Favorite Quotes
"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." - HL Mencken
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"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." - Confucius
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"The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease" - Sir William Osler
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" The best test of a person's character is how he or she treats those with less power." - Bob Sutton
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"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them - well, I have others." - Groucho Marx
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"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
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"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them" - Friedrich Nietzsche
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"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple." - Charles Mingus
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"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein
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"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesman and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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"This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no fooling around." - Talking Heads, Life During Wartime
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"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it." - Hillel, Talmud, Shabbath 31a
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"You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing." - Thomas Sowell
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"An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." - HL Mencken
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"If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." - Abraham Maslow
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"A great teacher is one who realizes that he himself is also a student and whose goal is not to dictate the answers, but to stimulate his students creativity enough so that they go out and find the answers themselves." - Herbie Hancock
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"There are no facts, only interpretations." - Nietzsche
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"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." - Anatole France
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"In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ====
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A reader’s letter – 33 and ? med school
11 Jun2009
I was born and raised in India and volunteering to help the less fortunate has always been a part of my life ( I now volunteer at a childrens hospital). Since my interest in medicine surfaced later in life ( I am now 33), I will have to make some hard choices along the way. I have a few questions and your perspectives will be greatly appreciated (you are probably very busy and so if you don’t have the time please feel free to ignore my email)
1) What points in medical training lend themselves to having a child – are some better than others or is it going to be terribly uphill no matter what? My husband is very supportive but we have no family in the United States.
Each woman should decide on timing herself. I favor earlier than later for the health of the mom and the baby. Starting at 33 does not give you a perfect time – I would start now.
2) Also, will I be too old to apply for positions in academic medicine if my passion for research endures during medical training? I would be an MD, Ph.D but would have done it the hard way by getting the Ph.D first and then the MD!Academic medicine represents a meritocracy. If you can do great work, they will hire you. If you can write grants and get funded, they will hire you.
3) I am still waiting to hear from (med school B) where I interviewed. I know they are ranked lower than (med school A) but I would like to remain in the vicinity of the (my current home) where I have a strong social support system. In the event that I am admitted to B, will it impact me negatively if I apply for competitive specialties for residency training, compared to coming from A?
I do not believe that your medical school matters as much as how you do in medical school. Your med school B is an excellent school, and many have had great success coming from that school. I have taught (in a first rate residency) residents from smaller, less highly ranked schools. Those residents have the chance for success, and many of them achieve great success. Go to the school that will best fit your life.
Related posts:
- Catch-22 – what the NY Times op-ed missed
- More on personality and medical school success
- Do we need a new Flexner report?
- Is medicine worth it?
- More thoughts on work hours
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4 Responses to A reader’s letter – 33 and ? med school
anonymous
June 11th, 2009 at 6:30 am
agree with getting in but disagree partially in that particularly in academics a ‘better’ medical school offers more opportunity for success down the road. of course it matters how much better, if only slightly better probably nothing added.
disagree with meritocracy comment, but if you think phd is a meritocracy than i think you would agree with db’s viewpoint.
totally agree regardless of above points, that how you do will have the biggest single impact on your family. remember that staying nearby may ease a lot of things for you-friends, husband job, etc that perhaps would allow you to do better. of course in 4 years the match sucks for married couples, particularly with children, in that you can be whisked away anywhere in the country (possibly) with 3 months notice.
agree there best time to have children is when you want them. however, i think 4th year is a fine time to have children if you have to pick. first year would be the worst. we waited and have personally experienced tragedy with multiple miscarriages and loss of baby, so i would say younger the better overwhelms the other factors, particularly if you want more. but it would have been much harder for sure in the first year to try and study and raise infant.
ymmv
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June 11th, 2009 at 10:23 am
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Dr. Bob (FP)
June 12th, 2009 at 7:41 am
The health of your future child trumps all else. Have a kid by 35 or at least before 40. Having grandparents or friends around will be a huge help. My wife & I (both physicians) had our first during the latter half of residency & then next 2 shortly after. Having a grandparent around was a godsend.
If it’s b/w say Wash U and a caribbean school, then go to Wash U. If it’s the difference b/w say Wash U and University of Iowa, choose the one with family & friends nearby.
There are many going through residency in their 30’s of even 40’s. We have 3 of our current 7 graduating residents who are 42, 43, and 50 this year. You’re not that old yet (especially if you take care of your health).
shortiyergirl
June 13th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Thanks to Dr.DB for answering my questions in this post. And thanks to all the commenters as well for your perspectives. Can’t tell you all how much I appreciate your taking the time and the effort.