Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Trouble Staying Awake, but I'll Beat the Fatigue




It has been difficult to get back into the studying mode. I just stopped for the night, but I don't think I studied as efficiently as I am accustomed. we'll surely have a quiz tomorrow in my cardiology-pulmonary medicine  class. I hope I'm adequately prepared.

I'd love to write about Matthew now, but the alarm clock will ring at 8:00 a.m. no matter how late I stay up. 8:00 a.m. seems late to many people, but when I've been studying until almost 2:00 a.m., it equals six hours of sleep, which are only marginally enough for me,

Today (or actually yesterday) I had a tough time staying awake in class. My foot throbbed. I found an extra chair and elevated the foot. I didn't take any pain meds because I was already fighting sleep as it was. I suspect at least one professor was offended.

If I can just manage to not stink up the joint on tomorrows quiz as well as to stay awake in class, I'll have a day to catch up on both studying and sleep.

The professors tend to pile things on so heavily at the beginning of a quarter that it's impossible for me to pull ahead and get all the reading done for the entire quarter. within a week or two they usually let up, though. Then I'll do my massive over-study so that i can coast to some degree, though there's never totally any coasting in medical school. If a professor thinks you're coasting, he or she just throws tougher questions and cases at you.  It's as though a person is penalized for being prepared. The only answer, as far as I can discern, is to fly under the radar but to answer questions correctly and to kick butt on exams. Otherwise, don't let anyone know what you know. It's not exaxctly playing dumb; it's more a matter of keeping as low a profile as possible, which also helps peers to dislike a person with less intensity.

I continually remind myself that I'm living what some people would consider a dream, though at times it seems more like a nightmare to me.

Former running partner with physician and surgeon parents from India has been sitting near me. I wonder if his parents believe in arranged marriages.




3 comments:

  1. April 13 is my next appointment unless there's a problem between now and then, and I don't foresee any need for one, as I'm being very careful with this cast. My foot will be x-rayed, and if everything has healed as it should have, it will come off on that day.

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  2. If a professor throws tougher questions and cases at you, maybe he or she is hoping that it will make you a better doctor. Also it can show you the incredible potential that you have to figure things.

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