How to Find the Best Family Medicine Residency

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Written By: Jessica George

If you are studying for a career in family medicine, one of your most important experiences will be your family medicine residency. Because of this, it is important that you choose the best program for you.

Choosing the Best Family Medicine Residency

To begin, make a list of things you want to look for in a family medicine residency program Baltimore. These may include things like location, types of programs offered, how many people you will be working with, how much hands-on experience you will get, etc.

Once you have made your list, begin searching for residency programs. As you do, compare each of the programs to your list to ensure that they meet your criteria. To search for programs, you may have a variety of options. If you have friends or family in the medical field, you may ask them for recommendations on where to apply. Otherwise, there is a wealth of information online that you can use to aid your search.

Apply to those that have made the cut based on your own standards. However, keep in mind that these programs are extremely selective, so be sure to apply to several and do not become discouraged if you are not accepted right away or to many of them. Just keep trying if you have to!

As you begin getting interviews, do plenty of background research on the hospital you will be talking to. This will help you to better understand what to expect, as well as provide you with good questions to ask during your interview.

If you get through an interview but don’t think you would feel comfortable working there, do not feel obligated to accept should they offer you a spot in the program. The key is to feel comfortable so that you can learn and thrive every day, rather than being nervous and skeptical all the time.

Getting accepted to the residency program of your dreams can be quite a challenge, so make sure you work as hard as you can to get there. If you are just beginning your search for a family medicine residency program Baltimore, then you may want to check out http://www.medstarhealth.org/.

 

 

 

Who Should Apply for a Cardiology Fellowship?

 

who-should-apply-for-a-cardiology-fellowshipWritten By: Allison Zahorcak

Are you a medical student interested in matters of the heart?  A cardiology fellowship may just tickle your fancy.  Much like other training programs, a cardiology fellowship DC prepares medical students for a targeted career.  In this case: to become a doctor of the heart.  These programs typically last about three years but can easily be extended if a student wishes to extend their training or dive deeper into their study. Depending on your career goals, you may decide that the initial fellowship is more than enough for your goal of working in a family practice.  On the other hand, if your goals include open heart surgery you may want to take this fellowship down the road to the operating table.

Don’t worry about making a decision right away, you’ll have plenty of time to define your path during the course of your cardiology fellowship DC. Cardiologists often lead fulfilling careers that are marked by a large influx of patients.  It’s no secret that heart disease and cardiovascular diseases are a huge problem in America.  With nearly half the population at risk for some type of heart disease, cardiologists play a vital part in the prevention process.  More importantly, they keep the organ that started it all safe: the heart.

What to Expect During a Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Georgetown

Unlike many other residency programs and extended training programs, it’s typically much harder to be selected for a cardiology fellowship Washington DC than other programs.  This is due to the fact that most programs are only accepted 2-3 fellows every year.  Some may even take one at a time.  So you can expect your training to be rigorous but extremely valuable.  In addition to shadowing the fellow you’re training under, you’ll be given a wealth of experience in diagnosis, prevention, and treatment that extends from patient intake to minimally invasive procedures in your practice.  Though the road ahead will certainly be long, you can rest assured knowing that the work will be well worth the reward.

To learn more about the training in a cardiology fellowship Washington DC, visit: http://www.medstarhealth.org/.

 

What Do You Learn During a General Surgery Residency?

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Written By: Allison Zahorcak

A general surgery residency is an extensive training program for aspiring surgeons that walks them throughout a variety lessons from scientific lectures to clinical trials and medical conferences. Typically, the process takes about 5 years but can easily extend into a longer program is the student wishes to sub-specialize or continue their training for a particular career path. In order to be prepared for the operating room, students are expected to learn a wide range of medical training that will help them deal with trauma situations and other delicate surgery procedures such as burn and critical condition patients.  As a general surgeon can find a career in emergency medicine or an outpatient center, it’s important that every student is able to manage a wide variety of surgery situations in order to provide the best care top patients possible.

In order to teach the wide variety of skills needed to operate on the human body, residents are put throughout a series of rotations that educate them deeply on:

  • Breast Surgery
  • Burn Surgery
  • Colorectal Surgery
  • Emergency General Surgery
  • Endocrine Surgery
  • Hepatobiliary Surgery
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Plastic Surgery
  • Surgical Critical Care
  • Surgical Oncology
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Transplant Surgery
  • Trauma Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery/Vascular Access

Similarly, training surgeons can subspecialize in any of the above areas and fine tune their career accordingly.  That being said, it’s easy to see why the career paths available to those who complete a general surgery residency Georgetown.

What is Life Like During a General Surgery Residency Georgetown?

When you entered medical school, you knew that the path ahead would be long and tiresome but well worth the work!  The same can be said for a general surgery residency Washington DC.  ‘Busy’ will always be an understatement in your book.  Over the course of 5 years, you’ll have days that define you for the rest of your career and days you wish you could forget.  As a surgeon, you are closer to the act of ‘saving a life’ than other doctors who are working with patients to diagnose and assign preventative care.  To learn more about life as a medical student in Georgetown or to view your local general surgery residency Washington DC, visit: http://www.medstarhealth.org/.

 

 

 

 

Preparing for an Emergency Medicine Residency

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Written By: Jessica George

As you are pursuing a career in the medical field, you will be faced with one big decision after another along the way. One of these big decisions is choosing the best emergency medicine residency for you.

Tips for Choosing the Best Residency Program

  • Location: Determine where you would be happiest living. Do you find cold or warm weather more preferable? Do you want to stay close to your family or move away from home? Once you have determined what part of the country you want to live in, decide what kind of area you are comfortable living in, whether that be a busy city or a quieter suburb.
  • Area of Study: Once you know what area of medicine you want to study, search for residency programs that specialize in that area.
  • Program rating: Once you have narrowed down your choices, be sure to look into ratings and comments regarding those particular programs. You will want to work with doctors and nurses that you feel comfortable with, so know what you are getting into. Working with a highly reputable staff may also help you to become more qualified.
  • Workload: Find out what the workload is like at each of your top choices. You will have to balance work and your social life, so keep that in mind.
  • Programs: Find out exactly what programs your top choices offer. You may want a variety to find out exactly what you want to do, or you may want something more specialized.

After you have chosen your top program choices, you will need to apply for them. Make sure you have worked hard and have received stellar grades and achievements that will make you stand out among other applicants.

As you prepare for your residency interviews, make sure you thoroughly study the hospital and its programs so that your interviewers will see how serious you are about it. Make a list of interview questions and go over your answers to them before you arrive for the interview.

Keep an open mind. You may apply to many emergency DC residency programs and only receive a handful of interviews. Just keep your head up and keep trying until you find the perfect fit.

Emergency Medicine Residency and Other Requirements

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Written By: Jessica George

If you are thinking about or working toward a career in the medical field, one that is in high demand is that of emergency medicine.

What Does an Emergency Room Doctor Do?

These doctors treat patients who have been admitted to the emergency room, so they see a variety of different patients, rather than working solely with the same patients on a regular basis. These doctors are typically responsible for the following:

  • Examining and evaluating patients
  • Ordering blood work and tests to be performed
  • Reading and interpreting test results
  • Prescribing appropriate prescriptions
  • Explaining tests, diagnoses and treatments to patients
  • Consulting other doctors for second opinions
  • Working with other specialists to ensure effective treatment

 How to Become an Emergency Room Doctor

You will need to do the following in order to become an emergency room doctor:

1.) Earn a Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in something that relates to your desired field.

2.) Take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This test will determine if you have gained enough knowledge and experience to advance to medical school.

3.) Apply for medical school, where you will take classes as well as work in clinical and laboratory settings. Medical school typically lasts for 4 years.

4.) Take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), which is a three-part examination that allows graduates to work in an emergency room setting.

5.) Complete an emergency medicine residency, where you will experience training, clinical simulations and lab work. Where you complete your emergency medicine residency DC for at least three years may be where you end up working someday, so make a good impression.

6.) If you choose to specialize in a particular field of emergency medicine, you will need to complete a fellowship.

Even once you go through the necessary education, training and testing, you will always be learning in the field. You may have to complete further educational requirements while you work so ensure that you stay up-to-date on all of the current diseases and treatments.

No matter what field of medicine you choose to study, know that it will be a long and tough, yet rewarding road. Do plenty of research to figure out what type of medicine you want to specialize in. To learn more about emergency medicine, click here.