Insights on Residency Training

September 12th, 2016

EpiPens Should Be Less Expensive

Kashif Shaikh, MD

This basic lifesaving medication is cheap to produce. It should not be a way to make a billion dollar profit. Should EpiPens be inexpensive and available? I say yes, and here are my reasons. I am not going to blame Shkreli or Bresch for trying to make money; it’s the system of silence and inaction that I blame.  Money, power, corruption, and political influence are the […]

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August 28th, 2015

How Do You Teach Art?

Andrew Ip, MD

When I first applied for medical school, I beamed about exploring not just the science of medicine, but also the art.  But what is that art?  Some would say it’s clinical experience, combined with being cultured and compassionate and communicating with clarity/conviction.  But how would one teach that art? Journal Watch’s Dr. Allan Brett recently reviewed a multicenter […]

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January 8th, 2014

Cancer 2014 — A Modern Spin on a Tragic Diagnosis

Paul Bergl, M.D.

At first glance, no diagnosis seems more terrible than cancer. Although it remains a huge killer in the developed world, cancer has also taken on new meanings in modern medicine. As an ordinary person, I certainly fear the word and would dread the diagnosis. Cancer. It has such a damning and unforgiving ring to it. After […]

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November 25th, 2013

I Think I’ve Seen This One Before: Learning to Identify Disease

Paul Bergl, M.D.

Nothing puts more fear into the heart of an internist than a dermatologic chief complaint. And for good reason: we have very little exposure to the breadth of the field. To us, all rashes seem to be maculopapular, all bumps are pustules… or was that nodules? It’s not that we internists don’t care about the skin […]

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September 3rd, 2013

Benefits and Perils of Following the Literature Too Closely

Paul Bergl, M.D.

As a resident, probably the most common piece of feedback one receives is, “Read more and expand your clinical knowledge base.” This critique is a standard and generic piece of feedback to encourage the younger generation to never quit in the endless pursuit of knowledge. As our erudite attendings know, medical knowledge always evolves and […]

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August 28th, 2013

Vaccination Against Pertussis – Is It Worth the Trouble?

Paul Bergl, M.D.

 “Four out of four!” exclaimed a proud PGY1 as she handed me the billing sheet for her last patient in continuity clinic. “Four out of four?” asked I. “Yes, I gave all of my patients their updated Tdap today,” she boasted. As her preceptor, I commended her for her commitment to routine health maintenance — you know, the supposedly […]

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August 19th, 2013

Managing Hypertension – Not as Easy as It Once Seemed

Paul Bergl, M.D.

Hypertension… As a medical student, I never really understood the fuss over it. Practicioners had an excellent and concise guide in the JNC-7 to handle all of the major aspects of this disease. The JNC-7 guidelines were algorithmic, and a helpful table of compelling indications for antihypertensive agents couldn’t make life any easier. I soon realized […]

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May 24th, 2013

The MICU Rotation — Oh, no!

Jonathan Schwartz

After a well-received post last week that focused on a commonly asked question I have fielded this year, I thought another common question would make for an excellent topic this week.  We’ll focus on the MICU rotation from the resident (and, potentially, the medical student) perspective. The MICU can be one of, if not the most, daunting […]

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May 8th, 2013

Restart, and a Focus on Vaccinations

Jonathan Schwartz

After a false start, we’re back at it here on the Residency Training blog! From now on, I plan to post most Wednesdays, with some randomly dispersed surprise posts thrown in for good measure. As always, if there’s a specific topic you’d like to see addressed, feel free to make note of it below in […]

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March 2nd, 2012

Curses and Blessings of Aging

Gopi Astik, MD

 It seems that every time I am in clinic, patients bring in supplements they bought to prevent aging. I usually look at the product ingredients, which include vitamins and herbs, and ask myself three questions: 1. Why didn’t I market this? I could put vitamins and herbs together and sell it to the baby boomers saying […]

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