Insights on Residency Training

The MICU Rotation — Oh, no!

Jonathan Schwartz — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:40:10 +0000

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, [...]

The Next Step: Fellowship Applications

Jonathan Schwartz — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:23:43 +0000

The end of the academic year is fast-approaching, which means many changes and exciting transitions lie ahead – for all levels of trainees: medical students and new interns, brand-new attending physicians, and seasoned diagnosticians alike. One of the more stressful tasks facing many of the senior residents in the coming months is the fellowship application [...]

Restart, and a Focus on Vaccinations

Jonathan Schwartz — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:03:09 +0000

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 [...]

Dusting Off the Blog: A New Writer Appears!

Jonathan Schwartz — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:53:21 +0000

Hello, Journal Watch enthusiasts! It’s a new year, and we are kick-starting the Chief Resident blog again. I am excited to share some of my ideas and thoughts with you this year. I’m currently serving as one of the chief medical residents at the University of Colorado Denver, with the first half of the year [...]

What Would You Do?

Gopi Astik, MD — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:22:46 +0000

While combing through my social media outlets recently, I came across an article that struck me. The article entitled “Why Doctors Die Differently” addresses a subject many professionals in the medical field know but don’t really talk about – that physicians die too. The article explains how we, as physicians, understand the limits of medical therapy and [...]

Curses and Blessings of Aging

Gopi Astik, MD — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:41:54 +0000

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 [...]

What’s New in Medicine

Heidi Zook, MD — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:44:05 +0000

Staying up to date with the most recent advances in medicine is a challenge and a necessity if we want to offer patients the best care possible. That being said, being a physician is one of the busiest careers and finding free time to read journals is not exactly easy. That’s where Journal Watch comes [...]

Finding My Center…Court

Gopi Astik, MD — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:54:54 +0000

Nobody ever said that residency (or medicine in general) was easy. Still, I don’t think I expected so much of my time to be taken up by my job. Don’t get me wrong — I love what I do — but it’s not as easy as other occupations to “leave work at work.” As an [...]

Be All That You (and the Program) Want You to Be!

Gopi Astik, MD — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:47:29 +0000

Interview season is in full force at UMKC. I never realized before how much work goes on behind the scenes to prepare and conduct these interview days, but I sure do now! As a Chief Resident, I schedule residents to attend the applicant dinners, lunches, and tours, and to spend time with the applicants our lounge. This [...]

A Little Advice Goes a Long Way

Heidi Zook, MD — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:05:29 +0000

In an effort to get in shape, I decided to start working out with a personal trainer. Before the training sessions started, we met to talk about my general health. When it comes to health, I feel like I know what I’m doing — I’m a physician! Of course I know how to eat healthy [...]