Medical journalists and researchers have a responsibility to perform meaningful, reproducible research to guide the direction and practice of medicine, both now and in the future. As upcoming researchers and practitioners, your work could have a significant impact on future medical practice. In this video, Nirmal Gosalia of DocThoughts discusses the future of research and medical journals with Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine.
How To Find an Undergraduate Research Position: 10 Steps to Success
Are you looking to get research experience in your medical, veterinary, or podiatry school application? … Read more
OT Practice Setting Pros and Cons—Inpatient Rehab and Skilled Nursing Facilities
It is typically seen as an advantage of a profession when there are many avenues for your career to take. Depending on the type of facility they work at, an occupational therapist can enter new roles, gain diverse work experience, and hone a range of skills. However, as a new therapist, the same element that makes occupational therapy so advantageous is something I found particularly trying. Graduating as generalists automatically prepares an occupational therapist for work in nearly any setting. This adaptability can be quite overwhelming, as it entails deciding which practice setting is the best fit, before having any paid work experience.
PhD vs PsyD: What’s the Difference?
Researching different degree options for graduate education in psychology can quickly become overwhelming. There are over 401 programs available in clinical, counseling, and school psychology, and they are divided into Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) programs. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about what those doctoral-level degrees signify and various things to consider when deciding which of the two doctoral-level degree options might be a better fit.
Medical Training Hierarchy: Your Role as a 3rd or 4th Year Student
I’ve just started my fourth year, and while it’s a relief to be done with all of my medical school exams, I’m finding that there are plenty of new responsibilities to take on! I’m no longer the lowest member of the medical food chain, which also means that I partially have the responsibility of taking care of my M3 classmates. I am currently rotating on a surgical service where this dynamic is especially prevalent. It comes into play when scrubbing in to surgeries or doing other “higher level” tasks. I think this hierarchy is important to discuss for those M3s just beginning their first clinical year.
Recess Rehash: Emily Silverman, MD, and The Nocturnists
A live stage show featuring the stories of healthcare providers is now a podcast you’ll love.
The day-to-day of internship, residency, and an MD career doesn’t allow much time to process the effect it’s having on the practitioner. Rushing from one patient to the next, putting out the fires even while drinking from the firehose, and being selfless in service to the patients’ needs means that one’s own stories are buried, neglected. More and more, however, medicine is acknowledging the need for practitioners to examine and tell their stories so that they can learn from them, teach their lessons to others, and show colleagues that they are not alone. In 2015 Dr. Emily Silverman was in her second year of her internal medicine residency at UCSF. She found herself with a little more time following her frenetic intern year, and with her own stories that had gone untold and unexamined. She started to write, first in a blog she called The Nocturnists. Then, in 2016 she organized the first live storytelling session with her colleagues.
Medical School Prerequisite Courses
Becoming a physician requires a lot of planning. You have to plan which college to … Read more
How to Write a Prescription: 7 Steps for Safety
Are you learning to write a prescription? It’s not that difficult once you know the … Read more
Gain a Deeper Understanding with the Power of Test-Enhanced Learning
Welcome to part two of our blog series in which we share proven learning strategies behind the Osmosis platform that help students learn medicine more effectively. (Read about spaced repetition and memory palaces in parts 1 and 3 of the series!)
Today, we’re going to explore test-enhanced learning, the act of testing yourself to improve your knowledge of a given subject. This study technique is discussed throughout our new textbook, How to Learn in the Health Professions, as well as in our video series on the science of learning.
The GRE: What’s On The Test & How To Prepare
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) You’ve made the decision to go to graduate school. Congratulations! Graduate … Read more
What History is Most Consistent With These Findings?
A 62-year-old female, G3P3, presents to her gynecologist with a year-long history of worsening stress urinary incontinence. During the course of her investigation, a pelvic MRI is performed, and reveals the findings seen here. Which of the following histories is most consistent with these findings?
SHPEP: A Crucial Healthcare Professions Pipeline
Mentorship and Examples are critical.
The Summer Health Professions Education Program, SHPEP, has become a summer tradition at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Students from around the country participate in SHPEP’s goal: “to strengthen the academic proficiency and career development of students underrepresented in the health professions and prepare them for a successful application and matriculation to health professions schools.”
How to Create and Live On A Student Budget
It’s a fact of life: you need money to pay expenses that allow you to live comfortably. When you’re attending school, you may use your financial aid as your “income” and, therefore, you will want to manage that money wisely. The less money you borrow now, the less money you will need to repay—including interest—after graduation.
5 Tips for Preparing for Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)
In recent years, the multiple mini interview (or MMI) has gained popularity with medical school … Read more
What Do I Wear? Basic Interview Attire for Men
Fall is in the air, and you wait patiently as the medical school application cycle continues. Several weeks have passed since you have completed your AMCAS and AACOMAS experience prompts, proof-read your personal statement, entered your transcript grades one “A” after another, and finally mustered up the courage to click that oh-so-final submit button. You eagerly press refresh on your internet browser hoping that just one of the numerous medical schools you applied to will reward you for all your arduous work. “Congratulations, you’re invited!” reads the subject line; you finally receive the email you have been waiting so anxiously to read. You schedule your interview for the next date available and your boundless excitement immediately turns to panic. Will my interview be formal or MMI? Which of my experiences will be brought up? What will I wear to this oh-so-important event? While the former questions may generate some anxiety, choosing your outfit should be an easy, stress-free task.
Put Down That MPH Application: How to Reapply to Medical School the Right Way
Unsuccessful medical school applicants face a quandary. What to do next?
A popular option has been the master’s degree in public health. Students figured it was a way to spend a year doing something “health-related.” They could take off for medical school interviews, maybe write a paper or two. But the MPH is too easy a route. It is not enough. Here is what the MPH telegraphs: “I sat down for a year in easy to moderate difficulty classes and passed. I have a broad overview of public health.”
Failure to Thrive in a Child—What’s the Cause?
A three-year-old African American boy is brought to his new pediatrician over concerns of poor growth, fatigue, and irritability. On examination, he has a large head and generalized muscular hypotonia. His left wrist demonstrates the findings seen here. What next step is most appropriate?
When The Cat’s Away, The Mice Found Risky Business Ventures
Executive Producer Jason has kindly let Dave go on vacation, so Aline Sandouk takes over the hot seat, with Irisa Mahaparn, Hillary O’Brien, Elizabeth Shirazi, and Jayden Bowen. Together they unravel the mysteries of the human body and med school. For instance, why do med students feel guilty about having to take time off to deal with their bed bug infestations? And what would having many normal or two overly large testicles do to fertility? Such brilliant questions!!!
Living In The Unknown: Part of Life As A Med Spouse
Can you recall moments in your adolescence when you were completely living in the moment, not caring or thinking much about the future? The future seemed, like, forever away. Plus, you just wanted to enjoy life as it was in that very moment. Ahh…if we could find just a bit of that carefree attitude we used to have, minus the naiveté, even for a moment. Well, my fellow medical spouse, I challenge you to do just that. What is something all us medical spouses have in common? We have NO idea what the future will look like for us, and we also have very little control over it!
How Spaced Repetition Enhances Learning
One of the biggest challenges of learning medicine is the sheer amount of information students are expected to process and understand. By the time most students take the USMLE Step 1 exam, they will have attempted to memorize the contents of huge books like First Aid—an 800-page behemoth of high-yield pathology—as well as endless information from their course slides and other lecture notes.
(Don’t miss parts 2 and 3 in the series to learn about test-enhanced learning and memory palaces.)