11 QUESTIONS PRE-MED DON'T WANT YOU TO ASK

11 QUESTIONS PRE-MED DON'T WANT YOU TO ASK

As pre-meds, we are trying to do so much that we don't want to answer so much.
Daenne's-Journal
Daenne's-Journal Dec 12, 2017
481
views

After my last article about Being a Pre-Med Student, I thought I'd follow up with this one. Being a college student is not as easy as we think it is at least for me. When I started college, I thought it would be fun all the time. Although at times society makes us think that college is supposed to be that time of our lives where we have the most fun and find ourselves (which can be true), but it comes with a level of stress that sometimes we can't seem to bear.

Now us pre-med students, we have an extra load that we are carrying. In everything we do we have to be mindful of because that can affect our medical school application. We not only have to worry about our GPA, we have to make time to do all the things that medical schools want to see us do (to learn more about the pre-med path click here).

So, on behalf of every pre-med student (I think it's safe to say every) I will kindly ask you not to ask the following questions. I asked my pre-med friends for some help with the questions they also hate getting ask.

Here is what we came up with:

1. What is your GPA?

I mean it should be obvious not to ask any college student that, but some people just don't get it.

2. When will you graduate?

Again this goes for any college student not just pre-med students. Life happens!!!! Meaning not all students take four years in college to graduate. Sometimes you might be asking with the right intention, but if the student is not where s/he wants to be, asking is not the best thing. Simply don't ask because sometimes we are just trying to figure life out. A reminder that we are not typically a four year student, simply adds more pressure than what we already have. You have no idea what someone might be going through.

3. What will you do after graduation?

I think the goal of every college student is to actually work after they graduate. As a pre-med student, the ultimate goal is to go to medical school, but it is never guaranteed that we will go to med-school right after graduating from undergrad. Sometimes we don't even know ourselves, so please, don't ask us.

4. What medical school are you going to?

This is a very funny question to every single pre-med student. I mean, we wish we knew! We wish we knew!

5. When will you go to medical school?

Once again, we wish we knew. In order to go to medical school, we have to take the MCAT which is the standardized test for medical school. If we are satisfied with our score, and feel ready we will apply. We have to apply one year prior to the year we wish to go to medical school and if we are blessed enough we will get an interview. Then, we will get in or not. So there is no way to know when we will get in. So please just don't ask, we love you but don't.

6. What will you do if you don't get into medical school?

Some of us have a plan B, some of us don't. Either way, it's not something we want to think about.

7. Why are you always at the library? (Gaby Rivera)

Ummmmm!!! Because we have to study!!!!

8. Why can't you hangout? (Gaby Rivera)

We want to hang with our friends, we just don't have the time.

9. Why are you always with your pre-med friends? (Gaby, Ike, Janelle)

It just happens that we take the same classes together over and over, we can't avoid it. Plus we usually study together.

10. How are you a pre-med if you are a Psychology major? (Janelle T)

Again, we can have any major and still be a pre-med.

11. How are you going to start a family if you will be in school forever? ( Janelle T)



We love you family and friends, but we would appreciate if if you don't ask us any of the questions above.

Xoxo,

DD

GR

JT

IB

Cover Image Credit: Anthony Lora
Daenne's-Journal
Daenne's-Journal Dec 12, 2017
At University of Louisville
At University of Louisville

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5 Things I Learned While Being A CNA

It's more than just $10 an hour. It is priceless.
Mackenzie Rogers
Mackenzie Rogers Nov 8, 2016
29889
views

If I asked you to wipe someone's butt for $10 would you do it? If I asked you to give a shower to a blind, mentally confused person for $10 would you do it? If I asked you to simply wear a shirt stained with feces that was not your own for 12+ hours for $10 would you do it?

You probably wouldn't do it. I do it every day. During the course of one hour I change diapers, give showers to those who can no longer bathe themselves, feed mouths that sometimes can no longer speak and show love to some that do not even know I am there all for ten dollars.

I am a certified nursing assistant.

My experiences while working as a CNA have made me realize a few things that I believe every person should consider, especially those that are in the medical field.

1. The World Needs More People To Care

Working as a nursing assistant is not my only source of income. For the past year I have also worked as a waitress. There are nights that I make triple the amount while working as a waitress for 6 hours than I make while taking care of several lives during a 12 hour shift. Don't get me wrong, being a waitress is not a piece of cake. I do, however, find it upsetting that people care more about the quality of their food than the quality of care that human beings are receiving. I think the problem with the world is that we need to care more or more people need to start caring.

2. I Would Do This Job For Free

One of my teachers in high school said "I love my job so much, if I didn't have to pay bills, I would do it for free." I had no clue what this guy was talking about. He would work for free? He would teach drama filled, immature high school students for free? He's crazy.

I thought he was crazy until I became a CNA. Now I can honestly say that this is a job I would do for free. I would do it for free? I'd wipe butts for free? I must be crazy.

There is a very common misconception that I am just a butt-wiper, but I am more than that. I save lives!

Every night I walk into work with a smile on my face at 5:00 PM, and I leave with a grin plastered on my face from ear to ear every morning at 5:30 AM. These people are not just patients, they are my family. I am the last face they see at night and the first one they talk to in the morning.

3. Eat Dessert First

Eat your dessert first. My biggest pet peeve is when I hear another CNA yell at another human being as if they are being scolded. One day I witnessed a co-worker take away a resident's ice cream, because they insisted the resident needed to "get their protein."

Although that may be true, we are here to take care of the patients because they can't do it themselves. Residents do not pay thousands of dollars each month to be treated as if they are pests. Our ninety-year-old patients do not need to be treated as children. Our job is not to boss our patients around.

This might be their last damn meal and you stole their ice cream and forced them to eat a tasteless cafeteria puree.

Since that day I have chosen to eat desserts first when I go out to eat. The next second of my life is not promised. Yes, I would rather consume an entire dessert by myself and be too full to finish my main course, than to eat my pasta and say something along the lines of "No, I'll pass on cheesecake. I'll take the check."

A bowl of ice cream is not going to decrease the length of anyone's life any more than a ham sandwich is going to increase the length of anyone's life. Therefore, I give my patients their dessert first.

4. Life Goes On

This phrase is simply a phrase until life experience gives it a real meaning. If you and your boyfriend break up or you get a bad grade on a test life will still continue. Life goes on.

As a health care professional you make memories and bonds with patients and residents. This summer a resident that I was close to was slowly slipping away. I knew, the nurses knew and the family knew. Just because you know doesn't mean that you're ready. I tried my best to fit in a quick lunch break and even though I rushed to get back, I was too late. The nurse asked me to fulfill my duty to carry on with post-mortem care. My eyes were filled with tears as I gathered my supplies to perform the routine bed bath. I brushed their hair one last time, closed their eye lids and talked to them while cleansing their still lifeless body. Through the entire process I talked and explained what I was doing as I would if my patient were still living.

That night changed my life.

How could they be gone just like that? I tried to collect my thoughts for a moment. I broke down for a second before *ding* my next call. I didn't have a moment to break down, because life goes on.

So, I walked into my next residents room and laughed and joked with them as I normally would. I put on a smile and I probably gave more hugs that night than I normally do.

That night I learned something. Life goes on, no matter how bad you want it to just slow down. Never take anything for granted.

5. My Patients Give My Life Meaning

My residents gave my life a new meaning. I will never forget the day I worked twelve hours and the person that was supposed to come in for me never showed up. I needed coffee, rest, breakfast or preferably all of the above. I recall feeling exasperated and now I regret slightly pondering to myself "Should I really be spending my summer like this?" Something happened that changed my view on life completely. I walked into a resident's room and said "Don't worry it's not Thursday yet", since I had told her on that Tuesday morning that she wouldn't see me until I worked again on Thursday. She laughed and exclaimed "I didn't think so, but I didn't want to say anything," she chuckled and then she smiled at me again before she said, "Well... I am glad you're still here." The look on her face did nothing less than prove her words to be true. That's when I realized that I was right where I needed to be.

Yes, I was exhausted. Yes, I needed caffeine or a sufficient amount of sleep. My job is not just a job. My work is not for a paycheck. My residents mean more to me than any amount of money.

I don't mind doing what I do for $10; because you can't put a price on love. The memories that I have with my patients are priceless.


Cover Image Credit: Mackenzie Rogers
Mackenzie Rogers
Mackenzie Rogers Nov 8, 2016
At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

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I Dropped A Class My First Semester Of College, But That Doesn't Make Me Any Less Of A Student

Seriously, course loads in college are intense.

Harley LaRocca
Harley LaRocca Oct 17, 2018
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It's October, midterms are rolling around, and so is the stress of keeping up your grades. In some classes, you may have an insane number of extra credit opportunities, or you may be taking classes that are meant to be GPA boosters. Unlike these scenarios, I am not.

I am a science major, biochemistry to be more specific, and my course load is intense. Recommended courses to take during your first semester in order to stay on track are Biology 1201, Chemistry 1201, and Math 1550 (calculus), as well as other courses such as biology lab, possibly a foreign language or general education course, or another class that takes a large amount of your time and dedication such as a band course or anything extracurricular.

All that being said, I am a first-year undergraduate student trying to juggle 17-course hours, as well as obstacles outside of the classroom. Now realize, to be considered a full-time student, you only have to schedule 12 hours. Yes, you read that correctly, 12, and I am attempting 17.

Initially, I did not think this was a horrible idea being that I was not a bad student in high school. I came into college thinking 17 hours wasn't going to be insanely difficult, just an adjustment that I would have to get used to.

Boy, was I wrong...

I am the first person to admit when I am struggling in something but to also admit I hate bothering someone for help. I will sit and struggle trying to teach myself before even remotely thinking about talking to someone else for help.

Because of this, I began to fall behind in multiple classes because I really could not handle taking 17 hours in my first semester. Luckily, withdrawing from a course is an option and also is not frowned upon at my university, nor did my parents have an issue with me dropping a class and deciding to take it at a later time.

So, the week of midterms, I decided Calculus was just too much for me to juggle on top of all of my other courses too. After dropping this course I will go from taking 17 hours to 12 hours. Yes, I will have gone from taking the max number of hours a first-semester freshman can take, to taking the minimum number of hours for anyone to be a full-time student at Louisiana State University.

In doing this, I have gotten a lot of questions as to why I am choosing to withdraw from the course. Why not just push through it and keep going?

Let's be real. In the long scheme of things, I cannot allow a course that I admittedly struggle in to take my attention away from other courses in which I will ultimately fall behind in all of them. Also, ANY medical school (my goal) would much rather see a W on a transcript and then the course is taken again and passed, rather than it being failed and taken again along with a GPA below their liking.

So, before you go off judging people for taking a W in a course or thinking you are just that much better than them because you never have, think of the possibilities as to WHY they may have needed to withdraw. Why ruin your GPA over one course? I didn't.

Harley LaRocca
Harley LaRocca Oct 17, 2018
At Louisiana State University

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