Expert Consult

Communication is key in all relationships. Effective and compassionate communication by physicians and other health care providers has been demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes, treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, and to reduce malpractice claims. For health care providers...

For many medical trainees, transitioning from having a question for a research project to taking the next steps is difficult. Finding an appropriate mentor, getting ethics approval, collecting data, performing analyses, and writing up a project for publication are particularly hard when added to the pressures and stresses of medical school or residency.

Applying to residency can be an arduous process, both emotionally and financially. To best manage this complex endeavor, it is important to be systematic and thoughtful.

Although every resident develops his or her own style for each of these roles, the following practical strategies were discussed in a NEJM Resident 360 discussion (How to Lead a Team on the Wards: The Art to Being an Effective Resident).

Many years ago, when I was a medical student and resident, I envisioned my future career as a mountain that I needed to climb. I saw myself at the base of the mountain, with no clear path forward and upward. At the top of the mountain, I saw successful clinicians, researchers, and medical educators who had clearly found the path, or a path, to the top.

The last time you stepped inside an operating room may have been the third year of medical school, but during residency you will care for many patients who require surgery, either electively or emergently. Calling a surgical consult can be daunting or intimidating, especially if the problem or situation is outside your comfort zone...

For many medical students, choosing a specialty is one of the most challenging aspects of medical school. Although many medical schools are expanding third-year exposure to different specialties to include more time in clinical rotations and a wider variety of experiences, it remains a relatively short amount of time and exposure from which to base a career choice.

Physician burnout and well-being are hot topics among medical professionals throughout the health care delivery and educational continuum — for good reason. Current estimates of the impact of physician burnout approach or exceed 50%, and most experts suggest that the percentage is growing.

The moment has arrived…it’s time to leave the lecture hall and learn how to take care of patients. Are you worried that you won’t know enough during teaching rounds or have time to see your friends and family? This article offers advice and practical tips on getting the most out of your clinical clerkships. 

Applying for fellowships is a stressful process. It not only involves making major decisions that will impact your life but it also requires creating a competitive application and preparing for high-stakes interviews, all while you are still fulfilling your responsibilities as a resident.

When you dedicate years to studying and practicing medicine, you learn that certain steps are required to maintain good health and prevent illness and disease. However, the concept of systematically and proactively cultivating good habits applies to many aspects of life, including your finances...

If you are interested in a career in medical education, your timing couldn’t be better! Opportunities await as medical education reinvents itself. You can be part of the change and fuel innovation as the need for skilled medical educators grows. Some institutions now offer formal career paths in medical education. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Conflict is a natural part of everyday life; disagreements are bound to happen when we interact with others. As physicians, we often work in time-pressured, high-stakes circumstances and engage with teams comprised of people with different backgrounds and perspectives.

Dr. Carol McLaughlin, director of the Global Health Equities Track in the internal medicine residency program at the University of Pennsylvania, writes about what it takes to pursue a career in global health and how can you plan for it during residency.

All residents have at least one scholarly requirement and it is in your best interest to find out exactly what that requirement is before you are up to your elbows in ICU cases. Nairmeen Haller, PhD, Director of Research at Cleveland Clinic Akron General helps you get started on your scholarly activity journey.

Internship and residency are incredibly demanding intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially. This post addresses ways to establish habits that will lead to a successful and healthy transition to the practice of medicine during residency.   

When most people think of librarians, they picture the stereotypical older woman with glasses and a bun who shushes them for talking too loudly. In the past, librarians were the keepers of information but have now evolved to become navigators of information.

Notes are often the last thing standing between you and (finally) going home.  In one large-scale survey of internal medicine residents, two-thirds reported spending more than 4 hours per day on medical record documentation and clerical duties; only one-third spent comparable time on direct patient care (see also Chen et al. and Wenger et al.).

As an internal medicine resident, your days are filled with morning rounds, daily progress notes, admission order sets, and procedures. So, when do you have time to continue to learn and keep up with medical research?

It would take more than 600 hours per month to stay current with the medical literature. That leaves residents with less than 5 hours a day to eat, sleep, and care for patients if they want to stay current, and it’s simply impossible. Journal clubs offer the opportunity for residents to review the literature and stay current.

Despite the hours spent gaining medical knowledge and skills training, chances are that little time was spent preparing you to teach. Yet, on day one you will be expected to do just that. So, how do you prepare for this role? In this blog post, we review high-yield skills and behaviors of effective clinical teachers.

Residents are not always sure why they should care about practicing high-value care, how they can contribute, or even how to learn the fundamentals.

Christopher Moriates, MD, Assistant Dean for Healthcare Value and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas, Austin explains why a focus on high-value care is important.

Should residents have end-of-life conversations with patients or should they be left to the attending physician? Columbia University’s Dr. Craig Blinderman provides guidance and resources. 

Indiana University Medical School's Jose Rivera Espada provides guidance on how to manage your medical school debt during residency.

Dr. Julie Freischlag from UC Davis offers advice on how to prepare to negotiate that first job contract.

Dr. Richard Brian Gunderman offers guidance for preventing burnout in residency.