Doctor’s Orders

Doctor’s Orders is our section for residents and physicians to give wisdom and advice to medical students.

Arianna Yanes, MD (2 Posts)

Resident Physician Guest Writer

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Arianna Yanes is a PGY-2 dermatology resident at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2015, she graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She completed medical school at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2019.




Couples Matching for the Uncommitted

Published by Arianna Yanes, MD

After four years of intensive studying, two years with long hours in the hospital and three years of dating, we made the decision to apply to dermatology and plastic surgery. Recognizing the competitive nature of both of these fields, we quickly realized that matching together may not be feasible. We wanted to take each other into account in the process without either one of us making a large sacrifice in the quality of our training program to be together. Open communication and transparency were critical for us throughout the process. 

5 Ways to Thrive in Your Medical Training

Published by Gary Shlifer, DO

Dr. Gary Shlifer, DO recently completed his residency training in internal medicine at Indiana University in Indianapolis, IN after attending medical school at Midwestern University (AZCOM) in Glendale, AZ. He is currently an Attending Physician in Los Angeles, CA where he grew up and attended UCLA for his undergraduate studies. He is passionate about sharing his experiences from his medical training and giving a voice to young physicians everywhere. Gary is also a regular contributor with Docs of Tomorrow.

How We Should Treat Failure, by Matthew Bloom, DO

Published by Matthew Bloom, DO

How we respond to failure says a lot about who we are. In business, failure is often seen as a good thing. World-famous motivation speaker Tony Robbins likes to say, “You’re either winning, or learning.” He replaces the word losing with learning. We learn from our mistakes when we fail. Failing allows us to move forward in life, to grow into something better. Why is failure treated so differently in medicine?

Applying to Residency is Overwhelming, Let’s Start with the Basics, by Sagar Patel, MD

Published by Sagar Patel, MD

You’re almost through with med school—the exams, the lectures, the rotations—but here’s where things get really real. Now it’s time to apply for residency. Don’t take your foot off the gas pedal yet, though. Residency applications are just as nuanced as medical school applications. They require plenty of preparation and attention to detail to ensure you have a successful match. A key difference, however, is that applicants and residencies are both trying to find an appropriate fit with each other.

Entrepreneurship in Medical School, by Stuart Maitland, MBBS, MSc

Published by Stuart Maitland, MB, BS, MSc

How do you define an entrepreneur? You might have visions of bleary-eyed university students hunched over laptops in the dark, coding the next Facebook or of businesspeople starting a new chain of restaurants. As an entrepreneur, the only definition I’ve been able to relate to comes from Eric Ries, writer of Lean Startup: “someone who creates a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.”

Stuart Maitland, MB, BS, MSc Stuart Maitland, MB, BS, MSc (1 Posts)

Physician Guest Writer

Newcastle University

Academic Foundation Doctor in Newcastle, UK. Research into self-learning networks, and networks of self-learners. Founder of Mediwikis, a medical revision community.