What does a verse of scripture have to do with modern medicine?

First of all, let me say that I do NOT want to offend anyone of any particular religious tradition. My world is comprised of ALL religeons and I am ONLY interested in this time in what is in COMMON between them, and the inner truths and goodnesses that they share.

I made my communion in the Catholic Church the day after I graduated medical school, I am partly Jewish and I have been quite close to marrying a Hindu. Overall, the belief structure that most simulates my own is the Sufi’s and I have a book fully finished on islamic love poetry of the Sufi teacher Rumi that I wrote for Americans. I am looking for  a publisher for that now.

Forgive my need for this preface, but I am very very concerned about including everyone and offending no one. Rare for me, I know.

This verse from the Gospel According to Matthew represents my feelings on the point of medicine and my attitude to healthcare reform

As we go, our eye should be on taking care of EVERYONE.

We must NOT be focussing on making money and economic fear. Notice the phrase ‘Freely you have been given, freely give.”  This does NOT mean we personally will not be taken care of, we will be.

We have a duty to eradicate disease from this world.

That duty is FIRST. The duty to heal and help our fellows humans is ABOVE our need or fear of economic considerations. Period. Hence “Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses”

The current debate on healthcare reform is VERY upsetting to me. A country with a one TRILLION dollar military says it cannot ‘afford’ the 50-100 billion needed for the care of the sick.

I bet if you asked those people saying this they would consider themselves very religeous and ‘good christians”. I have heard them.

This makes me want to barf! Vomit! Regurgitate!

A single line of the bible is the basis of ‘Routine Miracle”

This is  the Scriptural root of my book “Routine Miracles”

It is from Matthew Chapter 10

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying,”as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses”

More on the Personal Statement

“I am anxious about my personal statement! I am afraid of being either too boring or too weird”

“I don’t want it to be held against me”

Daddy understands! I will do a few days on this topic because MANYpeople are writing theirs this week

Here is what to do

1.  Make list of your CORE VALUES: What do you care about? What is MOST important to you? What do you STAND for? What do you LOVE?

What do you “waste time” with? Is it anything good? THAT is what to write about.  It does NOT have to be ‘Let me tell you about the biggest nasal polyp I ever saw!”

2. Do you have a STORY about a patient? A family member? Tell STORIES about your OWN life!

I know you are anxious about this!!! I would be too.

Please put a link to this blog where you think other people would be sharing similar anxieties. Facebook and the student sites.

the point of my questions above is that TWO things will happen.

1. You will have a MUCH easier time of writing your personal statement

2. You might actually get a BETTER residency and actually help the program director know you.

What Program Directors want: Part V MORE on the personal statement

“The personal statements all sound the same”

“They all use the same template out of the same book”

“They are boring”

“The statements are a waste of time, all they do is try to fake what they think a director wants to hear”

So… THESE are the statements that program directors make on the internet and at the program directors meetings. The personal statements do NOT seem to make much of a difference in the application, because they all say teh same thing.

Then… The solution is to have them sound different!!

Next post will be… “How to make your personal statement be PERSONAL!”

Residency Application preparation service

Hi All,

A number of people have been writing and questioning me directly about a soup to nuts complete residency application preparation service. I am NOT able to do this for individuals for time constraints, hence, why I am writting about it here.

I would, however, be happy to refer those who need a very INTENSIVE form of extra help to someone who has extensive background in medical education, executive preparation and is a former member of the Board of the Match. This would be a HIGHLY personal review of your personal statement, letters, CV, timing of interviews, how you present yourself etc.

Please Email Dr Kathryn Lane, EdD directly at:  KLane@assertinc.com

ps, DON’T do this service unless you really want some direct, personal feedback. Dr. Lane will only work with about 100 applicants nationally, and there is no guarantee she will take you on.

How to get a residency: Part 5: Personal Statement

There is no part of the application process so anxiety provoking as the personal statement. It is so….. personal!!!

Overall, the personal statement is one of the most USELESS parts of the application. This is becauase people do not take advantage of really writing something they care about. Instead, it is a one page torture exercise in trying to tell the Program Director what you THINK he wants to hear.

The personal statement can’t help that much when done that way. but it CAN hurt you if you do not have the English language done write. Many IMGs assume that US grads have an advantage in this area.

NOT SO!!!

Some of the WORST personal statements have  been by US graduates who have not bothered to write it carefully. Some of the BEST have been IMGs with extensive efforts made on this.

HealthCare Reform: Plain UNtruths!

I have spent a week listening to the most outrageous untruths, lies and fear mongering

1. A public option will eliminate private insurance: totally untrue. Just because you have medicare, does not eliminate your choice or ability to have private insurance.

2. There will be rationing: Totally false. This is the MAIN phoney argument used to try to obstruct the process. Right now, the MAIN form of rationing is that uninsured and UNDERinsured people have no real access at all

3. Elderly people will be cut off from care. Older people with cancer will be set up for euthanasia or physician assisted suicide. This is THE most disgusting way to scare people. The expansion of coverage will allow ill people who have less than what they need to get the care they need. Right now your PRIVATE insurance is outrageously expensive because you must cover the cost of the uninsured person whogoes to the Emergency Department now. This is NOT fair.
4. there will not be enough doctors: the US student classes were expanded starting three years ago. There will be an enormous increase in the output of US schools starting next year (2011)

Now is the time for EVERYONE to descend in person and on the internet in fighting to cover people who will become sick and who are currently ill without the access they need. Don’t be scared off by the fear mongering outrageousness of these people in town hall meetings.

Do you EVER hear them talk about a person whose cancer was missed because they were not insured to cover mammography or colonoscopy?

How horrible to turn a person out of a private office because their insurance was inadequate.

5. Physician income will go DOWN with Healthcare reform: quite the opposite!! The plan calls for INCREASESD funding of primary care. Millions of NEW patients with insurance will now come in with EXPANDED coverage whereas these people had to be turned away before.

My friends, please write in to every comment site you can find and please be the conscience of the society. We are in the age of ‘Routine Miracles”, but apparently, only for those with the right cash flow.

Stand up for the weak. They are counting on you.

What Program Directors want: Part 4-Research

Generally, research performance is not looked at until after you are invited for interview. this is a big disadvantage if you are someone who had many meaningful peer-reviewed publications and you are concerned people will not see them.

This is because residency  is a CLINICAL event and most program directors are much, much more concerned that you can function clinically with patients rather than in a lab.

What is ‘Meaningful’ research experience?

It is an experience that results in a publication in the peer reviewed medical literature.

I understand completely that it is VERY difficult to have enough time as a student to do this, but that is why it is a competition.

If you have two students from the same type of school and the scores and transcripts are roughly equal, then research productivity will make a difference.

Research value is VERY subjective. Some directors will make huge value judgements on having publications. Some may value it MORE than the interview.

Also, ‘hanging around’ a lab is not too valuable. A SMALL project you can complete is MUCH more valuable than just ‘participating’ in something big.

Send in your questions.

First video clip from ‘Routine Miracles”

OH MY GAWD!!!!!!
Cardiology: http://bit.ly/wSH7B
IT REALLY WORKED!!!!  Hey YOU!!!  Take a look at the first clip from ‘Routine Miracles’.

The guy in the video DIED 13 times !! and got CURED, ablated, eradicated Ventricular Tachycardia.

Cardiology: http://bit.ly/wSH7B

Take and look, then get your friends over to Amazon.com and get this book on the move!!!! I would like it sent to ALL the members of the US Senate and House of Representatives health committees, your friends, faculty and family. But NOT my ex-wife.

Cardiology: http://bit.ly/wSH7B

Superiority of Radio Frequency Ablation of Esophgeal Dysplasia

Check out this weeks New England Journal!!

>95% ELIMINATION of early pre-cancerous lesions of the esophagus with an endoscopic procedure! Essentially eliminates the need for esophageal resection!!

Current standard of care is for distal esophagectomy. Cut out a third of my esophagus and pull my stomach up to my ears! Now…ZAP!!!! ZAP!!! and it is…poof! gone

With a scope, you can almost ERADICATE a disease without the need for surgery.

How about that! Is that now a “Routine Miracle”?

Is it a RIGHT or a PRIVILEGE?