August 2011

My Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists: Sherry A. Guardiano DO, FACP, FACR

Dr. Sherry Guardiano jokes that the gift of a Fisher Price doctor play set from her parents determined her fate to become a physician at the age of eight. "My parents gave me a doctor kit, and my sister a tool set, and she later became an engineer. It is a running joke in the family that those two play sets sealed our professional fates."

Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month: Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota

The Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG) at Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota has been revitalized since the start of the 2007-2008 academic year. Since then our group has been progressively strengthened, and every year has had an ACP membership of greater than 50% of the medical school student body.

Ask the Program Director: Call for Questions!

Curious to find out what Program Directors are thinking?

Feature: FREE Personal Financial Management Webinars

In this time of economic shifts and uncertainty, ACP can help you manage and enhance your personal financial situation.

Winning Abstracts from the 2011 Medical Student Abstract Competition: Coagulopathy in Alcohol-Induced Cirrhosis: To Bleed or Not To Bleed?

Cirrhosis secondary to alcohol use is a condition characterized by multiple complications, including the development of coagulopathy. While a myth exists that patients with this diagnosis are always hypocoagulable, the truth is they may also become hypercoagulable. The issue is further muddied because prothrombin time (PT) and international normalized ratio (INR), tests commonly relied upon to screen for bleeding abnormalities, become unreliable in this patient population.

Advocacy Update: Applications being accepted for 2012 ACP Health Policy Internship Program

This Internship represents a unique opportunity for one Associate and one Medical Student Member to develop legislative knowledge and advocacy skills by working directly with the College's Washington, D.C., staff and participating in ACP's annual Leadership Day.

Subspecialty Careers: Sports Medicine

The discipline of sports medicine primarily concerns itself with the emergency assessment and care of acutely injured athletes, diagnosis, treatment and management of common sports injuries and illnesses, management of medical problems of the athlete, rehabilitation of ill and injured athletes, and exercise as treatment.

In the Clinic: Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability in elderly persons (1). Recent estimates suggest that symptomatic OA of the knee occurs in 13% of persons 60 years of age and older (2). The prevalence of OA is expected to increase as the U.S. population ages and the prevalence of obesity rises.

More

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.

Highlighted Article from ACP Internist®

Medical school debt becomes budgeting burden for primary care
Using the average starting salary for a U.S. primary care physician ($130,000) and a medical school debt of $162,500, a monthly budget for this hypothetical family physician or general internist was calculated.

Highlighted Article from ACP Hospitalist®

Tablet computers in the hospital
Doctors and information technology experts say there are a number of logistical issues to work out, as the tablet computer becomes a more common sight protruding from a doctor's white coat.