Archive for May 2020

One of the hardest decisions in your career begins at the end of MBBS when you have to start thinking about which specialty to pursue. With over 60 specialties and over 30 sub-specialties to consider after MBBS, it can be a tough choice. Most people start narrowing down their preferences in the third prof when you get to experience what actually happens in the various medical specialties. You rotate through Surgery, ENT, Internal Medicine, Anaesthesia, Psychiatry, etc. During the internship, you’re supposed to be narrowing it down to your most likely options.

It’s a tough process, full of uncertainty and soul-searching and fears about locking into the wrong specialty. So here are a few things to keep in mind when you are looking for the best choice:

Choose for yourself, not others.

It doesn’t matter if your father wants you to be an orthopedic surgeon or your mother has been grooming you your entire life to take over her Gynaecology practice. Your family/ friends can’t make the best choice for you. They can be a helping hand in this but shouldn’t control your choice. This is your life and you have to be satisfied with your job. So make your own choice based on the several things mentioned in the next points.

An excellent choice of medical specialty should be what you are good at and enjoy simultaneously.

Most people drop out the first condition. But think about it: If you pick something you enjoy but that you are not good at, it will be a disservice to your patients. If you pick something you’re good at but that you don’t enjoy, it will be a disservice to you. Look for something that will satisfy BOTH the conditions, and you’ll be set. Never opt for the specialty that you don’t like nor you are good at, just because somebody told you it is better. Make the right choice delighting both you and your patients.

When in doubt, keep your options open.

When in doubt Internal Medicine and General Surgery can be good options. They both have tons of sub-specialties that you can sample throughout PG, and either one of them will allow you to fine-tune a career for yourself out of the available options.

Take your daily routine into account.

You must of course take lifestyle into account. If you want nights and weekends to yourself, go into Dermatology. Do you want a lot of money? Look at some of the surgical sub-specialties like Plastics. Want shift work with a solid start and finish times? How about Emergency Medicine? You’re all right with staying at work late to stabilize a patient? Think about something like Internal Medicine. Take your personal preferences into account when picking what to do, because if you pick a lifestyle that won’t work for you, you’ll burn out.

Still if you are unsure of making a decision then ask yourself a few questions stated below. This definitely is going to be productive.

What holds more importance for you?

What do you enjoy the most about medicine? Are you fascinated with research or do you love to treat complex cases? Consider what postings you excelled at and which ones you disliked. Sometimes you have to trust your gut when choosing your path.

How extensively are you willing to train?

After 5.5 years of MBBS and 3 years of PG, you may not want to commit to a super specialty. In this case choose an end branch, which lets you settle down and make a career after PG.

Do you need a lot of variety?

If you enjoy the unpredictable, you may want to consider a medical specialty, such as emergency medicine. ER doctors never know what will come through the door next. For those who like more of a structured workday, they may prefer to work in private practice in a specialty, such as pediatrics or family practice.

How do you perform under stress?

It is difficult to predict what specialty will be the most stressful. Lots of factors can contribute to stress, such as operating your own practice, long hours or supervising your staff. But there are certain areas of medicine, which tend to involve treating patients with life-threatening conditions. When the stakes are life and death, the pressure is on. If you do well under pressure, working in critical care or the emergency room may be a good fit. If you prefer a low-key specialty, consider ophthalmology or dermatology.

Are you a people person?

Certain medical specialties involve more patient contact than others. For example, if you enjoy a lot of patient contact, there are many specialties you may do well in. From psychiatry to family practice, you have the opportunity to spend time with your patients. If you are on the opposite end of the spectrum and consider yourself an introvert, you may do better in radiology or pathology.

Do you have a patient population you want to work with?

Not all doctors have a certain population they want to treat. For others, they have an interest in working with children, the elderly or patients with mental health issues. If you have a strong interest in caring for a certain population, it may help lead you to a certain specialty.

How important is doing procedures?

Certain types of doctors are more likely to perform procedures while other medical specialties involve doing more diagnostics.

Conclusion

If you ask yourself the above questions, you will be able to make the right choice in choosing the best-suited specialty for you. Other things that can help you out are: take an aptitude test or talk to the people already in that field. Do not make the wrong choice based on any external influences. Make the right decision that keeps you happy, because whatever you choose will stick with you your entire life.

Best Wishes!!

Ali Haider, MBBS

I loved medical shows long before I find myself in medical school, and my fascination with medical dramas did not end.

I watch medical TV shows for a few reasons. They are of course enjoyable — there’s a bit of drama, a bit of romance. Oftentimes the characters are likable and easy to get along with and so it’s overall a fun thing to watch. They’re incredibly motivational to me — I watch the doctors in action and it actually really inspires me to work harder at my pursuit of this medical degree. And finally, they’re mildly educational — as you may realize, medical TV shows are often quite dramatic and not very realistic. And yet, I find that they’re educational in two ways:

RARE CASES: medical shows seem to find the strangest and most unusual cases in medicine and bring them to light in entertaining ways. For instance, one night we watched an episode in which the mother suffered from “Broken Heart Syndrome,” and a few weeks later it came up in cardiology.
ETHICS and MORALS: medical TV series always seem to find those ethically gray areas that wrench at your heart strings. Episodes will often focus on difficult ethical cases (abortion, child abuse, treating a prisoner, etc.) and I’ve learned a lot of really valuable lessons from watching the characters struggle with their hard decisions.

Disclaimer: I am in NO way saying that these are always medically accurate.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS of the Best Medical Shows:

These are the ones that I would like to suggest you guys:

The Good Doctor:

Made by the creators of House M.D., which I didn’t know until someone pointed it out! The premise, according to IMDB: “Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with Autism and Savant syndrome, is recruited into the surgical unit of a prestigious hospital in San Jose." This was HUGELY popular when it came out, and I have watched all the episodes of it. I personally wasn’t as enamored with it as many others, but I do recognize that it’s a really unique take on the medical field and it also has many interesting cases (one of which still sticks with me!).

Grey’s Anatomy:

By far the most frequently mentioned one – adored by millions! I myself have seen few episodes from season 1 one and that’s about it.
A lot of people also commented that it was a lot of drama and not always realistic, but here are some of the good things they said about it:

‘shows multiple surgical specialties’ / ‘really cool surgeries’

‘it’s the reason I finally had guts to go to medical school’
‘love the characters’

The Resident:

This show follows a cocky but talented resident, as the name suggests. Also watched a few episodes of it and liked it – the side plot involving a potential pharmaceutical company scandal was also really interesting. You’ll be pleased to know that Logan plays the main character!

House:

House M.D. (original title)

An antisocial maverick doctor who specializes in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way using his crack team of doctors and his wits.

Scrubs (9 seasons):

Dubbed the ‘most accurate medical TV show,’ Scrubs is goofy and yet insightful. It’s a comedy and yet it often hits close to home with its more emotional cases and storylines. I would definitely recommend – they’re 20 minutes and very easy to enjoy. (P.S. most people hate season 9, the “Med School” season.)

The Night Shift:

Its an American medical drama television series. This show follows the story of a former Army medic working at the hospital. Dr. TC Callahan is a former Army medic who initially exhibits PTSD-type symptoms, having watched his brother die right in front of him on the battlefield.

Ali Haider, MBBS

Please refer to the past papers for a general overview of the types of questions asked, topics covered, and the marks allocated to the topics asked.

Read the questions carefully. Each question has different segments. For example if you are asked to define, give factors involved, and discuss the mechanism of any relevant topic, definition will have its own marks (usually 2), factors will have marks of 1 or half per factor (depending on the number of factors, and their importance), and the remaining goes to description. 2-4 marks are allocated for diagrams (if relevant).

You may think that you have covered all the aspects of the topic, but still when it comes to marking, you don't get the expected score... it might be because you missed some points... or maybe the examiner couldn't see them...

To rule out the option of 'points missed by the examiner', make sure that each and every key point is adequately highlighted... Use colored markers... Write in the form of points (numbered or bullets) instead of paragraphs... If writing in paras, underline the key points...

There is absolutely no harm in attempting the entire paper with markers [yes, use pencil markers, not board markers :)]

I hope you know this by now, attempt the questions you know the best, first... it doesn't matter if each question is to be marked by different examiners... Examiners do see how you performed in other questions... so, its still a good idea to attempt the best ones first... moreover, it gives you a moral boost up that helps you attempt the questions you do not know...

Don't panic and I mean it, even if you don't know a single question, you still may be able to attempt the whole paper... just don't panic... Start with the question that you know something of.... even if you don't know anything of a question, write something, at least the definition and whatever you remember about that topic... You will be credited for that... no matter how less credit you get, its better than a zero...

And please be neat, at least your headings should be clearly legible...

And last, but not the least... Pray... Pray and Pray... that's the key to success in medicine... we have seen miracles happen :) Trust us... But don't rely on prayers alone... prayers work when you put in some effort... ;)

Ali Haider, MBBS

The first question everyone in first year asks is : Where do i study from? and which books are sufficient?

Well there is one thing u guys need to understand and that is : for every subject there is a hierarchy of books, with ones at the bottom being studied by everyone and the one at the top are studied only by the theetas who don't care if they look like a bald skeleton by the end of final year. So we will now be referring to them as the cheeta books , the beeta books and the theeta books. Courtesy @KEMUNITED Blog

Which ones you choose for yourself is entirely upto you.

ANATOMY:

Gross Anatomy.

1. B.D Chaurasias is the cheeta book
2.Anatomy by R.J Last is a highly recommended beeta book
3.Clinical Anatomy by KLM is theeta book
* your anatomy is incomplete without B.D. The rest can be compromised.

General Anatomy.

G.A by Laiq Hussain is the only good book for it.

*Seniors will always tell you that nobody studies general anatomy and it can be done in 3 hours before the prof bla bla bla .......... My advice would be : don't make the same stupid mistakes we did. It has some really important concepts and terms. The sooner you know them the better for you.

Embryology.

1.Embryology by Kieth and Moore is the beeta book
2.Embryology by Langman is the cheetah book

Histology.

1.Histology by Laiq Hussain Siddique is all that you need
*also your practical notebook

BIOCHEMISTRY:

1. Lippincott's biochemistry supplemented with Satya biochemistry is the perfect and sufficient combination. I loved Lippincott because it really helped me understand the core/basic concepts. Our uni required a lot more detail than what was in Lippincott, but I felt like it gave me an excellent overview of the entire picture, and it really solidified my knowledge.
* Harper's biochemistry is absolutely unnecessary in first year

PHYSIOLOGY:

1.Clinical Physiology by GUYTON is the necessary beeta book
2. Jaypee and Mushtaq's Physiology are recommended books as well but they cannot completely replace Guyton
3. Gannong's physiology is the theeta book and is a really scary book if studied in first year

VIDEOS:

These were KEY in solidifying knowledge. For any topic I wanted to understand better, I’d just type in the title and watch whatever popped up.

YOUTUBE CHANNELS TO FOLLOW:

1. Dr. Najeeb Lectures

2. Selfless Medicose

3. Kenhub

4. Anatomy Zone
5. Osmosis

Ali Haider, MBBS

My Top Tips on How to Keep Going

Different things work for different people, but how to stay motivated is one of my most frequently asked questions, so here’s a summary of the things I do when I find motivation lacking. (I apologize in advance if they’re obvious! What I’ve noticed about study motivation is that it’s not so much about the tips, but about how ready you are to hear them.

1. Find your intrinsic study motivation

No one, except you, can motivate you. People come to me looking for study motivation, but sadly this motivation has to come from within yourself. Here are some tips on how to discover (or reignite) your intrinsic drive.

Flicking through motivational quotes: “Remember why you started,” and “I didn’t come this far to only come so far,” are some of my favourites.
Gratitude: when I remember how lucky I am to be where I am, studying what I am, it really puts everything into perspective.
Envisioning your future, the goals you’re working towards. What you do today will get you closer to that, I tell myself. And it helps, as I imagine interactions with my future patients or answering questions correctly on the wards.

2. Staying away from distractions

Addiction to Social Media :

The use of social media has been multiplied in recent years. Social media addiction has gotten to the point where some people prefer Facebook over sex, do status updates from the bathroom or upon waking at night. But a new study finds that social media distraction in the classroom interferes with visual, but not auditory, learning in college students. The paper is published in Advances in Physiology Education. So, it surely has detrimental effects on one's studies. Almost half of all college students use social media for an estimated two to five hours a day. Previous research suggests that unless social media activity in the classroom is related to academic work, "distractive multitasking" on social media sites leads to a lower grade-point average and poorer overall academic performance. This is largely because students who focus on mobile devices during class are not likely to fully acquire lecture information delivered visually. However, whether or not they are able to retain information presented verbally is less clear.

10 ways social media is distracting:

You seemingly have to watch what everyone else is up to: liking posts and following the live feeds. Otherwise you might miss something – right?

You find yourself stalking people… wondering what they’re up to at any given time…

You get drawn into content that might be interesting, but isn’t relevant to your studies or purpose.

You end up taking Wiki walks, even if you didn’t mean to. (Randomly following Wikipedia links (or others) and reading articles, which ends up wasting a lot of time) The longer the walk, the more unrelated the articles become.

You end up watching each account in case anyone contacts you directly

If anyone does contact or mention you, you drop everything you’re doing and respond instantly to any comment or communication that comes your way.

There are too many accounts and feeds to focus on.

There are too many people to follow.

You find yourself wandering the social mediasphere aimlessly, looking for relevant content.

You ended up looking at what your friends were up to all day instead of doing your work.

Sound familiar?

I know people who have punted and just said no to using social media. While that is a solution, it’s not a very relevant one for those of us who do want to be effective in connecting with people near and far. A better one is making a conscious choice about how you use your time moment by moment. Here are some actions for avoiding social media and personal technology distractions:

· Turn off alerts and notifications (do not disturb for iPhones and there are apps for Android users).

· Check e-mail only three times a day.

· Use a second monitor (to decrease window-switching time).

· Schedule regular blocks of time to turn off your phone.
· Try creating a “3 Most Important Things for Today List” at the start of your day. Then at the end of the day, look at it, reflect on what you did – and plan for tomorrow. The hard part is to not go online or check email until you get your three things done. We can practice this in session.

10 ways not to be distracted by social media:

Close news and social media sites: A helpful tip is to create an aggregated feed of all your favorite news sites. This helps you avoid wasting time wandering the Internet for headlines and updates.
Close your Internet browser when you’re working: The precious seconds it takes to load the browser when you feel tempted to go online may be just the moment you need to become conscious of the time you’re wasting. If you must be logged in on a continual basis, try restricting yourself to three or four browser tabs for work-related sites. Close everything else.
Plan times to interact with it: You may need to schedule when you will use social media, check Facebook or post selfies. If you allow yourself scheduled time each day to do this you can focus more on getting your work done instead of wondering where that time went. Stick to those times!
Stick to the plan: Be disciplined, trust your plan, stick to it and review how it’s working, when you said you would. (It’s ok not to be on IG (Instagram) all day, really!)
Reflect and adjust: You will want to closely monitor yourself on a daily and weekly basis and make adjustments. You should regularly ask yourself the following questions. While these are related to your studies and how to better acquire new skills, you could just as well use them in any work or life situation.

What is my main goal?
What is my goal for the week?
What do I need to do today?
Where am I at the moment?
Is this technique/schedule/place/relationship/situation working?
Is it worth improving? How can I improve it?

Find the right place to study or work: Picking the right place to study is crucial because it has a major influence on the efficiency of the learning process. While you might like to study in your room, you’ll easily be distracted by TV, video games, or fashion magazines lying next to your bed. A coffee shop might seem like a good option but it can be noisy at times. Be sure to find a quiet and well lit place. If you are planning on spending long hours working or studying, it’s a good idea to make sure that your chair and desk are ergonomically designed for greater productivity. A bad physical setup can mess up both your posture and your work efficiency. And don’t forget snacks!
Managing Physical Space. When you see clutter in your physical work spaces, try to take that as a sign that you need to hit a pause button. Usually it is because you are doing too much.
Try online quarantine. For extreme measures, install Freedom, Anti-Social, SelfControl, or RescueTime, which put a temporary barrier on your access to certain websites on the net. Add all your social media sites to the blacklist. We can do this in coaching!
Cut down. Choose and use the right types of social media. You don’t have to have or use every one.
Just Say No (#YOLO). Maybe you are going to say no to social media for a day and go to meet with people, read a book, or take a walk. When I’m feeling most overwhelmed, I take a break. Even if it is just to get up and walk around my desk. The important thing is to disconnect every now and then so you can re-center & focus.

Social media is awesome but when it starts interfering to the point that your grades are suffering, you can’t or aren’t getting anything else done it is time to try some of the above techniques. If you feel your social media use is to the point where it is really out of hand (see below for a few signs) please let me or someone else you feel comfortable with know.

Some Signs Your Social Media Use is Out of Hand

Losing track of time online
Having trouble completing tasks at work or home
Isolation from family and friends
Feeling guilty or defensive about your Internet use
Feeling a sense of euphoria while involved in Internet activities

3. Take a guilt-free break

Counterintuitive as it may seem, sometimes taking a break is exactly what I need to get pumped again. Taking a deliberate break is significantly more useful than spending hours procrastinating and feeling dejected. Here, the key is the “guilt-free” part: there is absolutely no point in taking time off from studying if you will spend it beating yourself up.
If you can afford to, take a break and enjoy it. Watch a movie, spend a few hours binge-ing a TV show, get a drink with a friend. Try your best not to overdo it (don’t stay up late and ruin your sleep schedule, or waste a study day with a bad hangover) but enjoy yourself. Eat some yummy food, work on your hobby, or read a book.

The next day, you’ll be as good as new: well-rested and itching to get studying. Remember, forgive yourself. Everyone needs breaks.

4. Listen to inspirational music

I prefer not to constantly listen to music while I’m studying, because studies have shown that even a bit of multitasking can be detrimental. But if I find myself losing focus or feeling demotivated, music can really lift my spirits.

5. Find a study buddy

Misery loves company, didn’t you hear? Humans are social creatures and spending hours upon hours in solitude can be draining. If you’re able to study well with a friend, call them up and ask if they’re up for a review session. Or just simply sit and study in the same room, taking breaks together — the laughs we have over lunch really re-energize me for the afternoon study session. Whenever we feel like life is too monotonous and we’re in severe need of study motivation, my med school friends and I schedule a cafe study day that we know might be less productive, but way more fun.

6. Change the scenery up

This is my go-to tip for long bouts of studying, as in during our 6-week exam period. The monotony of sitting in one place day after day can take its toll, which is why I often find new spots to study. I rotate between three types of locations: cafes, libraries and studying at home. I’ve explored my city enough to know which cafes permit me to study long hours with minimal purchases, and I know the pros/cons of the libraries I frequent.

If you can’t study effectively in someplace other than a library, for example, consider switching rooms, or even desks. A small change can make a big difference.

7. Reward myself (Pre- or Post-Study)

Studying day-in, day-out is incredibly draining, so I find ways to keep my morale up. This often comes in the form of food (which isn’t the healthiest, I know) or delicious coffee. It’s much easier to talk myself into getting started with a revitalizing, yummy coffee in my hand. Since I’m an “instant gratification” kind of person, I usually reward myself PRE-study session, before I’ve even gotten anything done, but it still works.

8. Plan my to do list before going to bed

Somehow, this works almost every time. When I plan my day out the night before, I actually envision myself studying and I usually get excited to make that vision a reality. Then I go to sleep having something to look forward to: an ultra-productive day, and that positive outlook goes a long way.

It’s also helpful because when I wake up refreshed, I don’t have to spend precious energy on determining where or how to start: I’ve already got my game plan, all ready to go.

Ali Haider, MBBS

MY RECOMMENDATIONS of the Best Medical Shows:

Grey’s Anatomy:

The Resident:

VIDEOS:

The 3 Channels We All Know & Love

Other Popular Medical-Themed YouTubers:

Bonus channels:

Newest Additions:

1. Find your intrinsic study motivation

2. Staying away from distractions

Addiction to Social Media :

10 ways social media is distracting:

Sound familiar?

3. Take a guilt-free break

4. Listen to inspirational music

5. Find a study buddy

6. Change the scenery up

7. Reward myself (Pre- or Post-Study)

8. Plan my to do list before going to bed

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