Ever pulled an all-nighter, walk to class through the oxygen-rich cold, sit down ready to take the dreaded exam, and then all of a sudden the sleep-deprived, brutal crash sets in? Exactly 2 hours too early.

Well, there is a solution to this. A Harvard professor invented a caffeine inhaler called “Aeroshot Pure Energy.” Each inhale is equivalent to up to 50 mg of caffeine, roughly 1/3 of what a good coffee would have. It would take about 3 “puffs” to get you into shape just in time for your exam.

Reviews don’t seem too shiny though. Apparently it’s not a true inhaler, only an imitation that shoots out powder. The taste is supposedly bad and a pill might be more effective. There are also other forms of concentrated caffeine like gum or the mainstream “5 hour energy.” I still see some potential for a true inhaler with some flavoring - maybe even with kopi luvak coffee?

Admittedly, I don’t have a smart phone. At least not one that can browse the web, access a satellite for GPS or utilize powerful medical apps. Come October my current plan is expiring and I am planning on getting either an IPhone or a Droid.

Some of you are probably reading this on your phones right now - I feel so old fashioned. I’m also a bit afraid of such a new acquisition. I remember the day when I got a GPS for my car. It was the day I forgot where I lived. Not literally, but metaphorically. Anyway, with new possibilities come new dependencies. And also bad posture?

According to some articles, neck and shoulders are at particular risk to become hunched from strained, hunched, overuse. And that’s not even considering my already strained eyes looking at a even smaller screen to read my emails.

Ever hear of Tenosynovitis? It’s the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath (called the synovium) that surrounds a tendon. Symptoms of tenosynovitis include pain, swelling and difficulty moving the particular joint where the inflammation occurs. In medical school we also call it “text message syndrome” because it has happened from texting too much. Here’s a graphic picture of an opened phalange; note the flexor digitorum profundus and flexor digitorum superficialis tendons that reside within the sheath:

Anyway, happy texting everyone!

A “brave” IT specialist successfully billed her doctors for waiting time because of “mutual respect.” In her equation one hour equals $47. My first thought about this was “makes sense because I could get billed for showing up late at some providers too.” I have never been billed anything extra for being late to an appointment with a physician, but my mom had to pay $50 for a no-show at a dentist.

My second thought about this was, “that’s messed up.” I understand that people generally get very frustrated when they have to wait, especially in our fast-paced society. Waiting for the doctor is unfortunately not a rare phenomenon, but what is important is the reason why a doctor is usually late.

Im sure there are plenty of doctors that are just managing their own time badly, but for the vast majority delays in treatment happen because doctors are seeing particularly sick patients (in some cases, like the ER it could be life or death), are understaffed, or forced to admit more patients than they have the capacity for.

In conclusion, not running on-time does not equal disrespect to the patient - there might have a very good reason.

Here is the video:

Studying for classes in the first year of medical school is not an easy task. Most medical schools have it set up so that first year is lecture-based, study-intense material that you absolutely cannot cram for. Many first year medical students find themselves caught in a dilemma; they are used to saving the bulk of their studying for right before an exam and then cramming and getting that “hard-earned” A. Unfortunately, in medical school, material taught needs to stick.

In order to convert the short-term memory material into long-term physician knowledge and skills, professors load us with drugs, disorders, concepts, and biochemical pathways that we cannot handle without proper preparation. My classmates and I relax after an exam and enjoy a evening out on the weekends, but literally every other day is study day.

It seems as though a large portion of students who preform well on exams in medical use the same method I do. We sit down with a lecture we’ve attended, and we make an outline with pictures and decorated with many different colored highlighters. By the time two or three weeks have passed and it’s time for an exam, we have a stack of colorful, artistic (ok not artistic in my case) outlines we can review rather than flip through 75-slide powerpoint presentations. Here is an example of two of my favorite outlines from my last exam, which was today:

Apoptosis and Complement Activation

It’s not easy to tell anyone what the best way to study is. This applies to me as well. These highlighted outline-style summaries are relatively recent for me but have worked well; however, not all classes are tested with written exams. Some exams are practicals, where a professor or clinician grades your technique or skill. I often find myself frustrated with these exams as they can be partial and biased. If the grader sees you are confident, he or she is generally inclined to believe you and grades you based on the inkling that you know what you’re doing. Many students unfortunately don’t know what they’re doing and score well anyway. Other students may be skilled and practiced but humble or shy and get discriminated against, consciously or not. I’ve found myself in both situations and find it unfair and bizarre how we can get an 85% on one exam and 100% on another similar exam when both were equally prepared for.

Whatever exams come your way, I hope you find the best study strategies that work for you. If you want to be a good doctor, make sure you know what and why you are doing something, then do it with confidence. Best of luck!

Even though this blog is still young (about half a year old), we continue to expand and add valuable content for all that seek information on medical school admissions. Last week we passed the 100-like barrier and are deeply humbled for your support and time. Thank you for using your ipod/cell phone/tablet/laptop/computer to browse onto this site and spend a few minutes!

In a society where our attention span is constantly decreasing and we are more busy than ever, we are fully aware of our impact and look forward to a fantastic 2012.

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