Sunday, February 27, 2011

Getting Into Residency: An Insider's Tips

For those of you interested in my upcoming "Getting Into Residency" lecture who have written me saying you can't attend the AMSA national conference, I am currently working on an affordable CD-ROM with a version of the lecture, including video, audio, printable slides and a transcript.

I'll keep you posted as the project comes to fruition. Thanks for everyone's interest.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

What Would your Mother Say?

I had a sweet client recently tell me that, although she will feel uncomfortable showcasing her accomplishments throughout her upcoming application process, she thinks her mom might be able to help her learn to speak about them fluidly.

If you have a supportive mother (father, grandparent), and you are having trouble highlighting your achievements in your personal statement, application, interview, even letter of intent, consider channeling your inner mother.

Remember: You must distinguish yourself from the other competitive candidates, and the best way to do that is with explicit examples of your accomplishments.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Ranking Schools

There’s an interesting Malcolm Gladwell article in the latest New Yorker on the pitfalls of U.S. News and World Report's college rankings. Gladwell's points regarding the deficiencies of a system that tries to be "comprehensive and heterogeneous" and the flimsiness of quality proxies can be applied to medical school rankings as well.

Despite their many shortcomings, however, I do use U.S. News and World Report's medical school rankings on my website because they are more descriptive than alphabetic order in listing where my clients have been accepted.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

$105K Awards for Recently-Licensed California Physicians

The Medical Board of California recently sent me a notification about their Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program, a grant for California-licensed physicians who are willing to practice in underserved communities for three years. The goal of the program is to provide improved health care access to needy neighborhoods with the hope that doctors might remain where they are working after their three-year commitment.

The application deadline for this year is March 24, 2011. The application can be accessed here.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

New International Medical School Options

Here's a short NYT article on three new Italian medical school programs that are being taught in English in part to attract foreigners. The advantages are lesser cost, nice geography and, apparently, lower admission requirements, although for at least one institution, the entrance exam includes questions on Italian current affairs.

As the supply of doctors continues to be a problem, while admission to US schools is increasingly difficult, more international schools will likely pop up.