I thought I’d try something new and go for an incredibly easy way for users to submit articles to MedSchool Hell. I’ve finally got all of the kinks worked out and the contribution page is now up. Please note that this is only in beta at the moment, and depending on the outcome and user interest, may or may not continue in the future.

Who Can Submit

Anyone can submit posts or articles to MedSchool Hell. Even if you have your own blog and would like to make a guest contribution, I encourage you to do so.

Submission Rules

1. Any blatantly obvious spam submissions will not be published under any circumstances. This includes relevant content with numerous irrelevant links back to a site or blog that do not contribute to the content of the post. If your plans are to submit spam content, don’t waste your time. It takes me 2 seconds to delete a post.
2. Submitting a post does not guarantee that the information will be published. I want to keep the quality of the content at MSH as high as possible. If your submission is not published, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it sucks. Please do not take it personally as there are a lot of criteria that will determine whether or not a post is published.
3. Please pay attention to spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc. Any submissions that need to be mass-edited will most likely not be published. A firm grip on the English language is a huge plus.
4. Please keep submissions relevant to medical school, residency training, tips for medical students, medical school humor, etc.
5. A name and email address is required to submit posts. You have the option of including a URL that is linked to your name. You may use whatever name you wish, and I encourage you to use a pen name for your writing since your name will show up as the author of the post. Your email address will never be shown.
6. When contributing content, it’s a good idea to include a short introductory paragraph so that readers can learn who you are early in your article.
7. User-contributed posts will be prefaced with “This post is a user-contributed topic” as the first line of the post in order to distinguish contributed content from content written by the regular MSH authors.
8. Everything will be 100% guaranteed anonymous if you use a fake name. Don’t worry about anybody finding out who you are. You can even use a fake email address. It doesn’t matter to me.
9. These rules are subject, and highly likely, to change.
10. Most importantly, have fun! I want MSH to become an excellent source of information from various authors, so don’t be shy. =)

I guess that’s about it. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I look forward to seeing some of your contributed stuff!

How many times have you heard “it’s a sign of weakness?” This clever jab of an insult comes mostly from the surgery camp based on my experiences. This saying and a dollar will buy you a 20 oz. Coke, and here’s why.

Weakness Is A Product of the Creator

Weakness is nothing more than the opinion of the accuser. They think you are weak by participating in some action that they deem exemplifies weakness in you. However, to a “normal” person, your actions are seen as very common. Weakness never comes into the equation.

It is the training (or more accurately, brainwashing) that has led these people to feel this way. Molds are cast early in training, and to deviate from that mold is a “sign of weakness” in itself. That is what they would have you to believe.

The Inbreeding of Inaccurate Thoughts

These abnormal schools of thought are inbred within the various specialties of medicine. As the medical student is taught that taking time off is a “sign of weakness”, he begins to believe that this is in fact the case. As his training continues into residency, this misconception is further hammered into his head by frequent reminders from upper-level staff.

By the time he reaches attending status, he is a super-breeder of misinformation. Years of brainwashing has taken its toll, and he himself believes that false information is true. The process then goes full-circle, as the attending inseminates lower-level residents who in turn inseminate their juniors.

It’s an orgy of falsities.

Weakness In Action

Many of you may be wondering what all of the hoopla is about. Here’s a list of frequently cited “weak” actions on the part of residents and medical students:

• Working less than 80 hours per week
• Taking more than 2 days per month off
• Wanting to eat at least once during the day
• Being sleep deprived and showing it at work
• Putting your family before your work
• Taking a full Saturday off instead of rounding until noon
• Calling into work sick

If you take a close look at all of the above “weak” actions, you’ll see that they really don’t show any weakness whatsoever.

Dehydration and Rotations

While on my internal medicine rotation, we had a resident who was obviously sick and should have stayed at home. Every 3 or 4 hours he would receive a liter of fluids through a hep lock that he kept wrapped up in gauze. Wouldn’t any normal person stay home under these same conditions? I questioned him on why he wasn’t at home in the bed where he should have been. His reply? It’s a sign of weakness to stay home when you’re sick.

If this isn’t evidence of the mind conditioning that takes place during the medical training process, I challenge you to find what is.

The True Weak

Although any physician in any specialty is capable of spreading this false message through mind conditioning processes, surgeons are most likely the ones with the greatest amount of skill in this arena.

I’m here to set the record straight:

• It’s not a sign of weakness to work less than 80 hours per week. This is known as efficiency and budgeting your time wisely.
• It’s not a sign of weakness to take more than 2 days off per month. This is known as being human and having a life.
• It’s not a sign of weakness to want to eat three meals per day, on time. This is known as sustenance.
• It’s not a sign of weakness to show sleep deprivation at work. Sleep is known as a basic requirement for life.
• It’s not a sign of weakness to put your family before your work. This is known as being a good husband/wife/father/mother.
• It’s not a sign of weakness to want a full Saturday off every week. This is known as rest.
• It’s not a sign of weakness to call in sick to work. This is known as calling in sick to work.

The only true “sign of weakness” is when you actually buy what the man is selling. Resisting the purchase and going against the grain shows that you are strong, courageous, and looking after what’s most important in your life.