Blueprint Med School Blog (formerly Cram Fighter & Med School Tutors)

The blog for Blueprint Medical, supporting your MedEd journey with our exam study planner, tutoring, residency consulting, and advanced boards.

EKG Tips for Med Students

Electrocardiograms (EKGs) are a vital diagnostic tool used to assess the electrical activity of the heart. Despite their importance, EKGs are often among the most dreaded topics to learn in medical school. Many students find EKG interpretation challenging, as it requires a comprehensive understanding of cardiac physiology, complex arrhythmias, and pattern recognition. I found EKGs

Jan 03, 2023

What is Internal Medicine (and Where Does It Lead)?

So, you wanna be an internist? You’ve come to the right place! Internists work everywhere from the clinic to the ICU, in global health and public policy, with rural and urban communities, as generalists and specialists, and in every other work style imaginable! The versatility of internal medicine training is its best attribute, but it

Dec 15, 2022

How to Get Standout Letters of Recommendation for Your Residency Application

The other night, I got a text from a number that I didn’t have saved: “Hey Brian, I don’t know if you remember me but I was a student who rotated with you last year. I wanted to ask some questions about anesthesia if you have a moment.” I always end my teaching assignments with

Nov 15, 2022

Is Internal Medicine Primary Care?

The words “primary care” tend to conjure up thoughts of pediatricians and family medicine practitioners. While these physicians certainly do make up a decent chunk of primary care physicians (PCPs), the field is much broader. In fact, in my state of North Carolina, data from 2018 showed that about 30% of physicians in the state

Nov 10, 2022

Medical School: Expectation vs Reality

I don’t know about you, but before starting medical school, I was excited. Having not grown up with a medical background (no one in my immediate or extended family worked in medicine in the U.S.), I gained all of my initial perceptions about the medical field through media. It may sound silly, but my first

Oct 20, 2022

How to Choose a Medical Specialty: The Ultimate Guide

Some future physicians enter medical school intent on a certain specialty, but most are uncertain or change their minds altogether. The decision is a difficult and important one. After all, this choice made in your 20s or 30s will be one that shapes your day-to-day life for the next three decades. Given that impact, it

Oct 11, 2022

How to Honor Your Clerkships

Now that you’re in your clinical years of medical school, you finally get to transition from the classroom to the clinical setting and learn how to take care of patients during rotations. While it’s an exciting and invigorating experience, this phase can also become challenging and stressful. Not only are you trying to learn how

Oct 04, 2022

Day in the Life of a Transitional Year Resident

This post is from the perspective of my colleague, Elle S., MD, who completed a transitional year in 2021 and is now in her final year of PM&R residency. There comes a time in nearly all medical students’ careers when they open ERAS and try to figure out what they’re going to do for the

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