Why Medical Students Should Have Their Own Blogs????

I found this article written in one of the medical website... which i think is rather interesting because it can helps to relay why i want to blog because it is very therapeutic for me.... and this particular doctor actually thinks it helps people when they write.... although how much i hate the person, as long as i release it, i believe things will get better with life.... especially on my life..... And i recommend to u to write.... whether on a blog or anything.... it will help you....
Hope u guys enjoy this article.... take care.....

Why Medical Students Should Have Their Own Blogs
Posted 10/06/2006

Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD

All across the country this fall, thousands of students are starting medical school or new clerkships. Some are kids fresh out of college, while others are embarking on a second career they've always dreamed about. Still, this diverse group shares some common features:

They're going to be isolated from the life they knew before; maybe they've moved to a new city, or maybe they won't get to call or see family and loved ones as often as they used to.
They are going to experience some powerful things, such as cutting into flesh, delivering a baby, breaking devastating news, or staying awake for ungodly periods of time.


In short, this is a group that should be communicating a lot with others -- stories, perceptions, rants -- at precisely the time when such communication is most difficult.

The solution? I think they all ought to get a blog.

You know -- a Web-log, an online diary. Now, I'm not talking about those vapid MySpace pages full of classroom gossip and party pictures (although medical school provides its share of that, too). But I think the students who sit down for 20 minutes every now and then to record their impressions of the wondrous, challenging experiences they're grappling with will be doing themselves a favor. Frustrated friends and family who haven't heard from their beleaguered med school castaway will take a measure of relief in seeing an updated blog entry, even if it's a gripe about exams written at 3 AM.

But perhaps even more important is that medical student blogs are useful for students themselves. It's therapeutic to record your feelings, to vent frustrations, and to register difficult experiences. This is the kind of activity that makes for a sensitive and caring doctor -- probably the kind of doctor that most beginning students expect to be but forget about somewhere along the line. Blogging can help students remember. It's also instructive because it allows us to chart our progress through the years. On those bleak days of surgery clerkship, it may be encouraging to look back and see how far you've come since the first squeamish posts about anatomy lab.

Finally, blogging can create opportunities and open up frontiers. Beyond the simple scenarios that have helped me -- such as getting the inside scoop on hospitals during residency interview season -- getting involved with the nascent medical blogosphere can help you sift through the Web's educational resources (such as a collection of clinical cases and archived school lectures). It also can inspire student activism or show you what life is like in foreign med schools. Blogging might even open up doors into research.

To put it in med-school parlance, such an activity is "high-yield" and quite possibly "evidence-based,"[1,2] and thus worthy of a medical student's valuable time. Plus, you can't beat the price (blogs are free and easy to set up at sites such as www.blogger.com and www.wordpress.com).

Medical students can take their cues from some of the blogs already out there. Besides Medscape's own cadre of bloggers at The Differential, there are institutional blogs such as the University of Michigan's med school blog and StudentDoctor.net, where some editorial freedom is sacrificed for a potentially larger audience. Some students write mostly for family and friends, while others give updates on much more than medicine.

If there's one unique concern that weighs heavily on medical students, it's privacy -- for their patients, for their colleagues, and for themselves. This may explain in part why med student blogs are less common than, say, graduate or law student blogs. While students in other disciplines are expected to develop public communication skills, future doctors are instructed to keep it in the chart or at the bedside.

But there are plenty of medical bloggers who are HIPAA-compliant. They simply obscure details of patient encounters and keep their own names and affiliations offline (which is relatively easy to do, although there's no guarantee that a blogger still won't be discovered). Other bloggers maintain anonymity, not necessarily for their patients but to protect themselves (the blogger behind Ah Yes, Medical School wouldn't be nearly as funny if his classmates and teachers knew who he was).

Of course, getting your feet wet in medical blogging may seem a little overwhelming. Fortunately, there's Grand Rounds -- which in the hospital means stale bagels and esteemed, boring lecturers, but on the Web means a weekly collection of the best in medical blogging. Each week, a different blogger "hosts" Grand Rounds and displays links to other bloggers' best posts of the week. I have been fortunate to interview many of these bloggers for Medscape's Pre-Rounds series, and I can say that many initially had a skepticism of this new form of communication until the benefits won them over.

Andy Warhol said that, in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. While that's not yet proven, it's safe to say that most people will one day have some sort of online presence. I urge medical students to set up that territory now -- for themselves, their careers, their loved ones -- as they undergo some of their most transformative years.

References

DasGupta S, Charon R. Personal illness narratives: using reflective writing to teach empathy. Acad Med. 2004;79:351-356. Abstract
Hatem D, Ferrara E. Becoming a doctor: fostering humane caregivers through creative writing. Patient Educ Couns. 2001;45:13-22. Abstract

Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD, second-year resident in emergency medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY

Disclosure: Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Medscape Med Students. 2006;8(2) ©2006 Medscape

When you thought.........

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good night and I felt loved and safe.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."


I really like what is going on with my life...... is like a roller coaster to me.... but, at the same time i really hate it because in some time, some part, some chapter of my life, i have to endure emotional and mental roller coaster which is making me really feeling down.....#

There is sometimes, i really feel like i have no friends, nobody like me, no pretty face, no sexy body and no life..... and this kind of feeling is pullling me really down to earth till i can't breath.....thus, writing this blog at this point of my life really bring me to the surface, gasp some feel fresh air with a positive mind that life can starts again with a new chapter.... thus, i'm trying to leave this chapter and starting a new chapter again in my life with the hope this chapter is not killing me but is making me stronger to move on with life.........

Hope you all like the words above.... do leave some message in my life chapter,.... happy to hear from you.......

My first semester in Physio college....

The first time i step into the college in HKL, i felt so sick and regret because the place is so small and dark.... the hallway of the college is as long as the hallway between my house's living room and kitchen.......with not enought lightings... probably they forgot to but the lamp....
Anyway, i with my big red Crocodile luggage, i strolled along the hallway, and met all my seniors who just can't wait to "orientate" us..... look at those eager stares with polite gestures, that said " Welcome.... welcome..... Loook at those innocent and restless face.... be prepared for the first nite of 'Orientation'"
My first impression, "Shiau Lee, jus do it for the allowance, who will give u money and classes as the same time, you just got to move on with it"
So, they briefed us, and introduced the "Orientation Community Members" aka " Big Ragging Bastards".... and then, we moved to our new hostel, a hell named "Cybertel Bangi" Me and my big red bag moved into the room, and within 5 seconds, i cried and called me mom........ I told my mom " Ma..... this room dun have rubbish bin".... My tears streaming down my cheeks, while my mom was reassuring me through the phone.... i was looking at my new room mate's big luggage and also check out the room....
The room has two beds with two tables and chairs, a cupboard and we have a toilet to share.... My new room mate named Ms. LSM.... She is a girl from Sibu, Sarawak....Kinda innocent and straight-forward girl....
Well, as i predicted, my fellow seniors just can't wait to get their hands on us.... we were "orientated" on the first night itself.... it started with a "ice breaking session", include self-introduction adn patriotic song..... Eeekkkk..... annoying......well, is orientation... suppose the "ragging" is a must, i guess....
Well, life has been really tiring in sem 1 because of the new adaptation to the new environment, extra papers to take.... and ridiculous hours of classes....
I remembered, when we stayed in Cybertel, we had to wake up 4.30 am prepared to go to college, bus left the hostel at 5.30 am.... and the class started at 8.00 am, ended at 4.30pm in GHKL, then, had to go to Anatomy and Physiology class at 6.00pm till 8.00pm.... went back to hostel at 9.30 pm.... bathed, studied a little, then, only can sleep at 12.30am.... wah.... like hell.... dunno why??? The situation cycled for past 3 months, till we moved into our new hostel in Sg. Buloh..... Things got worst, Sg, Buloh is so secluded, besides, flowers.... and flowers..... and flowers.... there is nothing there.... everything is so messy, we attended classes with blurred mind.... Without noticed, time passed so fast.... i finished semester one....... and going into semester 2........ Anticipating for more adventures.....