“..and s/he is probably suffering from some element of a V/Q mismatch.” -Brilliant medical student, AM Rounds, c. 2017 It sounds smart because it is, and there’s a very good chance that a ventilation perfusion (VQ) mismatch is why your…
The most timeless of USMLE questions is an acid-base question. How elegant a topic! It combines multiple systems (respiratory and renal), involves some basic math, and perfectly lends itself towards multiple choice questions. And, like nearly all of the questions…
The new year is upon us. And the changing of the calendar page is a perfect allegory for turning the pages of our lives. This will undoubtedly be a big year for you – because you are one year closer…
Medical school admissions — just saying the words conjures up more fear and worry than it does joy and hope for a fruitful future. We often see the admissions committee as a gatekeeper, a mysterious group that meets in a…
Step 1 study periods are usually pretty straightforward. You finish your basic sciences coursework and your medical school, if it was anything like mine, will intimately guide you through the registration process. Our school went so far as to mandate…
Intern year! It can be a big, scary proposition: soon you’ll be there on night float managing 50 patients, cross-covering multiple teams, when in medical school you only had to carry 3 patients max. Instead of vignettes about crashing patients,…
In a perfect world, your personal statement will flow from mind to keyboard. You will close your eyes, find inspiration, and perhaps without even thinking, your fingers will dance across your laptop, and pound out the most glorious personal statement…
Few things excite me as much as reading a personal statement. While they aren’t at the very top of the list that program directors assess when deciding who to interview, they are your only chance to put together a narrative…
It was spring of my sophomore year in college, and the August 2004 MCAT was sitting on the horizon. I had completed my pre-reqs, and my subject-specific knowledge was at an all-time high. Unfortunately, I was only about 80% sure…
Neurology is such a grandiose subject on Step 1, so trimming down the plethora of material into only that which is high-yield is a necessity. But remember, what you see before you is just a place to start. It will…