Month: January 2011

How Much do Family Practice Doctors Make?

The field of Family Practice is not really a competitive field in the United States. Most medical students avoid getting into the field because the money is not all that great compared to other specialties such as dermatology or radiology. Medical students have enormous piles of debt once they finish medical school so, they will choose the highest paying job in order to pay off their debt ASAP. Physicians consider Family practice field as the lowest ranking field; however, that’s about to change with the new healthcare plan set by President Obama. With the new nationalized healthcare plan there will be an additional 30 million people getting healthcare and the demand for primary care, specifically Family Practice doctors, are now needed.
How much do Family Practice doctors make?
From January 21, 2011 physicians get from $120,731 to $169,119. During residency, residents in family practice get a very handsome salary above other residents from other fields because the demand for primary care doctors are soaring. They get from $46,000 to up to $60,000 just for residency! And just like internal medicine family practice doctors makes a killing in the rural areas than in the urban areas.
How to be a Family Practice doctor after high school?
– 4 years of undergraduate work
– 4 years of medical school
– 3 years of residency
So yeah about 11 years just like internal medicine, and like internal medicine there are subspecialties which includes the following:
– Adolescent Medicine
– Geriatric Medicine
– OB/GYN
– Sleep Medicine
– Sports Medicine
Source: Salary.com

Never Use Pirated QBanks for USMLE Tests

You would think I’m an advocate for Kaplan, Falcon, DIT, etc. but I’m not. I’m just a regular medical student who is preparing for the USMLE Step 1. I did my research and this is what I concluded. Those who are depending on pirated QBanks are putting themselves at risk of not scoring their highest potential score. Every year the USMLE test writers change their format, and this year they have gone all clinical on the USMLE Step 1. QBank companies keep up with the changing demand and they update their QBanks often so their customers, the medical students, can get the maximum number of points to score well on the boards.

What if you just don’t care and use QBanks from 2 years ago. Two years ago it wasn’t all clinical questions; it was somewhat clinical and somewhat straight off basic science This year the USMLE writers are pushing medical students to enhance their clinical knowledge so they will be prepared when they start clinical clerkship rotations. Therefore, if you use old QBanks then you are putting yourself at a low point of not getting the highest score. And if you just don’t care of the highest score and you just want to pass, well you are also putting yourself at risk of failing because you could’ve racked enough points to pass.

Therefore, my suggestion is take the time and money around an average $350 and subscribe to the latest format of QBanks from Kaplan, USMLE World, USMLE Rx, etc. And please don’t ask me which one is the best because I haven’t taken the USMLE Step 1 yet so I can’t comment on that topic.

Studying for the USMLE Step 1

One common question I hear many times among my classmates here in Chicago and in Bonaire is “how do I study for the USMLE Step 1?” The answer is, there is no one answer. Dr. Wazir Kudrath, M.D. said the USMLE Step 1 is the most demanding test in the world. And it’s true because you have to connect Anatomy, Biochemistry, Medical Genetics, Pathology, Pharmacology, Behavioral Science and Immunology in one test.

The internet is your biggest resource in terms of getting advice on how to study for the USMLE Step 1. Don’t worry about the other tests, Step 2 and Step 3, because Step 1 test is the most important one for now; when applying for residency the residency boards are more concerned with USMLE Step 1.

If you are a medical student from an American medical school, then I believe you have a maximum of one to two months to take the USMLE Step 1 after your 2nd year is complete. For students from the Caribbean medical schools you should take at least 4 months to prepare for USMLE Step 1 after finishing basic science classes. Your asking why it’s longer for Caribbean medical students, it’s because Caribbean medical schools, except St. George Medical School in Granada, teaches their students on a self-study path to study basic sciences. There are limits of how much you can learn if you study by yourself, but most teachers in the Caribbean do not understand that. I’ve spoken to students from other Caribbean schools, and these students gotten their MDs, and they said their teachers did nothing to help them in basic science. As a matter of fact, the coordinator of AICM in Chicago went to a Caribbean school and he told us that he would ****** those people back in the Caribbean.