The Dream Job

Throughout this podcast, we discuss with Dr. Kalla his thoughts about the current COVID-19 crisis happening across the globe. As a physician and specialist in how pandemics arise, Dr. Kalla explains what interested him in learning and researching about pandemics and his knowledge on how COVID-19 will evolve.

Key Highlights from this podcast:

Dr. Kalla talks about the different pandemics that happened in the past, such as the Spanish Flu and the Black Death. By touching on those historical events, Dr. Kalla gives us a bit of an insight on the evolution of history and the rise of pandemics. Dr. Kalla also explains the SARS outbreak that occurred during the early 2000s and how that pushed him into writing his novel, Pandemic.

Moving through the podcast, Dr. Kalla explains that the current pandemic we are all facing is something nobody has ever gone through. He even explains by saying, “if you are currently 103 years old, you would have lived through the Spanish Flu, but would not remember it.” This emphasizes that we are all learning and fighting COVID-19 together.

Dr. Kalla also touches on how important it is to practice social distancing. While the COVID-19 outbreak did start in China, Dr. Kalla explains that China and many other countries in Far East Asia contained the virus and implemented serious lockdown condition, decreasing the cases of COVID-19 as of current.

Moreover, Dr. Kalla explains that COVID-19 is NOT like the flu. He states that the “flu does not collapse healthcare systems or kill doctors and nurses.” The importance of practicing social distancing, washing our hands, and staying home are key to fighting this virus.

Dr. Kalla helps ease our mind near the end of the podcast by explaining that it will all be okay. We have to do our part and help those in need. He explains that no healthcare worker has backed down on helping with this situation.

To all those who listen to this podcast with Dr. Wehbi and Dr. Kalla, you will learn more about pandemics, how they spread, and why specialists have been expecting this. While this is a scary and uncertain time, we are all facing it together. It will be okay. Stay safe and healthy, and I wish you all prosperity and resilience as we move forward with COVID-19.

To learn more about Dr. Daniel Kalla MD and his novels, please visit his website at:

https://danielkalla.com

To follow him on Twitter and keep up with his thoughts on COVID-19, follow him @DanielKalla

1.) The story behind Mike Natter

2.) Behind the numbers. Why Admission should take into account more than just the grades.

3.) Art and Medicine

- “I tossed my notebooks and I bought sketchbooks.”

4.) How mike used his drawings to learn medicine.

5.) Trying not to look dumb in medicine.

6.) Type 1 diabetes and how it affected his life growing up.

7.) What don’t people get about Type 1 diabetes.

Solving For Happy

Mo Gawdat is the former Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X]. In the last ten years he has made happiness his primary topic of research, diving deeply into literature and conversing on the topic with thousands of people in more than a hundred countries. He has cofounded more than twenty businesses. In 2014, following the tragic loss of his son, Ali, Mo found new purpose and wrote the international best seller, Solve for Happy.

Conquering Eating Disorders

Dr. Clare Brady is a Family Medicine resident with a special interest in Integrative Medicine. She shares with us her personal journey and insights of overcoming a eating disorder.

In this podcast, we gained insight to the secrets behind being a successful candidate during residency interviews and the future of medical education. Dr. Ted O’Connell gives us advice on how to approach residency interviews, the best way to review red flags in an application, the importance of board scores, and tips for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2. Moreover, Dr. Ted O’Connell introduces a new platform, ExamCircle, which medical students can use to crush their boards.

Q & A:

Q: What are your Top Residency Interview Tips?

A: Dr. O’Connell explains that residency program directors start by assessing each candidate to determine if they would make a great clinician and how that individual would work in a team. Below are some questions and thoughts that program directors think about when assessing a candidates:

Is this candidate best suited for this program?

Program directors are trying to assess the qualities they would want to see in their own physicians. These qualities include good bedside manner, communication skills, decent personality (sense of humor and warmth).

It’s important to note that program directors know what everyone will not have every personality trait. The key is to be an individual others would be comfortable having as a physician.

Are they passionate about [field of interest]?

Program directors want to know your story and care heavily about your personal statement and activities. They are seeking to have a conversation with you and may ask a variety of different questions, ranging from your hobbies to your academic work, such as volunteering, leadership, and research.

Additionally, program directors assess whether a candidates whole application comes together. If a candidate made a residency change, they must be able to explain the reason behind it.

Q: How should an interviewee address red flags in the application?

A: Dr. O’Connell explains that the applicant should know everything in their profile. Most applicants can read their dean’s letter and should prioritize in doing so. He also explains that applicants should sign away their rights to read letter of recommendations. The key points about red flags according to Dr. O’Connell are below:

Don’t get caught by surprise by a negative comment in an evaluation. Own it.

If you know it’s there, you can bring it up in an interview. For example, an applicant can say, “I want to explain the negative comments in my [speciality] rotation.” Talk about the experience and show that you have put it behind you. Explain what you learned from it and reassure program directors that they will not see that performance if you end up working with them.

Do not make excuses. Take responsibility and end it on a positive note.

Any failure, whether its exams, shelf, boards, or something personal, explain you went after the problem. This shows depth and maturity to the interviewee and gives them ease in your future performance.

Q: How important are board scores when it comes to residency?

A: Dr. O’Connell explains that it is dependent on the program you have applied for. Some programs focus more on board scores but many other programs focus on activities, research, and volunteer work. Additionally, he explains that some programs look more at Step 1 but many other programs look more at Step 2 CK because it’s a clinical exam and a better predictor of clinical skills.

Q: What is ExamCircle?

A: Question banks are expensive and eat up a huge amount of money. ExamCircle began with my partner, Matt Harris, 2.5 years ago and is a source that is completely FREE for medical students. This platform contains high quality and high yield questions. Currently, there are 1,400 questions for USMLE Step 1 and we are working on Step 2 questions.

Q: What are the best tips for studying for Step 1 and Step 2?

A: Dr. O’Connell explains that there is a “real wealth” of material on how to approach studying. Because of this, it is possible to see similar questions on the real exam. Below are the tips he states:

“Doing First Aid and World is the magic bullet.”

Buy Crush Step 1 because it will help you understand the material, which leads to better performance.

The best approach would be to start with Crush Step 1 and use that alongside your course. Buy FirstAid shortly after. Then, plan a study schedule and make sure you understand each question in UWorld and FirstAid.

Dr. O’Connell also states that while studying for boards, it is important to socialize, eat well, and sleep on time. “Focusing on wellness is key to do well,” he states.

To get in contact with Dr. O’Connell and learn more about him, follow him on his social media, visit his website, and listen to his podcast on USMLE Step 2 Secrets.

Website:

www.tedxoconnell.com

Social Media:

Twitter - @TedOConnell

IG: @TedOConnellMD

Podcast:

USMLE Step 2 Secrets (available on Apple Podcasts).

For study resources, visit:

www.examcircle.com

www.insidetheboards.com

027- The Healing Power of Dancing - Tony Adkins PA-C

The “Dancing Doc” - Tony Adkins - PA-C

Tony Adkins “The Dancing Doc” joins us on Beyond Medicine to talk about how dancing can heal the hearts and souls of his patients and families. Tony is a PA-C practicing in Neurosurgery and uses his dance moves to put smiles on the faces of children and parents.

Key Notes

1. How the “dancing doc” Tony Adkins got started dancing and how he became a viral sensation all over social media.

2. How dancing helps people heal and the therapeutic benefits to dancing.

3. We addressed the negative comments he has received for the title “Dancing Doc” as a PA and how he has handled that negativity.

Last year i received the fatal “We are sorry you did not match” email that hundreds of other medical students across the country also received. From my experience came a lot of knowledge that I wanted to pass on to anyone else who did not match into residency today. Not matching is not the end of the world. It’s actually a introduction to a new unfolding of life for you. Ok, without getting cheesy I just want my fellow underclassmen to know that I have been there, it sucked, I made into a program that I am very happy at and I’m very grateful and would not change a thing even if i could go back. It’s been one of the greatest blessings for me. I share in this episode everything from getting through the devastating time to how to find and match into the right residency after the match process.

FOR PERSONAL CONSULTING: EMAIL ME AT [email protected]

Integrative Medicine

Dr. Jyoti Patel is a triple board certified MD practicing Integrative Medicine and combining Eastern and Western philosophies to help heal her community.

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