Guidelines to Become a Licensed Therapist

September 29, 2011 Leave a Comment
LANDSTUHL, Germany (Oct. 16, 2008) Physical th...

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Anyone wanting to become a licensed therapist will need appropriate training. However, the specific requirements vary from state to state and country to country. Because of that, there is no specific, master list of required knowledge and ability for physical therapists. Instead, each individual should check with their state or other licensing authority to determine exactly what is needed so that they can obtain their license to be a physical therapist.

Schooling is one of the things that is required no matter where the person plans on becoming licensed for therapy. Since physical therapy employment is growing and more people are becoming interested in working in the medical field, there will be more people focused on learning the licensure guidelines. If you’re planning to work in the therapy field, be sure that you completely understand the guidelines that you need to follow over and above schooling.

Once you’ve graduated from school, you’ll have to take a licensing test and keep up with continuing education requirements. If you don’t get your continuing education credits, you will lose your license. Depending on where you’re licensed, you may be able to take your education credit classes and get your license back, or you may have to reapply and re-take the test. To avoid those problems, it’s better to keep up with the most current guidelines so that you don’t lose your physical therapy license accidentally by missing out on some small guideline that has changed or been adjusted.

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Med Students: How to Rank Your Residency Programs

July 28, 2011 Leave a Comment
stethoscope 

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Every fourth-year medical student must submit a ranked list of their residency programs around late February of every year. However, there’s so much mythology and strategies regarding the rank list that every med student has their own idea about how to craft their rank list. However, if you don’t rank your residency programs honestly, you could wind up spending four years exactly where you don’t want to be. Here’s some advice to keep in mind when making your rank list.

Rank Where You Want to Go

Don’t try to play games based on which program you think would want you the most. Your biggest criteria for the Match should be where you want to go for your residency program. Put your top choice first, your second choice next, and so on. By trying to “outsmart” the algorithm, you’re setting yourself up for years of study in someplace you didn’t want to be. Here are some criteria to keep in mind when ranking your programs:

  • Outlook on Medicine. Does the program’s ideology and focus appeal to you?
  • Scheduling, Workload, and Call. How grueling is the workload? Is it well-distributed over four years or does all the stress happen in PGY2? What’s the call schedule like?
  • Location and Surrounding Area. Don’t forget that it isn’t all intellectual: wherever you go, you’re going to be there for several years. Make sure you can see yourself living in the area before you rank the school.
  • Loved Ones’ Input. You need to talk this over with your spouse or significant other to make sure you end up in a place that meets both needs.
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Recommended Reading for Doctors or Health Professionals

July 26, 2011 Leave a Comment

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Looking to expand your summer reading list with books on the medical profession or health field? Look no further. The following titles are great reads for anyone within the medical profession…or those considering entering it.

  1. House of God by Samuel Shem. Samuel Shem is like the Kurt Vonnegut of the medical field. This searing satire is full of larger-than-life characters and a darkly cynical view on medicine. This title is often listed as a must-read for future doctors or first-year interns.
  2. Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande. Surgeons tend not to talk about the dangers of their art, but Gawande takes an unflinching look at his practice’s complications. “Doctors are people,” this book argues, and imperfect people at that. An interesting read for both doctors and patients alike.
  3. Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives: Tales of Life and Death from the ER by Pamela Grim. Grim is a seasoned Emergency Room doctor faced nightly with what many consider to be the underbelly of society: drug addicts, drunks, or the mentally deranged. Grim chose to flee her ER burnout by joining Doctors Without Borders, and her tales of Nigeria and Bosnian refugee camps are harrowing. Makes you want to immediately install home security systems.
  4. The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance by Laurie Garrett. Well-written, well-researched, and incredibly enlightening, this book is at the forefront of a fascinating, underlooked science: microbiology. The microbes and viruses within this book will simultaneously creep you out and leave you utterly fascinated. Expect an intense, worthy read that’s not for the faint of heart.
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1. Makes you want to immediately install home security systems.

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How Technology Has Changed the Medical Field

July 22, 2011 Leave a Comment

Improvements in medical technology have made it so getting sick is not the most dangerous thing to happen to somebody. Diseases can be prevented, new vaccines are created, and surgery has become more efficient. Doctors are able to detect diseases and find cures to illnesses that would have killed someone 200 years ago. New vaccines and improved surgeries and treatment have made it so many diseases can be cured instead of deadly.

An animated gif of MRI images of a human head....

Prevention and Early Detection

Technology has also made it so that prevention and early detection of diseases is possible. By knowing about problems people could have due to their genetics, doctors can help prevent diseases from becoming a problem and help to reverse the effects. As technology is advanced, doctors are able to prevent diseases from becoming a problem before they happen.

Improvements in Surgery

Surgery has also been made easier and more efficient because of technology. Many surgeries now are minimally evasive and leave little or no scars behind. Treatment can be given with only a little risk instead of a high possibility of complications or something going wrong.

Software and Computers

Medical software has made it easier to detect and treat diseases. X-rays and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) devices allow doctors to see what is going on in the body without needing to perform surgery and find a way to treat the problem.

Computer software allows doctors to see test results quickly which makes treatment happen sooner. The faster treatment happens, the better chance people have of surviving.

Technology has made a huge impact on the medical field. What will scientists come up with next?

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Starting Your Residency

June 29, 2011 Leave a Comment
A doctor from the United States uses a stethos...

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Congratulations! You’ve received your M.D. It’s been four years of stressful studying, hard lessons, and difficult patients. Yet you still made it to the other side and you’re about to start your residency. In some cases, you may be moving to a brand new city or state. The period after graduation and your residency start date is a stressful time. Here are some pointers for your first month as a new doctor.

  • Do take some time off. This is your last extended vacation before some intense work weeks and call schedules– take advantage of this precious vacation time.
  • Don’t get used to having so much time off.
  • Do find a place to live and start getting settled ahead of time. You want as much time as possible to unpack and explore your new area.
  • Do purchase textbooks, required reading, and medical journal or podcast subscriptions with any graduation money you receive.
  • Do take time to practice your commute before your first day. Do it on a work day so you won’t be overwhelmed by rush hour traffic.
  • Do send an email out to your fellow residents– if you’re moving alone, you might want to try and meet up with some of them before your official orientation starts.
  • Don’t put off doing your paperwork. Start it early and send it in as soon as possible.
  • Do follow up with your med school and make sure they sent in the necessary paperwork on their end.
  • Do throw away or burn your old medical school white coat.
  • Don’t force your friends and family to refer to you as Doctor. It gets old. Fast.
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Advice for Med Students: How Match Day Works

June 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

Are you a fourth year medical student approaching the most important day of your career? Match Day’s a pretty scary process, but it may help you to learn how it works. Here’s an overview of a typical med student Match Day (if there is such a thing).

Interviews

By the time Match Day rolls around, you’ll have already interviewed at your top residency programs. You’ll have traveled around the country, learning about the differences between programs and trying to sell yourself to said programs as best as possible.

Rankings

Once you’ve completed all your interviews, it’s time to submit your rank list. Your rank list is your official list of which residency program you’d like to go to in order. Your rank list is due in late February. Do not miss this deadline.

Matching

The NMRP uses a complicated algorithm to determine which residency program you’ll land, depending on your rankings and the rankings of your residency programs.

The Scramble

A few days before Match Day in mid-March, you’ll get either an email saying something like “Congratulations! You’ve Matched!” or a phone call that says something like “Contact us immediately.” The latter phone call is a good indication that you’ve got to undergo the Scramble. The Scramble means that you didn’t match to any particular program, so you’ll be forced to undergo a few days of speed-interviewing by email and by phone. By the end, you’ll have found a match with a school who didn’t fill all of their residency spots.

Match Day

At 1 PM EST, every medical student in the country will open up an envelope with their residency program information.

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What Not to Do on Your Residency Interview

June 26, 2011 Leave a Comment
Day 147/365: Interview Schedule

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Residency interviewers can see dozens of applicants per day. You need to stand out from the crowd of med students interviewing with you. Here’s what not to do on your residency interview.

  1. Don’t Prepare for Your Interviews.
    If you walk in with no prior knowledge of the school and its program, how are you going to answer questions like “What makes you a good candidate for this school?” or “Why do you see yourself with our residency program?” Residency programs want to make sure you want to go to their school. If you genuinely want to go to that program, you’ll rank them higher than an ambivalent applicant would. Your interviewers will pay much more attention to you if you seem to genuinely care about their program. Plus, it’s professional– it shows you take your commitments seriously.
  2. Don’t ask Questions.
    Come prepared with a good list of intelligent questions. Your guides and professionals will pay much more attention to you if you’re active and interested in the program. Ask about research opportunities, unique scheduling choices, or the residents. Ask about anything as specific as programming and as general as parking. You may be living and working here, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about the surrounding area, too.
  3. Stay up all Night.
    Don’t prepare for your interview the night before. Spend the night before your interview relaxing and (more importantly) sleeping. You’ll need to have a full night’s sleep in order to adequately focus and feel confident. Going to bed early will help you get up early so you’ll have more time to find your interview location.
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What to Do with Your Medical Degree

June 21, 2011 Leave a Comment

There are a countless number of careers in the medical field. When people think of the medical field, the first thing that comes to mind is a doctor. There are many different types of doctors, and the training is very long and hard. However, you do not have to become a doctor if you have a medical degree. There are a lot of other career opportunities in the medical field other than a doctor.

A pharmacist is one example. A pharmacist is the person who gives the medication to the patients. They can work in the hospital, a drug store, and other places that deal with medicine. This may seem like a simple job, but a pharmacist needs a degree because they need to understand the different types of medicine. Some people may think they do not have the time to get a degree, but there is the opportunity to take online classes. With online classes, you can make your own schedule and learn at your own pace.

Another job in the medical field is a nurse. There are different levels of nurses. There is the registered nurse, nurse practitioner, and the certified nursing assistant. Each type of nurse has different responsibilities and a different level of training.

Other medical jobs include public health planners, technicians, medical transcriptionists, hospital administrators, and many more. For most medical careers, you need a degree and some hands-on experience. You can get this experience in an internship.

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