Medical school

Is debt-free medical school a financial blunder for doctors?

Finance

August 3, 2018

Education can be expensive. Higher education can be even more costly. Even partial scholarships can be deceptive as one might opt for a more expensive school for the sake of redeeming “free money.”

As a student, I had no financial understanding of return on investment when I was considering higher education. All in, I plowed through more than a quarter million dollars in my college and medical school after substantial scholarships …

Is going to medical school a wise financial decision?

Wall Street Physician, MD

Finance

July 30, 2018

It is no secret that medical school is getting very expensive. Over the past 20 years, the cost of medical school has greatly outpaced the rate of inflation, and medical school debt is rapidly rising.

The average medical student now graduates with over $192,000 in student loans, but with the cost of attendance for the most expensive private medical schools approaching $100,000, there are some physicians who are finishing residency with $300,000 or …

Tips for fellowship applicants from a program administrator

Geri Herling, MHA

Education

July 27, 2018

The season has opened, and panic has spread among senior year residents, chief residents, and hospitalists out in the community. Fellowship applications are live and being viewed by the programs applicants think they want to rank one, two, and three. These incredibly intelligent physicians are refreshing student document network daily now and soon to be hourly as the weeks go on. The anxiety is building as people are waiting to …

Medical students: Welcome to the wards

Zainab Mabizari

Education

July 19, 2018

Dear third-year medical students,

Welcome to the wards.

I remember this stage — basking in the glory of completing pre-clinicals, in the excitement of finally switching heavy textbooks for living, breathing people, in the realization that medical education now lies in the hands of those I wanted to heal. I would be sleeping less, but living more, because this was my purpose.

Remember this moment because this will be the most difficult year …

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Medical students: Welcome to the wards

What’s better: mentorship or sponsorship?

Julie Silver, MD

Education

July 11, 2018

Literature coming from business and human resource management suggests that women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. However, if you have been reading reports about women in medicine, then you likely have heard that women are both over-mentored and under-mentored. Where does the truth lie? That depends on various factors including the definitions of these terms.

What exactly do these words mean? In the business sector, mentorship is …

Becoming a doctor is the epitome of delayed gratification

Natasha Abadilla

Education

June 19, 2018

Recently, I had the honor of standing by one of my childhood best friends as she promised the love of her life that she’d stand by him forever. The wedding was beautiful, and at the reception, I played with another close friend’s 3-year-old daughter and talked with other friends about their work promotions and apartment searches. All I have to contribute to these conversations are anecdotes about medical school and …

Medical students: You are more than your grades

Anonymous

Education

June 15, 2018

Recently, I entered an essay contest on advice you would give to future medical students. I sincerely believe that the best person to write an article offering advice to younger medical students should come from a person who didn’t match. Also known as me. Why, you say? Well, for everyone else, Match Day is a culmination of four years of mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing work. They might even forget …

Being idealistic is a necessary component in achieving your goals

Gaurav Jain

Education

June 10, 2018

I am a first-year medical student, and just like some of you once did, the primary reason I am becoming a physician is to really make a difference for my patients by [insert x, y or z].

“Wow, that’s really great, but we’ll see how you feel about it in a few years.”

“That’s not how it works once you’re actually out there.”

“Trust me, medicine isn’t what it used to be, get …

What you need to hear at your medical school graduation

Pranay Sinha, MD

Education

June 5, 2018

Well done! Strong work! You’ve done it!

Four years (often more) of perspiration have earned you two extra letters (often more) in your name. You should be proud. Nothing should get between you and a gigantic glass of bubbly today. The world feels different. You feel different. But are you?

The thing about ceremonies that feature costumes, protocols and rituals is that they confer upon participants a sense of change. Just look …

It’s time to recognize the rights of medical students and residents

Thad Salmon, MD

Education

June 1, 2018

Goodbyes were confusing during my third and fourth years of medical school. Even on my way to a 28-hour labor and delivery call, I tended to say, “I’m leaving for school.” Rather quickly, my wife trained me to say, “I’m leaving for work.” I was never quite reconciled to this, as I couldn’t forget the upcoming exams and tuition costs around $30,000 per year.

For the uninitiated, “work” as a medical …

We are sorry, you did not match to any position

John Brewer Eberly, Jr., MD

Education

May 27, 2018

When I was in fourth grade, I won our school’s spelling bee. This meant that I went on to the next tier of the local spelling world — the sort of prestigious competition that takes place in a gymnasium somewhere with a makeshift stage and a bunch of flags.

I was the first kid disqualified. I misspelled veterinarian “veterenarian” and battlement “battlemint.” I remember feeling, in the moment the announcer said, …

Your first meeting with a mentor

Joannie Yeh, MD

Physician

May 26, 2018

You extend a firm handshake and get ready to sit down at the table across from your mentor for the first time.

Woah, wait. Let’s back up to the legwork that should have happened prior to this meeting. First step, you found the mentor (see this post for practical ideas on how to find a mentor). Neither you nor the mentor have a lot of time — a frequent obstacle often …

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Your first meeting with a mentor

How to ask for a great letter of recommendation for residency

Ted O’Connell, MD

Education

May 25, 2018

Strong letters of recommendation are essential for supporting your residency application and matching well. This article details how to ensure you get great letters of recommendation.

Knowing what constitutes a great letter of recommendation is crucial to obtaining outstanding letters. A strong letter of recommendation clearly conveys knowledge of the medical student, how that student performed and qualities that predict excellent performance in residency. Strong letters of recommendation include the following:

Don’t be mean: Treat your team members with respect

Aaron Lacy

Education

May 23, 2018

“Those emergency room residents are f**king retarded!” This was the comment that rang through the workroom. I had only been on this hospital service for three days, and I was having a discussion about a patient with my attending when the on-call resident had burst into the workroom and sat down next to me. He was fuming.

“Why the f*** would they think I need to be consulted for this? Only …

I was accidentally accepted to an Ivy League medical school at 17

Eliza

Education

May 20, 2018

Want to hear a crazy story?

Typical medical school students can relate tales of a college experience that includes summer research or hours spent reviewing for the MCAT. I didn’t even take the MCAT. Read on for the oddest medical school acceptance story you’ve ever heard.

I was driven in high school. I’d heard for years about smart kids going off to the Ivy League, and I wanted that experience — to …

How to raise a doctor

Dr. Dale

Physician

April 21, 2018

An excerpt from How to Raise a Doctor: Wisdom From Parents Who Did It!

I know what you’re thinking, I thought this book was about how to raise a doctor, and now this guy is telling me not to raise a doctor! That’s exactly right. I’m telling you to not …

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How to raise a doctor

My first objective structured clinical examination

Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH

Education

April 20, 2018

After a semester of studying and taking written exams, we had our first OSCE in medical school. An OSCE — or an objective structured clinical examination — is the real deal. Instead of filling out multiple choice boxes, we instead work with a real human being, which for me is a welcome change.

The actor is given a script with their unique condition and story — it’s a simulation of what …

Physicians and medical students: Unlearn helplessness

Jamie Katuna

Education

April 13, 2018

Learned helplessness. It’s a psychological concept marked by a perceived loss of power, and it’s prevalent in medicine. We are taught early on how little we are in this colossal world. We are told what to do, when to do it, and what we will get for it. Our objections go unheard or—worse—ignored.

Let me quote a paragraph from The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz:

They were conducting a series of experiments on basic …

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Physicians and medical students: Unlearn helplessness

First date with a medical student

Dr. Glaucomflecken

Education

April 10, 2018

Her: “So what do you do?”

Him: “Well, I’m applying to medical school. If I make it, I’ll spend the vast majority of my time studying for the next four years. You and I will be able to go on cheap dates occasionally, but even then I’ll feel guilty about not studying. I won’t have any money, so you’ll have to support me on your income. Otherwise, I’ll have to take …

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First date with a medical student

Public vs. private medical school: Which should you choose?

Wall Street Physician, MD

Education

April 9, 2018

It’s a question that reverberates in the minds of premeds around the country.

If you have a choice between multiple medical schools, should you go to the cheapest medical school available, or should you go to the more prestigious, more expensive medical school?

MD vs. DO vs. Caribbean

I think it is worth the investment to go to a U.S. allopathic (MD) school if at all possible.

It’s an unfair bias, because every medical …