Is it worth it?

My previous post about credit card debt and the trouble a couple of my friends are going through right now has me thinking a lot about finances and just how expensive it is to go to med school.

Sure, I added it all up before I ever decided to pursue this career. I calculated the total amount of student loan debt I’d have when I finally got out and just how many years it was going to take to pay it all off.

And I’ve considered the additional years of my life that I’m investing in academics while my friends from college are now out earning a living.

I knew all this going in, but that doesn’t mean that it ever goes away. No matter how involved you get with studying, the cost is always hovering in the back of your mind.

I know it was the right decision. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do than practice medicine. I just wish it didn’t take so long and that it was more affordable.

Steer Clear of Credit Cards

I still don’t have a credit card. Not sure if I’ll ever get one.

I have two friends here at school currently struggling with credit card debt at a time when they don’t need the added pressures. One, a first year med student, already has accumulated over $5000 in CC debt (part of which he accumulated as an undergrad) and the other, a third year, has racked up nearly $12,000.

It boggles the mind to think about having that much debt hanging over your head in addition to having to worry about school.

Both have admitted that they got in trouble with the cards when they started using them for everyday expenses like pizza and beer.

I have a debit card for online purchases, groceries and other expenses. I think it is a much better choice.

How's your luck holding out?

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all...

TALENT, Ore. (AP) -- Big George Helms had tickets for last weekend's NASCAR race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but died before he got to use them. He still made it to the track, though.

At 6-foot-5 and 400 pounds, Helms wouldn't have been able to fit into a race car. But after his death from a heart attack Dec. 28, loved ones decided to try to fulfill the 54-year-old's dream of participating in a NASCAR race, and arranged for the former logger's ashes to be driven around the track.

That would be my luck. Finally get the chance to take a spin in a NASCAR race car and croak before the big day arrives.


###

Reference: Oregon man takes posthumous NASCAR spin

Expensive Placebos Work Better

Ah ha, just as I suspected; cheap placebos don’t work as well as expensive ones. Here’s what a recent study revealed…

A 10-cent pill doesn't kill pain as well as a $2.50 pill, even when they are identical placebos, according to a provocative study by Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University.

[snip]

Ariely and a team of collaborators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used a standard protocol for administering light electric shock to participants’ wrists to measure their subjective rating of pain. The 82 study subjects were tested before getting the placebo and after. Half the participants were given a brochure describing the pill as a newly-approved pain-killer which cost $2.50 per dose and half were given a brochure describing it as marked down to 10 cents, without saying why.

In the full-price group, 85 percent of subjects experienced a reduction in pain after taking the placebo. In the low-price group, 61 percent said the pain was less.

Very interesting, but not too surprising.

For the record, when Neumed goes to his doctor for a placebo, he wants the real thing. Not a cheap substitute. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

###

Source: Costly placebo works better than cheap one

What were they thinking?

By now I'm sure you've heard about the clinic in Nevada exposing patients to Hep C and possibly HIV by reusing syringes and vials. Here is a follow-up story on ABC's Good Morning America which implies that this may not be an isolated case...

An outbreak of hepatitis C at a Nevada clinic may represent "the tip of an iceberg" of safety problems at clinics around the country, according to the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The city of Las Vegas shut down the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada last Friday after state health officials determined that six patients had contracted hepatitis C because of unsafe practices including clinic staff reusing syringes and vials. Nevada health officials are trying to contact about 40,000 patients who received anesthesia by injection at the clinic between March 2004 and Jan. 11 to urge them to get tested for hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV.

The article quotes Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the CDC...

"This is the largest number of patients that have ever been contacted for a blood exposure in a health-care setting. But unfortunately we have seen other large-scale situations where similar practices have led to patient exposures."

I can't believe this happened at even one clinic, let along is going on elsewhere. Furthermore, I can't help wondering if this is just a case of the news media attempting to milk this story for all it's worth.

In any event, this should never happen in a contemporary health care facility.

###
Reference: CDC Warns of Safety Problems at Clinics

How to Keep Motivated

I hate studying.

Seriously, it’s the pits.

I don’t mind learning. I love to learn. If there’s something I want to know, I can read about it for days and not grow weary of the hunt. But when it comes to just cramming in knowledge for the sake of passing exams, forget about it.

So you see, no matter how badly I want to be in med school (or how badly I want to become the best doctor I can be) it’s hard to stay motivated day in and day out. I just don’t like to sit and study for hours at a time.

I’m just not made up that way.

So to deal with this problem, I decided to compile a list of the various things that motivate people to keep going when the going gets tough. And since we’re all pretty much in the same boat, I figured this list my help you.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far…

1) Love

Don’t laugh. The dudes that came up with the phrase, “Behind every great man, there’s good woman” knew what they were talking about.

Love is the most powerful motivational force known to the human race. Many a man has been driven to move heaven and earth all for the heart of fair damsel. And if you have any doubt, just consider how devastating a broken heart can be.

Unfortunately, love is a rare commodity. If you can find a way to harness the motivational power of love, you will have the keys to greatness within your grasp. Without it, you will have an uphill battle all the way.

2) Financial Gain

Say what you will, but next to love financial gain is probably the second most powerful force in the universe. Few people do anything without some thought of reward or benefit for their troubles at the end of the day.

Don’t get bogged down with platitudes. Personal gain is a tool. Use it. If a picture of a Porsche or a Ferrari helps keep you focused, then go for it. You can decide what to do with your money AFTER you get out of med school. For now, you just need the energy to spend another hour on path.

3) Hero Worship (or if you prefer, “Self-improvement”)

This works for athletes, musicians, dancers, actors and other skilled artisans. There’s no reason it can’t work for you in your quest to become a great physician.

Find a mentor or role model; someone you admire and that you would like to emulate. Find someone you can look up to; someone who has accomplished great things and use that inspiration to help you strive harder.

It may not be a medical professional. If the work ethic or accomplishments of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan inspires you to greatness, that’s all that matters.

4) Fear of Failure

I don’t really see this one as a very good study motivator. It apparently works for some people and it may work for you. Personally, I prefer to focus on positive rewards rather than negative consequences. I think positive thoughts yield a stronger motivation than negative ones.

5) Revenge

It’s often been said, “Success is the best revenge.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Of course, it doesn’t apply to every situation, but those situations don’t have anything to do with getting through med school so we can dispense with them for our purposes.

No, if you’re best girl dumped you in high school for some dumb jock with a Camaro, she’ll be kicking herself when she sees you cruising by in your Jag and pulling down six figures. ‘Nuff said.

Are You Into Medical Podcasts?

If you’re into the ipod and specifically medical podcasts, here are some good ones you should check out. I prefer to listen to them while I’m driving or when I go for a run.

I don’t listen to all of these, but I thought I’d list them for you to check out.

http://www.medpod101.com
http://www.icurounds.com
http://www.burndoc.com
http://www.instantanatomy.net
http://www.pusware.com/


Additional podcasts (several are on iTunes):

NEJM This Week
Annals of Internal Medicine Podcast
Learn Internal Medicine by MedPod101.com
Albany Emergency Medicine Lecture Series
MedicinePod101
Listen to the Lancet
MUSC Neurological Health Podcast
Neurology (the journal) Podcast
OR-live
Surgery ICU Rounds Podcast
Survey of Pharmacology
QuackCast
The Medkast
UTHSC Internal Medicine Residency Podcast
Goljan lectures
Dr. Jeff Guy