Ch-Ch-Changes

So now I'm in the midst of Human Anatomy, Abnormal Psychology, and Biomedical Ethics classes while expanding my role at Dinah's Poolside Restaurant to include Waitress.  LOVE IT!

Personal life's a bit topsy turvey at the moment, but hoping that'll settle down soon as well. It didn't slow me down, and I still got my A's on my human anatomy tests last week. Yay!

But I am looking forward to December when I can have a whole day off! :)

Apps and MCATs!

Crazy times.  Filling out expensive secondary apps and studying for the MCAT in addition to working and taking classes.  I took the MCAT yesterday, and I don't think I did as well as I'd hoped.  I just hope I did well enough that I don't feel I have to retake it!

In the meantime, I'm continuing the secondary apps and classes and looking for either that third job or one of my other jobs to be extended... need to start paying for those applications!  Another adventure awaits...

And I think this is a very cool idea:
http://news.yahoo.com/no-practicing-patients-docs-boot-camp-051024717.html

MCAT changes and Finals approach

So it's been a crazy month, sorry I didn't get to posting sooner!

I had to move my MCAT date from May 31 to July 12.  I just wasn't going to have the physics down in time, especially with finals approaching. 

I unfortunately have to claim bankruptcy.  I tried to get work so I could pay my bills, but the jobs I had just didn't amount to even half of what unemployment paid me, so it was time I took control and did the deed.  Not happy about it as it will mean I have to find a cosigner for student loans, and so far that's not looking so great.  But I have a year to worry about that, so I can focus on finals and MCAT right now.

I have finals starting tomorrow (well, a final test in O Chem on the last three chapters that worth more than the official final on Thursday).  I'll be glad when Organic Chemistry is over!!

Then I focus on Kaplan and MCAT studying until the 12th.

Meanwhile, I have a new job.  I'm working as hostess at Dinah's Poolside Restaurant in Palo Alto on weekends.  It's a beautiful restaurant and a fun job.  I also tutor chemistry and biology at my college's tutoring center.  Starting in summer it will be for twelve hours a week.  I just need one more job of twelve to eighteen hours that I can work in the morning during the week (and then switch to evenings in fall).  Then I should be able to make a survivable wage after my bankruptcy.  I really can't wait until I'm a doctor and can actually SAVE some money! :)

So I'm very busy this next month and a half but will try to get in some updates...even if they're small but quick!

Putting out the word...

So I've been slowly messaging my Facebook contacts, then my email and Linkedin contacts, regarding my gofundme page and if they have any other ideas for me.  So far I've had a couple great ideas come in.  Some I can look into, others aren't as practical, but at least they're ideas!  Sometimes they spawn other ideas, too!

I've been reading some very dry material on amino acids so I can finish my presentation for Organic Chemistry class.  And still reading to catch up on my Kaplan class.

In the meantime, thanks to my mom for letting me use her card to get my hair done.  It was in need of refreshing!  Whew!

About Six Weeks To MCAT

Yikes!  So my last in-day class of Kaplan was last night.  Still behind. Trying to catch up this week.  Now I need to gear up and start doing at least one full practice test a week. Preferably two!

Today I work on my O Chem presentation on amino acids and finish up my second lab.  And take my online Kaplan last O Chem Class.  Busy, Busy, Busy!!

I leave you today with a random cat picture:

Interfolio is Handy!

I got out two requests for letters of recommendation yesterday through Interfolio.  As I send out my requests and the letter writers begin to upload them to Interfolio by the end of May, I can then forward them all to my AMCAS application for medical schools.  This way I don't have to wait until the actual AMCAS application is open to request the letters.  So two requests are off, and just three to five more to go!

Also completed an O Chem lab and some bio reading for Kaplan tonight.

Stopped by Kaiser this afternoon and met up with my fellow volunteers.  I haven't seen them for two months, so it was nice to chat for a little bit.  I'll be back with them in June.

I have applied to Starbucks, but I'm not sure how long before they'll get back to me.  I hope they don't consider me over-qualified!  I just need a job that gives me enough hours and is flexible around school...just until I check in to medical school in Fall of 2015 (I hope!).

Now I need to start working on my powerpoint presentation on amino acids!  Ta ta!

Letters of Recommendation Requests

I'm on Spring Break this week.  So that means I get to get caught up on all my school work! 

I also saw my doctor today.  I haven't been sleeping very well and even caught myself "wheezing" a time or two as I was waking up.  He thinks it'll likely all chalk up to stress. I don't know why!  It's not like I have Organic Chemistry, an MCAT test coming up, medical school applications, a work search, and no money! ;)

So we're going to wait until June to see if my sleep gets better.  If not, then I'll go in for a sleep study.  So we'll see what happens!

In the meantime, I also asked him for a letter of recommendation to medical school.  He said yes.  Yay!  So I've got to get my requests out today to give everyone at least a month to get them done for me.  Medical school is getting closer and closer...


Wish I'd had him as my physics teacher!:

I guess we dropped the bag...

At work today, my partner and I couldn't remember dropping off the bag of patient's belongings at our last call.  We even went back to the hospital and double checked (it wasn't left in the room). When we got back to the station, we found the bag still under the gurney.  Sigh.  So I clocked out and stopped at the nursing home on the way home.  Thankfully the bag got to her in once piece!

Gearing up for an email campaign to help my gofundme.com website.  And another round of corner dancing with my sign tomorrow!

And letters of to my teachers asking for letters of recommendation to medical school.  I want to give them at least a month to work on them!

A Bee on the Hand

While working today, just after dropping off a patient in Oakland, my partner and I were walking toward our rig when a bee landed on my hand.  I slowly brought my hand up and asked her to fly away, but, alas, she did not listen.  Instead, the little bee washed her front legs and head.  My partner asked if I was allergic.  Thankfully, no, but I do hate the pain of bee stings.  So I waited and waited...I even moved closer to the flower bushes in the hope that she would be enticed by them.  Nope.  Finally, after a good minute or so, the little bee flew off (away from the flowers, of course).  And the bee and I both lived another day.  Whew!

Anyway, getting caught up with my Kaplan course and my Organic chemistry class since I'm on spring break this week.  But we were pretty busy at work today, so I only managed to read two pages between calls.  But slowly and surely I march towards med school!

Campaign to Med School

So today was a slow day on the campaign trail.  I was working and got held over on a call and missed dinner completely.  Got home at 10:30pm, ready for bed!

Still brainstorming, though.  And glad Spring Break has started.  I'm going to need this week to catch up on my Kaplan course.  :)

OH BLOG!

Noticed I haven't been very... consistent with my blogging.  Turns out I've never really been sure on what to blog about other than that I want to go to medical school.  But I've pretty much covered that already in previous entries as well as in my gofundme.com/jenjpar page (please check it out here).

So what else do I talk about?

Well, right now I'm sitting here with my ex-husband, Brent (he says hi!), trying to figure out what I want to say with this blog.  So I've settled on a few topics:

1) My classes.  I'm not doing as well as usual this semester, so maybe talking about them will help me figure out what I need to do to get back on top.

2) How the hell am I going to get into medical school?  Schooling is just the first part of a bunch of tasks and requirements, so this is a topic in and of itself!  For instance, did you know that's it's impossible to go to medical school if you already have previous debts? That's why I created my Go Fund Me page.  Have you checked it out, yet?  If not, here's the link again: gofundme.com/jenjpar.  To sum it up, I need to get rid of my debts so that I can get student loans through medical school.

3) My field of study.  In case you don't know already, I've decided to major in neuropsychiatry So this is where I'll talk about why that is as well as share with you articles, ideas, etc of past/present/future psychiatric and neuroscientific news.  In other words, let's talk about the mind.  How it should work and why it doesn't.

4) Cat videos.  Everybody loves cat videos.  This is a fact.  No, I mean EVERYBODY. Every single person on the planet.  That's why I've decided to add videos presenting my guest lecturer, Doctor MorningStar, in which she'll discuss various experiments, scientific theories, and tuna.

So that's about it.  At least, that's all I've got so far.  EVERY DAY I'll talk about at least one of these.  I hope you will join me on my journey of self discovery and tuna.

Oh, and, by the way, do you know I have a Go Fund Me page?   gofundme.com/jenjpar

Thank you!

Jennifer

Distillation

So on Thursday in O Chem class we took our one-week old mixture of sugar and yeast and distilled ethanol. Well, the rest of the class did. My partner and I distiller water. Twice. We can turn wine into water!

14 Years to become a stand-alone practicing doctor?

Excellent article.  We really do need more doctors, and fast!  Worth a read:

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/03/physician_shortage_should_we_shorten_medical_education.html

Reactions with Alcohols

No, sorry, no wine or beer here.  Just started learning the chapter on alcohol in organic chemistry today.  And worked on alcohols and carbonyl groups in my Kaplan class this evening.

Also updated my Go Fund Me campaign.  At this point, it may be the only way I can make it to medical school.  Sigh.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some alcohol facts that may be a little more intriguing than the organic chem version:

This is what happens in the body during a heart attack!

Scary!

In other news, I got a 51 on my Organic Chemistry quiz.  Not surprising considering everything I was dealing with up to that day.  On the other hand, I'm keeping up with the new stuff and plan on getting A's the rest of the semester.  Hope I can still get an A in the class!  :O

A Third in...

About a third of the way into this semester, and I'm running scared!  I'm behind on my Kaplan class homework and my Organic Chemistry class.  But I caught up some this last weekend, and a little more today.  I hope to finish catching up by the end of next week!!

We had our first test in OChem yesterday. Scary! About 40 reactions to know (benzene and carbonyl reactions), and I know some of them left my brain during the test.  I hope they come back by finals!

I've upped my campaign for money for medical school.  I hate asking the world to help me, but it's so important that I get to medical school (and not default on my bills), that I'm doing what I need to do, as long as it's legal!

I'm relearning a lot in my Kaplan courses.  Also freaking out at just how much I need to have at the tip of my tongue for MCAT test day.  Still, I'm going for my 36!

Sharing some cool science stuff, thanks to Neuroscience Research Techniques on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NeuroscienceResearchTechniques):

bit.ly/1ibcDSa

Read more: http://bit.ly/1gkJh3i
Journal article: Genome-wide association study reveals two new risk loci for bipolar disorder. Nature Communications, 2014. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4339
Image credit: dullhunk/Flickr

Panic sets in...

I'm now behind in my Kaplan class and my Organic Chemistry class.  Only about two or three hours behind in O Chem homework, but likely about 10 to 15 hours behind in Kaplan.  Aargh!

Also incredibly broke.  I'm making less money with my part time job than I did on unemployment.  I can't afford to pay my bills.  I still can't find a second part-time job or a full time job, and, even if I did, how will I find the time to work it?

I had my bills paid down before losing my last job, and now they're all back up again...and my FICOscore is going down.  This can affect my chances of getting a student loan.  I was also told by the Financial Wizards at the medical schools that I won't be able to afford old bills while living on a student loan during medical school, so I need to get those paid off.

Here's my quandary: if I take off the years I would need at my current rate of income, I'll be in my seventies before graduating from medical school. If I continue as I am, I'll have a horrible FICO score and I won't be able to actually get any student loans. If I find a job that pays more and can actually go there, then maybe I can graduate from medical school in my early sixties.  If I claim bankruptcy, I'll be ineligible for student loans.

So, what I need is one of the following:

• winning the lotto
• setting up a Kickstarter account and actually reaching my goal
• finding someone who will give me a quiet personal loan that I won't have to begin to pay off until after I complete medical school (in five years or so if all goes well)
• a miracle

Any other ideas out there??

Sigh.  Guess I'll get back to my O Chem homework now...

What a sprain!

So a week after getting back to work after my stomach flu, I managed to sprain my right ankle on the job.  I was climbing into the ambulance after a call, and I guess I didn't get full purchase on the step as my foot slipped off and I landed on the ground, ankle twisted under me.  Sigh.  Then I had to deal with being off of work and all the rigmarole to get back on the job (which I still haven't finished).  And I'm not getting much compensation from worker's comp due to the length of my time on the job, the number of hours I work, the date the doc said I could go back to work, and the requirements I have to complete to get back on the job (two more days of field training...now I have to wait for the training department to get back to me).  Sigh.  As if my money problems weren't difficult enough.

On the other hand, LOVE my first week of classes.  Psychology is more than I thought it would be, and I'm loving every minute of it.  Almost done reading the whole textbook all ready.  And Organic Chemistry is off to a good start with a review of old material... and it's nice to see how much I remember!

Pulled out my Examcrackers CDs to help me ace my MCAT.  This will add to my Kaplan class work.  And it should all help!

Still working on my medical school app.  And really need to send out a heads up to those I need to get recommendation letters from!

And with all this going on, a friend of mine is suddenly forced to move out.  He finally gets to move into his new place on Friday, but he's on disability and can't afford any thing for his house.  He has no furniture and no kitchen stuff or cleaning stuff or towels for the bathroom.  So I've been trying to help find him good resources for the necessities.

And I'm off to new adventures... week two of classes starts soon.

Countdown to Classes

Just a week or so to go before Spring classes start.  Halfway through my Psychology book already.  Fascinating stuff!  Trying to get back into Organic Chemistry ahead of time again, too.

Just relaxed a little this evening creating a "Doctor" mug on Zazzle.  Fun to do!

Finished my first Kaplan online class on Monday, prepping for my first in-class session in February by reading the first few Physics chapters.  This body in motion has to stay in motion through May 31st...the Day of the MCAT!

The new Zazzle mug:  http://www.zazzle.com/doctors_tools-168759777154133498

Working Diagnosis...The Stomach Flu

So, nothing got done last week.  On Tuesday morning, at 3:30am, I had to throw up.  Then, every hour and a half to two hours, I did so again.  I had muscle aches, headache, fever, and profound nausea.  For the first time in the throws of misery I actually thought: my differential diagnoses would be stomach virus or food poisoning.  I ended up with a working diagnosis of stomach virus.  After emailing my doctor the question of how long I could go without keeping any liquid down (and finding out about 24 hours), he prescribed me an anti-emetic.  After taking the first one, I threw up an hour and a half later...but it was the last time!  Then I spent the last week slowly adding more food into my day.  I'm still not 100%.  Bud I made it to work on Saturday and Sunday (only missing Friday)! 

So, now I've got to start getting done the stuff I didn't last week: scholarship apps, studying for OChem, studying Kaplan, writing med school app essays, requesting letters of recommendation.  All before school starts in two more weeks!  Yikes!

Anyway, best run off now and get some of this business started... :O

MCAT: First online Kaplan Diagnostic Test

So I didn't get to take my diagnostic test last Thursday as I got called into work.  I worked through the weekend, and finally had a chance to take the test on Monday, December 30th.  I scored a 23, with verbal reasoning my highest score.  My goal is a 36, and a "competitive" score for medical schools is a 31.  According to Kaplan, I need to put in a lot of hours of practice.  But then I already figured on that. I need a refresher in most of my science.  It's amazing how I learn it then promptly let it go after a test...and now have to relearn it (though it's always faster the second time)!

In addition, I picked up a book, When Doctors Don't Listen, but Leana Wen, M.D., and Joshuya Kosowsky, M.D.  This is a fantastic, must-read book!  I read most of it in one night.  It echoed a lot of the reasons I wanted to become a doctor in the first place.  They discuss the lost art of listening to a patient's narrative.  They don't agree everything should be "cookbook" medicine where everyone who mentions a hot button topic (like "chest pain") should automatically get every test for a heart attack.  Especially if the person went in saying they think it's because they lifted to much and it feel more like the pecs than deeper in the chest.  So many doctors get tunnel vision instead of considering the potential diagnoses and working on one or two.  So many people leave their doc's offices know what they don't have, but not what they DO have.  This book gives patients tools to help get their doctors to listen while the authors are also talking to doctors to get them to start listening as well.  While all the science we have is fantastic and needed, we also need to get back to the master clinicians who know how to get the patients' stories and ultimately get at least a working diagnoses.

In addition to reading, I'm also starting to put together my request letters for letters of recommendation from my professors.  Med school applications open up in May, and I need to have the letters ready by then.  I want to make sure my teachers have time to write up a good one for me.  :)

The new year is starting off busy.  Hopefully it'll be productive and positive as well!