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Welcome to the February installment of The Journey: A Melanin.in.Med Newsletter. In this newsletter, I share my latest freebie for premed students, what Black History Month means to me, and answer some questions submitted on Instagram. For our MedInsights, we are highlighting Dr. Anya Bazzell. |
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My Month:
Happy February! Since my last newsletter, I finished my psychiatry clerkship and am now halfway through my neurology clerkship. I spent the last two weeks with the pediatric neurology consult team - there was a lot of sickness and sadness, but it was gratifying to see many of my patients get better! Last week, I also met with my academic advisor to start talking about the next phase of medical school, which includes taking Step 2, planning away rotations, and doing some electives tailored to my specialty of choice. Time is FLYING, but I can't wait to share the behind-the-scenes of that process with you all! |
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Freebie of the Month:
FROM APPLICANT TO ACCEPTED
If you don’t want to worry about the expectations for medical school applications make sure to enroll in my courses which take you step by step through writing your personal statement and perfecting your secondary applications.
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NEW FREEBIE ALERT!! MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICANT CALENDAR
This month's freebie is the Medical School Applicant Calendar. Keep track of what is coming up in your journey to medical school with this new applicant calendar. It covers the ideal timeline for each step of the medical school application as well as monthly to-dos.
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Black History Month
February is Black History Month. This is a time dedicated to celebrating the achievements and contributions of African Americans. As many know, Black individuals are still underrepresented in medicine, representing roughly 5% of practicing physicians. It is imperative to increase representation in medicine to improve patient-provider trust, reduce healthcare disparities, and ultimately improve outcomes.
For this month's MedInsights, I am happy to share the story of Dr. Anya Bazzell, a family medicine resident who is breaking barriers and redefining medicine and work-life balance in her own way!
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Med Insights:
Anya Bazzell, MD - 3rd Year Resident, Mount Sinai Health System, NYC
Morehouse School of Medicine, @surgeryandthecity
Future Career Goals: To be a women’s health practitioner and to help create more Black doctors for our communities.
Biggest Challenge: I struggled with standardized exams but figured out how to study for them and successfully completed my education. The most significant challenge was definitely Step 1. That exam was hellish for me. I worked with a test taking strategist and a trusted mentor to guide me through it. I did as many practice questions and NBME exams as I could.
Advisors in Medicine: I had a pathology teacher who remained positive and helped me study no matter how bad things got. Having her in my corner changed the game and helped me finish med school.
Motivation: Know your why. That will keep you going in the hardest times.
Favorite Resource: NBME exams, Step up to Medicine, Quizlet
Journey: I have two masters and had a gap year after medical school. I did not match right away. My journey has been long and hard, but I never gave up. Many days, a career in medicine will require a “by any means necessary“ mentality. That mentality served me very well.
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Q&A
Did you talk about your faith in any part of the application process?
I am very open about my faith, including with my friends and on social media. It has always been a very big part of my life. When I was applying to medical school, I did not share my faith explicitly in any of the written parts of my application. I think there were a combination of reasons for that. First, there wasn’t a secondary application question for any of my schools where I felt that it fit in. Secondly, during college, I went through a time of really exploring what Christianity and faith looked like to me, aside from what I always followed growing up, so I was in a bit of a transitional period. All of that being said, if your faith is important, I encourage you to include it in your application. I have edited personal statements and secondary applications for students who mentioned their faith!
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TIP of the Month |
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Michael Mauk, PhD: Re-reading notes can create a false sense of understanding, termed the "fallacy of familiarity" by Mauk. Instead, Mauk recommends using flash cards for repeated recollection and suggests pausing during study sessions to write down key points from memory, emphasizing the importance of active recall for long-term performance. |
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