Andrew

Author's details

Date registered: July 27, 2011

Latest posts

  1. Book Review. Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance — April 18, 2017
  2. How to Match into a Great Emergency Medicine Residency — July 13, 2015
  3. Why did you go into Emergency Medicine? — July 13, 2015
  4. Best Books and Resources for the Internal Medicine Rotation — July 13, 2015
  5. Best Books and Resources for the Family Medicine Rotation — July 13, 2015

Most commented posts

  1. Top 10 Most Disgusting Medical Conditions — 37 comments
  2. Radiology: “Don’t Choose Something You Hate” — 33 comments
  3. Goljan Audio Lectures and High Yield Notes — 27 comments
  4. Comparing the Best Human Anatomy Atlases — 20 comments
  5. Conversion Disorder vs Factitious Disorder vs Malingering — 13 comments

Author's posts listings

Hunter Optics Lectures and Last Minute Optics

Categories:

Ophthalmology

May 4, 2015

by

David Hunter md phd

If you are a current or future ophthalmology resident, you should become familiar with the lectures produced by Dr. David Hunter MD PhD. He is the Chief of Ophthalmology at Boston Children's Hospital and has produced four, one-hour lectures that are incredibly high yield. I heard about these lectures before I took the OKAPs in-service exam during my first year of ophthalmology residency and I haven't looked back. Optics was, by far, my best score on the OKAPs my first year and I credit Dr. Hunter's lectures for the success. 

You can find all of his lectures on video, for free, on the Boston Children's Hospital website (link).  He has specifically said that he would love for everyone to have these lectures for free. Therefore, I will link to each of his lectures below. I have found that the above link occasionally does not work (usually in early March of every year, because we are all downloading from it). If you have issues, let me know and I can send you the files from my computer.

I really like the video lectures, however he has also published a book with the same content. Most of the residents in my program actually prefer the book because they feel like they can get through it faster and things are more clear when they read the book.  Whether you use his lectures or his book, the content is the same and it is fantastic. Take a few hours before the OKAPs to really learn this stuff, it will pay off in the long run.

 

   LINKS TO LECTURE VIDEOS

 

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Top Ten Books for Surgical Interns

Categories:

General Surgery, General Surgery Rotation

May 4, 2015

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This list is part of a series of articles about the best books for medical students. Click on the Med School Books Main Page to see other lists including the best books for each year in medical school, the best books for each clinical rotation, and the best books for USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3.

The surgical internship is unique in that you will care for the full spectrum of patients: acute surgical patients, post-operative patients, patients with chronic illness, and very sick patient in the ICU. The surgical intern is truly a "Jack-of-all-trades" physician and must be able to reconcile huge med lists, manage diabetes, identify an acute abdomen, and take care of acute electrolyte changes in the ICU.

These are tall orders for a newly minted doctor. And don't forget, after 7am you will likely be the only one on the floor while the rest of your team heads to the operating room. Having the right books is one easy way to calm some of the inevitable anxiety. After much discussion with interns and residents at my last two hospitals, I have compiled the following Top Ten Books for Surgical Interns. These books are also great resources for preliminary surgery residents, or other surgical supspecialistis completing a general surgical internship. Most of the general surgery residents I spoke to agree that this list remains the same into their entire residency. Good Luck!

  • Updated May 2015

1. The Mont Reid Surgical Handbook:

The Mont Reid Handbook is a great reference tool to keep in your pocket or on your phone. It was written by a group of surgical residents and is very high yield. It will cover the majority of issues you run into while managing the floors during a surgical internship. It is also great for reviewing for OR cases…if you get to see any during your first year.

2. Surgery On Call:

Surgery On Call is another great pocket reference. The goal of this book, however, is more in the initial evaluation and treatment of surgical patients. The quick-reference format is great for a quick consultation. Some interns also suggest Surgical Recall , which has a similar format but is geared more towards 3rd and 4th year medical students. 

3. A Textbook: Cameron, Current Surgical Therapy:

Every surgery resident, even surgical interns, will benefit from a great surgery text. Many of you will be provided a text at the start of residency, so ask your department before investing hundreds in one of these books. Cameron's Current Surgical Therapy is the highest rated by surgical residents. However, there are other great options. Greenfield's Surgery is well-regarded and cheaper than Cameron's. There are also many people who swear by the Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 

4. Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopedia:

While we all have access to online pharmaceutical indexes during residency, I agree with most interns and residents that a pocket manual like this great Tarascon book is far faster and more reliable than most online resources.

5. The ICU Book:

You really should get an ICU book. You can get through your first month as an intern in the SICU or MICU without one of these books, but they make your life so much easier that it is just not worth it. Even if you just read through it a few weeks before starting in the ICU, the information will be fresh on your mind and will help you a lot. This is the ICU book I used, it addresses both medical and surgical intensive care issues. Many residents also like The Little ICU Book. 

6. The Washington Manual Internship Survival Guide:

This is a lesser-known internship manual written by the same people who developed the highly rated medication reference, The Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics. Not as well known as the Mont Reid manual, this is a book from a similar mold with a small but vocal cult-following.  

7. Zollinger Atlas of Surgical Operations:

A surgical atlas is the best way to learn the anatomy and prepare for pimping in the OR. A great surgical atlas will become one of your most important references during residency. If you are a general surgery resident, Zollinger's is the go-to atlas for most residents. 

8. Operative Dictations in General Surgery:

Dictating operative notes is a necessary evil. It has to be done, and it has to be done well for documentation purposes. As the low man on the totem pole, the job of dictation will fall on you. This is a highly recommended book to help interns and residents early in their career. I have a number of procedure note templates available on this website.

9. The ABSITE Review (FISER):

Many surgical interns will complete residencies in specialties other than general surgery. For those of you moving on the general surgery after your internship, you should start studying for your ABSITE early. I know you are incredibly busy in the hospital, but when you have a minute you should keep an ABSITE review book and/or question book handy. The Fiser review comes highly recommended. Another book that many residents recommend is ABSITE Slayer.

10. Old-School and Out-of-Print:

After discussing books for surgical internship and residency with many people, there were two books that were mentioned many times but are no longer in print: The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Surgical Patient Management and The Surgical Intern Pocket Survival Guide . These two books come as high or more highly recommended than every other book on this list. Some residents say these were the most used books in their white coats. Unfortunately, you can no longer buy either of them new, but there are many used options.  

 
 
 

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Video: Empathy as a Physician

Categories:

Pre-Med, Preclinical Years, weBlog

March 30, 2013

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Studying your brains out for USMLE Step 1? Are you trying to keep your head above water on your surgery rotation? Are you an intern and can't remember why you ever chose medical school in the first place?

You need to watch this video put out by the Cleveland Clinic. It will help you remember.

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Which Residents Work the Hardest?

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Dermatology, General Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery

February 12, 2013

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No one will ever agree on which residency is the hardest, or which residents work the most. However, with some new data from the FREIDA website, we get a better idea than ever before.  (For more information about the FREIDA website, read my previous article) FREIDA reports diverse variables about each specialty including the average of numbers worked per week, the average number of days off per week, and the average vacation time of each specialty.  I have compiled these into one database so that for THE FIRST TIME EVER you can compare objectively which residencies work the hardest.  (Well, at least you can compare which work the longest).

The first figure demonstrates the average number of hours worked by each specialty. As expected, the surgical sub-specialties work the longest hours with neurosurgery leading the pack and general surgery following closely in second.  Of the medical specialties, suprisingly, neurology works the most hours, with pediatrics and internal medicine following close behind. And at the bottom of the list… you guessed it, Dermatology. I wish I loved skin!

The results of the average number of days off per week and the average vacation time during residency follows closely with the trend seen in the graph above. For your viewing pleasure I have the entire compiled dataset posted below.  

 

 

 

 

 

Hours worked per week

Days off per week

Vacation weeks per year

Dermatology

45.0

1.9

3.3

Nuclear Medicine

47.4

1.8

3.5

Medical Genetics

48.2

1.7

3.4

Radiation Oncology

50.0

1.9

3.4

Pathology

51.4

1.8

3.3

Ophthalmology

51.8

1.6

3.3

Radiology

51.8

1.7

3.5

PM&R

54.2

1.6

3.4

Psychiatry

55.7

1.5

3.3

Emergency Medicine

56.6

1.6

3.3

Transitional Year

60.5

1.3

3.1

Colon and Rectal Surgery

61.3

1.4

3.3

Anesthesiology

61.5

1.6

3.4

Family Medicine

62.8

1.3

3.1

Internal Medicine

63.7

1.2

3.4

Pediatrics

64.2

1.3

3.4

Neurology

64.6

1.3

3.4

Urology

66.0

1.3

3.4

Otolaryngology

67.7

1.2

3.1

Orthopaedic Surgery

69.6

1.3

3.1

Obstetrics and Gynecology

70.8

1.3

3.2

Plastic Surgery

71.2

1.2

3.0

Vascular Surgery

72.0

1.2

3.1

Thoracic Surgery

73.0

1.1

3.2

General Surgery

75.1

1.1

3.1

Neurological Surgery

75.6

1.2

3.1

 

 

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Video: Outside Hospital

Categories:

Humor

January 6, 2013

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Check out this hilarious video about Outside Hospital (a.k.a OSH)

 

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Best Books for Anatomy Class

Categories:

Preclinical Years, General, Anatomy

December 31, 2012

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This list is part of a series of articles about the best books for medical students. Click on the Med School Books Main Page to see other lists including the best books for each year in medical school, the best books for each clinical rotation, and the best books for USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3.

This list of books was specifically created to help medical students. However, I would suggest the same books to anyone taking an undergraduate course in anatomy, to dental students, optometry students, podiatry students, physicians assistant students, advanced nursing students, etc. etc.  When you are studying anatomy there are a few things you have to focus on: 1- Learning the name and location of the structures, 2- learning to identify the important anatomic relationships in the body, and 3- learning the clinical correlations related to the important relationships. Your tests will focus on each of these areas, so you must focus on them as well.

  • Updated April 2015

1. An Atlas:

Your first goal when starting your anatomy class will be to find the atlas that will help you learn. I created a separate list of the best available anatomy atlases a few months ago.  I am partial to Netter's because I like bright colors, but each atlas has its own advantages and disadvantages. Below are a few links to the best known atlases.

Grant’s Atlas of Anatomy

Gray's Anatomy

Clemente’s Anatomy

Rohen’s Color Atlas of Anatomy

2. An Anatomy Textbook:

An atlas is essential for learning WHERE anatomy is, but you must also learn WHY anatomy relationships are important; you will be tested on both paradigms. An anatomy textbook will teach you the pertinent anatomical/clinical relationships. I prefer Clinically Oriented Anatomy because it is brief and very high yield.  I have also heard good things about Saladin Anatomy and Physiology.

3. A Dissector:

A 'dissector' is a manual that will guide you through dissection in the anatomy lab. Your class will likely suggest a specific book for the lab itself. Let me also recommend purchasing an extra copy from which to study. Grant's Dissector works just fine. You will want to know all the important structures that you dissected, but you will NOT want to study out of your anatomy lab book! Gross.

4. Flashcards:

To do well in an anatomy class you do not need to think, you only need to memorize. Flashcards are a must. Use them on the bus, trains, waiting in line, brushing your teeth, etc. Don't waste time making your own, you can buy a used box of beautiful flashcards for around $15.  Again, my favorite are the Netter's Anatomy Flash Cards, they are bright and color coated for easy memorization.

As an aside, I have heard of a few people using 'coloring books' to study for anatomy. This actually sounds intriguing to me and I wish I heard about it earlier. Many companies make these books, here is a link to Netter's Anatomy Coloring Book .

5. Anatomy Review Book:

I have raved about the BRS Series of review books before and I will again. The BRS Gross Anatomy review is concise (albeit 500 pages) and high yield review of everything to do with anatomy and its clinical correlations.  The best book for high yield review, however, is likely the First Aid for the Basic Sciences, General Principles. This will include review of many other subjects, but it is very high yield and a fantastic resource. 

6. Other Books:

Depending on the course structure, you may also be required to learn embryology and histology during your anatomy class. If so, let me suggest Langman's Medical Embryology and Ross Histology Text .

 
 
GOOD LUCK!
 
 

 

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FREIDA: Also a Great Resource to Compare Specialties

Categories:

Choosing a Specialty, Specialties, The Match

December 31, 2012

by

FREIDA Online is a fantastic resource for any medical student. I recently wrote about how students can compare individual residency programs using FREIDA's various different variables.  The database is not limited to comparing individual training programs; it also allows students to compare different specialties.  

The "Specialty Training Statistics" section provides basic statistics about training in each specialty. Variables presented for each specialty include:

  1. Number of residency programs in the US
  2. Length of training programs
  3. Average number of interviews performed by each residency program
  4. Total number of residents
  5. Gender Gap for each specialty
  6. Average number of faculty per resident
  7. Average number of work hours per week for each specialty
  8. Average number of days off per week  (THESE LAST TWO ARE VERY IMPORTANT!  COMPARE SPECIALTIES!)

LINK HERE

 

The "Graduate Career Plans" section of FREIDA provides information about the careers plans of each of the medical specialties.  Variables presented for each specialty include:

  1. Percentage of residency graduates pursuing further training
  2. Percentage of last year's graduates who are in private practice
  3. Percentage of last year's graduates who are employed in academic settings
  4. Percentage in the military
  5. Percentage employed as basic scientists
  6. Percentage who are unemployed

In each case, the statistics are taken from the most recent graduating class and the database is updated each year. 

LINK HERE

 

Read these data carefully.  I found that the "Hours Per Week" section was very useful and very realistic!

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Now with Metoprolol

Categories:

Humor, weBlog

November 16, 2012

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Having a hefty six-figure debt hanging over my head, a family at home, and a resident salary to manage it all, I often find myself pinching pennies.  I recently discovered Ramen noodles in ready to eat cups for about $0.28 a cup!  This has changed my residency….where else can you get a lunch that  1- is hot, 2- costs $0.28, 3- is ready to go at any time, 4- is able to sit in my locker for months without spoiling, 5- does not require a Tupperware?  

There are only 1300 problems with this plan….and each one is a mg of sodium. Will one of you please invent Ramen with added beta-blocker!  You would save my life!

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Beaten down….and loving it

Categories:

weBlog

October 31, 2012

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My life since July 1 (the stress): Still trying to find time to read, drinking from a fire hose, late nights, early mornings, add on cases late at night, busy call, lectures all the time, research deadlines, poster printing, knowing nothing, different expectations for each attending, trying to find time to study, googling in patient exam rooms because I have never heard of their disease before, falling asleep at the microscope in the OR, trying to get home before my kids go to sleep every single day, failing to get home before my kids go to sleep many days, working my tail off to find time to get one post a month done on shortwhitecoats!

My life since July 1 (the amazing): Waking up chomping at the bit to get to work and learn more, the most incredible surgeries in the world, patients who can’t stop talking about how much you’ve changed their lives, blind to 20/20 in days, seeing the retina….all of it, working with incredible faculty who change the way I will think…forever, grand rounds that blow me away, watching individual RBCs moving through vessels at the microscope, an unexpected and awkward hug from a patient, stopping dead in my tracks once a week and thinking ‘this is so freaking cool!”, going in at 6am leaving at 9pm and not wanting to trade it for anything else.

Student doctors, take advantage of the time you have to make movies like this one. But with each hour of disappearing free time, your career will become that much more incredible.

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FREIDA: A Great Resource when Applying to Residency

Categories:

Fourth Year, Residency, The Match

October 31, 2012

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Applying to residency is equally exciting as it is stressful. I found myself searching for any information I could find about different programs and what made each program different.  During my hours of searching I found that the AMA’s site, FREIDA ONLINE, was one of the most useful resources.FREIDA is an online database of all ACGME regulated residency and fellowship training programs.  The FREIDA database is searchable by specialty or by state.  The amount of information available for each program is truly staggering, here is just a short list of some of the information you can find out about each training program:

 

  • Program director name and contact information
  • Length of the program
  • Institution and hospital affiliations
  • Size of the residency
  • Number of applicants interviewed
  • Number of faculty
  • Average work hours
  • Weeks of call per year
  • Amount of didactic lecture
  • Salary information
  • Vacation weeks
  • Benefits information

Now that I know the inner workings of my residency, I looked back at the FREIDA profile to see if the information is correct, and I can vouch for the database, it is spot on.  They provide an analysis of the averages of many of those statistics for each specialty. So, you can compare the ‘hours worked in a week’ of a program you are interested in with the national average. Click here to access the ‘training statistics’.

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