“The best time to plant trees is 20 years ago, but the next best time is TODAY!”
Older students arrive with disparate inspiration, challenges, and merits than those of traditional medical students. There is no doubt that older residents bring a lot to the table; their experiences are invaluable, and grit and determination are intense.
“When you have gotten more life experiences than your younger colleagues, it helps you make connections with the patient schnap! When you are a young resident with just limited experiences in life, your vision is limited; it is hard to connect with patients. It is not impossible, but it is hard.” said Dr. Luis Espina (former mechanical engineer, who began his medical journey at the ripe age of 37, and residency in Family medicine in his early 40s) in his interview with Dr. Mikhail Varshavski
“No law in the US determines the upper limit in terms of the age of a person applying for residency.”
Are you an older applicant thinking about getting into medical school? Are you worried?
Don’t worry; we got you covered! Let’s kick off with the advantages you bring to the table-
Counterpoising young colleagues: You bring value, add new insights, and have the scope to inspire younger program participants.
You’ll have a diverse skill-set: You have seen the world, differing yourself from traditional medical students and residents. You have worked in various jobs, learned how to deal with multiple personalities, and absorbed a melange of skills, making interacting with patients and co-workers a breeze!
Resilience to BURNOUT: Younger physicians are 200 times more predisposed to experience burnout than physicians of older ages – according to a study published by the AMA (American Medical Association). This competence to maintain composure and serenity despite the job pressures every day gets infused in your work ethic over time.
Applying at your age conveys that you are eager to learn, are tenacious and hard-working, and have the determination of a dung beetle.
Past a certain age, you have seen the world enough, and have your priorities straight, and are most likely dedicated to your work in health care within the premises.
On the other hand, here are some aspects that older applicants will have to keep in mind-
DO THOROUGH GROUNDWORK! You have some diligent choices to make, like what medical specialties to apply. For instance, it is good advice to steer clear from departments like surgery, which give preferences to fresh, recent graduates.
Don’t underestimate the vastness of important exams like MCAT and USMLE. It can be challenging to get back into textbooks, and there will be significant studying to do, but hey! Nothing is impossible. It isn’t worth it if it comes easy, right?
The stakes will be higher and finance tighter. At an older age, you probably have a family to tend to. Your financial planning will have to be extremely thorough and regulated. Suppose you already have a medical degree and are into residency. In that case, you will be relatively relaxed as residency offers some salary.
You will have to match up! You will have to work a little extra to match the quick learners that the traditional students are.
Balancing your personal and professional life with a complete family gets tough, especially till you gain some steadiness. Empathy, Good communication, and respect will be requisite to maintaining a worthy relationship with those around you.
Postbaccalaureate programs are for students who are working toward a second bachelor’s degree.
In an article published in the New York Times, Dr. Darrell G. Kirch, who heads the A.A.M.C, says that – “post-bac programs fill a critical role in the medical field. In the absence of these programs, several people who would be great doctors would give up,”
In conclusion, medical school admission committees won’t decline you because of your age. Even if programs gauge you for your senility, it will not be an obstacle to your dream. It definitely won’t hold you back. In the end, there is only one thing medical schools are primarily looking at, applicants who will make great Physicians.
“It is never too late to officially wrap a stethoscope around your neck”
Start Your Rotations With One Of the Best Rotations provider in USA: Telerotaions
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Hey there medico, our happy medical student from India is sharing his experience with our famous internist, Dr. Cedric Coleman’s Tele Rotations. Dive in to see how his journey was and what he thinks of this Tele Rotation.
“Hello Dr.Coleman I would like to thank you for this amazing Tele Rotation. It was a great learning experience for me.
Initially, when I started the Rotation, I was surprised by your teaching method. By the end of the first day, I told myself that I am about to learn something amazing this month. You taught me how easy it becomes to learn different topics once you have these studies to support the protocols. It also helped me understand the reasoning behind these protocols.
I would specifically like to mention that this TeleRotation expanded my thinking in terms of Differential diagnosis. It was great learning about different clinical cases that you had experienced during your medical career. I appreciate everything you have taught me during this period.
I am looking forward to gaining much more valuable clinical knowledge under your guidance going ahead.
Also, I know you will ask me “What’s your data” that I learned from this Rotation. So, I would like to assure you that I will apply all the knowledge and the techniques you taught me during this period in becoming a better resident and try to become “Intern of the year” and give you a call the first thing.
Thank you for dedicating your time and energy to this.”
Take care -Dr. H
Would you like to learn from such an amazing doctor? Apply here
Hey Medico, Are you looking forward to gaining Clinical experiences and receive exemplary LORs? We can help you with that. In our virtual rotations, you can join from anywhere across the world. Get ready to make the most of these rotations and gain LORs. But, before diving in, See what our medical student, Dr. H has to share about our very own famous internist, Dr. Cedric Coleman.
“Good Afternoon Dr. Coleman, I can’t believe it’s already 4 weeks with you and today’s the last session. This rotation is the most memorable one amongst the ones I had before, with so much learning and yet having fun while learning in the process. The way you teach is so incredible. I loved the interaction with fellow doctors too. Everyone is so nice and I’m feeling emotional that we wouldn’t have these classes anymore. Your teachings will forever be useful to me. These rotation notes are going to be with me forever and one day when I teach young budding doctors, I’ll speak of a Generous Lonely Internist with 4 dogs who was such an amazing teacher and so humble to admit that he scored 99.99% on boards. I promise that I’ll share the happiness with you and Toya once I match and then 1 year later with another one saying, ”Intern of the Year”. Thank you for your teachings and for being so inspiring. I look forward to becoming a doctor like you someday. Thank you for everything.” ( Your “H” Kaur)
If you want to check such testimonials check here Interested in doing Tele Rotations? Apply here!
A Simulation Lab is designed for healthcare practitioners and students to provide them with an impressive and in-depth learning experience. It consists of a realistic replica of clinical rooms, manikins & equipment, which allows practitioners and students to perform clinical expertise without any risk of patient harm.
Oral Exams, written Tests & assigned readings are methods of secondary education, but simulation labs use technological advances for students.
Hence, Students & practitioners apply their theoretical knowledge in the careful hands-on created scenario. There they will ask you to perform or teach ou how you can deal with various clinical situations.
Various common names of simulation labs are- Healthcare Simulations, Medical Simulations, Nursing Simulations and Surgical Simulations.
Just to give you an example – Healthcare simulation may be used for undergraduate medical and nursing schools, internships, residencies, or for ongoing training for practitioners.
Categories Of Simulation Lab:
Pre Briefing:- Students and Practitioners will be given information about the situation of a patient or say, dummy patients.
Simulation Scenario:- A case study will be provided for students and practitioners and they will be asked to respond to the scenario as if they were caring for real patients. Additional learners may watch through a one-way mirror or remotely via video streaming.
Debriefing:- This is an important part of simulation education. Learners will have to reflect and review their actions, their own behaviors learn from the experience and apply it in the future.
Advantages of Simulation Labs:
Beginners will get confidence through this simulation technology and have a strong “muscle memory” for procedures and task they will perform in the future.
Experts will encounter new and more advancing technologies, from which they can efficiently master their skills, such as minimally invasive surgeries, Catheter-based therapies robotics-based procedures and many more.
Other then this, you can get an extra advantage through practising by treating someone with rare or extreme conditions. Simulation Labs are now the preferred method of education because real events and actual healthcare pace do not allow for the best review and learnings.
Hence, this labs provides with real-time data and education and also provide reliable and necessary feedback to students and practitioners.
Example Types of Equipment Used in Sim Labs:-
Human Patients or Manikins(due to Remote Learnings) – Simulate Symptoms & Diseases
Audio and Video equipment to record one’s practice.
Simulated Health Records and Lab results.
Medication dispensing device.
Diagnostic Equipment, Oxygen & Air outlets, suction, lights, etc.
Additional Medical Room Equipments.
We, at R&T IMG Clinicals provide Simulation labs to enhance your Critical thinking and you can apply your Clinical theory knowledge. See what happens at one of the largest teaching Institutions, Cook County Health. Our preceptors will be guiding you throughout.
If you want to explore our specialties,check here.
Residency application season is here! It is a time of great excitement, but also the source of a considerable amount of anxiety among applicants. Particularly, for International Medical Graduates (IMGs), preparing for residency interviews presents additional logistical and cultural challenges- with having not had primary medical education in the US. So, while it is key to make a memorable impression, you also have to sell your ability to thrive in a system that is new to you.
Your interview is your opportunity to show the programs that you are even more impressive in person than you are on your application.
After all, your application is what got you the interview. So there must have been things they liked about you from your personal statement and curriculum vitae! You are interviewing to illustrate how you are a hard-worker, resilient, dependable. And also a great future resident to work with, train, and deliver great care to their patient population.
Here are foundational methods for IMGs to interview well for residency positions.
DRESS APPROPRIATELY
You must dress appropriately for the interview. In choosing your interview attire, please be conservative. Below are gender-specific recommendations, but overall understand that this is not the time for experimenting with a new look. You want to be memorable, just not for the wrong reasons!
For Women: Choose suits that are black or blue ideally, with a solid colored professional blouse underneath. Whether you choose to wear a skirt suit or pants suit is at your discretion. It is unlikely that you will be judged negatively for wearing pants. You can also choose to wear a dress suit that is accompanied by a suit jacket. You can wear heels or flats, however, you should keep your heels no taller than 2- 3 inches, with 2 inches or less being the best measure.
Please do not choose this time to wear heels if you normally don’t. If you normally wear makeup, then wear makeup, however, make sure that it is more of a natural look- no dramatic, stage-worthy looks. If you do not normally wear makeup, now is not the time to start. Unless you plan to have your makeup applied professionally by a makeup artist with the clear specification that this is for a professional job interview. This is probably not a feasible option, considering that your interview day typically starts at 8 am.
For Men: Choose suits that are black or dark blue, with a collared dress shirt underneath and a conservative tie. Your shoes should be business dress shoes that compliment your suit.
KNOW EVERYTHING IN YOUR APPLICATION
This is incredibly important! I know that some candidates choose to use “consultants” and/or “personal statement writing services” to write their personal statements. Even though you are not a strong writer, I understand the motivation to make that choice. In case that is an approach, you choose to employ, know that it is extremely important for you to know every inch of your personal statement like the back of your hand! If it is in there, it is fair game for us to ask you about. So, please do not put anything in your personal statement that you cannot address fully and accurately!
You should be able to explain any conditions that you mention (the patient I had once with Schinzel-Giedion syndrome), because if you thought it was significant enough to include in your personal statement, then you should have thought it was significant enough to learn the disease process well enough to have a basic discussion about it. If you have any research listed, please be prepared to discuss the research at-length! One candidate was being interviewed by THE research guru in our department and failed miserably at explaining his own work.
DON’T TRY TO BEFRIEND THE INTERVIEWER
Don’t try to be friends with the interviewer. You should be pleasant, easy to talk to, and personable, but we don’t need to be friends. This is a professional job interview at all times. Yes- we may discuss great recipes if you mention a culinary hobby, yes-we may discuss the recent trades and lineup drama if you are a sports fan, but either way, no, I do not want to see pictures of your dogs, or kids, or hang out after the interview. It’s inappropriate.
Oftentimes, programs will have a candidate/resident to meet and greet the night before your interview day. Even if the event is at a bar and/or there is alcohol available, please remember that these are not your colleagues…yet! Drink in moderation, do NOT ask anyone on a date or make any sexually charged, flirtatious innuendos. Often, the chief resident or more senior resident will make their contact information available. If another resident offers you their contact information, feel free to take it, but please do not interpret this as a doorway to a date. All of these incidents are brought up when discussing candidates during the recruitment/ranking meetings and you do not want any unfavorable statements associated with your name.
DON’T BE WEIRD
Don’t be weird. While this is an important time to highlight some of your unique qualities because you want to be remembered, please make sure that it is positive, pleasant, good-work-ethic memories that you are trying to leave behind. This is a great time to highlight your hobbies of photography, love for a particular sport, or your culinary genius. You want to appear as a well-rounded person and trust me, all of the “I volunteer in an orphanage for fun” comes off as disingenuous- we are all doctors and we love medicine, but we do other things to unwind- don’t act as if you don’t!
ALWAYS PROFESSIONAL!!!
Some programs offer an informal meet-and-greet with the current residents the evening prior to the interview day. Definitely plan to attend if you can! This is a valuable opportunity to truly see how well the residents interact with each other and get honest answers about the culture of the program. These may be the people you will be working with in a few months, so you get an idea if there is any “professional chemistry” that is present.
Residency is a grueling process and you will spend more high-intensity, emotionally charged experiences with these people than your own family during the duration of your residency, so it is important to be able to connect with at least a few of your fellow residents. You can use this opportunity to find out what their daily routine is like, what are the strengths of the program, as well as its weaknesses. Also, observe your fellow interview candidates, it is possible that you may end up in the same program as 1 or 2 of them that you’ve met on the interview trail.
However, still, remember that this is a professional event and part of your interview! There may be alcohol available depending on the venue. It is probably best not to drink alcohol, however, if you choose to please DO NOT GET INTOXICATED! Do not make any inappropriate comments or statements! DO NOT make any sexual advances, comments, or flirtations with any of the residents (or fellow candidates)! These things are ALWAYS reported back to the committee. One candidate asked a resident for her telephone number at one of these events and one of the residents relayed it back to the program director and the recruitment committee and he was not considered for the rank list. Remember, your interview is your opportunity for us to get to know you, as well as for you to get to know our program. We are all interviewing to see if the candidate is a good fit for our program. You need to also assess if the program is a good fit for you!
