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Weigh Obamacare’s Pros, Cons for Medical Students
Tweet Share on Facebook December 3, 2012 CommentThe U.S. Supreme Court upheld the major portions of healthcare reform in a 5-4 decision in June 2012. Now that the U.S. elections have concluded—thus eliminating the possibility of a Romney government, and presumably meaning that so-called Obamacare is likelier to be here to stay—it's a good time to ask what the legislation means for medical education and for physicians' careers.
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Medical School Profile: Western University of Health Sciences
Tweet Share on Facebook November 5, 2012 CommentMany applicants debate whether to consider allopathic (M.D.) or osteopathic (D.O.) medical programs to pursue their careers in medicine. As it's important to make an informed decision about an academic path that will affect at least four years of your life—not to mention your pocketbook—we thought it would be helpful to profile a different type of medical school, since many premedical students may not be aware of this alternative path to a medical career.
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It’s Not Too Early for Medical Students to Think About Physician Burnout
Tweet Share on Facebook October 1, 2012 CommentIt's common knowledge that medical training is anything but a vacation, but many medical students enter the field believing that their hard work will make a difference in patients' lives. What they might not anticipate is something called physician burnout, which may be more prevalent than previously thought.
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A Review of Studies on Medical Residency Work Hour Changes
Tweet Share on Facebook September 10, 2012 CommentWe first visited the issue of changes in medical residents' work hours in 2011. Now that we have been able to fully examine the impact of these changes—both personally and professionally—on medical students and residents, we thought it was time to offer an update and to review some recent studies on the topic.
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Medical Students Should Consider Evidence-Based Medicine
Tweet Share on Facebook August 27, 2012 CommentPatients of all ages put a lot of faith in the medical community. When they're sick, they go to the doctor, and the doctor makes them feel better. However, patients frequently leave the doctor's office with little understanding of how or why their physician made a particular diagnosis.
Traditionally, doctors have made decisions regarding the best care for their patients based upon what their medical school and residency professors taught them. Often this has meant that the reasons for treating a patient a certain way were based upon information that had been passed down through several generations. But modern medicine has evolved—which is where something called evidence-based medicine comes in.
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Shake-ups in Medical Residency Training
Tweet Share on Facebook August 13, 2012 CommentThe upcoming academic year heralds quite a few changes in the residency application process and potential changes in program structures, at multiple levels, in the near future.
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Learn How to Balance Medical School and Extracurriculars
Tweet Share on Facebook July 30, 2012 CommentWhile medical school is extremely demanding, that doesn't mean students can't juggle school requirements with outside interests. Medical schools frequently offer opportunities to help out in free clinics in the community, or even travel overseas before starting clinical rotations. There are also opportunities for being involved in activities outside of medicine. Students should take advantage of the plethora of options available to them to expand their experiences beyond their medical school education.
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3 Tips for International Students Applying to U.S. Medical Schools
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2012 CommentIf you're an aspiring medical student hoping to attend a U.S. medical school and you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you have probably heard that it's extremely difficult for international students to be admitted to or pay for a U.S. medical school.
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What It Means to Be a ‘Disadvantaged’ M.D. Applicant
Tweet Share on Facebook July 2, 2012 CommentMany premedical students have encountered some form of hardship. So when medical school applicants see the category "Disadvantaged status" on the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), they may wonder what a disadvantaged status really means.
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Medical School Profile: USC Keck School of Medicine
Tweet Share on Facebook June 18, 2012 CommentSubmitting a successful medical school application isn't easy, but it can often be just as difficult to decide where to apply and where to attend once one has been accepted. Much of what is presented during medical school visits or interviews is, understandably, geared toward student recruitment, so many applicants often wonder what it's really like to attend a certain medical school.
This week, we're profiling the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. With teaching and clinical sites east of downtown Los Angeles and other parts of the city, Keck students get exposure to some of the most racially and socioeconomically diverse patient populations in the country.













