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Dumpshock Forums _ Dumpshock News, Bug Reports, Feature Requests, & Discussion _ I am moving

Posted by: FrankTrollman Sep 13 2007, 06:28 AM

So I did better than I expected in my entrance exam and interview for medical school in Charles University Second Faculty of Medicine in Prague - I tied with a man from Seattle for the first slot. Long story short this means that I'm moving here to the Czech Republic semi-permanently within the next two weeks.

This also means that for the forseeable future, I will not take on any more Shadowrun related projects. At heart I am a medical professional, not a science fiction author, and I have before me the opportunity for more medical training that I've been working towards for years.

Writing for Shadowrun has never been about money. Honestly, I make more in a week of being an Ambulance EMT than FanPro still owes me from my work on Street Magic. It has been a hobby, and one I do not regret undertaking. Unfortunately perhaps, when one has less free time it is hobbies which suffer the most. And I am looking at having a lot less free time. Less even than I do right now.

-Frank

Posted by: toturi Sep 13 2007, 06:37 AM

The Doc Wagon guy is going to train under Schwartkopf!

Posted by: Method Sep 13 2007, 06:38 AM

Frank,

Congratulations on getting in. I'm in my second year at the University of Washington in Seattle. Always interesting to "meet" other Dumpshockers of the medical persuasion.

And about having less free time- you are right about that. Its pretty rough trying to balance everything, especially if one is married and/or has a family. I barely have time to scan these boards, much less play SR or participate in any of the gajillion other hobbies I enjoy. But it can be done- sometimes you just gotta say, "To hell with studying endocrinology even though I have a midterm in two days and will be with patients all day tomorrow!! I'm going to check out Dumpshock..."

At least that’s what I'm doing...

Posted by: Matsu Kurisu Sep 13 2007, 06:55 AM

Hi Frank

Thanks for your contributions!! I always find value in your posts.
Best of luck with the studies!!!

Chris
Matsu Kurisu

Posted by: Nychuus Sep 13 2007, 07:03 AM

Holy trifle Batman!

Go for it Frank! If doing the doctor is what calls to you, go for it. I'll just remember to drop you a line when my brain short circuits

Posted by: Grinder Sep 13 2007, 07:27 AM

Welcome to Europe!

Posted by: NightmareX Sep 13 2007, 07:35 AM

Ciao Frank. Thanks for the good work, and good luck with future endeavors!

Posted by: Fortune Sep 13 2007, 07:48 AM

Congrats dude! I will really miss your contributions, but hopefully you won't end up being a total stranger here,

Posted by: Naysayer Sep 13 2007, 08:13 AM

Yeah, big headsup!
Always sucks when the dreaded "real life" guts your free&fun time, but at least you get to replace that with something you love...

And Prague is one hell of a city!

Posted by: Draconis Sep 13 2007, 09:11 AM

Uh good job, I didn't doubt at all that you wouldn't get in. Hrmm could have called me though. Lucky bastard I don't find out which grad school I go to till March.
I suppose I'll have to take over the campaign if you don't want to do video/voice conferencing. This is the 21st century after all. I knew this would happen so I had some ideas about the logistics.

But anyway I'll see you on Monday or Tues. I think?

Posted by: Ophis Sep 13 2007, 09:46 AM

Well anyone who looked at you work on Aug could tell you know medicine...

Well done sir.

Sad to here we won't see anymore contributions from you.

Posted by: Buster Sep 13 2007, 12:35 PM

QUOTE (FrankTrollman)

Noooooo! We're going to miss you. Huge congrats on getting into Charles University, I'm so jealous. I've actually been thinking for some time now about finishing my PhD in artificial intelligence there. My wife is from Slovakia and if she can teach me Czech, the classes are free!

I know you're going to have tons of fun there, the city, forests, and mountains are beyond imagination. If you want to continue writing someday for D&D or WoD, Prague and the forests and mountains around the area has got to be the perfect inspiration. And you're right in the middle of Europe so you're never more than a quick train ride to all the coolest places in the world.

Charles reminds me of Hogswarts: Not only is Charles the oldest university in central Europe, but the downside is that some of the professors are very "old school" and love to treat the students like crap (at least that's what my wife tells me, she had some friends that went to Charles).

Are you going to take the classes in English or are you going to learn Czech? If I remember correctly, even without the Czech language discount, Charles is still surprisingly affordable for being one of the best (and oldest) schools in Europe.

Posted by: darthmord Sep 13 2007, 12:50 PM

QUOTE (FrankTrollman)

Congratulations!

Now just because you are moving and not doing anymore SR projects for the time being... that in no way absolves you of the requirement to come here and darken our doorsteps.

Good Luck Frank!

Posted by: Prime Mover Sep 13 2007, 01:58 PM

Best of Luck!

Posted by: Buster Sep 13 2007, 03:08 PM

Here's a few key phrases in Czech you'll need for college:

Muj pes sezral muj domaci ukol : "My dog ate my homework"
Jeste jedno pivo : "Another beer"
To je oregano, pane policajt : "That's oregano, officer"
Uz ti bylo patnact? : "15 yet?"

Posted by: Moon-Hawk Sep 13 2007, 03:25 PM

Congratulations!

Posted by: Apathy Sep 13 2007, 03:28 PM

Congrats on the great step forward, and I hope you can still find time to stop by the forum now and then to let us know how it's going.

Posted by: Marwynn Sep 13 2007, 03:35 PM

Congratulations Frank! Just remember, the red stuff goes on the inside.

Gotta follow your true calling.

Posted by: Magus Sep 13 2007, 03:45 PM

Good Luck Frank!! I will definitly miss your input on all things Street Magic wise. Have Fun!

Posted by: Ryu Sep 13 2007, 04:04 PM

You only tied for first place? Get your act together man!

Congratulations and good luck!

Posted by: hobgoblin Sep 13 2007, 04:21 PM

good luck and all that.

Posted by: BookWyrm Sep 13 2007, 04:22 PM

Congrats & good fortune, Frank. Don't let up on getting what's owed you.

Posted by: kzt Sep 13 2007, 06:17 PM

That's good news for you, and bad news for us. Good luck!

Posted by: Penta Sep 13 2007, 07:21 PM

Query, Frank: Will the medical degree you get over there transfer across the Atlantic for purposes of US medical licensure, or are you going to be staying in Europe forever?

Posted by: Lagomorph Sep 13 2007, 10:37 PM

Congratulations Frank! Congrats on both your excellent test score and your invitation to such a prestigious college! I hope to see you around on the forums from time to time. And if I'm ever in the area and need a street doc because I fell out of a window onto some bullets, I'll know who to look up

Posted by: Fortune Sep 13 2007, 10:42 PM

QUOTE (Penta @ Sep 14 2007, 05:21 AM)

Will the medical degree you get over there transfer across the Atlantic for purposes of US medical licensure, or are you going to be staying in Europe forever?

Not Frank but ...

Well, people practice in the U.S. with medical degrees from places like Grenada and Guatemala, so I don't see why not. Of course, there might be some kind of additional step involved if he was to go back to the States, but I wouldn't think it'd be too much of a problem.

Posted by: Caine Hazen Sep 14 2007, 12:32 AM

Thread moved to a more appropriate topic area.

Take care over there! Don't let the vampires get yea

Posted by: Cthulhudreams Sep 14 2007, 01:06 AM

I'm imaging a doctor house esque performance here

Good luck!

Posted by: Draconis Sep 14 2007, 02:00 AM

QUOTE (Fortune)

QUOTE (Penta @ Sep 14 2007, 05:21 AM)

Will the medical degree you get over there transfer across the Atlantic for purposes of US medical licensure, or are you going to be staying in Europe forever?

There are additional hoops you have to jump through for the AMA and they're not easy. My former boss, may she rot in hell, was a doctor in HK but over here just a lowly manager, a bad one may I add.

Bitter? Nah.

Posted by: Glyph Sep 14 2007, 02:17 AM

Congratulations, Frank, and best of luck. I hope you will still be able to pop in here every now and then.

Anyone else find it hilarious that a thread on moving got moved?

Posted by: Method Sep 14 2007, 02:41 AM

QUOTE (Fortune)

QUOTE (Penta @ Sep 14 2007, 05:21 AM)

Will the medical degree you get over there transfer across the Atlantic for purposes of US medical licensure, or are you going to be staying in Europe forever?

Basically they have to meet certain criteria and take the same liscensing tests Amercian students do, either the USMLE if they are applying to state-side residency programs or the specialty-specific board examinations (which are administered by the various professional associations- American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Neurology, etc).

Posted by: jklst14 Sep 14 2007, 04:01 AM

QUOTE (Method)

QUOTE (Fortune @ Sep 13 2007, 03:42 PM)

QUOTE (Penta @ Sep 14 2007, 05:21 AM)

Will the medical degree you get over there transfer across the Atlantic for purposes of US medical licensure, or are you going to be staying in Europe forever?

Over the years, I've met many FMGs in US residency programs so it shouldn't be a problem. As long as you have a degree and have passed step 1 and step 2, I believe you can enter the match.

The bigger problem would be coming back after doing a residency. I've known some people who've had to repeat residencies in order to practice in the US. Then again, I've known people who didn't have to so maybe it has something to do with ACGME accrediation.

On the flipside, a friend of mine who moved to Canada had to do an extra year of residency in order to practice pediatrics in Canada (peds is 3 years in the US, 4 in Canada).

Posted by: Method Sep 14 2007, 04:33 AM

Frank: out of curiosity, what kind of entrance exam did you have to take to get in over there? Is it similar to the MCAT?

Posted by: Gelare Sep 14 2007, 05:39 AM

Awesome stuff Frank, congratulations. Your writing is fantastic, I'll be sad to see you go. Don't be a stranger now, y'hear? Here's hoping you come back before fifth edition!

Posted by: FrankTrollman Sep 14 2007, 11:38 AM

QUOTE (Method)

Frank: out of curiosity, what kind of entrance exam did you have to take to get in over there? Is it similar to the MCAT?

Honestly, compared to the MCAT, the Charles entrance exam is kind of a joke. Since you have to send them in your transcripts and your resume before they even let you take the test, I assume that the test is largely intended as a formality - although some people certainly did fail it.

Questions are similar to the MCAT, but instead of being 3 separate sections of about 100 minutes it's just one test that they give you 75 minutes to complete. I was done in 45. Sections are Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. No writing sample, but there's an interview section where they give you a stand-up prompt and ask you to improvise something. My prompt was "Terminal Illness: Continuation of Care?" but some other people got crappier prompts ("Child Abuse" or the perenial head scratcher "Sexual Preference and Sexual Deviance").

The big difficulty of the Charles exam relative to the MCAT is that you get no context for any of the questions. So when they ask you a question about Aniline, they just fucking expect you to know off the top of your head what that is and what the chemical formula is. For comparison, an MCAT question about Aniline would come in four parts and go into way more detail about its chemical properties, but it would also give you a chemical formula for Aniline when it introduced the section (meaning that a solid knowledge of organic chemical prinicpals could get you through even if you never called that particular chemical anything other than phenylamine or aminobenzene in your whole life.

They have a past exam set on the internet, use it if you intend to take the test in real life. Still, I think it's pretty telling that the two people who got the top scores had already gone through the MCAT process. Personally, I got a 36Q on the MCAT, which was enough to get in to medical schools, but since I could never get off the waiting list it hardly matters - I may as well have gotten a 20 for all the difference it made. The shortage of med school slots in the US is criminal.

---

As for transferring to the US: I don't know if I'll want to. But if I did, there's a certification board in every major industrialized nation that you have to go through to practice medicine. In the United States it's pretty strict (not the strictest if I recal, but up there), but I don't doubt that I can get through. What it comes down to is that a medical degree does not allow you to practice medicine, the medical certification body of your host nation does. Getting a medical degree is a requirment to be considered by those organizations, but in no way ensures that you will actually be allowed to practice.

Again though, I've never failed a test involving "science" in my whole life, so I have little doubt in my ability to come back to the states. Really depends upon how "on fire" the United States is by the time I get out. It will be 2012 after all...

-Frank

Posted by: Penta Sep 14 2007, 04:09 PM

I have to wonder: Why *don't* US med schools expand?

It's not like they'd have trouble placing people!

Posted by: MaxHunter Sep 14 2007, 07:03 PM

Great news Frank! I have heard Prague is a wonderful city. Best wishes and best of luck, oh, and do post around here if you find the time.

Cheers,

Max

Posted by: Method Sep 15 2007, 12:25 AM

QUOTE (FrankTrollman @ Sep 14 2007, 04:38 AM)

Personally, I got a 36Q on the MCAT, which was enough to get in to medical schools, but since I could never get off the waiting list it hardly matters - I may as well have gotten a 20 for all the difference it made.

Damn dude! I got a 34R and had multiple offers. Maybe the schools you are applying to are more competative, but you could probably do well at most state schools (assuming your GPA is okay... mine was pretty average for a medical school applicant... too much SR during my undergrad years, i'm sure).

Was their exam in Czech (i assume)?

QUOTE (frank)

The shortage of med school slots in the US is criminal.

I agree but thats changing. The Feds recently asked the AAMC to increase class sizes for the first time since WWII. Somebody finially looked at the baby boom data and realized how fucked we are if we don't train more doctors fast.

Posted by: Method Sep 15 2007, 12:42 AM

QUOTE (Penta)

I have to wonder: Why *don't* US med schools expand?

It's not like they'd have trouble placing people!

The short answer is cost.

I've heard various estimates, but in the United States it costs about a million dollars to train a doctor. Since NOONE is paying $250,000 a year in tuition, pretty much every medical school (state and private) is subsidized by the Federal Government, private grants and donations.

Not sure how that works in other countries.

Incidently, thats also why it's so damn hard to get in. The minute you accept a position in an entering class the school has far more money invested in you than you will pay back in tuition. They cannot afford to accept people who can't hack it or lack the determination to stick it out when it starts to suck (which it will...).

This is in contrast to a lot of other professional schools that over admit knowing that some people will drop. The nice thing about medical school is that the weed-out process is all before entrance. Once you're in, they will do everything to make sure you finish (mostly because they have to).

Posted by: Grinder Sep 15 2007, 07:34 AM

Nearly all universities in Germany are state-owned, what limits the yearly costs for students to 1,000€. Studiying medicine to become a doctor takes 6 years in average (12 semester) and has a high percentage of students who break it off before.
It's hard to get a place in a medical school (it depends on your Abitur) too.

But the saddest thing is that actually being and working as a doctor leaves you seriously overworked and underpaid. More and more leave Germany to work in Great Britain, Switzerland or Scandinavia where the payment is better and working conditions for medical personell are better too.

Posted by: Thyme Lost Sep 15 2007, 08:03 AM

QUOTE (FrankTrollman)

Again though, I've never failed a test involving "science" in my whole life, so I have little doubt in my ability to come back to the states. Really depends upon how "on fire" the United States is by the time I get out. It will be 2012 after all...

-Frank

Congrats.

Well, if you don't awaken in 2012, make sure you get started on bioware, I need new eyes.

Posted by: Alex Sep 15 2007, 02:42 PM

Congratulations!

You are a more dedicated man than me. I stopped with the engineering degree before heading to med school. Perhaps had something to do with a wife and two kids...

Posted by: apollo124 Sep 16 2007, 12:12 PM

Good luck Frank! Don't be a stranger on DS, we'll all love to hear about how things are going.

Posted by: FrankTrollman Oct 5 2007, 07:40 PM

So I started a Livejournal thing.

http://waitinginline.insanejournal.com/

-Frank

Posted by: Zhan Shi Oct 8 2007, 03:21 AM

Say hello to Schwartzkoph for me.

Posted by: Nikoli Oct 8 2007, 07:14 AM

Best to ya man.

Posted by: FrankTrollman Oct 11 2007, 07:32 PM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14424697@N04/1544182177/

-Frank

Posted by: Moon-Hawk Oct 11 2007, 09:25 PM

QUOTE (FrankTrollman)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14424697@N04/1544182177/

-Frank

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Zhan Shi Oct 12 2007, 02:10 AM

Good grief. I'm glad I never wanted to be a doctor.

Posted by: Whipstitch Nov 14 2007, 04:21 AM

Ah, adorable; I remember when I used to be squeamish about visuals (I generally only find odors revolting at this point). At my small private school we had a decent portion of human skeleton that eventually found its way to my locker for half a semester. That particular stunt got me a rather severe scolding, but on the upside, it paid handily for my lunches; we had a pool going for how long it'd take before I got caught and I beat one month handily. I don't know why my classmates didn't think I'd do it; the family businesses in my clan are taxidermy, meatpacking, and mortuary science with some military experience mixed in for good measure. I've been up to my eyeballs in dead stuff since grade school.

And yes, I am aware this is thread necromancy, but that fact only adds to the oddly satisfying sense of symmetry I'm getting by posting my li'l anecdote.