What is a Family Medicine Residency Like?

Written by: Rachael Kaine

Beginning a Family Medicine Residency

As it is the final step necessary in order to become a licensed medical practitioner, a family medicine residency will require you to choose this as a specialty area of focus. The residency programs involve learning various skills and abilities that will be necessary to treat people of all ages in an office environment for a variety of conditions. The time spent in a residency will include time spent actively working with and on patients as well as coming up with the best ways to interact with peers and superiors; it’s all about being well rounded and experienced. The first few weeks or months can be quite the adjustment period, but over time, you’ll settle into the perfect routine to get you through.

What You’ll Learn During a Family Medicine Residency

The most important thing to remember about this type of program is that for the most part, this field will simply treat an assortment of bodily conditions that can impact the lives of people throughout their life stages. Patients will range from children to the elderly, suffering from conditions as simple as an ear infection to things as complex as chronic and recurring pain. Not all family medicine practitioners will be required to do the same things as they practice, and much of the medical community is in agreement that this is a very regionally specific profession, and those practicing in Arkansas will be faced with different situations than a doctor in New York; it all depends on the surrounding population.

After Completing a Family Medicine Residency

A Franklin family medicine residency Baltimore will allow you the opportunity to choose the specifics of your practice, and focus on becoming the type of doctor you would like to be. As each family medicine doctor is slightly different in nature, this career is extremely flexible. Doctors can choose to work alone in a private practice or in a group setting, and even after that, there are many different choices to be made. This flexibility offers you the ability to model your practice as you see fit; outpatient or inpatient only, a mixture of both, working in an academic setting, treating military employees; the options are vast, and it’s up to you to pick the best one.

Your career is ultimately up to you, and it will be what you make of it. Though this field is not as exciting or unpredictable as that of an emergency medical doctor or a surgeon, it is just as fulfilling and necessary, and millions of people each year need the guidance, expertise and care of people like you that choose to complete a family medicine residency in order to follow their dream medical career path.

Preparing For A General Surgery Residency

Written by: Rachael Kaine

Deciding That You Want to Complete a General Surgery Residency

Before beginning (or even choosing!) a general surgery residency Washington DC, there are some things that you should carefully consider. A surgical career isn’t the right choice for everyone, but completing your first few years of medical school will certainly put you on the right path. Some things to think about include :

- Knowing that you appreciate working with a team
- Having the ability to work and think on your feet and without hesitation
- Enjoying the idea of taking on responsibility and problem solving
- Enjoying learning new skills, gaining new abilities and feeling confident about the choices and decisions that you made for your patients

Though this isn’t an extensive list, it’s one that may convince you to take the next steps and begin a general surgery residency in the nation’s capital.

Finding the Right General Surgery Residency For You

While most general surgery residency programs operate on the same ideas, not all of them are exactly the same. In order to find and choose one that will resonate and agree with you personally, you’ll need to do some research. This means looking into what each program offers and expects, comparing lengths of time spent in specific rotations and areas, and figuring out what type of environment you’d like to work in. Larger cities like Washington DC offer residents the chance to work in a variety of facilities with a huge number of different patients, making it possible to experience many different procedures and patient stories in a short period of time.

Being a surgeon is a huge deal. Not only do you get to physically help people overcome health obstacles within their lives, you’ll get to see the outcomes. This means that there is a need for people of all types that are willing and able to complete the training to become licensed and skilled surgeons across the country. Your experiences during a surgery residency Georgetown will prepare you for a long and enriching career working with patients and learning from peers, and it can be learned about by visiting http://www.medstarhealth.org/education/affiliated-hospitals-2/medstar-washington-hospital-center/general-surgery-residency/.

Surgeons may always seem busy, but the truth is that this specialty area is no more demanding than others; after completing a residency and obtaining your medical license, you will have the ability to find (or create) a position that will allow you to work exactly as you wish - and for as long as you want.

Adrain Kantrowitz: Cardiology Fellowship Graduate

Written by: Sharon Cretsinger

Cardiology has to be one of the most difficult and sought after specialties within the field of medicine.  Individuals who have completed medical school and other prescribed academic and professional requirements may go on to a program such as the cardiovascular disease fellowship Georgetown as an entrance to this specialty.  Some physicians even go on to become very famous after completing a cardiology fellowship.

Pediatric Cardiology

Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz was a physician and surgeon who became very well known for his work in pediatric cardiology.  Perhaps the defining event of his career was performing the first pediatric heart transplant ever, in 1967.  It was the second ever heart transplant in the world.  In addition to having performed this groundbreaking surgery, he also invented a medical device called the intra-aortic balloon pump.  This invention would serve as the basis for the development of the modern pacemaker which is so important to the wellness of so many heart patients today.

Dr. Kantrowitz was born in New York City in 1918 and was interested in medicine from early childhood, perhaps owing to the fact that his father was also a doctor.  He graduated from the Long Island College of Medicine in 1943, successfully completing an accelerated program intended to alleviate the shortage of doctors available to serve in World War II.

During the war, Dr. Kantrowitz was a surgeon in Europe and Japan.  Upon returning to the United States, he pursued surgical training at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York.  Much of his career throughout the 1950's and 1960's centered around research intended to assist in the design of bioelectronic devices.  He implanted the first artificial pacemaker in a patient in 1961.

Dr. Kantrowitz was instrumental in pioneering heart transplants for surgeons all over the world.  His work has saved countless lives; and, he subsequently received many well-deserved awards, honors and academic appointments.  Doctors who may be interested in following him into the field of cardiology will have to complete a cardiovascular fellowship Washington DC or elsewhere http://www.medstarhealth.org/.

Internal Medicine Residency Specialties

Written by: Sara Loch

After graduating medical school, a doctor’s training continues with a residency.  Residents get hands-on training, often caring for their own patients under the direct supervision of a board-certified doctor.  Different types of residencies prepare participants for different medical specializations.  Those who would like to focus on treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of adult diseases will often do an internal medicine residency.  This can help to prepare residents to become general practitioners, or they can choose an internal medicine subspecialty.  Internal medicine residency Baltimore subspecialties include cardiology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and endocrinology.  

You can learn about applying for an internal medicine residency program Baltimore at http://medstarhealth.org/education/affiliated-hospitals-2/medstar-union-memorial-hospital/internal-medicine-residency.

Common internal medicine residency Baltimore sub-specialties

Cardiology is defined as the branch of medicine that deals with diseases and abnormalities of the heart.  This encompasses a broad spectrum of conditions, and cardiologists require further, specialized training after their internal medicine residency Baltimore.  Heart disease is one of our country’s most serious health problems, and according to the American Heart Association, is the leading cause of death.  Those who specialize in cardiology will spend their internal medicine residency Baltimore and other training learning not only how to treat heart disease, but also how to help prevent it.

Gastroenterology specializes in the gastrointestinal tract and liver.  The gastrointestinal tract is responsible for digestion, absorbing nutrients, and expelling waste.  Those who specialize in gastroenterology after their internal medicine residency program Baltimore will have to be expertly familiar with many organs, including: the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and every structure between the mouth and the anus.

Dermatology is the study of skin conditions and diseases.  Your skin is your largest organ, and because it is exposed to the environment it is vulnerable to growths, rashes, cysts, burns, injuries, infections, and other disorders.  A dermatologist might choose to start with an internal medicine residency Baltimore, but they will also need intensive residency training in dermatology.

An endocrinologist specializes in the treatment of hormonal conditions.  Your body uses hormones to control metabolism, energy levels, reproduction, growth, development, and response to injury and stress.  In medical practice, endocrinology is often linked with the study of diabetes and metabolism, or with the study of reproductive medicine and infertility.