Somewhere today, a friend from your gen-chem lab is going to post that she got in. You will refresh a portal that has said the same thing since August. You will read that silence as a verdict on your application, not hers. Medical school acceptance on October 15 marks the first day schools are allowed […]
Somewhere on your phone is a note with your interview answers already written out. One for “why medicine.” Another for your biggest weakness. And an example of an ethical scenario you found on a forum thread. You have practiced them enough that you can recite the answers almost verbatim without thinking. That is the wrong […]
You submitted your AMCAS application in June. It is September. Two secondaries have come in, one school has said nothing since it acknowledged receipt, and you are checking your status page at hours you would rather not name. So here is the plain answer to what happens after you submit AMCAS. At the beginning of […]
This is a hard post to write. It is also important. I have escorted trainees to the emergency room for urgent evaluations. A colleague has stayed at my house so they did not have to be alone. And I have helped absorb schedule changes so a peer could seek help privately, so that no one […]
At some point you typed is medicine right for me into a search bar. Then somebody told you to go shadow a doctor. Maybe you already have — a morning in a clinic, a badge that said OBSERVER, a physician who was generous with you and let you stand near the door. Here is the […]
You have 15 minutes to make your case. Funding for the program you want to build. Protected time. A new hire for your division. The data sits in front of you. The slides are ready. You have thought through what you want to say and how you want it to come across. Now take a […]
Author’s Note: As a pediatric cardiologist, a medical educator, and a coach, I’ve sat on every side of the table. I’ve interviewed anxious premeds, shepherded fellows through subspecialty training, served on promotion committees, and now lead an academic division. I’m also a learning-community director who welcomes medical students on their first day of orientation and […]
Updated September 2026. Rewritten with current AMA and AAMC data. Two things in the earlier version were out of date: physician burnout has fallen for four straight years, and the widely quoted “acceptance rate” was mislabeled. Both are corrected below. Is becoming a doctor worth it? I have been a physician for more than twenty […]
Great physicians are not born. They are forged through experience, curiosity, and the guidance of others. Many of us are prepared for clinical work but feel unprepared when thrust into leadership or mentorship roles. If you have ever wondered how to lead teams effectively, mentor the next generation, or find a mentor for yourself, this […]
2025: A Journey Through Loss, Meaning, and Renewal Sometimes the healthcare system is so big and complex, and surprisingly lonely, that patients and providers just put up with the dysfunction… or leave. Putting on a brave face feels like the right thing to do. But in my experience, that is what leads to burnout, dissatisfaction, […]
