Republican Party opposes Student loan program expansion

Amidst the news about a wrong headed, insurance company gift like the senate healthcare reform bill, is a VERY bright spot!  The house of representatives voted this week to markedly expand Pell grants in both number and amount. Students will be able to borrow the money directly from teh government instead of from banks taking governement subsidies.

This will put over FORTY billion dollars directly in the hands of students. It is NOT a gift. The students have to pay much of it back. What it does is takes away the gift money to the banks and puts it in the hands of the student.

EVERY student and scholastic association thought it was GREAT and they were ecstatic! now it goes to the Senate.

Guess what? Virtually the ENTIRE republican membership of congress voted AGAINST it!! Why? Along a party line vote, the republicans OPPOSED more student loan and said it was “just like expanding healthcare”

Truly, there is something morally and spiritually wrong about a group of people that want

1. Tax cuts for the rich

2. Unlimited defense spending

3. No increase in student loans or healthcare.

Think about it!

Public option like the Post Office: Should we privatize it?

Out daily lives in America are filled with government run, and government regulated facilities. I took Amtrak to Washington DC yesterday, it seemed to go okay. It is a private organization with government subsidy and control.

Did Amtrak put the other railroads “Out of business”? Not exactly. Its only that the only way to get tracks layed out to remote places is to have government subsidy. Yes, the other railroad passed away.

Why? Because MANY basic services CANNOT happen without tax dollar support.

If the people opposing a ‘Public Option” on the grounds that they do not like ‘Government takeover’, then they should eliminate Amtrak. How about 1,900 separate private Post Office Companies like there are insurance companies? How would you like that? Me? I  live in New York. We would be okay here, because we have the business and the volume.

The rest of the country? Rural places? You think ANY private company will take your SINGLE letter out to you for 44 cents?

Healthcare has become TOO expesive to be managed on the private model.

Time to get over the irrational fear of ‘Government takeover’ . Its better just to be alive.

Tough times in getting a position: Failed step 1

QUESTION

I am an IMG and in the middle of applying to programs for 2010 match. I graduated in 2004 and have a low step 1 score with 2 attempts, however step 2 and CS were passed on the first attempt. I have previous clinical experience in Pakistan and also did a year of house job training. I do not have any US clinical experience except for a 2 month observership. It is really hard to get hands-on experience in a US setting for that matter.
So far I have received negative response form programs and it worries me if I can even get a single interview call.

I would like your advice as to what options do I have for the next year in case I do not get into residency? Some say I should do MPH. I have also been advised to do post doctoral fellowship which honestly, I don’t know much about.

Can you please be kind enough to give some giudeline in this matter?

ANSWER

I am so sorry for the difficulty you are having. The main issue is the failure on step 1 is VERY hard to overcome. There is no way to hide the previous attempt. Also, when you get to being five years or more since graduation, it is also difficult.

I suggest you try to get a VERY high step 3 score, or spend time in a place where you have a REAL chance of getting in.  I am sure you have applied broadly to increase your chances, and that you are looking at family practice.

Good luck

Step 3 CCS question

QUESTION

have a question regarding CCS cases.
When exactly do you cancel NPO in a patient
on IV antibiotics?

ANSWER

You do NOT have to be NPO or to be fed when using IV antibiotics. They are not necessarily related.

Ada

1

How come we never simply reduce the military budget?

George W. Bush was handed a military Budget of 350billion. Now it is 700 billion AND the wars on top of that. Iraq is winding down. Do we REALLY need to have troops stationed in 105 countries?

 

Why do we NEVER hear about simply taking a 100 billion off of military to EASILY pay for the whole thing in healthcare?

Washington DC Tonight at 5pm

I will be at the Washington DC Kaplan Center presenting on test taking and Routine Miracles afterwards. Come by and say hello!

Question on hypertension management

QUESTION

a hypertensive patient already on one diuretic is not responding adequately, should the next step be to change him/her to another first-line agent of a different class or to add a second agent, such as a beta-blocker? (

ANSWER

Definitely add a SECOND agent such as a beta blocker, ACE or Calcium channel blocker

Not sure about which specialty to apply in

IF you are not sure which specialty to apply in, then apply in more than one. Just don’t get your letters of recomendation or personal statements mixed up. I once had applicants in Internal Medicine have letters sent in that said “X will make a great pediatric resident”

Defer your decision until the day you have to put in your rank list

Inadequacy of the Senate Healthcare bill!

Our countries healthcare system is in the process of being highjacked by a small group of short-sighted, narrow minded hard-hearted people with bad priorities.

What is clear, is that the power held by the senate finance committee is by representatives of 5.3 million people. Look at the states where the finance committee is from. Look at the TINY TINY number of people! They are playing to THEIR electorate. To their infintissimaly SMALL, SMALL group of  people who are NOT standing up for a Great Civilization. They have put cost, greed and smallness ahead of decency.

The bill that came out today from Finance is WRONG!  And when you see that the ENTIRE population represented by these people is less than the state of Maryland alone.

 

Wyoming 532,000

North Dakota 641,000

Montana 932,000

Maine 1,300,000

New Mexico 1,900,000

Iowa 3,000,000

Applying in a competitive Subspecialty

The answer to the anxiety of applying in a competitive subspecialty is to cover yourself, protect yourself, by applying in another specialty as well. This will take the anxiety out of it for you and protect yourself.

There is NOTHING unethical about applying in multiple specialties. You can apply, interview and wait for SIX MONTHS from now to make your final decision.

ps, people sometimes there is a day I cannot, just cannot get onto a new thing on blog. Promoting the Hope, Facts, and Heroism of ‘Routine Miracles’ is NOT an automatic endeavor. It takes the concerted effort of dozens of people.

You can help by putting the link to the videos on you tube on your face book and asking your friends to do the same.