From: NRMP Staff
To: The Balls
Subject: Did I match
Congratulations! You have matched!
In addition to that little gem of an email, I got my final set of board scores yesterday. Passed. I finished my last day of rotations on Friday. I am now a Physician. All I have left to do is vacation, pick up my diploma May 17th, and party like a rock star.
VERY GOOD DAY.
My most sincere wishes of luck to any scrambling tomorrow.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Match, or Why does the NRMP have to bust my balls?
Its 10 A.M. CST. I haven't slept in...about 2 weeks. Today is the beginning of "Match Week." Basically, the beginning of the next three years of my life. Allow me to explain.
I've been in higher education for about a decade now. The last 4 years have been medical school. After medical school I'll be a Physician, but I wont have any magic powers. I have to spend another 3 years as an indentured servant before I get my magic powers and become a "licensed" physician.
The process by which I become an indentured servant (aka, resident) is "The Match." To make a long story short, you apply to a ton of programs. Then you go on a ton of interviews (assuming the programs offered you an interview), pretend you like every program you visit, and spend tons of money traveling to these locations. Then, you make a list of your favorites, the residency programs make their list, and wherever things match up you go. So if you don't want to be a family practice doctor, you just don't apply to any family practice residencies.
So thats the match in the simplest of terms. "Match Week" is the week when you find out where you are going for residency. In about 50 minutes I find out IF I matched anywhere. Basically I log on a web site and see "matched" or "you're fucked, loser." After today I have to wait until Thursday to find out where I'm going. If I get the "you're fucked" message I have tomorrow and Wednesday to try and "scramble" into a position, which basically means beg my way into an unfilled position in some arm pit locale that no one else wanted to attend.
What makes no sense to me is why they can't tell me where I'm matched today. I don't understand why they need to prolong my suffering. I know the theory is so that the scramblers can do their thing, but why the hell does it matter if I know where I'm going for the dude scrambling.
Ridiculous.
I've been in higher education for about a decade now. The last 4 years have been medical school. After medical school I'll be a Physician, but I wont have any magic powers. I have to spend another 3 years as an indentured servant before I get my magic powers and become a "licensed" physician.
The process by which I become an indentured servant (aka, resident) is "The Match." To make a long story short, you apply to a ton of programs. Then you go on a ton of interviews (assuming the programs offered you an interview), pretend you like every program you visit, and spend tons of money traveling to these locations. Then, you make a list of your favorites, the residency programs make their list, and wherever things match up you go. So if you don't want to be a family practice doctor, you just don't apply to any family practice residencies.
So thats the match in the simplest of terms. "Match Week" is the week when you find out where you are going for residency. In about 50 minutes I find out IF I matched anywhere. Basically I log on a web site and see "matched" or "you're fucked, loser." After today I have to wait until Thursday to find out where I'm going. If I get the "you're fucked" message I have tomorrow and Wednesday to try and "scramble" into a position, which basically means beg my way into an unfilled position in some arm pit locale that no one else wanted to attend.
What makes no sense to me is why they can't tell me where I'm matched today. I don't understand why they need to prolong my suffering. I know the theory is so that the scramblers can do their thing, but why the hell does it matter if I know where I'm going for the dude scrambling.
Ridiculous.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
I've been purposely neglecting
I've been neglecting this blog. Most people that neglect things usually say, "OH! SORRY! I'VE BEEN SO BUSY!"
Whatever. I have been SO busy in the past, I know what its like, and you're not there. Deal with it. You just can't admit to people that you've purposely been shoving them to the back of your mind. I can, and freely do, admit this.
One of the reasons I've been neglecting this blog is because my life has been so damn dull. When I started this blog...well, when I started thinking about starting this blog, my life was busy and filled with hilarity and crazy tales from the hospital. I've got a lot of things I want to talk about here, recount some past stories, stuff like that. I just haven't. It's who I am.
One thing that is funny to me, and spurred me to make this entry, is another example of someone that was purposely neglecting. I had this patient the other day that came in for his diabetes. His hemoglobin A1c was 12% (very, very high, which is bad). The A1c is a way to monitor the average blood sugar over the last 120 days (the lifespan of a red blood cell). Say a patient hasn't been taking their medicine. The day of their visit they say, "shit, I don't want to look like a jack ass who is killing myself by neglect, I'm going to double down on the insulin and look like a shining example of what a diabetic should be."
I used to do that before I went to see my orthodontist. I'd wear my retainer on my way over there and writhe around in pain as it squished my teeth back into position. Orthodontist would look at them, tighten the shit up, and say "looked great!" Then I'd repeat the process in a month.
Well, the A1c tells us what the average blood sugar has been over the past 120 days and keeps diabetics honest. I can extrapolate back what your average blood sugar was despite what your current blood sugar says.
This guy doesn't seem to understand that. Last time he was in his A1c was 10, and his blood sugar was 57 (low, just above the point where people start losing consciousness). He was sweaty, and felt terrible. Basically he tripled down on his insulin to make his sugar low and overshot...then drove to the clinic probably with blurred vision.
Anyway, we explained to him how we knew he hadn't been taking his medicine. Well. He didn't get it, because he did the same shit at this visit. Came in with an A1c of 12 which is an average blood sugar of over 300 (again, really damn high). His blood sugar in the office today--87.
Purposely neglecting.
Its like the person that has started to have bad lungs from smoking. More cough, getting infections more often, gets winded walking up the stairs. But still, they continue to smoke. Today, one of my mentors told me how he deals with these people. "Either quit smoking or start doubling down so you can hurry up and get the process over with. There's no need to prolong the suffering."
So my advice to you today. Whatever it is you've been neglecting...either shit or get off the pot. No need to prolong the suffering.
Whatever. I have been SO busy in the past, I know what its like, and you're not there. Deal with it. You just can't admit to people that you've purposely been shoving them to the back of your mind. I can, and freely do, admit this.
One of the reasons I've been neglecting this blog is because my life has been so damn dull. When I started this blog...well, when I started thinking about starting this blog, my life was busy and filled with hilarity and crazy tales from the hospital. I've got a lot of things I want to talk about here, recount some past stories, stuff like that. I just haven't. It's who I am.
One thing that is funny to me, and spurred me to make this entry, is another example of someone that was purposely neglecting. I had this patient the other day that came in for his diabetes. His hemoglobin A1c was 12% (very, very high, which is bad). The A1c is a way to monitor the average blood sugar over the last 120 days (the lifespan of a red blood cell). Say a patient hasn't been taking their medicine. The day of their visit they say, "shit, I don't want to look like a jack ass who is killing myself by neglect, I'm going to double down on the insulin and look like a shining example of what a diabetic should be."
I used to do that before I went to see my orthodontist. I'd wear my retainer on my way over there and writhe around in pain as it squished my teeth back into position. Orthodontist would look at them, tighten the shit up, and say "looked great!" Then I'd repeat the process in a month.
Well, the A1c tells us what the average blood sugar has been over the past 120 days and keeps diabetics honest. I can extrapolate back what your average blood sugar was despite what your current blood sugar says.
This guy doesn't seem to understand that. Last time he was in his A1c was 10, and his blood sugar was 57 (low, just above the point where people start losing consciousness). He was sweaty, and felt terrible. Basically he tripled down on his insulin to make his sugar low and overshot...then drove to the clinic probably with blurred vision.
Anyway, we explained to him how we knew he hadn't been taking his medicine. Well. He didn't get it, because he did the same shit at this visit. Came in with an A1c of 12 which is an average blood sugar of over 300 (again, really damn high). His blood sugar in the office today--87.
Purposely neglecting.
Its like the person that has started to have bad lungs from smoking. More cough, getting infections more often, gets winded walking up the stairs. But still, they continue to smoke. Today, one of my mentors told me how he deals with these people. "Either quit smoking or start doubling down so you can hurry up and get the process over with. There's no need to prolong the suffering."
So my advice to you today. Whatever it is you've been neglecting...either shit or get off the pot. No need to prolong the suffering.
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