The AAMC Premed Team recently conducted a few twitter polls which asked premeds to share what you are looking for in a medical school. We received hundreds of responses, and while a school’s mission statement and scholarship opportunities were both important influences, the results pointed to one factor above all others: location!
Medical
Learn about medicine and how to become a physician in our articles for pre-medical students (including the MCAT), medical students, resident physicians, and practicing physicians.
Q&A with Benjamin Stobbe, Executive Director of Clinical Simulation
Ask any doctor, in any specialty and of any age, and they will remember their training in medical school. It is full of learning, new experiences, new friends, and major strides in both personal and professional development. With so many changes, dozens of obstacles in each student’s life must be confronted and overcome. Fortunately, medical schools have extraordinary people who devote their time and talent to guiding and supporting medical students through their four years. This column interviews these people at medical schools around the country to help students learn more about the resources they have available during their years in school.
Tales from the Clinic: from Theory to Practice
There is nothing to fear but fear itself.
Kylie Miller and Issac Schwantes take a break from their fairly new clinical duties to let Gabe Conley and Erik Kneller know how it’s going working with actual patients. What unexpected things have they learned? Were their professors really correct when the said that arcane bit of information would actually be useful in the real world? Were their fears (whatever they were) realized? Would they rather grandma puke every time they broke wind, or have a shingles outbreak whenever they get a passing grade or better in medical school? Dave assures them: these are the questions listeners want answers to.
What’s causing this patient’s diminished femoral pulses?
A 56-year-old man presents with a three-month history of erectile dysfunction and bilateral buttock pain on exertion, but not at rest. His past medical history is significant for type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Examination reveals bilaterally diminished femoral pulses. What is the most likely diagnosis?
A Day In The Life Of A Medical Spouse
Days Defined By The Medical Life Have you ever wondered what the day-to-day looks like … Read more
Q&A with Dr. Perri Klass, Pediatrician and Journalist
Dr. Perri Klass is a pediatrician and journalist for the New York Times, an author, … Read more
A State of Emergency: Exploring the Specialty of Emergency Medicine
Perhaps no single aspect of medicine is more visible to the public, especially in stories, … Read more
A Creeping Eruption
A 40-year-old male presents to his family physician with a pruritic, erythematous lesion on his foot after returning from vacation in coastal Brazil a week earlier. On examination, a serpiginous, slightly elevated tunnel can be seen on the lateral aspect of his left foot. He is otherwise well, but mentions that the intense pruritus is disturbing his sleep. Which of the following treatments is the next best step?
Reflections On Witnessing My First Patient Death
He is younger than me! This is not happening. This could have been me. These … Read more
Q&A with Dr. Rozelle Kane, NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow, Nutritional Researcher
Dr. Rozelle Kane is a physician, an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow with the Department of … Read more
Checking the Boxes: Should You Give Up Your Job To Do Research?
Sometimes the requirements aren’t required.
Annie wrote in to [email protected] to ask Kaci McCleary, Erik Kneller, Gabriel Conley, and Marissa Evers if she should give up her 10-year job as a radiology tech so she’d have time to do research before applying to medical school. As is often the case with these kinds of questions, the answer is no! But maybe yes. In some cases.
Is this patient high-risk?
A 55-year-old female presents with a low-grade fever, a new heart murmur, and Janeway lesions one week following a dental cleaning, and a preliminary diagnosis of infective endocarditis is made. Prophylactic antibiotics are administered prior to dental cleanings to prevent endocarditis in patients considered to be high-risk. Which of the following valvular conditions requires prophylactic antibiotics prior to dental cleanings?
How to Keep Your Medical White Coat Clean
Whoever decided that doctors should wear white coats must not have spent much time with … Read more
Creating Your Residency Rank List for Match Day
This time of year medical students are beginning to think of where they may match for residency. At this point in the application cycle, most candidates have completed a number of interviews and have an idea of what characteristics make up their ideal program. However, many candidates consider only a handful of major criteria when making their rank list. Some of these include geography, academic vs nonacademic focus, class size, salary, living cost, and opportunities for fellowship. Although these are great factors to think about, they shouldn’t be the only factors residency applicants consider.
Positive Thinking for the Year Ahead
Looking Back at 2017 As another new year rolls around, I try to take some … Read more
Quiz of the Week: Painful urination, a swollen knee, and eye pain—what’s the cause?
A 31-year-old female presents to the emergency department with a two-day history of pain on urination and discomfort in her left knee and heel. She also complains of right eye pain, which is exacerbated by reading and bright lights. She recently recovered from a gastrointestinal illness two weeks earlier, but is otherwise healthy. Examination reveals a swollen left knee that is warm to the touch, and tenderness at the insertion point of the left Achilles tendon. Her right eye is red, and she has direct and consensual photophobia. Cells and flare are noted in the right anterior chamber on slit lamp examination. Based on this patient’s probable diagnosis, which of the following cutaneous manifestations is most likely?
Making Clerkships Work
Are clerkships a grind, or a boon? It’s up to you.
The second-year students are moving from the pre-clinical curriculum to the clerkships this week. This transition is exciting—after all, seeing patients is what they’ve come to medical school to do, and now it’s finally happening.
6 Steps to Creating an MCAT Study Plan
To say you are busy may be an understatement! You’re balancing a full course load, … Read more
5 Soft Skills Every Medical Student Needs
As any practicing physician can attest, adequate medical care extends beyond pure medical knowledge to … Read more
Q&A with Dr. Lewis Potter, GP, Founder of Geeky Medics
Dr. Lewis Potter is a physician in Newcastle (UK) and the founder of Geeky Medics, … Read more