Last post and more
Dear readers,
I have decided to stop blogging. I created this website a little over two years ago with the hopes that I can share with the world my experiences in medical school. I think that I have accomplished that goal. At one point, I was writing one of the most popular student-run blogs on the Internet. However, as I am about to begin residency, I must focus all of my time and effort into pursuing my specialty. Moreover, I have simply run out of things to write about. If I ever get an idea in the future, I will submit it to Kevin, MD.
I am regularly asked if I could go back in time, would I make the same decisions. Four years ago I wanted nothing more than to become a doctor; now that I’ve finished medical school, I know that was the right decision. While many people have become jaded by medicine and want to leave, I enjoy nothing more than practicing this field. While there are certainly lots of negatives—and I have written about many of them—I will still take medicine over any other occupation. If I could change one thing, however, I would never have joined the Air Force. Taking the HPSP scholarship was the single biggest mistake of my life. It is a financial setback. It is an educational setback. And it will wreak havoc on my personal life. If you gain nothing more from this website, please reconsider any decisions on joining the military.
I will continue to read the comments and emails that people submit me. I may even reply. But for right now, this is the end of HalfMD.com.
Half MD.com 
medaholic said,
June 6, 2009 at 12:01 am
Thanks for writing. Your presence will be missed! Good luck with all your future endeavors, I know you will become a good doctor.
Jeffrey said,
June 6, 2009 at 8:08 am
Thanks for your writing. Your insight certainly benefited many. I enjoyed them. Please keep this blog around so others can still peruse your great writing.
All the best in your future career!
Alex said,
June 6, 2009 at 9:06 am
Congrats on finishing med school! I’ve enjoyed your blog tremendously over the last few years. Good luck in internship and residency!
F said,
June 6, 2009 at 10:59 am
Thanks for all the posts – great info and humor. If you ever decide to come out of retirement, I’ll be anxious to hear what you have to say.
DoubleA said,
June 6, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Fare well, congratulations, and good luck
Frosty said,
June 7, 2009 at 5:23 am
You definitely accomplished your stated goal… and it’s been fun reading as you have! Best of luck to you in this next phase.
bebe said,
June 7, 2009 at 3:08 pm
aww I will miss you but congratulations on completing your education in med school!!
dragonfly said,
June 7, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Good luck Doc.
bongi said,
June 8, 2009 at 10:55 am
good while it lasted. all the best for your future.
Allen said,
June 15, 2009 at 11:07 pm
I’ve enjoyed your writing over the past two years, and thank you for sharing your interesting perspectives with me. Up until these last few posts, I’ve really related, but ironically now that I’m a 4th year (super senior), I feel the exact opposite – that med school may have been a colossal waste of time (or at least at this young stage of my life) and that the HPSP scholarship is one of the only redeeming things about it.
I actually really enjoy the military, and I think the culture is so much more positive and collaborative than medicine (at least for now)… shrug. The financial setback isn’t that bad unless you’re going into the surgical specialties, but at this point, I’m only concerned about the personal life interruptions.
Best of luck with your residency, and if you do GMO, best of luck with everything there as well. =)
Rishi said,
June 27, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Just as you begin your residency journey, I’m beginning my med school journey. Reading your blogs posts makes me hope that I’ll be able to share my experiences with the public as effectively as you have done over the last few years. Best of luck! 🙂
prep4md said,
July 1, 2009 at 1:01 am
What a lose to the community. One of the best written medical student blogs out there indeed.
Please reconsider blogging during residency.
I wish you the best of luck 🙂
Unknown said,
July 5, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog from time to time. I started a blog of my own during third year of med school and now I’m going to do my best to continue it during residency. I kept it pretty low key during school, only friends and family read it and they enjoyed it. I feel there is so much to poke fun of in residency I want to open it up to the world. If you like it any advise about how to get more traffic or an endorsement would be great. Let me know.
http://www.sixtysixwhiskies.wordpress.com
A said,
July 8, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Thank you for keeping me forever entertained as I try to retain some sanity on the twisted path to medical school. Because of your blog, many others, and countless hours on the SDN military medicine forum, I have decided against doing HPSP. I will always wonder what it would have been like, but for now, I do not have the patience to deal with that many “what if’s”. Knowing how ridiculous residency can be (Ah Yes, Residency blog seemed to disappear), best of luck to you and your career in medicine!
Ashlee said,
July 19, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I know that this blog has officially closed, but this has been the most helpful Q&A blogs that I’ve read so far. I was hoping that you’d answer a question for me…
What type of ec is needed? I realize the normal answers are research and volunteering, but I was wondering about job shadowing a physician. Does this count under volunteering or research?
Rahul said,
August 9, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Sad too see you go! Maybe, now you should start fullmd.com …. 😉
George said,
September 14, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Congratulations on achieving your goal of becoming a doctor. Thanks for sharing your experience, particularly about avoiding the military scholarship.
~ George
Kell said,
September 18, 2009 at 1:56 am
That’s interesting about staying away from the military scholarship. The military residents I know were career military before med school cam into the picture, but I have heard that it’s really not worth it if your only motivation behind signing up is offsetting the four years of big expenses.
Thanks.
KL
Carl said,
May 29, 2010 at 1:05 am
I just came across your blog and have read several of your rantings. You seem to have no respect for several fields of medicine and lack the common decency to at least respectfully comment on areas of medicine about which you clearly have little knowledge. I am glad you stopped blogging. Now go fuck yourself.
Anon said,
August 9, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Actually stumbled across your blog after your last post, but I’ve read several of the others — sorry I missed you. Hope you’re doing well in residency, and I’m sorry you have tools like Carl stopping by to posthumously flame you for venting on a blog.
Chinku said,
August 11, 2010 at 5:29 am
Best wishes for your future…
Leonardo Bartowski said,
August 23, 2010 at 5:48 pm
I just stumbled across your blog and I am sad I didn’t catch you before! I am currently going through medical school and I have these great resources to share with others. I am glad to see that you have moved on to become a doctor. Congratulations!
sdub said,
October 3, 2010 at 8:22 am
Congrats on graduating! I’m just commenting to say that reading your last post inspired me to give myself a pat on the back. I’ve just started my second year, but applied for and was offered an USAF HPSP scholarship prior to starting first year. My dad was in the AF for 20+ years and I was pretty excited about it for awhile….then, days before I was due to sign the docs, my internal intuitive sirens started blazing. I did a bit more research and ultimately decided to pass on it.
Good thing, too, because it was overwhelming enough to attempt to meet my own standards re: academic performance last year–Lord knows what might have happened had I Uncle Sam’s to consider, as well!
However, I’m sorry that it’s making you miserable. I’m sure that good things will come of it in the long run, even if it’s difficult to see that right now. In the meantime, thanks for serving our country! Mad respect.
Brenne Meirowitz said,
July 24, 2011 at 2:22 am
Congrats! Sorry you will not be sharing anymore, but perhaps you might change your mind someday! All the best!
Jennifer said,
September 14, 2011 at 10:50 pm
So far so good. I am reading your blog from beginning to end of course. It’s amazing you had the time to keep it up while in school! Where are you now, what is life like for you these days, where did life take you?
Aly Williams said,
March 5, 2012 at 2:02 pm
You’re a brilliant writer. I’m majoring in organic chemistry and English with the high hopes of going to med school. Another poster was right, your presence will be missed :). Hopefully you come back when you’re finished with your residency and specialize! Congrats on getting this far.
Casey said,
May 15, 2012 at 11:46 pm
Now that I’ve spent a few years in the workforce, I’m going back to college this fall to get a biology degree and hope to attend med school. Just finished reading your blog from start to finish. I feel like I learned a lot, and I appreciate your honesty. You’re a talented, humorous writer. Thanks for sharing your life with us.
Dr. Dre said,
July 11, 2012 at 6:00 pm
The fact that you had such a hard time appreciating so many of the specialties you rotated through means that you’re probably surrounded by residents or doctors who are idiots. Which means that you probably went to a pretty shitty medical school, and you yourself probably aren’t all that smart. Good luck with things, its tragic that the U.S. military ends up with docs like you. But I guess the good thing is that I’ll probably never see you in practice.
Anton said,
October 12, 2012 at 1:27 pm
In the past 3 days, I’ve gone through your entire blog. Most of it is hilarious, fascinating, and insightful. I may not always agree with everything you say politically. However, you have inspired me to potentially do something similar (in regards to this blog) in the coming years. You have also convinced me to stay away from the military scholarships, suck it up, and pay off my debt as quickly as possible. Luckily, my bride-to-be is willing to be my sugar-mama!
If you have a good list of finance books for physicians, I’d be interested in a reply. Good luck, buddy! After applying twice, I will finally be able to experience the whole spectrum of medicine next fall!!!
Nicole said,
September 7, 2017 at 7:12 am
Hello,
Where are you now in your career? Did you get the EM residency?