Building a Better Differential As a medical student I used VINDICATE to build my differential diagnoses, both in third and fourth year. As an intern I’ve realized I should have moved beyond the mnemonic in fourth year, to be better prepared for working on the…
What’s In My Pockets

Back in medical school, one of my study buddies and I wondered wondered about the buttons on our white coats. Which ones were supposed to stay buttoned? He asked a second-year, and was told a pretty simple way to remember. There are 3 buttons,…
5 Podcasts For The Road

I spent a pretty ridiculous amount of time driving while I was on the residency interview trail, and I unfortunately didn’t have an unlimited data plan or much space on my phone, but these would’ve been monumentally helpful to have back then! Check out…

Why get answers from one fourth year, when you can get answers from two? Christina and Jake Mutch think back to the beginning of third year, to offer you five tips for doing great as you start your next clinical rotation. 1. OnlineMedEd. OnlineMedEd. OnlineMedEd. Do it.…

Recently I asked Trish Friederich if she could go back in time to the beginning of third year, what tips would she give herself, what advice might she offer? Here’s what she said: Trish’s Tips Always ask to do more: I did not ask to…

It’s August, so it’s time to start scheduling residency interviews, if you’re a fourth year DO student. For the MD students it’s a little over a month away before the ACGME side opens. So bookmark this post for later. Tips from Farrah for Scheduling Residency…

Congratulations third years! You’ve survived your first clerkship rotation, possibly even have a day off before you start the next one. Now you might be wondering what the etiquette is for thanking the physician or staff who helped guide you through this intense…
Post-Interview Communication

This topic was originally a part of the Interview Advice From Family Medicine Residencies post, but it’s been sectioned out into its own piece! Farrah’s Perspective Post-interview communication can be a tricky deal. You want to demonstrate your interest in the program, but…

Developing Your Differential Building Skills My med school used two mnemonics that helped me when it came time to try to come up with an assessment and plan, VINDICATE and FAMOUS. Today I’m writing on how you can use the VINDICATE mnemonic to build a differential that’ll impress…

Feeling a little nervous about starting and/or doing well on your clinical rotations? Check out FM Student’s game plan for your clinical years! Your third year (and early fourth year) of medical school are your chance to figure out what field you want to go into and to get…
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