Info

The Undifferentiated Medical Student

The TUMS podcast is about helping medical students to choose a medical specialty and plan a career in medicine. The list of career options available to medical students is long, but the time to explore them all is short. Moreover, mentorship in medical school is lacking, and many medical students tackle the task of career planning alone, most struggling and almost all clutching to the hope that 3rd year clinical rotations will definitively resolve their remaining uncertainties about how they want to specialize. However, having been distracted by the relentless pace of their pre-clinical curricula and the specter of Step 1, 3rd year medical students are eventually confronted with the reality that there are simply too many specialties to explore in one year and that they may not even get to finish their clinical rotations before important decisions about their careers need to be made (e.g., the planning of acting internships) if they are to be competitive applicants. Thus, mentorless and clinically unexposed, many medical students are forced to make wholly uninformed decisions about their futures. By interviewing at least one physician from each of the 120+ specialties listed on the AAMC's Careers in Medicine website 1) about their specialty, 2) how they decided this specialty was right for them, and 3) for advice about long-term career planning irrespective of the specialty they went into, this podcast aims to enumerate the details of every specialty and provide virtual mentorship on how best to go about moving past being an undifferentiated medical student.
RSS Feed
The Undifferentiated Medical Student
2019
September
August
June
April


2018
June
April
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: 2018
Jun 29, 2018

See below for time stamps.

This episode is sponsored by OnlineMedEd!

Check out the TUMS Resources page for a complete list of book recommendations made by guests on this show (as well as other goodies).

If you would like to support the show, use the TUMS Amazon link to make all your normal Amazon purchases! You get all your things in usual 2 days, and TUMS gets a little sumin' sumin' at no extra cost to you.

Show notes for this episode can be found here.

Dr. Emily Silverman

Dr. Silverman is an academic hospitalist at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

Dr. Silverman completed her undergraduate degree at Brown University in 2009 where she majored in History of Art and Architecture, briefly flirting with a career in the art world before heading down the pre-med path. She then completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University in 2014, followed by her residency in internal medicine residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 2017.

In addition to practicing hospitalist medicine, Dr. Silverman is the host and creator of The Nocturists, a live medical storytelling event and podcast for physicians and other healthcare providers. You can think of it as medicine’s version of the Moth. She is also the author of a series of prose poems about her experiences as a medical resident, many of which are published in the The Examined Life Journal of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Her writing is animated by a deep-seated curiosity about science, human nature, and what it means to live and die well.

In addition to her podcast’s website at thenocturnists.com, Dr. Silverman can be found at her personal website at emilysilverman.com, as well as on twitter as @ESilvermanMD

Please enjoy with Dr. Emily Silverman!

Time Stamps

  • Intro to Dr. Silverman + intro to storytelling [3:36]
  • Part 1: “Tell us about your specialty” [22:25]
    • Routines, patients and outcomes [30:50]
    • Biggest challenges / prediction for the next 10-20 years [58:18]
    • Most exciting / most mundane [1:04:04]
    • One thing you wish you had known [1:14:29]
    • One thing to consider in earnest [1:16:37]
    • Specific questions about academic hospital medicine [1:18:33]
    • Resources [1:22:29]
  • Part 2: “Tell us about how you decided your specialty was right for you“ [1:24:04]
  • Part 3: “Give us advice for long-term career planning irrespective of your choice of specialty” [1:31:58]
  • Book recommendations [1:39:44]
Jun 15, 2018

See below for time stamps.

This episode is sponsored by OnlineMedEd!

Check out the TUMS Resources page for a complete list of book recommendations made by guests on this show (as well as other goodies).

Show notes for this episode can be found here.

Dr. Mark Rockoff 

Dr. Rockoff is a Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital.

A native of New Jersey, he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969 and Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1973.  He then completed residencies in both pediatrics and anesthesiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a fellowship in neuroanesthesiology at the University of California at San Diego.  After leaving San Diego, he was on staff at MGH for two years when he moved to Boston Children’s Hospital where he has been since 1981.

Dr. Rockoff is board-certified in pediatrics, anesthesiology, pediatric anesthesiology, and critical care medicine.  He has been a member of the Residency Review Committee for Anesthesiology of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and is a Past-President of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and the American Board of Anesthesiology.  He is Chairman of the Archives Committee at Boston Children’s Hospital and has had a longstanding interest in American and medical history. Importantly, Dr. Rockoff is seen by many as the father of combined pediatric-anesthesiology training spearheading the founding of the first combined residency program in Boston. He and his wife have three children and two grandchildren and reside in Hingham, MA.

Please enjoy with Dr. Mark Rockoff!

Time Stamps

  • Part 1: “Tell us about your specialty” [10:54]
    • Routines, patients and outcomes [19:13]
    • Most exciting / most mundane [44:50]
    • One thing you wish you had known [48:43]
    • One thing to consider in earnest [58:52]
    • How practice changes depending on setting [59:44]
    • Specific questions about combined peds-anesthesia [1:08:17]
    • Biggest challenges / prediction for the next 10-20 years [1:17:56]
    • Resources [1:22:46]
  • Part 2: “Tell us about how you decided your specialty was right for you“ [1:24:54]
  • Part 3: “Give us advice for long-term career planning irrespective of your choice of specialty” [1:42:43]
  • Book recommendations [2:02:44]

 

Jun 1, 2018

See below for time stamps.

Confused about 4th year? This episode is for you! Newly matched 4th year med students Roy Swanson (ophthalmology), Marco Swanson (plastic surgery), and Dana Canfield (obstetrics and gynecology) school Ian on the ins and outs of 4th year of medical school.

Show notes can be found here.

This is a wide ranging conversation that starts at the end of 3rd year and takes the listener through the completion of 4th year. A complete list of discussion topics for this episode can be found here, but includes:

  • Introductions [2:44]
  • Start 4th year discussion [15:32]
  • Acting internships (+ away rotations) [26:01]
  • Away rotations [1:04:25]
  • Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) --> now the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) [1:12:47]
  • Letters of recommendation [1:15:05]
  • Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and personal statements [1:38:00]
  • The Step 2s (Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Skills) [2:02:24]
  • Residency interviews [2:34:20]
  • The rank list and the Matching algorithm [3:07:35]
  • The Match and Match week [3:24:49]
  • Supplemental Offer of Acceptance Program (SOAP) aka "the scramble" [3:26:40]
  • Life post-Match [3:33:49]
  • Final comments from the gang [3:43:37]

Special thank you to Katie Bedard, MD; Alice Yu, MD; Gary Parizher, MD; Kelly Manger, MD; and Karishma Habbu, MD for their help in formulating the discussion topics.

And an extra special thank you to Kristol Das, MD for sitting patiently through a dry run of the interview to identify missing topics and to make sure the 4th Year Episode would flow properly :)

Please enjoy with Roy, Marco, and Dana!

 

This episode is sponsored by OnlineMedEd!

Check out the TUMS Resources page, which includes a complete list of book recommendations made by guests on this show!

Apr 16, 2018

Confused about 4th year? This is your episode! Newly matched 4th year med students Maggie Knisley (pediatrics), Dan Binder (family medicine), and Steve Bigach (orthopedics) school Ian on the ins and outs of 4th year of medical school.

Show notes can be found here.

This is a wide ranging conversation that starts at the end of 3rd year and takes the listener through the completion of 4th year. A complete list of discussion topics for this episode can be found here, but includes:

  • Acting internships
  • Away rotations
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Residency applications and ERAS
  • The Step 2s (CK and CS)
  • Residency interviews
  • The rank list
  • The Match
  • SOAP aka "the scramble"
  • Life post-match

Special thank you to Katie Bedard, MD; Alice Yu, MD; Gary Parizher, MD; Kelly Manger, MD; and Karishma Habbu, MD for their help in formulating the discussion topics.

And an extra special thank you to Kristol Das, MD for sitting patiently through a dry run of the interview to identify missing topics and to make sure the 4th Year Episode would flow properly :)

Please enjoy with Maggie, Dan, and Steve!

 

Check out the TUMS Resources page, which includes a complete list of book recommendations made by guests on this show.

Feb 23, 2018
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Ever thought about going to an American Medical Student Association convention?
 
AMSA has teamed up with TUMS to offer a discount code (code: TUMS) that gets you $50 off convention registration, as well as $25 off AMSA membership!
 
I specifically requested that the code also apply for pre-med students as well as current med students, so even if you're still on the war path, the code'll still work!
 
The convention is March 8-11 in Washington, DC, and the Keynote Speaker is Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, which promises to be awesome!
 
So, if you're thinking about going, head on over to amsaconvention.org/register and enter the promo code "TUMS" at check out!
 
-----

Help Ian interview all *190+* specialties! www.undifferentiatedmedicalstudent.com/suggestions

TUMS Email template to facilitate reaching out to guests!

Become a TUMS patron!

Show notes for this episode can be found here

Dr. Aaron Leetch

Dr. Leetch is the Program Director of the Combined Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Residency at the University of Arizona Tucson

Dr. Leetch completed his undergraduate degree in 2004, his medical degree in 2008 and then his Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Combined training in 2013 all The University of Arizona.

Dr. Leetch is an Arizona native and has completed both medical school and residency at the University of Arizona. Dr. Leetch holds a dual appointment with the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics. He is currently the Program Director of the Combined Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Residency.

His academic interests include medical education, simulation medicine and pediatric critical care and the recognition of sick children. Teaching is his passion. Having started as a high school science teacher, he now enjoys teaching medical students, residents, nurses and pre-hospital providers locally, regionally and nationally about pediatric emergency recognition. As the host of the AZEMCast podcast, he produces a monthly peer-reviewed emergency podcast complete with in-audio citations delineating evidence-based from opinion. Ultimately, his goal in medical education is to make kids less scary to providers and to provide practical approaches to emergency care.

Please enjoy with Dr. Aaron Leetch!

Feb 9, 2018
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Ever thought about going to an American Medical Student Association convention?
 
AMSA has teamed up with TUMS to offer a discount code (code: TUMS) that gets you $50 off convention registration, as well as $25 off AMSA membership!
 
I specifically requested that the code also apply for pre-med students as well as current med students, so even if you're still on the war path, the code'll still work!
 
The convention is March 8-11 in Washington, DC, and the Keynote Speaker is Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, which promises to be awesome!
 
So, if you're thinking about going, head on over to amsaconvention.org/register and enter the promo code "TUMS" at check out!
 
-----

Help Ian interview all *190+* specialties! www.undifferentiatedmedicalstudent.com/suggestions

TUMS Email template to facilitate reaching out to guests!

Become a TUMS patron!

Show notes for this episode can be found here

Dr. Miguel Escalón

Dr. Escalón (@dr_escalon) is the Program Director of the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency at Mount Sinai Ichan School of Medicine.

Dr. Escalón completed his undergraduate degree at The University of Chicago in 2005; completed his medical degree and a masters of public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2009; completed his residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine in 2013; and finally a fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2014.

In addition to Program Director, Dr. Escalón serves as the Director of Critical Care Rehabilitation. In this position, Dr. Escalón works closely with physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and recreational therapists, as well as neuropsychologists, and other medical and surgical specialists in order to provide comprehensive care in the rehabilitation and mobilization of critically ill patients, especially those patients in the ICU.

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Escalón is involved with research into brain and spinal cord injury especially as it relates to pain, spasticity and the role of technology in recovery. In particular, he is involved in the use of robotic exoskeletons to facilitate walking after such injuries.

Please enjoy with Dr. Miguel Escalón!

Jan 26, 2018

Help Ian interview all *190+* specialties! www.undifferentiatedmedicalstudent.com/suggestions

TUMS Email template to facilitate reaching out to guests!

Become a TUMS patron!

Show notes for this episode can be found here

Dr. Raj Dasgupta

Dr. Dasgupta (www.beyondthepearls.netrajdasgupta.com) is a sleep medicine attending at as well as an assistant program director of internal medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Dr. Dasgupta completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Irvine in 1997; completed his medical degree at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland in 2003; completed an Internal Medicine residency at Michigan State University in 2006; completed a fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care at St. Luke’s & Roosevelt Hospital of Columbia University in 2010; then completed a Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan in 2011.

In case you didn’t catch it, Dr. Dasgupta is quadruple board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonology, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, and so when not practicing sleep medicine, he practices pulmonary / critical care. One of his passions, however, is resoundingly for medical education, and he has received the faculty teaching award for the last 3 years in a row at Keck. In addition, Dr. Dasgupta has taught USMLE Step 1, 2, and 3 as well as Internal Medicine Board Review prep classes around the world for the past 14 years, and he just published the 1st book in a series he authored titled “Medicine Morning Report: Beyond the Pearls” printed by Elsevier.  Of note, Dr. Dasgupta has appeared on various media platforms and television shows such as the “The Doctors”, “The Wellness Hour”, “ESPN” ,“Larry King Now” and “You Can Do Better”. Dr. Dasgupta is Raj Dasgupta MD on Facebook and @DoctorRajD on Twitter, and he can also be found on his personal website at beyondthepearls.net and rajdasgupta.com

Please enjoy with Dr. Raj Dasgupta!

Jan 12, 2018

Help Ian interview all *190+* specialties! www.undifferentiatedmedicalstudent.com/suggestions

TUMS Email template to facilitate reaching out to guests!

Become a TUMS patron!

Show notes for this episode can be found here

Dr. Ciro Ramos-Estebanez

Dr. Ramos-Estebanez (crecns.com) is a Professor in the Neurocritical Care & Stroke divisions at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Dr. Ramos-Estebanez has completed extensive clinical training including an Internal Medicine residency at Albert Einstein, a Neurology residency at Harvard, a Neurocritical Care fellowship at the University of Miami, and finally a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Cantabria in Spain. Additionally, he will complete his MBA at Case Western’s Weatherhead School of Business in 2018.

Dr. Ramos-Estebanez is a physician-scientist who combines a clinical career with various research interests. He has published extensively in both the basic & clinical neurosciences. He is currently developing a new metabolic MRI sequence in a stroke rodent model in collaboration with Case Western’s Biomedical Engineering Dpt., as well as conducting clinical research involving neuro-ophthalmological outcomes in collaboration with his Ophthalmology & Neurosurgery colleagues. Lastly, Dr. Ramos-Estebanez is leading a multinational project on lumbar puncture in the presence of mass effect.

Dr. Ramos-Estebanez mentors minority students, undergraduate and graduate level mentees, as well as residents, and he invites you to join him on his website at crecns.com.

Please enjoy with Dr. Ciro Ramos-Estebanez!

1