Click here to register for the 2010 MCAT. 

I personally chose to take the MCAT in January and it worked well. I had no stress deciding whether to apply to schools or not waiting for my score. Read more about my experience and find some MCAT tips.

Some more MCAT links.

Will you be registering for the exam? If so, what is your biggest fear regarding the MCAT?

What are your chances of getting into medical school just based on the numbers? About 43.5% based on the 2009 data. The ratio was also 43.5% in 2008.

While the number of slots in schools have increased slightly, so have the number have applicants thus the constant ratio.

Click on the link above to read more about the numbers based on gender and ethnicity.

Keep in mind these numbers represent MD schools only, AACOM has not released acceptance numbers as far as I know. Applicant data for DO schools for 2009 is here.

What does this mean for you? We can expect the numbers to be similar for this year, meaning 56.5% of us are going to be very dissapointed. Good luck to all who are applying.

While I’m shooting for something better than top 99, I’ll take what I can get. : )

Look forward to more posts in the near future- I’m finally done with all my secondar applications and for various reasons should have more free time in the next month or so.

Do you find Premed Journey helpful? Spread the word, tell your friends, post helpful articles on your own blog, etc. Think I can improve the site? Send me an e-mail (sam (at)premedjourney.com) and let me know your thoughts!

“As I begin a career in medicine, I would like a strong foundation from a quality medical eduction.”

Are you kidding me? Did I submit an application that spelled the word education wrong?

Holy $%#%@!

Maybe I don’t deserve to go to medical school. Seriously though, I’m using Google Docs to type my responses. How did the spell check miss that? Check that, I guess eduction really is a word.

On a happier note, maybe it will be something that can break the ice if they decide to give me an interview. “If” being the key word here. Doh!

Lesson learned: Edit more carefully.

So I mentioned it. His response was not what I was hoping for. He kind of half agreed with me, seemed uncomfortable, then justified why the rooms are there. It was awkward. So I didn’t bring it up again.

Later I realized I was working with the director of the Emergency Department. Oops.

He probably has big role in designing the layout of the department. In criticizing the placement of the rooms, I was also criticizing him.

Sometimes I think I’m an idiot.

January 29th at 8 a.m.
January 30th at 1 p.m.
March 27th at 1 p.m.
April 10th at 1 p.m.
April 17th at 8 a.m.
April 23rd at 8 a.m.
May 1st at 8 a.m.
May 21st at 8 a.m.
May 22nd at 1 p.m.
May 27th at 1 p.m.
June 27th at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
July 8th at 8 a.m.
July 16th at 8 a.m.
July 29th at 1 p.m.
July 30th at 8 a.m.
August 4th at 8 a.m.
August 5th at 1 p.m.
August 12th at 8 a.m.
August 13th at 1 p.m.
August 19th at 8 a.m.
August 20th at 1 p.m.
August 24th at 1 p.m.
September 2nd at 8 a.m.
September 3rd at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
September 9th at 8 a.m.
September 11th at 1 p.m.

Note: Registration for the 2010 MCAT will probably begin  November 2nd.  Click here for complete schedule and registration dates.

I took the MCAT in Janurary this year and it was great to know my score before making the decision to apply. I recommend doing the same.

For more help check out my basic MCAT overview and MCAT links page.

- President Obama in his address to congress last night

Health care reform is dominating the American public discourse currently, and with good reason. As future physicians, you have a responsibility to understand these issues. It will affect how you practice medicine in the future.

But where to start? A couple months back, I felt overwhelmed at the thought of unraveling this whole debate. It seemed far too complex for me to understand. My lack of understanding led me to fear taking a position.

That changed several weeks ago when I started to do a little research. What I found is that the issue is not as hard to comprehend as I originally thought. What I’ve prepared here is a series of articles that answer the most common questions regarding the health care system and efforts to reform it.

• First check out this article titled “Your Handy Health Care Cheat Sheet” over at the Washington Post. ,
  • Alec MacGills says“ What follows is an attempt to boil the health-care debate down to 1,000 words — a summary you can take to the beach or on the plane or, if you already know it all, send to your Aunt Millie. Love the proposals or hate them, people can try to make sense of them. There is no excuse!”
• A lot of misinformation is being spread about health care reform. You may have received a chain email with comments regarding “A few highlights from the first 500 pages of the Healthcare bill.” Check out Factcheck.org’s article regarding the false claims in the email.
  • “Our inbox has been overrun with messages asking us to weigh in on a mammoth list of claims about the House health care bill. The chain e-mail purports to give "a few highlights" from the first half of the bill, but the list of 48 assertions is filled with falsehoods, exaggerations and misinterpretations. We examined each of the e-mail’s claims, finding 26 of them to be false and 18 to be misleading, only partly true or half true. Only four are accurate.”
• The Wall Street Journal opinion section has a good article outlining some alternatives to the reforms proposed. "”How to Insure Every American"
  • “We must stop punishing Americans who buy their own plan by forcing them to purchase their care with after-tax dollars, making it at least one-third more expensive than employer-provided care. Individuals should be able to take their employer’s plan, or turn it down and select insurance of their own choosing without any tax penalty.”
• For the official government site regarding reform, check out healthreform.gov. In particular read the Reports section. Lots to read, but lots of good info as well.

• I highly recommend watching or reading President’ Obama’s speech last night. Watch the video here or read the full text. Just don’t read the youtube comments. Ugh.
  • “You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, and the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom; and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter — that at that point we don’t merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves.”

Yes, health care in this country is complex. But with a little effort you can start to understand it. Pre meds have the added motivation knowing that questions regarding reform are going to be asked in a medical school interview. But if that’s the only reason you want to learn about health care reform,  you should question why you’re going into medicine in the first place.

Yes. I realize I’m six months behind the times. I’ve resisted for so long…

Check it out.

I think Twitter will be a great way for me to communicate short quotes, ideas and links related to the pre med journey as well as my work.

Right now I have a total of ZERO followers. Please change that! You can also see my twitter updates in the sidebar –>

http://twitter.com/PreMedJourney

The alarm went off at 5:20. It was dark out. I didn’t have time to eat breakfast or get coffee. I crawled onto my bike and had to rush to work to make it for a 6:30 shift.

Along the way I thought about the traffic ticket I had gotten a few months ago and how dismissive the judge had been to me. I thought about the doctor I had worked with yesterday who kept forgetting my name and dictated faster than I can type (this is the only doctor it happens with). I thought more about doctors I didn’t particularly enjoy working with, including the one who made a joke about a child with an intracranial injury which probably was a result of abuse. How could someone become so jaded that they make a joke about that?

I was pissed. But I made it to work on time.

I finished my short two hour shift with no problems. I have another 8 hour shift that starts at 10AM.

And while I was angry earlier, things are looking up. Why?

-The doctor who forgot my name yesterday made a joking apology this morning.  

-I just listened in on a fascinating conversation between and intensivist and cardiologist about a child with fungal endocarditis. It was during rounds which meant about 10 other people were there. It was a respectful conversation, but the tension was palpable as there was clear disagreement on the best course of treatment for this child.

-I’m working with a great physician at 10AM.

-I have a cup of coffee next to me.

-I have the next two days off.

-I have an incredible job. I get to listen to teaching conversations between attendings and residents. I get to see patients with all sorts of crazy illnesses and injuries. I’m learning tons of medical terminology that should make a transition to medical school much easier. It’s awesome.

- If everything goes according to plan I will have started medical school this time next year. That above almost everything else puts a smile on my face.  I’m enjoying the journey.