"USMLEtoMD updates by Digitaldoc" via Digitaldoc in Google Reader

MDsalaries crosses 2 Million Visitors

2009-11-04T05:08:00Z

This post is intended to have only one reader - Me ! ;-) Lol..yea..a 'vanity post' , which certainly makes me feel good - especially when i see these numbers despite slacking off from any blogging lately ...2 Million sounds good to me. Hmm...must be those comments from you guys that keep the Google pagerank rolling !Well since I am posting something anyways, why not make a quick reference to what

For Residents: Diabetic Clinic Pt. f/u Checklist

2009-09-30T14:38:00Z

Diabetic patient followups make up a huge majority of primary care stuff that both residents and medical students gotta handle, here's a ABCD style mnemonic to remember what to keep tabs on for diabetics:A - A1c : Target A1cHb Less than 6.5B - Blood Pressure target Less than 130 /80 in Diabetics to slow renal failure! Start off with ACE inhibitors , and remember annual microalbuminuria checksC

UK Family Docs making upto £380,000/year !

2009-08-25T09:08:00Z

And that's even more that the £270,000 (More than US $600,000 in Dec'07 rates) made by Britain's highest paid General Practitioner in 2007. In Aug 2009 exchange rates, £380,000 translates to $622,000 US Dollars. (Yup, Pound has depreciated against the US greenback)These salary rises have been occuring ever since a 2004 NHS payment contract that gave rich bonuses for extra work, weekend work and

Observerships / Research Fellowships for IMG Neurosurgeons

2009-08-24T21:34:00Z

A Quick post: The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) website has a good listing of medical universities providing academic experiences, including research fellowships, for international / foreign neurosurgeons. Click here to see the listAlso see : International Visiting Surgeons Fellowship (with stipend)"The AANS funds two observational fellowships per fiscal year to provide

New Residents Get "Residency Survival Kit" [PICS]

2009-08-21T14:20:00Z

Emailed to me by a reader who recently started his residency - and here's a real cool "prescription pill" bottle that their residency program gave all incoming interns:Here's the medicine label ;):And here are the contents !!And here are intructions...Sweeeet...

Observerships @UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX

2009-08-21T12:13:00Z

UT Southwestern is a prestigious University to hang out at (Among the top 20 medical schools in US) and certainly a cool addition to your resume. Starting 2008, the University now has official Observership procedures & policies in place.Specialties: MultiplePeriod: Max 3 MonthsRequirements:1. Observer Application Form2. Departmental Sponsorship Agreement3. Copy of Medical school degree4. Letter

Observerships @ Wishard Memorial, IN

2009-08-21T04:16:00Z

I had made a reference to this possibility on my Indiana listings, but had not found a document clearly mentioning an application process. Well, here it is now !Download Application Form [PDF]Download Application InstructionsObservership Period: Two WeeksRequirements:- Proof of immunization for chicken pox, rubella, measles- Proof of being free of Tuberculosis for the last 6 months- Picture ID (

Alberta to pay MDs >$500/hr for H1N1 Flu care

2009-08-20T15:02:00Z

Yet another example of "Danger Pay" like a previous post about Canada paying upto $155,000 per month to docs to work in war-zone Afghanistan, the Alberta providence in Canada is thinking about paying doctors more than $500 an hour to treat swine flu patients in case on a pandemic. Many countries are stepping up their contingency plans for the coming fall. (As for me, I have made sure that I

Attending urges me to consider "Roth IRAs" during Residency

2009-08-19T14:22:00Z

This post is geared more towards International Medical Graduates starting residencies in the US and are planning to settle in the US, since I expect the American Grads to already know about this.An IRA stands for 'Individual Retirement Account', a provision of tax-sheltered or exempt investments for the purpose of retirement. It is money you start saving with the intention of not using until you

Should U be ECFMG certified by September 1st?

2009-08-08T09:13:00Z

I had already posted a reply to this as a comment, but then as I got some more other forum / email queries about this, it's time to make it into a mainstream post.While ECFMG certification by Sept. 1st is ideal, there is no need to panic if you aren't. Majority of the programs do not require IMGs to have ECFMG certification to be selected for interviews.You will find the following ECFMG deadline

The 2008 "Health Care Dollar": MD expense = 33%

2009-08-01T21:52:00Z

Discussing the split-up of the "health care dollar" i..e tracking how the insurance premium dollars are spent, was always a favourite figure on presentations when I studied for my Masters in Health Administration. Here's an image of the 2008 health dollar spending profile, based on a 2008 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers :Source: www.ahip.org/content/default.aspx?docid=25127So as of 2008, Doctor

"Primary Care Track" v/s Categorical Internal Medicine

2009-08-02T12:07:00Z

After graduating from Internal Medicine, some of my seniors took up jobs in office-based primary care i.e. Generalists while some others chose to become Hospitalists (dedicated to inpatient care). Generalists see patients in their office, and if the patient is sick enough they admit the patient - now depending on the health system they work in, they may or may not follow the patient once

Family Med. Observership @ Union Hospital, IN

2009-07-23T04:24:00Z

Union Hospital at Terre Haute, Indiana, recently got good points for lowest heart attack death rates in the US. Their family medicine residency has an observership program that also accepts IMGs, after a rather exacting selection process - which includes a personal interview and requires a personal statement and three letters of recommendation - it's like applying to a residency program !Only

Tips for new residents thinking of fellowships

2009-07-22T13:18:00Z

Just when you thought that you can now take a future-planning break after you matched into an Internal medicine residency, your ears pick up the ticking sound of the fellowship-applications clock..lol. Unfortunately, for a physician, there will always be that next academic / career goal to work for ....The other day I was talking to an inquisite, fresh intern about fellowships and these stumbled

USCE Basics for IMGs: Writing Basic daily Labs

2009-07-20T02:24:00Z

I probably don't need to write anything, these pics alone should talk better than me. This might be a standard practice in most countries already (pardon my ignorance), but if not then this should be useful for IMGs who have not had a taste of American medical practice yet.On daily progress, notes - this is a standard short-hand method of representing basic labs - BMP and CBC:And here's an

Weekend MDsalaries Snippets

2009-07-11T15:04:00Z

Is it time for doctors in America to go on a mass strike like it happens in countries like India, Nepal, and more recently South Africa? MDs in US have been under 3rd-party rule-n-money-control for years by people who don't know squat about medicine. Should it really take a psychologist to drive home the point that hello docs, healthcare sector is yours and you need to take it back ? Gregory L.

Survey of Surveys : MD Salaries 2008 (USA)

2009-07-11T01:18:00Z

Various professional organizations & recruiting agencies publish results of doctor incomes each year, like you might have seen on this blog, and their figures differ a lot at times - why ? Coz' they all have a different pool of physician-mix that they get their data from, like academic, practice owners, group practices, etc. Modern Healthcare published a compilation of such 2008 surveys - which

Hmm..my patient with "White Coat Hypertension"

2009-07-03T20:45:00Z

Just started my second year of residency and my first rotation is a relaxed primary care clinic rotation..lovin it ! The last week, Mr. Z, a jolly white man showed up for his 6-month followup with his very pleasant wife. I went over his notes, problem list, labs and meds on the Electronic Medical Record, which all looked fine and optimal. On the vitals screen, I saw that his blood pressure

"Residency Stipend Programs" become more prevalent

2009-07-08T20:49:00Z

Besides moonlighting, another good way for residents looking to add extra dollars to their average $45,000 a year stipends is signing up early for jobs and getting paid additional monthy bonuses from their future employers in advance. This is something that I had already mentioned on my post about "Bonus Job Payments Long before Residency Ends"Recently we Internal medicine residents received a

2010: Specialist Salary Cuts & Primary Care Pay Raise?

2009-07-05T19:27:00Z

This had to happen some day...Medicare recently proposed readjustments in their payment amounts and here are numbers that reflect an approximate effect on payment to different physician specialties. Biggest losers seem to be Cardiology and Radiology. While Primary care (Internal medicine, Family Medicine, Geriatrics) would see higher payments...SPECIALTY OVERALL