What are /r/premed's favorite Products & Services?

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Going to plug one of my favorite books, but this needs to be something that every premed should read. Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare explains how corporate greed has led to the replacement of qualified medical professionals by lesser trained practitioners. It goes into detail about FPA, where NP’s and PA’s are pushing to practice unsupervised in their own clinics or urgent cares along with many other issues that are pushed through by AANP and AAPA lobbying.

I'm not in the US, and thus didn't know suicide was this frequent among MDs. From the linked article:

> US psychiatrist Dr Michael Myers agrees. A chapter of his new book, Why Physicians Die By Suicide, dissects the different ways in which stigma kills doctors. > > A professor of clinical psychiatry at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, Myers is a specialist in physician health and says doctors with mental illnesses "often don't seek help due to the toxic stigma of becoming the patient". Doctors in the US die by their own hand at the rate of one a day.

Has anyone read Myers's book? No, I'm not he.

I would highly recommend "When Breath Becomes Air" - by the late Dr. Paul Kalanithi if you haven't already - I can't recommend the book enough.

Essentially, he after graduating from Stanford with English Lit, he then decides to get a masters in both History then Philosophy - BEFORE finally deciding he wants to go into Neurosurgery. Around his 6th year of residency, he gets diagnosed with IV Lung Cancer.

Long story short, he wrote the most amazing memoir (which isn't surprising, given his prolific background). Would highly Highly recommend, it's still #1 on my list, even now!

1. Read a lot of works/articles by Atul Gawande
2. I loved this book for explaining health policy and insurance to me
3. Watch youtube videos on healthcare (just search there)
4. Any popular medical book/public health should help you too!

Make sure you are familiar with ACA/Obamacare, how American health insurance works and Medicare/Medicaid, and other hot-topic issues

Khan Academy has videos for every topic covered in organic chemistry 1 and 2 and the guy in the videos made it super easy to understand.

The videos are time consuming and there's about 35 hours of material on his site, so I suggest watching it as you go through the course to make your load easier, but it's explained very thoroughly and I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

I used to suck at it, but I spent my spring break in college doing nothing but watching these videos (which are broken down by topic, I forgot to mention that) and I went into my midterm for OChem II and absolutely killed it, ended up getting an A-

Trust me when I tell you, there is no better resource for studying and learning OCHEM than this!

Now this is the quality content I came here for lmao

edit: don't tell the PI, instead here's a solution for ur problem

Those are rookie numbers, you gotta either pump up the pre-studying or sunscreen. Why study for the MCAT when you can just start studying for Step1?

I suggest reading first aid for 3 hours a day: https://www.amazon.com/First-USMLE-Step-2019-Twenty-ninth/dp/1260143678

Don't forget to supplement with usmlerx: https://account.scholarrx.com/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2Fconnect%2Fauthorize%2Fcallback%3Fclient_id%3DScholarRx.Client%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fusmle-rx.scholarrx.com%252Fauth.html%26response_type%3Did_token%2520token%26scope%3Dopenid%...

But real talk, none of this is a good idea. Studying for the MCAT in high school is stupid AF. Either troll or serious gunner that was never gonna heed any advice given here. Godspeed.

-The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

-The House of God by Samuel Shem

-Wit by Margaret Edson

-The Spirit Catches you and you Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

-The Plague by Albert Camus

-Do No Harm by Henry Marsh

-Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

During elementary school, I read this book series and it confirmed my aspirations for medicine, even at such a young age. Although there are 7 books in the series, each one builds on the other and has fun quizzes that keep you engaged! The best part is if you are not inspired to be a doctor after reading the books, you can return them! Money-back Guarantee! Link is below!

​

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-7-Book-Subject-Review-2020-2021/dp/1506248861

This is a 1 star review left on the book Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M9YJQR3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zJHUFb1GJ78H0

Not sure if this will help, but Dr. Gray on youtube does application renovation videos that might be helpful! He could also submit his here https://airtable.com/shr3doGRGedLQPykM

Reducing standards?! Have you ever heard a 40+ year old doctor talk about "when he was a premed"? Hell, my grandpa keeps telling me that he majored in premed in the 50s, and he only needed two years of college work to get in. I just did a littlest digging and found this report which kind of corroborates his claims. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23966835_Premed_Requirements_The_Time_for_Change_Is_Long_Overdue

My point is that no one wants to see the standards reduced, rather more holistic or comprehensive.

Ok, I had saved that thread to my account but it may have been deleted because I can no longer find it. I saved the actual spreadsheet to my desktop though, so here it is on a google doc. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzwfOx964Q_bNWR3TUJIOXhRSGM/edit?usp=sharing

So I was able to pull the data from the AAMC MSAR and compile it into a dataset compatible with this tool. Use at your own risk. https://anonfiles.com/file/ba8c176b204cb2740e372b0a91613d16

DON'T SUE ME

https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X

I would get this book! it helps with crafting your PS and gives good examples. Dr. Gray also goes over prior applicant PS on youtube and gives feedback on them.

I just recently finished reading When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. It's a beautifully written book that incorporates medicine and also examining how death is approached/viewed by the physician and the patient.

I am almost done reading Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy. It's very eye-opening to learn about the racial issues in both patient populations and in the medical profession. Gives me a newfound respect for URM doctors.

Other books that are more solely about medical conditions would be Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan, and also The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston.

I'm sure if you type in the search box "book recommendations" you'll find more posts with more recommendations. Other people have asked this question.

Thanks, great advice

And read When Breath Becomes Air - about a neurosurgeon resident at Stanford who was diagnosed with cancer - great, great read - something you may be able to mention at interviews ;)

• Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (favorite book of all time)

• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

• Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese

• Anything by Atul Gawande

• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Some light reading I've read recently and enjoyed, I generally gravitate towards stories and great storytelling:

• Not all of us are saints (this is probably the 'realest' book on the list, if you read nothing else, read this)
• The real doctor will see you shortly
• On Call: A doctor's day in Residency
• Trauma Room Two
• When Breath Becomes Air
• Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring

Recommended Authors:

• Atul Gawande (light reading)
• Samir P. Desai (admissions and interviews)

Edit: To throw in a book that isn't medicine related but I'm currently reading and has been highly recommended this year, Hillbilly Elegy.

I'll be looking to graduate with $300k in debt. With interest, that's close to $400k.

My plan is simple, get a job in the middle-of-nowhere (http://www.indeed.com/m/jobs?q=Rural+Family+Medicine) and try to earn a minimum of $150k after taxes.

I plan to not get married, buy a new car, get a house, etc until I pay off my med school debt.

Spending $50k/year on an apartment, food, extra saved cash, I'll put $100k/year towards my loans.

I also plan to take advantage of government repayment programs to wipe off at least $100k off my debt in 3-5 years.

In other words, my goal is to:

-Live frugally

-Don't work in an expensive city out of residency

-Don't get other debts (mortgage, cars, kids, etc)

The way I see debt, and honestly it's thanks to the way I was raised, is every dollar that you earn isn't really yours, but someone else's money you're just holding on to until you give it to them.

Most docs who spend their entire life paying off their med school debt get "carried away" (get married, buy more stuff they can't afford, etc). And that's fine, it's their money and their life. I would enjoy my money earned as well if I knew I would be making a good living for the rest of my life.

But I personally think most docs should look towards paying off major debts first before buying the Mercedes and the house in Cali.

In other words, live like a resident until you pay off med school debt, take advantage of repayment programs, and don't add other major debts to your existing debt.

Then, go crazy with the investment and spending.

Sorry for typos, on my phone.

Keep up to date with the material. Keep up to date with the material. And keep up to date with the Material.

Also, study smartly - hours are not a good indicator of level of knowledge. Find what method works good for you. (Flash cards, writing, white boards, recording lectures etc.)

Also, Khan Academy to help you get a grasp of the material. Its a good reference.

If you're interested, I can send you the Excel spreadsheet I made of each of the AAMC practice tests that include things such as how many questions from each specific subject (ex. Nervous system in the Bio section) so you know what they tend to focus on.

I think the most useful thing for me was looking at the overall trend of all the tests. Also, I put in each number of questions that i missed out of the total so that I knew what I was doing well at or what I sucked at. Here's a dropbox link for all curious https://www.dropbox.com/s/ur7ge414bxye0to/MCAT%20Spreadsheet.xlsx

Dude. Idk what immigrant community you’re from, but I’m Asian. You can’t seriously say with a straight face that Asians have been discriminated like African Americans have. We’ve been oppressed to be sure, and Japanese-Americans were even rounded up and put into camps only 80 years ago, but we were not treated like literal property and subjected to chattel slavery for centuries, the effects of which are still felt to this day.

Also, white people tolerating Asians and using us as an example that immigrants can be successful is cynically weaponized to further shit on African Americans. If you’re Asian, I highly recommend you read this NPR article:

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks

Check out https://www.scribd.com/doc/126837439/Write-Your-Way-to-Medical-School#scribd . The author uses two people to write sample personal statements. One of them is a nontraditional, and the author explains how they might approach the PS differently.

Hope this helps!

The data was cleaned up and formatted in python 3.6. I use Prism, since I like the way the figures look. FYI it's a good Excel alternative if you plan on doing research in medical school.

Don't torrent from university wifi, and preferably not at home either. If you can afford it now, a VPN will protect you from being caught torrenting and Private Internet Access is only $40 and very easy to install

My personal favorites include:

House of God by Sam Shem

All of Atul Gawande's books

When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Do No Harm by Henry Marsh

Travels by Michael Crichton

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

I could go on for a while, but these are a handful of what I've read in the past couple years that I've found very helpful for many walks of life, school included.

not sure if this is really inspired me to become a physician but i recommend patient at risk: the rise of nurse practitioner and physician assistant in healthcare

https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164

To be honest, I've never heard of anybody reading a book to prepare for shadowing, nor do I know of any book that would help you with that anyway. If you have any specific questions, ask away and I'm sure this subreddit would be more than willing to help. Otherwise, beyond having some common sense, I really don't think there's anything you need to know going in.

Medical books that are written for the public include: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, any of Atul Gawande's books (like Being Mortal or Complications) or articles (he writes for the New Yorker), and my favorite, The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Another book is The House of God by Samuel Shem, but this one is a little different from the others in that it's a satirical novel (but it brings up some solid points of residency training in the US). I'm sure you've heard of at least some of these books, and I personally recommend all of them to you. These books won't help you be a better shadower (?), but they're good reads nevertheless.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is a book about a neurosurgery resident who becomes diagnosed with deadly lung cancer during his last year of residency, and how he comes to terms with his own impending death. Fantastic read, but will make you cry.

I make my own pages but here is my Agenda table! My views include one for each class, what's due tomorrow, due throughout one week, a month view, deadlines, events, etc. Helps with prioritization :) https://www.notion.so/valoryanne/Calendar-30ac75cf858d4505b6551d14d9d602f7

The advice you got might be reasonable if you want to be REALLY sure that you'll get at least a certain score, but it shouldn't set your expectations. There used to be a site with a decent dataset of exactly what you're asking for (practice scores from various sources including AAMC tests, vs. real scores), but it's been down for a while (archived without images here). Basically the upshot is that AAMC practice tests are very well-calibrated, that is, a "mature" practice test score (i.e. not an early score before you really started prepping) is probably very close to what you'll actually get.

Y'all this is literally a post asking about what you would want someone to say about you in a letter of recommendation, it's just an example of something you'd be able to say 🙄 None of us knows what's cool about OP

Also why are the only 2 serious answers in here downvoted lmao

Torrents, buddy. They are a lifesaver.

So, I found these torrents: the second edition book with the solutions manual and some other book which probably isnt the one you're talking about.

Download a torrent client (I use UTorrent and it works great, just get that), click on the little magnet, and set files that you download of that type from now on to open on UTorrent or whatever client.

You'll get it as a PDF. I suggest using this site from now on for other textbooks!

The statement should be about why you want to be a doctor, so I'd stick to the latter.

Unless you are painting a vivid scene for the mind's eye, excessive verbiage can raise suspicions that you are masking a lack of substance with fluff.

Consider using http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ in conjunction with your own judgement.

You can PM me as well.

Dr. Desai's book on Multiple Mini Interviews. It provides example responses and how to respond to various scenarios.

https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Mini-Interview-MMI-Strategies-ebook/dp/B01C4FP99A

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D74DT3B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4004M361AJATG4AVGM59?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 this is what I have! It’s not adjustable or anything but the height is nice and it’s lightweight so I can bring it with me wherever I’m studying if I want

American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Business

Probably the best book on the realistic cost of care and the mixed, competing interests involved. Makes you knowledgeable in some discussions

https://www.amazon.com/American-Sickness-Healthcare-Became-Business/dp/0143110853/ref=pd_aw_fbt_img_2/147-1368007-1213924?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0143110853&pd_rd_r=f71f0f5e-459e-4970-99c5-0b50f2bb0580&pd_rd_w=4JIue&pd_rd_wg=fn0Id&a...

Surface book is a good choice. Decent ram at 8gb, good amount of fast storage, quality construction, and it seems decent.

There is also the Asus vivobook s, where you get a bigger screen, more storage, expandable memory, but not touchscreen, about just as light, and save $550, then this would be a good choice as well. There's also another model of it for $100 more and 1tb hdd storage (but you probably won't need more than 150gb unless you download massive files like games and movies).

Ohhh I meant like a relative or loved one who has been admitted to the hospital for health reasons or something like that. Basically any first hand experience with healthcare could be good to talk about.

Based on your username, Are you a teacher? Because that would definitely be good to talk about. Doctor comes from the Latin word meaning “teacher”. Since you talked about your experiences, I would focus on those and how they shaped you, and how you think that will make you an exceptional doctor.

As far as resources that would prepare you to talk about what a dr does, that’s a bit tougher because nothing is as good as first hand experience. “When Breath Becomes Air” was inspiring to me, it’s not necessarily about the healthcare aspect of medicine, more about the human aspect. If there’s a particular focus you’re more interested in— such as research, serving underserved, primary care, doctor-patient relationships; I can probably point you in a good direction.

Take heed to their advice about House of God tho. Its very dismal and sarcastic. I loved it, but I also loved Catch-22, and pretty much any book with that type of humor, but its not for everyone. When Breath Becomes Air and The Emperor of All Maladies are must reads tho

How many hours do you work in a given day and how many patients do you see?

Im applying to medical school and Im a patient as well so often I am torn on the conflict between the need to see many patients in a short period of time and giving patients the best care possible. In fact, I work as a phlebotomist and this same struggle exists in our community clinic. I just met with a new doctor yesterday and felt cut off from saying anything. The "meet and greet" lasted 5 minutes where I found out next to nothing about him and him about me. Ive read several books about the experiences of doctors and the book I am reading now called Better by Dr Gawande talks about the need for doctors to be relentless in their pursuit of perfection for their patients. By being relentless, one doctor was able to achieve a yearly mortality rate of 2% for his CF patients while the national average was around 20%. A key component of being relentless is listening to the patient and understanding their situation by digging deeper into their stories. In When Breath Becomes Air, Dr Kalanithi recalls his own medical appointments when he wanted to push for a lung cancer investigation but felt powerless as a patient despite being a neurosurgery resident at a top program outside of that examination room. He was later diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and passed not long after. As someone who's been in that situation many times, I want to do right by my patients by giving them the time they need without worrying about compensation. In a family medicine clinic, do you think it is possible to reduce the number of patients seen in a day while increasing the amount of time spent with each patient to a level where you can still take home around 75k a year after overhead working 5 or 6 days a week? Will you be able to make a big enough difference in the time spent with each patient this way? Thanks.

A short book that helped me get serious about meditation is "Wherever You Go, There You Are" by Jon-Kabbat Zin (definitely butchered his name). Other than that, I recommend going on youtube and just searching guided meditation and just chilling in a quiet place and listening to it. PM me if you want any additional info I'd be glad to help!

Currently reading When Breath Becomes Air. It is a real tear jerker.

When I was deciding to pursue medicine, I spoke with several doctors that I worked with about their journey, if they would recommend it to others, and for any advice they have. One of the docs said something that really stuck with me: "Medical school [and residency] takes at least 7 years. 7 years. But those years are going to pass no matter what you are doing in life. At the end of those years, you could either have achieved your dream or be stuck wishing that you had."

I will be starting school in the fall and I will be 25. That means I start residency when I am 29. I have aspirations to specialize, and I would be starting fellowship at ~32 or 33. I very well may be 35+ before I draw a real paycheck for my work as an attending. But I will be doing what I love, and that makes it all worth it.

This (which I believe was created by a redditor and has been posted in this sub before) was helpful for me and free as well:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ydc39tsjwlkfvb4/School_Selector_0910.xls

It might be a little dated (3 or 4 years?), but still very cool.

Great vid! I couldn't find the link for the program that alters computer screen color (i think you called it flux). Could you get that for me? Thanks!

EDIT: for the lazy, https://justgetflux.com/

I take mine Thursday. I've been watching khan academy videos all week. Very clear explanations, tons of videos in Orgo, Physics and Gen Chem, and in my opinion great reviews without too much stress.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Same.

I don't know if this makes you feel better, but remember that feeling burnt out is super common and says pretty much nothing about your ability to become a physician. Cut yourself some slack, slow down, and reach out for help when you need it.

https://player.fm/series/sincerely-x/episode-1-dr-burnout

You should say this if another interviewee takes too long to answer a question: https://giphy.com/gifs/food-billy-madison-today-junior-iqMHmcPIsNm4U

Adcoms will appreciate your knowledge of 90s Adam Sandler movies.

No physician parents. But this is the reaction I got when I told a younger attending (about 10-12 years older than me) about schools doing MMIs and what MMIs are : https://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-what-despicable-me-SqmkZ5IdwzTP2

I just wrote my first draft for the final paper in a writing class, it is probably going to be close to my final draft in content. Here is a great guide for starting out: https://www.scribd.com/doc/126837439/Write-Your-Way-to-Medical-School

I'm a bit late to this thread but I figured I would put in my own $0.02. In all honesty, you'll end up having to thoroughly learn the material either way, so you should do whatever fits your own personal situation best.

In Cal-based, you'll have a bit more knowledge as to where the equations come from. Through algebra-based, you'll be a bit more solid on the conceptual aspects. You also stated that you did well in calculus, so I'm sure that the math in either class won't be a problem. Personally, I've taken both algebra-based in high school with a solid teacher and then calculus-based in college. I found that the algebra-based class definitely taught me the concepts really well. On the other hand, the cal-based class wasn't amazingly difficult as others have made it out to be. The calculus really made some of the ideas "click" inside of my head.

You said that your high school physics experience wasn't the greatest because of the teacher you had. I think you should really focus on avoiding this in the future. Use your resources (http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ and http://www.myedu.com/ along with input from those at your school that have taken the class already) and find out which class presents the least amount of risk. In the ideal world, you'll be able to find a professor that teaches the material well and also has a solid grade distribution. However, if this isn't the case, I would personally go for the teacher that offers the most amount of A's via research through myedu. You'll end up needing to review the material for your MCAT later anyways, so you might as well take the class that'll facilitate the higher GPA. With that said though, it would definitely be advantageous for you to learn everything well the first time so it won't be as difficult the next round.

Best of luck!

As long as you have a decent grasp with computers and know how to run python, here's the interface for RASM with the 2016 MSAR.

I'll assume you already know all of the hurdles you're facing with an application this late.

The Hemingway Editor is a decent resource for making your language clear and concise. I don't agree with all of its suggestions, so take what it says with a grain of salt.

In most cases, your university's writing center is also a valuable resource.

Professional proofreaders are also an option, if you have the money for them. You can run up quite a bill, though.

I really loved chemistry as a second language books by Klein. I used his o-chem books, but he also has one for gen chem.

https://www.amazon.com/General-Chemistry-Second-Language-Fundamental/dp/0471716626/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=chemistry+as+a+second+language&qid=1619646657&s=books&sr=1-3

https://www.amazon.com/TIJN-Blocking-Glasses-Eyeglasses-Computer/dp/B07DRHG6XT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=blue+light+glasses&qid=1607926173&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyTUpYR1c0NFNCN0IxJmVuY3J5...

Hope they help!

R swirl is good for learning the language itself. For statistics in general, I'd say take your pick of MOOC audits. You can try Khan Academy or just take a crash course.

Tbh though I feel like a lot of the standard "stats for research" classes are often inadequate and throw formulas at you without making you understand where they came from or why they work. I'm biased as a math minor but I felt I had a much better conceptual understanding of the subject when I understood the idea of stat distributions and hypothesis testing from a more foundational calc-based perspective. If that's the case for you, this was the textbook my class used, and you can probably find it on libgen. I struggled through the "intro stats for research" class but loved the latter one.

Most federations require a singlet, since it's the easiest way of judging the lifts. You can find relatively cheap ones on Amazon. You don't need to meet any credentials prior to most meets. Just lift in whatever weight or strength you're at, don't take drugs, and kick ass.

Well then... I hope you find what you're looking for here or on another one of the med related subreddits

edit: its $46 new on Amazon. Its not too expensive if you really need it.

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Through-MRCPsych-Preparation-Second/dp/1853158763

Hi I have ADHD as well

I read this book in freshman year and has given me advice that has let me do pretty well in college

https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Straight-Student-Unconventional/dp/0767922719

I highly suggest you get it and read thru it. Its an extremely quick read.

If you have any particular questions about studying/time management you can DM me

You have no clue how grateful I'd be if you advocated for us as a resource! The app is a really great tool especially for premeds with ADHD like myself -- just maybe I can help more people than I thought!

Get started coding by building things you think are cool! If you can google your problem, someone already posted a solution on some forum :)

I got started when I bought a bunch of electronics to build fun robots in high school. It's really hard at first, but there's no downside to trying it out. If you figure out a way to hack your mind into thinking it's fun, you'll get really good, really fast.

Here's a little kit that's great to get you started coding. It's just like the first robot I built!

If you're using a laptop, you might also consider a stand. putting your laptop on your desk strains your back and neck. It's not a cure all but being over 6', I felt a significant difference.

I'm using this one now (https://www.amazon.com/Nexstand-Laptop-Stand-Portable-MacBook/dp/B01HHYQBB8). Might be a cheaper alternative to getting a new chair.

I enjoyed this book: Multiple Mini Interview (MMI): Winning Strategies From Admissions Faculty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C4FP99A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_COAQBbN856MEV

It’s well reviewed and rated. It has a ton of examples to help get you thinking about what kinds of questions you might get and how you could answer. The book, as well as most others will advise you to not try and over prepare or memorize answers. Instead, if you choose to practice, practice your answer structure. Restate the scenario in your own words to make sure you understand it right, talk through all of your thought process in a coherent and sympathetic manner, and answer the question as honestly as possible. Don’t give the answer you think they want to hear, answer how you truly feel. Leave 2-3 min for any follow up questions depending on time allotment.

Beyond that the best advice I’ve heard is to make good eye contact, be present with your interviewer, don’t make up an answer if you don’t know, and convince yourself you’re just happy to be there and don’t let the nerves ride you.

I am catholic, but a scientific person as well. My faith stems from an acceptance towards a lack of understanding and openness to a higher power. My father is the smartest person I know, with a PhD in epidemiology. However, he never missed sunday mass since the day my brother was born. He was raised catholic, left the church for over 20 years, and then came back when he had children and his job required him to confronting death on a daily basis (public health with the fire department). We talk often about faith, religion, and how science doesn't often coincide with those two. But when it comes down to it, I believe that the ability to say that you don't always have to understand something and can hope for a greater reason behind the things that happen on this Earth can be a strength. At the end of the day, if somebody finds fulfillment and happiness from faith and/or religion, does it make it any less real if science doesn't always support it?

Read When Breath Becomes Air for great introspective writing on this from a, now deceased, neurosurgeon

I am a junior at a top 5 engineering school studying Electrical Engineering. I like EE a lot, and I feel like the classes have sharpened my brain a lot and made me great at solving complex problems. I decided I wanted to be a doctor last summer after reading "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanathi. The book opened my eyes to the amazing impact that doctors can have in people's lives. I had an engineering internship at that time as well, so I got to see what it was like to work in the engineering industry. Although the work was pretty interesting, I realized I wanted more out of my career. I craved the human interaction and emotional fulfillment one can have from being a doctor and performing life saving operations....helping people in their most dire moments seems like an extremely fulfilling career. I shadowed a lot and loved every second of it. And lol, you're in high school, you aren't late to the party...You should major in engineering and do premed if you want a challenge and engineering is genuinely interesting to you. The GPA will come with diligence and hard work. I have a 3.8, and I've made some mistakes along the way (gotten lazy in a few classes), so it's definitely possible to get a good GPA in engineering. I say go for it, man. EE and premed is a great combo, I've enjoyed it a lot.

Doing Right is a commonly recommended book about bioethics. I'd recommend checking out books written by doctors as you get a perspective that is well tested in the field. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, and The Night Shift by Brian Goldman are good starters that I've enjoyed!

Anything by Atul Gawande, but Better is my favorite.

Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.

Every Patient Tells a Story by Lisa Sanders.

Last Night in the OR by Bud Shaw.

Heart Matters by Kathy Magliato.

Confessions of a Surgeon by Paul Ruggieri.

Brain Surgeon: A Doctor's Inspiring Encounters with Mortality and Miracles by Keith Black.

The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons by Sam Kean.

The Year They Tried to Kill Me by Salvatore Iaquinta.

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks.

The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly by Matt McCarthy.

A Thousand Naked Strangers by Kevin Hazzard.

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik.

When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank T. Vertosick Jr.

A couple lighthearted books:

Heart and Brain by The Awkward Yeti. If you're not familiar with his comics, check this out. I think they're great.

Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London.

Also, there is a 3-episode series on Netflix called Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, which is based on the book by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

Another vote for The House of God!

Other sciencey/pre-med/random books of interest:

An Ancestors Tale

Voyage of the Beagle

Everything I Learned in Medical School

Predictably Irrational

The Myth of Mental Illness (controversial and old but interesting)

Darwin's Dogs

I'm not really a fiction person anymore but you can never go wrong with Douglas Adams for laughs.

I've posted this a few times on reddit--it's a really great, brief overview of the healthcare system/current controversies in healthcare.

http://www.amazon.com/Health-Care-Handbook-Concise-United/dp/0692244735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442586910&sr=8-1&keywords=healthcare+handbook

I am not sure if you will even have the time to read ECGs as an ER Tech. There’s this book by real infamous author you can pirate that med students use.

https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Interpretation-EKGs-Sixth-Dubin/dp/0912912065

Maybe not today, but I really want this sit-to-stand electric desk. Over many years, I have spent quite the monies on the rest of my setup, but I'm looking to make one last upgrade to it before I go off to med school. It's expensive, but in the long run, I'd love to also buy a walking treadmill (maybe something like this) so I can exercise while studying at the computer, gaming, or even watching a movie. I think it'll be worth it in the end.

Sunscreen you’re gonna need this…

There are some textbooks out there on device design, like this one. I honestly think you're best served by learning about the design process overall, for which there are a ton of great open source resources. I'd look into IDEO, which is a real force in that area. Alternatively, you can take a case-study-style approach, where you take one device, like a pacemaker or a surgical stapler or the artificial hip, and learn everything you can about the evolution of that device, from the time it was invented in its most basic form all the way up to today.

Being able to visualize all the different projections 3-dimensionally is incredibly helpful for orgo I. If you can’t picture it in your head, definitely invest in model kit like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Swpeet-Molecular-Organic-Inorganic-Chemistry/dp/B072BY1YG4/ref=asc_df_B072BY1YG4/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312025969593&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1169328620587806098&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqm...

And ask your professor if you can use the kit during quizzes and exams. My orgo professors have let students use them in quizzes and exams.

Just an example, friendo: https://www.amazon.com/EMDMAK-Military-Tactical-Backpack-Rucksack/dp/B088KCG2NG/ref=sr_1_14?crid=1OEQ1VXPNQ8W1&keywords=bug+out+bag&qid=1665595760&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI3LjIwIiwicXNhIjoiNy4yOCIsInFzcCI6IjYuNzEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=bug+out+bag%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-14

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Price is good. Hope everything else would be too. I'd definitely avoid anything with "Thin Blue Line" garbage on it, but I am also shameless in my refusal to pander to the right wing advertising that goes on with a lot of military/police gear. YMMV.

This isn't a course, but it's a great app for learning medical Spanish and it's free. It has all the medical terms as well as a Dialogue section that covers a full H&P.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a great aid for what you want to do. It's free.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a great aid for what you want to do. It has all the medical terms as well as a Dialogue section that covers a full H&P. It's free.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a great app that can help you which is free. It has all the medical terms as well as a Dialogue section that covers a full H&P.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a great aid. You won't get any credits for it, but it's free:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a great app for learning medical Spanish. It has all the medical terms as well as a Dialogue section that covers a full H&P. It might be a bit advanced for you, but check it out. It's free:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a great app which has all the medical terms as well as a Dialogue section that covers a full H&P. And it's free:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a great app for learning medical Spanish. It has all the medical terms as well as a Dialogue section that covers a full H&P. And it's free:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

If you're interested in medical Spanish, here is a great app, which is free:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

If you're interested in medical Spanish, here is an amazing app, which is free!

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

Here's a good app for learning medical Spanish. It has all the medical terms as well as a Dialogue section that covers a full H&P. And it's free:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1574202729?pt=123220161&ct=email&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rogers\_dictionary&referrer=utm\_source%3Demail

No. Once you're accepted to medical school, your MCAT becomes as meaningful as your SAT.

As far as an indicator for future performance, I'd again say no. Even in the dozen some years since I was in my pre-clinical years, med school studying has changed drastically. It's gone from genuinely understanding the material to excessive and brute memorization during the first two years. Study habits are not as important as endurance.

In your clinical years, you're much better served by being well-organized and sociable rather than a good reader or memorizer. Shelf exams and Step 2 are pretty straightforward. So you'll be evaluated more closely in how good you are at developing rapport and being on top of your shit. Not as much how well you can memorize Harrison's.

Big caveat though. There is likely some correlation at very low levels. A person who gets sub-500 on the MCAT will probably struggle in med school, since they clearly don't know their shit. But is there much difference between a 510 and a 525? Probably not much. I suspect the MCAT loses its predictive value once you pass 510 or so. USMLE makes MCAT seem like a cakewalk anyway.

Check out the results of an AAMC study showing what adcoms actually check on our [/r/Premed](/r/Premed) faq here.

GPA is actually more important than MCAT.

This is actually wrong, the AAMC did a study on this the results of which are in our FAQ here

I used this site to determine who screens. Like the other commenter said, specifics on what those screening criteria are can be found on school specific websites. Good luck!

I write in the book below, that you gotta be uniquely perfect or perfectly unique to get into medical school. You, friend, strike me as pretty dang unique. Think you got a great shot if you can communicate your unorthodoxy.

​

https://www.amazon.com/fail-classes-into-medical-school-ebook/dp/B09Z7D74HB/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=2HY39W1VFG1S1&keywords=how+to+fail+13+classes+and+get+into+a+top+10+medical+school&qid=1658429199&sprefix=how+to+fail+1%2Caps%2C214&sr=8-1

From/interviewed for both medical school and residency in Texas. Full suit, short/sleeveless blouse underneath is fine (since you'll leave the jacket on during the interview and no one should be seeing the blouse). You can take the jacket off during lunch (and possibly on the tour). Skirt suits are cooler and not everyone wears pantyhose (honestly don't remember if I did or not, but low-denier pantyhose are way more comfortable for me than pants anyway).

Some girls used these kinds of disposable sweat shields to protect the armpits of their suit jackets. A few girls wore work-appropriate dresses with a blazer instead of a suit, but it stood out enough (looks less formal) that I wouldn't risk it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086GBDPT5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CVN7QMY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I use both, no complaints with either, except I dropped second one and the tip broke. I still went ahead and re-bought same one (plus the brand in first link in case I broke it again or one needs charging because not having a pencil was a nightmare couple of days). First link has a tip that's designed more similarly to Apple Pencil.

Or you can just pay $75.628 for a 4 year supply of caffeine pills that blow coffee out of the water...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KKX0GXM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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They're even portable... and require no time to make...

He talks about it:

https://www.amazon.com/Privileged-Poor-Colleges-Disadvantaged-Students/dp/0674976894

The first part of the free sample talks about how he got to college just to realize all the other Black students were wealthy instead of poor like him.

Coffee Mug Warmer, Smart Cup Warmer with Auto Shut Off, 3-Temperature Settings(up to180℉), Waterproof, Electric Coffee Warmer for Desk (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BVBQ8VY/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_VD5TTPKGGNZK27D5BZPZ

Something to that effect

Slippers from urban outfitters

Yes I agree it is confusing, but in the context of the study fear is probably why the amygdala would most likely be activated by the use of IAT.

Anxiety is taught to be more of a physiological/mental state almost, which is why I would have picked fear over anxiety.

I don't mean to sound like a dick. I find the social sciences and neuroscience interesting too. I just hate when people try simplify them and put down the fields, just because they're in their infancy.

Hey guys sorry about the PDF's. I figured out a way to share the folder with people via google drive.

Just click this link:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1tt3nFAlElyb0R0ZTRTN2FGVzA&usp=sharing

and you should be able to download from there

if this doesnt work please email me. I check it once a day

That's a bummer... Does this link work?

https://www.reddit.com/r/premed/comments/3m8sfa/harnessing_psychology_to_ace_medical_school/

If not, check it out on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/harnessing-psychology-ace-medical-school-interviews-shemmassian?_mSplash=1

My wife recently jokingly said "you can always put one above".... and lo and behold they actually have longer poles for that exact purpose :D