Hey,
I am new to blogging, and to this website. As I am about to begin medical school, I have been thinking that starting a blog might be a fun idea. Being new to this website, I thought maybe this might be an interesting platform upon which to start the blog as well!
I hope that as time goes on I will update the blog with posts discussing the highs and lows of medical school, the Canadian medical system as I see it, explore my interests in medicine through elective experience, and also the tribulations I will experience as I attempt to pick a speciality in a short 4 years. I may also throw in the odd post about healthcare in general, or posts to help up and coming pre-medical students get a better idea of medicine in Canada, and also what is needed to create a competitive application.
So to begin and just scribble down a few random thoughts before school starts I will give a little more backstory about who I am. As an undergrad I followed a fairly classic role of studying sciences, volunteering, and working in research labs. Nothing I feel to be very unique or exciting, though I enjoyed it all. That said I am very passionate about the degree I studied in nutrition sciences, and hope to encourage my medical school and medical schools in general to incorporate more nutrition teaching into their curriculums. Nutrition is the foundation upon which we build our health, put bad food and little nutrients into your body and you should not be surprised to see bad health manifesting itself. It is a hard concept for many people to visualize because it is not individual foods that will hurt your health, but more a long-term pattern of bad eating habits. In my opinion though, moderation is key, will having an unhealthy snack once and a while destroy your health? Not likely, and I think villianizing these snacks makes consumers less likely to listen to the rest of a healthcare providers message. Ultimately I think healthcare providers, especially physicians, need to know and understand more about nutrients and healthy eating than just pushing the Canada food guide.
When not at school I love to get outdoors and explore. Whether that be camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, foraging wild edibles, or taking care of my several beehives. It is these interests that have shaped what I preliminary believe will be the speciality I will pick. As of now I believe that taking a residency in rural family medicine followed by a +1 year certification in emergency medicine is my path. This will allow me to serve northern remote and other rural areas of Canada for some period of time, and after doing so I will transition to working in an emergency department in my home town. I have always felt a draw to living in rural communities to explore nature, and even more so to live in the north for some period of time (despite the blistering cold). Although, these plans could change as quickly as they were formed - who knows what is in store these next 4 years.