I'm so excited to introduce to you today's "See It. Do It." mom! Her interview is a candid and insightful peek into the life of a med student with not one, not two, but THREE children! Can you say "Superwoman"?! Amazing.
Name: Preethi
Schmeidler
Medical School: University
of Kansas School of Medicine
Graduation Year: 2014
Future (or Current)
Specialty: Mostly undecided!
How many children do
you have and their ages: Three – ages 5, 3, and 1
Did you do any
post-undergraduate schooling or working before attending medical school?
After college I had a short but successful career as a
banker (not the corrupt kind!). Once I
decided to pursue medicine (again), I took a few courses at a local university
(I was pre-med in undergrad and I had already completed most of the
prerequisite courses).
Did you have any of
your children during medical school? If so, how did you “plan” for it?
Yes – my youngest son was born at
the end of my first year – one week before my renal/endocrine final! I took the test on time, and did not perform
as well as usual. But I managed to pass!
Early in my 2nd
trimester, I sat down with one of the Deans, and we looked at the school calendar
close to my due date and planned how we would handle various required
activities that I would have to miss. I
had already decided that I would take as little time off as possible so that I
could finish the school year on time.
When the baby came, I was allowed to make up most of the required
activities for the final module on my own time, and managed to have days when I
went to campus and made up 2 or 3 labs in the same afternoon. I podcasted all of the lectures from home
while the baby slept.
What kind of
childcare do you employ? (i.e. live-in nanny, family help, daycare,
babysitters)
My kids all go to a fantastic
daycare center that is located very close to my school and my husband’s
office. Before my youngest was able to
go to daycare, my husband worked from home whenever I needed to go to campus
(about once per week). After a few
weeks, my mom came and lived with us for a couple more weeks, so I could focus
a little bit more on school.
Currently,
I try to keep all of my school-related activities within those times that my
kids are in daycare and keep a consistent evening/weekend routine with the
family. I know this will change once I
hit clinicals starting in June, so either my husband or extended family will be
able to help pick up the slack.
What has been the
biggest challenge to handling medical school (and/or practicing medicine) along
with having children? How have you overcome it?
The hardest part is resisting the
pressure to let medical school take over my entire life! Many times it takes conscious effort to play
with my kids without flipping through flash cards or watch a movie with my
husband without having my laptop open, studying. As hard as it is, I’ve found that if I do
only school during my designated school hours and only family time in the evenings
and much of the weekends, I’m more dedicated to and efficient at both. My family is happier too, and they have an
easier time respecting my study time.
Do you feel like your
school/job is “flexible” to any family issues that may arise?
For now, yes. Podcasting allows me a great deal of flexibility. However, I’m not confident that the clinical years
will be very flexible. I am thankful
that I have a dedicated and capable husband that can pick up my slack. It’s also good to have some extended family
nearby.
How do you find time to study in addition
to class time?
I study much less than many of
my peers. I’m not at the top of my
class, but I’ve become efficient enough with the time that I do spend studying
that I’m happy with where my performance stands. I think that’s important if you decide to
take on the commitment of medical school on top of raising a family. I go to class and study from 8 am until 3:30
or 4. When the baby goes to bed for the
night, I resume studying until I’m ready to go to bed. My husband puts the older kids to bed when
their bedtimes roll around. On weekends,
I only study during naptime and then again in the evening.
Sometimes,
when exams are coming up, I get upset that I can’t spend an entire Saturday
studying. But then I remember how blessed
I am to have my little built-in distractors, and I get over it pretty quickly.
What is one item/strategy
that you have that helps to make life easier as a mother and medical student/physician?
(i.e. organizational method, electronic device, calendar tool, etc.)
I write everything down,
usually in my iPhone somewhere so that I always have access. This includes shopping lists, to-do lists,
upcoming events, etc. There are some
great free iPhone apps out there to help with this!
My husband
and I use a shared Gmail calendar were we each add any work, school, and family
commitments. That way we are always
(well, usually) on the same page as far as what’s going on for any given week.
What kinds of things
do you do to “relax”?
I love to play games with my kids, although they are still
young enough that they don’t have the attention span for anything complicated. Go Fish, Operation, Candyland—bring it
on! I love seeing them master a new game! I also enjoy cooking; I cook dinner almost
every night and I really enjoy making something wonderful from a bunch of
discrete ingredients. Also high on my
list is kicking back on the deck with my husband and a glass of wine after
dinner while the kids play.
Do you feel that your
experience as a mother has made you a better doctor or future doctor? If so,
how?
Absolutely! I’m more
sensitive to the needs of others. I’m a
better multi-tasker. I’m more efficient. I’m more focused in stressful situations. I’m more comfortable with other people’s kids
and more empathetic to the struggles of other parents. Gross bodily functions don’t gross me out
anymore. I’m more confident in my
decisions. Most importantly though, I
won’t be worrying about when I’m going to find time to start a family—I’ve
already been through that major adjustment!
What advice do you
have to the women who want to pursue medicine with children?
- Live to serve God in
everything that you do, and thank Him often!
- Be honest with yourself
about your expectations. You can’t
do everything and be everywhere, so are you willing to cut corners with
the less important stuff?
- Your family always comes
first. Period. Medical school is temporary; your
children will always be your children.
With that being said, it’s ok to set boundaries and expectations so
that you are able to meet the demands of your coursework.
- If you are married, the
health of your marriage must be a priority. It’s easy to forget how difficult it is
for a spouse who isn’t a medical student to be on the outside looking
in.
------
Are you a physician or medical student mom who would like to share her story? Send me an email at Mrs.Mommy.MD@gmail.com
