Funny Costume Ideas for Medical Students

October 28, 2009

It’s almost time for Halloween, and now that I’m in medical school, I won’t settle for normal costume ideas anymore. Instead my brain jumps straight to the most dorky thoughts ever.*  So, here are my top five costume ideas.  I admit that this might not seem hilarious to non-medical students, but hopefully the “nerd-factor” will make anyone smile.

  1. Doctor- If you’re feeling lazy or maybe not that “into” Halloween, this is especially for you.  You have a white coat with an official badge, and maybe you even have a stethoscope and scrubs.  This is the perfect costume just waiting to be, and feel free to spice it up by mixing clothes and make-up with the coat.  For example, “sexy” doctor, doctor clown, zombie doctor, or pirate doct-ARRR!
  2. Gram Negative/ Gram Positive Bacteria- This costume is perfect for a couple.  One person wears something dark purple or blue, and the other person wears red or pink.  Now, see who gets it.  These people will be your real molecular buddies.
  3. Frank Netter- We all have his book, so let’s pay tribute to our favorite artist and author.  Wear a collared shirt and borrow some glasses.  Pack some pencils and brushes into your pockets.  If you own any Netter’s flash cards, use safety pins to attach your favorite pictures to your shirt, such as cross-sections of genitalia or the head.  Brilliant!
  4. Neuron- The human body is the perfect shape to be… a neuron!  Your head will be the cell body.  This costume requires a little preparation, so if you’re feeling crafty this is for you.  You’ll need a bike helmet or a hat, and some pipe cleaners.  Attach the pipe cleaners to your head piece to form dendrites.  Your body will be the axon, so pin little circles of paper with the correct proportion of neurotransmitters onto your shirt.  Don’t forget about the important receptors and G-proteins.   Use any extra pipe-cleaners to twist around your limbs and make dendritic spines.  If you have anything that collects static, such as a wool sweater, then you can shock people too!  You’ll be the “spark” of the party.
  5. Dermatomes- This is for the person who is bold and warm-blooded.  First you’ll need to buy a cheap pair of spandex leggings and a sports bra, or guys could get away with just a speedo.  Then, ask a medical student friend to help you with the drawing.  Using sharpie markers, outline the dermatomes on your body and carefully label them with the proper spinal levels.  It might help if you get down on all fours (like a doggy) while your friend draws on you from head to toe.  Remember that there is a lot of confusion below the waist, so just follow whatever feels best to you.  This costume will get you lots of attention all night long!

*Disclaimer: I will not actually be dressing up as any of these for Halloween.

1 Comment | Creative Fun Stuff | Permalink
Posted by Liz

Doctors’ Diaries

October 10, 2009

Since my final exams ended last Friday, I have been taking a break before I hit the books hard again.  Monday I started my next chapter- Microbiology a.k.a. “Micro” (there is always an acronym and abbreviation for everything in medicine).

My schedule is 100% Micro now, and my days start an hour earlier.  So, this week I got up every morning at 6:15am in winter’s coming darkness, and attended 22 hours of lectures covering bacterial species, infections, and antibiotics.

Despite all this new material, the most intriguing information this week came in a Netflix envelope.  It was a Nova video that Ben and I received a while ago entitled “Doctors’ Diaries.”   This 2-part series followed seven Harvard medical students for 17 years as they completed their training and pursued their careers in medicine.  My parents recommended the video to me a year ago, and I finally watched it.

I was surprised to find the video rather depressing.  Sure, there were some wonderful moments as I watched these students from the 80′s describe their similar experiences in medical school.  They all went on to love their careers as doctors.  Yet, overall their personal lives were kind of messy.  Only 2 doctors were married at the end, and both of those people had spouses who took a huge role helping with their kids and home.

I’d like to think that these seven doctors were not average.  They were Harvard students who may have been chosen for the documentary because of their high achievement or dramatic personalities.  However, I know that in fact they DO represent the people in my profession more so than I want to accept.  I am fortunate to know inspiring doctors who have great family lives, but I realize that this feat is not easy.

Ben and I had a lot of discussion surrounding the movie.  Apparently he had not grasped how little time I will have between getting my residency match and starting a program, or how inflexible my call schedule might be.  One spouse in the movie talked about spending many nights alone because her doctor husband was always in the hospital.  Sometimes I myself sigh when I think of the holidays, travels, and moments that I could miss because of what I have chosen to do.

Simply stated: medicine is service job.  I knew this from the beginning.  In our country doctors are generally admired, well-paid, and have special privileges such as writing prescriptions and performing intimate procedures with the body.

People like me who go into medicine generally enjoy the challenge of this huge responsibility, service, and specialized knowledge.  What is different about this service is that it requires one to be a complete, professional servant.

As one doctor stated in the series, it is an extreme honor to get close to patients and help them.  However, when you love your patients, it becomes especially difficult during moments of great importance to decide whether to be with them, or be with your own family.

 

After watching “Doctors’ Diaries” I know I will have to make difficult decisions and many mistakes before I learn how to handle all this.  I hope my marriage will survive the stress of my errors, and that my family and patients will forgive me.  I still want to be a good doctor, wife, mother, friend, daughter- is that too much to desire?

 

 

2 Comments | 2nd Year, Marriage & Life | Permalink
Posted by Liz

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