5 Things to Consider Before Attending a Foreign Med School

The hardest part about medical school is getting in. As healthcare in America continues to evolve, the pathway to becoming a physician has also changed. Those who plan on practicing in the states must still complete a residency in the US, but getting to that point is now harder and more competitive than it was 20 years ago. Some students have elected to go to foreign medical schools to receive their training. Here are 5 things to keep in mind if you decide to pursue your degree in a foreign country but plan on practicing in America.

3 Ways to LEARN more EFFICIENTLY & BOOST grades:

Studies of human learning reveal that the most durable learning with the least degradation (forgetting) occurs with the following 3 techniques:

Rock Bottom to CEO

I am not much of a writer or intellect when it comes to literary skill but what I do know is what I have experienced in the past and what most medical students and perhaps other students in academia experience every year, failure.

Before Facebook, Twitter & YouTube..

“There was no social media, no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube, no bloggers, so it was really difficult to connect with other people who had a similar experience or to connect to someone who may offer expert advice.”

Shelf and USMLE Exam Strategy & Tips

Why do I Need a Strategy?

Study hard for your shelf exams and USMLE Step exams as there is no better way to do well on the examination than to master the scientific knowledge available to you through review books and question banks. However, having experience, insight, and a carefully laid out plan on how to take the NMBE shelf and USMLE Step exams are almost as beneficial as your knowledge base on these challenges. The fast pace, length of the question vignettes, and sophistication of distracters in the answer choices make the exam extremely demanding.

The Art of Avoiding Procrastination

Dr. Melodee G. Mancuso, Chief Learning Specialist for ProMEDeus

Micromovements cause a habit of completion in the mind and the mind doesn’t know whether this has been a big step or a small step. It just knows that you are doing something towards creative action. And it will just keep on multiplying and duplicating that effort until you do more habits of completing than you do habits of not completing.

Procrastination is a sneaky fellow that finds his way into everyone’s life at the most inopportune moments. He makes us feel foolish, lazy, and bad about ourselves. We beat ourselves up about our lack of dedication or focus which most often doesn’t lead to change because we haven’t adequately dealt with the actual problem of overcoming the habit of delaying preparation.

From working with years of classes of medical students, it is rare that I come across one that lacks motivation or dedication. It is also typical of the normal medical student to possess the ability to focus intensely, or they would not ever have been considered a candidate for medical school to begin with. So why do so many struggle with getting behind in their studies or waiting until the last minute to prepare?

Top 10 Resources for Med School Success

1. Physiology by Linda Costanzo (including Costanzo’s ‘Cases and Problems’ workbook)

2. BRS pathology and Robbins Pathology workbook with questions with explanations, Pathoma videos and WebPath (FREE and online)3. Lippincotts Pharmacology and pharm cards (Pharm cards have tables and figures/drawings already built in which help you retain information)

4. High Yield Behavioral Sciences

5. Lippincotts Biochemistry

Top 10 Suggestions for Studying for USMLE Step 1

1. Track topics that are “archetypal” and know them. The Step 1 exam only really tests you on archetypal (or classic) examples of diseases.