Author: Mursi.MD

Product Review/

Spine Deck Lumbar Stretcher Review

Recently something I have been using for my chronic pain: Spine Deck Lumbar Stretcher. It is a gadget that I saw on IG advertisements and I was really excited to try it out. I have been using it for the past 2 to 3 weeks and have gotten my siblings and boyfriend to try it out because I am obsessed with it! I ended up sharing it on my stories on IG (@Dr.Mursi.MD) before posting a full review as I was loving it from day one. I have gotten several messages about whether it works, here is the full review I am finally excited to share on SpineDeck!!

Spine Deck Lumbar stretcher is supposed to help with back pain from a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, sciatica nerve and chronic back pain, and just stiffness from a long day. It can also help with posture. It has 88 massage pressure points, 4 adjustable levels, and can bear up to 330 lbs. It is portable and lightweight and can be used laying down or sitting.

What happens when I am on it initially? I started with level one in a laying position and quickly feel a release of stiffness, but needed to graduate to level 2 as it didn’t feel like it was stretching my back as much. I would definitely encourage starting with level 1 and working your way up as I have been. There is soreness that I feel that begins to loosen then the feeling of relaxation kicks in. From the start, I focus on my breathing doing a combination of breathwork and meditation.

 

What happens after I am on it for 10-15 minutes? I began to relax too much and now I have a hard time coming off of it. I sometimes have to roll off and go into a fetal position and let my backstretch the opposite way. I continue my breathing exercises that I had started from the start. I then try and do some yoga before getting off of the floor to add to my chronic back pain management.

What happens in the next several hours after its use? In the next several hours to even a whole day, I am literally feeling good from a back pain standpoint. It has been giving me relief and it is also helping my posture. I am trying to use it more when I am sitting up. I usually like laying on it and combining it with yoga and breathwork.

Ready to try it for yourself?

Do I recommend Spine Deck Lumbar Stretcher? Yes. I highly recommend it. I am absolutely loving it. It stretches out my spinal column, stretches my back muscles, and gives me flexibility. The back pain relief lasts sometimes a few days before it returns again. I have a busy schedule so sometimes I don’t get to do yoga and I am noticing the spine deck lumbar stretcher on its own is making a difference. However, I like it in combination with yoga. It is also VERY convenient in its portability. I can carry it in my duffel bag when I go to my parents for the weekend. I have even taken it to the hospital for my 24-hour call shift for use! I would def recommend it with all honesty.

Medical School/

Initial HPI New Born Presentation Example

Click here to go to my google drive where you can access the PDF

If you are like me, you may have a hard time with presentations. Here is my contribution to teaching what I wish I was better taught and practiced more of! There is more to come! Let me know if this is helpful and if there are any recommendations that you may have! I will be making videos eventually going through these presentations to provide better details, etc. For now, I just did not want to delay it being posted any further.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YOUTUBE channel and follow me on my INSTAGRAM!

Shop My Favorite/

Tan Suit From Express

Women's clothing

When we think of a boss, we think of them in suits. Often when purchasing a suit, mosts go for the classic style, which in itself is a great look. However, you don’t need to just stick to the basics, add some sass! Here is a gorgeous set that not only brings out the best in you but has more of a fashionable look and gives you a bit of an edge. Be aware, this will turn heads!!!

One of my favorite stores for stylish suits is the Express store! They have so many various trends and styles, I am always impressed by them! I have linked the suit jacket and the suit pants in the original models for your convince to quickly find and look at details and order it for yourself!! I hope you love it as much as I do! Let me know your thoughts on my IG @Mursi.MD

Women's clothing

Mental Health/

We Need Actual Therapists To See Our Hospitalized Patients. Here is why:

If you work in a hospital setting, you know that most adult patients have multiple chronic diseases. While we take care of their physical illnesses, we are neglecting their mental health.

How many times have you left a patient’s room and they were still distraught with the news you delivered, or they are sad and disheartened being in the hospital. While yes, you gave a thorough explanation, several minutes to take the information in, and gave them the appropriate time to ask questions. You even provided them a touch of human interaction by placing your hand on their shoulder but was all that enough? Not likely.

Once physicians leave the room, it isn’t clear whether the patients are mentally handling their illnesses. It isn’t clear whether they are emotionally stable. It isn’t clear whether they know coping mechanisms. In fact, you may even acknowledge that they are emotionally drained. You may even ask them if they want to talk to a pastor (likely only a pastor is an option even though there are multiple faiths in America–besides the point), or you actually ask about their mental state. Then what? Most of the time, they deny being depressed. Let’s say they actually admit to being depressed and you offer them antidepressants. Awesome, add another medication to the list! Maybe you even acknowledged that they need a therapist and you connect them with the social worker who provides them with a list of therapists. Most likely, the social worker tells the patient to look at the back of their insurance card and call the behavioral health number to see what is covered by their insurance. Do I have all the scenarios down? And how long do you think it takes for a therapist to actually see the patients as an outpatient? MONTHS and MONTHS!!!

Dealing with physical health conditions is stressful and mentally exhausting. When patients are mentally exhausted, emotionally unstable they are less likely to take care of themselves. This increases their return to the hospital as their chronic diseases worsen. If money is your motivation, this costs billions of dollars because of constant readmissions and further requirements of treatment of their progressed diseases. AND this causes further progression of their mental illness(es) which adds emotionally unstable people in a society that may have other domino effects. The point being, mental health needs to be acknowledged and better addressed.

So, what can we do? I strongly believe we need to provide actual therapists to come and see patients. Similar to how we place consults for physical therapists or case management, we would place consults for a therapist.

You might ask, well, where the hell are the psychiatrists? That is a good point. They only show up when patients are in an active state of suicide, homicide, or self-harm (or having a psychotic breakdown, etc). In terms of the hospitalists, they are seeing a number of patients and often do not have the appropriate time that the patient actually needs and deserves. Plus, not all doctors know how to or are appropriately trained to provide appropriate mental health advice. Therapists would provide patients their undivided attention also provide them with coping mechanisms and mental health goals that they can work on during the patient’s admission. Also, this increases job opportunities.

The days I have more time to talk and listen to my hospitalized patients, I see a huge difference in their spirit and mental state of mind. I can’t say enough how absolutely honored I feel knowing I have lifted their spirits. While I would always and forever make my best effort to do this more often, the reality is that there isn’t enough time every time. The reality also is that not all doctors may put that effort, therefore there isn’t consistency. While a hired therapist’s job is to be consistent. Hiring hospital therapists will provide patients with the mental health support they deserve, therefore bettering their outcomes in their physical health, etc. I can’t prove it just yet but I can just about guarantee it.

What are your thoughts? Does this make sense? Do you currently work in a hospital that provides therapists?

General Medicine/

Distrust in Medicine, an ongoing conversation

Distrust in Medical Professionals, an ongoing conversation ☝🏼

There are various working parts that contribute to this.
My intention in this post is to first and foremost remind myself to avoid these mistakes that can endanger my patient’s trust in me but to also advocate for patients and provide a reminder for physicians.

Over the past 2 years now, I have a better understanding of why there is such distrust in medical professionals, especially now as a resident while being an advocate for my mom during her hospitalizations. I believe one of the key components that play a large role in this mistrust is the lack of proper communication with patients and the lack of taking the time to understand them.

Here are some reasons that I believe play a part in the mistrust in medical professionals.

🗣 Rushing through and not providing a thorough explanation to educate/inform patients on what is going on with their health. This is especially something I take to heart because I truly believe that we can make a difference in the number of chronic disease incidence by simply taking the time to educate our patients.

🗣 Patients are left in the dark, this is especially something that occurs in the hospital setting. Patients often do not know what tests were done and why. They don’t know what the plan is or are confused because they are receiving different information from different specialists. The lack of proper updates and proper explanation of patients’ health management not only causes mistrust but also causes poor compliance and poor outcome. Often patients put their full trust in the team and believe that everything is done exactly right. And while I naively believed this to be true, it isn’t always. And this isn’t to add further mistrust, but it is to say that physicians should deliver honest and thorough information, which may decrease the chances of mistakes, but patients should learn to ask tough questions and be an active participant in their care. I think medicine is incredible, but it is flawed and the people running it are also flawed (not perfect).

🗣 When patients state their concerns and their concerns are then downplayed or dismissed altogether. This can cause a disconnect, especially when patients are made to feel like an idiot for even stating those concerns. This can lead to keeping crucial information that could help to establish the diagnosis and lead to being placed in situations, like ending in the emergency department when it could have been prevented had they felt comfortable confiding to their PCP, for example.

🗣 The use of condescending or annoyed tone when speaking to patients. This is the absolute worst. There is a difference between talking to patients in a stern and confident manner versus a demeaning and cocky manner. Similar to what was mentioned previously, patients will avoid deliverance of important information because there is that insecurity that can form in patients due to the way they were spoken to.

🗣 Physicians may see the patient’s diagnosis on a regular basis, but the patient may be learning about it for the first time. I think this can be due to becoming immune to a routine: diagnose, treat, on to the next patient, diagnose, treat, on to the next patient — which can unintentionally lead to the false belief that the patient knows more than they actually do. To run away from the room soon after delivering the news can lead to not only distrust but improper care.

This was a long post. I got really into it.
Again, my intention is to first and foremost remind myself to avoid these mistakes that can endanger my patient’s trust in me, and also to advocate for and teach patients and provide a reminder for physicians.

Residency/

My Amazon Purchases for My New Apartment!

Hi, you beautiful people!!! Welcome (welcome back) to my blog!

I am really excited to move into my own apartment and kinda “start life” as a new and upcoming resident. Who knows what the future brings and what will happen and how things will happen, but I am excited!! It is exciting to prepare for it and at the same time be in the present and enjoy the process!!! So, if you are also in the same boat and looking for similar things maybe, here is my on-going list of my AMAZON purchases for the new apartment! I will continue to update this list, so come back again in the future to this very post and you will see new added items as I purchase them!

Bedroom

All season comforter in white (hypoallergenic)
Hypoallergenic pillows (comes with 2)
Sheets (hypoallergenic)

Bathroom

Luxury Towels

Living Room

Rug

Kitchen

Knife set (has everything and more–used it and love it!)
Cutting board (bamboo)
Spoons
Forks
Dinner knife

Miscellaneous

Slippers

I hope you guys find this helpful! And be sure to check back when you are looking for more items as I will update this very post as I shop for more stuff! I will have this post pinned on top of my main page when it gets updated as well! Happy shopping!

PS. check out my chit-chat YouTube video where I do my hair and talk about residency preparation, breaking cultural rules and about the #blacklivesmatter movement!

Much love,
Mursi

Medicine Life/

Step 3 CCS Strategy

Studying for Step 3 CCS and you have no idea how to begin?

First you need a source. I personally use UWorld Step 3 CCS interactive cases to practice. You can purchase it on their website. To use it you must log in on your laptop/desk top and cannot not access it on your iPhone. Once you purchase and log in through their website, launch Step 3 CCS and then click on the “Interactive Cases” tab. This will present you with 51 cases. Launch the first one, and now you BEGIN!!

I created a schedule based around these cases. In 21 days you can get all of the 51 cases DONE (and over 900 UWorld questions)! Check out my YouTube video on Step 3 Study Schedule to get you set up and running. Or you can read about it here on my blog by clicking here.

Now, let’s begin on how to tackle Step 3 CCS cases.
You can also listen to me explain all of this in a YouTube video. Click here to watch my youtube video on Step 3 CCS Strategy!

The Strategy

1. Basic information
You are presented first with basic information on your patient. This includes age, gender, medical history, social history, etc. After reading the vitals and the thorough history of present illness you will already have a good idea what the potential diagnosis will be

2. Emergent or non-emergent?
After reading through the HPI, you must decide which one it is. If emergent, you need to do emergency orders before doing the physical exam. You give vital signs, and this will give you information on their hemodynamic stability.

Emergent (Life-threatening situation)
Pulse ox
Oxygen
IV access +/- NSS
+/- Cardiac monitoring
+/- BP monitoring
+/- EKG (12 -lead)

Non-emergent (not life-threatening): Directly go to physical exam

3. Physical exam
Complete physical exam:
— If stable and pt has a broad generalized signs and symptoms, do a complete physical exam.

Focused physical exam:
— If unstable, ALMOST ALWAYS FOCUSED. You do not want to waste your time doing unnecessary physical exam. You will get points taken off if you do complete when it is unnecessary and you cannot waste time.

— If stable and complaint is pretty focused to an organ system, then you do more focused exam. For example, pt comes in with what seems to be a UTI, then you are not going to need a breast exam, neuro exam completed.

4. Orders: Labs/Studies
Geared towards diagnosing and excluding differential diagnosis. You will either order them Stat or Routine. Depending on the emergency, you can decide which is necessary. Usually if in the ER, its Stat. At the office, it is usually Routine.

Images (US, XR, CT, MRI, Echo)
Blood work (CBC, BMP, Blood culture, TSH levels)
Urine (UA, Ketone, Urine toxicology)
Pregnancy (serum/urine b-HCG – qualitative vs quantitative)
Others (Cardiac enzymes, EKG, biopsies)

5. Locations
Depending on the situation, if they are coming to your office, you can send them home while their test results come in. Make a follow-up appointment in 1-2 weeks and then move to next orders depending on your test results.

Home
Office
ER
Wards
ICU

6. Are you admitting them to the ICU or the Ward?
If you are admitting them, then you must think of the following orders to always put in. Watch my YouTube Video on Step 3 CCS strategy where I talk about all of this.

IV access (most likely already have this ordered)
Fluids
Diet (NPO, cardiac diet, regular diet)
Activity (bed rest, head of bed elevated, )
Symptom management
— Morphine, NSAIDs, or acetaminophen
— Nausea – Zofran, Phenergan
— Antidiarrheal – loperamide
Vitals (Q1, Q4, Q8)
Tubes (NG, Foley catheter)
Urine output
LMWH or pneumatic compression

7. Treatment
This will depend on what is needed for that particular case. However, when you need to do surgery, you have to order specific orders prior to the surgery every time. And remember to consult the specific specialty before treatment is made, unless an empiric abx is required.

Surgery pre-op orders
PTT/PT/INR
Blood type and cross
If female and pregnant, Rh type should be done as well.
Abx (cefazolin)

8. Reassess – Check in with the patient
You will do an interval follow-up and a focused physcial exam to check in on the patient when they are admitted or when they return for a follow-up exam at your office. This will let you know if they are getting better or they are getting worse.

9. Screening and Counseling
Always look to see if you need to order any screening tests depending on the age and lifestyle. And in just about every single case you will counsel.

Screening examples: pap smear, colonoscopy, mammogram (etc)

Counseling examples: smoking, exercise, medication compliance, alcohol limitation, seat belt, etc.

And that is it you guys! This is a great check list to go through as you are doing the cases! It helps to get through the cases smoothly and making sure not to forget anything. You do not necessarily do all of this in this order. You might need to transfer them to the ER after they came in to the office before doing any orders, etc.

I am providing an image or pdf here for you guys in this post to save. You can use it to look at as you go through the cases and over time you should get the hang of it and do it without needing to look at it! A quick cheat sheet.

Best of luck!!!
Mursi

Mental Health/

8 Ways to Use Hateful Comments As Your Fuel to Success

You think you are your own worst critic, but I think the internet could beat you at that. We all know that the internet can be brutal! Here are 8 ways you can use hateful comments as your fuel to success:

1. Learn, learn, LEARN from the criticism by evaluating yourself.

DO NOT let the hate become your definition. DO NOT allow it to get in your head and heart, but listen to what they have to say. Use it to evaluate your wrongs and change yourself for the better. Remember, you are human and you are capable of making mistakes. You are also capable of learning and growing from those mistakes.  Recognize when you have done wrong and this will empower you to be better.

2. Be more accepting of others based on this experience.

When you experience hate first-hand, you know the feeling of being treated horribly. Use this to vow that you would never treat someone like you have been treated. Always remind yourself that everyone is going through something and that lashing out is never the answer. Accept people for their flaws and provide them lessons through kindness. You will gain empathy which you can then use to help others going through a similar experience. You can motivate them and provided them support.

3. Be kind and humble even when they only have hateful words to share.

Taking the time to validate your every move simply is another invitation for criticism from the wrong people. Most likely, hateful people will continue to hate and nothing you say will change their minds. Hateful comments always stem from something, whether it was a trigger from a hurtful experience from their past or anger that has grown in them. People will only take the time to write out comments to hurt you because they are hurt themselves. Trust your path of growth. You will be better off than to validate yourself to them. 



4. Learn to control your anger.

This is challenging when people say things about you after, for example, only seeing a 12-second video of you and defining you by it. It can make you really angry because they had all the opportunity to look into who you are but instead they utilize one content and spread hateful assumptions of who you are as a whole. Whether they are big youtube stars or wanting to be influencers (clearly I am still hurting from my own experience). You can’t change the past but you can take advantage of their actions by learning to control your anger and using this lesson throughout life. Stay calm and know you are worth more than their words and assumptions of who you are.

5. Ignore negative opinions of you.

Not everyone will like you and not everyone will agree with you. That is okay. We all have our own thoughts, mindsets, opinions, and interests. Focus on the positive. Be around positive people with a growth mindset and not people with constant negative opinions. Block hateful comments that provide you little value.

6. Love yourself including all of your flaws and failures.

People will use your past to attack you and bring you down, for example, use your past failures. They may use it to define you and attack your character. BE PROUD of your failures as they are the beautiful life-lessons that build you to be the warrior that you are. Do NOT conform to anybody’s beliefs. Again, love yourself for all your flaws and failures which are leading you to greatness.


7. Use their hate to motivate

Let their words sink in enough to push you forward. For example, people may tell you you are not good enough, you are not worthy. Use these negative comments to motivate you to learn and strive for success. You do not need to prove anything to anyone but yourself. Utilize their hate to fuel your fire to success. Work hard to be the best you can be.

8. Truly, Move-forward

What has happened has happened. It is in the past. It cannot be changed. If you did something wrong and you were criticized for it, learn from it, accept that it happened and move on. Learn from this very experience. You truly have gained so much from it and you will only see it with time. Don’t let it spiral you down a hole of depression and self-hate. People on the internet can care less about what happens to you, but your loved ones and the followers that support you, care a hell of a lot. Move forward! Focus on the good of it, the lesson. People will now learn through you.

Mental Health/

Netflix and Quarantine.

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I hope as you stay home to help put out the fire (the pandemic) you are keeping sane. I have been using this time to get things done around the house as well as do things I have been putting off. and of course Netflixing!

Here is a list of Shows and Stand up comedies that will have you screaming (in laughter, shock, and amazement).

Let’s start with some shows

Shows

  • YOU
    There are 2 seasons and if you haven’t started it, you are missing out. It isn’t a show I would watch with my mom and dad though, a lot of sexual scenes (but nothing like Game of Thrones). It is definitely going to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Actually, during season 2, at first I was like — the hell is this, BUT KEEP WATCHING. The writers did SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB. I was guessing some of the things but it had such a plot twist that I did not see coming!! I was literally screaming OMGOSH as I had my headphones in and everyone around me confused. MUST WATCH.
  • New Girl
    You most likely have seen this already. I started watching this earlier this year for the first time and my gosh it is HILARIOUS. Nick is my favorite, well Schmitt is pretty hilarious too. Hmm, then again so is Jess. I really can’t decide who I love most, but as I am watching it again, I think Nick is by far my most favorite with all of his puns!! If you want a good laugh, watch New Girl! It is super witty and comical. There are a lot of sexual references, so I wouldn’t watch it with my parents or even siblings.
  • Black Mirror
    This is an insane series involving futuristic technology. The idea behind it makes you nervous and scared. I have only watched a handful of them. You do not need to watch it in sequence. I was pretty invested in a few of the episodes:
    Season 4 Episode 2 – Arkangel.
    Season 4, Episode 6 – Black Museum.
    Season 3, Episode 3 – Shut up and Dance.
  • Love is Blind
    It is quite interesting. It is a reality TV show, and it is one that you can’t help yourself but get invested in. I talked about this in my story before. It is just one of those shows that you feel silly for watching, but you can’t help it.
  • The Haunting of Hill House
    This is SUCH A GREAT SHOW! The writers did an excellent job. You HAVE to pay close attention because you miss out on important information if you don’t. It is creepy and fair warning you will get scared if you are watching it by yourself. I encourage watching it with family members that also like thriller/horror. It is NOT gorry. Definitely one I would watch with my mom.
  • The 100
    I was in love with season 1 and 2 but it died out for me season 3, to be honest. However, it is SO, SO, SO GOOD! I watched this a while ago, but one I always recommend. Their acting skills = ON POINT. I don’t think there is even one that does an average job. Actually all of these shows, their acting skills are absolutely incredible. You won’t be disappointed.
  • Gotham
    This is another series that I watched the first and second, but never got back into it. MY GOSH, the production of this show. They are all so fantastic. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I LOVE Penguin, although a bad guy, the person that plays him really does a fantastic job. All of them do really. This is also one I could watch with family. It is a little intense here and there, but nothing too major.
  • Anne with an E
    This is one of the CUTEST shows I have seen since Gilmore Girls. The setting is in the late 19 century in Canada. It is just so… I can’t describe the excitement I get watching it. It gives you this sense of realization about life now and then — how simple things were back then and how different. It is super cute.

Stand-up Comedy

You guys, if you have not seen the following, you are MISSING OUT! They are HILARIOUS! I was laughing from the start to the end. There are so many stand-up comedy acts now on Netflix, but these ones are A MUST-WATCH! I love Hasan Minhaj, he is one of my favorites. His Patriot Act show is also amazing! I actually watched Ronny Chieng after seeing him open up for Hasan Minhaj live. Ronny Chieng is SO DAMN FUNNY.

  • Ricky Gervais Humanity
  • Asian Comedian Destroys America (Ronny Chieng)
  • Aziz Ansari Right now
  • Hasan Minhaj Homecoming king
  • Kevin Hart Irresponsible
Medical School/

Choosing My Medical Specialty

Oh. My. Goodness! Identifying what medical specialty best fits my interest, my priorities, the lifestyle I want, turned out to be very difficult. It is such an important decision and to make it correctly felt like a ton of weight on my shoulders. During third year of medical school, you are taking core rotations but these are NOT the only options. There are a variety of things that you can do with medicine, like sports medicine, hematology, pathology (I will be making a post soon on all the specialities you could go into). We are expected to know what speciality we want by the end of third year, without even having the opportunity to explore other specialties. For example, depending on what school you attend, you might not have emergency medicine as a core rotation, so you would have to wait until your fourth year, once you begin electives to see if that is the speciality for you. Also, other specialties like dermatology, anesthesiology, and so much more, you would have to wait until fourth year to check those out. Medical schools that allow you to do 1-2 weeks of rotation in an elective in-between your core rotations, THEY ARE DOING IT RIGHT!!! This only makes sense, because you might choose a specialty that you think you like but only to find out it isn’t what you thought it was or you aren’t passionate about it.

Something you can do during your summers and times off in basic sciences, is to observe different specialties. In between my basic sciences I observed a dermatologist and a family physician. This was good because the dermatology observership taught me that I needed something far more interesting than skin. Family medicine observership taught me I wanted to not only take care of children, but also adults. This was very helpful. I wish I had done more. All you need is a week really. So, begin to line them up!

Anyway, so, I had to work with what I had and only half way through fourth year did I figure out what I was passionate about. I actually also made a YouTube video sharing the speciality I choose, if you would rather hear me talk about it (click the link). It all worked out in the end, but my story is different and I really hope that you find out your passion sooner because you will need to know by September 15th (towards the beginning of your fourth year) what you are interested in so you apply to that residency program.

How I chose my specialty

During premed years I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician. I love kids and this just felt right. I shadowed a lot of pediatricians and it confirmed that this was the specialty I loved. However, during my FM observership in-between my first and second semester of basic sciences in med school, I realized I want to treat adults as well (this is why you should do as many observerships as possible!!). By the end of second year I knew I did not want pediatrics and dermatology. As I was studying I loved learning endocrinology, cardiology and GI. I kept that in mind and I actually ended up gearing my fourth year electives towards these interest. I did endocrinology and cardiology electives. I had a GI elective set up but I canceled it because I realized what specialty I wanted and instead did sub-I and electives in that specialty.

Once third year began, I began to cross off things that I did not want for sure. Click the links provided below if you are interested to learn about the rotations as well as tips on how to study for the shelf exams and the sources I used.

  • Surgery rotation was my favorite of all the core rotations, however, I knew that was NOT the lifestyle I wanted. I wanted to have a life outside of medicine (this also means that I do NOT want to marry a surgeon either). Surgery.
    (Click here for tips on how to do well on your surgery rotation! and Click here for surgery rotation update experience where I vent a little)
  • Ob/GYN was another favorite, however, I knew waking up 3 in the morning was not something I would learn to love. I LOVE women’s health, but dealing with a very unpredictable schedule would only increase my anxiety that I am trying to take care of. OB/GYN
    (Click here for tips on how to do well on your OB/GYN rotation and sources to use, and Click here for high-yield topics you must study! — These are two separate links for content to help you with getting the best experience).
  • Psychiatry was eye-opening. It was beautiful to see how someone with uncontrolled schizophrenia change to being “normal” once they were properly medicated. This rotation made me realize the importance of drugs that I once looked at as a problem. However, it also taught me that I wanted more medicine based specialty. Also, I don’t think I am strong enough to listen to pain and sorrow that I could not eliminate straight away or even within time. I hold on to pain subconsciously, so I don’t think I could handle so much — I am working on it. Psychiatry.
    (Click here for tips on how to do well on your psychiatry rotation (and high-yield topics you must study!)
  • Pediatrics is another rewarding speciality. I love putting a smile on a kid’s face. They are like a clay that still needs to be molded and I wanted to make an impression in their life. I was always told that parents are the ones you really deal with. This is so very true, but I liked that challenge. I believe to have this ability to comfort people, so I think I would have done well. However, I also want to see adults and treat adult patients as well. Pediatrics.
    (Click here for tips on how to do well on your Pediatrics rotation (and high-yield topics you must study!)
  • Internal medicine was my very first clinical rotation and it was my back-fall residency selection. I used it as my cushion to fall back on. I learned about becoming a hospitalist and that was what I held on to as I crossed off everything else. Endocrinology was another thought, but to specialize into any specialty like pulmonology, endocrinology, cardiology, etc, you need to do 3 years of IM and then a fellowship in that specific specialty. Therefore, I had time to figure what fellowship I would want to go into. I did a sub-I and electives in IM. I loved how much medicine was involved, and I also loved working in the hospital setting. This felt to be the one, however, I kept becoming disheartened as I saw patients on the floor with diseases that could have been prevented. It became more and more important to me to teach and help patients learn about their disease and avoid returning to the hospital for exacerbations in the future. Eventually, I realized that I really want to be at the forefront of preventative care. I want to teach my patients BEFORE they get the disease and if they have the disease then to manage it so that they never end up in the hospital. Internal medicine.
    (Click here for my first vlog of my IM rotation and Click here for my second vlog of IM rotation)
  • Family Medicine was a core rotation I absolutely loved. I felt connected with the patients, some of which I saw again in their f/u appointments within the 6-week rotation. I loved teaching and connecting and making them laugh. It wasn’t just patients with health problems, but also patients needing check-ups. It wasn’t just children, but people of all ages. I could see more of a specific population, like adult females or geriatrics if I wanted to. I liked the flexibility. I liked the relationship I was forming. And I liked the lifestyle. During the rotation itself, I thought about this specialty, but it didn’t really hit me until I did internal medicine elective rotations that it would turn out to be my passion. I was ignoring family medicine for the wrong reasons, like the stereotype it had as well as the salary. Family Medicine felt like the perfect fit for me and finally the light bulb went off!! My heart was set and I got so excited for the future!!!
  • Emergency Medicine is another specialty that I am still interested in, however, I do not want to do this for the rest of my life. It is still something I am going to consider. As a family medicine physician you can do EM in certain areas and if you have a fellowship, you can do it in more areas. I like dealing with crazy situations, but I didn’t know if this was for me forever (also burn out rate is high). SO as the only speciality, it got crossed out, but as an addition, it is still something I am considering. I will find out during residency if this is it. This also holds true to gearing towards women’s health as well during/after residency. Emergency Medicine.
  • Endocrinology was too specific for me and after doing an elective in it, it felt boring. I would definitely get REALLY good at it, but I would also get so bored over time. Endocrinology.

So, what speciality did I choose? Family medicine!

It has the flexibility I want, the broad spectrum fo medicine that I need, the special doctor-patient relationship that I can form! I can do so much with it, including preventative care which is what I REALLY WANT TO BE APART OF! It also has the best lifestyle that I think I will really enjoy. It feels perfect.

This was a long post! I hope that it helped you some way, some how!!! Check out my YouTube channel on all my clinical rotation experiences!! I linked videos above as well as related posts. Let me know if you have any questions! Please, subscribe to my YouTube channel if you find it helpful!

Much Love,
— Mursi