Research Basics: Should I Get Involved and How Do I Start?

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research basics

The year is 1921. A medical student toils away at a dimly lit lab bench deep in the bowels of the University of Toronto. His intense concentration does not waver even as a bead of sweat begins to slip from his brow, splattering onto the chemical-stained surface below. Charles Best lets out a sigh of relief, unclenching the shoulders he had tightened while manipulating miniscule fragments of pancreatic tissue under the microscope.

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Are physicians hopeless in the face of the obesity epidemic?

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Obesity may not be hopeless, but it is very difficult for physicians and sufferers

Listener Hannah wrote in after shadowing physicians, noting that many of the morbidly obese patients she observed resisted their doctors’ advice to lose weight. Is there any hope that doctors can treat this intractable illness when patients don’t “want” to do the work? Aline Sandouk, Claire Casteneda, Kylie Miller, and newbie Ali Hassan offer their views and what they’ve learned so far about treating this difficult disease.

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The Flame-Broiled Doctor: Book Review

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Flame-Broiled Doc

Physician burnout is something of a hot topic nowadays. I say that not to belittle it—it is a major problem that needs to be discussed—but rather to make the point that it sometimes seems that the conversation is so broad and spans so much that there is nothing new to add to it. It can be difficult, among all of the thinkpieces, podcasts, and blog posts, to find anything about physician burnout that hasn’t already been said before. I am happy to report that Franklin Warsh’s The Flame-Broiled Doctor brings to the table a fresh perspective that adds nuance to this timely topic.

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Opportunities in Primary Care

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surgical specialties

Medical students are bombarded with decisions regarding what they want to do with their lives, from choice of specialty to options within the field itself. Quite a few medical schools these days push for students to pursue primary care specialties. These include family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine and (sometimes) psychiatry. There are many incentives offered for students to pursue these in-demand fields: scholarships, loan repayment options, etc. Below are a few opportunities for medical students who are set on primary care fields.

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What’s causing this patient’s spontaneous laughter?

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A four-year-old girl is referred to a pediatric neurologist with new-onset generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Her father mentions that she has also had sudden episodes of spontaneous unexplained loud laughter for the past year, and they now occur almost daily. Neurological examination is unremarkable. An MRI reveals the findings seen here. Which of the following other clinical features is commonly associated with this patient’s condition?

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Free Resources Every Aspiring Doctor Should Read

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free premed resources

As you make the decision to pursue a career in medicine, you may wonder, “Where do I even start?” It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the process, but there are a lot of resources out there designed to help you. No matter what stage you’re in, below you will find free resources, information, and tools that you can take advantage of throughout the process to guide you as you navigate your medical journey.

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Should I Retake the MCAT?

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retake the MCAT

Believe it or not, it is not uncommon to take the MCAT twice. Though sitting for seven hours and thirty minutes more than once is not anyone’s idea of fun, scheduling a second test can be the best option if your target MCAT score is not reflected in your actual score report.

If your current score does not meet your expectations, you may be wondering if another test day is the right choice for you. Should you apply with the lower score, or should you study again? Is it worth the delay, cost, and effort to re-test? While you should consider your individual case with the guidance of an academic advisor, these guidelines can help you decide whether to schedule another test.

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What It Means to Love Being a Doctor

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love being a doctor

I stood and watched off to the side as the cart wheeled in through the wide double doors into Operation Room 1. It was my first day of shadowing a pediatric neurosurgeon, and so as I waited for the doctor to enter the room, I tapped my feet to the rhythm of an invisible beat and wrung my hands behind my back. A young boy with short-cropped brown hair lay propped against the pillows, his back straightening as he entered the room. He was young—he couldn’t have been older than 2 or 3—and he looked around with a gleam in his wide blue eyes. Clutching the edges of his blanket, he looked about the white room. He looked at me for an instant, just a second, just as long as he did for all the others in the room, and he tilted his head. So had I, I realized, as I straightened mine.

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Are You Ready for Commitment? When and How to Write a Letter of Intent

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letter of intent

So you are nearing the end of your application season. You have spent years completing prerequisite courses, engaging in thoughtful and philanthropic extracurricular pursuits, preparing for the MCAT, and of course submitting primaries, secondaries and interviewing at your desired medical schools. Maybe you have multiple letters of acceptance in hand; maybe you have not yet received your fat envelope. But there is one school that has stolen your heart. And unfortunately, your love might be unrequited.

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What substance is associated with this presentation?

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A 45-year-old female presents with painful lesions on her lower limbs and ears. She is a smoker, and has a history of recreational drug use. Purpuric, necrotic lesions are noted on both lower extremities, in addition to tender purpura on both ears. A biopsy is performed which demonstrates leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Use of which substance is most likely to be associated with this presentation?

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