April 2013
- Medical Student Perspectives: Tips for Rocking 4th Year
- My Kind of Medicine: Dr. Larry Kaplan & Dr. Rosalind Kaplan
- IMIG Update: IMIG of the Month: Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College of Medicine
- Advocacy Update: National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program
- Winning Abstracts: Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis with Spinal Involvement in an Immunocompetent Patient
- Subspecialty Careers: Rheumatology
- In the Clinic: Osteoporosis
- Virtual Dx - Interpretive Challenges from ACP
- Highlights from ACP Internist® & ACP Hospitalist®
Medical Student Perspectives: Tips for Rocking 4th Year
This article relates my own experiences and opinions, as learned through failures, successes, and may not represent the norm. That said, I have shared these statements with some friends, classmates, and mentors who have found these statements to be generally true and helpful. Some of what follows is common sense, some you've got to live through and figure out for yourself, and some, hopefully, will inspire you to plan actively for your fourth year, so you'll be able to sail through it with a little less of the constant anxiety that has been my most reliable companion of late. So, here goes…
MoreMy Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists: Dr. Larry Kaplan & Dr. Rosalind Kaplan
Dr. Larry Kaplan and Dr. Rosalind Kaplan are husband and wife, and are both general internists.
IMIG Update: IMIG of the Month: Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College of Medicine
The Internal Medicine Interest Group at Texas A&M Health Science Center is one of the largest interest groups on campus that sponsors an array of events from informational gatherings to skills workshops. The goal of the interest group is to create a collegial environment in which students can investigate and further pursue their interests in the different areas of internal medicine.
MoreAdvocacy Update: National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program
The 2013 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program application cycle is now open! The application cycle will remain open through May 14, 2013. The Application and Program Guidance can be found on the NHSC Website and contains all of the requirements and program details.
MoreWinning Abstracts from the 2013 Medical Student Abstract Competition: Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis with Spinal Involvement in an Immunocompetent Patient
Coccidioidomycosis is an airborne fungal infection endemic in parts of the Southwestern United States that typically presents as a mild, flu-like illness. Extrapulmonary manifestations have an estimated prevalence of 4.7%. While disseminated infection is classically associated with immunocompromised patients, in rare cases, it has affected immunocompetent hosts.
MoreSubspecialty Careers: Rheumatology
From the Greek word rheuma, "that which flows as a river or stream." In ancient medical writings, "rheuma" was used to describe any thin discharge from a body surface or orifice. This term was eventually applied to an infection of the joints, presumably because an effusion of the joint space marks the various forms of arthritis.
MoreIn the Clinic: Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength that predisposes a person to an increased risk for fracture (1). Bone strength is determined by properties that include bone mineral density (BMD), bone geometry (size and shape of bone), degree of mineralization, microarchitecture, and bone turnover. It is a common disease with serious clinical consequences. In the United States, about 44 million people have osteoporosis or osteopenia (low bone mass) that could lead to low-trauma fractures.
In the Clinic is a monthly feature in Annals of Internal Medicine that focuses on practical management of patients with common clinical conditions. It offers evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions about screening, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and patient education and provides physicians with tools to improve the quality of care. Many internal medicine clerkship directors recommend this series of articles for students on the internal medicine ambulatory rotation.
Highlights from ACP Internist® & ACP Hospitalist®
Pulmonology: Learn to see signs of an often fatal disease
Pulmonary arterial hypertension can be recognized and treated. But it remains a diagnosis that is often missed, and the delay can lead to a rapidly progressing and fatal outcome. Learn the signs beyond a patient who reports "being out of breath."
Resident's Corner: Unique aspect of internship involves learning to meet needs
An intern learns to balance patient needs with his own, following the guidance of senior residents and mentors.
The clinical skills exam--feh!
The problem with the test is the unnecessary expense and stress that the test creates. Many residencies will not rank students who have not passed CSS, yet students have difficulty scheduling the test. If you fail the test, then rescheduling is a nightmare.
The prescription for pain management
Physicians can wield considerable influence to ease the suffering of patients in pain, starting with identifying the optimal drug and administering it before pain escalates.
Q&A: Michelle Mourad, MD, ACP Member: Time to teach
Everybody believes somebody should do it, but nobody has the time to figure out whose job it is. Such is the problematic status of patient discharge education.
Success Story: Catheter caps cut CLABSIs
North Shore University Health System in Illinois reduced its infection rate by 52%.