Doing well on the MCAT probably holds back more “pre-meds” from getting into medical school than any other single part of the application. In 2012, the MCAT was taken by 89,452 hopeful future medical school students. The average score…25.2. The average medical school matriculant on the other hand, scored 6 points higher, with an average score of 31.2! Each year this average increases just a bit; I can’t even imagine what it will be ten years from now. The truth is, to have a good chance at getting into medical school you are going to have to score a 30 or better on the MCAT. I know there are exceptions but I wouldn’t feel comfortable applying without a 30+ (and I took the test exactly 2 years ago today!). But enough with all this “tough-love,” because the good thing is that beating the MCAT isn’t just possible, it’s probable. read more…
I was a patient transporter for awhile, and the Emergency Department (ED) was my favorite place to work in the hospital. This post is all about my future (knock on wood) specialty.
In 1966, the National Academy of Sciences published the “Accidental Death and Disability, the Neglected Disease of Modern Society,” more commonly known as The White Paper. This influential report highlighted the poor state of emergency care in the United States. Shortly thereafter the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) was established with Dr. John Wiegenstein as the acting president. The ACEP worked to create a new specialty, along with a dedicated residency program…the idea for Emergency Medicine (EM) was born. read more…
T
he following is an anonymous submission from a member of the Student-Doctor Network forum. I thought it was helpful, poignant, and made for some thoughtful discussion:
This semester I served as an interviewer at a multiple mini interview (MMI) for medical school applicants. Just one year prior, I was the one sitting outside the door, with my fingers crossed that I would do well. Flash forward back to the present, and I was slightly preoccupied with my first medical school exam coming up and also struggling to use my stethoscope (my hands make too much noise and I can barely hear a heartbeat . . . oh yeah, and I had to remember which side of the stethoscope to use – diaphragm or bell). In one year I went from the hopeful interviewee to the intimidating interviewer. read more…
The first thing I want to say about, The Intern Blues
The Intern Blues: The Timeless Classic About the Making of a Doctor is the collection of feelings, lessons, and travails from young doctors: Andy, Amy, and Mark as they reveal their own very personal, and gut wrenching monthly narratives of how they survived their intern year. Robert Marion (Bob) collects these notes and also makes monthly comments about the interns, or interjects commentary about his own intern year. read more…
In the previous two posts I have introduced you to the science of spaced repetition, and also why it works for memorizing large quantities of information. I highly recommended the free program, Anki, which enables users to create digital flashcards and learn any subject that requires memorization. It makes perfect sense that plenty of people have used Anki to learn foreign languages, and I think it could really help premeds with MCAT preparation. I also have firsthand experience with spaced repetition learning. Since the first day of classes (almost 6 months ago), I have used Anki to learn the vast amounts of material presented in medical school. read more…
