The residency interview season is upon us, and I think both applicants and programs alike are curious about how it will pan out. This is the first year that interviews are entirely virtual, which has its pros and cons. The pros include saving enormous amounts of money and time not having to travel to interviews, […]
How to Choose a Residency Program?
This topic is something I am still trying to figure out in the early stages of the residency application. When deciding which programs to apply to, I have been relying mostly on how the statistics of each program align with mine. While websites provide general information about programs, I find it difficult to determine what […]
Tips for Virtual Interviews
As a way to mitigate the spread of COVID 19, all residency interviews for the 2021 application cycle are being conducted virtually. This is unquestionably appropriate from the standpoint of infection control, but this arrangement certainly creates new challenges for prospective applicants. Below is a list of helpful tips for your upcoming virtual interview. Investigating […]
Human Trafficking and Medicine
Omaha is a relatively young city. Raised on the banks of the Missouri river before Nebraska was inducted as a state, it positioned itself as the “gateway to the west,” and within decades of its founding, it drew the eye of the Union Pacific Railroad company looking to construct the radical new transcontinental railroad. This […]
Understanding Mortality
In high school, I worked as a lifeguard. I still remember my first rescue—the suddenness of the event, the chill of the water over my head, and the lingering adrenaline refusing to abate after we reached the pool deck. After the event, my mind whirred on with an anxious fury. What if he had aspirated? […]
The Other Viral Threat
In the tail end of September, an email attachment was forwarded to an unknown employee in the United Health Services network. It would have been innocuous. Disguised in the form of a trusted source or gift—a trojan horse. The attachment—once opened—would have run an extension, that instantaneously wormed its way into the computer network. It […]
How to Start a Podcast
When I want to learn something new or unwind, I search for a podcast. There seems to be a podcast for just about any niche, and whether you are interested in an audio drama or gaining an in-depth knowledge of the Roman empire—there is a podcast for you. Podcasting has exploded as a medium in […]
The Importance of Medical Knowledge
I remember one of my first times in the delivery room with a patient and her partner. Our team of physicians was explaining some of the pathology that was going on with our patient and I could just see the blank looks on their faces as we tried our best to simplify the information. Then […]
Let’s Talk Medical Talk
In these uncertain times, I think it is important now more than ever that we really consider who we look to for medical knowledge—trusted, reliable medical knowledge should always be at the front of our minds when we’re talking health. After all, we have one life to live, so why not live a healthy and […]
My Blood on the Floor
Each time I visit the Red Cross, I surrender two units of packed red blood cells and am met with the assurance that with each donation, lives are saved. The cynic in me had pictured a freezer-burned bag of my cells tossed in biohazard garbage, but despite my pessimism, or perhaps directly because of it, […]