Contributing Writer Emeritus
Temple University School of Medicine
I am a Class of 2015 medical student at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. I was born and raised in Queens, NY, and completed my bachelor of arts in Biology at Binghamton University in 2011. I am eagerly awaiting my match results in Emergency Medicine and hope to be in a hospital near you soon.
What were you doing on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, at 9 p.m. EST? Were you taking a bath? Were you having a meal? Most people were probably watching their favorite television show, having quality time with their families or reflecting on the day’s happenings. However, about 20,000 medical students and medical graduates in the United States collectively held their breath at 9 p.m. EST.
How can doctors-in-training help each other remember what an honor it is to be a doctor? Joseph, a fourth-year medical student at Rush Medical College who hopes to enter a pediatric residency with a public policy focus and to pursue a hematology-oncology fellowship, shares his reflections after attending this year’s Gold Humanism Honor Society Biennial National Conference in Atlanta. He discusses changes that can be made to bring humanism to the fore in medical practice, …
Recent fourth-year matcher Ben Monson of University of Nebraska Medical Center graces us with his wise words on finding success and happiness in medical school and beyond. 1. Tell us about yourself: Where are you from? What is your undergraduate degree and where did you receive it? Did you do anything between undergraduate and medical school? Ben Monson: My name is Ben Monson and I’m from Papillion, Nebraska. I completed my undergraduate education at Iowa State …
Medical school has been weird. I learned things about myself that I didn’t like and I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by things that I thought I would never like. As a fourth-year student, your focus and energy are consumed with thoughts revolving around future residency: the labor intensive training that follows four long years of medical school. What no one tells you is that you will question your commitment to medicine on more than one …
Recent fourth-year matcher Margaret Schellen of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE tells us what she believes to be crucial to success in medical school and beyond. 1. Tell us about yourself: Where are you from? What is your undergraduate degree and where did you receive it? Did you do anything between undergraduate and medical school? Margaret Schellen: I am from Waterloo, NE. I received my bachelor’s degree from University of Nebraska-Omaha in biotechnology. …
Recent fourth-year matcher Samantha Balass out of McGill University School of Medicine gives us her wise words on succeeding in medical school and beyond. 1. Tell us about yourself: Where are you from? What is your undergraduate degree and where did you receive it? Did you do anything between undergraduate and medical school? Samantha Balass: I was born in Montreal. I did my undergraduate degree in physiology at McGill. I got into medical school right after …
This year, the Match list was due Feb. 26 and thousands of fourth year medical students found out their fate on Match Day, Match 17, 2014. It’s an exciting time for everyone in medical school, even for MS-I’s, MS-II’s, and MS-III’s. Everybody wants to know who matched and where. The next thought that comes to a medical student’s mind is inevitably: “What residency will I apply to, and how will I make sure that I match?” For more competitive residencies, getting a spot necessitates a different set of rules. Here are some ideas I want to share.
Path to Medical School Sasha Yakhkind: What brought you to medicine? Dr. Jennifer M. Joe, MD: I was born and raised in a tiny town in Mississippi, called Canton. There was one stop light and one grocery store, called Piggly Wiggly. As a little young Chinese girl, this was overall a frightening experience, where the private schools had not integrated yet, and Morgan Freeman was once advised he could not play golf at the country club when he …
Kunal Sualy, a recent fourth-year matcher out of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE, gives us his expert advice on succeeding in medical school and beyond. 1. Tell us about yourself: Where are you from? What is your undergraduate degree and where did you receive it? Did you do anything between undergraduate and medical school? Kunal Sualy: I am from Omaha, NE. I went to Creighton University, and got an undergraduate degree in …
How can doctors-in-training not let beautiful moments with patients get buried beneath the challenges and monotony often experienced during medical school? Lisa, a fourth-year medical student about to join the University of Chicago NorthShore family medicine residency, recounts her favorite rotation on which she experienced the magic of delivering babies. She also reflects on what it means to not just be a good medical student, but a good physician.
Editor’s note: A letter of advice from recent fourth-year matcher (and in-Training writer) Kerri Vincenti of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences on surviving, succeeding and maintaining sanity in medical school. I’ve been attending the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences for the past four years. I was born and raised on Long Island and attended undergrad at the University of Delaware, co-majoring in marketing and management. I graduated college …
Dear (future) self, I imagine that you’re busy right now. Like really busy. Like the coffee-driven, adrenaline-fueled, sleep-deprived kind of busy that you experienced to a lesser degree in medical school except now you’re actually expected to care for patients. Of course, by “care for patients,” I mean “avoid doing dumb things to patients.” A terrifying thought, the burden of patient care, but I’m sure you’re learning and becoming more confident by the day. Why, …
Contributing Writer Emeritus
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Lindsay is a member of the Class of 2015 at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is originally from Colorado Springs and earned a BA in chemistry from Bowdoin College. She plans on pursuing a career in psychiatry.
