March 2012
- Feature: ACP Pledges Support for Joining Forces
- Medical Student Perspectives: Basic Money Management for Medical Students
- Free Financial Management Webinar Series
- My Kind of Medicine: Lawrence P. Jennings, MD, FACP
- Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
- Submit Your IMIG for Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month
- Ask the Program Director: Applicants Qualities
- Commentary Corner: Feedback in Medicine
- Winning Abstracts: Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome Masquerading as False Positive Strongyloides Stecoralis
- Subspecialty Careers: Cardiovascular Disease/Cardiology
- In the Clinic: Dyslipidemia
- Virtual Dx - Interpretive Challenges from ACP
- Highlights from ACP Internist® & ACP Hospitalist®
Feature: ACP Pledges Support for Joining Forces
The American College of Physicians (ACP) is pleased to announce it has joined the Joining Forces campaign, a national initiative championed by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden that aims to give service members and their families opportunities and support in the areas of wellness, employment and education. One of the goals of the initiative is to help meet the neurological and psychological needs of service members, veterans and their family members. For more information visit www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces.
MoreMedical Student Perspectives: Basic Money Management for Medical Students
Most of us remember medical school orientation. The feeling of ecstatic happiness of finally making it to medical school and embarking on a path of our dreams with our newly formed friends is unforgettable. Somewhere intertwined within these happy memories is a painful afternoon session hosted by the financial aid office: the mandatory entrance interview. We were told how much debt we will accrue by the end of our 4 years of medical school but were rest assured that there will be help along the way, and that we will be able to earn enough salary when we graduate to pay it back. Despite the threatening debt of $162,000 (on average) at the time of graduation (1), we bravely and eagerly marched on to memorizing the steps of the urea cycle, locating the internal thoracic artery, and learning Sterling's law.
MoreFree Financial Management Webinar Series
Each webinar provides an overview of the investment environment, with specific areas of portfolio management so that whether you are a conservative, moderate or aggressive investor, your knowledge and confidence in making investment decisions will increase. Topics include: Creating a Successful Investing Roadmap; Understanding the Role of Fixed Investments in Your Portfolio; Mutual Funds & the "Study of the Decade"; and Appreciating the Benefits of Diversifying Your Portfolio.
MoreMy Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists: Lawrence P. Jennings, MD, FACP
When asked to describe
the size of his hometown of Equality, Illinois, Dr. Lawrence
Jennings jokes that there is not even a stop light in the county or
in the two neighboring counties. A native of southern Illinois, Dr.
Jennings is no stranger to small town life. His hometown, with only
750 residents, boasted a high school graduating class size of 16
students and was a great place to call home.
Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
At Chicago Medical School, the Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG) is an organization that reaches out to a variety of students, whether they are absolutely set on a IM specialty track, primary care, or simply undecided. Each year, IMIG presents speakers to let students have a feel for different aspects of medicine and the different types of practice. This year, in addition to speakers, IMIG has a few other new and engaging events in store for students.
MoreSubmit Your IMIG for Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month
Do you think your IMIG has what it takes to be featured as the "Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month" in an upcoming issue of IMpact? Deadline for submissions is May 1.
MoreAsk the Program Director: Applicants Qualities
What qualities do internal medicine residency programs seek to find in applicants? Of those qualities, which are most important? How important are extracurricular activities in ranking residency applicants?
See what Program Directors have to say!Commentary Corner: Feedback in Medicine
One of the most
overwhelming aspects of becoming a medical student is adjusting to
near-constant evaluation of your knowledge and skills. For many
first-year students entering fresh from their undergraduate
degrees, it is possible to have labored for 4 years in relative
obscurity, scoring well on tests and putting together an impressive
application. In medical school, however, even the most shy student
will find that there are no hiding places. Patient interviews and
physical examinations are practiced, often for the first time,
under the watchful eyes of newly met classmates and instructors.
Your first patient presentation will be given directly to a busy
and scrutinizing attending. You will suture a real patient for the
first time, with every stitch and knot evaluated by not only a
physician but also a patient who may reluctantly note that your
identification badge says "Medical Student."
Winning Abstracts from the 2011 Medical Student Abstract Competition: Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome Masquerading as False Positive Strongyloides Stecoralis
Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is a heterogeneous group of conditions characterized by blood eosinophilia and end-organ dysfunction from eosinophilic infiltration and activation, thrombotic events and toxic mediator release.1-3 End-organ damage commonly affects the skin, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, joints, and nervous system. Idiopathic HES is defined by persistent elevation of blood eosinophil count greater than 1500/µL for six consecutive months, of an unknown cause, and evidence of underlying end-organ damage.1-3
MoreSubspecialty Careers: Cardiovascular Disease/Cardiology
Cardiology is the prevention, diagnosis, and management of disorders of the cardiovascular system, including ischemic heart disease, cardiac dysrhythmias, cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease, pericarditis and myocarditis, endocarditis, congenital heart disease in adults, hypertension, and disorders of the veins, arteries, and pulmonary circulation. Management of risk factors for disease and early diagnosis and intervention for established disease are important elements of cardiology.
MoreIn the Clinic: Dyslipidemia
More than 15% of U.S. adults have high serum cholesterol levels. Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality (1). Large observational studies have reported a strong, graded relationship between increasing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or decreasing levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and increasing risk for atherosclerotic coronary heart disease (CHD) events (2, 3). Long-term, prospective epidemiologic studies have consistently shown that persons with healthier lifestyles and fewer CHD risk factors, and particularly persons with favorable lipid profiles, have lower incidences of CHD. Prevention and sensible management of dyslipidemia can markedly alter cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
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.
Virtual Dx - Interpretive Challenges from ACP
This patient was recently started on warfarin without preceding heparin therapy for chronic atrial fibrillation.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis for the skin findings shown?
- Acquired factor VIII inhibitor
- Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
- Overanticoagulation
- von Willebrand disease
- Warfarin necrosis
Highlights from ACP Internist® & ACP Hospitalist®
The Match: Lessons from the Board
The Match sets medical students in search of
themselves
Student
Hospitalist: A tour of old Parisian hospitals
Unlike most cities, Paris still aches with history and the medical
memory of centuries.