USMLEowesome: Introduction

Hello!

What is USMLEowesome about?
A video series for those thinking or aiming for a residency in the United States.

Who is the intended audience?
Those who are new to the USMLE journey.

This video will also cover a little bit about me (IkaN) & an overview of the USMLE journey with my timeline.

How to use Anki Flashcards for studying

Hello!

Since many of you guys requested it - A video demonstration on how to use AnkiDroid for studying during premed and med school!

Sample CV for electives

Hello,

Since many of you guys have been asking for my CV for electives, I thought of uploading it for you to refer.

ECG changes seen in hyperkalemia and hypokalemia mnemonic

Here's a mnemonic by Shohrat Arazov!

When it seems out of your reach, should you try?

Here's an email I got from an awesomite who was extremely confused on whether or not to pursue something out of her reach (In this case, post graduate training in the US). Since it was an extremely personal email, I haven't posted the entire email here (just bits and pieces). Her email is in italics.

Features of DNA replication: Semiconservative replication

Hello everyone!

Here is a feature of DNA replication that we don't think much about - the semiconservative replication!

Features of DNA replication: Unidirectionality and bidirectionality

Hello everyone!

DNA replication can be unidirectional or bidirectional, depending upon whether the replication from the point of origin proceeds only in one direction or proceeds in both the directions.

Medicowesome Anki flashcards

Hello everyone!

Here are the flashcards I used for step 2 CK and Step 3 -

Some antibiotics in the US and their trade names

When you start your rotations, you'll hear many drug names that will sound new to you and since the drug names written in qbanks and books are the scientific ones, here is a brief list of some antibiotics and their trade names in the US:

Scientific name	Trade name
Cephalexin	Keflex
Ceftriaxone	Rocephin
Cefdinir	Omnicef
Cefadroxil	Duracef
Azithromycin	Zithromax
Ampicillin - Sulbactam	Unasyn
Piperacillin - Tazobactam	Zosyn ( also called Piptazo)
Levofloxacin	levaquin
Linezolid	Zyvox
Nitrofurantion	Macrobid
Dalfopristin - Quinupristin	Synercid

Comment below for more “commonly used” antibiotics (or drugs in general) that may be added to this table.

-Murad

Spanish learning tips for USMLErs

Speaking Spanish is a nice addition to your CV if you are planning to specialize in the US. Spanish is the 2nd most commonly spoken language in the US and some states especially southern ones like Texas and Florida have a huge Spanish-speaking population. Moreover, learning Spanish is fun :D

Here are some tips/methods that can help with that:

1- Language learning apps:

Memrise
www.memrise.com
One of the best apps out there, it works on any device. Just make a free account and practice a bit every day to find out that you learned several thousand words without knowing.
In addition to the main “deck” offered by the smartphone app, you can study many other decks just by going to the website on a laptop and search for the language you want. The only pitfall is that the main deck doesn’t teach you grammar so you have to find other decks or sources.

Duolingo
Another great app which is similar to Memrise. I haven’t used it but I have heard great reviews about it.

Spanish Verbs Lite
A nice smartphone app that has a selective set of verbs with their conjugation in all tenses.
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2- Social apps for languages:

Tandem and Hellotalk

Consider these apps like a Facebook/Tinder but for languages.
You enter your language and choose the language you wanna learn. These apps will match you with people who speak the language you wanna learn and you will be speaking the language that they wanna learn. Nice platforms to make “language learning friends” especially that you write about your interests so you can befriend others who have the same ones.
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3- Youtube channels:

Butterfly Spanish
https://www.youtube.com/user/ButterflySpanishola
ِA very useful channel to boost your Spanish. I ll leave you with what Anna wrote about her channel:
“Learn Spanish for free with Spanish lessons that cover grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, tips & tricks, and cultural aspects. My Spanish lessons are for all Spanish levels and are based on my passion for Spanish culture, language, and teaching.

123dialogues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFINwW5qL1w&list=PLzRf-4Z5tJuQvis4oLgmkfG83Lrkjj_DA
A great channel which has many dialogues in both Spanish and English.

You can always search Youtube to find more stuff. This is one of the playlists when I searched for Medical Spanish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyzgZbZnUik&list=PL5o-4-kgVLgivtGLZy6iTV-x6EqPSUDUI
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4- Immersion:

Immerse yourself in Spanish. Use your Facebook in Spanish and maybe your smartphone too. You will automatically memorize words without even trying. You ll know that “me gusta, comentar and compartir” are the Spanish words for “like, comment and share”. After a while, you ll be amazed that you are picking more and more passively.
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5- songs

Songs can stick in our minds in a magical way. Look for Spanish songs and read both the Spanish and English lyrics.
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6- Friends

No matter how many progs and apps we use, nothing is like having a real conversation with a human being. The MATCH journey will let you meet people from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and many many others Spanish speaking countries. Practice with your friends and ask them to correct you.
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7-Podcasts:

A treasure to learn languages. Many podcasts are there, among the best is: coffee break Spanish.
https://radiolingua.com/coffeebreakspanish/
Listen to the audio file, learn the accent, repeat. They also provide transcripts for the audio file in PDF form.
Coffee break podcasts are available for other languages including Italian and French.
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8- Time Time Time

Specify a fixed period of your day to learn/talk in Spanish. This may be as short as 5 minutes up to a few hours. It may be when you wake up or before you sleep. Just develop a habit of learning new words and practicing your Spanish daily.



=>Updates<=
Some suggestions from the readers:

> Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/
As the name suggests, this is a website through which you can meet people.
Create a free account, then choose your interests and discover groups of people who share your interests and hang out with them. Language learning is among the things you can choose and especially in the US, you ll meet many people who wanna learn Spanish.

>" Spouse - induced"learning
Some friends stated that having a spouse is one of the biggest motives to learn a new language :D

Comment below if you know any more tips/programs/apps/books that can help in mastering Español  :)

-Murad

Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol

Here is a short (may be not very short) but concise flowchart on the neonatal resuscitation protocol by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

If I have forgotten to add any point, let me know.

Written by our Medicowesome Student Guest Author,
Devi Bavishi

Being street-smart during interviews: Banks!

Although many of the non-US IMG MATCH applicants will have a bank account during their rotations ahead of the MATCH, let’s talk about banks and IMGs in general!

The post may be updated if more banks join the list :D

below are some banks in which IMGs can open an account without having a Green Card:

Bank of America:

Pros:
1- Available nearly everywhere
2- It gives you a temporary card that you can use for 30 days until your permanent card arrives
3- It has a nice mobile app (better than other banks in my opinion) that can basically do anything, easier than calling them or going to the bank.

Cons:
1- To avoid the monthly fee of 12 dollars, you have to maintain your balance above 1500$ at any point during the month or you have to deposit 250$ per month.
2- For IMGs, they require 2 forms of identification (compared to one in most of the other banks). These 2 can be your passport and international driving license.
3- If you wanna travel outside the US, it is preferable to activate the “travel notice” feature (via visiting the bank or the app or calling them) because they may temporarily block your debit card if you are using it from a different country.

Don’t forget to go paperless (either using your mobile app or by asking them in the bank) to avoid having infinite unnecessary papers mailed to you especially if you are staying temporarily at a friend’s place!

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Citizens Bank:

Pros:
1- They require 1 form of identification.
2- To avoid their monthly fee of 10$, you can either deposit or let any friend deposit in your account each month even if a dollar OR simply you can open another account for free and auto-circulate a dollar monthly between the 2 accounts and voila, no fees at all.

Cons:
1- They are less available in some states like Ohio and NY where you will find ATMs only and hardly any branches.
2- They don’t give you a temporary card when you open your account, so you should leave some cash with you till the debit card arrives.
3- YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM YOU WANNA GO PAPERLESS, or else they ll charge you 2 dollars monthly for bank statements that are mailed to your physical mailing address.

When you call Citizens Bank and it asks you for a Social Security Number (SSN) to let you talk to an employee, just wait and say nothing. You ll be asked about the SSN 3 times then you ll be auto-transferred to a human employee.

Good banking everyone :D and don’t forget to comment if you know more "IMG-friendly banks"

And that’s it
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Update 4/8/2018

Some friends mentioned: CHASE and Wells Fargo so you may try them too
(Wells Fargo pros and cons are very similar to Bank of America)

-Murad

Euthanasia

Hello Awesomites!
Here's a quick review on the topic Euthanasia, a collection of asked MCQs on euthanasia.

EUTHANASIA

Mercy killing or Assisted suicide
Physician assisted suicide is legal in some States of the US
Painless killing of a person who is suffering from incurable disease, senility, permanent damage to the brain which cannot be repaired or cured
Legally permitted in: USA, Uruguay, Poland, Australia, Switzerland, Nether lands
Not legalized in India

Types-

Active (Positive)euthanasia-
Act of commission
Death induced by direct/indirect action
legal in Netherlands and Belgium
E.g. giving large dose of a drug that hastens death

Passive (Negative)euthanasia-
Act of omission
No specific medicine or life supporting measures given
Death induced by discontinuation of life sustaining measures
legal in India
E.g. stopping heart lung machines in a severely defective new born, disconnecting ventilator in a brain dead patient

Voluntary euthanasia-
Euthanasia induced at the will of an individual by his request
A patient suffering from an incurable disease requesting the doctor to terminate his life

In/Non voluntary euthanasia-
Induced in patients who are unable to express their wishes
E.g. a person with irreversible coma or a severely defective infant
Paternalism - abuse of medical knowledge so as to distort the doctor-patient relationship in such a way that the patient is deprived of his ability to take rational choice.

Thank you!
MD Mobarak Hussain (Maahii)