A group of vivid, first-person stories of medical students who don't "fit the mold" and have had challenges completing conventional medical training.

Delivering a baby, sleep deprivation, giving bad news, dissecting bodies, seeing death-the journey of becoming an MD is not an easy one. Join the author as he takes you through his four years at Duke Medical School. Through this book, he explores the world of medicine through fresh eyes and shares the serious, the stressful, the entertaining, the unbelievable, the struggles, the sick, the unexplainable, and the stories that taught him everything he learned in medical school (besides all the book stuff, of course).

During medical training there are certain tasks that are not taught at medical school nor in the common reference books. There are some skills that medical students are expected to learn by ‘osmosis’. These skills are never officially taught or examined in medical school, but are, however, a fundamental part of being a safe, good and efficient doctor. This book includes ‘golden rules’ or important points to remember and case examples, both of which are given as displayed extracts. This book will help the junior doctor unlock their potential and improve their performance, cutting the time it takes to achieve certain medical objectives. It is meant to fill in the gaps where the medical school and clinical guides stop. It gives the reader the information needed to organise themselves so that they can hit the ground running. It is not intended as a clinical survival guide, but more a friendly hand to allow the reader to get ahead in medicine and how to keep on track and develop a career path.

Can you adapt to the wide variety of learning environments in medicine? Can you show your best abilities in the exams at the same time as learning to be a doctor? Can you balance your studies with an enjoyable social life? Can you develop your professionalism and manage your 'digital footprint'? How to Succeed at Medical School will help you learn these vital skills, and much more. Written by experienced medical school teachers and packed full of case studies, illustrations, quotes from other students, tip boxes, exercises, portfolios and learning techniques to help you communicate, study and revise - it’s an essential resource to help you thrive at medical school. This thoroughly updated second edition includes new chapters on Professionalism and Teaching, and provides invaluable insight into what to expect from the start of medical school right through to the start of your medical career.

This insightful and candid guide unveils the truth about medical school, residency, and the fascinating realities that await aspiring physicians beyond the classroom. On Becoming a Doctor provides an essential roadmap for your medical odyssey including: Comprehensive Guidance: Delve into the intricacies of medical school life and residency, as well as the challenges and rewards of being a doctor. Gain invaluable insights into the various medical specialties, allowing you to make informed decisions about your future career path. First-Hand Accounts: Written by seasoned medical professionals, this book provides authentic first-hand accounts of the rigors and triumphs experienced throughout medical training. Learn from their experiences and use their wisdom to navigate your own journey with confidence. Balancing Life and Work: Discover the secrets to maintaining a healthy work-life balance in the demanding world of medicine. On Becoming a Doctor offers practical tips on managing stress, fostering personal well-being, and nurturing a fulfilling personal life alongside a thriving medical career. Residency Success Strategies: Unravel the complexities of the residency application process and equip yourself with indispensable strategies to stand out in this highly competitive arena. Our expert advice will empower you to excel during your residency and launch a successful medical career. Patient Stories: Be inspired by heartwarming and insightful patient stories that illustrate the transformative power of compassionate healthcare. Learn how to provide exceptional patient care and forge meaningful connections with those you serve. Navigating Medical Challenges: From medical ethics dilemmas to emotional resilience, On Becoming a Doctor addresses the diverse challenges doctors encounter. Equip yourself with the tools to overcome obstacles and make a lasting impact on the lives of your patients. Thriving Beyond Residency: Beyond residency lies a vast landscape of opportunities. Learn about alternative career paths, research opportunities, and potential for leadership roles within the medical community. Unlock your potential and discover what lies ahead in your fulfilling medical journey. Empower yourself with knowledge, empathy, and resilience as you embrace the transformative journey of becoming a doctor. A perfect graduation gift for any aspiring medical professional!

Med School Confidential from Robert H. Miller and Daniel M. Bissell uses the same chronological format and mentor-based system that have made Law School Confidential and Business School Confidential such treasured and popular guides. It takes the reader step-by-step through the entire med school process--from thinking about, applying to, and choosing a medical school and program, through the four-year curriculum, internships, residencies, and fellowships, to choosing a specialty and finding the perfect job. With a foreword by Chair of the Admissions Committee at Dartmouth Medical School Harold M. Friedman, M.D., Med School Confidential provides what no other book currently does: a comprehensive, chronological account of the full medical school experience.

Being a physician is an amazing privilege, and it can be a deeply rewarding career...but first you have to get through medical school. Students, who were often at the top of their class prior to medical school, now find themselves surrounded by equally bright, hardworking, overachieving classmates and facing new challenges from rigorous curricula to specialty selection to navigation of unchartered territories of mentorship, clinical rotations, and research. Thriving in medical school requires more than smarts--it requires new learning strategies, organization, time management, teamwork skills, mentorship, adaptability, resilience, and more. This book brings together advice from medical educators, practicing physicians, and current medical students to help new medical students not just survive medical school but handle the transition with grace and position them to succeed and thrive.

A stripper bitten by a venomous snake, a boy in suspended animation after collapsing in the snow, a woman who survived being run over by a train. These are some of the intriguing and baffling cases I have encountered in my medical career. I have never ceased to be amazed at the bewildering assortment of medical mysteries that have been thrown at me. Some were head scratchers, some were tragic, some amusing. Some defy explanation altogether. They have shown me that people are strange, conflicted, frail and remarkable creatures. They have also shown me how some patients, even when brought to their knees by their ailments, can courageously struggle back onto their feet.These experiences have taught me humility and caution. Faced with events I couldn't control and outcomes that defied all predictions, it often seemed that medicine was a series of traps designed to trip me up or, perhaps, a capricious gremlin whispering confusing advice in my ear and plotting to humiliate me.This collection of stories highlights the murky confusion that doctors face when confronted by the unexpected. They remind us that certainty in medicine is not assured and assumptions can be misleading. The practice of medicine, for better or worse, is a curious mix of science, art and divination and the results are never entirely predictable.

A group of vivid, first-person stories of medical students who don't "fit the mold" and have had challenges completing conventional medical training.

Forget the old concept of medical school taking over your life. It is possible to do great in school while still having a rich and well-rounded life. Whether your dream is having time for international volunteer work, having time to do cutting edge research, having time to be the parent and spouse you want to be, having time to exercise relax and unwind, or just HAVING TIME to live more and work less, Medical School 2.0 is your blue print to thrive as a medical student. This step-by-step guide to medical school teaches: How Dave, a medical student with below-average SAT and MCAT scores used these techniques to go from spending 16 hours a day on medical school and getting a "C" average to spending 1-3 hours a day on medical school and getting the top academic honors, 99.7th percentile on USMLE Steps 1 and 2, induction into the AOA honor society, and getting into his top choice residency in his top choice location, all the while enjoying the process of learning and having plenty of free time to enjoy life outside of medical school. How to clarify your personal goals for your life in medicine and in medical school and use those to reverse-engineer a personalized and customized curriculum for yourself. How to sift through seemingly infinite study sources and choose the highest yield information for your own unique goals. How to apply the latest research findings in the neuroscience of learning and memory to supercharge your brain's learning potential, maximizing your per-hour learning output. How to structure and schedule your study sessions and your "work days" to maximize your learning potential. What to eat and drink to fuel your brain to form and maintain sold long term memories of what you're learning. This book is the result of hundreds of hours of research interviewing top-performing medical students across the USA to deconstruct the strategies behind their success, researching and integrating the latest science of how our brain's learn, and then distilling the final product into a group of practical, simple, and extremely high yield tools and tricks to both maximize your mind's learning output, to enjoy the process of learning, and to have the time to follow your dreams in medical school and beyond. These are the same strategies that the author used in medical school, continues to use now, and has taught to hundreds of other students who have achieved even better results."