Question: I am starting Medical School next year, will I have time for anything?

This was the question I was asking myself last year at about this time. It’s hard NOT to think about, given the gargantuan pile of stories from SDN, friends, and family alike (some whom haven’t even gone to medical school). I asked one of my medical school friends this question last year who said he didn’t even have time to watch 1 hour of television during the week. During our white coat ceremony, our school dean was warning our parents that we won’t call them for months on end because we’ll be too busy.

No time to watch Modern Family? No time to call my family? Was this hyperbole or honest advice from veterans of the field? Either way, I was bracing myself for the worst…a deep spiraling hole of oblivion, piles and piles of information creating a “blood brain barrier” of sorts to the outside world. No news, popular culture, or extraneous relationships (is there such a thing?) will get through the astrocyte like piles of paper.

To be honest, there are definitely weeks like the above mentioned. Namely, the week before an exam (every 3 weeks at my school). During these weeks I sometimes feel like I don’t even have time to eat. I’ll shovel some cereal, or mac and cheese in my mouth just for the purpose of eating, but I’ll be studying at the same time. Get a call from a friend, ignore button. Season Finale of Sherlock, who cares?

But, don’t worry audience, this is at one end of the spectrum. In medical school you’ll definitely have time for hobbies, family, and the like.  I’m writing this blog after all.You’ll have a lot less time than you’re used to, so you’ll probably have to give your time management skills a revamp makeover. From my personal experience, it’s hard to be fully caught up on all the information, so you’ll always feel behind regardless of the many hours you study every day. But once you get used to feeling behind, the neurotic need to study all the time to catch up lessens (a bit), and you’ll make time to have a balanced life. 

For example, this weekend I made time to go to the beach. It was a quick half hour trip, but it was therapeutic, energizing, and still 35 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so a short trip was the preferred modus aperandi anyway. The time spent on this outing, meant I was still behind in lecture, but it was worth it.

Yes, there is some unmelted snow by the water. The juxtaposition of 
ice and beach really threw me for a loop for a bit, being from California. 

I also made time to trace this picture for a friend’s birthday card. This took about 2 hours, so I added another 1.5 lecture reviews to my backlog.

I know, it’s a horrifying looking drawing. Am I trying to scare my friend before his next exam? Maybe a little, but just kidding. It’s from a show called Attack on Titan. Its a very good anime, with a very interesting political socioeconomic premise. I highly recommend it if you can handle a bit of gore. Speaking of which, I do have time to watch shows on occasion, but keep in mind I am writing this on a post exam week. Perhaps during an exam week I would detail a completely different situation, which I presume was the reason for my friend’s answer last year.  

So a brief summation of my answer: Yes! You will have time to do other things because you will make the time, by using your time management skills and by compromising with your more neurotic tendencies.  

Wake Me Up! – With some Breakfast Soft Tacos?

Most days in medical school, I don’t have time for elaborate breakfasts and usually opt for something fast. I’ll eat some cereal with milk, oatmeal, an apple, or a fun sized chocolate bar or two. The chocolate grab and go happens a little more often than I would like to admit. This past week was no exception. My boyfriend’s mother sent us a wonderful package of Saint Patrick’s Day treats, including but not limited to some very tasty individually wrapped chocolates from a specialty shop. Amongst the green wrapping paper, laying at the bottom of the box, so happened to be some instant oatmeal . So what did I eat before my 8AM FOUR hour exam ensued? Well, to put it frankly and in scientific terms, my dopamine mesolimbic pathway took over. I grabbed a few of those beautifully wrapped jewels of joy, bypassed the oatmeal, and went out the door to take my test.

I know, I know, not one of my best moments in life. But before anyone starts judging me, other things went into my choice calculation other than my addictive attraction to chocolate. I was running late, and oatmeal microwaving just seemed too time consuming. Additionally, grab and go apples were out of the question, because they have actually been banned in the test taking room… That’s right. The crisp crunch of the apple is too cacophonous for the average concentrating med school test taker, so they have been banned.

I wasn’t the only one who used the banning of the apples as an excuse for junking it out. My testing neighbor had a donut and a baggy full to the brim of sour punch straws. When I gave his breakfast selection a sideways glance, he shrugged “Hey, they banned my apples.”

I hear yuh brother, they banned my apples too…  

Anyhow, on weekends I like to make up for these breakfast shortcomings when I have the time. One such brunch option is the Breakfast Soft Taco (or burrito if you can manage to wrap those darned things). The combination of savory from the potatoes, tart/sweet from the tomatoes, and creaminess of the avocado really does the trick. It is a meal jam packed with nutrients, in case you also suffer from the nutrient deficits of banned apple, chocolate addiction choices.

Ingredients (Serving for 2)

1. Flour Tortillas
2. 3 Eggs
3. 1 Avocado – diced (inch squared)
4. 1 Russet Potato
5. 1 cup fresh Tomatoes – diced (cm- inch squared)
6. ¼ Red onion diced (mm-cm squared)
7. ½ cup fresh Cilantro – stems removed and julienned
8. ½ tsp Rosemary
9. ½ tsp Thyme
10. Vegetable oil
11. Black beans (Optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Peal the skin off of the potato, and dice into bite sized pieces (1/2 inch squared).
3. Add 2 tablespoon oil, salt, pepper, ½ tsp Rosemary, and ½ tsp Thyme to the cut potatoes, and mix. Put the potatoes in the oven and bake until browned. (you can add some julienned red onion and garlic into this mix too)
4. While potatoes are baking, scramble eggs. To do this, whip the three eggs, add some salt and pepper. Put some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Wait until the oil has a liquid consistency, then pour in the eggs. Cook until the eggs are no longer runny.
5. Next, mix the diced tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion.  I like to add about ½ tsp of sugar, and half a limes worth of juice to the mixture. It helps enhance the flavor, but these aren’t necessary
6. Once all these components are in order, you are ready to assemble! In a pan, over medium heat, heat up your flour tortillas until warm and pliable. Add in whatever combination of ingredients you desire.
7. Eat and enjoy!