I realized while I was writing a few days ago that I haven’t really told anyone about myself. Sure, I write these articles and you might be able to extrapolate about me from them, but I don’t like that. I always think that if you know a little bit more about the person that’s writing, it might be a bit easier to connect with them. So without further ado, here is a bit about me.
My name is Mike. I’m a 26 year old M4 medical student at a small school in the Midwest. No, the picture isn’t me, but the editors found it funny to exaggerate my attractiveness…or did they? I come from a very Polish family of five with one brother and one sister. I’ve lived in the same state my entire life, and I don’t mind that at all. I absolutely love Fall and the smells that come with it. For my entire life, I’ve dreamed of being a doctor. I spent time in a NICU with sepsis, followed by a long stay at a hospital following a bad sledding accident, all which encouraged me even more to pay it back. Now, as I apply for residency I want to pay it forward by going into pediatrics. My goal is to hopefully sub-specialize in something like critical care, cardiology, or maybe even ER. Lucky for me, I am couples matching with my partner-in-crime and fiance who is going into emergency medicine.
I am crazy addicted to obstacle course racing. My fiance and I run them together and we have done nine so far. Our goal next year before residency is to complete the Spartan Trifecta (wish us luck). In time outside of this, I also have one of my main passions (drum roll), gaming! I grew up playing Ocarina of Time as my first game and never looked back after that. Currently, I’m addicted to my Nintendo Switch and have really gotten into the indie games they have. I dabble on my Xbox One every now and then, mainly playing Titanfall. My favorite game of all time has changed recently from Ocarina of Time, to the Witcher 3 (I’ll write later about this).
As you might have gathered, I am smack dab in the middle of the entire ERAS and NRMP process and trying to find ways to cope with it. I’ve found that writing this blog not only helps me get some of this off my chest, but maybe some of this will be helpful to other medical students or even just people who decide to read it. If you like what you’ve read so far, hold on tight. There is a whirlwind of a journey ahead of me, and I’m going to take you on the ride with me.
