When the University of Pennsylvania’s president Liz Magill was forced to resign her position due to her equivocal stance regarding antisemitic harassment on Penn’s campus, J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, was soon announced as her interim success…
Category: Education
Is it noble or selfish to never practice medicine after getting a medical degree?
A Harvard medical school student realized in his third year that he had lost his desire to become a doctor. Nevertheless, the student decided to complete his fourth year and obtain his MD degree. The student is now planning for a career in pharma or ev…
Catastrophic failure of educational leadership can affect medical students
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said he can’t define pornography, but he knows it when he sees it. Stewart might just as well have been talking about leadership—reflecting the difficulty in providing a precise definition of leadership b…
Improving medical specialty selection with pre-training examinations
Considering that the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) primarily evaluates candidates’ general medical knowledge, there is a growing need to introduce specialty-specific pre-training examinations (PTEs). This is because the USML…
The erosion of compassion in medicine
With my first thrust on his chest, I shattered his sternum, feeling his bones crumble in my hands. His eyes were wide open but lifeless. Dried secretions crusted his lips. His dusky skin tone indicated my efforts would be futile. Nonetheless, I proceed…
Decoding doctor designations: the crucial need to ditch the “provider” label
Health care terminology has evolved significantly over the years, with the term “provider” becoming a standard reference for various health care professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. While the t…
The Business Schools Looking To Fix Healthcare
Business schools are tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges, and healthcare is high on the list.
September in medicine: scouting season for future doctors
In medicine, September marks scouting season. Like professional baseball clubs, residency programs meticulously generate and analyze scouting reports for prospective interns, aimed toward building an ideal lineup of future doctors that functions seamle…
From medical humanities student to physician
At seventeen, I envisioned two types of physicians: the doctor who cared about me and my needs, and the doctor who was cold and detached. At that point in my life, I had experienced both types of physicians from the patient perspective. My dream was to…
How Tratak yoga reshaped my USMLE Step 2 prep
This is a notable example of the impactful outcomes that can arise from venturing beyond conventional routes to chart distinctive journeys toward success. Like countless other medical students, I committed months to intensive preparation, diligently ta…
