Medical School

  The use of SPs (standardized or simulated patients) in medical education for the teaching and assessment of clinical skills has enormously expanded the opportunities for medical students and residents to develop and practice their skills in challenging and high-risk clinical situations without any risk to patients. While many use these two terms interchangeably, most Read more

The third year of medical school is the clerkship year, which means it’s learn-to-wear-your-white-coat-convincingly year, and figure-out-where-the-best-late-night-food-options-are year. But it’s also try-to-understand-what-kind-of-doctor-you-want-to-be year, and that decision is a stressful one. Here’s what you should know about this decision: It’s not actually about the organ systems you like to think about. (Very few people go into Read more

A few months ago, I read an interesting article in The New Yorker that discussed the rise of Purell and the ubiquity of hand sanitizers. One comment particularly caught my attention: During a recent trip to Europe, I was mildly alarmed to find no serving tongs in the breadbasket on my hotel’s breakfast-buffet table: the Read more

I am not a doctor. I haven’t spent much time working in hospitals. That made working at a malaria research ward in the African country of Malawi a challenge—and an experience that continues to inspire me. I’m a fourth-year Ph.D. student performing my thesis research in the laboratory of Dr. Johanna Daily. What drew me Read more

Editors’ Note: Social media in medicine is a hot topic. Questions from doctors abound. What’s the best way to get started? How can I be “social” and not violate patient privacy? What’s the real value? How do I find time? On Friday, October 18, Kevin Pho, M.D., founder of  kevinmd.com, and Susannah Fox, associate director of digital strategy Read more