SDN Launches Aspire - Pre-Health Professions Forums for High School and Pre-College Students

Posted on July 18, 2008
Filed Under Pre-Veterinary, Pre-Optometry, Pre-Dental, Pre-Pharmacy, Premedical Students | Leave a Comment

PRESS RELEASE

The Student Doctor Network forums now have a home for high school and pre-college students seeking advice about the health professions.

At the request of many SDN users, we are proud to launch Student Doctor Network Aspire. Aspire is staffed by moderators and mentors from the medical, dental and pharmacy fields, as well as parents of current students. Aspire provides information to help high school and pre-college students start their health professions career on solid footing.

Current topics include questions of interest to high school and pre-college students, and cover the areas of pharmacy, dentistry, and medicine. Included are descriptive explanations of the paths to each career, brief explanations of each profession as well as specialties, and links to information provided by other professional organizations and agencies.  Read more »

Can’t be a Doc… For Now.

Posted on July 11, 2008
Filed Under Interview Advice Column, Premedical Students | 23 Comments

by Jeremiah Fleenor, MD, MBA
Author of The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success

Another summer is upon us. As you enjoy the warm days and break from classes, let’s consider another commonly encountered interview question. This one is almost certain to pop up during your interview conversation.

What would you do if you couldn’t be a doctor?

I’ve seen this question take many an applicant aback. When asked this question during my interviews I recall being confused and wondering whether there was a hidden meaning. Here’s what would go through my mind: “Why do they want to know what I’d do if I wasn’t able to be a doctor? Are they somehow trying to see if I’m really serious about my career choice? Is it appropriate to say there is no other option and that becoming a physician is the only reality for me?” Read more »

Get Your Pharmacy School Admissions Guide!

Posted on July 5, 2008
Filed Under Pre-Pharmacy, Pharmacy (PharmD) | 2 Comments

PRESS RELEASE

This February, SDN introduced the first admissions guide for pharmacy school applicants. The Student Doctor Network Pharmacy School Admissions Guide aims to help prospective pharmacy students make an informed career decision and to guide them through the school selection, application, interview, and admissions processes. The 140 page guide contains perspectives from a wide variety of students and practitioners who share their advice and real life experience and other helpful features such as a mock interview outline, an overview of the profession, and recommended reading links. To order a copy of The Student Doctor Network Pharmacy School Admissions Guide, please visit Amazon.com.

Table of Contents

Get yours today!

Medical Students and Residents – Transitioning to Practice

Posted on July 2, 2008
Filed Under Medical Students, Medical (MD, DO) | 7 Comments

American Medical Association Alliance

Reprinted with Permission

Any transition, be it from college to the work world, or the common transitioning between jobs, can be difficult. But most transitions happen fairly quickly, in a matter of a couple months, compared to that of the medical transition. Transitioning in the medical profession is a way of life, whether it be from student to internship, internship to residency, or residency into a fellowship, specialty or private practice. The family of medicine is always there to support their physicians in training and make the transitions as smooth as possible.

Planning—The Key to Success

The first step in any transition is planning. How much time depends on each person and his or her priorities. For example, for Gary and Ashlie Schooler, physician and spouse started planning at different times. Gary Schooler, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Oklahoma, began planning on the first day of medical school. Read more »

Stimulant Use Among Professional Students

Posted on June 28, 2008
Filed Under Psychology (PsyD, PhD), Veterinary (DVM), Podiatry (DPM), Pharmacy (PharmD), Dental (DDS, DMD), Optometry (OD), Medical (MD, DO) | 60 Comments

by Alison Hayward, M.D., Sarah M. Lawrence, and Bill Johnson, D.D.S.
SDN Staff Writers

Amanda (not her real name) is a second year health professional student at a major state-funded research institution. Like most students admitted to medical, dental or pharmacy school, Amanda was a top student at her undergraduate institution, used to earning high marks with minimal study time. In professional school, Amanda finds her old study habits put to the test. The material is not difficult, she reports, but the volume of information she’s required to process, coupled with the fast-paced schedule and demands of clinical activities, makes achieving at the level she’s accustomed to a major challenge. Read more »

Steps Being Taken to Reduce Physician Shortage

Posted on June 25, 2008
Filed Under News, Medical (MD, DO) | 49 Comments

by Alison Hayward, M.D.
SDN Staff Writer

The past decade has seen a major position change by the American Medical Association regarding the projected need for more physicians nationally. Reversing a long-held stance, in 2002 the AMA recognized that calculations had incorrectly predicted an excess of physicians, leading to a critical shortfall. Having barred the opening of new medical schools for almost twenty years, the organization had to quickly backpedal and not only encourage the opening of new schools, but recommend that existing schools rapidly scale up enrollment. Read more »

Pre-Med Prep: The Application Process & Why You Should Apply Early

Posted on June 18, 2008
Filed Under Pre-Med Prep, Premedical Students | 12 Comments

by Christian Becker, Author of The Official Student Doctor Network Medical School Admissions Guide

The application process for medical school is long and intense. It actually begins much earlier than the point where you fill out the application to send to schools. It includes completion of many premed requirements, meetings with your premedical advisor, taking the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), and participating in a variety of extracurricular activities.

Understanding What Happens Is Important
Most medical schools will review applications on a rolling basis, as they are submitted. They extend interview invitations to selected applicants and ultimately offer places in their classes in a similar manner. This means that the majority of schools fill their classes on a first-come, first-served basis. For example, a given school may start the application season with 150 seats to fill. With each passing week of interviews, the admissions committee meets and extends offers to fewer and fewer students. At the same time, the school is still receiving additional applications, driving the competition for the remaining seats up even further. In these situations, all things being equal, the applications submitted early stand the best chance of receiving an offer of admission.  Read more »

SDN Partners with Psychology Credentialing Organization

Posted on June 11, 2008
Filed Under News, Psychology (PsyD, PhD) | 1 Comment

PRESS RELEASE

The Student Doctor Network would like to welcome its newest organizational partner, the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. The National Register is the largest credentialing organization for licensed psychologists, serving over 12,000 providers. Their mission includes credentialing licensed psychologists, promoting credentialed psychologists to consumers, providing distinction and value to its Registrants, guiding psychology students toward credentialing, and enhancing psychologists’ contributions to integrated health care.

To learn more about the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology and the benefits of credentialing, please visit http://www.nationalregister.org/ .

20 Questions - Otha Myles, M.D. [U.S. Army/Infectious Diseases]

Posted on June 7, 2008
Filed Under Medical Students, Premedical Students, Physician Profiles, Medical (MD, DO) | 14 Comments

by Ellie Moradi
SDN Staff Writer

Otha Myles, M.D. is the Deputy Chief of Epidemiology and Threat Assessment at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s United States Military HIV Research Program in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Myles graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He went on to complete his residency in internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. followed by a fellowship in infectious disease. He was also a recipient of the U.S. Military’s Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). Dr. Myles has become one of the leading researchers in the field of HIV. His involvement includes projects in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Dr. Myles recently sat down with SDN to give us a glimpse into the lifestyle of an Infectious Disease specialist. Read more »

SDN’s Premed Secrets CD!

Posted on June 3, 2008
Filed Under Premedical Students | 16 Comments

PRESS RELEASE

PREMED SECRETSThe Student Doctor Network.  Ten years ago it was just a catchy name.  It has since evolved into a trusted resource for over 130,000 pre-health and health students in over 10 doctoral fields of study.  Our staff, comprised of volunteers at all stages of their professional education, has worked tirelessly to diversify SDN’s offerings as part of our continuing effort to bring you what you need to succeed.

Our latest endeavor, SDN Premed Secrets, is a free CD containing some of the best content we have to offer in an ultra-portable format.  Read popular physician profiles, advice columns from Christian Becker and Jeremiah Fleenor, and read Ryan Aycock’s Not So Short Introduction to Getting Into Medical School!  This is just a sampling of the exclusive content provided on each CD.  Soon, you’ll be able to order your copy online to discover the additional sponsor content not available anywhere else!

With this, our Premed Secrets CD, we continue to expand our reach by putting some of our most valuable resources in your hands so you can get your SDN fix – online or not!

keep looking »

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