Education

Problems with the Multiple-Mini Interview for medical school

Reflex Hammer

Education

November 28, 2011

Some medical schools have altered their admissions process by replacing the traditional applicant interview with the Multiple-Mini Interview (MMI). MMI resembles speed-dating: applicants rotate through numerous interview stations, where they act out scenarios and solve puzzles, sometimes alone and sometimes in groups. A July New York Times article presented a good overview of MMI, as implemented by Virginia Tech Carillon.

As you might expect, schools that have adopted MMI (UCLA and …

The life of a medical resident in Mexico

Cesar Lucio, MD

Education

October 12, 2011

The average week for a medical resident training in Mexico can easily exceed 90 work hours. Mexico is a country that takes pride in offering full health coverage for 100 million citizens. This is a new policy and free public medical care is being pushed to the limit. The situation is simple, the work load in outpatient clinics, operating rooms, the wards and emergency rooms across the country is …

How medical students can prepare to be hospitalists

Happy Hospitalist, MD

Education

September 1, 2011

A second year medical student reader asked me to comment on what rotations to take in medical school to prepare for an internal medicine or hospitalist medicine career.

I am a second year medical student, very interested it practicing the art of Hospital Medicine, and I was wondering if you had any advice/comments on any specific electives to consider to help prepare me for an Internal Medicine residency.

Great question. As …

Medical students spending time in a nursing home as a patient

Marilyn Gugliucci, PhD

Education

August 31, 2011

An interview by Curaspan Health Group with Marilyn Gugliucci, PhD.

Every summer, a handful of medical students spends two weeks in a nursing home as a patient. That’s part of what’s been called “the life-altering education” established by Marilyn Gugliucci, Ph.D., the director of geriatrics education and research at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Gugliucci spoke with Curaspan Connections about the inspiration for her unique approach to elder-care …

How medical residents should spend their time off

Mary L. Brandt, MD

Education

August 24, 2011

Here’s the scenario. It’s Friday evening. You’ll be back at work on Sunday. You’re sleep deprived because you are a resident. You haven’t spent any quality time with your significant other, friends or family because you haven’t had any real time off. Next week has plenty of call and it would really help if you planned out good food for the week and cooked something. And, by the way, …

It’s possible to have fun during medical school

Eric Lu

Education

August 22, 2011

Before I start second year of medical school, I wanted to take this time to reflect on my first year in medical school and use these lessons to ground me as I begin a new school year.

When people ask me how first year was, my first answer is that it was a lot of fun. That usually comes off as a surprise. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely …

Why the third year is the greatest year of medical school

Robert Centor, MD

Education

August 10, 2011

This post is dedicated to the many 3rd year students whom I have had the privilege to teach over the past 35 years. They continue to inspire me to help them become great physicians. They care.

The third year of medical school is wonderful, but it is a year of great change. Those readers who are physicians will completely understand, and I will try to explain to the non-physicians.

During the third …

Should medical students be introduced as Doctor?

Vineet Arora, MD

Education

July 22, 2011

I recently saw a post in Yahoo questions entitled, “Is it illegal for a medical student to introduce themselves as ‘Doctor’ before they have received their MD?”

One of the answers that was rated highly was “I think it is more unethical than illegal.” Clearly, if a student is deliberately misrepresenting themselves as a ‘doctor’, it is grounds for disciplinary action. More often than not, this misrepresentation …

A model patient in physical exam class

Kate Land, MD

Education

July 21, 2011

In the New York Times article “18 Stethoscopes, 1 Heart Murmur and Many Missed Connections,” Madeline Drexler tells her story of being a model patient. Not like a model citizen cooperative and pleasant but, a person with a medically interesting finding who is asked to help teach medical students. These “patients” are examined by small hoards of inexperienced medical students who have little knowledge, little skill and varying degrees …

Read more…

A model patient in physical exam class

Advice to new interns from a nurse turned medical student

Albinoblackbear

Education

July 21, 2011

If you’re a new intern you are hopefully a little afraid of the new found responsibility in your life. I say “hopefully” because there is nothing more frightening in healthcare than someone who is “unconsciously incompetent.” That is, someone that doesn’t even realizethey have no idea what they are doing.

Before starting medical school I was an emergency nurse. As an RN, I had the opportunity to see many medical …

A medical student with anxiety and depression

Action Potential

Education

July 21, 2011

A strange thing happens on your first day of med school. Yesterday, you may have joked with old friends about upping your Paxil dose, but starting today, you are expected to be professional. And professional is suddenly a word that prevents you from being open with your new friends, a word that hints admitting to any real struggle could be a career-ending mistake.

I want to tell you that it isn’t, but the truth is, I’m …

Reasons why medical students burn out and become depressed

James Haddad

Education

June 27, 2011

As I finished my 24-hour call recently, I was reminded of a 2009 study revealing a decline in empathy as medical students transition from their mostly-didactic second year to third year, which is essentially an apprenticeship in the hospital with lecture as an afterthought. I began my third year with what most would argue is the most difficult rotation, surgery, and my experiences over …

What it means to be sick as a medical student

Jessica Gold

Education

June 8, 2011

For the first time since I have been in medical training, I got sick.

Not just the kind of sick where its a cold, or you know that its stress, but the kind of sick that does not go away and randomly comes up just to make you mad when you just want to have fun (like …

5 easy steps to become a better medical student

Aaron George, DO

Education

June 1, 2011

I recently had quite a long conversation with a college senior that was just accepted into medical school for this coming fall.

As a rising fourth year medical student myself, I would like to think that I have navigated the waters of academia and figured out both efficient paths to success and avoidance of roadblocks and setbacks. …

Practical advice for medical students starting clinical rotations

Mary L. Brandt, MD

Education

June 1, 2011

Here’s some advice to think about before starting clinical rotations during the third year of medical school.

Don’t sit in the back of the plane

The basic sciences are important to learn the vocabulary and grammar of medicine. Clinical rotations are different – it’s where you actually learn to be a physician. If you use the analogy of learning to fly, …

Doing the physical exam for the first time as a medical student

Jessica Gold

Education

May 26, 2011

Armed with tools I have never used or seen before I entered a physical exam practice room for the first day of learning.

Having finished history-taking practices last semester, we were now beginning a new chapter, learning to take a head-to-toe physical exam. Before class began, we were told to read a book and …

The difficult road to becoming a doctor

Kevin

Education

May 20, 2011

On May 15, 2011, 147 students embarked on their careers as doctors as they graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

One student, Jenny Rowland, who will pursue a career in Radiology and continue her training at Penn, shared her personal thoughts and emotions as she prepared to graduate.

by Jenny Rowland, MD

I’m not a typical PennMed student.

I’m 31 years old, and I …

Read more…

The difficult road to becoming a doctor

Going through Netter’s to teach medical students pelvic anatomy

Nicholas Fogelson, MD

Education

May 20, 2011

I recently had the opportunity to go to the anatomy lab and help the first years go through the pelvic anatomy. What a blast! There is nothing like dissecting a cadaver to tune up one’s surgical anatomy skills, and helping young eager medical students through it is a great experience.

Prior to going into the lab, I spent many hours going through Netter’s atlas to brush up on the anatomy so …

Why doctors should pursue another degree

Scrub, MD

Education

May 14, 2011

Becoming a doctor is a long and arduous process. Between taking pre-med courses, taking the MCAT, applying to medical schools, matriculating, then taking test after test after test until you take the big one (USMLE Step 1) before which you did questions all day long for weeks from a good USMLE question bank …

Does being a disadvantaged applicant affect my medical school application?

Jennifer Adaeze Anyaegbunam

Education

April 19, 2011

When applying to medical school, the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) asks aspiring physicians if they would like to be considered “disadvantaged” applicants or not.

Many premedical students find themselves troubled by this question and wonder, what does it mean to be disadvantaged? How does being a disadvantaged applicant affect my medical school application? According to the information American Association of …

Education

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