How to Choose an Internal Medicine Residency Program

Written By: Rachael Kaine

The Basics: An Internal Medicine Residency

To start your career as an internist, you must complete an internal medicine residency at an accredited facility. This residency will teach you the most important things about operating in a hospital or care center and coming into contact with patients and other hospital staff. This residency period is designed and structured in a way that will provide a natural progression of knowledge, information, and skill development, and includes both on the job (in the hospital) and educational (classroom/text or research-based) training and opportunities. While the ultimate goals are acceptance and enrollment into the program and eventually completing the program and becoming a practicing internist, finding and choosing the most appropriate program are the first and most necessary steps.

Deciding How to Choose an Internal Medicine Residency Program

While you may feel that it is necessary to make a quick decision and enroll in a program as quickly as possible, there should still be a great deal of consideration that goes into selecting a program. The first thing that you need to do is to think about and define your own goals and desires. This is a good time for you to make a list of the things that are most and least important to you, and find programs that align with these things. Looking into things like the location of the program, the reputation, past graduate experiences and information, and even information about the field as a whole.

Compiling this information in a spreadsheet or other list type is a good way to compare things in a simple manner. This is a great method you can use to make decisions, and to narrow your choices down in a logical manner. Not only should you consider your needs in terms of the educational experience, but in terms of your lifestyle and overall capabilities - including financial, emotional and educational factors.

When going in for interviews, many professionals will recommend getting a few of them under your belt before interviewing with your top choices for residency programs. Though you may feel that this is a waste of time, it can give you a better idea of what to expect and potentially help you come up with questions that you’d like to ask, or that you should ask. Not only will interviewing at multiple places make you more confident, but it can also give you the chance to check on a lot of different factors like resident satisfaction, the organization of different internal medicine residency programs, the way that hospitals and facilities are organized, and even the patient volume.

While ultimately you’ll need to narrow down your lists and choose the program that is best for you, thinking ahead gives you the time to make an educated and informed decision. No matter if you choose to stay local and complete your residency in an area that is known to you in a small town or move to a large city or area and complete a program similar to Georgetown's internal medicine residency, every individual’s decision will come down to a personal, thorough choice.

What Does a Cardiology Fellowship Consist Of?

Written By: Rachael Kaine

Before Choosing a Cardiology Fellowship

In order to be considered for a fellowship of this nature, you’ll first need to complete the requisite years of medical school. These first years will provide a basic level of knowledge in many different areas, as well as give you the first pieces of information that are necessary in order to ensure that you’ll be successful during your fellowship as well as after. As dealing with patients and health care is one of the most important jobs available in today’s society, it is imperative that the training you receive and the education that you complete is meaningful and high quality.

During your time in medical school, you’ll have many different opportunities present themselves to you, as well as giving yourself the chance to decide what your career path will be. Many people choose to become general practitioners or nurses, but it takes a special person to choose to become a cardiologist after pursuing and completing a cardiology fellowship with a reputable institution.

Cardiology Fellowship Basics

A Georgetown cardiology fellowship is only different in the fact that it is located on the East coast of the United States. The program, skills and practices that are taught and learned throughout this experience are similar to those from other institutions; the location and the patients are different. Throughout the duration of this cardiovascular fellowship Washington DC’s setting will bring a lot of unexpected challenges and opportunities for fellows as well as staff members. For more information, visit http://www.medstarhealth.org/education/affiliated-hospitals-2/medstar-georgetown-university-hospital/cardiovascular-disease-fellowship/ to start your decision making process.

This type of fellowship is concerned with care and treatment of the human heart, which is one of the most important organs within the human body. There are different branches of cardiology that can be studied, including coronary care, echocardiography, imaging, consulting cardiography, and even diagnosing, treating, and improving congestive heart failure and transplants. These skills will help individuals become great cardiologists after finishing their extensive training and learning experiences.

A fellowship in cardiology will not always be easy, but it will be worth working hard for. The hours may be long, each day may be difficult, and there is a great deal of information to learn and remember, but when dealing with the heart and the health of expectant patients, the time and effort are truly worth it. In addition to the medical knowledge learned throughout the program, you’ll also make friends, earn the respect of medical colleagues and become familiar with the city you complete your fellowship in - so it is important to pick one that will mesh well with your personality.

Emergency Medicine Residency Training

Written By: Rachael Kaine

Beginning Your Emergency Medicine Residency

This type of program differs slightly in organization depending on the institution that you’re going through, but the basic idea behind it remains the same: to provide medical students with the experience and education that they need in order to be successful within emergency rooms and medical facilities across the nation. Many organizations limit the number of residents that they accept each year to very small numbers, meaning that the selection process is very thorough, and you must work hard in order to appeal to potential schools. A Georgetown emergency medicine residency is a three year program that combines on the job experience with learning in a classroom or lecture setting. The varied opportunities give residents a chance to stay busy, stay focused, and stay educated about the things that they will need to learn in order to practice medicine on their own after graduation.

The first step of an emergency medicine residency is choosing your desired program, and this should be done with some careful consideration. Not only will you be spending multiple years learning about patients and medicine, but you’ll be living in the city you’re working in, meaning that location is important, too. In addition to choosing a program in a desirable area, you’ll want to carefully look into past experiences with the program and find out if participants were happy, fulfilled and highly recommend the program for students like you.

Emergency Medicine Residency Explained

There are many different things involved in completing an emergency medicine residency, and your rotation may not be the same as all of the other residents, especially when it comes to the electives that you choose. You’ll use the information learned each year to benefit your studies each following year as with any educational program, but you’ll also be instructed (and expected) to expect the unexpected, especially with emergency medicine. While carefully structured, these programs offer an opportunity for students to study different areas including international health, ultrasound technology, health policies and wilderness health and medical treatment. This is a chance to study and work on things that are of interest to individuals, and give them a chance to diversify their skills without breaking from the program.

Throughout the residency, you’ll have the chance to make professional and personal connections, learn a great deal about emergency medicine, and become confident in your skills as someone practicing medicine alone after graduation. These opportunities are something to work hard toward, and though they can be extremely tedious and seem like they will never end, they are all worth it after they have been completed.

Medical Trivia to Impress Your Internal Medicine Residency Cohorts

By: Theanna Lynn

When you’re in an internal medical residency program, you’re keeping a lot of balls in the air. Learning new skills, meeting new people, and practicing medicine to prepare for your future professional goals. It’s important to remember to have fun and take a break every once in a while. Here's some medical trivia on something everyone in the medical field is familiar with: the white coat.

The history of the white coat began in the nineteenth century as physicians tried to differentiate themselves from mystics and quacks. This was easy to do with something long associated with scientists: the lab coat. Since then it has become a commonplace garb for doctors of every specialty.

Although it has only been around since 2006, the white coat ceremony has become a very popular rite marking a medical student’s transition from studying preclinical to clinical health sciences. The timing of the white coat ceremony can differ depending on the school, but it often signifies a level of knowledge and ability to start working with patients.

A longer tradition than the white coat ceremony, the length of the coat has long been symbolic. While this rule is not absolute, and does not apply to all health professionals, the tradition is that the shorter the coat, the less training an individual has received. For instance, medical students wear the shortest coats. They are not yet physicians and cannot practice medicine without supervision. Interns, who have more experience than medical students, have slightly longer coats.

Residency follows the intern year, and residents typically wear longer coats than interns. Once the internship has been completed, individuals pass an exam to be able to practice independently. Some physicians will then opt to pursue additional training through a residency program. The time commitment of a residency depends on the specialty selected. The Georgetown internal medicine residency program, for example, would typically last for three years. Attendings have more training than residents and wear a full-length coat.

While the white coat length can be indicative of training, it does not hold true for all physicians. The length ultimately comes down to a physician’s preference, if they choose to wear one at all. Regardless of the choice, the white coat has a long history in medicine and continues to change in tradition and use.

What Is a Cardiology Fellowship?

Written By: Rachael Kaine

Though if you’ve made it to the point where you’re researching places to go for this opportunity and you’re knowledgeable on the subject, many people still don’t realize how many different options are available for cardiology fellowship programs. Not only are there differently structured programs at many different places across the world, but there are multiple different specialty tracks that can be taken, each providing different opportunities, areas of focus and facilities to work in.

Cardiology Fellowship Basics

Becoming a cardiologist requires a great deal of schooling and hands on experience. A fellowship is a combination of research work and clinical experience, which typically takes three years but can rise up to as many as 6, depending on your chosen specialty focus. The fellowships are completed in hospitals and medical centers, and require that students have completed an internal medicine residency before even being considered for a cardiovascular fellowship Washington DC. This ensures that there is adequate experience before even stepping foot into this type of program, and that students and participants are ready. As progress is made, the training and material becomes more advanced and challenging, mirroring real life experiences and situations that you’ll encounter on your own after graduation.

What to Expect from a Cardiology Fellowship

A Georgetown cardiology fellowship is hardly different than others - fiercely competitive, highly structured and designed to be completed in state of the art facilities, this program sets you up for success. In order to get the most out of a fellowship program like this, you’ll need to go into it ready for success, and willing to work hard. The way that a cardiology fellowship like this is designed is to give you every chance to succeed from one on one interactions and instruction by staff and educators to technologically advanced labs and equipment. Every aspect of things has been carefully planned, is highly active and well established; the only thing missing is you and your abilities.

From general cardiology practice to adult congenital heart disease training, you’ll have many different choices and options throughout your time in the fellowship, each depending on where you’d like to go with your medical career. There have been many exceptional cardiologists to come from this program, leaving their mark on the medical field as well as all of the patients that they have treated throughout the years - why not add your name to the roster by completing a fellowship such as this?

The Amazing Heart and a Cardiology Fellowship

Written By: Julia Travers

As you may know, the heart is truly an amazing organ. As the leader and powerhouse of the entire cardiovascular system, its importance to the body’s health and overall well-being is definitely hard to overstate. Read on to learn more about the impressive capabilities of the heart and the highly skilled doctors that care for it: cardiologists.

The Heart, Cardiologists, and a Cardiology Fellowship

Did you know that on average, the adult heart beats around 100,000 times every single day? That means that every second of your life is accompanied by at least one heartbeat. The heart beats 60-100 times each minute. The blood that the heart pumps out has a variety of important functions, including transporting oxygen throughout the body and working as a vital part of the body’s immune system. The heart works hard to pump the body’s blood along about 60,000 miles of blood vessels. The amazing heart, which usually only weighs about 11 ounces, creates enough energy each day to drive a truck about 20 miles! The four valves of the heart open and close as they pump blood, and when they close, that makes the familiar thumping heart beat sound.

Men’s and Women’s hearts are different in some aspects. WebMD shares that “when it comes to matters of the heart, men and women definitely aren’t created equal. For instance, a man’s heart weighs about 10 ounces, while a woman’s heart weighs approximately 8 ounces.” Also, men and women often experience different signs of a heart attack. Heart attacks or cases of angina are very serious health issues which require the treatment of trained and specialized medical professionals like cardiologists.

To keep your heart healthy and well, be sure to eat heart-healthy foods and keep up your cardiovascular exercise routine. If you are a medical student who loves to learn about the heart, you may want to specialize in the branch of medicine called cardiology. In order to become a cardiologist, as a medical student you will have to enroll in and complete a challenging and rewarding cardiovascular fellowship, such as the Georgetown cardiology fellowship.

What Will a Family Medicine Residency Accomplish?

Written By: Rachael Kaine

Understanding a Family Medicine Residency

Unlike doctors and surgeons who specialize in specific diseases or conditions, a family medicine practitioner will be trained to recognize, diagnose and treat the different basic health situations that can impact the lives of all family members from children to the elderly. Choosing a residency in this field will not prepare you to be a brain surgeon, but it will enable you to deliver comprehensive, quality care when people need it most. This makes the field seem basic, but it is in fact quite complex - a family medicine residency program will prepare participants for different medical situations that every individual may face throughout their lives.

Though there is a standard educational plan, a Franklin family medicine residency allows for focus on specialty areas like women’s health, pediatrics and public health through the course selection of relevant electives. These differences allow people to explore the areas of family medicine that truly interest them, and give them a chance to branch out if they choose. During the time spent in the residency, participants will learn a variety of real life skills that will make them valuable assets to any facility after graduation.

What Happens After Completing a Family Medicine Residency?

After completion, many participants find it easy to obtain jobs in the field, especially if they have chosen a specialty focus with their electives. After a family medicine residency has been completed, hospital employees are able to diagnose, treat, provide preventative care, manage conditions, and even work with specialists to help patients truly do what is best for themselves. A family medicine practitioner is the one tasked with caring for people as they age and find new health issues to concern themselves with; they are seen through the years and on a routine basis. Essentially, this type of practitioner is the “face” of their respective facility, and the one that patients will come to associate their visits with.

Though it takes time and effort to complete a family medicine residency program, the time spent doing so will be worthwhile to many more people than the students themselves. People need medical care for things like general aches and pains, chronic conditions and for things like physicals, health screenings and immunizations; it is not just for emergencies or severe conditions, and a family medicine practitioner is just the right person to provide it, no matter what the case may be. Long after leaving the program, people will find that they continue to learn each day, increasing their knowledge and skills to better provide care for those who depend on and trust in them.