June 3, 2025 • 26 mins
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We reflect on our medical school experiences, sharing regrets and lessons learned that have shaped our perspectives as practicing doctors. So what medical school mistakes do you regret?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm trying to start running again, basically.
So my goal is I want to run a5K in under 20 minutes.
Eventually, I did a two-miletime trial and boy, you was
huffing and puffing.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Anybody listening in that gym would have thought the
hell's going on in that gym.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Yo, alfred, you got to play the last like two
seconds With the audio oh, oh ohoh oh oh, oh, it sounded like
everything except running inthere.
All right, Dr Rene, let's jumpinto this next topic.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
All right, yeah, yeah .
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So what are the five mistakes that you did?
Actually, you know what Five istoo much, but I got this from
Reddit and should I put so,basically, I know you're going
to get on me about this, soshould I name the person who
wrote this.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I mean it's it's a public post.
I don't see what's wrong withthat.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, so I'd be scouring on on Reddit y'all.
So in the, some of this Redditshit I don't even understand.
But r slash medical school,that group, I guess Natural
plenty 7324 wrote five mistakesyou did during medical school
which you regret now as aclinician doctor.
Dr Renee, five mistakes you didduring med school which you now
regret as a clinician doctorGive me at least three, let me
(01:18):
talk to five.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Oh shit, word in it.
Met you, got with you, marriedyou yeah you got to finish that?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Because didn't I help you get through respiratory?
Get out of here, renee Me.
Stop potting, whatever.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Whatever, anywho five mistakes in med school.
Give me three.
Me stop potting.
Whatever.
Whatever, anywho five mistakesin med school.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Give me three.
Five is too much and theaudience ain't got time to
listen to all that oh my god, umdamn, you might have to come
back to me.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
No, no, no, no, you know, no, actually, yeah, so one
thing that I do wish is that Ihad been more open, that I had
been more open to specialties,right, because I went in
(02:21):
thinking I was going to bepediatrics, thought I was going
to be pediatric endocrinologyvery specifically, and so I was
very like, on my rotations I waslike, you know, yeah, I got to
get through this rotation, but Iknow what I want to do and it
turned out that was not what Iwanted to do.
So I wish I had been, you know,a little bit more open.
(02:44):
I think I would have not justlearned more, but just kind of
enjoyed it more, right, likebeen in the scene of that
rotation, whatever rotation, itwas a little bit more.
So that's one.
Two, I wish I would have joinedan interest group, even though
(03:04):
it would have been a pediatricinterest group, but I think by
not joining an interest group, Ikind of didn't I don't know
that I realized, you know, thatthere were not only resources,
but kind of what do you call it?
Like things, things you'resupposed to do.
(03:25):
You know what I mean.
You mean like a school clublike those school clubs?
Yeah, like those school clubs,yeah, specialty clubs, like
things that you're supposed todo, right, in order to get into
a residency.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Huh, you want to be a cornball I don't know if I want
to be a cornball.
You want to be the secretaryfor the OB-GYN group.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
That's what you want to be yeah Three, I would not
have run for or become our classpresident our first year.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Ooh yeah, let's stick there.
Why is that?
I want to talk about that?
Why Everybody?
Just so we know everybody.
I want you to listen.
Renee's always been a leader, anatural leader.
She's also really good atstuffing ballots and I'm going
to tell you something right nowwhat Dr Renee got elected under
some.
(04:15):
No, I'm serious, renee gotelected as class president.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Why are you making up stuff?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I'm not making up stuff.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Why are you making up stuff Nii?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So you didn't run for president, you didn't run for
class president.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I didn't stuff no ballots, Nii what the hell are
you talking?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
about?
What are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
What are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I'm talking about you being class president.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, you just said I'm good at stuffing ballots.
What the hell does that mean?
Are you saying that's false ortrue?
I'm saying that's false knee.
What the hell are you talkingabout I?
Hate, anyway, I really hatetalking to you no, you don't you
love talking to me.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
We pot and we pot and we pot.
Okay, so why wouldn't you wantto be class president?
Speaker 2 (04:59):
get to the point, um, I don't know that, that I don't
know that, that I don't knowthat that experience did
anything for me?
Um, especially in and not justfor me but for my class,
especially in the climate thatwe were in at the time, if you
(05:21):
remember, like our school wasvery um, as soon as we got into
school, the vice president ofthe school just went like, went
like militant hey, this happened20, this happened 20 years ago.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
You already paid, you got your receipts.
They can't take your degree.
No, I'm trying to.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I'm not saying I'm trying to figure out like what's
the right word.
I'm not talking about thepolitical, the nice word, I'm
talking about what's the rightword they try to come martial
law.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
They try to do martial law on us.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
He was like he got like militant, like all of a
sudden it was like you can't dothis, you can't do that, you
can't wear this and you can'twear that and you can't.
And it was like, yeah, this isnot really what I signed up for.
And so then I had to like thenthere were like fights because
there was the whole dress codething, which for me I was like
(06:23):
is this really like that big ofa deal?
But to some people it reallywas, and for me it was like it's
a little inconvenient, but Idon't really care, because
people were coming in in theirscrubs anyway, and people were
coming in in t-shirts and scrubbottoms.
Ie knee darko, knee darko wouldcome in.
You'd have a t-shirt and scrubbottoms on, looking like an ER
(06:46):
doc, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
So you either wear scrubs and tims and tims.
I did so you either had to wear.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
You either had to wear a white coat or you had to
wear scrubs, and that was thedress code.
Couldn't you wear a white?
coat and t-shirt and tims youcould wear something, whatever
you're wearing, but it had to belike, you know, like
semi-professional wear orwhatever.
So, anyway, the problem wasthat they couldn't police it
(07:21):
anyway, but the, the, thestudent body or the student
board actually they were theyjust kept harping on it and I
was like, but is this reallysuch a big deal?
Like there are other thingslike we should really be
thinking about here so you knowyourself in the middle.
You found yourself in the middlein the middle of a fight that I
really just I wasn't passionateabout, like this was not
(07:45):
something for me.
That was so like oh my god,they're making us wear a white
coat.
Oh my god, they're making uswear scrubs.
I was like it's not that big adeal, because when we go into
the wars, what do you have towear?
you gotta wear a white coat oryou gotta wear scrubs.
So I understand we in theclassroom the first two years,
(08:07):
but damn, why was it such a bigdeal?
That's, for me, was like thereare other things that we could
be talking about, what to do,and I get it.
I didn't like to be told whatto do, but I also don't like my
time wasted and I'm not going towaste my own time fighting
(08:28):
something that isn't necessarilyvery important to me.
I'm like so what?
I'll just, freaking, wearscrubs.
Who cares?
Who care?
I'll wear a t-shirt with scrubs.
The thing is, nobody was theretaking a dress code.
You know what I mean.
After the first couple of days,people were like, yeah, there
(08:48):
was an attendance, there wasattendance, there was attendance
, but after a while nobody waspaying attention to what we were
doing.
Nobody was paying attention toit, which is why I was like,
damn, the more attention webring to this, the more
attention they're going to payto it.
So let's just leave it alone.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
What were some of your other duties as president
that you had to do?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I don't even remember , because this thing was, my
presidency was marred by thisone thing so much I don't even
remember all the other things.
Like I was just like why isthis such a?
Every meeting, every singlemeeting, was about the dress
code.
And so finally I was like guys,is this really such a big deal?
(09:31):
Like nobody's even payingattention anymore.
And then all of a sudden,basically people were clutching
their pearls.
I was like damn, what did I say?
I was like, damn, what did I say?
Like you know, did it get inyour way of studying?
No, not at all.
(09:52):
Not at all.
(10:15):
It didn't.
That was the one thing I coulddefinitely say.
Like being class presidentdidn't get him in my right.
I thought we would be talkingabout ways to better our class
right, to better opportunitiesfor our class, and it became
about the dress code and I wasjust like I understand that this
man has become, you know,militant and is instituting
(10:36):
martial law essentially.
But at the same time I'm likewhy don't we just for four hours
a day is not going to make orbreak me?
Like it's not.
(11:03):
So what, I roll out of bed andI get to wear my own clothes.
Woohoo, I'm sitting in jeans.
Like, how is that making me abetter doctor?
How is that giving anybody anysort of advantage or opportunity
?
Like, how is it?
(11:24):
And for me, like the pearlclutching, when I said, guys,
like really is this such a bigdeal?
Do we really need to?
Is this what we really want tobe fighting?
I was just like, oh so, y'all,just for me.
That's when I realized y'allare set, y'all are set.
This is why this is soimportant, because y'all ain't
(11:46):
got shit to do.
I got shit that I'd like to do,but y'all seem like y'all are
set already.
So you, you know exactly whatyou're doing, exactly where you
going, you got your connects,you know.
You, you know exactly who totalk to.
I don't, and so that's what Iwanted to do.
(12:06):
So I think there was a.
There was a huge difference indemographic and difference
between me and my board members,which equated to a difference
in what I felt was importantversus what they felt was
important.
And you know, I liked my board,but we just were not on the
(12:28):
same page.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
We just weren't, so you had different backgrounds.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
We had different backgrounds.
You know, my whole, my entireboard was white.
I was the only one that wasblack.
They, they, just, you know, Idon't know how many of them came
from medicine, came from money,came from whatever, but I
didn't, I didn't come from that.
And so, for me, I'm like I'mtrying to collect opportunities
here, I'm trying to collectopportunities here, I'm trying
(12:56):
to create opportunities here,and I can't do that on my own,
when you know I have a boardthat is working towards wearing
jeans, because that's the mostimportant thing, you know.
And then you see what happenedour last year.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
You see what happened the last year, right when the
dean then went cuckoo for CocoaPuffs and was like, yeah, y'all
can't graduate.
The hell, you mean, y'all can'tgraduate.
What are you talking about,right?
So you want to tell the story?
No, man, that's, let's save itfor another episode, but I get
what you're saying.
Basically, what you're sayingis, um, the priorities that you
had weren't the prioritiesnecessarily of your board and
stuff.
No, and I got you.
I feel you on that.
Um, let me, let me.
Let me talk about one bigmistake that I wish I had done,
um, which I made in med schoolthat I wish, that I still regret
(13:58):
now, is that I realized thatlife, like, like, there's a
journey that you learn a lot,that you can learn a lot from
Like, I was just so everybodyknows people who don't know I
took two years off to apply tomed school.
Um, during those two years, man,I would kick myself every day
Like, man, I should have been inmed school the first time I
applied and I was pissed, I wasupset, had a chip on my shoulder
(14:21):
and I just felt like I reallyshould have been in med school
and stuff.
But you know, those two yearsoff taught me a lot of things.
It taught me resilience.
It really taught me, like, howto like strategize and look at
applying at med school a bitdifferently and look at applying
at med school a bit differently, and I think it also helped me
to become a better student.
It helped me to be reallyfocused on what I really wanted.
So I think that part of thereason I was really successful
(14:44):
in medical school was because Itook those two years off and for
me, I think, once I got intomed school, I just wanted to
finish as quickly as possible.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
But wait, what happened in those two years that
made you come to thatconclusion?
Or did you come to thatconclusion before you got into
medical school?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
What conclusion?
Who are you thinking, barbaraWalters?
What question are you talkingabout?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Really Nene the conclusion that you know kind of
what you were talking aboutwith life and just looking at
your you know journey.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Oh, because I know, because I, when I was applying
to med school the first time, Iwas like, yeah, I just want to
get into any med school, I don'tcare what grades I get.
I just I know I'm just going tograduate and I'm probably going
to struggle, but I'm going tomake it through.
Like I already had this mindsetthat like I'm gonna get into
med school and med school isgoing to be like this complete
struggle and you know I'llprobably finish last in my class
but I'm still going to graduate.
(15:42):
You know, it don't matter.
Ooh.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah, what?
Why?
Why did you think that?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Uh, I don't know.
I think because getting intomed school was so hard, right.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, but you wouldn't have known that the
first time, because you didn'tnot get in the first like or not
, not, but you know?
You see what I'm saying.
It was your first time applying, so how, like, how did you come
to that conclusion that youwould be last in your class?
Speaker 1 (16:14):
I don't know, I just had a feeling I was it was going
to be a struggle.
And you know, I just felt thatonce I got into school, med
school was going to be astruggle.
And I just felt that once I gotinto school med school it was
going to be a struggle.
And more than likely I probablyI don't know.
That's kind of in my mind.
Did you struggle in college?
No, I didn't struggle incollege.
I worked hard, I had to workhard, but I wouldn't per se say
I got to keep it a buck.
(16:41):
I think a lot of times people betrying to like give themselves
like false, like they'll make upfalse things, like false
adversity and people be lyingand stuff like I don't think I
cruised through meth or throughcollege, but I just kind of was
like I wasn't struggling.
And I think the issue for me isI lack direction.
You know, I really needed, Ineeded like mentorship.
That that's what really havehelped me.
So those two years off man,like bro, like that was like a
big issue for me because I waslike man, this is like the first
(17:05):
time I really hit likeadversity Cause.
Now, like I'm telling people yo, your boy's going to be a
doctor.
He's going to go to med schooland it's like, well, what you
doing here, working at sportsauthority?
It's like yo, I'm trying tofigure it out, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Dunk in these rocks.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Dunk in these rocks biatch.
You know what I'm saying.
Yo try to get these protectionplan on these Jordans.
Come on, son, right, but it'sthe truth, because the more
extended warranties you sell,you get commission off of them.
Extended warranties, trust me,I know, trust me, I know.
(17:40):
So those two years it helped meto really.
It's true, you laughed at it,but you know what I'm talking
about, right?
Oh my God.
But I would definitely say thepoint of what I'm trying to say
is maybe if I had taken like agap year in med school to do
(18:03):
something outside of just liketrying to finish right, so you
mean, while in med school, yeahyeah, so instead of doing four
years doing take a leave ofabsence yeah, yeah, guys.
we got our dual degrees, do andan MBA.
We did it in four years and Iwas super proud to do that, but
(18:24):
we had to give up our summers,um, and then we had to do summer
MBA at one summer.
Am I creating adversity again?
Yeah Right, you're right,you're right, right, but we did
have to take some classes whilewe were doing clinical work.
Yeah Right, that's real.
But I think, looking back, Ithink I would if I had taken a
(18:45):
gap year to do somethingmedically related but kind of
not really, like you're studyingfor step one or you are taking,
you're doing clinical work sothat you can get ready to apply
Something that's just kind ofmedically related, where you're
taking a year off, you get paid,or it's like an internship,
maybe in Washington DC orsomething like that, or wherever
(19:07):
it may have been, some medicalmission work, global health.
I think that would have reallyhelped my whole mindset, my
maturity, how I handle certainsituations.
I think that's probably one ofthe biggest mistakes that I wish
I had done, because it's greatto graduate, but also, at the
same time, like you're only inmed school once and it's for me
(19:29):
and I'm sure you can you canattest to that Med school is fun
as hell, yo Med school is funas hell.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yo, oh yeah, I do it.
I do medical school way moretimes than I would do college.
I wouldn't do college again.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Would you do med school if it meant you didn't
meet me?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
No, oh, that's a good question, because I always ask
good questions.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Everybody, everybody knows I ask good questions.
You'd be like uh, so what dayis it?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
what day is it?
Who's gonna win thechampionship?
Like, why are you asking me to?
Win the championship um, Idon't know, because I mean you
were a really big part of my medschool experience, I know, and
I was a big part of yours.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So like stop playing, but I have a feeling that I
probably— Elon Musk, state allthe ways in which you was a—.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Do not quote Elon Musk on this show.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
There are parents in our school district right now
who get emails from Elon Muskand it says hey, yo.
What does it say?
Please justify your existencein this department, in this uh,
what do you call it?
In this part of the government,I'm like yeah of the government
.
I'm like yo, so we're not.
(20:53):
It's five words at last Justifyhow you can say that you're
part of my.
What do you call it?
Getting my diploma in medschool.
That's what I'm saying.
I'm trying to be like Elon Musk.
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Anywho, I probably would have still enjoyed med
school, because at the point atwhich you're in med school it's
not like college, where you'retaking these classes, especially
as a science major.
That's one thing I definitelywould not have done.
But you didn't ask aboutcollege.
But if I had to go all the wayback to college, I definitely
(21:29):
would not have been a sciencemajor Definitely not.
I probably would have been ascience major.
Definitely not.
I probably would have been atheater major.
I probably would have beentheater major.
But yeah, I probably would haveenjoyed med school even without
you.
Well shoot, half of med schoolwas with you and half of it was
without you.
As many times as we broke up,ooh, burn, just like the kids.
(21:52):
Ooh, you just got roasted.
I could say that all day longOoh, you just got roasted.
Ooh, no reverse.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
They don't say that, they say that.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yes, they do.
Ooh, no, reverse Draw two.
I'm like what?
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yo, some of the mistakes that I made is I would
do more questions, I would domore standardized questions.
Oh, me too, yeah, when studyingfor not even just for like step
one, step two, but for actualthe quizzes that we had made by
our professors, I would havedone more.
I should have done morequestions that were standardized
, yeah, instead of kind of goingback and kind of creating our
(22:33):
questions and so forth.
But what you did, though, thatwas peace.
That was great.
You helped me out there withmaking my own questions.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
There you go, score one for Renee.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But listen, guys, we're goingto end the show right here, but
I do want to end the question.
I do want to end with twoquestions.
One is if you're in attendingright now, if you're in
residency right now, what's thebig mistake that you made in med
school that you now regret as aresident or even as a clinician
?
That's one you guys know.
(23:06):
You can text us.
Renee's going to tell you howto do all that in a second.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
We're actually going to tell you how to do all that
in a second.
We're actually going to putthat in a.
We're going to put that in areel.
We're going to put that in areel and you guys comment on
Instagram or TikTok.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
And the next question I have is what I asked earlier
Like for real, for real, like Iwant to know folks who are
listening, like if you knew thatthere was a loan cap that is
now significantly lower and that, well know, we're talking about
50, maybe even like 60 of youreducation had to be by private
loans or you kind of hat in handto parents like yo, to family
like yo.
I got you, like in 10 years, yo, this, this, this 20k, I'm
(23:49):
telling you, yo, it's gonna beworth like 50.
So just put it in right now.
I got you.
I got you for it In 15 years.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
We went from 10 to 15 .
I'm not trusting, I don't knowpercentages.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
I don't know compound interest, but would you have
done it?
That's a good question, y'allyeah.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Anything else you want to leave us off with Dr
Renee before we jet on out ofhere.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
No, but you be potting for real, yo, you be
potting for real.
I'm going to act like.
This is Robert's Rules.
I'll allow it.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
How do I be potting?
Have you ever done Robert'sRules?
Hell, no, ever.
I'm going to act like it,though.
Exactly, I'm going to pot it.
Go ahead, exactly Now.
I'm going to tell a story realquick.
So one time, when he wasregional director, he had to run
a meeting.
You can't just talk.
He was regional director,region two of the S&MA, and he
(24:47):
was running a meeting and themeeting was getting really
chaotic.
He called me up.
I wasn't even part of yourboard.
You remember this.
I was pre-med board member.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
I told these naysayers to shut the fuck up yo
.
I told these naysayers to shutup yo.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
No, you didn't call me, you called me up.
I was in the meeting physically, we were physically meeting.
You called me up to the frontand basically had me kind of be
your like parliamentarian, likewhat the hell.
(25:22):
But you did it though, so Idon't want to do it now, which
means you can't do it now.
All right, I'm the Robert.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
We're going to catch you guys on the next episode of
Docs Outside the Box, becauseRenee is creating this fake
adversity like she got methrough med school.
But listen, make sure youanswer those questions.
And I paid your loans back too.
Okay, stop playing Renee, buty'all we're going to catch you
guys on the next episode of DocsOutside the Box.
We love y'all.
Sorry for the delay and shoutout to all the new subscribers
(25:54):
we got on YouTube.
We love y'all.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Peace, y'all Peace.
I'm trying to start running again, basically.
So my goal is I want to run a5K in under 20 minutes.
Eventually, I did a two-miletime trial and boy, you was
huffing and puffing.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Anybody listening in that gym would have thought the
hell's going on in that gym.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Yo, alfred, you got to play the last like two
seconds With the audio oh, oh ohoh oh oh, oh, it sounded like
everything except running inthere.
All right, Dr Rene, let's jumpinto this next topic.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
All right, yeah, yeah .
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So what are the five mistakes that you did?
Actually, you know what Five istoo much, but I got this from
Reddit and should I put so,basically, I know you're going
to get on me about this, soshould I name the person who
wrote this.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I mean it's it's a public post.
I don't see what's wrong withthat.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, so I'd be scouring on on Reddit y'all.
So in the, some of this Redditshit I don't even understand.
But r slash medical school,that group, I guess Natural
plenty 7324 wrote five mistakesyou did during medical school
which you regret now as aclinician doctor.
Dr Renee, five mistakes you didduring med school which you now
regret as a clinician doctorGive me at least three, let me
(01:18):
talk to five.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Oh shit, word in it.
Met you, got with you, marriedyou yeah you got to finish that?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Because didn't I help you get through respiratory?
Get out of here, renee Me.
Stop potting, whatever.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Whatever, anywho five mistakes in med school.
Give me three.
Me stop potting.
Whatever.
Whatever, anywho five mistakesin med school.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Give me three.
Five is too much and theaudience ain't got time to
listen to all that oh my god, umdamn, you might have to come
back to me.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
No, no, no, no, you know, no, actually, yeah, so one
thing that I do wish is that Ihad been more open, that I had
been more open to specialties,right, because I went in
(02:21):
thinking I was going to bepediatrics, thought I was going
to be pediatric endocrinologyvery specifically, and so I was
very like, on my rotations I waslike, you know, yeah, I got to
get through this rotation, but Iknow what I want to do and it
turned out that was not what Iwanted to do.
So I wish I had been, you know,a little bit more open.
(02:44):
I think I would have not justlearned more, but just kind of
enjoyed it more, right, likebeen in the scene of that
rotation, whatever rotation, itwas a little bit more.
So that's one.
Two, I wish I would have joinedan interest group, even though
(03:04):
it would have been a pediatricinterest group, but I think by
not joining an interest group, Ikind of didn't I don't know
that I realized, you know, thatthere were not only resources,
but kind of what do you call it?
Like things, things you'resupposed to do.
(03:25):
You know what I mean.
You mean like a school clublike those school clubs?
Yeah, like those school clubs,yeah, specialty clubs, like
things that you're supposed todo, right, in order to get into
a residency.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Huh, you want to be a cornball I don't know if I want
to be a cornball.
You want to be the secretaryfor the OB-GYN group.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
That's what you want to be yeah Three, I would not
have run for or become our classpresident our first year.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Ooh yeah, let's stick there.
Why is that?
I want to talk about that?
Why Everybody?
Just so we know everybody.
I want you to listen.
Renee's always been a leader, anatural leader.
She's also really good atstuffing ballots and I'm going
to tell you something right nowwhat Dr Renee got elected under
some.
(04:15):
No, I'm serious, renee gotelected as class president.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Why are you making up stuff?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I'm not making up stuff.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Why are you making up stuff Nii?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So you didn't run for president, you didn't run for
class president.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I didn't stuff no ballots, Nii what the hell are
you talking?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
about?
What are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
What are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I'm talking about you being class president.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, you just said I'm good at stuffing ballots.
What the hell does that mean?
Are you saying that's false ortrue?
I'm saying that's false knee.
What the hell are you talkingabout I?
Hate, anyway, I really hatetalking to you no, you don't you
love talking to me.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
We pot and we pot and we pot.
Okay, so why wouldn't you wantto be class president?
Speaker 2 (04:59):
get to the point, um, I don't know that, that I don't
know that, that I don't knowthat that experience did
anything for me?
Um, especially in and not justfor me but for my class,
especially in the climate thatwe were in at the time, if you
(05:21):
remember, like our school wasvery um, as soon as we got into
school, the vice president ofthe school just went like, went
like militant hey, this happened20, this happened 20 years ago.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
You already paid, you got your receipts.
They can't take your degree.
No, I'm trying to.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I'm not saying I'm trying to figure out like what's
the right word.
I'm not talking about thepolitical, the nice word, I'm
talking about what's the rightword they try to come martial
law.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
They try to do martial law on us.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
He was like he got like militant, like all of a
sudden it was like you can't dothis, you can't do that, you
can't wear this and you can'twear that and you can't.
And it was like, yeah, this isnot really what I signed up for.
And so then I had to like thenthere were like fights because
there was the whole dress codething, which for me I was like
(06:23):
is this really like that big ofa deal?
But to some people it reallywas, and for me it was like it's
a little inconvenient, but Idon't really care, because
people were coming in in theirscrubs anyway, and people were
coming in in t-shirts and scrubbottoms.
Ie knee darko, knee darko wouldcome in.
You'd have a t-shirt and scrubbottoms on, looking like an ER
(06:46):
doc, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
So you either wear scrubs and tims and tims.
I did so you either had to wear.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
You either had to wear a white coat or you had to
wear scrubs, and that was thedress code.
Couldn't you wear a white?
coat and t-shirt and tims youcould wear something, whatever
you're wearing, but it had to belike, you know, like
semi-professional wear orwhatever.
So, anyway, the problem wasthat they couldn't police it
(07:21):
anyway, but the, the, thestudent body or the student
board actually they were theyjust kept harping on it and I
was like, but is this reallysuch a big deal?
Like there are other thingslike we should really be
thinking about here so you knowyourself in the middle.
You found yourself in the middlein the middle of a fight that I
really just I wasn't passionateabout, like this was not
(07:45):
something for me.
That was so like oh my god,they're making us wear a white
coat.
Oh my god, they're making uswear scrubs.
I was like it's not that big adeal, because when we go into
the wars, what do you have towear?
you gotta wear a white coat oryou gotta wear scrubs.
So I understand we in theclassroom the first two years,
(08:07):
but damn, why was it such a bigdeal?
That's, for me, was like thereare other things that we could
be talking about, what to do,and I get it.
I didn't like to be told whatto do, but I also don't like my
time wasted and I'm not going towaste my own time fighting
(08:28):
something that isn't necessarilyvery important to me.
I'm like so what?
I'll just, freaking, wearscrubs.
Who cares?
Who care?
I'll wear a t-shirt with scrubs.
The thing is, nobody was theretaking a dress code.
You know what I mean.
After the first couple of days,people were like, yeah, there
(08:48):
was an attendance, there wasattendance, there was attendance
, but after a while nobody waspaying attention to what we were
doing.
Nobody was paying attention toit, which is why I was like,
damn, the more attention webring to this, the more
attention they're going to payto it.
So let's just leave it alone.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
What were some of your other duties as president
that you had to do?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I don't even remember , because this thing was, my
presidency was marred by thisone thing so much I don't even
remember all the other things.
Like I was just like why isthis such a?
Every meeting, every singlemeeting, was about the dress
code.
And so finally I was like guys,is this really such a big deal?
(09:31):
Like nobody's even payingattention anymore.
And then all of a sudden,basically people were clutching
their pearls.
I was like damn, what did I say?
I was like, damn, what did I say?
Like you know, did it get inyour way of studying?
No, not at all.
(09:52):
Not at all.
(10:15):
It didn't.
That was the one thing I coulddefinitely say.
Like being class presidentdidn't get him in my right.
I thought we would be talkingabout ways to better our class
right, to better opportunitiesfor our class, and it became
about the dress code and I wasjust like I understand that this
man has become, you know,militant and is instituting
(10:36):
martial law essentially.
But at the same time I'm likewhy don't we just for four hours
a day is not going to make orbreak me?
Like it's not.
(11:03):
So what, I roll out of bed andI get to wear my own clothes.
Woohoo, I'm sitting in jeans.
Like, how is that making me abetter doctor?
How is that giving anybody anysort of advantage or opportunity
?
Like, how is it?
(11:24):
And for me, like the pearlclutching, when I said, guys,
like really is this such a bigdeal?
Do we really need to?
Is this what we really want tobe fighting?
I was just like, oh so, y'all,just for me.
That's when I realized y'allare set, y'all are set.
This is why this is soimportant, because y'all ain't
(11:46):
got shit to do.
I got shit that I'd like to do,but y'all seem like y'all are
set already.
So you, you know exactly whatyou're doing, exactly where you
going, you got your connects,you know.
You, you know exactly who totalk to.
I don't, and so that's what Iwanted to do.
(12:06):
So I think there was a.
There was a huge difference indemographic and difference
between me and my board members,which equated to a difference
in what I felt was importantversus what they felt was
important.
And you know, I liked my board,but we just were not on the
(12:28):
same page.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
We just weren't, so you had different backgrounds.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
We had different backgrounds.
You know, my whole, my entireboard was white.
I was the only one that wasblack.
They, they, just, you know, Idon't know how many of them came
from medicine, came from money,came from whatever, but I
didn't, I didn't come from that.
And so, for me, I'm like I'mtrying to collect opportunities
here, I'm trying to collectopportunities here, I'm trying
(12:56):
to create opportunities here,and I can't do that on my own,
when you know I have a boardthat is working towards wearing
jeans, because that's the mostimportant thing, you know.
And then you see what happenedour last year.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
You see what happened the last year, right when the
dean then went cuckoo for CocoaPuffs and was like, yeah, y'all
can't graduate.
The hell, you mean, y'all can'tgraduate.
What are you talking about,right?
So you want to tell the story?
No, man, that's, let's save itfor another episode, but I get
what you're saying.
Basically, what you're sayingis, um, the priorities that you
had weren't the prioritiesnecessarily of your board and
stuff.
No, and I got you.
I feel you on that.
Um, let me, let me.
Let me talk about one bigmistake that I wish I had done,
um, which I made in med schoolthat I wish, that I still regret
(13:58):
now, is that I realized thatlife, like, like, there's a
journey that you learn a lot,that you can learn a lot from
Like, I was just so everybodyknows people who don't know I
took two years off to apply tomed school.
Um, during those two years, man,I would kick myself every day
Like, man, I should have been inmed school the first time I
applied and I was pissed, I wasupset, had a chip on my shoulder
(14:21):
and I just felt like I reallyshould have been in med school
and stuff.
But you know, those two yearsoff taught me a lot of things.
It taught me resilience.
It really taught me, like, howto like strategize and look at
applying at med school a bitdifferently and look at applying
at med school a bit differently, and I think it also helped me
to become a better student.
It helped me to be reallyfocused on what I really wanted.
So I think that part of thereason I was really successful
(14:44):
in medical school was because Itook those two years off and for
me, I think, once I got intomed school, I just wanted to
finish as quickly as possible.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
But wait, what happened in those two years that
made you come to thatconclusion?
Or did you come to thatconclusion before you got into
medical school?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
What conclusion?
Who are you thinking, barbaraWalters?
What question are you talkingabout?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Really Nene the conclusion that you know kind of
what you were talking aboutwith life and just looking at
your you know journey.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Oh, because I know, because I, when I was applying
to med school the first time, Iwas like, yeah, I just want to
get into any med school, I don'tcare what grades I get.
I just I know I'm just going tograduate and I'm probably going
to struggle, but I'm going tomake it through.
Like I already had this mindsetthat like I'm gonna get into
med school and med school isgoing to be like this complete
struggle and you know I'llprobably finish last in my class
but I'm still going to graduate.
(15:42):
You know, it don't matter.
Ooh.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah, what?
Why?
Why did you think that?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Uh, I don't know.
I think because getting intomed school was so hard, right.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, but you wouldn't have known that the
first time, because you didn'tnot get in the first like or not
, not, but you know?
You see what I'm saying.
It was your first time applying, so how, like, how did you come
to that conclusion that youwould be last in your class?
Speaker 1 (16:14):
I don't know, I just had a feeling I was it was going
to be a struggle.
And you know, I just felt thatonce I got into school, med
school was going to be astruggle.
And I just felt that once I gotinto school med school it was
going to be a struggle.
And more than likely I probablyI don't know.
That's kind of in my mind.
Did you struggle in college?
No, I didn't struggle incollege.
I worked hard, I had to workhard, but I wouldn't per se say
I got to keep it a buck.
(16:41):
I think a lot of times people betrying to like give themselves
like false, like they'll make upfalse things, like false
adversity and people be lyingand stuff like I don't think I
cruised through meth or throughcollege, but I just kind of was
like I wasn't struggling.
And I think the issue for me isI lack direction.
You know, I really needed, Ineeded like mentorship.
That that's what really havehelped me.
So those two years off man,like bro, like that was like a
big issue for me because I waslike man, this is like the first
(17:05):
time I really hit likeadversity Cause.
Now, like I'm telling people yo, your boy's going to be a
doctor.
He's going to go to med schooland it's like, well, what you
doing here, working at sportsauthority?
It's like yo, I'm trying tofigure it out, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Dunk in these rocks.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Dunk in these rocks biatch.
You know what I'm saying.
Yo try to get these protectionplan on these Jordans.
Come on, son, right, but it'sthe truth, because the more
extended warranties you sell,you get commission off of them.
Extended warranties, trust me,I know, trust me, I know.
(17:40):
So those two years it helped meto really.
It's true, you laughed at it,but you know what I'm talking
about, right?
Oh my God.
But I would definitely say thepoint of what I'm trying to say
is maybe if I had taken like agap year in med school to do
(18:03):
something outside of just liketrying to finish right, so you
mean, while in med school, yeahyeah, so instead of doing four
years doing take a leave ofabsence yeah, yeah, guys.
we got our dual degrees, do andan MBA.
We did it in four years and Iwas super proud to do that, but
(18:24):
we had to give up our summers,um, and then we had to do summer
MBA at one summer.
Am I creating adversity again?
Yeah Right, you're right,you're right, right, but we did
have to take some classes whilewe were doing clinical work.
Yeah Right, that's real.
But I think, looking back, Ithink I would if I had taken a
(18:45):
gap year to do somethingmedically related but kind of
not really, like you're studyingfor step one or you are taking,
you're doing clinical work sothat you can get ready to apply
Something that's just kind ofmedically related, where you're
taking a year off, you get paid,or it's like an internship,
maybe in Washington DC orsomething like that, or wherever
(19:07):
it may have been, some medicalmission work, global health.
I think that would have reallyhelped my whole mindset, my
maturity, how I handle certainsituations.
I think that's probably one ofthe biggest mistakes that I wish
I had done, because it's greatto graduate, but also, at the
same time, like you're only inmed school once and it's for me
(19:29):
and I'm sure you can you canattest to that Med school is fun
as hell, yo Med school is funas hell.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yo, oh yeah, I do it.
I do medical school way moretimes than I would do college.
I wouldn't do college again.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Would you do med school if it meant you didn't
meet me?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
No, oh, that's a good question, because I always ask
good questions.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Everybody, everybody knows I ask good questions.
You'd be like uh, so what dayis it?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
what day is it?
Who's gonna win thechampionship?
Like, why are you asking me to?
Win the championship um, Idon't know, because I mean you
were a really big part of my medschool experience, I know, and
I was a big part of yours.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So like stop playing, but I have a feeling that I
probably— Elon Musk, state allthe ways in which you was a—.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Do not quote Elon Musk on this show.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
There are parents in our school district right now
who get emails from Elon Muskand it says hey, yo.
What does it say?
Please justify your existencein this department, in this uh,
what do you call it?
In this part of the government,I'm like yeah of the government
.
I'm like yo, so we're not.
(20:53):
It's five words at last Justifyhow you can say that you're
part of my.
What do you call it?
Getting my diploma in medschool.
That's what I'm saying.
I'm trying to be like Elon Musk.
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Anywho, I probably would have still enjoyed med
school, because at the point atwhich you're in med school it's
not like college, where you'retaking these classes, especially
as a science major.
That's one thing I definitelywould not have done.
But you didn't ask aboutcollege.
But if I had to go all the wayback to college, I definitely
(21:29):
would not have been a sciencemajor Definitely not.
I probably would have been ascience major.
Definitely not.
I probably would have been atheater major.
I probably would have beentheater major.
But yeah, I probably would haveenjoyed med school even without
you.
Well shoot, half of med schoolwas with you and half of it was
without you.
As many times as we broke up,ooh, burn, just like the kids.
(21:52):
Ooh, you just got roasted.
I could say that all day longOoh, you just got roasted.
Ooh, no reverse.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
They don't say that, they say that.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yes, they do.
Ooh, no, reverse Draw two.
I'm like what?
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yo, some of the mistakes that I made is I would
do more questions, I would domore standardized questions.
Oh, me too, yeah, when studyingfor not even just for like step
one, step two, but for actualthe quizzes that we had made by
our professors, I would havedone more.
I should have done morequestions that were standardized
, yeah, instead of kind of goingback and kind of creating our
(22:33):
questions and so forth.
But what you did, though, thatwas peace.
That was great.
You helped me out there withmaking my own questions.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
There you go, score one for Renee.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But listen, guys, we're goingto end the show right here, but
I do want to end the question.
I do want to end with twoquestions.
One is if you're in attendingright now, if you're in
residency right now, what's thebig mistake that you made in med
school that you now regret as aresident or even as a clinician
?
That's one you guys know.
(23:06):
You can text us.
Renee's going to tell you howto do all that in a second.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
We're actually going to tell you how to do all that
in a second.
We're actually going to putthat in a.
We're going to put that in areel.
We're going to put that in areel and you guys comment on
Instagram or TikTok.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
And the next question I have is what I asked earlier
Like for real, for real, like Iwant to know folks who are
listening, like if you knew thatthere was a loan cap that is
now significantly lower and that, well know, we're talking about
50, maybe even like 60 of youreducation had to be by private
loans or you kind of hat in handto parents like yo, to family
like yo.
I got you, like in 10 years, yo, this, this, this 20k, I'm
(23:49):
telling you, yo, it's gonna beworth like 50.
So just put it in right now.
I got you.
I got you for it In 15 years.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
We went from 10 to 15 .
I'm not trusting, I don't knowpercentages.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
I don't know compound interest, but would you have
done it?
That's a good question, y'allyeah.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Anything else you want to leave us off with Dr
Renee before we jet on out ofhere.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
No, but you be potting for real, yo, you be
potting for real.
I'm going to act like.
This is Robert's Rules.
I'll allow it.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
How do I be potting?
Have you ever done Robert'sRules?
Hell, no, ever.
I'm going to act like it,though.
Exactly, I'm going to pot it.
Go ahead, exactly Now.
I'm going to tell a story realquick.
So one time, when he wasregional director, he had to run
a meeting.
You can't just talk.
He was regional director,region two of the S&MA, and he
(24:47):
was running a meeting and themeeting was getting really
chaotic.
He called me up.
I wasn't even part of yourboard.
You remember this.
I was pre-med board member.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
I told these naysayers to shut the fuck up yo
.
I told these naysayers to shutup yo.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
No, you didn't call me, you called me up.
I was in the meeting physically, we were physically meeting.
You called me up to the frontand basically had me kind of be
your like parliamentarian, likewhat the hell.
(25:22):
But you did it though, so Idon't want to do it now, which
means you can't do it now.
All right, I'm the Robert.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
We're going to catch you guys on the next episode of
Docs Outside the Box, becauseRenee is creating this fake
adversity like she got methrough med school.
But listen, make sure youanswer those questions.
And I paid your loans back too.
Okay, stop playing Renee, buty'all we're going to catch you
guys on the next episode of DocsOutside the Box.
We love y'all.
Sorry for the delay and shoutout to all the new subscribers
(25:54):
we got on YouTube.
We love y'all.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Peace, y'all Peace.
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