As we come down to the last med-school-free week of our summer, my fellow DO’14s and I will soon resume our busy lives as second-year medical students. With boards awaiting us at the end of this coming year, it’s a distinct possibility that this will have been our last truly free summer before starting our busy careers. That being said, any major life goals or dream vacations that had been put on hold until this point were quickly brought into reality as our window of opportunity slid to a close. Some of my classmates took trips overseas, toured across the U.S. or pursued medical mission trips. Even I was able to enjoy an eventful summer, which included a visit with the family and a brief trip to an island resort. It also featured a chain of events that culminated in a freak moped accident that left a second-degree abrasion wound on the palm of my right hand. Part of this chain of events involved a senior citizen’s bachelorette party that passed by at the most inopportune moment (I’m not kidding; it’s a long and bizarre story). As far as I’m aware, no alcohol was involved in the accident – just very bad moped drivers. Fortunately, I’ve enjoyed a swift recovery, though it’s been a little hard to do OMM with a bandaged hand.

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Like most osteopathic medical schools, Des Moines University participates in a national volunteer recognition program called T.O.U.C.H. I completely forgot what that acronym actually stands for, but the idea is that T.O.U.C.H. is a system designed to reward students who go above and beyond the requirements of their curriculum and use their time in medical school to impact their community for the better. Those who conduct more than 50 hours of volunteer service receive a silver pin and a certificate of recognition, while those who achieve more than 100 are given the “Gold” equivalent.  Now, I’m writing about this program for two reasons: 1) I had no idea this even existed before coming to DMU and would have liked to have gotten a jump on it, and 2) to extol the virtues of DMU in terms of opportunities for T.O.U.C.H.

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While the new class of talented and eager P.A. students has already begun their first year at DMU, we D.O. students are enjoying a much needed break in our training as our summer gets into full swing.  As we all step out into the real world for the first time in months (on the second try – we had forgotten how garish daylight could be), we reflect on all the joyous possibilities that await us in a world without exams or SPALs*…at least for a few weeks more.

Ahh, it's time to take a break. For some DMU students, anyway.

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Well, another term has come to a close, and I, like many of my fellow classmates, have been reflecting on all the growth, learning and progress we’ve achieved in the past year. Second-years go on to rotations, fourth-years go on to residency, and residents become fellows and attendings. Whether you’re celebrating the success of a loved one or simply contemplating the meaning of the adage “don’t get sick in July,” we’ve all got a lot on our minds these next few months. I, however, as a lowly first-year (at least as far as my DO work is concerned), have only another year in the classrooms to look forward to at the end of summer break. However, in light of my new “celebrate the little things” policy, I’ve decided to commemorate what might otherwise be a less-than-remarkable transition between the first and second years by compiling a list of the top ten things I’ve learned in medical school so far:

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Finally, just a few days ago, I at last managed to complete the last class for my master’s of public health degree here at DMU. This explains why I haven’t posted in a while – it’s been tough working on two professional degrees at once. I figured that I ought to make it up to you guys, of course, so I decided to put my new degree to use in service of the populace. Specifically, I’ve decided to single-handedly fix the health care system. It was a tough feat, of course – the problem is that insurance companies exist so that patients can seek necessary health care when it’s really important, but too many patients make excessive use of these services and drive up the costs for everyone else.  Fortunately, after extensive deliberation, I’ve finally identified the root of the problem so as to open the door for a definitive solution.

See, under the current system, patients usually pay a co-pay or deductible (an amount people have to pay before their insurance company covers their medical expenses) that’s meant to be low enough that it doesn’t stop people from seeking necessary care, but high enough that a patient must think twice before going to the doctor without a good reason. If this disincentive didn’t exist, patients would visit their doctor for every last ache and pain and generate a financial burden for whomever picks up the bill. Of course, the question that often gets asked is whether insurance companies use these sorts of plans to promote judicious use of services, or just to pad their own pockets. Furthermore, when financial barriers prevent patients from seeking genuinely necessary care, easily treatable conditions are ignored until they become complicated and expensive. So the question that has been unanswered is this: How do we encourage patients not to overuse health care without creating perverse incentives or providing sub-par care? After much careful thought and reflection, I believe I’ve found the answer. I call it the “Smoke the Whole Pack” plan.

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The road to becoming a physician is a long one indeed. In my personal case, since I’m leaning towards the field of cardiology, I have three years of internal medicine residency followed by three years of cardiology fellowship after finishing my four years of medical school (which, of course, I could only begin after four years of college). Consider, then, that while some of my classmates were going directly into the workforce upon graduating from high school, I still had 14 years of training left. In other words, all of my education up to that point (from pre-kindergarten to high school graduation) did not even account for half of the total education I would receive before realizing my final goal. And then I had the bright idea to add a master’s on top…

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