Geriatrics as a subspecialty has been somewhat unpopular in part because of poor reimbursements. As we know, procedure-based subspecialties are best remunerated. Having said that, as the elderly population grows and the government offers some loan forgiveness programs, the field is having a bit of a resurgence. Most Geriatric Medicine fellowship programs are available to candidates from both Internal Medicine and Family Medicine backgrounds and use ERAS. Click here for a list of ERAS-participating specialties and programs, including Geriatrics. There was a short piece on NPR that is now posted on their site about Geriatrics that is worth a listen.
For one-on-one help from me with your fellowship application please see the Insider Fellowship Page for a detailed list of my admission services.
Insights, Ideas, News From Insider Medical Admissions
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
AMSA 2009 Annual Convention Speaker!
Great news! I've been invited to be a featured speaker at AMSA's 59th Annual Convention to be held in Washington, DC March 11-15, 2009. In the past the American Medical Student Association's national meetings have been the largest annual gatherings of medical students in the United States. I'll be offering an interactive lecture on insider tips for optimizing residency applications.
For one-on-one help with your application to medical school, residency or fellowship please see http://www.insidermedicaladmissions.com/ .
For one-on-one help with your application to medical school, residency or fellowship please see http://www.insidermedicaladmissions.com/ .
Friday, August 15, 2008
Tips for how to improve the likelihood of training in a city you enjoy
Please see my July 12 blog entry about the importance of prioritizing a nice place to live for your medical training, if possible. As I pointed out, not everyone gets the opportunity to go to medical school or train in a residency and fellowship program in a city that is fun and populated by a personal support system. However there are a few things that can be done to increase your chances:
1. For residents, tailor your personal statements. (ERAS allows you to do this.) I have advised people who are desperate to be in a particular city to make that clear with an extra sentence in their essays. (Just make sure, via ERAS, that you send the correct personal statement to the correct program.)
2. For medical school, residency and fellowship applicants, tell all the important individuals you encounter at your interviews. Some programs may not believe, for example, a Californian will move to the East Coast. (As a devote Californian, I hardly believe it.) If you want to move let them know and tell them why so that you are convincing.
3. For all applicants, when you write thank you notes tell the receivers.
4. For all applicants, choose accordingly. Don’t box yourself in by pursuing schools/programs in cities you cannot stomach. You may feel you need to apply broadly because of weaknesses in your application or because of how competitive medical school admissions or your specialty is. This is reasonable for many candidates. But if you have some options, explicitly consider geography as well as school/program reputation. This is particularly important for residency and some fellowship applicants who are bound to their match lists.
As I said in my July 12 entry, where you live for your medical training is as important (or more so) than the quality of your training program. For one-on-one help from me with your application please see www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com .
1. For residents, tailor your personal statements. (ERAS allows you to do this.) I have advised people who are desperate to be in a particular city to make that clear with an extra sentence in their essays. (Just make sure, via ERAS, that you send the correct personal statement to the correct program.)
2. For medical school, residency and fellowship applicants, tell all the important individuals you encounter at your interviews. Some programs may not believe, for example, a Californian will move to the East Coast. (As a devote Californian, I hardly believe it.) If you want to move let them know and tell them why so that you are convincing.
3. For all applicants, when you write thank you notes tell the receivers.
4. For all applicants, choose accordingly. Don’t box yourself in by pursuing schools/programs in cities you cannot stomach. You may feel you need to apply broadly because of weaknesses in your application or because of how competitive medical school admissions or your specialty is. This is reasonable for many candidates. But if you have some options, explicitly consider geography as well as school/program reputation. This is particularly important for residency and some fellowship applicants who are bound to their match lists.
As I said in my July 12 entry, where you live for your medical training is as important (or more so) than the quality of your training program. For one-on-one help from me with your application please see www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com .
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Might there be an easier way?
I can't help myself. Here's another interesting NYT article. This one chronicles the growth of the physician assistant and nurse practitioner roles.
As anyone reading (and writing) this blog knows, becoming a physician requires a tremendous financial and time commitment. According to the article, the average total income for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice is about $86,000, and the average total income for nurse practitioners is $92,000. Considering how many fewer years of training (and thus tuition) one needs, being a physician assistant or nurse practitioner is an interesting alternative for those who want to be clinicians.
Here's the link.
As anyone reading (and writing) this blog knows, becoming a physician requires a tremendous financial and time commitment. According to the article, the average total income for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice is about $86,000, and the average total income for nurse practitioners is $92,000. Considering how many fewer years of training (and thus tuition) one needs, being a physician assistant or nurse practitioner is an interesting alternative for those who want to be clinicians.
Here's the link.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Controversy in New York
Here's another great NYT article. This piece discusses the controversial move by New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation to provide clinical training for St. George's University medical students at the city’s public hospitals. The Corporation has signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with St. George's.
Students in New York are understandably concerned that their training might be suboptimal with the influx of new students. (A problem we had at Harvard Med was the rare ability to practice procedures because of the high numbers of fellows, residents and medical students vying for experience in the Harvard hospitals).
Here's the link to the article.
Students in New York are understandably concerned that their training might be suboptimal with the influx of new students. (A problem we had at Harvard Med was the rare ability to practice procedures because of the high numbers of fellows, residents and medical students vying for experience in the Harvard hospitals).
Here's the link to the article.
Monday, August 4, 2008
For residency applicants: Where to apply
Assuming you’ve chosen your specialty (or at least have a couple in mind), a good way to get started in considering where to apply to residency is to check out FREIDA. This service is provided by the American Medical Association and is available on line: http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/srch/ . FREIDA allows you to define your search by specialty, location (see my previous blog entries on the importance of geography) and program size, amongst other specifics. It then provides all programs that meet your criteria and their details – program director, program coordinator, web site address, etc.
With this information you can pick programs initially and then contact residencies for information including application requirements; accreditation status; ERAS use; special requirements for personal statement and letters of recommendation; unique deadlines and, as necessary, if they IMG-friendly.
For one-on-one help applying to residency – strategy sessions, assistance with your ERAS, personal statement and interviews – please see http://www.insidermedicaladmissions.com/applicants/residencyapplicant.shtml .
With this information you can pick programs initially and then contact residencies for information including application requirements; accreditation status; ERAS use; special requirements for personal statement and letters of recommendation; unique deadlines and, as necessary, if they IMG-friendly.
For one-on-one help applying to residency – strategy sessions, assistance with your ERAS, personal statement and interviews – please see http://www.insidermedicaladmissions.com/applicants/residencyapplicant.shtml .
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