(:

Adolescence is a western term. Many other societies just transition from child to adult. In 1 Corinthians 13:11 childish reasoning, childish words and actions were put away as one became a man. Christ’s life is shown as a boy, at the temple debating with the Jewish leaders then as a man when he began his ministry. This stage of teenagers gives our youth a huge gap between childish expectations and being trusted to play the role of an adult- which is a dangerous in between that gives them a good like… ten years to lose their identity when they should be identifying themself with Christ. The adolescent stage prolongs immaturity before a young person is expected to act as an adult.

On The Nature Of Daylight Max Richter

Moments with Oliver Rachel Yamagata

Nothing Else Matters- Apocalyptica

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Anonymous asked: Did you ever procrastinate in med school? You probably didn’t, but do you have any advice for one who puts off things until the last minute!?!

Howdy, Silver Snail.

The procrastination question always makes me smile… and it makes Mrs. Cranquis roll her eyes and mumble things like, “Oh, they have NO idea“…

Besides the “positive/negative thoughts” mentioned under that link, here’s what worked best for getting ME off of my lazy tuckus when I’d come down with a serious case of Sofa Spud during med school:

1. Write down a list of various things I’d like to be doing instead of homework. This included quick things (check email), medium-length (read a chapter in a fiction book), and me-love-it-long-time length (play Half-Life or Age of Empires until sleep sets it).
2. Write down a list of the things that a hypothetically-responsible adult would do today. This usually included: review 30+ minutes for each lecture I had today, preview 15-30 minutes for each lecture I will have tomorrow, and study 60+ minutes for any class that has an upcoming exam/quiz. (During the clinical years, this became: 15+ minutes looking up necessary info on each patient I am managing in the hospital right now, 60+ minutes doing general reading on topics in the current rotation to prepare for that rotation’s exams.)
3. Then, hold mental negotiations, deciding which items from List 1 would serve as rewards for completing X number of items from List 2.
4. Now here are the 2 Key Rules that had to be used to make this system work: (Rule 1) I had to actually complete stuff in List 2 before doing ANYTHING in List 1, no matter how “small” of a List 1 item it was, and (Rule 2) I had to be willing to give up List 1 items for the day, if I wasn’t getting all of List 2 done before sleepy-times.

(That 2nd rule was the hardest one to obey, and took time to become a regular way of thinking. But like any skill, the Skill of De-Procrastination can be learned and improved, with dedication and practice and a healthy fear of failure.) :)

Anonymous asked: Dear Dr. Cranquis,

What would you consider the most important qualities (with regard to character, mental capacity…all that fun stuff) a practicing physician should have?

Sincerely,
Wannabe MD

What a fun question to answer! Thank you! :)

In no particular order (and trying to avoid simply writing a description of myself):

• An easy sense of humor — both about life, and about one’s own self. A doctor who takes himself too seriously is a burden to their colleagues, and a turn-off to their patients.
• A touch of idealism — Real life medicine will quickly wear away 95% of the idealistic vision which we all had before entering med school, but you have to keep at least a little faith in the Scientific Method and the prior experiences of those who have gone before you.
• Ability to boil down complicated concepts into simple terms — not only for the patient’s sake (cuz it doesn’t matter how smart you are, if the patient has no idea what you’re saying), but also for your own learning ability.
• Realistic goals for your personal life — Gone are the days when a doctor could work 3 half-days a week, golf twice a week, and own a mansion with 2 foreign sports cars in the garage and a yacht moored at a private dock. But doctors shouldn’t feel that they have to live at that socioeconomic level, and grind themselves away on the millstone of work accordingly — doctors should balance their work with their personal well-being (family, emotional, spiritual, and psychological). As physicians, we should provide good examples of balance, and not excess.
• Ability to interact productively with bizarre cultures — the smokers who don’t think cigarettes cause cancer, the parents who insist on antibiotics for runny noses, the diabetics who just don’t get it. Doctors need to be able to put aside their repulsion or disgust with their patients’ personalities and personal choices, and strive to find a common ground where at least small positive changes can occur. (OF COURSE, you can “vent” about the weirdos on Tumblr later, like I do!)
• EITHER a photographic memory with gigantic RAM and fantastic MhZ, OR a willingness to dedicate a few years to slowly and painstakingly forcing large amounts of scientific knowledge and skills into your brain, sacrificing fun times and finances and easy living, while not being depressed by the realization that your sacrifices will be rarely appreciated by the people who will benefit from them.
• Keen sense of discernment — as you undergo the rigors of medical education, you will meet all sorts of “teachers” and “doctors” — and not all of them will be useful role models. You must be like a heron: standing knee-deep in the river of examples and admonishments which will flow over and around you, watching with a keen eye and a ready beak to grasp the valuable nuggets and letting the rest of the CRAP flow downstream.
• Acknowledgement of (if not Appreciation for) a spiritual component to medicine and patients — Despite the way that medical/scientific training tends to pound out any aspects of “faith” or “moral value” from us, doctors must recognize that “There are more things in heaven and earth … than are dreamt of in (our) philosophy.” Surveys show that many (most?) of our patients believe in a form of God or Higher Being, the power of prayer, and the importance of “living right” for better health. Doctors who are able to see the world through the dual viewpoints of Science and Faith will not only connect more easily with their patients, but will also find greater satisfaction and reassurance in their daily battle against dis-ease and death.
• An internal desire to become a doctor — If you become a doctor because “your parents are doctors” or “my best friend is going to med school so maybe I should too” or “that’s what everyone expects me to do”, you will burn out. You need to WANT to do it, to become a constantly-learning never-appreciated always-expected-to-be-perfect icon. Only an internal motivation will get you through 3rd year of med school, much less intern year!

Thanks again for tossing me such a fun question to mess around with. Good luck, Wannabe!