What are you looking for in a residency program?
Nov. 20, 2012
If you're in medical school and preferably in your 3rd year, this post is definitely for you. Before applying for residency, I was told by many to really look within and determine exactly what I'm looking for in a residency program. What's going to make you happy? What kind of patient population? Do you want a community based program or university based? City or small town? Large resident class or small? It's a lot to think about...
So before selecting the programs I wished to apply to, I made a "Perfect Residency Want List." I literally wrote down exactly what I wanted in a program, and after completing the list looked for programs that fit my wants and needs.
Now that I'm interviewing, all the specifics of each program are really starting to meld together because for the most part they fit what I want in a program (give or take a few minor details). So, I've realized that in order for me to really make the final decision on my rank list, I'm going to have to go with my gut feeling foremost followed by sieving through those minor details that make each program different.
Initially, I was keeping a journal of my initial feelings about each school following the interview but quickly realized that's not for me. It's all in my head. No need to write it down. Even the minor details that I notice about each program...no need to jot that down either. The further I get into the interview process, the better I'm becoming at really listening to my heart and that hunch...what they call your gestalt.
So yes, its important that you determine what you're looking for first, stick with it, and then listen within . If you're confident in what you want, I feel everything falls in to place. However, if you go into it not really sure what you're looking for then it becomes a bigger challenge because you spend time comparing the major things like patient population or procedure volume etc. in addition to your natural fit with the residents, faculty, and location. Whoa...can we say overwhelming???
For the 3rd years, the summer will be here before you know it and it will be time to start preparing your application. I write this blog now because its fresh on my mind. Once you decide the speciality you wish to pursue, make a list of what your looking for. Review it a few times and after you feel comfortable with it... commit to it. Apply to those programs that fit what you want and after that be grateful for the opportunity to interview and enjoy the ride. I'm having fun :)
First impression
Nov. 20, 2012
If you're in medical school and preferably in your 3rd year, this post is definitely for you. Before applying for residency, I was told by many to really look within and determine exactly what I'm looking for in a residency program. What's going to make you happy? What kind of patient population? Do you want a community based program or university based? City or small town? Large resident class or small? It's a lot to think about...
So before selecting the programs I wished to apply to, I made a "Perfect Residency Want List." I literally wrote down exactly what I wanted in a program, and after completing the list looked for programs that fit my wants and needs.
Now that I'm interviewing, all the specifics of each program are really starting to meld together because for the most part they fit what I want in a program (give or take a few minor details). So, I've realized that in order for me to really make the final decision on my rank list, I'm going to have to go with my gut feeling foremost followed by sieving through those minor details that make each program different.
Initially, I was keeping a journal of my initial feelings about each school following the interview but quickly realized that's not for me. It's all in my head. No need to write it down. Even the minor details that I notice about each program...no need to jot that down either. The further I get into the interview process, the better I'm becoming at really listening to my heart and that hunch...what they call your gestalt.
So yes, its important that you determine what you're looking for first, stick with it, and then listen within . If you're confident in what you want, I feel everything falls in to place. However, if you go into it not really sure what you're looking for then it becomes a bigger challenge because you spend time comparing the major things like patient population or procedure volume etc. in addition to your natural fit with the residents, faculty, and location. Whoa...can we say overwhelming???
For the 3rd years, the summer will be here before you know it and it will be time to start preparing your application. I write this blog now because its fresh on my mind. Once you decide the speciality you wish to pursue, make a list of what your looking for. Review it a few times and after you feel comfortable with it... commit to it. Apply to those programs that fit what you want and after that be grateful for the opportunity to interview and enjoy the ride. I'm having fun :)
First impression
Nov. 11, 2012
Whether its an interview or your first day on the
job; the first impression matters. Before any words are spoken, many take note
of what you're wearing. Your personal style sets the tone; it illustrates your
sense of professionalism with a hint of personality. In my case, as I continue
on the interview trail, my suit provides the first impression which is why I'm
so anal when it comes to finding the perfect suit for the occasion.
Some don't really care about the suit, as they're
happy with the basic black suit jacket with the matching bottom with a crisp
white shirt or blouse. Yet, putting a bit more effort in finding something
different but comfortable for your personal style can set you apart
the day of the interview and most importantly make you memorable!
So you want to be a bit more daring? Try something new? Well, take a
look at the suit looks I've provided below for a few suggestions.
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| Sophisticated but chic, however this color is a bit too daring. A conservative color with this style would be perfect and surely stand out |
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| Not my favorite, but its different. Minus the tie, its a nice suit and perfect color |
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| Love this suit. Professional and classy. Perfect color and I would definitely pair it with a nude shoe |
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| Not sure if the white strip is apart of the suit or the undershirt. Anyhow the style is definitely modern with a classic twist. Not sure I would do the black shoes though... |
If you opt to wear a pant suit but want to stand out, try to find a nice blouse with a pop of color or even a non-traditional suit jacket as pictured above.
For men, consider a bow-tie or a french cuff shirt with cuff links! Navy blue suits allow for more color options when it comes to the shirt and tie/bow-tie. And brown dress shoes with a navy blue suit always catch my eye before black. Don't be afraid to try new things! A nice suit that you put time into picking out can definitely boost your confidence and be the icing on the cake to a great interview day!
The Interview Trail
October 21, 2012
This Wednesday marks the start of residency interviews. It's really happening (deep breath in). I took November and December off to allow for interviews and will resume rotations in January. Last weekend, I bought a new suit and I'll finish packing today. For the first stretch, I have 5 interviews in 2 weeks. Then I'll head back to Hershey for about 4 days to head to Houston for the next set.
I plan to keep a journal along the way which I can refer to when making the final decision for my rank list. Wait...I should probably break this down a bit for those who aren't familiar with the interview process for residency...
So, I submitted my ERAS in September. Since then, the programs I applied to have reviewed my application and sent out interview invitations with specific dates. I scheduled most interviews via email or phone. Now the fun part (in a sarcastic tone) is booking plane tickets and hotels. The interview season will come to a close most likely in mid January and in February the "rank list" is due. The rank list is exactly what it sounds like... the list of programs I applied to in preferential order. The list is submitted and then I wait till March to find out where I'll be for the next 4 years! I'll keep you posted...
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| my residency program journal to take along the way I'm sitting in my bed blogging so excuse the zebra pillow...but its cute though ;) |
It's official...ERAS submitted
Sept. 16, 2012
It's sort of surreal that I've finally reached the point in medical school where I can see all my hardwork payoff. Yesterday, I submitted my application for residency along with thousands of other 4th year medical students across the nation. In the weeks to come, we will all await the interview invite emails with fingers crossed. Residency is advanced training in your speciality of choice with granted salary and benefits. Not to mention, you are now a medical doctor responsible for patient care under the supervision of an attending physician. The average residency program is 3-4 years, yet can vary depending on the speciality. Ob-Gyn, my speciality of choice, is 4 years. Following the completion of residency, you are a physician with
ERAS, Electronic Residency Application Service, is a master application containing demographic information, extracurricular activities, research/publications, honors/awards, and grades/board scores. Letters of recommendation are uploaded to ERAS in addition residency programs of interest. Following submission of the application, all information is available to the applied programs. There is an application fee based on the number of applied programs with an additional fee for the USMLE transcipt which is $70. The fees based on number of programs selected is as follows: 0-10 $92, 11-20 $9 each, 21-30 $15, 31 or more $25. As you can see, it can become quite pricey yet well worth it when it comes to optimizing your chance of securing a job.
When completing the ERAS, all the information required can be quite daunting. From the extracurricular activity write ups to the personal statement and letters of recommendation; keeping everything organized can easily become overwhelming. I received some helpful hints along the way,in addition to developing some of my own which I would be happy to share...
Top 5 ERAS Prep Tips
1. Start early and proofread often
- Starting early permits more time to accurately insert information devoid of errors
- Once information is entered, take a break for a few days and then go back and read over it.
- You're bound to find a grammatical error or a wording issue that needs tweaking
2. For each extracurricular activity take the time to write a short description of your roles/responsibilities
- ERAS requires you to provide a description for each activity added under the "experience" heading
- No need to write a lengthy paragraph; simply jot down bullet points starting with action words which clearly convey your involvement
- Example: Effectively delegated tasks to sub-committee chairs or Provided educational resources...
- You can even start this now in a word document and when ready copy and paste into ERAS
3. Get your letters of recommendation submitted early
- LoRs can be a hassle especially when your letter writer has a ridiculous schedule and you're working on a deadline
- Although programs review your application without all LoRs submitted, I find that its less stress when you have them all submitted to your Dean's office and they've been uploaded to ERAS before Sept 15th.
- Once the letter is uploaded to ERAS, you must assign the letter to all applied programs
- Having the letters in prior to Sept 15th allows you to assign to LoR to all programs prior to submission so that you don't have to go back at a later date
- Remember, you as the applicant have no control over when documents are uploaded. Your Student Affairs office/Dean's office is responsible for uploading all documents to ERAS. However, you do have some control over when the letter is recieved by the Dean's office based on the deadline you politely (keyword) provide to the physician writing the letter. Mid-July to August is a realistic deadline.
4. Know your application well
- this goes without saying...you're responsible for every word on that application
- be HONEST. You're insitution will have access to your application as well...no need to embellish as the truth will eventually surface
- Be confident about your accomplishments and prepared to speak boldly during interviews.That's what counts
5. Allow others to read your personal statement
- whether you give yourself 1 month or 2 days to write your personal statement, allow others to read it and provide feedback regarding clarity, content, and grammatical error
Last rotation of 3rd year...why can't I read an EKG??
May 13, 2012~ 10:21am
On Monday, May 7th I started my last rotation of 3rd year... Internal Medicine. The rotation is 8 weeks, with 2- 2 week rotations in a sub-speciality and 4 weeks of inpatient Internal Medicine. For my 2- 2 week rotations, I have Cardiology and Oncology. I started Cardiology on Monday and was in for a rude awakening as EKG interpretation has been a nightmare!
This week has shown me how little I know about EKG interpretation outside of picking out P, QRS, and T waves, pointing out vague abnormalities, and reading the nice computerized interpretation in the upper righthand corner. Therefore, this weekend I was determined to sharpen my skills. The cardiology attending recommended, "Rapid Interpretation of EKGs" by Dale Dubin, MD, and its been a life saver! Its a easy read, and explains interpretation in a simple to follow method. Just a helpful resource for those in or planning to go in the medical field.
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| The GO-TO for EKG interpretation! |
It's okay to cry
April 22, 2012~ 4:37pm
The attending and I walked to the surgical waiting room, in silence with our heads hung low. I can only assume that we both were running the recent events in our head... what was the cause? Could we have done something different? How long had it been like this? The patient's nurse caught up with us right as we entered the room. Immediately the patient's wife asked,"Is he okay?" The nurse responded by instructing the wife to have a seat. And she asked again... "Is he okay?" And again the nurse told her to have a seat and added that it would be okay. It was then that the wife knew that her husband had died.
The attending physician proceeded to tell the family that we had done all we could do but unfortunately his condition was much worse than previously thought. It's almost as if she had blacked out, muting the world around her as she had no expression; no emotion. Yet, it was in seconds that uncontrollable tears streamed down her face with painful moans filled with deep sadness. It pulled at my heart and for a second a rush of hurt filled within almost as if a dark soul had placed its hand right on my chest. I literally felt as if I wanted to cry. The wife's father held her close as she melted in the seat. And I stared at her, with a feeling of helplessness. Yet, as soon as I felt a tear form at my lower lid I shut all emotion off...
I had to numb myself. The sadness filling that room was like a black hole, pulling me in as each second passed. So in order to maintain my composure I shut off all emotion. I'm not sure how, but I did as my watery eyes cleared and the odd feeling in my chest subsided. I had always thought that you needed to stay strong. I felt as if me crying would illustrate a sign of weakness or even a lack of professionalism. So, I pulled myself together but remained present.
After about 20 minutes, we left the room to leave the family in privacy as they continued to mourn. As the physician and I walked down the hall back to the unit, the physician said,"Are you okay?" I quickly responded with a stern "Yes." I then realized I was still numbing my natural emotion. I snapped out of it and followed by stating,"I mean, yes I'm okay but that was intense and I almost felt like I had to numb my feelings because I wanted to cry." The physician then stopped in his tracks, turned to me and said, "It's okay to cry..."
Those four words served as affirmation that real emotion, at the right time, is not a weakness. I've always felt that in a time of sadness and weakness, I as the patient's caregiver/physician needed to be strong. Similar to how in a family, one must be the backbone in a time of despair in order to support the others. But I know now, that you can still be strong even if you shed a tear. If anything it will be appreciated rather than frowned upon. Now, will I cry with every patient... absolutely not. But knowing that its okay, when the time is right is comforting. After all doctors are people too... :) Thanks for reading.
Curriculum Vitae vs. Resume... What's the difference?
Feb. 25, 2012~ 12:31pm
For 3rd year medical students, application season for visiting student rotations and residency is coming quicker than some might think. In preparation, medical schools are requesting a curriculum vitae to be included with the application. Pause.... what is a curriculum vitae (CV)?
A CV is actually a type of resume but with a focused objective. Its typically used for academic and medical careers as a comprehensive summary of one's education, research experience, publications, honors, achievements, employment, and extracurricular activities specifically pertaining to the field. A resume is often a shorter summary highlighting similar components within the CV, yet is not necessarily specific to a certain field (but can be if you so choose). The major differences between a CV and resume include:
- CVs almost never list an objective and seldom have a long narrative profile
- an objective would be redundant, as the content should only be relevant to the field and speak for itself
- Name dropping is more common
- if you performed research under a certain professor you should include it. Science and academe is a small world, so its likely that the prospective employer will have heard of the individual if they are an expert in the field
- Longer than a resume
- although CVs are more comprehensive, they should still be neatly organized with clear headings and distinct conceptual divisions so they can be skimmed if necessary
- More categories included
- ex. teaching experience, research, degrees, continuing education, advanced training, publications, conference presentations, abstracts, etc.
If you're still confused about the difference, do a quick google search of CV examples to get an idea. The examples will also give you suggestions for formatting, as you don't want the CV too be busy. It can be tempting to include different styles of fonts but beware...it should be easy to read and most of all professional. After drafting your CV, have a few people look over it for feedback on grammar, clarity, and design.
I recommend the book "First Aid for the Match" as a great resource for CV examples specific to medicine.
If you have any questions or would like feedback on your CV/resume, feel free to email me at toya.p23@gmail.com
What I know now...
Feb. 5, 2012~ 8:09am
As of Friday, Feb. 3rd I completed my psychiatry rotation after taking the shelf exam, a national standardized exam that every medical student must pass in order to officially complete the rotation. I completed the rotation at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Harrisburg, PA. I was specifically assigned to the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Unit for 4 weeks. When starting the rotation, I had no idea what to expect. I had a general sense of what psychiatry was about from prior courses on the various disorders that predominant in the field, but I also had my own stereotypical feelings about what psychiatrists do. Honestly speaking, I saw psychiatrists as prescription pushers. Although, I knew they were there to listen to a person's problems, I ultimately felt they were quick to prescribe a pill that would supposedly "magically" fix the problem. I was wrong...so wrong.
My experience in the child & adolescent psych unit was life changing. Really. Not to be humorous but these children had "real problems." Not my kind of problems like, "ugh I just got into an argument with someone," or "damn, I didn't do as well on that exam." Some kids were raised in chaotic households, witnessing domestic violence and drug use, now getting bullied or being the bully to channel unresolved pain or anger, hanging themselves with clothes, ribbon, overdosing on medications, doing drugs to numb their pain, threatening to kill others out of anger, hearing voices telling them to kill themselves, cutting their wrist and throwing up because they felt worthless, being sexually, emotionally, and physically abused by the ones they thought loved them....these kids had real problems, problems that could not be fixed with just a magical pill. I was wrong.
I will be the first to say that Psychiatry is one of the toughest fields in medicine. Not only do you have to listen intently to the entire story, but be able to navigate your way through the person's entangled thoughts with a purpose. You then must come to a diagnostic conclusion to determine what medications and services could be offered to the patient. And most importantly, you must actively involve the patient's family in the entire treatment process through family meetings. This is the only profession in the medical field that I know includes the family as an integral part of patient care in order to piece together the patient's broken psyche. We had family sessions daily and sometimes they got intense. Some families were forced to bring their inner demons to light, their darkest secrets to the forefront. To say it was emotional is an understatement.
I sincerely loved that rotation and will never forget it. I learned so much, not only regarding medicine but also about life in general. Although, I'm not trying to compare my problems with theirs, it made me reflect on my upbringing and my current life circumstances. But the most important aspect I took away from that rotation is... learning how to listen with my heart versus learning to listen with my mind. You have to be able to do both simultaneously...
I will leave you with that.
