It's time (okay - not to freak you out - but actually late) to start working on your medical school personal statement. Check out this under-one-minute Guru on the Go© video on an important misstep to avoid when crafting your essay.
Insights, Ideas, News From Insider Medical Admissions
Monday, May 28, 2018
Monday, May 21, 2018
The AMCAS Most Meaningful Paragraphs: Three Mistakes to Avoid
In 2012, seemingly out of blue, a significant, new addition appeared on the AMCAS. Applicants were being asked to identify their most significant extracurricular experiences (up to three) and support their choices with more writing:
This is your opportunity to summarize why you have selected this experience as one of your most meaningful. In your remarks, you might consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the experience and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation. 1325 max characters.
Now the "Most Meaningful" paragraphs are par for the course, but applicants routinely make a few avoidable errors in crafting them:
1) Don't merge the descriptors with the Most Meaningful paragraphs because they are separate sections: You can complete descriptors for up to 15 activities with up to 700 characters each, plus up to three most meaningful paragraphs of up to 1325 characters each. The fact that these are two different tasks might seem obvious, but every year, I get AMCAS drafts to edit that include this error.
2) Do not use patient anecdotes in your Most Meaningful paragraphs: Most medical school applicants have patient vignettes to share, which means that a patient story does not distinguish an applicant from the masses of other candidates. Also, these patient stories can sound trite or even condescending.
3) Don't repeat what you have written in your descriptor. The Most Meaningful is an opportunity to delve deeper into your achievement. Let's say you are showcasing your experience as a biochemistry teaching assistant. In the Most Meaningful paragraph, give concrete examples of what you taught, to whom, how often, using what techniques. If you were promoted to head TA or asked to come back the next semester, showcase teaching achievements that propelled you to get the position. Did you get excellent teaching reviews from students? Did you offer an unconventional way of learning the difficult material? If so, what was it? By delving deeper, you can truly demonstrate the "transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the experience and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation."
The Most Meaningful paragraphs are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your distinctiveness and worthiness for medical school. Don't waste this chance to further your candidacy.
This is your opportunity to summarize why you have selected this experience as one of your most meaningful. In your remarks, you might consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the experience and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation. 1325 max characters.
Now the "Most Meaningful" paragraphs are par for the course, but applicants routinely make a few avoidable errors in crafting them:
1) Don't merge the descriptors with the Most Meaningful paragraphs because they are separate sections: You can complete descriptors for up to 15 activities with up to 700 characters each, plus up to three most meaningful paragraphs of up to 1325 characters each. The fact that these are two different tasks might seem obvious, but every year, I get AMCAS drafts to edit that include this error.
2) Do not use patient anecdotes in your Most Meaningful paragraphs: Most medical school applicants have patient vignettes to share, which means that a patient story does not distinguish an applicant from the masses of other candidates. Also, these patient stories can sound trite or even condescending.
3) Don't repeat what you have written in your descriptor. The Most Meaningful is an opportunity to delve deeper into your achievement. Let's say you are showcasing your experience as a biochemistry teaching assistant. In the Most Meaningful paragraph, give concrete examples of what you taught, to whom, how often, using what techniques. If you were promoted to head TA or asked to come back the next semester, showcase teaching achievements that propelled you to get the position. Did you get excellent teaching reviews from students? Did you offer an unconventional way of learning the difficult material? If so, what was it? By delving deeper, you can truly demonstrate the "transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the experience and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation."
The Most Meaningful paragraphs are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your distinctiveness and worthiness for medical school. Don't waste this chance to further your candidacy.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Physician Burnout Report 2018
Medscape has published its 2018 Physician Burnout Report. (You may have to sign in to view.) Congratulations to my field of emergency medicine for moving down from #1 on the list of burnout specialties a few years back to #6 this year. (The rate of burnout was a scary 45% for emergency physicians. To find out why, check out this piece.) Among all physician respondents, 42% reported burnout.
The lowest rates of burnout were found in plastic surgeons (23%), dermatologists (32%) and pathologists (32%). Medscape attributes this fact to these specialists' decreased likelihood of working under emergent conditions. (The highest burnout was among critical care doctors at 48%.)
A higher level of burnout was reported in female physicians (48%) compared to male (38%).
In a different approach to the question, those specialists who reported they were very to extremely happy at work were ophthalmologists (37%), orthopedists (35%), and plastic surgeons (35%).
Monday, May 7, 2018
Paralympic-Medalist Physician Asks to be Recognized for her Tremendous Abilities, Not her Wheelchair
Check out this well-written New York Times piece by Dr. Cheri Blauwet, an American wheelchair racer (Paralympic and Olympic medal winner) and physician in PM&R. I'm sure Dr. Blauwet's assertions are true about bias among patients, colleagues, and admissions officers: In my career, I've met very few doctor colleagues with overt physical disabilities.
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