Swine Flu Scare

Now there's something I never considered. How will a pandemic affect the healthcare industry. Well, in Mexico many workers are simply retiring early to avoid the increased risk of infection that is inherent with working with sick patients. Interesting. If the same thing begins to happen in the US, those of us not scared away by the risk of infection may find more job opportunities and less competition. I'll take that! I guess there might be at least one good side to this terrible disaster.

T'aint so bad

I still need to find out about malpractice suits...
But in the meantime I thought I'd address another concern that pre-med students face: Family Life. The medical field, particularly the training and schooling, is notorious for being hard on families. At least to those who don't know much about it. This is a concern that has caused me considerable worry in the past. After all, the main reason I want to become a doctor is to bless my future family. If getting there tears my family apart what is the point???
Well, a couple of factors have led me to lay this concern to rest. Probably the most tangible is that I have met, and know, several families in various stages of medical training. Not only did these families seem happy, they actually seemed to excel in their closeness and love. I asked several medical students what they thought about raising a family in med school and they said it actually brought them closer together. How on earth is that possible? Well, with less free time on your hands they said that you usually value that time a lot more and make sure to spend it with your family. Also, facing big decisions like where to go to residency or where to ultimately practice brought them together even more. Several months ago I e-mailed the wife of one of these medical students and asked her how she felt as the wife of a future doctor. Here is part of what she said: "So to try to answer your question...Jaron's choice to be a doctor was definitely one that he/we made with LOTS of prayer and thoughtful consideration. It has been hard on our family, sure. We go a week at a time with little interaction with him but we made the choice together and whenever he does have time he gives it to us 100%. His career has also been an immense blessing in our lives. We never would have had all the wonderful adventures that we have had without the whole medical school experience. We have lived in wonderful places, met amazing people and experienced so much. I think the greatest comfort for me as Jaron's wife is I know that he was meant to be a doctor. He is so gifted at helping people in through his career and I whole-heartedly believe that Jaron's career has meant to be part of our path in life."...."IT WILL BE HARD! Getting to know different people all over I have come to understand that challenges come in all shapes and sizes so no matter your career, as long as you and your wife remember to pray together... and put God and each other first, you'll make it through on top (at least that's what I'm banking on!)"
Encouraging words.
So what exactly is your schedule like in med school? Early morning till mid afternoon. Sounds pretty average, right? Well, the difference is that you also need to spend a couple of hours studying each day. That still leaves at least an hour or two (maybe more for someone who studies pretty well like me) to spend time witht the family. Also, a med student gets several weeks of vacation each summer. Residency is reasonably similair from what I could gather, though you will have to rotate through late night shifts occassionally. A resident now works around 60+ hours a week, and that number declines each year. The site I learned most of this from was "www.medschoolready.com" but right now the site is down. I hope it comes back, as it proved to be very useful.
So there you go! An exceedingly long post that should at least put to rest one of your concerns.

A good question...

I was talking to a friend the other day who is debating what he choose as his career. He is split between lawyer, Doctor, or Dentist. As we talked, he asked a really good question. How does malpractice affect Doctors these days and what does the future look like concerning it? I really have no idea. I know doctors face lawsuits all the time and for that reason they are forced to pay big time in insurance. But I really don't know much more than that. I also don't know how "universal healthcare" would influence the way malpractice suits are handled. I'll have to look into it.....

1st little snag

Well, I've already noticed my first problem with my new major. It makes me feel like a number. This is something I saw coming. I switched from a relatively small department to the biggest department on campus. There are literally hundreds of other students here at the U that are both Premed and have my same major. Kind of hard to stand out in a crowd like that.
On the other hand, I rejoice in the day when I will be DONE WITH MATH. I would have a long struggle in more math classes ahead if I hadn't switched. So in the end, I don't second guess my decision.