tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68235862180074634392024-03-05T06:55:18.511-05:00(former) pre-med engineerin foreign territoryMedical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-67108600048795563782009-12-10T20:25:00.003-05:002009-12-10T20:47:50.604-05:00The medical school interviewIn this post I want to share some experiences on what the medical school interviews are like. During my application process I attended eight (8) interviews. These ranged from small private schools to large universities.[1] AppearanceIt is important to look your best; you are applying to a professional program. Focus on having clean shoes, haircut, and a dark appropriately sized suit. Also, Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-27935445960273038972009-09-18T16:22:00.002-04:002009-09-18T16:39:08.238-04:00A strategy for applying to medical schoolNow that I am a medical student, and have gone through the application process I look back at the process of getting into medical school. So I would like to offer a strategy to pre-meds out there based on my experience.[1] Apply to 15+ schoolsThe idea behind this is to spread your risk, and increase your chances of getting in. I know that each primary costs ~$50 and each secondary another $Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-48493987609758959232009-07-25T18:54:00.005-04:002009-07-25T19:04:18.705-04:00Summer breakIt's the summer between first and second medical school year. Some advise to travel, visit friends, while others work and study for the upcoming board exams. What ever it is, this summer is the last normal summer a medical student will ever have.Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-3333550931847567192009-02-19T15:32:00.005-05:002009-02-19T15:59:49.599-05:00Stress and Dept of U.S. Medical StudentsBy now the application process is drawing to a close and some of the applicants are either very happy with their acceptance letters while others are gearing up to apply again for the next school year. I was lucky to get in on the first try, yet I did not understand the many realities of medical school until I started this school year. For those that got in, it is important to realize that beingMedical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-82818584356661352602008-11-29T23:17:00.005-05:002008-11-29T23:54:06.551-05:00On Acute Radiation Syndrome (radiation sickness)The following text presents some introductory concepts of radiation and exposure. This topic is complex and links are provided for additional reading.In the last couple of months I have been reading about effects of radiation on the human body. This renewed interest came after the April anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster during which the firefighters and plant workers that responded to the Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-79348566299354726492008-04-29T19:41:00.006-04:002008-04-29T20:13:18.632-04:00Very Hard Life - Doctors in IraqWhat kind of life does a doctor experience in a war-torn country? This question has been on my mind ever since I listened to reports of casualties following suicide attacks and military operation in the current Iraqi war. I have read a number of articles describing the lives of doctors in Baghdad and the answer was worse than I expected. Living in US, I have come to expect a doctor to have Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-14357898775900355792008-03-09T15:11:00.007-04:002008-11-30T00:07:22.307-05:00Treating AF - A look at Cox Maze IV procedureMy interest is surgery, and this post will give a quick look at the Cox-Maze procedure. The goal of the procedure is to treat atrial fibrilation (AF), which is a cardiac arrhythmia. The physical contraction of heart muscle results from conduction of electrical signal over the muscle. The heart has pathways that guide the signal from SA node down to the ventricles. In AF this conduction is Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-38785124983386078842008-02-19T21:37:00.003-05:002008-02-19T21:53:45.116-05:00Don't See Your Doctor Right Before Graduation - A Lesson in Health InsuranceThis post is for those students that are going to be graduating and loosing their health insurance. Right before I graduated, I went to my physician to get a physical to make sure that everything was OK. At the time, this made sense and so I got my physical only to find out that there was something wrong and required specialized treatment. But once I graduated and started looking for Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-7257400975642962762008-02-19T21:01:00.006-05:002008-11-30T00:04:03.783-05:00My Interview Impressions & ExperiencesI have now completed eight (8) interviews and would like to share my impressions on this process. Interviewing was at times a lot of fun and other times a big drag. The most positive experience was traveling; I got to travel to some pretty cool places such as NYC and the beaches of Florida. There were times when I was running out of money and did a red-eye interview and another time I stayed Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-41603567576593667842007-10-13T17:24:00.002-04:002008-11-30T00:01:45.169-05:00Magnetic Catheterization...it's cool and a whole lot of moneyEvery once in a while I run into new technology that appears to be years ahead of its time. The latest piece is a magnetic catheterization system developed by Stereotaxis. The concept is to make catheterization hands free, by replacing a person's hand with a magnetic field. Two large permanent magnets guide a probe through the vessels while the physician operates the device remotely by using Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-11686203921264306542007-07-20T20:53:00.001-04:002008-11-29T23:56:27.976-05:00Fruits Of An Engineering + MD DegreeBeing a pre-med engineer can be confusing as most students do not know how they can use their degree in the medical career. It seems that almost all of the focus is given to promoting science majors as future doctors, while engineering schools have little information for its students with a medical interest. Sure, there is bioengineering, but degrees such as mechanical and electrical engineeringMedical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-71045089711997712122007-07-15T14:29:00.000-04:002007-07-15T14:59:08.110-04:00Unicondylar Knee Arthroplasty (UKA)As part of my recent work experience I had a chance to learn about a unique knee arthroplasty procedure. The word unicondylar, means that only a single condyle gets replaced. The procedure is applicable to conditions where only part of the knee surface is damaged. Whereas total knee replacement would remove both healthy and damaged bone, altering normal kinematics of the joint, UKA will Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-71808163187642306842007-07-15T14:08:00.000-04:002007-07-15T14:59:39.762-04:00Parrots Help VetsI have been following the Journal of Military Medicine and almost every issue touches on the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS). The current war in Iraq has resulted in large numbers of soldiers with this problem, and has increased interest of the medical professionals. Today on the radio I heard of a parrot sanctuary that is used as a treatment center for vets. The place is called Serenity Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-65910111468073761752007-05-11T20:06:00.000-04:002007-07-15T15:00:10.018-04:00The Forgotten History of Ambulance ServiceIn America, the ambulance service is something that impresses me almost daily. Having lived in Russia, I can attest that we have something that is truly great and dependable. Not only will the ambulance arrive quickly, there will also be equipment to sustain the patient till the hospital. During the Black History month, our university published an article about the Freedom House Ambulance Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-1722940066288260312007-03-09T14:20:00.000-05:002007-05-11T20:06:14.662-04:00Plastic Surgery -Not Just for VOGUE CoverWhat field of surgery is given most attention by the entertainment industry; plastics of course. This being the entertainment industry with its quest for constant appeal, a one sided view is given. Can you imagine what impression is given after watching Doctor 90210 or Dr. McSteamy? The issue is that people see very little of what plastic surgery is truly about. This week I observed a Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-14265522005088127172007-03-05T14:24:00.000-05:002007-04-06T19:17:29.604-04:00List of SchoolsI am on spring break and used the free time to put together a list 25 schools. This list used to be much larger, but had been narrowed down primarily by a location requirement. To me it is very important to live in a major metropolitan area so that I can have a descent social life and not rely on a car. I know there are great places in California, but I am not willing to be so far away from myMedical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-55568714111334570302007-02-15T18:07:00.000-05:002007-02-17T11:57:13.551-05:00GE Cardiovascular Ultrasound for Aortic Valve ReplacementThis is my second week volunteering in the OR, and now that I come in the morning, I get a chance to see a wide variety of cases. This week I observed a part of an aortic valve replacement procedure. The surgeons were busy with their work, but the anesthesiologist showed me his ultrasound machine that, it turned out, was an integral part of the procedure.GE Healthcare has created the Vivid Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-22997732752981960112007-02-07T23:48:00.000-05:002007-02-08T21:06:41.081-05:00What $1.5 Million Will Get YouToday I got a chance to see a prostatectomy, and not just any old school prostatectomy but a robotic one. Using a da Vinci robot that costs a whopping $1.5 million plus all the costs of the retractors and cutters it uses, the urologists performed this delicate procedure in about 3 hours. As explained to me, the benefits are the greater control of laparoscopic devices that the robot provides. Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-35786008345703302512007-01-24T01:43:00.000-05:002007-02-03T15:24:02.612-05:00Four Months Till ApplicationThe official application will start in four months when AMCAS is up. In the mean time I am looking up schools. I have determined three main requirements: located in large metropolitan area (so Chicago, Boston, NYC), be affiliated with a large hospital (level 1 trauma, children's, and VA), and standard curriculum (none of that PBL and self teaching, I like old school lectures).My main way to seeMedical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-50957363623913351992006-11-17T12:37:00.000-05:002007-02-03T18:32:58.880-05:00How I Studied for the MCATThings to keep in mind before you read my strategy. I took ochem1,2 and bio1,2 the year I took the MCAT. This, I think gave me a valuable advantage.Period of study: June 1 - August 17 (~2.5 months)MCAT test date: August 19Materials UsedKAPLAN 2005 Science Review ($23.00)AAMCAS official practice tests ($120.00)Textbooks ("free")The BreakdownJune 1 - July 15: Thoroughly reviewed each subject in theMedical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-83906786664514509842006-10-13T00:26:00.000-04:002006-10-13T00:30:09.026-04:00The MCAT score is hereMCAT scores are released!I got 34M (11VR 12PS 11BS)I feel amazing.Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-62654498747703599012006-08-28T11:45:00.000-04:002007-02-03T18:32:27.848-05:00In Between Two WorldsThe engineering major is thought by most to be a rigorous, nerdy, and with few options for deviation; something that I learned to be true. In my mechanical engineering department I quickly learned that the advisers didn't know a single thing about pre-med, they didn't even know who the school's pre-med advisor was. This being with the fact that the son of the department head is pre-med. Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-31998972702658879542006-08-27T14:19:00.000-04:002006-08-27T14:24:07.134-04:00VolunteeringGetting the volunteer position wasn't hard at all. After I got my scrub card and TB test, I went to search for the OR. In our hospital the OR takes up almost all of the second floor, it has 36 rooms along with ICUs , pharmacy, etc. The hospital has the layout of a large X, making navigation difficult. As I entered the second floor, a strong smell that most associate with the hospital hit me, and Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6823586218007463439.post-35283446838736431542006-08-27T12:30:00.000-04:002007-02-03T18:33:21.615-05:00The Story Of It All...the first post on a blog that I hope will bring interesting information to all those undergraduate engineering students who ponder the possibility of doing medicine.I had just finished my freshman year in the school of engineering, a year that was mostly a catch-up on science courses. I was glad to be free for the summer, and took up my regular summer job that I was doing since beginning of Medical & Engineeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629241958467778647noreply@blogger.com0