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Picture from: http://1927cafe.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/stress-qoutes/I usually don't go too negative on this blog, but today, I need to vent!
4th year med school is usually the best thing ever---but I've discovered that the party doesn't actually happen until March 20th, 2009. Until then these are things that stress me out:
1. I have no money: Money can be a stressor to everyone, but usually I'm stress-free about it. Today that is not true. The gov't has not distributed my loans to my lender for the year yet. This means I haven't paid tuition yet. This also means I do not have money to pay rent, buy ridiculously expensive gas, or go on that awesome trip I had planned for "party time fourth year". My stress relieving options? either take out short term loan or sign with a different lender.
2. I'm in the middle of moving: I am literally moving 4 blocks away, but having half my stuff in one house and half in the other is daunting. I've got to finish the move (but not for another 3 days which means I'll be anxious about it until its over), clean up the house, do the walk through and pray that I get a decent amount of my security deposit back (this would also be a stress reliving option for #1) but seeing as how my land lord is threatening a law suit, I doubt that will happen. Options: finish the move, do the walk through and pray
3. My landlord is threatening a law suit: enough said. Options? Hire a lawyer, but see stressor #1.
4. I have got to be dependent: 4th year means in the first few months you've got to be on top of your game so you can impress the attendings and hopefully hear the phrase that every med student hopes to hear, "Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you." Once you hear that, its like a golden ticket for asking for a letter of rec, which is your entire point of impressing them in the first place. These letters of rec are on the minds of each 4th year--until about October when you won't be able to get it into the system for your ERAS application so we just give up. Options? Kissing butt, asking about 100 attendings in hopes of getting 3 good letters, changing your entire shift schedule so you can work with at least one attending twice, etc.
5. In sending my request for a letter of rec, it was sent twice: I hated the idea of asking attendings by email. I thought it should be professional and in person. But I was not going to work with this particular nationally known attending again, so I thought it was my chance. The day after my shift I decided to email him for a letter. Getting a letter from him would be like getting a letter of rec from Steven Spielberg if you were an actor. I drafted my email and attempted to send it. The Internet went out so I quickly closed the email and redrafted it. Feeling more confident with the second draft I restarted my email and attempt to send the second version. Several hours later I checked my sent messages to see the horror of my life: the first version did send. I had sent two emails, both with the same question but written completely differently. AGHH. I still can't get over this one. Options? I asked my roomie if I could send an "OOPS!" email, but he said I've sent enough emails for the night.
6. I'm 26, single and my moms asking for grandbabies. Oh wait that's more of a Sex and the City episode. No worries about that one!! :)
4th year med school is usually the best thing ever---but I've discovered that the party doesn't actually happen until March 20th, 2009. Until then these are things that stress me out:
1. I have no money: Money can be a stressor to everyone, but usually I'm stress-free about it. Today that is not true. The gov't has not distributed my loans to my lender for the year yet. This means I haven't paid tuition yet. This also means I do not have money to pay rent, buy ridiculously expensive gas, or go on that awesome trip I had planned for "party time fourth year". My stress relieving options? either take out short term loan or sign with a different lender.
2. I'm in the middle of moving: I am literally moving 4 blocks away, but having half my stuff in one house and half in the other is daunting. I've got to finish the move (but not for another 3 days which means I'll be anxious about it until its over), clean up the house, do the walk through and pray that I get a decent amount of my security deposit back (this would also be a stress reliving option for #1) but seeing as how my land lord is threatening a law suit, I doubt that will happen. Options: finish the move, do the walk through and pray
3. My landlord is threatening a law suit: enough said. Options? Hire a lawyer, but see stressor #1.
4. I have got to be dependent: 4th year means in the first few months you've got to be on top of your game so you can impress the attendings and hopefully hear the phrase that every med student hopes to hear, "Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you." Once you hear that, its like a golden ticket for asking for a letter of rec, which is your entire point of impressing them in the first place. These letters of rec are on the minds of each 4th year--until about October when you won't be able to get it into the system for your ERAS application so we just give up. Options? Kissing butt, asking about 100 attendings in hopes of getting 3 good letters, changing your entire shift schedule so you can work with at least one attending twice, etc.
5. In sending my request for a letter of rec, it was sent twice: I hated the idea of asking attendings by email. I thought it should be professional and in person. But I was not going to work with this particular nationally known attending again, so I thought it was my chance. The day after my shift I decided to email him for a letter. Getting a letter from him would be like getting a letter of rec from Steven Spielberg if you were an actor. I drafted my email and attempted to send it. The Internet went out so I quickly closed the email and redrafted it. Feeling more confident with the second draft I restarted my email and attempt to send the second version. Several hours later I checked my sent messages to see the horror of my life: the first version did send. I had sent two emails, both with the same question but written completely differently. AGHH. I still can't get over this one. Options? I asked my roomie if I could send an "OOPS!" email, but he said I've sent enough emails for the night.
6. I'm 26, single and my moms asking for grandbabies. Oh wait that's more of a Sex and the City episode. No worries about that one!! :)
3 comments:
1 and 6 are sooo my life as well.
Did you get the letter? After reading your posts about residency application I'm starting to get a little nervous! How many times should you work with an attending before requesting a letter of recommendation? For example, I spent a week at a clinic during my Medicine rotation and the attending said she was impressed. I didn't think to ask for a letter. Am I supposed to have been getting these letters already? I'm about 16 weeks (that's nearly 4 months!) into my 3rd year.
I hope the residency application & interview process continues to go well for you!
Thanks for responding to my question via my blog! Not sure if I want to do Medicine and I always forget to think about letters of rec as I live the med student life. A Peds doc told me to contact him if I didn't honor the Peds ER portion of the rotation (however that would work) b/c he felt strongly about my performance. I was thoroughly encouraged by his feedback, but the thought of a letter never occurred to me!
I wish my performance & solid work ethic would speak for themselves. I do not look forward to having to sell myself to residency programs in the near future. Thanks for showing me your example, which reminds me that I will make it through the next essay-interview round in one piece (& better off)!
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