Podcasts about medical school interview

“The bottom line is that while you can't predict exactly which MMI prompt you'll be given, you can absolutely start preparing for the MMI. Become familiar with the format, practice your delivery, start reading about issues in health care, and start thinking about major points to discuss around these issues. While this won't take away your anxiety, it can absolutely help improve your confidence and performance–so that the next time you're faced with an 'angry' interviewer, you'll be prepared.” Rajani Katta is a dermatologist and author of Conquer the Medical School Interview and The Successful Match. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, “The MMI: 3 strategies to help you prepare.” Did you enjoy today's episode? Rate and review the show so more audiences can find The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out. Click here to earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode. Also available in Category 1 CME bundles. Powered by CMEfy - a seamless way for busy clinician learners to discover Internet Point-of-Care Learning opportunities that reward AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Learn more at about.cmefy.com/cme-info

How do you prepare for the MMI multiple mini interview? As more medical schools adopt this format, premed students need to be prepared to interview at medical schools that use this format. In this episode, Dr. Rajani Katta, author of the books "The Medical School Interview" and "The MMI: Strategies From Admissions Faculty", breaks down the process of preparing for your MMI. Although some schools have written that there is no way to prepare for the MMI, Dr. Katta reviews the ways in which students can start to prepare. Although you can't predict which questions will be asked, you can prepare to be asked to participate in a task scenario, an acting scenario, or a discussion question prompt. Some schools also include traditional interview questions and behavioral interview questions as one of their MMI stations. These strategies can help you excel during your MMI. If you'd like to sign up for free excerpts of both of our med school interview books, you can sign up here. Other Resources: The Medical School Interview book: Winning Strategies from Admissions Faculty The MMI book: Winning Strategies from Admissions Faculty Preparing for Your MMI: 9 Strategies (blog post) Answering ethical scenarios (blog post) Podcast episode on the ethical principles underlying medicine (Part 1) Part 2: Podcast episode on the ethical principles underlying medicine The Successful Match blog

How do you prepare for the MMI multiple mini interview? As more medical schools adopt this format, premed students need to be prepared to interview at medical schools that use this format. In this episode, Dr. Rajani Katta, author of The Medical School Interview and the MMI: Strategies From Admissions Faculty, breaks down the process of preparing for your MMI. Although some schools have written that there is no way to prepare for the MMI, Dr. Katta reviews the ways in which students can start to prepare. Although you can't predict which questions will be asked, you can prepare to be asked to participate in a task scenario, an acting scenario, or a discussion question prompt. Some schools also include traditional interview questions and behavioral interview questions as one of their MMI stations. These strategies can help you excel during your MMI. If you'd like to sign up for free excerpts of both of our med school interview books, you can sign up here. Other Resources: The Medical School Interview book: Winning Strategies from Admissions Faculty The MMI book Preparing for Your MMI: 9 Strategies Answering ethical scenarios Podcast episode on the ethical principles underlying medicine Part 2: Podcast episode on the ethical principles underlying medicine The Successful Match blog

"When you’re applying to medical school, it’s remarkable how much four years or more of intense work can come down to one single day. The medical school interview is high stakes: studies have found that interview performance is the most important factor in admissions decisions. While your MCAT score and your GPA can help secure an interview invitation, it’s your interview performance that matters most when it comes to acceptance to medical school. I’ve advised many students who are prepping for their interviews, and what I’ve found is that overall they’re great about avoiding certain common mistakes. They practice their handshake, know what to wear, and already researched the school’s interview format. But I’ve found that many talented and highly accomplished applicants still make several other (very common) mistakes in their interview preparation." Rajani Katta is a dermatologist and author of Conquer the Medical School Interview and The Successful Match. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "5 common and commonly overlooked mistakes in the medical school interview." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/11/5-common-and-commonly-overlooked-mistakes-in-the-medical-school-interview.html)

Ian is a 4th year med student who didn't know what he wanted to do when he grew up, so he created a podcast to help him and others with the same struggles. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-231-how-to-prepare-for-your-medical-school-interview/ (Full Episode Blog Post) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-interview-ryan-gray-md/1124599867?ean=9781683502159 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) (Pre-order the paperback version of the The Premed Playbook on Barnes and Noble before June 6. Upload the receipt here and we will give you one-month free access to the Anytime Mock Interview platform.) http://cramfighter.com/ (Cram Fighter) (Create custom MCAT study schedule specific to your needs, your materials, your schedule. Use the Promo Code PREMED25 to save 25% off any of their regularly priced plans until May 7, 2017.) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mshq-019-interview-with-a-medical-school-interview-and-admissions-expert/ (The Premed Years Podcast Session 19: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/applying-medical-school-amcas/ (AMCAS) http://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/applying (AACOMAS) https://www.tmdsas.com/ (TMDSAS Application) http://www.mtsac.edu/hpc/ (Mt. SAC Pre-Health Conference)

Sarah is a current 3rd-year medical student and former CTICU nurse who now wants to be a Cardiothoracic Surgeon! Listen to her journey and how others reacted. Links and Other Resourceshttps://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-233-5-common-med-school-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer-them/ (Full Episode Blog Post) Check out my book about the medical school interview: https://amzn.to/2lHXoux (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview). Related episode: https://medicalschoolhq.net/mshq-152-the-mmi-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-multiple-mini-interview/ (The MMI: Everything You Need to Know About the Med School Interview). Related episode: https://medicalschoolhq.net/mshq-164-medical-ethics-questions-you-can-expect-in-your-interview/ (Medical Ethics Questions You Can Expect in Your Interview). Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at https://medicalschoolhq.net/nextstep (Blueprint MCAT (formerly Next Step Test Prep))!

Like many premeds, Keith had a rocky start on his journey to med school. What inspired him to turn things around and what was the path like once he knew? Links: Full Episode Blog Post Meded Media premed.tv The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview mappd.com (Follow us on Instagram @mappdapp and Twitter @mappdapp.)

What's the magic number for an MCAT score that will outshine your low GPA (spoiler: there is none), and when is it time to do a post-bac degree? Links: Full Episode Blog Post Meded Media The Premed Years Podcast Episode 19: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group The MCAT Podcast

Mila went from majoring in politics to nursing to premed all while overcoming health issues that pushed her premed journey back. Take a listen to this inspiring episode! Links: Full Episode Blog Post Meded Media Facebook Premed Hangout The Premed Handbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

I had the awesome privilege to talk at the 2019 AMSA Convention to an awesome group of premed students. I wanted to share the encouragement with all of you. Links: Full Episode Blog Post MedEd Media Network 2019 AMSA Convention Premed Fest AMSA The MCAT Podcast The MCAT CARS Podcast Specialty Stories The OldPreMeds Podcast The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

Amanda had to apply to med school twice. We talk about her premed path, her first application, her struggles, and how she succeeded and received 3 acceptances. Links: Full Episode Blog Post MedEd Media Network MSAR (Medical School Admission Requirements) Medical Schools Applications Cost Estimator The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

As a pastor, his faith which is rooted in serving others is the driving force in becoming a physician. Should you discuss your faith in applications? Links: Full Episode Blog Post Nontrad Premed Forum MedEd Media Network The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

The medical school application is a long and grueling process. If you've been rejected, haven't heard anything, or are confused, listen to this podcast episode! Links: Full Episode Blog Post BoardVitals team@medicalschoolhq.ne Facebook Premed Hangout MedEd Media Network The MCAT Podcast OldPreMeds Podcast MCAT CARS Podcast Session 171: Reapplying to Med School – What You Need to Know to Improve Session 231: Third Application Cycle was a Charm for this Premed! The Premed Playbook: Guide to Medical School Personal Statement The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview store.medicalschoolhq.net

I had so much fun the last time we did an Instagram Q&A, that I decided to bring it back! We had a ton of great questions, and hopefully some good answers! Links: Full Episode Blog Post MedEd Media Network OldPreMeds Podcast Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A Nontrad Premed Forum The MCAT Podcast Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep! Specialty Stories Follow me on Instagram @medicalschoolhq Interfolio The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview ryan@medicalschoolhq.net

Red flags seem to confuse a lot of students. They come up in applications and interviews and you need to be prepared to talk about them. Listen to this episode! Links and Other Resources Full Episode Blog Post Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Related episode: Will My Medical History Affect My Chances at Medical School? Related episode: Please, Don’t Lie on Your Medical School Applications. Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

For today's episode, we took a handful of questions that students asked in our Facebook group, the Premed Hangout. We cover a variety of topics. Join now! Links: Full Episode Blog Post Premed Hangout The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview @medicalschoolhq Session 19: Interview with Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert AAMC Fee Assistance Program AACOMAS Fee Assistance Program Submitbookreceipt.com medicalschoolhq.net/secondarysubmission

If you've taken your med school prereqs a long time ago and you did poorly in them, should you retake them or take higher level courses? What about the MCAT? Links: Full Episode Blog Post The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT The Premed Years Podcast Session 188 The Premed Years Podcast Session 230 Nontrad Premed Forum MedEd Media The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview

Session 69 Dr. Pamela Mehta is a general private practice orthopedic surgeon. She has been out of training now for ten years and has been in private practice for two years. We get into a great discussion about what led her to private practice, post-training, types of patients, and what she likes about orthopedics. We talk about what it's like to a be a woman in a male-dominated specialty and much more. By the way, The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT is going to be available very soon. Written with Next Step Test Prep, we will soon be putting it up on Amazon and other stores as soon as possible. Go to MCATbook.com to sign up and be notified. Also check out our other books The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview and another one coming up in August is The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement. If you have any suggestions for physicians whom you think would make great guests (only attending physicians), shoot me an email at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net. [02:00] An interest in Orthopedics Initially, Pamela didn't expect she wanted to be a surgeon because she expected she was going to find herself in primary care, her primary reason she went to medical school. In fact, she saw herself as either a pediatrician or family medicine doctor. And during her third year rotation, she put trauma surgery first, with the intention of just getting it out of the way since she wanted to practice so when she gets to the family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatric rotation, she will be in good position to get good letters. During her first day at the trauma surgery rotation, she just couldn't believe how excited she was. She was amazed by how the ER doctors, surgeons, and nurses were working together to get the patient up into the operating room as efficiently as possible. And when she was asked to scrub in, Pamela says she will never forget that feeling. From that day on, she made a complete switch and decided she was going to do surgery. "I could not believe how excited I was and just the adrenalin that was pumping when trauma came into the trauma bay." It was actually a blessing in disguise when she had the whole year to figure out where she was going to do her fourth year sub-I's in. This gave her time to choose which clinical subspecialty she wanted to do. [06:15] Pushback as a Female Surgeon Pamela admits that when she was still attending USC, she got told many times by other orthopedic surgeons, residents to instead do other specialities like radiology or anesthesia or PM&R. And she she didn't really understand why she can't do it as well. And she was told orthopedics was difficult in terms of lifestyle or having a family. Good thing, she went to a very supportive residency in Columbia University in New York City and out of the six people in her class, two of them were women and the class right before them, four were women out of the six. She felt really protected in that she never felt she was a woman there in terms of feeling discriminated against or not taken seriously. However, it was a different case when she began entering into the workforce. When she started interviewing for jobs, she faced a lot of the discrimination. "If you are a female and you want to go into a male-dominated specialty, you absolutely should but you do have to have a thick skin. That's life." Pamela adds that having a thick skin is important being in a male-dominated specialty. In fact, sometimes you even have to be more perfect than your male counterparts. Because when you slip on something as a female, there are those that will think it's because your'e a girl. [09:00] Patient Types and Her Choice to Do General Orthopedics vs. a Subspecialty Part of the reason she loves orthopedics is she loves taking care of children, young adults, and seniors. She treats fracture work when people break their bones and they have to go to the ER and can't walk. She handles patients with sports injuries as well as arthritis patients, especially older patients that can't walk or are debilitated, for which she does joint replacement surgery as well. Pamela thinks it's rare for a resident to graduate and not do a fellowship especially in the more competitive environments like the bigger cities. But she just likes general orthopedics. She likes the bread and butter orthopedics. She likes taking care of all kinds of issues from sports injuries to fracture work to arthritic patients. So she took the leap and decided not to do the subspecialty. Finding a job wasn't that much of a difficulty for her too. "Once you're in your job, you really learn so much on the job in your first couple of years as an attending and a brand new surgeon that the fellowship stuff doesn't matter as much." From a marketing standpoint, once you're out of practice, Pamela suggests it's in your best interest that if you're in a big city, you have to be able to market yourself as a certain subspecialist. [11:35] Private Practice Pamela recalls being in a large group composed mostly of men. And once she had children, she realized it was very difficult to work in a large group of men. They didn't seem to understand if she needed to drop or pick up her kids. So she was looking for that flexibility to do what she wants and when she wants it on her own terms. "I just really wanted the flexibility to do what I want, when I want on my own terms." Ultimately, she made her decision after her second child to go out into private practice. Not an easy decision to make though considering she already had a job that had a stable paycheck and great benefits. It was definitely a risk she decided to take, considering too she was confident that she had several years of experience and the surgical volume under her belt. And so the rest is history as she's now practicing for about two years. Being her own boss, she calls the shots as to when she wants to see patients and when she wants to do cases. She may be a lot busier than she was before, but it's all on her own terms (and she's making more money now than she did as well). [13:40] Diagnosis in Patients Coming to Her Pamela says mostly anyone that comes to them still needs a diagnosis. She often has patients that have been either to the primary care doctor, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, etc. Oftentimes, they'd come up with some idea but they don't have the answer yet. Pamela says that they mostly have to diagnose the patient from beginning to end. In orthopedics, Pamela explains that there's not a lot of non-operative care that you do before you actually do any kind of surgery. Additionally, Pamela explains that because orthopedics is not a big part of medical school and a lot of primary care doctors don't actually know how to diagnose these problems. So there are patients coming in diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in their hand, for instance, and really, what they have is a trigger finger. In some ways, it's always much more complex because sometimes you're being led in a different direction from what says on the referral than when the patient comes in and you have to start from the beginning and not really trust anyone else's diagnosis. "There are patients coming in diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in their hand and really what they have is a trigger finger." Pamela recommends to primary doctors to carry with them The Handbook for Fractures. Also, it would be better to shadow an orthopedist at some point in your residency training. She has tried as a private practitioner to go out in the community and give out her numbers, telling primary are doctors that they can always reach her if they have any questions. Building a relationship with an orthopedist in town as a primary care doctor is a good idea too to have someone to pick their brain and ask things. And out of the percentage of patients they end up taking to the operating room, Pamela would say 70% when she used to work with that large group. There were a lot of layers of primary care/physical therapy/PM&R that was seeing the patient before they finally got to orthopedics. On the other hand, Pam thinks that if you're in private practice or in academics, the percentage can be at 30% to 40%. This being said, she explains you never say no. You see anyone and everything. So you're less protected when you're out in private practice and not part of the large multi-specialty group. [17:50] Typical Week, Taking Calls, and Work-Life Balance Now that she can do whatever she wants, she has a set schedule. Mondays would be her OR days. Tuesdays to Fridays would be clinic days with a mix of procedure work, doing injections and regenerative medicine like PRP and stem cells. Then closer at the end of the week, she will do a second OR slot where she'll take some fractures that have come through on call or thru the ER. In terms of taking calls, Pamela says that if you decide to affiliate with certain hospitals and usually they'd ask you to take ER calls.  This means you're on call a few nights of the month. Although you can do as little or as much as you want. If you're a part of the group in private practice, you will join up with some other colleagues and take group call for your private patients that come through your office. Pamela is part of a larger call group of eight but she considers this as pretty light and not anything too crazy. Although it becomes a little bit more intensive if you're affiliated with a large trauma hospital where you're in-house and doing a lot of fracture work over night. "Usually when you're brand new, you want to take that ER call because that's how you get some patients into your office." Pamela believes she has enough family time. Her husband is an ortho spine surgeon so he thinks there's balance that comes with that. They work together in terms of fitting their schedules in. They also make sure they block weekends for family time. She takes her partnership with her husband some credit for being able to manage their work-life balance. [21:30] The Path to Being an Orthopedic Surgeon It basically takes four years of undergraduate training and then four years of medical school. Usually in the end of your third year and beginning of fourth year, you have to do an orthopedic rotation usually your home program. Then you can choose to do a couple sub-I's away. Pamela applied to about ten orthopedic programs and went on about six or seven interviews. She matched to Columbia where she did a five-year program. Their first year was a mix of general surgery and orthopedics. Then PGY-2 year is what they call their ortho intern year so you're like the scut monkey and you do all the consults in the ER. Pamela describes this as your most work-intensive year. The rest of your three years are focused on operating and operative skill. You can then choose to do a fellowship. All orthopedic fellowships take one year. Pamela thinks this is good since it shouldn't really be that long. Examples of fellowships available are spine, sports, joint replacement, hand, foot and ankle, and peds. Pamela explains that if you want to be competitive in residency since this field is highly competitive, you have to honor your rotations in your third year as they look at that. Then get good letters of recommendation. Do well on your boards. In fact, when Pamela had pretty average board scores and when she got those board scores back, many people told her to take a year off and do some research or switch gears. But she was pretty determined so she pit three places to do her sub-I's and really hustled her way through to leave a good impression on people. Hence, she was able to get more letters. If you have good board scores, that doesn't make you a shoe-in but it does help you chances quite a bit. But if you don't have good board scores, it's that much more important to just impress people a lot and get really good letters. "If you don't have good board scores, it's that much more important to just impress people a lot and get really good letters." [24:30] Bias Against DOs Pamela says that that one of the best orthopedic surgeon in that big group she used to be a part of was a DO. He operated better and more efficient than any of the rest of them. He was the most revered and the go-to guy for questions and opinions. Currently, she works with an orthopedist in town who's also very well-trained. All this being said, she really doesn't think there's much bias at this time. It really doesn't matter that much anymore once you're out in practice. "Any place that is that unaccepting, whether you're a female or you have children or you're a DO, then that's not really a place you want to be at." She adds that people could be caught in the idea that we have to be in the best place, but it doesn't work like that. It has to be a place that's going to support you in your endeavors. [26:20] Working with Primary Care and Other Specialties Pamela recommends to primary care physicians is to get the x-rays done as it's very hard for them to evaluate patients without them. You can also get someone started on physical therapy unless it's a broken bone. It's nice to get knocked out of the few non operative treatments before sending them to a specialist. It's all about making a little effort to give patients a little bit of treatment before they get to the specialists. Other specialties they work the closest with are pain management, PM&R, and internal and family medicine. Whether there are special opportunities outside of clinical medicine, Pam says there's the whole medical legal world where people ask for you to review charts. So there's a lot of personal injury work you can do. It can run a whole gamut of doing an independent examination. There's a lot of things you can do outside of clinical medicine in terms of just dealing with traditional insurance companies. Another nice things with orthopedics is they have a lot of sports games so you can go to the local high school and junior high schools or community colleges and ask if they need someone to come and be there on the sidelines for the games. [29:20] What She Wished She Knew and Her Advice to the Male Doctors What she knows  now that she wished she knew back then was that Pamela found herself so naive and energetic in medical school. She thought it wasn't a big deal she was a female even if people were hesitant about it. It was okay for the most part but she did wish she had more female colleagues instead of all men colleagues all the time. There's only 5% of them female orthopedic surgeons practicing outside residency. In training it's about 14% and they dropped down to 5%. She sometimes feels this is a little bit of a struggle, not feeling the camaraderie that many female-dominated specialties have. But in terms of the actual work, she is happy about it. In fact, she couldn't imagine doing any other field. That said, she thinks that when you're in medical school and one specialty is not working out for you, keep an open mind to think about two or three other different specialties. "Keep an open mind to think about two or three other different specialties." Pamela says that the deterioration in numbers in female orthopods from residency to practice is more of a system problem. And unfortunately, there's still a lot of discrimination in medicine more so in the surgical field. This said, the way to do it is for men to really accept females into their "circle" and recognize they're a large part of the workforce and they have something to contribute. Pam suspects because this is the age people start their family and if people in the workforce aren't more open to that, this is something people need to accept. And we need to nurture that. People from training to stopping work is just a scary number and odd. [33:20] Things She Likes the Most and Least What Pamela likes most about being an orthopod is the variety of the things she gets to do. She gets to do big open surgeries and fixing things with plates and screws. She also gets to do smaller surgeries like just playing video games. On the flip side, what she likes the least as with any other surgical field is infection and pus. In terms of the major changes coming to the field, Pamela says orthopedics is a very dynamic field that there's new stuff coming all the time. They're improving all the implants they put in. There's a huge wave of regenerative medicine with stem cells and the different ways to garner those stem cells. If she had to do it all over again, Pamela would still have done the same. Lastly, she wishes to tell students that this is a great field with a lot of variety. You get to operate and get to see patients in the office. You get to have fun with your colleagues. You get to treat patients that really want to get back to their active lifestyle. For the most part, they're generally healthy. Just show your passion and dedication for the field and you can achieve anything you want. "If you're a medical student that struggles with low board scores, don't let it get in the way. You can do it. It's very possible to do it and even without taking the time off." Links: Handbook of Fractures The Premed Years Podcast ryan@medicalschoolhq.net MCATbook.com The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement

Dr. Daniel Clearfield is a Family and Sports Medicine trained OMT doc. We talked about his journey to DO school, some struggles that DOs have and much more. Links: Full Episode Blog Post The Premed Playbook Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement The Premed Playbook Guide to the Medical School Interview

Session 8 While I'm doing mock interview with students, I often hear from students that they weren't prepared for the question or they haven't formulated the response for that question. As you go through this process of preparing for your medical school interviews, you are never going to prepare for every or any question that can be asked during the interview process. Even if you have prepared for a question, the interviewer may ask it in a way that's different than what you've prepared for. This is going to throw you off the game. You're going to stumble and you're going to trip. So what is the goal of doing mock interviews? First off, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our Facebook page and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. [01:14] The Goal of Practicing If you're going to the interview thinking that you have prepared for everything possible. My book, The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview contains 600 questions. Understand that the goal of the questions is just to give you an idea of what possibly could be asked. I got a review on Amazon for this book saying you don't need to buy it. You'll be better off practicing, doing mock interviews. Plus, they went on saying they give you a false sense of hope that all you need is the book. Funny thing, the book basically tells you to practice and practice. The goal of that practice is not to be prepared for every question possible. The goal of practicing is to understand how you respond, how you're going to handle being that stressful environment. Number two. it's to help you think on your feet and be comfortable thinking on your feet. It's for you to be confident in knowing that the answer is in your head. "Everything is in your head, always has been, always will be." [02:58] Trust Yourself The difference between being prepared and not being prepared is being comfortable enough to let that information come out of your head. Versus being so practiced on what you think is every question that can be asked. Then it comes off rehearsed. And if a questions is asked a different way, you stumble. If the interviewer stops you, you lose your train of thought at one point. Then you start freaking out because you don't know where to start off again. You need to trust yourself in these interviews. "You have to be comfortable with who you are so that in these interviews, you just relax. You have a conversation." [03:49] Different Ways to Practice This is like an analogy of going out on a first date with somebody. You're sitting across your date and the first thing out of your mouth is this rehearsed, memorized things. You've thought you need to get across to the interviewer. Instead, just sit down and look at that person in front of you and talk from your heart. This is easy as long as you practice and that's why you need to practice. Whether that's one-on-on practice with your premed advisor or a mentor or a family member. Or use my mock interview platform. It's a monthly access to it with 600 questions, which are all the questions from this book. I've recorded myself. Then you sit in front of a webcam and you just talk. Too many students keep in their head and then when they say it loud for the first time, they realize it's not what they meant to say. That's why you need to practice. "There are lots of options to practice, But you just need to practice." My mock interview platform is a great way to practice since you're recording yourself and you get assessment as well. You get the chance to give yourself feedback and have other people give you feedback based on that assessment. Then you can also do one-on-one mock interviews with me or others. [06:17] Be Comfortable with Who You Are You don't need to prepare for every specific question out there. You just need to be comfortable with knowing that you're going to be able to talk. You're able to give your opinions and give your thoughts on whatever may come up. And if for some reason you don't know how to answer the question, just say you don't know enough about that subject. It's just a conversation. It's just getting to know each other during the interview. So have fun and don't stress so much about it. Just prepare and be comfortable with who you are. Links: MedEd Media Medical School HQ Facebook page Medical School HQ YouTube channel

The postbac interview is very similar to the med school interview. They want to know your motivations behind the change. Check out how to prepare for it. Links: Full Episode Blog Post The Premed Playbook: Guide to Medical School Interview by Dr. Ryan Gray PMY 253: Almost Everything You Need to Know About Postbac Programs MedEd Media Network

Session 235 Jen Briney is host of the Congressional Dish podcast and joins me today to talk about our current healthcare system and where it may be headed. Enter to win a free copy of my new book The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Text BOOKGIVEAWAY to 44222. Promo runs until June 4, 2017. Today's guest is very interesting as it's someone who wouldn't normally be here on the podcast but with the changing landscape of our U.S. healthcare system, I thought of bringing an expert in this field. Jen Briney's Congressional Dish podcast is devoted to talking about bills that go through Congress. She has read the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Current TBAC, the new AHCA, and has discussed what's in there or not. She comes on the podcast today to talk about these things so you can come prepared for your medical school interviews. This is going to be a good primer for our healthcare system even if you listen to this in 2018 or 2019, assuming there are no dramatic changes. [03:15] The Congressional Dish Podcast Being a Congress-watcher, Jen watches Congressional hearing and reads bills and laws being created so that taxpayers, like her, would know what's going with their money. What led her to become so familiar with healthcare was the government shutdown in 2013 when the Republicans were trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She did not like the system as a whole because it's an insurance system, not a healthcare system. But Jen believes it's better than we had before because rules have been put in on the insurance industry. Currently, the Republicans have control of all of government. They're trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act but instead of repealing it, they're putting together bills very quickly with no hearings and no overall plan. What Jen does now is she's reading all the different versions. She has read the first one that failed. But now the house just passed another version of the American Health Care Act, which she's reading for her next episode. [05:22] An Insurance Policy, Not a Healthcare Policy Jen explains there are different ways you can give people healthcare. A lot of other countries do "single payer" where you pay taxes and the government pays for healthcare. It's one of those essential government functions. Conversely, the United States buys health insurance which is supposed to cover the big catastrophes. Before the ACA, these are for profit companies so what they would do is only cover healthy people because it would cost them the least. What health insurance does is you give them $100 a month and as long as you're healthy, they just put that in their pockets. That's profit. But as soon as you get sick, that's when they have to start to pay for stuff and they really don't like this part. In order to have this system that still had private insurance at the center of it, the Affordable Care Act put rules in place. Before the ACA, there would be lifetime limits. You'd sign up for a plan. You get cancer and then you look in the fine print of your insurance and they would say, "Once we hit $1 million, we're not paying for anything for you ever again." And you would go bankrupt. Another common practice with health insurance where once someone would get sick, they would just drop their plan. They would no longer cover you because they don't have to. Basically, they were doing all kinds of shady things to make money. Why Jen thinks the ACA is better is because there are certain rules. For instance, there are now 10 essential health benefits that if you buy health insurance, they have to cover it such as preventive care. Jen shares her experience that when she went to get a physical exam and all the little bills came in, it cost her over $400. Now, that's illegal. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act. They also have to cover things like ambulances, hospital stays, maternity, prescription drugs, etc. There are things now that when you buy insurance, you know you're going to get. It's better than it was was before but it's still based on private insurance. What you see now is these insurance companies liked the old days where they could profit by making up all the rules. Now the people in Congress working on behalf of the insurance industry are trying to make those rules go away. These are the people writing legislation designed to help the insurance industry to be more profitable. They're eliminating these rules so these essential health benefits are going to be flexible in certain states, if states wanted to, so they won't have to cover those essential health benefits anymore. This is not something that's good for the people, but it's good for the businesses. [08:50] Congress Working for Businesses, Not for the People Jen mentions the website OpenSecrets.org where you can look and see these people who are voting for this elimination of rules and you can see where they're getting their campaign funding from and in almost every case, you can see the health insurance industry and health professionals. Then you can see these companies get invited to help write these bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In fact, these insurance companies were in the room to write the Affordable Care Act, as well as the pharmaceutical companies.  These health insurance companies want to exist so they use their lobbying power to stay in existence and that is the basis of the Affordable Care Act. Jen says a lot of people call it the "poison pill" and no one right now in Congress is talking about the "single payer" system, the tax-funded system that works in so many other countries. Jen explains why she says these people are working for businesses and not for us is because when you look at what they're doing, that's who benefits. Jen always looks at who benefits financially. With the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA), it's the businesses that benefit from it. [10:21] The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) In Episode 48 of the Congressional Dish podcast, Jen read the Obamacare and shares some big takeaways. First, it puts rules on the private insurance industry. It allows the private insurance industry to remain the main way that people get their healthcare in the United States. As opposed to now, if you wanted to get a government plan, you have to get Medicaid, a program for poor people that gives them their health insurance. The federal government picks up all of the Medicaid funding for the states that accepted it. It basically expanded the program beyond what it used to be. So it allows poor people to get government-funded health insurance. Medicare, on the other hand, is for people over the age of 65 and for the most part, they also get government-sponsored healthcare. Everybody else is in the middle. If you make more than 133% of the poverty line or under the age of 65, you have to get health insurance in order to get healthcare for the most part. This is the basis of the Affordable Care Act. It's a very complicated system that tries to put rules in the private insurance companies so that they will not go bankrupt but still have to cover people with pre-existing conditions. This is expensive because these as your healthcare provider, these insurance companies would have to pay for those benefits for your entire life and they don't want to do that. Hence, ACA forces them to cover you and it forces healthy people to get health insurance to outweigh those costs. Jen thinks it's a very delicate system with a lot of moving parts that have to work together in order to make this private insurance system work. However, this is currently being actively dismantled. Jen admits she doesn't know what to study when it comes to ACA because we really don't know how much of this is going to survive. [13:15] Different Ways to Get Health Insurance One way to get health insurance today is the individual market which didn't exist before. For instance, Jen as a podcaster doesn't have a big corporation paying for her health insurance so if she were single and needed health insurance, she would have to go to each individual company and try to figure out what they cover which can be very confusing. Jen basically ended up with a $400 physical since she had no idea what she was buying. One of the basics of the ACA is that it has created this individual insurance market where people could go on a website and pick a plan from a selection of companies offering it and compare them based on the premium, coverage, percentages - all of which are being explained, which didn't exist before. Through the ACA, it separated your healthcare from your employer so you could quit your job and still have health insurance. Apparently, there are so many people in this country that are clinging onto jobs they don't like because of their health insurance. Other ways of getting health insurance include the small group market and the large employers, where most people in the country are still getting their insurance from. Moreover, the ACA also requires that employers buy plans that cover those ten essential benefits and have minimum of what needs to be provided in return for premiums. Jen ultimately stresses that the Affordable Care Act keeps the private insurance company at the center of our healthcare and try to make it so they can be profitable and yet we get coverage with fewer medical bankruptcies. Jen adds that this did not eliminate medical bankruptcies in the U.S. nor did it cover everybody but it is better than it was before. Basically, it's a stepping stone. [15:25] Medical Bankruptcy and Hospitals Covering healthcare Even if you don't have insurance, you're going to get care anyway, right? You show up to a hospital and you're going to get the care you need. Is this how it works? Jen thinks it's anecdotal but that's not how it works. Before the ACA, Jen's friend got cancer at 15 years old. She went into remission. They had one awesome summer and then the cancer came back. She was told she was going to need a bone marrow transplant. That's what was submitted to her health insurance company but someone behind the desk decided it was too expensive and said no. Because her parents were not millionaires, she died. So you can't really separate medical bankruptcy from getting care. If you got hit by a car and you get brought to a hospital, you're going to get the basics so you can get out of there. But what about the follow-up care? What about cancer treatments? You can't get that in emergency rooms. Jen firmly says this is inaccurate to say that hospitals have to cover you. They do cover the minimums like emergency care but the maintenance and the preventive stuff, that's what keeps you alive long term and that is not covered in the emergency room, especially not on a systemic level when there 325 million people in the U.S. [17:14] Democrats versus Republicans Jen has observed that there is so much corporate influence in our Congress right now on both sides. You have the Republican party that wants the insurance industry to write the rules. So they get to call the shots and they decide who gets covered and who doesn't because they believe in an economic theory. They believe in it so strongly that Jen is convinced they're not really looking at it from the people's perspective. They want people to have access to healthcare but access is different from "actually" having healthcare. So the Republicans are really working on behalf of businesses in a way that I think clouds their judgment. As with the Democrats, they're also corporate in a certain way so they're the ones who created the Affordable Care Act. Instead of nationalizing the healthcare industry like it is in so many other countries, they are also creating the system and doing the middle of the road thing. They can keep the private health insurance in control as long as there are rules. But the people who just want to get healthcare as part of being American citizens are vastly outnumbered in our Congress right now. [19:00] Healthcare as a Business Unfortunately, there is no side that is saying that access to doctors and getting healthcare is just an essential that everybody needs. Jen thinks there is an ideological battle happening and it seems to her that government should be covering the things that we all need but we don't know when. The problem with treating healthcare like any other business is you can't opt out of it. It's not a restaurant, you can't choose to not go there and cook at home. You need the doctors when you need them. And the Republican party, specifically, sees healthcare as a business. Jen adds it's not necessarily a left versus right thing. Instead, is this a business and should it be for profit or should be a part of the government? This is the real battle going on right now and business is winning big time. Let's say, you got bitten by a dog and you're bleeding. Are you supposed to go to Yelp for doctors and figure out which one is the cheapest? And then go to the cheapest one questioning where this doctor actually got their degree. Jen doesn't think this makes sense on so many levels. When you're sick the only thing you're thinking of is how do you get better. You're afraid for you actual life. This is why health insurance companies are an amazing profitable business because it's something we all need and will pay anything for. We don't question our doctors and for most of us, doctors are gods. Again, it's not a business; at least, it's not supposed to be a business. It's not like buying a shirt and choose from different stores. But it matters when it's your health because you only have one body and if you screw it up, game over. [23:45] It’s Going to Get More Expensive! Jen bluntly admits that she is horrified with what the current administration is trying to do by making it all for profit again. It's not a normal business and so a lot of people are going to get hurt by this. With the new American Health Care Act, if it becomes a law, people with pre-existing conditions still have to be covered technically but there are so many loopholes that they've now written into the system. The The MacArthur Amendment got passed in the house. It's basically a waiver that lets states waive the essential health benefits and states can create the essential health benefits, state by state. This implies that not only will states be able to define the categories of benefits but they also get to decide what's in those categories. For example, a state may decide to only cover three prescription drugs instead of a lot of them which were supposed to be covered or a state may decide they won't cover ambulances anymore. Moreover, when you get sick, the ACA puts a limit that you only have to pay a certain amount out-of-pocket. Those are all tied tied to the essential health benefits. With the MacArthur Amendment, each state is allowed to determine what essential health benefits mean and it's also going to determine your lifetime and annual limits and what your out-of-pocket expenses are. Jen thinks this is just going to be much more expensive for customers on so many different levels that people are going to skip care because they can't afford it. Additionally, they say it's designed to reduce premiums. By eliminating the rules on the insurance companies, it's true that premiums might go down because the plans do not cover anything. Jen had one of those. She got her plan for $80 a month but when she went to get a physical, it was $400. Imagine if she actually got sick! That's what they're going back to. Jen says they promise this is only the first step. The main goal is to allow the private insurance companies to do what they will. This is Jen's biggest concern (and ours too!) because they exist not to provide the best healthcare but to make as much money as they can and divvy it up to their shareholders. This is what for profit corporations do. Jen explains it's not necessarily evil but it is when you do it with healthcare. Again, you're talking about desperate people that will pay anything for their own health. So she doesn't see anything good about it. [27:35] The Car Insurance Analogy To better understand what Jen has just discussed, it's like car insurance. When you're looking for a car insurance from a premium standpoint, you're typically looking for the cheapest thing possible and you're not digging around aspects like towing service, accident coverage, or parts replacement. All you want is the cheapest premium because you're a poor college student. Allowing patients to choose the cheapest premium without understanding that back-end of what they're actually buying. They're basically betting on the American population to not be smart. Jen thinks it's not even smart because what they do is deceptive and put it in the fine prints. Those are tricky things insurance companies do so you're not aware. They don't want you to be aware because they want to get out of covering you when you actually do get sick. Jen got a cheaper plan for her car and when her battery died and called her insurance asking for roadside assistance, she found out she's not covered for it anymore. She ended up asking for help from someone. Good thing it wasn't a big deal, but what if it was? However, the problem with comparing health insurance and car insurance, is that you actually don't need a car. So if you don't want to pay premiums, you may choose not to have a car. But you don't have the option to not have a body. You basically don't have any choice. So even if you compare it to other insurances, it doesn't make sense because you don't have to own a car or a home and even life insurance. [30:40] Where to Read and Understand the Bills For those who want to know more about these policies, Jen recommends you go straight to the bill. It can be super painful to read legislation but Jen has seen so many conflicting information from sources written by other people. Hence, the best way to truly understand it is to go to Congressional sources and read what they're reading. Jen says it's not that intimidating. She's outlining the stuff on Congressional Dish and she links to all the individual provisions. Jen uses GovTrack.us to look at the status of bills as well as those that have already been enacted. Jen considers reading the Affordable Care Act was the most miserable experience for her and found it so difficult. It has ten sections. She actually ready the first nine and found out that the tenth edits the first nine. But if you truly want to understand what the system is, you have to go to the bills and the U.S. code and read it. The codes can be confusing to read because of all the numbers or codes written but the laws are written in plain English. So you can go to the sections of the law itself and just read it to understand. It's not as hard as reading bills because you don't have to jump back and forth. [33:20] What Happens to AHCA Now? AHCA has passed the House and now it's in the Senate. Jen explains that what happens from here is that it may be changed because the Senators are not happy with it as it is. The people on the committees don't give Jen hope that it's going to be changed in a way that protects people more. There are certain Republican senators that are uncomfortable with people losing their insurance and having it be more expensive. But there's also a group that are ideologically opposed to the idea that the government puts any kind of restraints on private business and they see healthcare as a business. Two of these people, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, are going to be involved in the shaping of the Senate's version and jen says they just don't believe in government. The best we can hope for in this Congress is that the whole thing just stops. Jen hopes we can make enough noise that the Senate doesn't vote on it or it fails in the Senate. Timing-wise. Jen heard they want to have this vote in the Senate done by August. This means we have a couple of months to make a fuss in the Senate particularly. The House's rule is done for now (May 2017). So you have to focus from now until August of 2017 unless it's passed sooner. [35:40] Jen's Message to Doctors Jen wants to emphasize to doctors that private insurance is based on a lot of paperwork. There are a lot of receptionists hired to fight with the private insurance industry and a lot of times, the doctors care more about the patient. Jen says what happens to many doctors is they end up having to be insurance experts to help their patients get better and not go bankrupt. So doctors are involved in this and if you like to minimize your cost, minimizing the role of insurance would be good. Insurance companies don't want to pay because that's their business model and you want to get paid. So it's important for doctors to really pay attention to what's going on right now. Having read the bill, Jen encourages doctors in all of their interest to fight it as she thinks there is no good going on here. Jen's friend has Crohn's disease and she's working on moving to New Zealand so that if this becomes a law, she's out. Jen stresses this is how serious this is for your patients. It sounds extreme but it is extreme! This is what keeps Jen awake at night and she thinks this should keep us awake at night too. [39:05] Not a Carefully Crafted Bill Lastly, Jen mentions how fast this is being crafted. It's not something the Republican have been working on for the last eight years since the Affordable Care Act. This bill they passed in the House was not available to read the night before the vote. It was not on the internet. The Congressional Budget Office does the really in-depth analysis of the financials but they were not done with this until the week of May 22, which is in the future of when this bill was actually passed. They simply just wanted to get something passed and so they passed it. Jen thinks this is so reckless. It's not a carefully crafted bill but something that has been thrown together last minute and the effects be damned. This is the same as a doctor not evaluating a patient, giving them some antibiotics and if something doesn't work, another doctor will fix them. [40:30] Be Informed Jen outlined the Affordable Care Act on the Congressional Dish podcast episode 048 and linked them to specific provisions. Episode 151 is Jen's next episode where she will be linking to all these provisions she's talking about when she outlines the American Health Care Act. You may also get a free app so you can get the show notes on your phone as you listen. Links: Enter to win a free copy of my new book The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Text BOOKGIVEAWAY to 44222. Congressional Dish podcast Congressional Dish Podcast Episode 048: The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) OpenSecrets.org Affordable Care Act American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) Medicaid Medicare The MacArthur Amendment GovTrack.us

Session 73 The paperback version of The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview is set to be released in June. In celebration of that launch, simply preorder it from Barnes and Noble before June 06, 2017 and get almost $100 worth of giveaways including a brand new, amazing mock interview platform which is only available right now to those who preorder the book. This platform will enable you to practice your interview skills anytime you want and even share video recordings of your interviews with mentors, advisors, friends, and family. Access to this platform is worth $47 a month but you get a free month if you preorder the paperback copy of the book from Barnes and Noble. You will also get access to my 13 video series of which are courses I've done on the medical school interview (regular price is $47). To know more, text PREORDER to 44222 and you will get instructions on how to buy the book and how to submit your receipt to get access to this free gift. Today's question is about whether an applicant's medical history would affect their application to medical school, which is a common question we get. Do you need to mention it in your personal statement? If so, how will this affect your application? [04:00] OldPreMeds Question of the Week: “I am currently back in school working on completing course prereqs for medical school. I'm just wondering, is a medical history taken into account when applying to medical school especially mental health? In 2016, undiagnosed OCD led me to develop an eating disorder for which I'm currently in recovering as well as chronic depression. I'm wondering if these life events could affect my medical school application. Aside from my mental health history, I am working towards a strong application (knock on wood). My undergrad GPA is 3.9. My current science and math GPA is 4.0. I'm about to begin volunteering at a hospital and I work 24+ hours a week in an advanced stage dementia nursing home, basically, as a CNA. I serve as a peace corps volunteer and I'm nearly fluent in Spanish.” Here are my thoughts: [05:00] Medical School Application Luckily, for this student, their mental health has obviously not affected their grades. Ultimately, what the question comes down to is, what do I have to tell the medical schools? The plain answer is nothing. There is nothing on the application that asks about your health. What could come up is if you had any significant gaps in education and you have to explain those. And even if you do have those gaps in your education, you don't have to explain those by saying you've had chronic depression, OCD, or an eating disorder. Instead, be very generic and say you've been dealing with some health issues that have gotten under control and since coming back to school, you've been fantastic. And it shows! [06:34] Medical License Application When you go for your medical license, you will be asked a question about any health issues that are going to prevent you from taking care of patients. It doesn't sound like this poster has anything that would prevent them from taking care of patients so this is not something to worry about. However, this comes into play if you have brain tumor and it's affecting your cognition and your ability to think and control impulses. Then you're starting to deal with some questionable issues. If you have a vision problem or severe carpal tunnel, for instance, and you're a surgeon then maybe that's a problem. You're going to have to disclose that on your applications for your medical license as well as your credentials at the hospital. [07:33] A Red Flag Whatever you have is none of the medical school's business. I highly recommend that even if this has motivated you to go into medicine, be very careful about talking about those things on your application and in your personal statement. This could pose a big red flag. Medical schools are looking at thousands of medical schools so why would they take a chance on you when they can just put you aside and look at somebody else, just as qualified as you are, that doesn't have any red flags? Back in Episode 194 of The Premed Years podcast, I talked to a student who is legally blind from a condition and he applied to a medical school. His personal statement was all about his blindness and how that's motivating to continue. However, he didn't get into medical school and thought maybe he shouldn't have done that. The next time he applied, he didn't mention anything about his blindness. He was able to hide it to a certain extent, like if it was bright out, he was able to see well enough that he didn't need a walking stick. Then he got accepted to medical school and the packages that came after his acceptance asked him about whether he needed accommodations and that's when he said he's legally blind. Currently, he is residency and is doing very well. [09:46] Final Thoughts As you are struggling with mental health issues or whatever you're dealing with, guess what? We are all dealing with something. One of the reasons I left the Air Force and I'm doing the podcasts full time now and I don't practice medicine anymore is I was diagnosed with MS (which was also one of the reasons I got into the Air Force instead of doing Orthopedic Surgery which was what I really loved to do but it could have made my disease worse but it wasn't worth it). Hopefully, this discussion has helped you figure out whether this is something that's going to affect you. Usually, it doesn't. We have our own concerns like how the admissions committee members are going to look at you. But for the most part, your business is not the medical school's. Keep it to yourself and keep taking care of yourself on your journey. Hopefully, you will do very well.

Session 22 Aerospace Medicine is a subspecialty of Preventive Medicine and very unique usually to the military, though there are civilians equivalents. If you are a premed student and you're getting ready to prepare for your medical school interviews, check out The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Its paperback version will be released on June 06, 2017. Preorder the book at Barnes and Noble now and you will get about $100-worth of free gift including a 1-month access to our brand-new mock interview platform (only currently available to those who preorder) and a 13-video course on the medical school interview. Text PREORDER to 44222 to get notified with instructions on how to get on this. Back to today's episode, I will be interviewed by Ian Drummond, a fourth year medical student and the host of The Undifferentiated Medical Student podcast. Ian interviewed me back in Episode 24 of his podcast about aerospace medicine and I'm playing a part of his interview with me specifically relating to aerospace medicine. [03:29] What is Aerospace Medicine? AAMC's Careers in Medicine didn't actually have a description of aerospace medicine although it was listed under Preventive Medicine. Ian, however, will refer to this description provided by the Aerospace Medical Association and we will take it from there. "Aerospace medicine concerns the determination and maintenance of the health, safety, and performance of persons involved in air and space travel. Aerospace Medicine, as a broad field of endeavor, offers dynamic challenges and opportunities for physicians, nurses, physiologists, bioenvironmental engineers, industrial hygienists, environmental health practitioners, human factors specialists, psychologists, physician assistants, and other professionals. Those in the field are dedicated to enhancing health, promoting safety, and improving performance of individuals who work or travel in unusual environments. The environments of space and aviation provide significant challenges, such as microgravity, radiation exposure, G-forces, emergency ejection injuries, and hypoxic conditions, for those embarking in their exploration. Areas of interest range from space and atmospheric flight to undersea activities. The environments studied cover a wide spectrum extending from the microenvironments of space to the increased pressures of undersea activities. Increased knowledge of these unique environments of “Spaceship Earth” helps aerospace medicine professionals ensure participants are physically prepared, physiologically safe, and perform at the highest levels." [05:28] Building Trust and Relationships with Patients I agree with all of it as a great representation from the organization. One of the biggest things missing which is unique to aerospace medicine is the relationships with patients. In fact, it is a huge factor in aerospace medicine which I think deserves its own call out there. I will speak specifically to the Air Force although it's pretty similar for the army and navy which also have civilian flight surgeons. There are AME's (Aviation Medical Examiner) out in the real world that do physical exams for pilots. There is a civilian equivalent, just a little bit different for the military. For the military, specifically for pilots, they usually go and see the flight surgeon for a few things. One is the mandatory annual physical examination (crossing their fingers that nothing is found). Second, if something is really wrong and they need help. Typically, a pilot doesn't want to go and see the flight surgeon outside of those two things because every visit to the flight surgeon is an opportunity to lose their wings, which means they would no longer be able to fly. Because a flight surgeon has that control to make sure pilots and other people interacting with aircraft are safe operating the aircraft, it's their job to make sure that if they have any medical condition, we have to determine if they should continue flying or not. As a flight surgeon, I was a rated flyer where I got to wear a flight suit and had wings. I was required to fly four hours a month to be part of the air crew to build that rapport and build that trust. I went for an MRI one day because I was having some symptoms and I got diagnosed with MS so eventually I was no longer allowed to go up in an airplane for the Air Force. Because of that fine line between being allowed to fly and have your career or you're not allowed to fly out anymore, it's such an important relationship to have that trust and rapport. It's one of the best parts about being a flight surgeon. There could be cases they're lying and hiding things from us, like a cat and mouse game, because they want to fly. They love their jobs and they love the camaraderie that comes with it and everything else so it's a large part of who they are. Personally, I thought it was a stupid rule that I got grounded. MS is one of those weird things for aerospace medicine. The Israeli Air Force lets their pilots with MS fly. Ours is less progressive so they worry more about the cognitive decline since 75% of MS patients have some sort of cognitive deficit and that's what worries them. I did argue for a while but I lost. [11:32] Flying the Plane There are a couple of caveats here. In the navy, flight surgeons go through some of the pilot training courses. The army may do it like the air force where you go through a little bit of ground pilot school. For instance, they get to ride in a small Cessna plane and fly to see what it's like. The whole point of the flight surgeon is to make sure that pilot and other people can do their job so you have to understand what they're going through. Then you get to see how much there is to do. I have my private pilot license. I have always been fascinated with airplanes so when I had the opportunity to get my private pilot license, I jumped on that. As a flight surgeon where I had to fly four hours a month, it meant being part of the aircrew. So the majority of aircraft that I was in were bigger airplanes so I would just hang out in the back or in the cockpit but not actually controlling anything. Sometimes I would talk on the radio and help them with the radio stuff. The one time I got to fly something was in the backseat of an F-16 because the controls are right there. When you have wings, it means you're in some way affiliated with the airplane. So it's not just the pilots, but also, load masters, navigators, flight surgeons, etc. having wings is just a designation that you're like a "real" Air Force and you're part of the plane considering there are other jobs in the air force that have nothing to do with planes (ex. bus driver, cook, etc.) [16:08] Civilian Physician vs. Air Force Physician When you're, say a Primary Care physician, there is almost never this thought about what job a patient does or can they continue to do it. It's usually the patient that asks for some time off because they don't want to work. But as a flight surgeon, that's always the first question at the top of my mind. I have to know what your job is and whether or not you can continue to do it. So if you're a pilot and you come in with a knee pain and I know that if an engine goes out and you need to push full rudder to keep the plane straight and land it, you're probable not going to be able to do that with how bad your knee is. So you can be grounded for a week or two to make sure your knees are better and then come back and see me to reevaluate. *There is no such term as a "flight surgery" but it's an old name that's been held out for a long time. The actual practice is aerospace medicine and there are aerospace medicine residencies but you are a "flight surgeon" as an aerospace medicine specialist. There is flying but there is no surgery and there's definitely no surgery while flying.  [18:44] A Typical Weekly Routine and Patient Types A typical week for a flight surgeon is an ambulatory setting where you're seeing patients depending on what based your stationed at as an active duty flight surgeon. In some bases, you see dependents (the family members of the active duty member) while in others, you see retirees. So the types of patients you're seeing vary but you're seeing normal clinical stuff. You're seeing a lot of occupational health visits. When a pilot comes in for their annual flight physical exam, it's an occupational physical where you check their vision, hearing, and other things making sure their healthy. But a lot of them are occupational-based which means making sure they meet the qualifications for continued flying. If seeing dependents and retirees, flight surgeons are basically a family practice physician so family members are treated for normal aches, pains, and colds, etc. Depending on where you're at, 50% is seeing patients and another 50% is hanging out with air crew and building rapport, doing "shop visits." As a flight surgeon, you're an occupational health physician so if your base has airplanes and you're visiting the flying squadron to make sure things look good there and the facilities are clean. You go to the maintenance squadron and make sure people working on the airplanes are keeping a clean environment and not working with lead-based paint and bring it into their offices and where they eat. You're simply making sure the base stays healthy. So you're basically outside of the clinic a lot of times and interacting with the rest of the base population which keeps things varied and you get a lot of diversity. When you go to site visits, it's like carrying a clipboard with a checklist like making sure they keep separate wipes for their masks or have separate sinks for different things. So a lot of the things are structured that way while some of it is just using your intuition and question-asking skills. Usually, you go out with a team consisting of public health or bio environmental engineering while you're focused on the health side So it's a very collaborative team-based approach. [23:16] Flight Surgeon as a General Practitioner 50% of the time, a flight surgeon is basically a practitioner except of the military. Also, a large majority of flight surgeons are general practitioners which means they're only internship-trained. This is the way the Air Force gets flight surgeons wherein a lot of them are fresh out of their internship. There are also a lot of flight surgeons with residency training, like OB/GYN, Orthopedics, Family Medicine, or Internal Medicine. You can actually have any specialty and be a flight surgeon if you choose to. And if you have specialty training and become a flight surgeon, you have to go through all the aerospace medicine training before becoming a flight surgeon because it's unique and different. Aerospace medicine is a subspecialty available to everyone in the military. They usually need flight surgeons so there are several physicians that jump ship from their specialty and subspecialty and come over to the aerospace medicine world. [24:50] Patient Outcomes Typical outcomes would be just like a family practice doctor where you're seeing people with their aches and pains, sniffles, and flu so you're treating an acute thing for a week or two and grounding them for a week or two and then they come and see you and things are better. Although there are also some unique things that could happen like somebody losing their vision or has a random new diagnosis. There are a lot of bad things that can happen to cause somebody to lose their wings. As a flight surgeon, you also take care of firefighters, which is another big occupational health job. The outcomes are usually normal healthy people but when you get those random diagnosis, it's a life-changer. [26:23] Most Exciting and Most Mundane about Aerospace Medicine The most exciting is being able to go out and be part of the aircrew and fly around the world or fly an F-16 or do all sorts of missions, experiencing what the rest of the base is doing. Conversely, the most mundane part is dealing with normal aches and pains like dealing with blood pressure management or diabetes management, basically the boring normal doctor stuff. [27:10] Wish I've Known About the Specialty When I got the call to say I was going to be a flight surgeon, I didn't know what it was. When I was in it and now that I'm out of it, I don't think there's really anything that I had wished I had known about other than I wish I would have known about it. Consider doing aerospace medicine especially those who are on an HPSP scholarship. It's an amazing job and there are so many things you can do. Even if you're interested in a specialty, go be a flight surgeon for a couple of years and then go live the rest of your life. The stories I can tell now, having been a flight surgeon, are going to stay with me forever. [28:40] What is HPSP Scholarship? HPSP refers to Health Professions Scholarship Program that offers about 150 scholarships a year where you get into medical school and you apply for the scholarship. Once you get accepted, they pay for medical school and then you owe them a year for a year of scholarship, where you can do a 3-year or 4-year scholarship. [29:28] Combat, Non-Combat, and AME's Because it's more of a military-based career, I will divide this into a non-combat and combat. As a non-combat flight surgeon, depending on where you're stationed, you can be stationed anywhere throughout the world. You can be stationed at a place without planes. But majority of your job is to make sure that the population of that base is healthy. It's always an ambulatory setting. There would be no need for an in-patient hospital-based flight surgeon. When you're deployed in a combat setting, you can run different parts of the medical evacuation triage tents and stations along the way. When somebody gets injured in combat, they're evaluated and triaged to see if they need to be evacuated out to a bigger hospital or if they can just be treated where they are. As flight surgeon doing that evaluation and determining what kind of aircraft they need to fly on, meaning is this an injury that is going to get worse at altitude or do they need at low altitude, do they need to be in a helicopter and stay low or stay in an unpressurized aircraft at a low altitude. So you're basically doing a lot of cool triage in trying to figure out what's best for the patient based on aircraft, altitude, and other things. An AME is an Aviation Medical Examiner, a designation where you get certified through the FAA. As an AME, you're usually a family practice doctor or an internal medicine doctor or somebody interested in aviation. It's a cool job because it's usually a cash-based business. You can see Class 1, 2, and 3 pilots which need a certain number of physical exams depending on the class. You have to go through FAA training which is free. The population of AME's has significantly decreased over time so it's now getting more difficult for pilots to find an AME and get their physical exams. An AME is very similar to a flight surgeon where there are strict guidelines that determine whether or not you're able to fly and bases your evaluation on those guidelines and makes recommendations based on that. FAA training is not the same as an aerospace medicine residency. It's a week to two-week long course that the FAA puts on. You can be a flight surgeon at NASA. I've been down to the space center in Houston and visited the world's largest swimming pool where the astronauts do all their training for weightlessness. And as a flight surgeon in the air force, I did see people that wanted to be astronauts and I would do their initial physical exams before they would go down to Houston to get their full physical. [36:15] Pilot Physician Moreover, you could be a Pilot-Physician of which the Air Force gives 20 spots. A student I'm working with is in the Air Force right now and wants to go back to medical school but she's also a pilot, not in the Air Force but she is a private pilot with 600 hours and she flew with the academy on their stunt team. They typical path for a pilot physician is you're a pilot and if for some reason you get interested in medicine and you go to medical school and you still want to be in the military, you become a pilot physician. So you're a physician first but you have the pilot training and usually, you're doing a lot more higher level things than just seeing patients in a clinic but you're looking at a lot of the regulations being written, research into new technologies, etc. Since there are only 20 slots in the Air Force, it's a highly sought-after position and because there are not enough pilots are going on to be physicians, they're looking for physicians that may be interested in going into pilot training through the air force to be pilot physicians. I did look into this but I didn't pass the age requirement. I was too old to start since 29 is the oldest to start the training and I was already 30 or 31. The Air Force is taking any physician but you obviously have to go through their aerospace medicine training at some point. The unique thing a pilot physician offers is the research and more of having the deep knowledge base and foundation of having both careers under your belt and being able to make those regulations and see things from both sides. [39:56] The Biggest Challenge and the Future of Aerospace Medicine One of the biggest challenges of aerospace medicine is that a lot of people don't understand us so there is much pressure for us to start doing more and seeing different types of patients. Apparently, there is a lot of misunderstanding from the greater Air Force of what our job is. What the future holds for aerospace medicine in 10-20 years would be that as we go to more and more autonomous aircraft, where we have drones, majority now are remotely piloted. They are not unmanned aircraft, they're manned, just in a different location. Because of that, interest in aerospace medicine will go down. Part of the lure is being able to go fly and so why would you be doing it if there is no plane to fly. There could also be unique psychological challenges that come into play for drone pilots. We're going to fighter planes (F-22 and F-35) that are only single-seat planes, which means the flight surgeon can't go up there and the less experience they get. There will be the heavier aircraft like the C-5 and C-17 and re-fuelers. [44:35] Final Words Aerospace medicine is an awesome and great job! Although pretty much specific to the military, there are civilian residencies for aerospace medicine. For this podcast, I'm not going to dive into all medical specialties in the military for two reasons. First, the practice of Pediatrics in the military is not very different than pediatrics in the civilian world and really, there aren't that many military premeds out there to warrant individual episodes. I'm a huge advocate for doing the military to pay for medical school and to serve but I don't think I'm going to dive into it here on the Specialty Stories. Links: The Undifferentiated Medical Student The Undifferentiated Medical Student Episode 24: Aerospace Medicine with Dr. Ryan Gray Careers in Medicine Aerospace Medical Association HPSP FAA AME training Pilot-Physician

The medical school interview process is filled with fear and doubt. Take a listen to hear 5 common questions and learn how to answer them so you're prepared. Links and Other Resources Full Episode Blog Post Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Related episode: The MMI: Everything You Need to Know About the Med School Interview. Related episode: Medical Ethics Questions You Can Expect in Your Interview. Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

There are many ways to prepare for the medical school interview. Unfortunately, many students don't do any of these. Take a listen and go in ahead of the game! Links: Full Episode Blog Post The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview (Pre-order the paperback version of the The Premed Playbook on Barnes and Noble before June 6. Upload the receipt here and we will give you one-month free access to the Anytime Mock Interview platform.) Cram Fighter (Create custom MCAT study schedule specific to your needs, your materials, your schedule. Use the Promo Code PREMED25 to save 25% off any of their regularly priced plans until May 7, 2017.) The Premed Years Podcast Session 19: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert AMCAS AACOMAS TMDSAS Application Mt. SAC Pre-Health Conference

Help Ian interview all 120+ specialties by referring him more physicians! Show notes page! Dr. Gray is a former United States Air Force Flight Surgeon who has since retired from the military and clinical practice to pursue his passion for helping med and pre-med students on their journey to and through medical school. Dr. Gray completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida in 2002; his medical degree at New York Medical College in 2009; and his intern year at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in 2010 after which he served 5 years in the Air Force, the first 2 as a flight surgeon and the last 3 as Chief of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Gray is best known for his podcasts which have combined for over 1.2 million downloads and which include The Premed Years podcast, The OldPreMeds Podcast, The MCAT Podcast, and most recently Specialty Stories, a podcast that features stories of specialists from every field of medicine. Dr. Gray is also the author of The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Through his book, his podcasts, and his website at medicalschoolhq.net, Dr. Gray has helped thousands of students successfully navigate the path to and through medical school. Dr. Gray lives outside of Boulder, CO with his wife Allison, who is a Neurologist, and their daughter Hannah. Please enjoy with Dr. Ryan Gray!

Dr. Ryan Gray took some time from his busy schedule to be my next guest. He's a podcasting veteran and if you haven't heard of Ryan Gray – you're living under a rock!! He runs the Medical School Headquarters, which is a website that “takes relevant premed topics and creates a one-stop shop for you to quickly get the information you need.” As the host of multiple podcasts – all with a focus on helping premed students become stronger candidates for medical school – he has quickly gained thousands of followers and listeners. Oh yeah and add author his repertoire. His book The Premed Playbook – Guide to the Medical School Interview  is his compilation of over 50 interview questions and answers that premeds can use to crush their interviews!! He even provides one -on-one coaching for premeds. Dr. Gray did his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida, and graduated with his M.D. at New York Medical College. He went on to do an internship at Tufts Medical Center and afterwards became a Flight Surgeon. Things you'll learn in this episode: His thoughts on the positives and negatives of being an entrepreneur Why he stepped away from clinical medicine and decided to run Medical School Headquarters full time Why he decided to write his book The Premed Playbook His thoughts on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing Ryan's best productivity life-hack How he answers #imnotjustadoc SUBSCRIBE: iTunes | GooglePlayMusic | Stitcher The post 014 – Dr Ryan Gray from the Medical School Headquarters appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

The Short Coat Podcast is from the students at Iowa's Carver College of Medicine. After talking to them, I think every med school should have a podcast! Links and Other Resources: Full Episode Blog Post www.mededmedia.com The Short Coat Podcast University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview on Kindle www.medschoolinterviewbook.com

yan Gray, MD, was a physician in the Air Force. He'd planned all along to be an orthopaedic surgeon...but the military had other plans for him: aerospace medicine. Later, when a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis forced him to give up flying, his career plans changed once again, and he decided to set aside the practice of medicine to focus his growing business as the proprietor of MedicalSchoolHQ.net where he advises pre-medical students on their efforts to get into medical school. He's also a podcaster in that vein, as the host of The Premed Years podcast, the OldPreMeds Podcast, and The MCAT Podcast. As Dave, Nicole Morrow, Amy Hansen, Alex Volkmar, and Tony Rosenberg found, not only is Dr. Gray a thoughtful adviser, but he's a lot of fun to talk to. His thoughts on being a non-traditional medical student (he was one himself), the efforts of some schools to create competency- and systems-based curricula instead of exam-based curricula, and the types of students admissions committees are most interested in are definitely worth knowing. And check out Dr. Gray's new book, The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview.

Ryan discusses some key facets of the medical school interview. Being prepared to talk about yourself is one of hardest parts. Ryan breaks it down for you. Links and Other Resources Full Episode Blog Post Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Related episode: What If I Don’t Have a Response to an Interview Question? Related episode: Common Medical School Interview Mistakes and How to Fix Them. Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

Ryan answers questions that have been emailed in and talks about his upcoming Medical School Interview book! Go to medschoointerviewbook.com for more info! Links and Other Resources Full Episode Blog Post Check out my Premed Playbook series of books (available on Amazon), with installments on the personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT. Related episode: He Overcame His 2.75 Undergrad GPA. Related episode: How Do I Know If Medicine Is Right For Me? Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep! Listen to Other Episodes

Ryan answers a question from the Facebook Hangout about how to answer medical ethics questions and resources to help. Links and Other Resources: Full Episode Blog Post Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Related episode: 5 Medical School Interview Questions Premeds Struggle With Related episode: Preparing for the Medical School Interview Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

Dr. Rivera joins us once again, this time to talk about the Multiple Mini Interview - also known as the MMI. We discuss everything you need to know to maximize your MMI! Links and Other Resources: Full Episode Blog Post Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Related episode: Do I Have to Know Laws or Specific Medicine for the MMI? Related episode: What Should I Do If I’m Faced with a Hard MMI Scenario? Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

We discuss the common mistakes that he has seen during mock interviews with premed students. Learn from other's and be prepared for your med school interview! Links and Other Resources Full Episode Blog Post Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Related episode: Preparing for the Medical School Interview. Related episode: Medical Ethics Questions You Can Expect in Your Interviews. Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

Ryan now has an acceptance to medical school, but as a premed, that wasn't always a sure thing. With several alcohol related incidents, he needed to change! Links and Other Resources: Full Episode Blog Post Check out Dr. Gray’s Premed Playbook series, with books on the medical school personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT! Related episode: Disclosing a DUI Didn’t Hold Him Back from Med School Related episode: What Are Med School Red Flags and How Do You Talk About Them? Related episode: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!

Ryan now has an acceptance to medical school, but as a premed, that wasn't always a sure thing. With several alcohol related incidents, he needed to change! Links and Other Resources:https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-108-overcoming-a-dui-and-more-on-his-way-to-med-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) Check out Dr. Gray’s https://medicalschoolhq.net/books (Premed Playbook series), with books on the medical school personal statement, the medical school interview, and the MCAT! Related episode: https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-319-disclosing-a-dui-didnt-hold-him-back-from-med-school/ (Disclosing a DUI Didn’t Hold Him Back from Med School) Related episode: https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-296-what-are-med-school-red-flags-how-do-you-talk-about-them/ (What Are Med School Red Flags and How Do You Talk About Them?) Related episode: https://medicalschoolhq.net/mshq-019-interview-with-a-medical-school-interview-and-admissions-expert?utm_source=podcastlist&utm_medium=blog&utm_content=podcastlist&utm_campaign=podcastlist (Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert) Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at https://medicalschoolhq.net/nextstep (Blueprint MCAT (formerly Next Step Test Prep))!

Back again for the fourth time, Dr. Greg Polites graces today’s show. Dr. Polites is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. He serves as Chairman of the Central Subcommittee for Admissions to the School of Medicine and is the former coursemaster for the Practice of Medicine for the 1st and 3rd-year medical students there. In today’s episode, Greg and I talk all about preparing for the medical school interview. Before we get started, I also want to mention my book all about the medical school interview. Check it out on Amazon: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Links and Other Resources Full Episode Blog Post Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Other Premed Years episodes with Dr. Greg Polites: Session 23, our first interview. Session 35 on Fixing a Med School App. And Session 88 on Personal Statements. Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” at Next Step Test Prep!

In today’s episode, Ryan and Allison answer some questions that have been emailed to us over the last couple of months. This week, we touch on topics involving taking prerequisites at a community college, personal statements, volunteering opportunities, finding a mentor, choosing an undergrad school, and more Links and Other Resources: Full Episode Blog Post MSHQ 019: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert MSHQ 023 : Interview with Dr. Polites of MedPrep at Wash. U. MSHQ 035 : How to Fix an App After Starting Premed Poorly MSHQ 047 : Avoid Burnout as a Premed, Med Student and Beyond MSHQ 068: The Changing Landscape of Medical School Admissions Check out our partner magazine, www.premedlife.com to learn more about awesome premed information. Are you a nontraditional student? Go check out oldpremeds.org. For more great content, check out www.mededmedia.com for more of the shows produced by the Medical School Headquarters including the OldPremeds Podcast and watch out for more shows in the future! Free MCAT Gift: Free 30+ page guide with tips to help you maximize your MCAT score and which includes discount codes for MCAT prep as well. Hang out with us over at medicalschoolhq.net/group. Click join and we’ll add you up to our private Facebook group. Share your successes and miseries with the rest of us. Next Step Test Prep: Get one-on-one tutoring for the MCAT and maximize your score. Get $50 off their tutoring program when you mention that you heard about this on the podcast or through the MSHQ website. Listen to our podcast for free at iTunes: medicalschoolhq.net/itunes and leave us a review there! Email Ryan at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq

In this episode, Ryan is joined by Allison. As the new year ushers in, they talk about the highlights of 2013, some things they’ve missed, and some exciting things to come moving forward. Links and Other Resources: Full Episode Blog Post Episode mentions: Session 19 – Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert Session 7 – 10 Traits You Need to Succeed in Medical School Session 17 – Step Up Your MCAT Prep with The Princeton Review Session 32 – Top 7 Things You Should Know as a Medical Student Session 35 – How to Fix a Medical School Application After Starting Premed Poorly Session 26 – 6 Myths of Osteopathic Medical School Session 47 – Avoiding Burnout as a Premed, Med Student and Beyond Session 10 – Interview with Columbia Postbac Premed Program 2008 Science Article about MCAT Test Format A Brief Guide to Osteopathic Medicine Save $225 on the Princeton Review’s MCAT Ultimate or MCAT Self-Paced Prep Course through March 30th 2016 by going to www.princetonreview.com/podcast If you need any help with the medical school interview, go to medschoolinterviewbook.com. Sign up and you will receive parts of the book so you can help shape the future of the book. This book will include over 500 questions that may be asked during interview day as well as real-life questions, answers, and feedback from all of the mock interviews Ryan has been doing with students. Are you a nontraditional student? Go check out oldpremeds.org. For more great content, check out www.mededmedia.com for more of the shows produced by the Medical School Headquarters including the OldPremeds Podcast and watch out for more shows in the future! Free MCAT Gift: Free 30+ page guide with tips to help you maximize your MCAT score and which includes discount codes for MCAT prep as well. Hang out with us over at medicalschoolhq.net/group. Click join and we’ll add you up to our private Facebook group. Share your successes and miseries with the rest of us. Check out our partner magazine, www.premedlife.com to learn more about awesome premed information. Next Step Test Prep: Get one-on-one tutoring for the MCAT and maximize your score. Get $50 off their tutoring program when you mention that you heard about this on the podcast or through the MSHQ website. Listen to our podcast for free at iTunes: medicalschoolhq.net/itunes and leave us a review there! Email Ryan at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq

In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Norma Wagoner. With almost 30 years of experience in the admissions process, she has served as the Dean of Admissions for multiple medical schools, such as Rush University, University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Links and Other Resources Full Episode Blog Post McGill Fact Sheet about the MMI Check out my book about the medical school interview: The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview. Related episode: Tricky Medical School Interview Questions Related episode: Ten Medical School Interview Tips: Go in Ahead of the Rest Need MCAT Prep? Save on tutoring, classes, and full-length practice tests by using promo code “MSHQ” for 10% off Next Step full-length practice tests or “MSHQTOC” for $50 off MCAT tutoring or the Next Step MCAT Course at Next Step Test Prep!