Blog Archives

Time to Take a Reading Break

I hope each of you has a moment of downtime over this holiday season. One of the ways I relax is with a good book. Here’s a piece I wrote for Student Doctor Network regarding great books for doctors in training.  

In addition to the list, I want to add another strong recommendation: Pulitzer Prize Finalist Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air. Get ready to cry your eyes out, while appreciating beautiful prose and insightful content. Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer when he was a senior neurosurgery resident at Stanford. He chronicles his short life in a book that’s hard to put down. 

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Scholarships for Prehealth Students

Student Doctor Network (SDN) just announced their 2026 scholarship for prehealth students who are committed to under-resourced communities as future professionals. SDN is awarding up to four $2500 grants; eligibility requirements include having graduated from high school in a medically underserved area or having received fee assistance; applying to medical, dental, pharmacy, or other doctoral health programs; and being a US citizen or permanent resident.

Here’s a link with more details regarding eligibility, timeline, and the application process.

Please note: Applicants demonstrating financial hardship through a current AAMC Fee Assistance Program grant may be considered for reduced rates for Insider services. Please contact me for more information. 

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Reading this Article Could Make You Wealthier than Working Long Hospital Shifts

Work smarter, not harder. Read this funny, informative Student Doctor Network article by CrispyDoc on financial literacy for the newly minted physician. Have little idea what an “alternative asset class” really means? Don’t know which is a bear- and which is a bull-market? This piece is for you. Learn that do-it-yourself investing is not that hard with the technological tools now at our finger tips and start saving so that you can gain financial independence early and avoid burnout.

Also, make sure to check out CrispyDoc’s awesome blog for tips on financial independence and finding your mojo in and out of medicine.

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Do-It-Yourself Exit Strategy: How I Stitched Together My Own Golden Parachute

Over a decade ago, I was seated in the emergency department with a colleague when I inquired about another one of our physician co-workers I’d not seen in a while. “Oh, she’s on the Mommy Track,” my colleague said and picked up another chart, without giving his words a second thought. To me, selecting a career path that sacrificed career advancement for more time to raise children was legitimate. My colleague’s pejorative “Mommy Track” made it clear that to him, it was not.

At that sad moment, I resolved to pursue a non-clinical supplement to my emergency department work, colloquially known as an “exit strategy.”

Read more on Student Doctor Network here

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Reading this Article Could Make You Wealthier than Working Long Hospital Shifts

Work smarter, not harder. Read this funny, informative Student Doctor Network article by Dr. David Presser on financial literacy for the newly minted physician. Have little idea what an “alternative asset class” really means? Don’t know which is a bear- and which is a bull-market? This piece is for you. Learn that do-it-yourself investing is not that hard with the technological tools now at our finger tips and start saving so that you can gain financial independence early and avoid burnout.

Also, make sure to check out CrispyDoc’s awesome blog for tips on financial independence and finding your mojo in and out of medicine.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

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

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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: