Super Star Blogs!

How to use Diverse Medicine Recruitment Center

Wouldn’t it be great if someone built an online community where students from diverse backgrounds could network with recruiters, doctors, medical students, and other students? That’d be awesome. WAIT…that’s DiverseMedicine.com!

Relationships are one of the greatest keys to success in life. Often, people who don’t get the job complain that the people who got the job did so because they had strong relationships with the people offering the job. Well, that’s just a fact of life, relationships matter. That’s the strongest thing you can get from Diverse Medicine Recruitment Center, relationships! Our goal is to make it so when you apply to any of the medical schools on this site, you’ve already built a relationship with them.

One of the most important things I tell my mentees is that when they apply to medical school, no matter what anybody tells them, you’ll be looked upon more favorably if someone can say they know you (in a good way) from somewhere else. That’s what Diverse Medicine Recruitment Center does for you. It allows you to build a relationship with people that matter; people that can speak well of you. The other thing I tell my mentees is that after they apply to a school, they should send a message to someone they know at the school and let them know they’ve submitted their application. It could read as follows, “Dear _____, I just wanted to say thank you for the help you’ve provided so far. I wanted to let you know that I just submitted my application to ________ medical school. I’d certainly appreciate it if you could keep an eye out for it.” I’ll be 100% honest here…I’ve reached out to medical schools on behalf of multiple of my mentees and got their applications that had been overlooked, pulled out of the stack to be reviewed. I can do that because I build relationships with people that have influence. Diverse Medicine puts you in direct contact with many of those people so you can build your own relationship.

Here’s how to use the recruitment center in three simple steps.

Step 1: Build your profile! This is a “duh” step but I have to state the obvious. We’ve had people ask questions about being confused with the recruitment site who haven’t even built their profiles. We can’t help you if you aren’t willing to help yourself. If your profile isn’t built, recruiters will not reach out to you. If you don’t have a profile photo, we limit your visibility on the site so basically, nobody will even know you’re in the community. We have to do this because profiles without pictures impact the professional culture of our Diverse Medicine. If you don’t update your profile every 6 months, your profile can be removed from the recruitment center. It is important that we respect the time of the recruiters and as they’ve told us, they only want to see the profiles of the students who take this seriously.

Step 2: Check out the Recruitment Center! We’re working hard to grow our recruitment center. Over the last week, we’ve had 8 new medical schools join. We’ll keep bringing them on for you. You should check out the recruitment center find the schools that you like. All you need to do is hit the “Favorite” button and we’ll send them a notification that you added them to your favorite list. Also, you’ll automatically be added to their list of interested students. From there, that medical school’s recruiter can reach out to you directly via sending you a message on Diverse Medicine. Our job is to get more schools to use the recruitment center. Your job is to build your profile then reach out to the schools so they will look at your profile.

Step 3: Build a relationship! I’ve seen some students on Diverse Medicine do an absolutely amazing job with this part. These individuals mastered the art of using our site to strengthen their status with recruiters and get accepted. This is the key to it all. After you’ve added the school to your list of favorites and are in communication with the recruiter, you need to send them a message periodically (minimum every three months) to let them know how your journey is going or to ask them a question. This is the key! Diverse Medicine Recruitment Center is a neutral playing field where everyone can communicate safely. Recruiters are joining the site specifically for this purpose, to use it to communicate with people just like you.

Bonus: Be active on the site.  When you’re actively engaging with posts and comments, recruiters will see you in the timeline on a regular basis.  This leads to them checking  out your page.  There’s something VERY special on your page that they can see which you can’t.  It’s a big blue button that allows them to add you to their watch list.  This is the special list that you want to be on!

It’s pretty simple, just 3 steps! Build your profile, favorite the schools you like, then foster the relationship. As you progress in your careers and in life, you’ll come to learn that relationship building is key to everything. That’s what recruitment fairs are all about, an opportunity to start building relationships. DiverseMedicine.com just makes it a LOT easier for you!

So, what questions do you have for me? Please don’t hesitate to ask. Our goal is to help you achieve yours! 

Thinking About Your Thinking

(Reprinted from the May 2019 issue of Vital Signs, the monthly scribe newsletter from AQuity Solutions.)

Do you ever think about how you think? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t want to look at my thought processes too closely! Other times, I tell myself that I need a new way of looking at things, and I start challenging myself to see if I can come to different conclusions. This process is called metacognition, which is defined as awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes. It’s also known as critical thinking.

How do good medical scribes think? They:

• Raise relevant questions

• Analyze and interpret information

• Come to reasoned conclusions

• Modify their thinking based on instruction or experience

• Communicate effectively with others

First, effective scribes ask questions of themselves and their providers throughout every encounter. The questions may simply be a matter of laterality or duration, but often the scribe can wonder why a provider is commenting on a specific symptom or condition.

Next, an effective scribe analyzes and interprets the information they receive. Patient comments and complaints can be scattered and haphazard, but the scribe can connect the underlying meanings to understand what is being said.

Third, when an effective scribe comes to reasoned conclusions, they often perform tasks and help their provider in ways that can make providers think the scribe is a mind reader. Concluding that a provider has the possibility of diabetes in mind when they ask the patient about excessive thirst, urinary frequency, and peripheral neuropathy symptoms, the scribe anticipates that a CMP and HgA1c will be ordered.

In addition, great scribes learn from experience and from being instructed by their providers or performance coaches. When a physician corrects a chart, the scribe knows how to make their next chart better. Hearing the same provider instructions for bronchitis over and over, the scribe knows how to complete subsequent charts.

Finally, the best scribes communicate effectively with their providers and their coworkers. They think about how to express themselves in clear and precise ways while exuding self-confidence and respect for others.

The late Dr. Richard Paul, Chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking, defined critical thinking as “the art of thinking about your thinking while you are thinking, in order to make your thinking better: More clear, more accurate, or more defensible.”

What are some ways you’re exercising your critical thinking muscles? 

Anne Bean is a Medical Scribe and Scribe Training Administrator for AQuity Solutions.

5 Courses to Consider Taking Before You Graduate!

Week 48 of  the PreMed Mondays book covers 5 courses to consider taking before you graduate.  Now of course you have to take certain prerequisites to get into medical school, but beyond that, there are other classes that could prove rather beneficial.  In this episode, I’ll share 5 courses to take in undergrad that could get you off to a running start in medical school!Click HERE to register for our 3rd annual Application Boot Camp Webinar Series in partnership with SNMAPremeds, find affordable services designed to help you get accepted into medical school at www.PreHealthMarket.com.

Congratulations to Shiraz! Student of The Week!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello everyone, my name is Shiraz Robinson II. I am from Landover, MD; a suburban area of Washington D.C. In addition, I am currently a college sophomore at The Ohio State University. Moreover, I major in biology and minor in chemistry, professional writing, and philosophy. My spirituality and love for science is what contributes to my sense of purpose, analytical thinking, creativity, and versatility. An interesting fact about me that surprises a lot of people is, my left-handedness. I was a student-athlete in high school; I played football, wrestled, and ran track. As a high school senior, I wrote a five-chapter thesis and did a computer science internship at Capitol Technology University. It was a graduation requirement for the science and technology program I was in. Before coming to Ohio State, I did a summer internship at the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you?
I would to go with my AP Calculus AB teacher, I had during my senior year of high school. In addition, I skipped precalculus to take her class. Moreover, I also noticed that she gave a lot of Khan Academy assignments to former students and I love Khan Academy. Once I gathered that information, I knew she was the right teacher for me. Furthermore, I did everything in my power to make sure she would be my teacher. Over the summer, I did the Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Precalculus, and the Trigonometry missions on Khan Academy to prepare for the AP Calculus AB class and exceed her expectations. Throughout the summer and my senior year, I have been doing my Khan Academy in journals. Moreover, I had 6 journals, including the calculus notebook I wrote notes in for class. I am very passionate about mathematics, she ignited a fire within me I didn’t know that existed. Furthermore, I learned so much math in a short amount of time, my analytical mind and consciousness had evolved immensely. My calculus teacher made me a better mathematician. I now want to master all dimensions of mathematics (pure and applied) and the world of math on Khan Academy because of her. 

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why?
I first decided I wanted to become a doctor when I was a little kid. My great grandmother died of pancreatic cancer when I was young and that impacted me. I wanted to learn more about cancer and how to stop it. When I was a kid, my parents got me a stethoscope. Getting a lab coat for Christmas 2018, was another confirmation that I want to become a doctor. As I got older, my reason for wanting to become a doctor has become more robust. As an African American male, I desire to diversify the physician workforce. Moreover, I desire to integrate the laws of quantum physics and medicine together.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in?
I am interested in integrative medicine. It contains western medicine, allopathic medicine, functional medicine, holistic medicine, osteopathic medicine, naturopathic medicine, and regenerative medicine. Integrative medicine uses many approaches to medicine to deliver the best patient care possible. This area of medicine is interesting to me because it brings spirituality and science together. I believe integrative medicine will give me the experience of a MD and a DO.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey?
The coolest experience was a MAPS event called “MAKING IT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL”. I was a medical student for one day; I learned about OSUCOM requirements for applicants. In addition, I was in an anatomy lab and observed the different parts of a human cadaver. Moreover, I did a mock interview with an Ohio State medical student. Furthermore, I learned some brain pathology and used a Harvey heart simulator. I also learned how to do intubation on a simulation dummy and use a laparoscopy box. I have met Dr. Quinn Capers IV in person for a second time. At the end of the MAPS event, I have asked and received contact information from medical students. Overall, I had a lot of fun and learned what medical students at OSU experience on a day to day basis.

6. What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist is an inspirational novel about pursuing one’s dreams. This is one of the quotes from the book: “It’s a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your Personal Legend (dream). It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.” I read and annotated this book for my 12th grade English class. In addition, this quote summarizes the universal law of attraction. Dreams materialize when people act on them.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know?
I have 1.7 + million energy points on the Khan Academy website. 

8. If you couldn’t be a doctor, what would you want to do?
I would be an elite mathematician, ethical hacker, and biologist for the Department of Defense (DoD) or, Department of Health and Human services (HHS). The NSA, CIA, FDA, and NIH would be areas I would love to work at. 

9. What has been your biggest obstacle as a premed and how did you (or are you) overcome it? 
My biggest obstacle as a premed was my general chemistry 1 course, I took during the spring 2019 semester. This semester was my first 18 credit workload. It has been an exciting and demoralizing experience. I struggled immensely in my chemistry course. I managed to pass with a C. Talking to my mentors about my experience helped me. In addition, introspection and staying positive about the class is why I passed. 

10. What do you like most about Diverse Medicine?
What I like about Diverse Medicine is, that is a website that connects premedical students together. I never knew a website like Diverse Medicine existed. In addition, a medical student sent me a link to a Diverse Medicine webinar. Moreover, I did an internet search and created a Diverse Medicine account.

Dr. Daniel’s Top 5 Reasons for Fatigue

I am blessed to care for a lot of young adults in my Endocrinology practice. I enjoy hearing their goals and aspirations. From teaching, to engineering, athletics, and healthcare careers, I love getting updates on their progress. I typically address their thyroid disorders, diabetes, obesity, and PCOS but there is one complaint that I hear from majority of my patients:

There must be something in the water these days because everyone seems to complain of fatigue. For those prehealth students and professional school students out there, this can really impact your chances to be successful. It’s tough to do well when you always want to fall asleep all of the time. I’d like to share with you my S’s of fatigue.

1. Sleep: Never underestimate the power of sleep! I would easily guess over half of Americans either suffer from inadequate amounts of sleep or a specific sleep disorder. It is estimated that 1 in 5 adults has sleep apnea. This disorder can result in a number of problems with fatigue being a primary one. Sleep apnea tends to affect obese patients at a greater frequency although I have seen it in thinner individuals as well. It is always difficult for me to get my patients to actually be evaluated for sleep apnea despite how common it is. Some patients suffer from insomnia, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, or circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders. It is recommended we get 7-9 hours of sleep daily. Don’t be that superman or superwoman character saying you need only 2 hours. There are a number of important physiological activities taking place during the hours of sleep. For students, many have erratic sleep patterns disturbed by long late-night cramming, work, noisy roommates, and (let’s be honest) partying. Working on sleep hygiene can really make a huge difference. [Message me if you need a list of Do’s and Don’ts.]

2. Stress: We all face stress but the medical training path intensifies this. Some handle it well and others don’t. We often underestimate what stress can do to us and we push it to the side. Amongst the many symptoms stress can cause (headaches, chest pain, muscle aches, anxiety, depression) fatigue is certainly high on the list. If I could write a prescription for rest and vacation for my patients I would. Some countries have built in a siesta or mandatory stress relieving techniques. In the United States this is not very common. I highly recommend taking time out of the day to untangle and for many of us this may mean cutting back on activities. It is very easy to overcommit yourself as a student.

3. Sedentary: Get up and move. God did not design our bodies to sit around all day on the computer or couch. This will only lead to deconditioning. It truly disturbs me when I ask my younger patients if they are physical active and they respond by saying they walk around the grocery store. Maybe this is just a Texas thing. It is recommended that all adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise at least 5 days a week (or total of 150 minutes per week). Many of us fail to do this. The question I get is, “How can I do that when I am already so tired?” Start small and build up. Use the exercise as a relaxing tool so you can kill two birds with one stone. The benefits of exercise are tremendous. If there was a drug out there that offered this benefit it would be worth thousands of dollars.

4. Substance: Sometimes it is what we consume that is contributing to us feeling tired. This may be in the form of drugs (prescription and illicit), foods, and beverages. Some medications designed to treat allergies, hypertension, cough, seizures, and pain can all contribute to fatigue. Excess caffeine and alcohol may also be a factor. A poor quality diet may lead to nutritional deficiencies and blood sugar dysregulation which may cause fatigue and mood disturbances. Some may also have food allergies. Make sure to get a well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of fruits and veggies. Try your best not to depend on anything to keep you energized.

5. Sickness: Well this is the big one. There is a huge list of medical conditions that can contribute to fatigue. Majority of the time, we are convinced we have a serious disease and often ignore the above issues I have discussed. It is important to address the other S’s above if there is something else going on. The more common illnesses I find in younger individuals include anemia, psychological disturbance, thyroid disorder, obesity, mononucleosis, fibromyalgia, or autoimmune disorder. Other less common diseases can be diabetes, adrenal insufficiency, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, lung disease, cancer, liver failure, low testosterone, infections (viral, bacterial, fungal), multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic pain. Let me offer some reassurance, it is very unlikely that you have one of these less common conditions. These conditions do happen and it can be extremely frustrating trying to get to the bottom of why we are tired but what tends to happen is we lose sleep, become less active and take substances to fight the stress of worrying about what we may have. See what I just did there? We can enter a perpetual fatigue cycle and end up being our own worst enemy. It is best to address what we can while we search for diseases.

So there are a ton of reasons why we are tired. Fatigue is very troubling and frustrating for many of us. My final advice is to address the top 4 S’s. If the fatigue doesn’t resolve then see your primary care physician to investigate for the 5th. Try not to simply place a bandage over the issue. If you have any thoughts or suggestions I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share with your friends and family.   

Now, I’ve got to go to sleep. Let me know if you yawned at all while reading this.. lol.

Related Article: Eating Wise as a Premed

Be accountable for your own success!

Week 47 of  the PreMed Mondays book covers personal accountability.  This is a tough episode.  Students need to understand that at the end of the day, whether they succeed or not is due to their own performance.  You can’t blame anyone else or life’s circumstances.  If you want to be successful, you have to figure it out.  Life will throw curveballs and the bat is in your hand.  You have to swing it!

Click HERE to register for our 3rd annual Application Boot Camp Webinar Series in partnership with SNMA

Premeds, find affordable services designed to help you get accepted into medical school at www.PreHealthMarket.com.

Click HERE to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes!

Overcoming Unforseen Obstacles 

I haven’t been on here in awhile as I was focusing on finishing up my clinicals for Surgical Technology. To my surprise we have a new site it’s no longer PreMed Star. I just wanted to give an update on what’s going on in my world. While finishing my clinicals and preparing to graduate in May. On March 18th, I was involved in and car accident where my car got totaled and my wrist was broken. Due to my injury, I had to put my clinicals on hold and my participation in graduation was in question. I have cried many days and nights, been dealing with PTSD from the accident and in alot of pain. However through this tumultuous time I thank God for sparing my life it could have been a lot worst but he is bring me through this test day by day. I can now say on May 17, 2019 I will be earning my second degree. Sorry for the long post I just really wanted to share my story and hope that it may touch someone else to not give up and to keep fighting for what you want and deserve. 

Five ways to make the most out of summer school

When I came upon the realization that I was going to have to spend my summer at my undergraduate college taking courses in order to graduate on time, I was worried that I would be wasting a summer I could spend improving my CV through programs like SHPEP or studying abroad in a foreign country. However, there are still so many great things to do during the summer that’ll also be good experiences to reflect on and possibly talk about in an application or interview.  Just because you’re taking summer classes does not mean you can’t go out and gain new experiences.

1: Shadow a physician- this one may seem a bit obvious, but when isn’t shadowing a good idea for a premed to do? Students get the luxury of having the summer off but unfortunately, doctors do not. An advantage of students being gone during the summer is that the doctors will have fewer premeds trying to shadow them, so it would be nice to take advantage of the opportunity and try to shadow two or three physicians during the summer months, just remember that nothing has changed for the doctor, so shadow them as you would shadow any other physician.

2: Summer research- Similar to doctors, research professors don’t get to pack everything up and go home after the school year ends. If you already have a lab, the summer can be a good time to get some extra hours in, as you will probably have more free time that can be spent working with your primary researcher and can get ahead on projects. If you don’t have a lab, this could be a good time to find one! Plenty of research professors will lose assistants as they graduate and move around the country so new lab openings will appear. Some schools also have summer poster sessions where students can showcase their work over the summer, not to mention the possibility of getting paid.

3: Going to a conference- While schools may not have as many conferences at this time of the year, there are still plenty of opportunities such as CME medical conferences happening all summer. Not only can you learn things about different diseases, medications, and contemporary news in medicine, but you can also network with various doctors and officials at different schools. If you can find a conference close to you this summer, it wouldn’t hurt trying to make a trip.

4: Volunteering- While I don’t have any statistics to back me up, I’m sure volunteer organizations are in need of more staff over the summer with students leaving, and with summer school typically taking less time out of the day for school, that’s more time that can be spent helping out in the local community. While the hospital is a popular choice for pre-meds, there’s also homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food banks, and plenty of other opportunities to help the less fortunate during the warmer months. Don’t just do it to check off the box, it’s legitimately a really kind thing to do.

5: Get involved in the community- Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our work that we forget about all of the opportunities around us that can be valuable and just plain fun. While you’re at your school’s town, try to find interesting things to be a part of. Join a community soccer or basketball league, join a local band, get more involved in a church or any of the other countless local organizations that are there all year around. While these experiences can be beneficial to put on a CV, they will also be fun moments you can look back on fondly. Just because you’re in summer school doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy your summer.

5 Things to do After the Interview

Week 46 of  the PreMed Mondays book covers 5 things to do after your interview!  Here’s the deal, your job ins’t complete after the interview is over.  You’ve got a few things left to do in order to keep on impressing the school as well as making sure your can stay on track moving forward.  In this episode, we’ll cover 5 of those things!

Click HERE to register for our 3rd annual Application Boot Camp Webinar Series in partnership with SNMA

Premeds, find affordable services designed to help you get accepted into medical school at www.PreHealthMarket.com.

Click HERE to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes!

A Day in the Life of an AQuity Scribe – Aislinn

I have had the opportunity to scribe for Dr. Grace Lee in endocrinology and Dr. Kenneth Mancher in family medicine. Working with these two doctors has allowed to me learn about two interesting specialties and learn about different providers’ preferences.

I am no longer working with Dr. Lee, but I had a great experience scribing for her. I would prepare the patient’s chart through pulling forward the previous note, deleting the interim history, and updating the labs section. Dr. Lee preferred that I log onto Fluency for Scribes about 15 minutes before the shift in order to ensure additional pieces of information, such as recent surgeries, DEXA scans, and ultrasounds, were included. During each visit, I would input the HPI (history of present illness) and ROS (review of systems). Dr. Lee liked to provide thorough instructions for her patients, and I would often enter these into the Patient Instructions section. After the visit, we would review the physical exam, and Dr. Lee would dictate the assessment and plan.

With Dr. Mancher, I do not prepare the charts until the patient arrives. The notes are created using NoteWriter and the CPE (complete physical examination) or Return Visit templates. I add in the most recent labs and apply the default ROS and physical exam if applicable. During the visit, I fill in the HPI, enter the visit diagnoses, update the ROS and physical exam, write down EKG results dictated by Dr. Mancher, enter orders, and include detailed information in the Patient Instructions. There are also smart lists relating to health maintenance in the note, and I make selections based on what was discussed during the visit.

With both doctors, I have found it important to ask questions. They are usually more than happy to answer your questions, and it allows you to record the correct information. Working as a scribe for AQuity Solutions has allowed me to learn a lot about medicine, patient-physician relationships, and the electronic medical record.

(Aislynn lives in California and currently scribes remotely for a family medicine physician in Connecticut.) 

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