There are few better feelings than coming home to a 2 year old who is ecstatic to see you. This past weekend was my nephew, Des's, second birthday! I love when I come home on the weekend and he sees me for the first time and yells, "HESSSSSSSSS" (his nickname for me) as he runs towards me. Two year olds can't fake pure happiness, so you know it's real! Sometimes I get nervous if I haven't seen him in a week or two that he'll forget....but he never does! Did you know you can have inside jokes with a 2 year old? You totally can...and it's extremely heart warming. Being an Aunt to my two perfect nephews is one of my biggest joys in life. They came just at the right time, and now I could not imagine my life without them.
It's nice that one of my best friends also watches Des, and my other friend tags along, so the 3 of us have some time to catch up together when I'm home to help out on the weekends.
We all have different directions that we want to go with our lives. I find this nice in a friendship. We encourage each other in different ways and have different strong points. My friend Olivia is an amazing actress, Peggy is in school to become a counselor, and I'm on my road hoping to become an Osteopathic Physician.
I'm still praying for an interview; but today I had the opportunity to meet with the assistant dean of admissions again. One of the reasons I love this school is because they take a holistic approach to admitting students. So, for example, if you don't have the highest GPA (but it's still decent) they will consider other factors of your application that contribute to your aptitude to become a physician. Because of this approach, someone like myself who had a slight GPA drop when I went through a really difficult time my junior year of college and worked full time while studying for the MCAT, are still considered because of strengths in other times and other areas.
Yes, holistic means looking at the whole picture while still seeing the individual. Weird concept, right? Whole person--individualized. What will this person's strengths bring as a whole to our school from their individual experiences? Grades are very important, but grades aren't the whole person. Would you prefer the physician with the 45 MCAT and 4.0 GPA who spent his entire life in the books and has no other world/people experience or the physician with slightly lower scores but plenty of experiences leading them to be a more well rounded individual? Okay, okay--there's definitely people with 4.0s that are very well rounded...I'm just trying to make myself feel better!
When asked what osteopathy is, many have the same answer: "A holistic approach to health". It is! But what does holistic mean?? That's such a broad term!
I like to put it this way in my case--
My mom is a vegan-health-nut who hardly ever relies on modern medicine. She leads a healthy life style and has an herbal remedy for EVERYTHING. Her health is a lifelong approach...but she also avoids doctors at all costs.
My grandfather is an MD. He relies solely on modern medicine. For every ailment he has a pill, prescription, or procedure. He does not believe in any herbal remedies.
Then there's me. After years of hearing my mom and grandpa bicker over the dinner table, along with my own insight, I was able to formulate my own approach to medicine. I believe in a preventative, healthy lifestyle that encompasses all mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of health. I believe the body and the mind are intimately connected and overall wellness is vitally dependent on this connection. I trust that there are natural remedies to maintain and regain optimal health. I also believe whole heartily in the amazing advancements of modern medicine. To me osteopathy is a marriage between the two extremes.
The way I feel about it is, why should a doctor only be there when things go wrong? Why shouldn't we take the initiative to be more invested in our patients' overall well being? We should encourage health, wellness, and preventative measures every step of the way. I'm going to be there and put every effort into healing those avoidable, and unavoidable illnesses. But people have to start taking responsibility for their health. I've seen too many people close to me die of preventative illness. As doctors we can't assume that what is common knowledge to us is so to our patients. Patients need guidance-- a good example set for them as their physician. They need to know when their health is not optimal that a physician will take an individualized, proactive approach to healing them. Maybe that involves more exercise, a lifestyle/diet change, some OMM, and incorporating herbal remedies. Yes, pills, prescriptions are necessary but should not be the only choice. It's caring enough about your patients to make sure they aren't dependent on you only for a prescription but also for advice and guidance on their overall journey of health. This is what medicine always meant to me: finding the root of the issue and putting the pieces together to create a healing story. The osteopathic principles should go beyond the office and into your life; I live them. I exercise all options to make sure I'm healthy: physically, mentally, emotionally. Holistic doesn't just mean taking herbs instead of pills, it's caring enough about yourself that it translates to your patients. It's looking at each medical issue from the root outward, realizing the interconnectedness of the entire body. It's using science based knowledge. It's remembering health is a lifelong journey, not simply a destination. The physician should be the guide and the fixer and do so because they care. It's not an I approach, it's a we approach.
An ideal physician is an individual who does not simply care about the business of medicine, but remembers that medicine is for the patient and the people that he/she interacts with daily. Being a doctor requires compassion, emotional stability, being a good listener, patience, collectivity under stress, and overall intelligence. A physician should take part in trying to abolish current public health concern such as preventable illness and health disparities. Through my many shadowing experiences I have seen many doctor-patient relationships. I have seen the frustration in a patient when a doctor tries to rush them or does not treat them with the utmost respect. Alternatively, I have seen doctors who take the time to listen and appreciate each of their patients, worrying about the quality of the patient experience, not the quantity. The doctors who act this way are the ones that the patients are more comfortable with, which leads to more beneficial outcomes. The physician must also have a very sharp mind and continuously learn throughout his/her career, keeping updated with new research and findings.
Wow, I went on a real rant there. Anyways! I'll show what I wore today to my meeting:
It's nice that one of my best friends also watches Des, and my other friend tags along, so the 3 of us have some time to catch up together when I'm home to help out on the weekends.
We all have different directions that we want to go with our lives. I find this nice in a friendship. We encourage each other in different ways and have different strong points. My friend Olivia is an amazing actress, Peggy is in school to become a counselor, and I'm on my road hoping to become an Osteopathic Physician.
I'm still praying for an interview; but today I had the opportunity to meet with the assistant dean of admissions again. One of the reasons I love this school is because they take a holistic approach to admitting students. So, for example, if you don't have the highest GPA (but it's still decent) they will consider other factors of your application that contribute to your aptitude to become a physician. Because of this approach, someone like myself who had a slight GPA drop when I went through a really difficult time my junior year of college and worked full time while studying for the MCAT, are still considered because of strengths in other times and other areas.
Yes, holistic means looking at the whole picture while still seeing the individual. Weird concept, right? Whole person--individualized. What will this person's strengths bring as a whole to our school from their individual experiences? Grades are very important, but grades aren't the whole person. Would you prefer the physician with the 45 MCAT and 4.0 GPA who spent his entire life in the books and has no other world/people experience or the physician with slightly lower scores but plenty of experiences leading them to be a more well rounded individual? Okay, okay--there's definitely people with 4.0s that are very well rounded...I'm just trying to make myself feel better!
When asked what osteopathy is, many have the same answer: "A holistic approach to health". It is! But what does holistic mean?? That's such a broad term!
I like to put it this way in my case--
My mom is a vegan-health-nut who hardly ever relies on modern medicine. She leads a healthy life style and has an herbal remedy for EVERYTHING. Her health is a lifelong approach...but she also avoids doctors at all costs.
My grandfather is an MD. He relies solely on modern medicine. For every ailment he has a pill, prescription, or procedure. He does not believe in any herbal remedies.
Then there's me. After years of hearing my mom and grandpa bicker over the dinner table, along with my own insight, I was able to formulate my own approach to medicine. I believe in a preventative, healthy lifestyle that encompasses all mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of health. I believe the body and the mind are intimately connected and overall wellness is vitally dependent on this connection. I trust that there are natural remedies to maintain and regain optimal health. I also believe whole heartily in the amazing advancements of modern medicine. To me osteopathy is a marriage between the two extremes.
The way I feel about it is, why should a doctor only be there when things go wrong? Why shouldn't we take the initiative to be more invested in our patients' overall well being? We should encourage health, wellness, and preventative measures every step of the way. I'm going to be there and put every effort into healing those avoidable, and unavoidable illnesses. But people have to start taking responsibility for their health. I've seen too many people close to me die of preventative illness. As doctors we can't assume that what is common knowledge to us is so to our patients. Patients need guidance-- a good example set for them as their physician. They need to know when their health is not optimal that a physician will take an individualized, proactive approach to healing them. Maybe that involves more exercise, a lifestyle/diet change, some OMM, and incorporating herbal remedies. Yes, pills, prescriptions are necessary but should not be the only choice. It's caring enough about your patients to make sure they aren't dependent on you only for a prescription but also for advice and guidance on their overall journey of health. This is what medicine always meant to me: finding the root of the issue and putting the pieces together to create a healing story. The osteopathic principles should go beyond the office and into your life; I live them. I exercise all options to make sure I'm healthy: physically, mentally, emotionally. Holistic doesn't just mean taking herbs instead of pills, it's caring enough about yourself that it translates to your patients. It's looking at each medical issue from the root outward, realizing the interconnectedness of the entire body. It's using science based knowledge. It's remembering health is a lifelong journey, not simply a destination. The physician should be the guide and the fixer and do so because they care. It's not an I approach, it's a we approach.
An ideal physician is an individual who does not simply care about the business of medicine, but remembers that medicine is for the patient and the people that he/she interacts with daily. Being a doctor requires compassion, emotional stability, being a good listener, patience, collectivity under stress, and overall intelligence. A physician should take part in trying to abolish current public health concern such as preventable illness and health disparities. Through my many shadowing experiences I have seen many doctor-patient relationships. I have seen the frustration in a patient when a doctor tries to rush them or does not treat them with the utmost respect. Alternatively, I have seen doctors who take the time to listen and appreciate each of their patients, worrying about the quality of the patient experience, not the quantity. The doctors who act this way are the ones that the patients are more comfortable with, which leads to more beneficial outcomes. The physician must also have a very sharp mind and continuously learn throughout his/her career, keeping updated with new research and findings.
Wow, I went on a real rant there. Anyways! I'll show what I wore today to my meeting:
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The sweater and black pants were gifts (Black|White)
The flats are from H&M
To my Nephew's Birthday party (and likely to be repeated on Valentine's Day when I sit home with a tub of ice cream) I wore:
The flats are from H&M
To my Nephew's Birthday party (and likely to be repeated on Valentine's Day when I sit home with a tub of ice cream) I wore:
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These photos aren't great, but...
Dress $3.00 H&M !!
Polka dot tights-$10.00 Target
Boot Socks-$3.00 Target
Booties-$30.00 Cotton On
Cardigan is also from target
A girl at the restaurant said the dress looked like it was made for me. If a $3.00 dress looks like it was made for me I will be an easy customer when wedding dress shopping.
Another outfit this past week:
Dress $3.00 H&M !!
Polka dot tights-$10.00 Target
Boot Socks-$3.00 Target
Booties-$30.00 Cotton On
Cardigan is also from target
A girl at the restaurant said the dress looked like it was made for me. If a $3.00 dress looks like it was made for me I will be an easy customer when wedding dress shopping.
Another outfit this past week:
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The top reminded me of spring and was wishful-wearing. It's from Tobi.com.
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