any undergraduate (literally any, I did a bachelor of philosophy/bachelor of theology) and then take this ridiculous gamsat test. To get an interview, universities weight your undergrad marks and your GAMSAT marks 50/50. The combined score needed for an interview is about 170%, I.e. 100% top marks in university and a 70% on the test, or vice versa/any combination of the two. I'm going into the test having received straight high distinctions for my degree filling 100% of the 170 quota, but still to get a 70 on the gamsat feels like a nearly impossible task. It's a 3 part test, humanities, two essays and sciences run over a whole day. It is ridiculously difficult, but I'm committed to the journey and think I can notch a 70 after a few trys. I'll be happy with myself as long as I can get 50+ on this first attempt next month. That's something I can build from

Loving your job, no regrets gbx? Any advice you'd give? I'm very much excited for this ride, have tentative plans of pursuing anaesthetic and less tentative plans of giving myself to some humanitarian work down the line. That's my drive for this whole thing really, which I'm glad to have as it is a very powerful motor to making sure this happens

I can confidently say I'd hit a 70 (or at least very close to it) on the test first time If there was no time limit, but the amount of info they ask you to absorb to answer a question 90 seconds seconds is absurd. It really feels like primarily a stress test from all the practice exams I've done.

If you're a rural applicant the combo score drops to 1.55 and my wife and I live 20 minutes away from a "rural" area which we have dreams of moving to in a decades time.... its not feasible to move now tho and you need to live rural foe 5 years for it to count. So close but so far!

I'm taking the other route, where you do any undergraduate (literally any, I did a bachelor of philosophy/bachelor of theology) and then take this ridiculous gamsat test.

that's roughly the process here in the US as well. I was an English major and did ultimately have to go back for some post-baccalaureate classes in order to qualify for admission

i love...parts of my job. the US healthcare system is pretty busted and that can lead to a lot of indirect moral injury if you're not careful (eg my clinic is so short-staffed, and my patient panel so large, that there have been times that the soonest follow-up appointment I can get someone is months out. this is Not Great for when someone is in crisis). but ultimately very rewarding, yes. do i sometimes think that i should have been an electrician? also yes

Combine careers. Go into surgeries in a jumpsuit and explain loudly why the previous electrician really fucked up the cables and didn't know what they were doing as you blare loud music of some sort from your iPhone, all while the surgical team are anxiously waiting for you to fix the issue with the essential piece of equipment for the ten-hour procedure that stopped working halfway through.

hmmmm yknow maybe not

Lol Ned. Sorry to hear about that. The US healthcare system does give me the heebie jeebies but glad to know there's doctors that care working in it

Test finished, now the painful 2 month wait for results......

good luck! these exams, and the wait for the results, are always excruciating. and if it’s anything like the US, there will be another 2-3 tests with similar stakes. it does get better eventually!

Thank you! I have no patience so these two months will be painful. Just this one and then an interview and we get into med school! Obviously that's where it REALLY begins. You're Dr.'ing? Or just in the know?

I am doctoring!

Got my marks back. I should be starting med school next year :)

They just let anyone in these days!

way to go!!

Thanks Kevin!