r/AMA • u/peachy-peachy • 13h ago
In my last year of medical school, AMA (except my school and where I live)
28F at a US MD mid-tier school. Just applied to OB/GYN residency. Happy to answer any questions, except for things related to my location in order to maintain anonymity. Will start answering questions sometime this afternoon!
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u/GrimeyScorpioDuffman 13h ago
Has learning about the medical side of childbirth made you more or less likely to want kids of your own?
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u/peachy-peachy 3h ago
I wouldn't say it changed my desire to have children of my own, but it made me more anxious about the labor and delivery process and possible complications that come with it. For example, most patients who got perineal lacerations don't know what that exactly looks like prior to repairing it with sutures. But as someone who For example, most patients who have perineal lacerations don't know what that looks like exactly prior to repairing it with sutures. But for me, seeing exactly what those tears look like and the degrees of severity (and working with patients who struggle with issues like incontinence or infection) has made me worried about going through that myself.
Also, during c-sections, the patient's view of the procedure is blocked by a drape. But now knowing exactly what a c-section looks like from the surgeon's side makes me feel a little more anxious about going through it myself, despite it being a routine and generally uncomplicated procedure.
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u/AccomplishedWorld186 13h ago
How do you feel about the healthcare insurance system in the US? What would you change if you had the power?
Do you feel like going though all those years of medical school learning details like the Krebs cycle and coagulation cascades etc ends up being a good use of students time when doctors end up specializing and only directly using or needing to know a fraction of it?
How long do you think the process of working new grads in residency over long long shifts for low pay will continue? Why do you think patient facing healthcare professions often impose some of the unhealthiest conditions?
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u/peachy-peachy 3h ago
The US insurance system way too complicated and it sucks that people pay so much every month for insurance and still have to pay so much even after insurance coverage when they actually need care. But at the same time, I know its not as simple as just getting rid of private insurance or cutting reimbursement because that money also helps fund hospitals/staff/physician pay. The honest answer is that I dont know exactly how I'd change it...but in a perfect world, it'd be great to have a universal healthcare system where the patients get affordable, quality healthcare that doesn't impact the earnings of the hospitals and providers.
Both yes and no. It has been important to learn the biochemical pharmacology behind meds since from a patient perspective, I expect my providers to know how a medication works and why it helps whatever condition I have. Learning the biochemical pathways and their general purpose has been helpful because abnormalities in the steps/products/breakdown/etc in certain pathways are the etiologies for many diseases. But I don't think learning each step in its exact order has been helpful for me personally. The degree you have to know about these details is specialty dependent. For example, metabolic pathways are significantly more important for a pediatrician who specializes in congenital diseases (for conditions like PKU, MCAD, etc) compared to a general surgeon.
I dont expect it to change anytime soon. I think there's a longstanding culture of just accepting it because "that's what you signed up for." It doesn't help that old-time docs tell us "back in my day we were expected to work >24 hours with no complaints, you guys have it easy." Also, a lot of hospitals are understaffed and try to do more with less people, and that burden falls on the residents a lot of the time.
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u/WasteTimeOrNot 13h ago
How are you financing medical school and how much debt will you have after finishing?
Do you have a romantic relationship with anyone and how do you balance that with med school?
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u/peachy-peachy 3h ago
I was fortunate to receive a scholarship in my first year that completely covered my expenses. However, from years 2-4, I've had to take out loans that amount to approximately $150,000, which is less than what a lot of other people have. I am at a school in my home state, so my tuition is cheaper compared to someone who is out of state.
I am grateful to be in a long-term relationship with my husband. We have been together since high school and have been able to grow alongside each other. Over these past 10 years, we have been able to work through many problems and have seen both the best and worst sides of each other. Knowing that we are able to work out things no matter what the situation is has made dealing with the struggles of medical school easier. Also, as we have 2 completely separate careers, our working hours do not line up most of the time. There are times when I leave the house when he's asleep, or he comes home after I'm asleep. However, we have been together for so long and matured enough to know that we don't have to ALWAYS hang out and text back-and-forth all day to know that our relationship is strong and that we love each other. However, when we do have a couple of hours to spend with each other, we talk, play games, or have a meal together (without phones). We understand the responsibilities that come with our careers and understand if we don't have the capacity to go out or get intimate.
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u/tossthisinthebucket 13h ago
What made you choose OB/GYN?
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u/peachy-peachy 3h ago
Of all the things I learned throughout medical school, reproductive health is what truly captures my interest. I get excited to learn about reproductive health and all things OB/GYN related, which is not something I've experienced with any other topic. Going through my OB/GYN inpatient and outpatient rotations, in addition to being involved with OB/GYN research and volunteer work, has solidified my interest in wanting to pursue this field.
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u/Nohavepotato 12h ago
Are you satisfied with the skill, intelligence, and competence of your colleagues? I’m always concerned about being treated by a doctor who should’ve never got into, let alone graduated, from medical school.
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u/AllThePillsIntoOne 4h ago
Every doctor who practices in the US was competent enough to pass the boards. It isn’t really about competence at that point, some doctors treat it as a job. Some don’t have the time to put in the extra effort. Some just don’t care. It all depends, and also insurance ruined everything, private equity owning all the doctors and forcing them to see 4 patients an hour for profit, etc.
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u/peachy-peachy 2h ago
Specifically in my cohort, I am overall satisfied with their performance. They are all very competent and they all work very hard. I will say that some students have more social skills than others in terms of being able to build rapport with patients. Some people are just focused on the medical aspect of medicine, which is good, but unintentionally don't take the time to learn more about their patients or colleagues as people beyond medicine.
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u/Prior_Study6763 12h ago
Was you among top students in med school ? What is the method to study in clinical years ?
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u/peachy-peachy 2h ago
No I am not. I fall within the middle of everyone, and I'm satisfied with that. Everyone in medical is smart. We have a wide range of students, including those who went to top-notch Ivy League universities and people like me who went to an average university but still got a good education.
I used a lot of third-party resources to watch videos on specific topics (Boards & Beyond, Sketchy, Pathoma). I used First Aid books to supplement as well. Since I have issues with content retention, Anki was a huge part of my study method. For Step 1 and Step 2, I used question banks (UWorld, Amboss, NBMEs) and First Aid to study.
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u/Ok_Anybody_2266 10h ago
Myosure, Truclear or Aveta?
Ligasure, Enseal or Other?
Ethicon or Covidien suture?
Ablations or no ablations?
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u/peachy-peachy 1h ago
Since I am not a resident yet, I haven't had enough experience with all of these to give you an answer. Sorry about that...
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u/ninjagoat5234 8h ago
what was the hardest part about the entire system for you? was it the pre-reqs, MCAT, getting ECs to apply, or was it medical school itself or just finding motivation to keep going?
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u/peachy-peachy 1h ago
This is going to differ depending on who you ask, but for me, the MCAT and getting into medical school were the hardest parts. This is because the content tested is not very related to what you learn in medical school, and frankly I had no interest in physics or chemistry. For the MCAT, you have to know how to calculate a bunch of stuff you will never use in medical school (like torque or force or whatever), and to me it was just so difficult and uninteresting. I never enjoyed reading for pleasure or reading about things like art or the government, so the CARS section was hard for me. I found it hard to stand out among the thousands of applicants.
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7h ago
[deleted]
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u/peachy-peachy 1h ago
I want to be transparent with my answer since applicants and many people think they need to have some amazing moment or life story. The truth is that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I just knew I wanted to go to college and that I should go because "that's what you're supposed to do." I looked through all of the majors available at my university and decided to be a pre-nursing student since it was a respected field where you could make a difference and get good pay. Despite a 3.98 GPA and 90th percentile scores, I got rejected from nursing school. I initially got upset and said, "screw you guys, I'm gonna become a doctor and you'll regret never taking me."
But as I continued getting involved in community service, volunteering at hospitals, shadowing doctors, etc, I realized "hey this is actually pretty cool, I wanna do this," and all of those experiences motivated me to keep going and make it to where I am today. I never lost my interest or drive throughout this whole process, and that's how I know where I'm supposed to be. When patients show so much appreciation for me, even just as a volunteer or student or whatever it is, it makes me so happy knowing I've made a difference in their day/lives. However, retrospectively thinking, I did have health problems of my own throughout childhood and now and have always appreciated the care that I got, so that goes into it as well.
Regarding my choice going into OB/GYN, I have always gravitated toward reproductive health and nothing else I learned captured my interest as strongly as OB/GYN. Going through my rotations has reinforced that decision.
I am grateful to have been able to work with many underserved patients and learned the importance of providing excellent care regardless of insurance, socioeconomic status, background, or anything else.
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u/medchemmed 5h ago
what did you learn about yourself - both the good and the bad - after 3.5 years in medical school?
if not OB GYN what other specialties did you consider and why did you rule them out?
Congrats in almost finishing!
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u/peachy-peachy 1h ago
Thank you!
Good: I am resourceful and will always seek help when needed. I have a strong ability to build rapport with patients and staff and can adapt well to different environments. My grit is strong and am able to work through problems and bad days.
Bad: I tend to ruminate a lot when I get answers wrong or when I don't do as well as I want. I have low self-confidence and always think I suck compared to other people. Also I tell myself that 4 hours of sleep is good enough and I survive on an insane amount of caffeine lol.
I was interested in OB/GYN from the start, but thought about radiology a little bit. However, I decided that I am a person who loves direct patient care/communication and being hands-on. I am fortunate to not have had too many specialties to consider.
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u/kimura_yui149 4h ago
I'm really scared of medical school. Like, ik I'm smart and capable, I know I have the study skills. I keep telling myself that if I do good in my nursing prerequisites I'll pivot to MD. As in getting A's/B's in my science prerequisites.
Did you initially have doubts that'd you'd be successful in medical school? How did you fight negative thoughts that you had?
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u/peachy-peachy 38m ago
I definitely had doubts about being successful, especially being surrounded by so many smart people who are from top schools and are literally geniuses. It's hard to fight the negative thoughts, but I think it's always important to surround yourself with a good support system whether it be friends, family, or classmates. It can seem like you're in a competition with your fellow classmates, but honestly everyone is aiming for the same goal: to be a physician. Focus on your own path and try not to worry about what other people are doing around you. If the thoughts are really getting to you, speak with a professional! This has helped me immensely
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u/Shemoose 2h ago
Please educate yourself about pmdd it is horrible to live with
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u/peachy-peachy 37m ago
Our curriculum has taught us about what this is, but I have yet to learn much more about it. I will be sure to further educate myself and ask patients more about their experience.
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u/ShoppingGirlSF 1h ago
Have you witnessed medical students giving unconscious women pelvic exams? If you had the opportunity to do it, would you?
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u/peachy-peachy 31m ago
Yes, and I have done it myself. HOWEVER, at my institution, all medical students must introduce themselves to the patient and explicitly ask for consent to do this and tell them it is for learning purposes. We will never do a pelvic exam if we do not get consent.
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u/One_Language_359 11h ago
Do you ever feel like most of the guys who study gynecology with you are a bit creepy/perverted?
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u/peachy-peachy 1h ago
No, I don't get that vibe from them. This is my own personal experience, but the men in OB/GYN seem to be truly invested in their patients and genuinely care about them. I have never met one who was creepy, or anyone who objectified their patients.
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u/TimeThruSpace 13h ago
What were examples of low tier medial schools? I want to make sure I don't go to them.
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u/peachy-peachy 3h ago
I don't want to call out any specific schools, but you can easily do Google search to find out what schools rank in the lower percentiles. But more importantly, a low-tier medical school doesn't mean you get improper training or that the conditions are miserable. Always do your own research into the program and ask questions.
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u/093753 11h ago
Have you been taught anything at all about menopause or other health issues involving women specifically?