Medical education

2,303 articles · Since 2007

Articles, page 82

Can we get more from our medical meetings?

August 13, 2014Aug 13, 201411

Recently I attended a national academic conference, and while I'll admit that, having brought my husband and son along for the trip, the balance of time spent was skewed more toward pool and beach activities than academic sessions, I did…

Recently I attended a national academic conference, and while I’ll admit that, having brought my husband and son along for the trip, the balance of time spent was skewed more toward pool and beach activities than academic sessions, I did indeed attend several and overall they were of good quality. One left me somewhat disappointed, though, because although it addressed what I would consider an important topic within my field, …

I am just a medical student

Edwin Acevedo, Jr., MD

August 12, 2014Aug 12, 20144

She’s 58, but appears maybe three days older than 42. Her eyes are sunken, tearful, worried, anxious. She tells me about her two grandchildren, and how she just visited them in Michigan. She came to the hospital, straight from the…

She’s worried because her shortness of breath hasn’t gone away for over a month now. She has had breast cancer, and opted for a more conservative approach: a …

Read more…

I am just a medical student

Medical resident pay needs serious reform

Jacob Sunshine, MD

August 11, 2014Aug 11, 20143

Two years ago, I received my first employment contract. Not long after Match Day, I did what 115,000 physicians in training did that year and will do again this year: I signed the contract promptly and returned it. I tried to read the contract carefully, but it didn’t really matter. Unless you no longer want to be a physician, there is no other choice but to sign.

Today, as president …

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What can medicine admissions learn from Google?

Danielle Jones, MD

August 10, 2014Aug 10, 20145

In a New York Times column, Thomas Friedman recent wrote about what Google values and seeks in its new employees. Striking to me was the fact that overall intelligence ranks lower on their values totem pole than several traditionally more…

In a New York Times column, Thomas Friedman recent wrote about what Google values and seeks in its new employees. Striking to me was the fact that overall intelligence ranks lower on their values totem pole than several traditionally more important attributes.

So, what can medicine learn from Google and how can we apply it to our admissions process? Here are five key points from the article, adapted to our admissions process:

1. …

Learning from the lessons of night float

Tom Peteet, MD, MPH, MEd

August 9, 2014Aug 9, 2014

No medical resident looks forward to working night float. The initial glamour of doing chest compressions in the rising light comes up against a litany of administrative tasks. As the glamour wanes, the gulf between the objective curriculum and actual practice widens. On paper, residents learn how to manage acute emergencies and learn deeper clinical reasoning. Actual practice, or the “hidden curriculum” of training, can be a different experience, involving …

A letter to new medical students

Sue Hall, MD

August 7, 2014Aug 7, 20142

Dear new medical student: Congratulations! You are about to embark upon an exciting, life-altering experience, one you will never forget. You are about to join an elite group of people who will now be your peers going forward. You will…

Dear new medical student:

Congratulations! You are about to embark upon an exciting, life-altering experience, one you will never forget. You are about to join an elite group of people who will now be your peers going forward.

You will be continually fascinated, and not a single day will go by from now until you retire that you aren’t challenged by something you have never encountered before. You will be solving problems …

Read more…

A letter to new medical students

What is professionalism and wellness in medical education?

Eric J. Keller, MD

August 5, 2014Aug 5, 20142

Last August I sat surrounded by 163 other ambitious, new medical students on our “introduction to the profession” week. Anxiety was high with undertones of self-doubt mixed with lofty goals. Another distinguished figure had taken the floor to introduce us to the concept of medical professionalism: commitments to patient-centered care, intellectual honesty, social responsibility and advocacy. The long list of medical virtues we were to develop, cherish, and exemplify in …

The first-year medical student and the 114-year-old patient

Elyse Linson, MPH

August 3, 2014Aug 3, 20146

I thought the most important thing I had learned while working in the emergency department as a first-year medical student was to bop and weave. The impeccable foot skills I harnessed as a youth lacrosse player were put to great use- to stay out of the way. The quiet whisper of a nurse trying to slide behind me, and — BAM — back against the wall. I can hear the …

The ethics of trainee-patient encounters: Are we practicing on the poor?

Nicole Van Groningen, MD

August 1, 2014Aug 1, 201422

I performed my first paracentesis in November of my intern year. It was 3 a.m., and I was on overnight call in a packed ICU. The patient, a 45-year-old male with hepatic encephalopathy, was hardly alert enough to remember my name. He didn’t know I was an intern. He didn’t know I’d never even attempted a paracentesis before.

After I finished, I added the patient’s name to my procedure card. I hurried to get an ABG …

Reflecting on the first month as a new physician

Amy Faith Ho, MD

August 1, 2014Aug 1, 20144

July as a newly minted intern: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The only analogy I can make is you feel like a middle school kid sitting in a PhD course, desperately trying to…

July as a newly minted intern: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

The only analogy I can make is you feel like a middle school kid sitting in a PhD course, desperately trying to back-learn everything in a language of acronym alphabet soup you’ve never heard before.

If medical school is drinking from a fire hose, this is trying to sip from Niagara Falls. You have …

Working the night shift as a resident physician

Brian J. Secemsky, MD

August 1, 2014Aug 1, 2014

You’ve changed. No longer do we see you sluggishly walking en route to work every morning with refillable coffee thermos in one hand, robotically scanning some kind of social media feed with the other. We are concerned that the regular…

You’ve changed.

No longer do we see you sluggishly walking en route to work every morning with refillable coffee thermos in one hand, robotically scanning some kind of social media feed with the other.

We are concerned that the regular and cyclic day time group texts received from you are now occurring at odd hours of the night. Your persistence to move …

A lack of social education in medical schools today

Anonymous

July 31, 2014Jul 31, 201415

I’m a second-year medical student, and quite recently, a lecture left me with serious doubts about the state of social awareness in the medical field and schools. The dermatologist lecturing described a patient with secondary syphilis, stating he felt the case was odd since, “He [the patient] didn’t look gay or anything,” as if only homosexual men could contract that disease.

I was hurt. I not only belong to a racial …

Why the diversity of medical students is important

Moises Gallegos

July 30, 2014Jul 30, 20149

As a medical student, it’s difficult to face a situation where everything possible is done for a patient, yet due to circumstances (seemingly) beyond our control, the risk of future harm remains uncomfortably certain. The majority of our medical school learning focuses on how to cure illness; unfortunately we’re not always taught how to deal with the real world issues that face our patients and that threaten the medicine we …

3 questions to ask prospective family medicine residencies

Jennifer Middleton, MD

July 30, 2014Jul 30, 201411

This time of year I get a lot of questions from fourth-year medical students about applying to residency. So, here's my answer to the question, "What should I look for in a good family medicine (FM) residency program?" It's FM,…

This time of year I get a lot of questions from fourth-year medical students about applying to residency. So, here’s my answer to the question, “What should I look for in a good family medicine (FM) residency program?”

It’s FM, so everyone (for the most part) is going to be nice, friendly, and welcoming when you go to visit. They will show you a curriculum that’s in line with the Accreditation …

How to survive your first year of medical school

Jason Spears

July 28, 2014Jul 28, 2014

Let me begin with by extending a hearty congratulation on matriculating to medical school. The pre-med years were tough with organic chemistry, staying involved with leadership activities, chasing down the elusive letter of recommendation, and sitting for the MCAT. But…

But you did it.

Be proud of what you’ve accomplished because you’re one step closer to becoming a doctor.

You may have fears, concerns or misgivings about what is coming your way and this …

Choose your career: Should I be a nurse or a doctor?

Shirie Leng, MD

July 26, 2014Jul 26, 201420

Having been both a nurse and a doctor, most of the questions I get from readers have to do with making the decision between nursing and medicine. Let’s lay aside for a moment the reality that the fields are totally…

But people ask me all the time, so, as a little experiment, I …

Suicide Med: A medical school thriller

Freida McFadden, MD

July 26, 2014Jul 26, 2014

An excerpt from Suicide Med. “I wish I had become a ballet dancer instead.” I use the back of my forearm to swipe at strands of dark hair that have come loose from the tight bun at the back of…

An excerpt from Suicide Med.

“I wish I had become a ballet dancer instead.”

I use the back of my forearm to swipe at strands of dark hair that have come loose from the tight bun at the back of my head. The attempt fails and the escaped locks fall back into my field of vision just as my glasses slide down the bridge of my nose. This …

Read more…

Suicide Med: A medical school thriller

Can medical students lean in to psychiatry?

Jennifer Adaeze Anyaegbunam

July 26, 2014Jul 26, 201410

I recently read an interesting article in Glamour about why Zosia Mamet, an actress on HBO’s Girls, refuses to “lean in.” While the column focuses on the influence of modern-day feminism on notions of professional success, her words resonated with…

I recently read an interesting article in Glamour about why Zosia Mamet, an actress on HBO’s Girls, refuses to “lean in.” While the column focuses on the influence of modern-day feminism on notions of professional success, her words resonated with me as a medical student and an aspiring psychiatrist.

“I have been incredibly blessed with success in my chosen career. I’ve worked my a** off and had the support and encouragement

…

America’s need for a diverse generation of family physicians

Kenneth Lin, MD

July 25, 2014Jul 25, 20142

Since joining my current practice two years ago, I've noticed that I care for a disproportionate number of immigrants of Chinese and other Asian descent compared to my colleagues. Although both of my parents were born in Taiwan, I don't…

Since joining my current practice two years ago, I’ve noticed that I care for a disproportionate number of immigrants of Chinese and other Asian descent compared to my colleagues. Although both of my parents were born in Taiwan, I don’t speak Mandarin or have special expertise on medical conditions common in Asian Americans. Nonetheless, Asian patients seem more comfortable with me anyway. Similarly, U.S. health workforce analyses show that underrepresented …

The lack of socioeconomic diversity in medicine

Eric Lee, MD

July 19, 2014Jul 19, 2014118

I recently read some statistics that shocked me, but not really. In the U.S., 60% of medical students come from families with incomes in the top 20% of the nation. Meanwhile, only 3% come from families with incomes in the…

Now, I realized early on that I didn’t have a lot of company in this respect, but I didn’t think …

Medical education

Articles, page 82

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