Ross Medical School Founder Dies at 92

Robert Ross, the founder of Ross University Medical School in the Caribbean, died on Saturday at the age of 92. We extend our deepest condolences to the Ross family.

Click Here to read Robert Ross' obituary.

Match Results!!!

MedEdits, LLC would like to congratulate all of our clients who matched this week. So far, we know that clients matched in anesthesiology, dermatology, orthopaedic surgery, general surgery, internal medicine, family medicine, neurology, and pediatrics. If you are a client and haven't yet informed us of your match results, please get in touch! Below are some notes we received from clients yesterday.

Thank you so much for all of your help, I said it before, but this was really a pleasure and opportunity that I'm glad I found!  

-Client matched in orthopaedic surgery.

Thank you so very much for all your help.  I know I couldn't have survived the whole process without your help, especially since I was going for such a competitive specialty. If you ever need a reference, I will be more than happy to be one.

 -Caribbean medical student who matched in radiology.

I have matched into my third choice for internal medicine.  I really thought that the mock interview that you conducted with me back in October 2010 really helped my chances of securing a internal medicine residency in the US.  I learned not only how to express my thoughts better but how to talk about myself more comfortably in a more formal setting.  I thank you for you and your staff's dedication to making our dreams a reality. 

-Caribbean medical student who matched in internal medicine.

I really could not have done this without your help. I would love to write a testimonial on your page. Please let me know it that would be ok. 

- Matched in internal medicine.

What Makes a GREAT Hospital?

What factors most influence the quality of patient care? Having the most skilled physicians? The best electronic medical records? The most advanced technology?

I have worked in many clinical settings with a variety of work cultures, and those that encourage communication, accountability, and smooth operations and organization make it easiest for physicians to provide the best patient care. In settings that have multiple "layers" of on-call doctors, for example, it may take an hour or more to find the doctor who is "responsible" for a given patient, and this doctor rarely knows anything about the patient in question, making communication complicated and allowing for less than ideal patient care. In other medical environments, the culture may be to "outshine" your colleagues and demonstrate that you know more than they do or to "point a finger" if something goes wrong. In both of these situations, the culture does not support optimal patient care

An article in the New York Times eloquently discusses these issues and also reviews the findings of a recent Annals of Internal Medicine article that studied what factors influenced the mortality of patients with heart attacks at top- and low-performing hospitals. The results of this study are not surprising to a practicing physician and echo what I have observed in my own practice. Indeed, the investigators observed that an institution with well organized operations and protocols, clear communications among providers, and a supportive environment result in better patient outcomes.

For graduating residents contemplating what job offer to accept and for patients deciding at which hospital to receive care, evaluating a hospital's culture is not always easy, however, and often can be discovered only by spending time in the actual environment.

Click Here to read the article.

Match Day!

Everyone at MedEdits would like to congratulate all MS4s who are participating in today's match.  Please let us know where you will be training!

Residency Prematching: A thing of the past?

Read my latest article on residency prematching on the Student Doctor Network.

Click Here to read the article.

AAMC and ERAS Websites Down

Due to the high volume of traffic during match week, the AAMC and ERAS websites are currently down.

Free Stuff: SDN Test Prep Week!

MedEdits is participating in Student Doctor Network's Test Prep Week! Enter to win a free interview book and personal statement editing!

Click Here to view the offerings.

How Money Can Impact Medical Practice

An excellent article in the New York Times today explains how reimbursements have impacted the practice of psychiatry. The article focuses on one physician in particular; his experience and the evolution his approach to patient care since the early 70s illustrates some of the difficult decisions physicians have had to make to ensure they can support themselves and their families.

What are your thoughts?

Click Here to read the article.

Harvard and Columbia Medical School Acceptances

As I tell all of my clients, receiving an acceptance to any medical school in the United States is a major accomplishment.  Today we would like to specifically congratulate those MedEdits clients who have been accepted to Harvard and Columbia Medical Schools this week. The emails and phone calls we have received today give us tremendous joy and we congratulate everyone who was accepted to these prestigious medical schools.

Click Here to see a full list of where MedEdits clients have been accepted to medical school for the past three years.