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The Best and The Worst Places to Practice Medicine
Medscape Medical News this week released its list of the “Best Places to Practice in America,” which evaluates each U.S. state to identify the most favorable environments for physicians.
For the list, Medscape divided the United States into six regions and evaluated states within those regions based on myriad physician-related criteria, including physician density, compensation, malpractice insurance, medical board activity, and state taxes.
Surgery 101: The Survival Guide
As I have currently been completing one of my final surgery rotations — I think it’s time I introduce my audience to the real side of surgery, not what you see in Grey’s Anatomy, or House MD. Let me start by saying, this will be one of your most memorable experiences in your clinical years — it may be the only chance you will ever have to see a liver transplant, an open-heart surgery, a laparoscopic gastric bypass, or even a simple appendectomy.
If you want it to be, it can be an unbelievable experience, but it can also be quite intimidating. In the end, think of it as an opportunity to learn some basic concepts about surgery that will benefit you regardless of which field you chose to go into.
To start, there are four basic parts to any surgery: rounds, the operating room, clinic, and call.
Choose Wisely: Many Medical Tests Not Always Needed
Major medical and consumer groups are coming together to question the carte blanche use of many commonly ordered tests and procedures, including MRI for low back pain and exercise EKG tests in people with no symptoms and low risk for heart disease.
Sometimes these tests can be lifesavers. Other times they are unlikely to do anything except increase costs and anxiety and expose people to unnecessary risks.
So how do you know the difference?
