For many third-year medical students, this is a tough time of year. Preparing an ERAS application can be daunting, but it’s even worse if you do not know what specialty you want to practice. Here’s a short piece I wrote with my colleague David Presser MD MPH called “Choosing a Specialty: The Generalist vs. The Early Committer.” And recently, I read a complementary, but non-medical, New York Times article called “You Don’t Want a Child Prodigy” that seems like a good follow up to our piece.
Blog Archives
Medicine’s Diversity Problem
Here’s a recent article from Emergency Medicine News about Dr. Alden Landry who started the Tour for Diversity in Medicine, a project to encourage minority students to become health care providers.
It’s worth exploring the AAMC’s Practice Specialty by Race and Ethnicity table to better understand the lack of diversity in each and all medical fields.
Tags: Diversity, Medical Students
“Dude, Me Too!”
Here’s a great article for pre-meds and medical students alike on imposter syndrome by an assistant program director at Georgetown University. This is a great piece to read as you maneuver the medical education and medical admissions processes. You are not alone.
Tags: Georgetown, Medical Students, Pre Med
Getting into Medical School – Prove You Can Handle the Heat
Getting into medical school has gotten so competitive that it’s important to have a strong candidacy with excellent grades and robust extracurricular activities starting freshman year. There is no time to waste.
One mistake I see pre-meds make is that they are so focused on leadership and research that they forget a critical component – clinical experience. No one wants to hire a cook who hasn’t worked in the kitchen. If you want to prove that you want to be a doctor, it’s essential that you obtain clinical experience for a significant period of time – not just a health fair or two. Working as an EMT, in a good clinical care extender program, or in a low-income clinic are just some ideas for obtaining excellent clinical exposure.
To create a plan for your medical school candidacy, secure a Strategy Session with me here.
Online, Free Practice MCAT Questions
For those looking for MCAT practice, Varsity Tutors recently launched a suite of free practice tests, digital flashcards, and questions-of-the-day for standardized tests, including the MCAT. (Disclosure: I am an invited monthly guest blogger for Varsity Tutors, but I have no financial affiliation with them.) The site looks like an interesting addition to your armamentarium of study options.
Tags: Mcat, mcat practice, Medical Students
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
