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| Left: typical white coat ceremony photo Right: Cape Cod |
I'm Lulu/LL/Lo3R. I'm a first year medical student in Boston. School started a few weeks ago; so far, so good. I'm in the right place doing exactly what I want to be doing.
I have always wanted to be a surgeon. In four years, I will be a surgeon.
I like the great outdoors, architecture, rocks, plants, art, literature, and history.
The Lord of Three Realms, as a blog, is my commonplace book, my photo album, my captain's log, my soapbox, and my personal quest for becoming a better version of myself. The Lord of Three Realms, as a concept, is an embodiment of that better version of myself. It's not a reference to religion, but an inside joke from college. The Lord of Three Realms is me. The three realms are whatever you want them to be.
A few things that have happened to me recently:
- I moved from the SF Bay Area to Boston to start medical school, but also took day trips to Cape Cod and New Hampshire recently. I'm very slow on social media and am probably the last person in my class to put up photos from the white coat ceremony (eventually, I'll do it)
- Boston is an interesting place so far. One article that has been circulating around school is Life and loss on Methadone Mile, a piece from the Boston Globe that examines Boston, and Boston Medical Center, as a critical point in the opiate crisis, structural homelessness, and health care issues in this country
- I may be donating bone marrow this year. The patient I have matched with is still considering treatment options, but my HSCs and I are on deck in case they need a transplant. Go here for more information, or to enter the registry if you are interested in donating
- I ordered and received my winter boots from L.L. Bean and I'm excited about buying a flannel. Winter is coming and this Californian is scared
Anyhow, that's who I am and a brief life update. Needless to say, I'm beginning a new chapter in my life and likely the content I post will change, but I'm not entirely sure how. Who really knows? The whole purpose of this blog is to document my process of becoming a better version of myself. Know thyself, better thyself. Thanks for following along.
And just to humor the future me, here are the top 5 specialties I am interested in:
- Orthopedic surgery
- General surgery
- Obstetrics & gynecology
- Emergency medicine
- Internal medicine
Good to hear things are going well so far!
ReplyDeleteWe have pretty similar specialisation interests. I'm aiming for ortho right now, and that would put me on a similar path to gen surg which I also really like - but I'm not sure if I like it that much more than ED, which has a better lifestyle. My first real clinical rotation was O&G, I strongly considered going down that path but after doing my surg terms I realised what I really liked about O&G was the time in theatre. Internal medicine, however, is probably my worst area haha.
Great minds think alike, it seems. It's still very early on for me to think about specialties so I'll keep an open mind and try to absorb as much as possible.
DeleteFunny thing is, a lot of the ortho-bros in my first year class have wandered together (to the fitness center after class). It's fun to lift with others around, and I hope it will be a friendly rivalry as med school goes on.
I've heard that rotating in OB before surgery is a good introduction to the OR and basic technical skills.
Regardless of how I look at it, I'm in for a lot of shadowing this year. I'll still go after ortho research because that was a huge part of my life before, but I won't have my heart set on that. The only certainty at this point is that I will not consider dermatology.
The Bean Boots are great! I got the ones lined with Gore-tex and Thinsulate, which kept my feet very warm. I went from California to the Boston area for undergrad and the transition isn't too bad. I always lived in dorms, so I never had to be responsible for shoveling snow, which looks like a very difficult chore.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the start of medical school!
I may have screwed up by not getting the Gore-tex and Thinsulate, but I've gotten semi-conflicting advice from native and non-native New Englanders. At worst, I'll double up on socks, freeze my toes off this winter, and send them back on warranty to LL Bean.
DeleteFortunately, I live close to school/the hospital so shoveling and snow drifts will likely not be an issue!
Hi!!! Good luck with this new chapter in your life :) Loved reading this little check in :) -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it! It's going to be an interesting ride
DeleteGreat post - was really nice to get to know you a little bit better and I really like the concept behind what exactly you will be blogging about and how you use this space as well. It's really incredible that you are working on becoming a surgeon as well. My dad is actually an obgyn and he loves it because not only does he get to bring life into the world, but most patients have more than one kid and also come to him for their normal check ups so it's the kind of medical profession where you really get to build lasting relationships with patients and their families and watch their kids grow. Also, really hope you are enjoying Boston so far.
ReplyDeleteRae | Love from Berlin
Thanks for stopping by, Rae! Your father's experience is something I really want as well, to have some kind of longer-term relationship with a patient and help them navigate their health for a good part of their life. But, things are still uncertain and I am still brand new to medicine.
DeleteI think my blog concept spun off from the fact that I don't have enough to say about any single topic to write a blog about it!