Medical Thread

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Greetings, I've been a lurker here for some time and have posted already but made this thread on a request. I've joined this forum to interact with Pashtuns (unfortunately I don't know any Pashtuns or for that matter anyone from Afghanistan in real life outside family), with a view to the discussing and learning from you about Afghanistan.

Yes, Im from Herat and an ethnic Tajik (male), although I live in the UK. I actually just finished sixth form the year before (did A Level Maths, Bio, Chem, Physics and Philosophy) and am currently on my gap year with a deferred entry to read medicine here in the UK starting this September. And before you ask, I have a rather very politically conscious (tough not politically active) family so I guess thats why Im interested in all of this at this age.

Congratulations on your chosen field. It is a wise decision and I am sure you will find your work rewarding and intellectually stimulating.

I am a physician here in the states and should you desire to further your studies or training here we should stay in contact.

[Khostai]

Congratulations on your chosen field. It is a wise decision and I am sure you will find your work rewarding and intellectually stimulating.

I am a physician here in the states and should you desire to further your studies or training here we should stay in contact.

Weren't you a doctor? I tought you once told me that you studied medicine...or was it some one else??

[Bengal_Tiger]

Weren't you a doctor? I tought you once told me that you studied medicine...or was it some one else??

Physician is another word for doctor.

English sometimes has two words for the same thing e.g. automobile = car, programmer = software engineer etc.

A physicist by the way is someone who deals with the science of physics (laws of the universe).

[Da Bannu Mazdigar]

Weren't you a doctor? I tought you once told me that you studied medicine...or was it some one else??

Both are same incase of medical.A doctor can be even a PHD in any subject while a Physician is only related only to medicine.

physician must be a doctor but a doctor can be a physician or having PHD in any subject be it physics,Chemical,Economics etc

[Khostai]

ow oke :P I was thinking about a physicist in some labaratory. But thanx guys for explaning.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Thank you Dr BarakzaiAbdali, well I have 5 years of medical school before I give that much thought but advice from an Afghan Physician (Im assuming youre from Afghanistan?)

Qandahar

will be helpful. Im also assuming you will be available through this forum?

Ill give you a longer term contact info.


Thats Iranian slang lol. By North I mean all the way -Durham- and yeah very few foreigners there; aside from an Iraqi fellow and a few Indians, I was the only guy in my entire high-school who was not ethnic British. You're right, Ive seen/talked to many here but I just don't personally know any, I think the problem is more my asociality than anything else :p and thanks again!





Thank you Tjanaparh, I don't know too much about Tajikistan (except through historical reading in our region in general) but it seems that it is still much closer to the other ex-Soviet bloc states than it is to North Afghanistan or Iran. I don't know much about the Tajik-Uzbek issue either, are you from one of these Central Asian states (or interested in their affairs)?

Regarding getting started early - its never too early.

You'll have more leverage and more technology access here in the states. Coming from the British system, you should be able to access a residency here easier than most and your clinical acumen and diagnosis skills might actually be better.

I'd recommend purchasing the relatively cheap text called First Aid for USMLE step 1, and Step 2 CK; these may change in the coming years - but nothing definite has been said. Use these and memorize them throughout medical school.

If possible have, relatives abroad supply the Kaplan USMLE lectures - they are a well done private endeavor but obviously do not equate to the cutting edge knowledge you will gain from direct learning from professors.... they are not meant to be - rather they are meant to be exam prep.

So in summary starting thinking about things 5 years ahead is perfect if you plan to cross over the pond. Your earning potential as a specialist here will far outweigh the potential returns in Europe. In the end you can always go back if you dont like it.

Here is a medscape page - go to slide 2 to see the various specialties and their average (there obviously is a wide spread around the average) incomes:

http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2013/public

See if any of these suit your potential fancies. If they do, start to get involved in some research in that specialty over there in Britain in that specialty from the very start (so long as it doesn't impact the rigor or your studies) or when you think it would be reasonable to do so.

Remember, plan 5 years ahead in our field since it is rapidly changing.

Basically, start planning ahead as if you are going to be on the north american continent for residency in 5 years.

In summary, plan do to the following about 4 to 5 years from the day you step foot in your school:

1) Take USMLE exams
2) Have some research on your CV in the potential specialty you seek to get involved in
3) Consider, if possible doing some elective rotational work abroad here in the US. When you get to that stage, if I am still at a major tertiary care center I can try to help you work something out.



x

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Weren't you a doctor? I tought you once told me that you studied medicine...or was it some one else??

In the US the title is MD as in Doctorate of Medicine. In most of the rest of the world (though some places are changing), it is MBBS and the title doctor is reserved for PhDs.

[Herat]

Regarding getting started early - its never too early.

You'll have more leverage and more technology access here in the states. Coming from the British system, you should be able to access a residency here easier than most and your clinical acumen and diagnosis skills might actually be better.

I'd recommend purchasing the relatively cheap text called First Aid for USMLE step 1, and Step 2 CK; these may change in the coming years - but nothing definite has been said. Use these and memorize them throughout medical school.

If possible have, relatives abroad supply the Kaplan USMLE lectures - they are a well done private endeavor but obviously do not equate to the cutting edge knowledge you will gain from direct learning from professors.... they are not meant to be - rather they are meant to be exam prep.

So in summary starting thinking about things 5 years ahead is perfect if you plan to cross over the pond. Your earning potential as a specialist here will far outweigh the potential returns in Europe. In the end you can always go back if you dont like it.

Here is a medscape page - go to slide 2 to see the various specialties and their average (there obviously is a wide spread around the average) incomes:
http://www.medscape.com/features/sli...on/2013/public

See if any of these suit your potential fancies. If they do, start to get involved in some research in that specialty over there in Britain in that specialty from the very start (so long as it doesn't impact the rigor or your studies) or when you think it would be reasonable to do so.

Remember, plan 5 years ahead in our field since it is rapidly changing.

Basically, start planning ahead as if you are going to be on the north american continent for residency in 5 years.

In summary, plan do to the following about 4 to 5 years from the day you step foot in your school:

1) Take USMLE exams
2) Have some research on your CV in the potential specialty you seek to get involved in
3) Consider, if possible doing some elective rotational work abroad here in the US. When you get to that stage, if I am still at a major tertiary care center I can try to help you work something out.



x

Awesome, thanks (Ill check out all these)! Well to be honest Ive never given residency any thought whatsoever (Ive yet to start medical school) but ok Ill start looking into it and luckily, I do have relatives in the states (in Washington) so that will be one of the preferred possibilities if I go abroad.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Awesome, thanks (Ill check out all these)! Well to be honest Ive never given residency any thought whatsoever (Ive yet to start medical school) but ok Ill start looking into it and luckily, I do have relatives in the states (in Washington) so that will be one of the preferred possibilities if I go abroad.

University of Washington is a great and well regarded center - my brother and sister in law trained there and I am sure we could help in some meaningful way when the time comes. When do you officially start?

[Herat]

University of Washington is a great and well regarded center - my brother and sister in law trained there and I am sure we could help in some meaningful way when the time comes. When do you officially start?

Ok well I dont know what to say :p, and I start on the 22nd of September.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Ok well I dont know what to say :p, and I start on the 22nd of September.

Very good. Ill pm you my email. What we can do is in the coming years, since I am at an academic center, Ill talk to the med students here about what sort of changes are being made to the USMLE exam, etc. You do your part at some point when you find out (probably will be in your second or third year or even later) when you can rotate outside and elsewhere and we can keep in contact.

I would advise looking into long term viability and ability to advance if you don't have British citizenship.

In the states that's not a problem since everyone who graduates residency becomes an attending physician immediately and are often able to enter citizenship pathway with some mild service requirements.

So once again to summarize,

1) Focus on your studies and developing strong diagnostic and treatment skills.
2) In your spare time whenever you hear about a medical issue, for instance if your father or mother has "allergic rhinitis" or you hear about a friend being admitted for X,Y, and Z, take about 20 minutes out of your day to read a quick and easy source (uptodate.com) about the disease, its potential differential (i.e. what other diseases might present similarly), how one diagnosis it, and finally what reasonable treatments are). You will then always associate the disease state with a practical example and not forget what you learned.

Or if you hear a person is on a particular medication, read about the medication and its mechanism of action, and once again you will be unlikely to forget it
3) Set up a second thought pathway in your head regarding coming to the American system and what profession you seek to target.
4) When ever you get spare time, put in a few minutes into studying for the United States Medical Licensing examinations.
5) If there are break periods and you don't have heavy exam studying, get involved in practical research if possible relating to what you are interested in. Indicate to your mentor that you are just starting medical school and initial time may be limited. Don't tell them you are interested in going abroad because they might hold that against you.
6) Try to find out how successful your program is in sending people abroad to the states and if there is a precedent for others going to residency here.

Within five years, you'll be ready to roll no matter what you decide to do.

[Herat]

Very good. Ill pm you my email. What we can do is in the coming years, since I am at an academic center, Ill talk to the med students here about what sort of changes are being made to the USMLE exam, etc. You do your part at some point when you find out (probably will be in your second or third year or even later) when you can rotate outside and elsewhere and we can keep in contact.

I would advise looking into long term viability and ability to advance if you don't have British citizenship.

In the states that's not a problem since everyone who graduates residency becomes an attending physician immediately and are often able to enter citizenship pathway with some mild service requirements.

So once again to summarize,

1) Focus on your studies and developing strong diagnostic and treatment skills.
2) In your spare time whenever you hear about a medical issue, for instance if your father or mother has "allergic rhinitis" or you hear about a friend being admitted for X,Y, and Z, take about 20 minutes out of your day to read a quick and easy source (uptodate.com) about the disease, its potential differential (i.e. what other diseases might present similarly), how one diagnosis it, and finally what reasonable treatments are). You will then always associate the disease state with a practical example and not forget what you learned.

Or if you hear a person is on a particular medication, read about the medication and its mechanism of action, and once again you will be unlikely to forget it
3) Set up a second thought pathway in your head regarding coming to the American system and what profession you seek to target.
4) When ever you get spare time, put in a few minutes into studying for the United States Medical Licensing examinations.
5) If there are break periods and you don't have heavy exam studying, get involved in practical research if possible relating to what you are interested in. Indicate to your mentor that you are just starting medical school and initial time may be limited. Don't tell them you are interested in going abroad because they might hold that against you.
6) Try to find out how successful your program is in sending people abroad to the states and if there is a precedent for others going to residency here.

Within five years, you'll be ready to roll no matter what you decide to do.

Once again, Im almost at a loss for words but thanks again! Ive noted and will look into all of this.

[Admin Khan]

University at Washington is a great school; highly regarded for Computer Science as well; we hire a lot of great talent from that school.

[Admin Khan]

A few of my friends at Harvard told me that they are about to change their premed requirements, and sort of 'modernize' it. Is this true BA?

[Toramana]

Which one is the best medical school in Canada? Are not medical studies very pro-longed?