Why Did I Build This Website?
I read the book:
Show Your Work
by Austin Kleon
Creating & Sharing Work
I could try to rationalize creating this website from a business or career perspective, or say that writing keeps my mind sharp, or say that I think the world is better when there are more ideas in it.
But the main truth is that it just charges me up. It gets me going.
I like to think that someone might stumble across this collection of ideas and find a few things that help. That possibility is tremendously motivating for me. So while creating this website might take me away from other activities for a bit, it makes me happier and more satisfied with my life. This energy metric helps make my choices easier.
Content & Remixing Ideas
Most of the content on this website is a remix of other content that I’ve learned, read, or stumbled across from the work of others. I am simply packaging it up, adding some of my own insights to medicine, and presenting it with some visuals.
Medical School is Tough
Medical school and residency are tough. Any time we are about to begin the process of tackling any new challenge, its helpful to talk with a friend who has recently gone through the same process. A good friend can save you loads of time and effort. Many of you reading this already have a friend or two like this already, and you are lucky to have them.
In my experience, a good percentage of medical students start medical school without other family members who are in medicine, or without a close friend who is a couple steps ahead of them that they can receive advice from. If I could magically go back in time, I can think of so much advice that I’d tell myself.
Mentors in Medicine
The path to becoming a physician is a long, grueling quest. I hereby deputize myself to be that friend of yours, or at least a resource, in the form of this website.
Like I said, if you already have a few mentors like this in your life, that's great. You can't have too many. What I bring to the party is a willingness to explore a wide range of topics related to medicine, productivity, and happiness that you might not otherwise discuss in medical training.
Filtering Out The Noise
I'm not an expert in any of the topics here, but I do put a lot of effort into simplifying what I’ve learned and sharing it. For notes from books unrelated to medicine, I do my best to filter out the extra noise and only share those parts that I’ve found connections to medicine.
Success in Training
There’s no single formula for success in medical school or residency. What I can do is describe ideas and models that you can compare with your current way of doing things.
The right answers for yourself might be some combination of what you're already doing and what you learn. You're the best judge of what works for you.
If you find anything here unhelpful, or even find a particular idea just completely bananas, there's a healthy possibility that you're right.
But, being 100% right isn't my goal. I'm presenting some new ways to think about things. Compare them with what you know, what you do, and what others suggest. Every person finds his or her own special formula.
Thanks For Stopping By!
Regardless of all the above fluff, thanks for spending some time checking my page and some of my writing.
I hope you find something here helpful, or at least a little interesting.
Have a great day,
Dan
The Journey to Becoming a Physician is Tough.
The journey to become an Emergency Medicine physician takes years of failures, successes, and “Ah-ha!” learning moments.
This book taught me that the more we share these moments with others, the more we: (1) Help others learn, and (2) Connect ourselves to others who share similar interests.
I created this page to share what I’ve learned, my notes, resources, book summaries, and ideas/creative projects.
Why share?
I believe many people have a natural desire within them to serve others. The desire to give, mentor, and contribute is a fundamental part of what makes us human.
Knowledge is to be shared. What’s the point of knowing something if it doesn’t positively impact someone else?
If I share something I learned or I’m thinking about, it makes it more valuable. Now we can interweave our thoughts, coordinate our efforts, and share our progress in applying it.
What do I share?
(1) Resources and notes for other residents or medical students to use.
(2) Reflections on I’ve learned from my experiences in medical school and residency.
(2) Summaries of books that I’ve read related to medical education and wellness.
(3) Projects I’m working on, and details on my creative process.