This is a medical school blog after all, and now a residency blog, so here you can find a collection of my medical school posts!
Medical School Series #1- MCAT
Medical School Series #2- 1st year
Medical School Series #3- 2nd year
Medical School Series #4- How to Study
Medical School Series #5- What to do before med school starts
How to study in medical school and as a pre-med
Research even if you don’t like research
Specific medical school blog posts:
What I learned from my Internal Medicine Rotation
What I learned from my Psychiatry Rotation
What I learned from my Neurology Rotation
What I learned from my Family Medicine Rotation
What I learned from my Pediatrics Rotation
What I learned on my Surgery Rotation
What I learned on my OBGYN Rotation
Frequently Asked Questions about High School and College
Residency:
Neurology Rotation at Mayo Clinic
Internal Medicine Rotation at Mayo Clinic
Hematology Rotation at Mayo Clinic
Gastroenterology Rotation at Mayo Clinic
Emergency Medicine at Mayo Clinic
Ophthalmology Residency:
Making it through my first 2 days of call
What life is like as an ophthalmology resident
Pediatric Ophthalmology rotation at Mayo Clinic review
Interviewing For Fellowship in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (aka Oculoplastics)
Brandon Fry says
I have a question about organic chemistry. Is it listed under chemistry at a certain level or is it its own subject?
CNA Journal says
It’s usually a stand alone subject Brandon. If you see ‘Chemistry’ by itself, that typically refers to inorganic chemistry. Hope that helps!
Sami says
Hi Andrea,
I just commented on your emergency medicine post- sorry about the long comment, I just got kind of excited because I have always loved emergency medicine! I’ve been in the ER many times (for myself and others) and whenever I am there- especially not for myself- I just get a rush of excitement. The hospital and emergency room seems so thrilling to me! But I’ve grown up around medicine because most of my family has or has had jobs in the medical field as physicians or nurses. Anyways, I wanted to ask you for some advice. I’m a fourth year undergrad at UCSB right now, and lately I’ve been debating on whether or not I want to go to medical school. I don’t even know if I can get it because it’s so competitive now days. I also value family, fitness, nutrition, exercise, etc. and I don’t know how I would be able to manage all of those things being a doctor. I want to be able to spend time with my future family, and certain types of doctors don’t seem like they have the ideal lifestyle for that. I also noticed that you said your fiance was a PA. This is also something that I am very interested in- but I don’t know much about it because I’ve never met a PA before. So my problem is, I DEFINITELY want to do something in the medical field because I could not imagine doing anything else, but I don’t know exactly what. Have you ever been in this situation before?
Thank you!
xoxo
Sami
Sam says
Hi Andrea!
Just came across your blog today and have spent a couple hours perusing it already! I start medical school in the fall and your thoughts are helpful, funny, and most importantly honest! I have a question for you though– how did you choose ophthalmology for your residency? Did you always know you wanted to go into ophtho? What factors went into your decision? Thank you and I will definitely keep reading!
aawenzel says
Hi Sam!! Thanks so much for your comment! I’ve known I wanted to do ophtho since I was in high school which is really unusual. I just love the balance of surgery and clinic, I love that there is a focused exam and skill set you have to have (using the slit-lamp and indirect ophthalmoscope as opposed to palpating abdomens and using stethoscopes), I love that the surgeries are short but make a HUGE difference in peoples lives. I really like that there is opportunity to volunteer abroad as an ophthalmologist, and I think the pathology of the eye is fascinating.
I think you need to decide how much time you want to spend in the hospital vs. in clinic vs. in surgery and that will help narrow things down to start! Then do whatever you find interesting! Hope that helps!
Athena says
Dr.Tooley,
Hi. I was wondering if you knew anyone who had children before going into medical school and if you had any advice or concerns? My youngest will be 3 when I finish my undergrad. Thank you!!!
Erika says
Hi Andrea! I am Erika and I am from Brazil. I attend a Community College and my major is Math and Science. I have to decide my next semester if I want to go to school for pre-med or engineering. I always wanted to be a dermatologist but since I’m from a different country, I thought it would be very hard for me to study pre-med in a different country. Therefore, I was thinking about studying engineering; however, that’s not what I’m passionate about. What are your thoughts on that? How hard do you think it would be for me?
Thank you.
Nili says
Hi Andrea!
I am in the middle of this years application cycle for medical school. My applications are in (16 to be exact) and I’m starting to think about interviews. I was wondering if you could write about how to prepare for interviews? I know you did this for your residency interviews but medical school interviews are quite different in my opinion. Not sure if schools were doing MMI when you applied but if have any thoughts on how to prepare for the different styles and what questions can be expected I would appreciate it!
Thanks!
Emily says
Hi Andrea! I first saw some of your videos on YouTube and then I started reading your blog and I just want to say you are very helpful! I was wondering if you could do a blog or video on what kind of student you were in high school. I am in high school and I’m an avrerage student. I know you said you were an average student as well but I want to know what your definition of that is. Did you take all the difficult classes your school had to offer? Did you ace everything? Becsuse I have a huge interest in medicine but I’m not quite sure if I’m smart enough to make it. I worry about not getting into medical school, or not getting a residency spot because my fields of interest are of course very competitive fields. If you could do a video on the most competitive feilds and what kind of student you were in high school that would be extremely helpful! 🙂 Have a great day.
Andrea Tooley says
Hi Emily! Thank you so much for your comment. I can definitely do a video about this. To answer some of your questions now, I was a good student in high school. My school was very small and didn’t offer AP classes, but I did take as many challenging classes as I could. I graduated with a 4.0 in high school, but again- my school was super small so the classes weren’t that hard. I don’t think you have to be the best student, but you do need to be good at school in order to get into medical school. You have plenty of time, so just keep working hard!!
Polina says
Andrea! I am a medical student and I still haven’t chosen my specialty yet! As well as you I’d like my speciality to live me some space for family and life. Could you please mention some other specialities apart from ophthalmic which would be suitable?
Andrea Tooley says
There are so many Polina! What are you interested in?
Monique says
Hi,
I really want to become a doctor. It has been my dream since I was a little girl.
But I also want to have children and a family one day. Which specialties do you recommend for a woman? I would like to do a bit of surgery but it is okay if I don’t.