Medical Student Perspectives: Informed Consent: Managing the Awkwardness of Inexperience
It's probably a safe bet that as medical students most of us have a good understanding of the concept of "informed consent." Even if you have not encountered the topic of consent during an undergraduate ethics class, you have gained a greater appreciation of this vital element in the practice of medicine during the first two years of medical school. But what happens as you transition from merely talking about informed consent to actually obtaining consent from a patient?
MoreMy Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists: Scott Manaker, MD, PhD
Scott Manaker was walking from the practice one morning in the outpatient building at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania when he heard someone call his name.
MoreInternal Medicine Interest Group of the Month: University of Maryland
The Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has traditionally served as a resource for students who want to know more about internal medicine and the multitude of career options within it. Our goals for the year are to provide interested students with practical information about internal medicine, highlight aspects of the field that are less familiar to students, and stress the need for more primary care physicians.
MoreWinning Abstracts from the 2009 Medical Student Abstract Competition: MRSA Detection of Colonized Needless Catheter Ports Using Real-Time PCR
Each year, over 19,000 patients die from invasive methicillin-resistant STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (MRSA) infections related to hospital stays. A common route of entry for MRSA into the blood stream is via needless catheter ports (NCs), which while reducing needle-stick injuries to healthcare workers, have been associated with an increased incidence of MRSA blood stream infections in patients.
MoreSubspecialty Careers: Highlights about Careers in Internal Medicine: General Internal Medicine
Internal medicine is a specialty that relies on the basic sciences and a diverse breadth of knowledge to form the foundation for a successful career in a variety of fields, including general internal medicine, hospital medicine, or any of the internal medicine subspecialties. Specialists in general internal medicine ("general internists") are crucial in filling a vital need in our health care system, serving as the primary or principal providers of care in outpatient (ambulatory) and /or inpatient (hospital) settings.
MoreAdvocacy Update: President Signs Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law a comprehensive health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA; P.L. 111-148). PPACA includes numerous provisions intended to increase the primary care and public health workforce, promote preventive services, and strengthen quality measurement, among other things.
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