Words. “Your mother is going to die” How do you keep it together when you thought your mother was out of the woods? She just finished rounds of chemo and was looking well. Now you find yourself in the emergency department making the toughest decision you’ve ever had to make. Words. “It looks like you…
Book Review: Oxygen By Carol Cassella
Over the winter break I finally had time to read, and boy did I read! It was so nice to finally have time to read for pleasure instead of my usual pages upon pages of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology! As I was walking through Walmart finishing up some Christmas shopping, I stumbled upon the book Oxygen by…
7 Incredibly Easy Ways To De-Clutter Your Life
New year = new me? Maybe not, but I’m slowly learning how to be a de-clutter queen. In one of my last posts of 2016, I talked all about why de-cluttering is so important! Slowly but surely, I’ve built up a few easy ways to de-clutter my life and I want to share them with…
How Is It That A Name Means Everything And Nothing At All
Originally Published On Unwritten My name is four syllables and it’s spelled “weirdly”. I say “weirdly”, because it’s not weird to me, but it’s not the Americanized way of spelling it, so it’s dubbed as weird. In my four months of medical school, I’ve grappled with trying to change my name to make it easier…
Why You Need To De-Clutter Before The New Year
For as long as I can remember, my mom has told me to de-clutter and that throwing things out will make me feel a million times better. You know the whole charade? You have to sit there and try on every piece of clothing you own so that you can donate all the stuff that just…
Should Physicians Be Harnessing The Power Of Prayer?
Just like every other student in my medical program, I was required to complete 18 hours with a family physician as part of a “Family Medicine Experience”. The family doctor that I was placed with was extraordinarily kind, listened deeply to their patients, and was always willing to help me learn. But, there is one…
5 Singer-Songwriter Albums You Need To Add To Your Study Playlist
Originally published on Unwritten If you step into any library or coffee shop, you are likely to see tons of people with laptops open and headphones. Whether, they are actually getting work done or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain – they are probably listening to music. Generally, I need…
7 Simple Sunday Hacks For A More Productive Week
Ever feel like it’s Thursday afternoon, but it’s really 1pm on a Monday? I’ve been there and it’s one of the worst feelings in the world. Getting your week off to the right start is hard. That said, when I put in the time on Sunday to get myself grounded for the week, I know…
8 Small Goals For A Healthier And Happier November
Is it November already? Hard to believe that we’re already more than two months deep into the school year. I always find October to be one of the hardest months of the year. Maybe it’s because the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. Or maybe it’s just because I’m equally as…
What I Learned On The First Day Of My Family Medicine Experience
When I walked into my family medicine experience for the first time, I wasn’t expecting much. For as long as I’ve known that I wanted to be a physician, I’ve also pretty well known that family medicine is not where I think I’ll end up. Even still, I try to approach most new experiences in life…
Why The Anatomy Lab Is A Gift You Should Not Take For Granted
Anatomy is a cornerstone of medical education. As such, thousands of medical students have passed through anatomy labs over the years. During my second week of medical school, I had the privilege of stepping into the anatomy lab for the first time. Saying that I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. I was overwhelmed by so…
Why It Only Took A Week To Know I’m Meant For McMaster Med
_If you’ve followed any of my writing over the last year, you know it’s no secret that getting into medical school was my battle royale. 21 rejections and only 1 interview later, I’m here at McMaster Med. I’d be lying if I said that McMaster Med was my dream school when I started this whole…
This Chickpea Meatball Recipe Is A Mealprep Game Changer
_ When I started med school I told myself that I was finally going to dedicate to meal prepping early in the week. Not only would it make my life easier, but I was guaranteed to save $$ and also eat healthier. Problem: I’m a pescetarian and prepping protein that isn’t chicken is expensive and…
6 Reasons You Should Let ‘The Fitness Marshall’ Kick Your Booty Into Shape
_ Originally published on Unwritten It’s the beginning of fall, and naturally you are trying to get your life together. The days are slowly getting shorter and you’re trying to figure out how the heck you can work off those extra summer margaritas. Because, you know, WINTER IS COMING. Regretfully, it’ll be bikini season again…
5 Key Lessons To Takeaway From Your First Week Of Medical School
_ This week marked the day I’ve been waiting for longer than I can remember – the start of medical school! The first week of medical school was O-Week, your classic mix of intro and fun to ease you into school. Intro sessions, speeches, welcomes, pub nights, scavenger hunts, and coffeehouses galore. It was an awesome week filled…
Why The Nike Flex Trainer 6 Should Be Your Next Shoe Purchase
_ Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen super fashionable women rocking beautiful black and white Nike’s for quite some time. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of running shoes outside of the gym. I wear knee high boots in the fall, my trusty North Face boots for my Canadian winters, flats…
Why You Need To Try The New Essie Gel Couture Collection
I am a HUGE nail polish buff, probably because I’ve painted my nails every week for the last 8 years. Safe to say that over the last 8 years, I have purchased and tried more nail polish than the average person, but one brand has always been my go to, Essie. Once I saw that…
13 Very Real Thoughts You Have While Studying For The MCAT
_ Originally published on Unwritten Ah the MCAT, the 230 question, 6 hour and 15 minute exam designed by the demons that one must write to get into medical school. Chances are, with almost 90,000 people writing the MCAT across the world each year, either you or someone you know is spending their entire summer getting…
An Open Letter To Every Pre-Med Who Is Doubting Themselves
_ Originally published on Unwritten Here you are at the end of another school year. You’ve collected your extracurriculars and worked on your GPA like a deck of cards; an ace here, a king there, hoping to hit the royal flush. You’re looking to hit the ultimate payout, the thing that will make every admissions…
It’s Not Over: Why Failure Is The Best Medicine
_ Originally published on Unwritten. If you’ve had more than one conversation with me over the last few years, you likely know that I’ve been hungrily chasing after the illusive medical school dream. I was a keen student that wrote the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) after my second year. I devoured years and years…