December 2013/January 2014
- Medical Student Perspectives: Something Amazing: A Boy Falling Out of the Sky
- My Kind of Medicine: Victor A. Simms, MD, MPH, FACP
- IMIG Update: IMIG of the Month: University of Chicago
- Analyzing Annals: Health Policy Basics: Health Insurance Marketplaces
- Winning Abstracts: Olmesartan: An Unusual Cause of Celiac Sprue-like Enteropathy
- Subspecialty Careers: Cardiovascular Disease/Cardiology
- In the Clinic: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Virtual Dx - Interpretive Challenges from ACP
- Highlights from ACP Internist® & ACP Hospitalist®
Medical Student Perspectives: Something Amazing: A Boy Falling Out of the Sky
"Is this still true?" I wondered, having stumbled upon my medical school application essay while searching my shelf for an anatomy book. What I had written, three years ago at this point, was undoubtedly similar to what most applicants had written: that I think science is interesting, and I want to help people in my career. That, I've been told, is the right reason to start down the medical path. I meant it, back then, and I still believe it now.
MoreMy Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists: Victor A. Simms, MD, MPH, FACP
With so much media coverage these days about the neurological damage resulting from multiple concussions suffered by players in the National Football League, it's hard to conceive that football might also be a sport that can save lives.
"There's no denying that playing football is dangerous," admits Dr. Victor Simms, a former high school linebacker whose own football-incurred knee injury dashed his dreams of getting a Division 1 college football scholarship. "But for kids in poor neighborhoods, the streets are even more dangerous. For many, football is a refuge."
MoreAnalyzing Annals: Health Policy Basics: Health Insurance Marketplaces
This brief article provides an overview of health insurance marketplaces (also known as exchanges), how they are meant to work, and their implications for both patients and physicians.
MoreIMIG Update: IMIG of the Month: University of Chicago
The Internal Medicine Interest Group at University of Chicago is traditionally run by 4th year medical students who are applying into internal medicine with participation on the board open to all four classes. The goal of the group is to spark an interest in internal medicine in 1st and 2nd year medical students while showing them the career options, to prepare 3rd year students for their medicine clerkships and introduce them to various medicine resources, and to prepare 4th year students going into medicine for the residency application process and for their intern year.
MoreWinning Abstracts from the 2013 Medical Student Abstract Competition: Olmesartan: An Unusual Cause of Celiac Sprue-like Enteropathy
We present a 64-year-old male with a past medical history of hypertension who presented with diarrhea and 12 kilogram weight loss over the preceding three months. He reported 3-10 daily episodes of fatty, non-bloody diarrhea with associated abdominal pain, bloating, and distention. He denied any changes in his diet or medications (olmesartan 40mg daily and omeprazole 40mg daily) within the last few years. He had a recent hospitalization for prerenal acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to intractable diarrhea.
MoreSubspecialty Careers: Cardiovascular Disease/Cardiology
Cardiology is the prevention, diagnosis, and management of disorders of the cardiovascular system, including ischemic heart disease, cardiac dysrhythmias, cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease, pericarditis and myocarditis, endocarditis, congenital heart disease in adults, hypertension, and disorders of the veins, arteries, and pulmonary circulation. Management of risk factors for disease and early diagnosis and intervention for established disease are important elements of cardiology.
MoreIn the Clinic: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety can be an appropriate response to stressful situations but is considered a pathologic disorder when it is disabling and difficult to control. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common anxiety disorder seen in primary care, affecting approximately 3% of adults in the United States (1, 2). This disorder is characterized by at least 6 months of pervasive and excessive anxiety; recurring worry about common events; and physical symptoms, such as muscle tension, insomnia, and fatigue (3). The disorder is associated with reduced global life satisfaction, decreased work productivity, lower health-related quality of life (4), and greater health care use and medical costs (4, 5). Primary care physicians can effectively evaluate, diagnosis, and manage most patients with GAD.
In the Clinic is a monthly feature in Annals of Internal Medicine that focuses on practical management of patients with common clinical conditions. It offers evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions about screening, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and patient education and provides physicians with tools to improve the quality of care. Many internal medicine clerkship directors recommend this series of articles for students on the internal medicine ambulatory rotation.
Highlights from ACP Internist® & ACP Hospitalist®
CMS' attempt to redefine the difference between inpatient and
observation status may create new problems.
Hospitalists can help quickly identify various issues that arise
postoperatively.
Here's the lowdown on the good, the bad and the ugly of the new CMS
regulations.