All and all, this wasn't a very good week for me and I took 2 sick days off, as some old health issues became problematic but I have to concede that I haven't done a very good job eating healthy, resting, and taking my medications. I'm just finding it difficult to remember to take my meds so I decided to purchase one of those pill dispenser things with the days of the week on them so I can stay on track. I figured I had another 20 or so years before I needed to buy one to remember what I'm supposed to be taking, but I guess that didn't work out to be the case for me.
I received my TBR review books in the mail today and I'm working on generating a new and improved study schedule for the MCAT. So far, this review material appears to be much more helpful than EK because like my old Chemistry and Organic textbooks, they quiz you on each new topic right after it's discussed. There's also MCAT style review passages after each major section, for example there are 14 passages/100 questions immediately after the section on Carbonyls and Alcohols. One other very critical change to my study plan this go round is that I'm spending more time figuring out why I get answers right or wrong than I spend testing myself. It finally occurred to me that if I'm to make some permanent and long term (ie USMLE) improvements in my test taking ability, I'd better go all out NOW, least I end up like so folks I've heard about, those who get in and can't do well on standardized tests for the remainder of their medical careers with disastrous consequences.
Other things on my mind these days is my future in medicine, specifically what fields I'm interested in. Of course, I LOVE pathology and decided on it when I was in high school 20_+ years ago, but with the realization that my nest is going to be empty in the next 5 years, I've decided to open my mind to the possibility of other fields. Given my strong involvement in breast cancer outreach through the Komen Foundation, I've always kept in the back of my mind a possible career as on Oncologist. But I wonder if despite my formal training as a hospice volunteer, if I could deal with the day in and day out of my patients being seriously ill and/or dying. The other field I'd keep on my radar is as a Gerontologist although I know from experience that caring for the elderly can be quite a challenge. I'm thinking that since my life these days is about as unplanned and unscripted as can be, it be best to keep an open mind about my future. Besides, I'm getting a little tired of making God laugh with my own plans! :)
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