Step 1. If you are in medical school or know anyone in medical school then you have definitely heard of it. This is the major exam that is taken (typically) between year 2 and year 3. The score technically ranges from 1 to 300, but most people score between 140 and 260. The passing score … More Step 1: An Exam to Forget
I owe this blog a few updates about MD/PhD life, but right now as I have transitioned into the graduate school I wanted to address an issue that has been coming up with increasing frequency. Disclaimer: Although I am talking about my program because that’s my only experience, I know that these problems happen at other … More Dual Degree or Dueling Departments: Mediating the Conflicts Between MD/PhD, MD, and PhD
This past month I attended two conferences back-to-back. The first, the Medical Student Section of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the second, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD). At their core, both groups aim to do the same thing: make the right choices and decisions for patients, but my experiences in each … More What Can We Do to Make a Difference in Policy?
The current Twitter storm about grad school applications made me consider my own applications. My thoughts span more than a 280 character length, so I decided to write a blog post that I have toyed with writing for a while but was never certain about how it would impact me professionally. The first time I … More My MD/PhD Application (& Reapplication)
As I start my second year of the program, I figure it is time to write this very belated post on how I chose where to apply. Before you apply for MD/PhD programs, make sure that you are certain that is what you want. You can read why I chose the MD/PhD route here. Also, … More Choosing Where to Apply for MD/PhD
Yesterday was the final day of my second research rotation and I am sad it’s over. I do have to admit that I cheated a little bit this year, I am rotating in the same lab with the same PI as last summer. Typically, most programs expect you to rotate through at least 2 different … More My Second Research Rotation
Before I started medical school I was adamant that I hated politics and did not want to be involved in politics or policy in anyway. To be clear, I understood the importance of policy, so I begrudgingly made sure I was up to date on national and international politics and the policy changes that could … More The AMA: My Foray into Policy
I have successfully completed my first year of medical school! Well, to be honest, I finished last week but I spent some time getting too much sleep and visiting friends in other cities. Instead of writing a giant block of text, I figured I would tell you about some of the most important lessons I learned … More Lessons From Year 1
Update (4.25.17): I have added some suggestions from Twitter. Please keep making suggestions and I will add those to the list. Thank you! This post was inspired by a conversation I had with Nick Wan recently where I was talking about the amount of work my P.I. was putting into helping me and how I felt bad … More Becoming the Mentor I Admire
There are many aspects of transitioning from a full-time job to medical school that I thought would be difficult. Going from earning money for working all day to spending money in order to work all day was a big one. There is also a significant difference in time management: as someone with a full-time job, … More Medical School Transition – An Unexpected Difficulty
Tabitha Moses 