So I am relaxing right now. I have until next week, exactly, to be able to sit at the dining room table with a cup of coffee and be able to drink it properly and not have to wait for a red light to prevent spillage. In the meantime, I have house-husband stuff to do. For instance, put away the laundry, clean the house, pick up the girls from the babysitter, pick them up from the bus stop. But that is all in the afternoon.
I plan on going fishing at least once this next week and even hitting the driving range before I start. The good news is that I was able to secure a residency loan to keep the family afloat until I start earning a regular paycheck. This, in addition to more cost cutting items will certainly help. Some of the cutting is to shift money from a low interest rate CC to a higher one in order to pay that off more quickly. I found out that the local supermarket offers free family movies once a month. Free tv shows and movies on the internet such as hulu and comcast. But also I discovered Groupon, where you can get things at a cheaper price. Let's see how that works out.
Also this week, rather than going to the movies at night, the wife and I will take in a matinee. Since the girls are in school or at the babysitter, no need to pay extra. And matinees are usually 1/2 the price.
During this time, I am also starting to work on a new concept for Old Pre Meds, and that is a Northeast Regional Conference. One that is only for day and will provide a good amount of information but will also introduce people to the larger, annual conference. I do not know where or when it will be held but stay tuned. And if you are in the area, please check it out.
I really should start ramping up the reading, considering I have been decompressing. See you later.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
10 days to go
So in 10 days, I will have orientation for residency. During these next few days I will have the time to fix things around the house, probably hit a Matinee with my wife (date day) and just enjoy and relax.
A recent issue had come up that I wanted to share with you all. I miscalculated how much we would need between medical school ending and getting a paycheck. So I applied to get a residency loan and I was turned down because of an issue with my credit report. It turns out that said issue was an error by the creditor which needed to be taken care of right away. Had I looked at my credit report before I applied for the loan, I would have seen the error, fixed it, and then applied. Since I fixed the problem, I am debating whether or not to apply for the loan again. The question is, should we grin and bear it or should we give ourselves some breathing room.
Last week, I had the utmost pleasure to go and speak at the Old Pre Meds conference in Las Vegas (www.oldpremeds.com). For those of you have not gone to a conference of this kind yet, I urge you, nay, I STRONGLY urge you to go next year. Word on the street is that it will return to the east coast but nothing formal has been announced. The conference is 100% non traditional. There is nothing in the conference that does not aim at the non trads. Not to mention there was a good showing of schools and programs to speak to.
I had the pleasure of speaking to several people who are just starting out and they have families. Specific questions included how to assuage your spouse from fearing that once you are done with medical school that you will not leave them. This is one of the most feared situations a support person has. The best advice that I can give is to constantly remind them how much you appreciate them, how much you love them, and how much you cannot do this without their support. Recognize them whenever you can. Whenever I am asked how I was able to accomplish medical school with a family, the first words out of my mouth are that "I could not have done it without my wife. She deserves the praise". In addition, during graduation, I had the family gather around and I presented her with my own gift to her. Which is seen below. The wording took me about 3 weeks to figure out.
"Three weeks!!!! Why did it take you so long to figure out what to say. Why not say 'I Love You' and be done with it?" And the answer is, because she KNOWS I love her. She does not need a plaque for it. What she wants to know is how much I appreciated her SACRIFICE she sacrificed everything for me. And I needed to not only let her know how much I appreciated it, but that I publicly acknowledged it. The wording, I felt, needed to reflect not only how much I appreciated her love, but how much I appreciated her doing a lot more of her fair share so that I can study, go to conferences, build my resume, and participate in school functions. But the sacrifice was not isolated to medical school but also to the preparation for it. For the time I took to go to graduate school and prepare for it. Write and defend my thesis, study and take the MCAT (not once; but twice). But most importantly, for keeping the family together during this stressful time. And while a gift or a plaque will not fully assuage the fear that I would leave her after I am done, telling her that I will not and showing her that I will not (by being open and honest) will do that. But the most important thing you can do, is to acknowledge the fear and keep telling them that all will be ok.
And so with that, fellow non trads I leave you for now. Stay tuned for more as I enter Residency.
A recent issue had come up that I wanted to share with you all. I miscalculated how much we would need between medical school ending and getting a paycheck. So I applied to get a residency loan and I was turned down because of an issue with my credit report. It turns out that said issue was an error by the creditor which needed to be taken care of right away. Had I looked at my credit report before I applied for the loan, I would have seen the error, fixed it, and then applied. Since I fixed the problem, I am debating whether or not to apply for the loan again. The question is, should we grin and bear it or should we give ourselves some breathing room.
Last week, I had the utmost pleasure to go and speak at the Old Pre Meds conference in Las Vegas (www.oldpremeds.com). For those of you have not gone to a conference of this kind yet, I urge you, nay, I STRONGLY urge you to go next year. Word on the street is that it will return to the east coast but nothing formal has been announced. The conference is 100% non traditional. There is nothing in the conference that does not aim at the non trads. Not to mention there was a good showing of schools and programs to speak to.
I had the pleasure of speaking to several people who are just starting out and they have families. Specific questions included how to assuage your spouse from fearing that once you are done with medical school that you will not leave them. This is one of the most feared situations a support person has. The best advice that I can give is to constantly remind them how much you appreciate them, how much you love them, and how much you cannot do this without their support. Recognize them whenever you can. Whenever I am asked how I was able to accomplish medical school with a family, the first words out of my mouth are that "I could not have done it without my wife. She deserves the praise". In addition, during graduation, I had the family gather around and I presented her with my own gift to her. Which is seen below. The wording took me about 3 weeks to figure out.
"Three weeks!!!! Why did it take you so long to figure out what to say. Why not say 'I Love You' and be done with it?" And the answer is, because she KNOWS I love her. She does not need a plaque for it. What she wants to know is how much I appreciated her SACRIFICE she sacrificed everything for me. And I needed to not only let her know how much I appreciated it, but that I publicly acknowledged it. The wording, I felt, needed to reflect not only how much I appreciated her love, but how much I appreciated her doing a lot more of her fair share so that I can study, go to conferences, build my resume, and participate in school functions. But the sacrifice was not isolated to medical school but also to the preparation for it. For the time I took to go to graduate school and prepare for it. Write and defend my thesis, study and take the MCAT (not once; but twice). But most importantly, for keeping the family together during this stressful time. And while a gift or a plaque will not fully assuage the fear that I would leave her after I am done, telling her that I will not and showing her that I will not (by being open and honest) will do that. But the most important thing you can do, is to acknowledge the fear and keep telling them that all will be ok.
And so with that, fellow non trads I leave you for now. Stay tuned for more as I enter Residency.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Transition Period is hard
Well here I am, a fresh Doctor of 1 week, and we are in a bind. Because I am not in school anymore, I am unable to get anymore student loans and since I have so many loans because of school, my credit report is affected. As a result, time to scrounge up some cash!!!!
There are things that we have been doing to reduce payments but still. It is very anxiety ridden to not be able to tap into funds. I feel like I have to go out and find a part time job, but then I remember that I already have a job and I just have to wait for it to start. Once I start the residency then I know that I will be earning a paycheck again and things will start to get better. But still, it can make some one go nuts.
So now the question is, what can I do? Rather, what can my family and I do? Well, we still have our reserves (which will only last for so much longer). I will learn to love Spaghetti but not meatballs, and will look for free things to do with the kids. The park is a great place. One thing that I did do, was get a bike rack from Craigslist for a much lower price than I would have if it were new. And because of that, I can take the kids to the park and they can bring their bike while I bring the cooler with food from home, as well as water from home. That way, there is nothing to buy.
And while I know that this period is only so long, it reminds me that I was able to weather the economic downturn at school only for so long. And with the reports coming in that the economy is still not doing well, it is time to think about the long term again. Keep reducing the balance on the credit cards, think about refinancing the mortgage, etc. This brings me a very important point: No matter how much you want to, no matter how much you think it is the right thing to do: DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARDS WHILE YOU ARE IN SCHOOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!!!
Remember, you will have to pay that back plus interest. And unless you feel that you have no other choice, the best thing is that Cash is King and a debit card it preferred. Even though you fell the pinch right away, you will not have to worry about paying it off later. I mean it is not like the cash was yours anyway because you already gave it to the credit card company once you signed the agreement and you have the interest to pay as well. So even though it is hard, do not use the cards.
There are things that we have been doing to reduce payments but still. It is very anxiety ridden to not be able to tap into funds. I feel like I have to go out and find a part time job, but then I remember that I already have a job and I just have to wait for it to start. Once I start the residency then I know that I will be earning a paycheck again and things will start to get better. But still, it can make some one go nuts.
So now the question is, what can I do? Rather, what can my family and I do? Well, we still have our reserves (which will only last for so much longer). I will learn to love Spaghetti but not meatballs, and will look for free things to do with the kids. The park is a great place. One thing that I did do, was get a bike rack from Craigslist for a much lower price than I would have if it were new. And because of that, I can take the kids to the park and they can bring their bike while I bring the cooler with food from home, as well as water from home. That way, there is nothing to buy.
And while I know that this period is only so long, it reminds me that I was able to weather the economic downturn at school only for so long. And with the reports coming in that the economy is still not doing well, it is time to think about the long term again. Keep reducing the balance on the credit cards, think about refinancing the mortgage, etc. This brings me a very important point: No matter how much you want to, no matter how much you think it is the right thing to do: DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARDS WHILE YOU ARE IN SCHOOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!!!
Remember, you will have to pay that back plus interest. And unless you feel that you have no other choice, the best thing is that Cash is King and a debit card it preferred. Even though you fell the pinch right away, you will not have to worry about paying it off later. I mean it is not like the cash was yours anyway because you already gave it to the credit card company once you signed the agreement and you have the interest to pay as well. So even though it is hard, do not use the cards.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
1 week until the Old Pre Med Conference: The line up
| Rebecca J. Patchin, MD, (keynote address) Immediate Past Chair, Board of Trustees, AMA Past Chair, Council on Medical Education, AMA Past Co-Chair, Council on Graduate Medical Education, AMA Faculty, Loma Linda University School of Medicine |
| Kenneth Geller, MD, MEd, FACS (featured speaker) Director, Academic and Advising Program for USC College-Keck School of Medicine Vice Chair, Department of Surgery and Head of the Division of Otolaryngology Childrens Hospital Los Angeles |
| Miriam Bar-on, MD (featured speaker) Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, University of Nevada School of Medicine |
| Terri Richardson, MD, MS Consultant Special Projects University Corporation & California State University Chancellor's Office, Health Professions Advisor, California State University, Northridge |
| Judy Colwell, MA Former Assistant Director of Admissions Stanford University School of Medicine presenting "The Nuts and Bolts of Applying" |
| Jacqueline DuBose, MD Department of Family Practice Medical College of Georgia presenting "I’m Not Old, I Have Short Telomeres" |
| Tara Cook, MD Department of Neurology, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, USAF, presenting "Choosing a Residency (and other things I wish I had known" |
| Gina Moses, M Ed Associate Director of Application Services, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine |
| Trena Gologan, MBA Admissions Coordinator/Recruiter Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Georgia campus) presenting "Professionalism and Admissions: a viewpoint from the other side" |
| Gabriel Lerman, DO, MS Internal Medicine Resident, Mercy Fitzgerald Medical Center presenting "You've Been Accepted! Congratulations. Now What?" |
| Richard Levy, MA Executive Director, National Society for Nontraditional Premedical & Medical Students presenting "Lexicon for the New OldPreMed" |
This year's raffle grand prize is an Amazon Kindle New E Ink Pearl Technology Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally and Marware Eco-Vue Leather Folio Black. Also on the raffle are a pair of consulting hours with our own Judy Colwell, former Ass't Director of Admissions at Standford University School of Medicine, a Kaplan MCAT course scholarship, and some OldPreMeds goodie bags
This year's exhibitors feature our major sponsors
Physician Assisted Student Success (PASS) Program
Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM)
Additional Sponsors
University of Guadalajara School of Medicine (UAG-SOM)
Lincoln Memorial University - DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM).
Other Exhibitors scheduled include:
American Assoc of the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC)
Apprentice Doctor
A.T. Still University (ATSU)
...Kirksville School of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM)
...School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA)
Des Moines University including:
...College of Osteopathic Medicine
...College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions (KAPTEST)
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (
Mid-Western University (MWU) including:
...Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM)
...Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM)
...Arizona Podiatric Medicine Program (AZPOD)
Oceania University School of Medicine (OMU-Samoa)
The Princeton Review (TPR)
Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUNCOM-NV)
University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
Western University Of Health Sciences including:
...Osteopathic College of Medicine of the Pacific (COMP)
...Lebanon Oregon/Northwest Campus (COMP-NW)
...College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM)
MedEdPath - Univ. Queensland Australia & Ochsner Health Systems
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – School of Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM)
This year's exhibitors feature our major sponsors
Physician Assisted Student Success (PASS) Program
Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM)
Additional Sponsors
University of Guadalajara School of Medicine (UAG-SOM)
Lincoln Memorial University - DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM).
Other Exhibitors scheduled include:
American Assoc of the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC)
Apprentice Doctor
A.T. Still University (ATSU)
...Kirksville School of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM)
...School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA)
Des Moines University including:
...College of Osteopathic Medicine
...College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions (KAPTEST)
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (
Mid-Western University (MWU) including:
...Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM)
...Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM)
...Arizona Podiatric Medicine Program (AZPOD)
Oceania University School of Medicine (OMU-Samoa)
The Princeton Review (TPR)
Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUNCOM-NV)
University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
Western University Of Health Sciences including:
...Osteopathic College of Medicine of the Pacific (COMP)
...Lebanon Oregon/Northwest Campus (COMP-NW)
...College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM)
MedEdPath - Univ. Queensland Australia & Ochsner Health Systems
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – School of Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM)
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
It is Done!!!!!!!!
Yesterday, I ended my very long career as a student and started my dream of being a Doctor. I graduated yesterday and would like to thank many people for their support.
1) My wife. Who without her love, her dedication, and her support I would never have been able to do this.
2) My daughters. Who without their love and their support I would have forgotten to live
3) To my Brother, who without his support and love things would have been very difficult
4) To my parents for their guidance, love, support, and unwaivering faith in me.
5) My in-laws, who not only helped me, but more importantly supported my wife and emotional support during these very hard time.
6) To my friends who always supported my dreams.
Thank you all and now, a rest followed by residency.
1) My wife. Who without her love, her dedication, and her support I would never have been able to do this.
2) My daughters. Who without their love and their support I would have forgotten to live
3) To my Brother, who without his support and love things would have been very difficult
4) To my parents for their guidance, love, support, and unwaivering faith in me.
5) My in-laws, who not only helped me, but more importantly supported my wife and emotional support during these very hard time.
6) To my friends who always supported my dreams.
Thank you all and now, a rest followed by residency.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
1 week to go
So here I am, one week before convocation where I officially become a doctor. It has been something. These last 2 weeks, unlike many of my fellow students, I have had to make up my radiology rotation. And since they are very laid back about it, I have been going in the mornings and getting my fill of CT images, MRIs, and flat plates. Once I have seen a bunch I usually go. The radiologists prefer that since they have a lot of work to do, and I ask questions and go over the chest images with them. But I am learning. Also, I am taking it easy since there are no exams or other requirements for this rotation. It gives me something to do in the morning.
This past weekend, I went with my father to get a new car. It was great, not only spending some quality time with my father but also it is a sign that I am finally getting on with my life where it should go. Up until recently, I had a 2000 Chevy tracker that I needed to get a couple of years ago because my car at the time was always going back to the mechanic for breaks. Well, this car just kept leaking like a sieve and it was not very reliable. I was throwing good money after bad in order to get it to stay on the road. Finally I decided to drive it into the ground until I can get a more reliable car. And this happened late last week.
I was able to get a 2009 PT Cruiser with very, very low mileage on it. And with the help of my parents, I was able to finance it. And when I finish fellowship, it will be all mine!!!! It is a sleek black color, which is what I was looking for. It kind of feels like a graduation present, but one that I bought myself and that I have to pay the bank to eventually own outright. Heck, when you are $250,000 in debt when is another few thousand right?
Now that the car headache has been taken care of, I can focus on the loan repayment headache. But, that is nothing that I have not dealt with before.
Well dear readers, till next time.
This past weekend, I went with my father to get a new car. It was great, not only spending some quality time with my father but also it is a sign that I am finally getting on with my life where it should go. Up until recently, I had a 2000 Chevy tracker that I needed to get a couple of years ago because my car at the time was always going back to the mechanic for breaks. Well, this car just kept leaking like a sieve and it was not very reliable. I was throwing good money after bad in order to get it to stay on the road. Finally I decided to drive it into the ground until I can get a more reliable car. And this happened late last week.
I was able to get a 2009 PT Cruiser with very, very low mileage on it. And with the help of my parents, I was able to finance it. And when I finish fellowship, it will be all mine!!!! It is a sleek black color, which is what I was looking for. It kind of feels like a graduation present, but one that I bought myself and that I have to pay the bank to eventually own outright. Heck, when you are $250,000 in debt when is another few thousand right?
Now that the car headache has been taken care of, I can focus on the loan repayment headache. But, that is nothing that I have not dealt with before.
Well dear readers, till next time.
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