I'm on Bloglovin

“Every time you post something online, you have a choice.
You can either make it something that adds to the happiness levels in the world—or you can make it something that takes away.

I tried to add something by starting Girl Online.

And for a while, it really seemed to be working.

So, next time you go to post a comment or an update or share a link, ask yourself: is this going to add to the happiness in the world?

And if the answer is no, then please delete.

There is enough sadness in the world already. You don’t need to add to it.” 
― Zoe Sugg

I decided to sign up for bloglovin' and to make my blog available there for those of you who are following me. So now you can simply Follow my blog with Bloglovin. How cool is that right? 

Spread the word The Night Owl Chronicles is now on Bloglovin and has a new 'Pin it' button!

Before Starting Your Clinical Years Do This

“The life so short, the craft so long to learn. ” ― Hippocrates

Medicine. It takes your whole young adult life to grasp.  Always a Practice.  Rarely mastered.
Looking back on my journey to this place in my life, I can honestly admit to myself and to anyone if asked that if I had to do it all over, I wouldn't change anything about it.

I can not seem to contain my excitement for the new academic year as we will begin our ward rotations and subjects in the clinical sciences that I just enjoy! I'm not looking forward to our never ending examinations but that comes with the territory and I'm sure I'll adjust just fine. As this is my last summer to myself, I scribbled down a few things that I would like to do before my clinical years begin and I no longer have the flexibility in my schedule as I grew accustomed to these past two years.

4 Things To Do Before Starting Your Clinical Years

1. Travel 

Whether it be a three day weekend to a neighbouring island or country. If you can afford it, pack your bags and go somewhere. Experience a new culture, catch up with friends who live out of state or out of country and enjoy the new found freedom you now have. 

You will cherish the memories you make traveling and any photos taken from your trip can serve as motivation to your next reunion with your friends or just inspire you to save up for a nice graduation trip. 

2.  Gather Your Tools

During the pre-clinical years, you rarely utilize basic tools such as a stethoscope, patella hammer or even a pen light. These years are spent hunched over textbooks and lecture material in order to grasp and understand the basics of medicine. Now that you have a few weeks or more off between the pre-clinical and paraclinical years, take this time to shop for all of your necessities and supplies. 

If your school offers a list of suppliers where you can receive a discount on items, use them. If not there are numerous sites where everything can be purchased together with the option of engraving. I personally used allheart.com mainly because friends of mine recommended them. 

In addition to your tools, you will also need new school gear and to restock your index cards, highlighters, notepads and binder stash. This is a fun way to get excited about this next step. Choose items that will last throughout your remaining years of school. It may require spending a few extra dollars for a pair of Danskos, but your feet will thank you later and they're an item you can use as you start residency as well. 

3.  Catch Up On Your Hobbies

Yes you know those things you use to do before you found yourself consumed with schoolwork. Last summer I dabbled with painting. It was quite the stress reliever and it introduced me to an artistic side I didn't know I had. Whatever your interests are OUTSIDE of medicine, find some time doing those things. 

It may be a while before you ever get to enjoy some of them once the academic year begins.  

4. Review Material You May Have Forgotten

If you're anything like myself, then you'd like to start this new page somewhat prepared. Or at least familiar with the material that may have become so foreign. 

Take an hour or so each day to watch videos, read through BRS books for the subject of your choice or going over lecture notes. It may be wise to try and find information pertaining to the pathology of organ systems that you have already covered and do your best to integrate the material. 

I've found myself utilizing apps such as  Figure 1, Visual Anatomy and Essential Skeleton 4 when I'm not in the mood for reading a textbook. The Figure 1 app allows me to follow cases and their discussions and learn all at the same time. For cases that I find most intriguing I favorite the image, make a note of it in my book or on a notepad I use when I study to look up later when I'm reviewing that organ system. It's a good way of becoming exposed to things you may (at some point) see and staying abreast of various diseases and ailments.

Is there anything you're doing differently this summer to help in your pre-clinical to paraclinical transition? Which apps are you using? 

I am an ambassador of Figure 1. By downloading the app with the link provided on this site, my class will be eligible for a free catered lunch and I will receive promotional products. I am not affiliated or associated with all heart.com, Visual Anatomy App or Essential Skeleton App. The opinions above are my own and not influenced by any payment from these companies. 

Spaced Repetition

“Repetition opens doors, you know?” 
― Tim Lucas, The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula

I've found myself stuck in a pickle. Am I the only one who has problems recalling things learnt during the first two years of medical school? For me it seems as if the minute after sitting a final examination all of that information I studied and took the time to understand during the semester undergoes automatic deletion.

Lately, I noticed that most articles which appear in my inbox these days relates in some form or another to spaced repetition. What's that you ask?

Well spaced repetition according to Wikipedia is defined as "a learning technique that incorporates increasing intervals of time between subsequent review of previously learned material in order to exploit the psychological spacing effect." It is applied in contexts where the learner "must acquire a large number of items and retain it indefinitely." Seems like this would be the medical students best friend.

For the first year and a half of medical school I have had to adjust my studying techniques (about 3 times) in order to study smarter and to improve recall as well as my examination performance.  Now that I've completed my pre-clinical years and using my summer vacation to transition to the paraclinical years, I decided to investigate this technique called spaced repetition and to see how I can use this to improve my recall and understanding of things I've learned thus far.

During my neuroscience course we were taught all about the functioning of the brain and how memory works. In biochemistry we learnt that long term memory lasts "days to weeks" and from "weeks to a lifetime." It is enhanced by repetition which requires RNA and protein synthesis and the creation of new synapses. Thanks to plasticity our brain undergoes long lasting functional changes thanks to our learning of new information or when new information is memorized. Our physiology lecturer stressed the importance of repetition and of course SLEEP if the information we are learning is to be permanently stored in our brain.

I mentioned here what I planned on doing this summer as a means of studying and reviewing material from my first two years. To that timetable I am going to add a few hours of "video" watching and "flashcard" review as a way of using the technique of spaced repetition.


How are you spending your summer? Do you use spaced repetition to improve your recall? What techniques do you use to study? Are you preparing for clinical years?




Photo credit: Private Eyes, I'm Watching U via photopin (license)

Hello Summer

“Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity. ”
― Hippocrates

Hippocrates couldn't have been more right with his statement. The more you love medicine, the more the connection is made with how much you truly love and cherish humanity.  As a medical student I found myself countless times putting my textbooks to the side to enjoy reading or perusing the internet as a means of maintaining a certain level of balance. By doing this, I'm able to give of myself to my studies and to the patients I encounter during my shadowing opportunities.

During one of my "down times" I saw a post by Megz, a South African doctor who blogs over at Barefoot Whispers where she had mentioned the app Figure 1. From then I was hooked! It was as if I found the "pot of gold" at the end of the medical rainbow.

I often find myself scrolling through, looking at the medical cases, reading the comments where doctors and other medical/allied health staff contribute to the treatment and management of patients or merely exchange knowledge.

It's a privilege to have access to such an app which allows one to witness with such ease and convenience consultations and discussions across the globe, and where other interested med geeks like myself can gather to just scroll in awe.

The human body is AMAZING! I'm glad I stumbled upon such an app and as such I want to share it with all of you. It's listed in the resource section of the blog as well.

Thanks to my interest and fascination with such an app, I was afforded the opportunity to apply for the Figure 1 Ambassador Program and guess what! This girl is now an ambassador for Figure 1.

Don't just take my word for it, but check it out and see for yourself how this app is such a great resource for studying for medical exams and discussing classic/rare medical cases with experienced healthcare professionals from around the world. Feel free to check out the app here: http://download.figure1.com/summer2015?m=carad.