In this episode, Dr. Aaron Lao talks about his non-traditional journey towards becoming a doctor. He was an active freelance musician in the US, and completed two world music tours, prior to entering medical school. Now a doctor and CEO of his own company, he shares the difficulty of the transition, how he coped, and the lessons he learned along the way.
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Dr. Aaron Lao earned his bachelor’s degree in classical music performance from Rutgers University in 2006. He completed two world music tours and was an active freelance musician in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut before deciding to pursue medicine. Dr. Lao graduated from the University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in 2020, where he was the Medical Student Council External Vice President. He is currently in the United States preparing to take the USMLE. Additionally, Dr. Lao is the Chief Executive Officer of his own company, LMG Homes Inc, a corporation which operates two intermediate care facilities for the intellectually disabled. Dr. Lao is also one of the founding board members of the 501(c)(3) non-profit ZBM International Foundation.
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Adrian Teves is a young Filipino doctor. While in medical school, Adrian served as a peer mentor, helping freshmen and sophomores adjust smoothly to the rigors of med school life. Adrian is also a passionate mental health advocate, having suffered from anxiety. It is his objective to have a community that can freely talk about mental health without reservations. He devotes his leisure time reading, working out, or playing golf.
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Michael Sibulo is both a pharmacist and a physician. After struggling throughout his four-year stay in medical school, he started advocating the use of Anki, a spaced repetition software  for time-efficient active learning. Other interests include playing the piano, jogging, learning Mandarin, and promoting eye health.
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Email: thebetterpillpodcast@gmail.com
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Chapter Markers:

00:00 Introduction
00:37 Episode intro
01:23 Guest intro
03:45 Tell us about your story before medical school.
06:38 Did you take science subjects in college?
08:43 Were you required to take science subjects before enrolling into med?
10:00 How was your transition into medical school?
12:00 When did you get the hang of medicine?
12:58 Was the first quarter of first year med hard?
13:23 How were your grades?
13:37 Can you take us through your routine in med school?
15:40 Did you ever think of quitting medical school?
17:57 How did you manage to find the time for extracurricular activities?
20:05 Would you recommend non traditional medical students to join orgs and clubs?
22:07 How do you manage your time?
23:20 How many years was the gap between your college graduation and med school?
27:00 Top 3 challenges you faced in med school
29:40 Do you have any regrets?
30:28 Looking back, would you have done anything differently in medical school?
31:47 Final message

YouTube Mirror: https://youtu.be/DV09suEKJrc