Recent content by ACSurgeon

Pick MD over DO. If PSLF is still around; the tuition difference won’t matter. The only exception is if you think you might struggle being away from home. Only you can answer that. If there’s a high likelihood for that, stay close to home, take the cheaper tuition, and apply to DO friendly...

I just don’t like the A word…

This is mostly normal. You’ll learn a lot by being there. Try to make small talk with the residents and be well liked. The part about being mostly ignored is thanks to years of medical students complaining about being offended during rounds and “being forced to do scut work”. Now, it’s much...

Yes. Try to be more aggressive as a student on a surgery rotation and come back and report to the group. That’ll go over very well…

Do you want to do inpatient or outpatient work? If inpatient work appeals to you, then neuro-critical care might be perfect for you. You get to be a neurologist AND the primary team. The good neuro-intensivists I know are very smart and broad based in their medical knowledge.

When I took step 3, some states required a completed year of residency and some didn’t. However you could signup for the test under any state regardless of where you plan to take the test or where your med school or future residency was… So just pay attention to that if it’s still a thing

Past present and future, yes

Redundant don’t you think?

Althoughw professional appearance is being redefined or maybe even being eliminated in modern times, I think it still matters. You don’t have to look like a model, but being well kept inspires confidence and respect.

I like my job a good bit. Sure, it’s stressful at times, and some aspects suck (complications, bureaucracy etc) but I spend a majority of my time doing cool things or socializing with coworkers that I like. I’m sure being paid well is a big factor in how much I like my job, but if I woke up...

Re: general surgery. I’ll just say more hospitals much smaller than “huge academic centers” now have acute care surgeons and the specialized hernia/bariatric/cancer surgeons don’t take general surgery call. Even if you did, it could be a low frequency or low intensity depending on your setup...

I think you should rank and try to match. There’s a reason you pursued ortho and wanted it at some point. Being a student sucks. You have no real responsibility. You’re not really part of the team. You’re the lowest on the totem pole. The floor and OR staff treat you poorly. You’re not building...

Some PCPs don’t have that many openings and if you feel ill and call the office you’ll be told to go to UC or the ER. That’s if you’re lucky enough to get a call back within 2-3 days

Yes but a boring surgery is like playing a fun game. Everything else is like reading a book that could range from a really interesting book to a really tedious one.

Each program gets hundreds or thousands of international applicants that apply to to a ton of programs across different fields