Well...here I am again, writing my annual post. I know I promised to keep those who actually read this blog up to date on my progress through medical school, but unfortunately medical school is an abusive mistress and decided that I should not be allowed to do so.
I am currently sitting in the one and only Starbucks in Prineville, OR, studying. Last year, about this same time, I took an extremely distressing exam known as Step 1 of the USMLE. Naively, I assumed that I would be exam free for some time, but alas, I am now studying for Step 2 of the USMLE, to be taken on Monday. Now, it should be mentioned, I have not invested nearly as much time into this exam as I did for the previous, but I do feel more at peace about it. After I complete this exam, I shall drive back to Portland, and begin my fourth year of medical school with a bang...esophageal and foregut surgery.
For those of you that do not know, I have decided to put my future career path in the hands of general surgery. Many of you will think "Wait, I thought he was doing orthopedics?" While that was true for some time, I have fallen in love with general surgery. General surgery is a five year indentured servitude post-medical school, during which I am theoretically trained to be an excellent surgeon. Some residency programs have additional years of research, so I could potentially have 6-7 years of indentured servitude before I am allowed to practice medicine without supervision from an attending. I also am planning on doing a pediatric surgery fellowship (another two years of clinical training post residency), so all in all, I still have another ten years to go before I actually begin my career as a practicing physician. Sometimes I wonder why I am doing this to myself, then I realize that I get to sit in a Starbucks and study during my only time off this summer and realize it is all entirely worth it....
I begin to apply for residency this summer/fall. The application process is much like that of medical school, I send out many applications to many different programs which costs many dollars and I hope that many schools like me and send me many interview invites, at which point I spend many more dollars flying to these many interviews, trying to impress the many people that will interview me, after which those many programs rank their many interviewees in the order they like and I rank my many programs in the order of which I would like to attend and a computer does many calculations and then after many months and many days in the month of March I find out what ONE program I get to go to. You see, this is all a harrowing process that inflicts severe stress on the individual. I would not be surprised if I develop a peptic ulcer that perforates in this process and I will have no way to monitor my FAUD (free air under diaphragm) status. Death is imminent.
Well, I must get back to studying....
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Monday, July 1, 2013
Uh Oh!
Whoa, whoa ,whoa....I think it has been way too long since I last posted something. The website tells me Oct 2012. I do apologize for that. In all honesty though, there hasn't been much to write about these last several months. I just wake up and do the same thing every day, with no thought as to what day it is, or the time, I just do.
I am on the verge of my third year of medical school. Some call it the darkest year of medical school. Some call it the most fun. Some, just take it in stride and smile the whole time. I'm hoping I fall somewhere in the middle. On June 15th, I decided to set out on an adventure. Actually, this adventure consisted of me sitting down in front of a computer for 8 hours taking the USMLE Step 1 exam. For those of you that just see that as a bunch of letters and Step 1, I am in the same boat. This exam was rather devastating to the moral of my classmates. Step 1 more or less kind of determines what fields of medicine we can go into. If, for example, I would want to go into something really competitive, like dermatology, I would need to "rock" step one as we say, i.e. we need to do really well. Since taking the exam, I have not done much of anything besides have surgery, and sit around.
On July 8th, the insanity begins. I start with Family Medicine at Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, WA. I will be doing that for five weeks. Then, I go to psych, and hopefully I don't admit myself (the possibility is there). The rest of the year my rotations are as follows, surgery, OB/GYN, Rural, Peds, Internal Med and then 4th year!!! Woohooo!!! Well, adios for now.
I am on the verge of my third year of medical school. Some call it the darkest year of medical school. Some call it the most fun. Some, just take it in stride and smile the whole time. I'm hoping I fall somewhere in the middle. On June 15th, I decided to set out on an adventure. Actually, this adventure consisted of me sitting down in front of a computer for 8 hours taking the USMLE Step 1 exam. For those of you that just see that as a bunch of letters and Step 1, I am in the same boat. This exam was rather devastating to the moral of my classmates. Step 1 more or less kind of determines what fields of medicine we can go into. If, for example, I would want to go into something really competitive, like dermatology, I would need to "rock" step one as we say, i.e. we need to do really well. Since taking the exam, I have not done much of anything besides have surgery, and sit around.
On July 8th, the insanity begins. I start with Family Medicine at Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, WA. I will be doing that for five weeks. Then, I go to psych, and hopefully I don't admit myself (the possibility is there). The rest of the year my rotations are as follows, surgery, OB/GYN, Rural, Peds, Internal Med and then 4th year!!! Woohooo!!! Well, adios for now.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Long Time...Sorry About this
Hey y'all...Sorry for the time in between posts.
The end of the year last year took a lot out of me. I believe my last post was in reference to our crash course in immunology. After that we had a crash course in many different things microbiology related. I'm beginning to realize that many things in medical school are just that...crash courses in one subject or another. Sometimes, this rush of information makes me think about how some other countries do the whole medical training thing. I'm beginning to see the value in having a combined undergrad/grad school program that is designed to produce physicians. It would not be as stressful (maybe) and you have more time to learn things better. But alas, I can not change anything now.
My summer was rather uneventful. I moved from my old apartment into a house (affectionately called the Raptor Den) with some of my classmates. It has been a very different, but welcome change. I also visited my brother in the Republic of Georgia for about two weeks. Other than that, I didn't really do anything. I tried to distance myself from medicine as much as I could, as this was my last summer of freedom...ever.
A theme that keeps on reappearing in medical school is how do I use my time and what do I use it for? With the frequency at which it appears, it makes me think I'm either not learning the lesson that needs to be learned, or that it is merely a means to reinforce a very important idea that we all have to face one day sooner or later. This summer, I was once again presented with this theme, this trending idea. Unfortunately for me, I didn't realize this until after my summer had ended. I spent much of this summer doing nothing really, and I have to ask myself, was that the most judicious use of my time? I would have to say no, but then again, many good things did come from this summer. I was able to fully appreciate a few friendships that I had formed over the course of the year. I also realized how important my church family is to me, and how much of a blessing they are. Realizing this, I wish I would have served more than I did at church. Despite this, I still have this nagging feeling...what do I use my time for?
School started the 27th of August. I did not realize how hard this year would be for me. Some of my classmates would probably say it is easier, but I'm struggling. I'm not quite sure why this is, but the truth of the matter is, last year I kept my head above water, and now, well, it really isn't.
We are currently in the middle of our "circulation" course. No this is not a course in library procedures, but rather the pathophysiology of all things regarding the circulatory system in the body. The material is fascinating, but there is so much of it. I know I have studied a lot, but am not quite sure how much of it I remember. Either my iceberg is shrinking or I am having binary fission of penguins.
Well, that is about it for now. I just wanted to throw out an update to y'all. I hope to do this on more of a regular basis.
Mark Halvorson
The end of the year last year took a lot out of me. I believe my last post was in reference to our crash course in immunology. After that we had a crash course in many different things microbiology related. I'm beginning to realize that many things in medical school are just that...crash courses in one subject or another. Sometimes, this rush of information makes me think about how some other countries do the whole medical training thing. I'm beginning to see the value in having a combined undergrad/grad school program that is designed to produce physicians. It would not be as stressful (maybe) and you have more time to learn things better. But alas, I can not change anything now.
My summer was rather uneventful. I moved from my old apartment into a house (affectionately called the Raptor Den) with some of my classmates. It has been a very different, but welcome change. I also visited my brother in the Republic of Georgia for about two weeks. Other than that, I didn't really do anything. I tried to distance myself from medicine as much as I could, as this was my last summer of freedom...ever.
A theme that keeps on reappearing in medical school is how do I use my time and what do I use it for? With the frequency at which it appears, it makes me think I'm either not learning the lesson that needs to be learned, or that it is merely a means to reinforce a very important idea that we all have to face one day sooner or later. This summer, I was once again presented with this theme, this trending idea. Unfortunately for me, I didn't realize this until after my summer had ended. I spent much of this summer doing nothing really, and I have to ask myself, was that the most judicious use of my time? I would have to say no, but then again, many good things did come from this summer. I was able to fully appreciate a few friendships that I had formed over the course of the year. I also realized how important my church family is to me, and how much of a blessing they are. Realizing this, I wish I would have served more than I did at church. Despite this, I still have this nagging feeling...what do I use my time for?
School started the 27th of August. I did not realize how hard this year would be for me. Some of my classmates would probably say it is easier, but I'm struggling. I'm not quite sure why this is, but the truth of the matter is, last year I kept my head above water, and now, well, it really isn't.
We are currently in the middle of our "circulation" course. No this is not a course in library procedures, but rather the pathophysiology of all things regarding the circulatory system in the body. The material is fascinating, but there is so much of it. I know I have studied a lot, but am not quite sure how much of it I remember. Either my iceberg is shrinking or I am having binary fission of penguins.
Well, that is about it for now. I just wanted to throw out an update to y'all. I hope to do this on more of a regular basis.
Mark Halvorson
Friday, May 4, 2012
Immuno...What was that we just studied?
Ahhh the joys of medical school...really, there are a lot of them, you just have to be willing to find them. Sometimes, that is a very difficult thing to do, especially in the Willamette Valley, where the sun doesn't show its wonderful face for many months. It is during those long dreary months that you lose sight of why you are in medical school. When that happens, it becomes imperative to find something beyond medical school to focus your sights on.
Enough with this fluffy existential stuff. We have started a new class, the Biologic Basis of Disease...
And now we are in the middle of a "block" of immunology. It is more like a week of cramming a really interesting and important subject into a few days so we don't remember it in two weeks. This is not the most effective way to teach immuno. I was blessed to have had taken it in my undergraduate studies, but the majority of my class has not and I am saddened by the amount of frustration and confusion this subject is causing them. Fortunately, we only have two more days really, then an exam on Monday. After the exam I'm not doing anything. I don't know how I could. I'm brain dead. My brain keeps saying "no more, no more," yet I keep cramming stuff in it. It is very much like grocery store bags...you know when you keep putting more and more stuff in the bag, even though you know full well that it is at capacity and has the potential to break any moment? Yeah, that is how I feel right now.
But fear not, I shall persevere. Daily I still find myself surprised that I am nearly done with 25% of my degree. I probably spend too much time thinking about that actually. Nearly a bunch (I don't have a number) of my class is getting married this summer. Why does getting married always seem like the cool thing to do during the summer?
Well, tootles for now, I have to finish watching Star Wars Episode IV before I go to sleep.
Mark Halvorson
Enough with this fluffy existential stuff. We have started a new class, the Biologic Basis of Disease...
And now we are in the middle of a "block" of immunology. It is more like a week of cramming a really interesting and important subject into a few days so we don't remember it in two weeks. This is not the most effective way to teach immuno. I was blessed to have had taken it in my undergraduate studies, but the majority of my class has not and I am saddened by the amount of frustration and confusion this subject is causing them. Fortunately, we only have two more days really, then an exam on Monday. After the exam I'm not doing anything. I don't know how I could. I'm brain dead. My brain keeps saying "no more, no more," yet I keep cramming stuff in it. It is very much like grocery store bags...you know when you keep putting more and more stuff in the bag, even though you know full well that it is at capacity and has the potential to break any moment? Yeah, that is how I feel right now.
But fear not, I shall persevere. Daily I still find myself surprised that I am nearly done with 25% of my degree. I probably spend too much time thinking about that actually. Nearly a bunch (I don't have a number) of my class is getting married this summer. Why does getting married always seem like the cool thing to do during the summer?
Well, tootles for now, I have to finish watching Star Wars Episode IV before I go to sleep.
Mark Halvorson
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The End of an Era, The Beginning of a New
Alas! It is done! My class has recently finished our systems, processes and homeostasis class. Those are just fancy words for physiology and pharmacology. I'm not going to lie, that class was hard, but it was fun. Now that SPH is over with, we move on to some relatively more clinically oriented stuff in our Biological Basis of Disease class.
It is hard to believe that I am nearly 1/4 of the way done with my degree already. The more I think about that, the more terrified become. In just three short years, I will be unleashed on the world, free to wreak havoc on all who see me!!! :) This leads me to another point.
To those of you that you know me, you know I was full on ortho boy. I wasn't going to relent. That is what I wanted, and I was going to get it. Now...I'm not so sure. I have come to realize that I'm slowly getting tired of trying to constantly achieve perfection in everything I do. On top of that, I'm far from achieving perfection, so I'm constantly worried and stressed out. My grades have been decent, but I'm not in the top 15% of my class, not even close. I'm sitting pretty in the middle. This being said, my eyes have been opened to two new areas of medicine I had no exposure in previously, pediatric critical care and anesthesiology. Currently, with the way the system is set up, I can't do one, then do a fellowship in the other, i.e. a residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in pediatric critical care (you used to be able to do that). But I have found there are some programs in the US that would allow me to do a combined peds/anesthesiology residency. I will be BE, BC in both, and will also be able to do a peds critical care fellowship! I'm not still 100% sure if this is the route that I will take, but I have enjoyed those two rotations very much, and find that they are "my people" more than ortho. Okay, I must get back to paying attention to presentations.
Mark Halvorson
It is hard to believe that I am nearly 1/4 of the way done with my degree already. The more I think about that, the more terrified become. In just three short years, I will be unleashed on the world, free to wreak havoc on all who see me!!! :) This leads me to another point.
To those of you that you know me, you know I was full on ortho boy. I wasn't going to relent. That is what I wanted, and I was going to get it. Now...I'm not so sure. I have come to realize that I'm slowly getting tired of trying to constantly achieve perfection in everything I do. On top of that, I'm far from achieving perfection, so I'm constantly worried and stressed out. My grades have been decent, but I'm not in the top 15% of my class, not even close. I'm sitting pretty in the middle. This being said, my eyes have been opened to two new areas of medicine I had no exposure in previously, pediatric critical care and anesthesiology. Currently, with the way the system is set up, I can't do one, then do a fellowship in the other, i.e. a residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in pediatric critical care (you used to be able to do that). But I have found there are some programs in the US that would allow me to do a combined peds/anesthesiology residency. I will be BE, BC in both, and will also be able to do a peds critical care fellowship! I'm not still 100% sure if this is the route that I will take, but I have enjoyed those two rotations very much, and find that they are "my people" more than ortho. Okay, I must get back to paying attention to presentations.
Mark Halvorson
Sunday, April 8, 2012
O Thy Spring Day
Here I am....studying on a beautiful spring day. As you can see...my face is happy. Oh well, today was a beautiful Easter! I just have to survive one more day, then it is all behind me. By "it" I mean the comprehensive physiology final that we have had like 2 days to study for. Am I really going to remember all of this stuff? Nope...oh well, it is only 10% of our grade, I shall survive. See you on the other side.
Mark Halvorson
Mark Halvorson
Location:SW Woods St,Portland,United States
Thursday, April 5, 2012
In a hole of Misery
I know it has been awhile since I last updated my blog. To be perfectly honest, I don't have a lot of time, and am usually never around a computer...but now I have this new iPad thingy, so I can now have writing power wherever I go. So I am updating while taking a study break.
I don't think a lot has happened since I last wrote, except that school has become more stressful. I don't know that could happen, but it has. I think it is primarily due to taking on more responsibility, thus having more things pulling at me from all directions (kind of like an extra alveolar airway in the parenchyma of the lungs). I am currently working on two clinical research projects with the pediatric orthopod at Doernbecher's Children's hospital (one of which I'm building from the ground up). I'm also getting ready to finish up my physiology class, which has been difficult but rewarding. I am loving my class more and more everyday, a great group of people.
Next week we start our biological basis of disease class, then after that, it is summer break! It is hard to imagine I will already 25% complete with my degree. Anywho, I gotta get back to studying...I just wanted to throw a quick update to those of you who actually read this.
Mark Halvorson
I don't think a lot has happened since I last wrote, except that school has become more stressful. I don't know that could happen, but it has. I think it is primarily due to taking on more responsibility, thus having more things pulling at me from all directions (kind of like an extra alveolar airway in the parenchyma of the lungs). I am currently working on two clinical research projects with the pediatric orthopod at Doernbecher's Children's hospital (one of which I'm building from the ground up). I'm also getting ready to finish up my physiology class, which has been difficult but rewarding. I am loving my class more and more everyday, a great group of people.
Next week we start our biological basis of disease class, then after that, it is summer break! It is hard to imagine I will already 25% complete with my degree. Anywho, I gotta get back to studying...I just wanted to throw a quick update to those of you who actually read this.
Mark Halvorson
Location:Portland, OR
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