In January 2022, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 transitioned to a pass/fail format, sparking debate over how best to assess physician competence in an era where medical misinformation proliferates online. Although medica…
Taylor Walker, a 25-year-old pregnant woman, lived in a town of under 500 people in rural Nebraska. In 2019, she told NPR that after experiencing pregnancy pains, she endured a four-hour round-trip journey to see her physician only to discover her regu…
So much of the world is centered around looking out for ourselves. We get caught up in our own problems, our own routines, and sometimes, we forget to stop and think about what someone else might be going through. It’s easy to do—we’re all …
Let’s talk about a trend I’m seeing—and honestly, I can’t stay quiet about it anymore. Across the country, more and more NP programs are telling highly experienced family nurse practitioners (FNPs) working in acute care settings that …
Many years ago, I thought I was going to be a mechanical engineer. My studies revolved around case-based learning and field work, all of which I enjoyed immensely. Then I learned about biomedical engineering and decided to go to medical school. For the…
Four rigorous years, filled with countless long days and nights of education, is often just the beginning for most medical trainees. The Match and subsequent residency await on the horizon. It is the norm in health care, and very few stray from that pa…
The first time I witnessed someone die in front of me will stay with me for a long time. I was only eighteen, early in my EMT experience, and transporting a patient home from the hospital while my colleague drove the ambulance. The patient was an eight…
We have all been asked the infamous question as medical students: “What kind of doctor do you want to be, or what specialty do you want to specialize in?” If you have already made up your mind, answering this question can be exciting; if no…
Test anxiety is common among medical students, especially with the high-stakes USMLE. While some anxiety can drive performance, too much can spiral into paralyzing “what-ifs.” Here’s how to turn anxiety into an ally and perform at you…
In her KevinMD article, Janet Constance Coleman-Belin describes the overwhelming difficulties increasingly being seen by many during their medical education and now facing many more of our young, bright minds as they choose and migrate into their futur…
