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[premedme-blog]

Being Premed in a Digital Age

by Roheet Kakaday of The Biopsy

Sometimes, I ask myself what it means to be a “premed”.

One might say that the label connotes a desire to become a physician, as its root, pre-MD, would suggest. We strive to matriculate into medical schools the best way we know how, which is to say, how our exemplars did before us. We’re told of medical missionaries, like Mother Theresa or Florence Nightingale, who dedicated their lives to service. We read of research geniuses, both new, like Craig Venter, and old, like Semmelweis, who brought about paradigm shifts in medicine.

And so, we college premeds volunteer, research, and strive for good grades. We have our individual motivations for doing each, each of which is worthy and noble in its own right, but the pattern is consistent; we gain experiences based on the model of a 20th century doctor who practices at the lab bench and clinic.

We live in a digital age, where computing technology is on the verge of making greater, and more frequent, impacts on health and its care than the average volunteer or researcher could in a lifetime. Before people get up in arms about their traditional experiences, let me clarify by saying that they are still necessary. They provide a certain value central to being a doctor. Where would medicine be without its pioneering researchers and volunteers...

...continued on the PREMED.me blog

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4 Medical School Interview Topics Pre-Meds Must Know About

It’s obvious that prior to your medical school interview, you should be comfortable talking about yourself. Often overlooked, however, is the importance of being articulate on other topics. Increasingly, medical schools are assessing applicants’ true interest in medicine by asking about topics that aren’t on your application – your answers will reveal whether your pursuit of medicine is out of a true interest in health care or if it is more self-involved. Here are 4 topics that you should be ready to discuss in medical school interviews; you don’t need to be an expert, just show your interviewers that you know and care about these issues that will shape the future of medicine:

1. Health care costs and resource allocation

Health care spending in the US is enormous, and is projected to continue growing, putting significant strain on the economy. This means that cost-cutting must occur in medicine, and tough decisions will be made.

Which drugs should insurance cover? Which procedures should patients have to pay for? What will happen to elderly people who can’t afford their medications? You don’t have to know details, but having something to say about the issue will make you stand out.

Relevant reading: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1203365

2. Social media in medicine

10 years ago Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr didn’t even exist. Today, a medical school applicant who isn’t active on at least one of these platforms is an exception. In a field that places confidentiality and professionalism above almost everything else, this is an obvious concern.

How much of your personal opinion is acceptable to post online? Is it wrong to have pictures of yourself having fun online? Should doctors use their real names online, and should they be allowed to write stories about patients? What are the benefits and risks of using social media to ask colleagues for help in managing your patients?

Relevant reading: http://mashable.com/2012/12/18/social-media-mobile-healthcare/

3. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)

Homeopathy, naturopathy, acupuncture, iridology, Reiki, manipulation, the list goes on. By definition these fields are outside traditional medicine, but CAM is often brought up in medical school interviews. More and more patients are using CAM methods, and medical schools want to know how you would balance patients’ safety and wishes with your medical management.

Should patients be dissuaded from looking elsewhere? What do you say to the patient who wants to try a few months of homeopathic medication for their cancer that you feel needs treatment immediately? Should these fields be forced to use evidence based practice? What do you say to a patient who swears by a therapy that you feel is ineffective? Is it ethical to offer CAM therapies in your own office, despite lacking evidence?

Relevant reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/health/14patient.html?_r=0

4. Auxilliary health practitioners

In response to the rising costs and wait times for physicians, more people are asking whether other health care professionals should expand their role to relieve some of the burden. Pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physiotherapists, and other health care professionals are increasingly doing more work that was previously reserved for doctors.

Should pharmacists be able to renew prescriptions despite not being trained to examine patients? Should nurse practitioners be allowed to manage complex patients? Should anesthesiologists be able to hire nurse anesthetists that work without supervision? Should naturopathic doctors be allowed to prescribe?

Relevant reading: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2012/05/11/should-pharmacists-prescribe-prescription-medications/

[premedme-blog]

Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) is an increasingly popular interviewing method for medical school interviews. Preparation is key for these scenarios, because interviewees typically only have 8-10 minutes per station to show critical thinking, an understanding of ethics, and excellent communication skills.

Here are some example of MMI scenarios, courtesy of McGill University.

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Curious about what premed.me is?

It's free, and it's made by medical students to help pre-med students get in.

Here's a quick video explaining how it works. 

[premedme-blog]

Q: How can I get better reference letters from my pre-med classes?

It’s no secret that you’ll get much better reference letters from professors who know you well. It’s also not a surprise that adcoms, in seeing thousands of letters of reference, don’t perk up when they see a good reference letter. Their interest is piqued when reading a great letter – one that shows a prof took time to write a specific, genuine, strong recommendation to the applicant.

As an undergraduate student, it likely feels tough to know professors at a level where you’re confident that they will write a letter that actually reflects your talents and personality. Here are some tips for getting to know your profs better:

1) Contribute well to class discussion It’s difficult to stand out in a class of 300+ students, but professors and peers alike respect those who ask insightful, well-timed questions. Don’t let this tactic backfire, though! Students who ask questions for the sake of asking questions are easily spotted, and little appreciated. Go for quality over quantity on this one. Pre-reading the lecture helps ensure that you are not asking questions that will be answered on the next slide and will give you a solid background from which to ask astute questions. Finally, sometimes it’s important to hold back even good questions if they aren’t applicable to the entire class. Everyone has fun ideas about future directions and hypothetical situations that would be interesting to discuss – the larger the class size, however, the more important it is to only ask questions that everyone will find beneficial.

2) Attend office hours Here’s the time and place to ask those questions that are more tangential to the specific lecture objectives. Professors love it when students take the material, critically think about it, and have insightful ways of discussing it. They will appreciate that you took time out of your own day to offer your thoughts. Often office hours are only set up around exams, but if you send a quick email they will often encourage you to drop in. If the professor is active in research, ask about it – try to relate the course material to their research, and if you truly find it interesting a great discussion can ensue. If going to office hours with a question, treat it as a last resort. Yes, they are there to answer any question, but it shows respect for a professor’s time if you’ve used every avenue available to seek your answer before requesting one-on-one help.

3) Participate in research Most professors are researchers first, teachers second. If you click with a professor in office hours, ask if they need any help! Research is invaluable for medical school applications by providing references, extracurricular points, and often interesting stories for interviews and essays. Offer to volunteer, and if things go well you may move up to a paid position. A research supervisor will be more inclined to write an outstanding letter if a strong relationship is built. Besides academics, professors will comment on ‘soft skills’ such as communication, responsibility, team spirit, and work ethic, so there are many ways beyond smarts to impress them.

4) Target professors of classes you enjoy, especially in upper years. You may not believe it now, but if you are in first or second year, your grades will likely improve as you progress to the upper years. The material also tends to become more interesting, and class sizes are smaller in upper years. Use all of these factors to your advantage – showing interest in these courses in the first few weeks of class will not only help you get a better grade, but will allow you to stay on track as the course material piles up. Being interested in these courses may motivate you to learn information beyond the scope of the course, thus showing the professor your appreciation for and interest in the subject. Bottom line? If you’re a freshman or sophomore and it seems tough, it gets better! You still have time to get stellar reference letters.

[premedme-blog]

Should you re-take the MCAT?

We made an infographic displaying section-by-section trends in MCAT re-takers’ scores, based on their initial scores.

[wayfaringmd]

[premedme-blog]

How do you explain why you want to be a doctor? Thanks for this, wayfaringmd! Good advice. 

[premedme-blog]

Why pre-meds should study less (and party more!)

We’ve all heard of the person who spends every waking hour in the classroom, lab, or library. They may even have that coveted 4.0 GPA, and rumblings of a Harvard Medical School future surround them. Maybe that’ll happen – and if it does, more power to them. Still, here's why many pre-meds would be better served by studying less:

Be efficient – studying more does not mean learning more. Don’t be fooled into thinking the hard work is right now and things will ease up once you get into med school. Or residency. Or fellowship. Or even as a practicing doctor. The truth is that you’ll always have lots of work to do. Learning to work efficiently now will benefit you for the rest of your professional career.

Depth and breadth of life experiences are key to getting in. Increasingly, medical schools are looking for interesting people who can relate to the average patient. Just as you can only step up your calculus game through practice, you can only improve your people skills by getting out there and interacting with others. Contrary to popular belief, adcoms are impressed by purely social endeavours as well. Did you organize a large social function for your fraternity? Did your band play at a festival? Such things make you a memorable candidate and show leadership and creativity. Furthermore, social skills will be obvious in interviews, and can overshadow your academic achievements for better or for worse.

Stay sane, avoid burnout. It’s easy to slip into a routine of work-work-work and feel that you’re doing alright. Sometimes, however, those around you will notice that you’re becoming irritable and less fun to be around. Burnout is common, and people often realize it far too late. Balancing all your hard work with good times is the best way to avoid this problem.

Harvard ain’t for everyone. Seriously consider where you want to go to medical school and why. Harvard’s a great school, but it’s only the best school if it’s the best for you. Getting caught up in the numbers race for the highest GPA and MCAT might get you into a top-10 school, but that doesn’t automatically mean happily ever after (see:PBS NOVA: Doctors’ Diaries). Think hard, and think often, about your career goals and what makes you happy. Maybe getting a 3.6, having a social life, and going to a local school near your friends and family will be more fulfilling than dropping everything to devote 4 years to getting into that top-tier school.

“Don’t put all your eggs…” The decision to pursue medical school is often made at a young age by people who set out on that path and never reassess their motivations. Getting out there and socializing might make a slight dent in your GPA, but it will expose you to much more of what life has to offer in experiences and people to connect with. This will make your academic and career decisions more mature, and you may realize additional passions that influence your career choices in or outside medicine.

You’re in the prime of your life. Ask any doc – they’ll tell you to cherish these years. It’s great being a student, and it’s wise (and fun) to make the most of this part of your life. However impressive it is to get into med school before you start teething, it just means fewer years to be young, have limited responsibility, and explore your community and world. Many people who don’t get into medical school their first time around realize how lucky they were to have another year to travel, relax, read, work fun jobs, or take courses they’d never have the chance to do if they got in.

[medgasm]

For the purposes of easier writing, I am going to refer to my cohort as medical students, as we all have guaranteed entry into Medicine, which is basically the same thing. I think I can split medical students into three categories, based upon study habits. 1. Those who have MENSA level IQ and...