Thanks to Dr. McDreamy, surgical drama Grey’s Anatomy is currently one of the most-watched television shows in the US. Aside from the tangled love lives of the main characters, another source of confusion among the non-medical viewers of the show has to do with the differing titles of the doctors. Why is George still called an “intern” while Meredith and the gang are already “residents?” What makes “attendings” any different from other doctors? Why does everybody call Dr. Webber “chief”? To help you understand the indication of each title, here is a glossary of common hospital staff terms.
Medical interns
First-year residents fresh from medical school graduation are called medical interns. Because the results of their medical exams are yet to be released during the start of internship, medical interns are not yet licensed to practice medicine. To gain hands-on medical experience, however, medical interns are allowed to scrub in for some surgical procedures.
Medical residents
If they manage to pass their medical boards and intern exams, medical interns will move on to be medical residents (thus the explanation why George remains an intern). Medical residents are doctors who legally practice medicine under the supervision of attending physicians. Aside from practicing medicine, medical residents also perform teaching and supervisory duties to medical interns.
Attending physicians
Doctors who have finished training for their medical specializations are called attending physicians. As the “doctors in charge” in their respective sub-departments, attending physicians are ultimately responsible not only for the medical care of their patients but also the clinical performance of their residents. In teaching hospitals, attending physicians are required to teach interns and train residents to become better medical practitioners.
Chief attending
Every institution needs a boss. In a hospital, the big boss is the chief attending. The chief attending is an attending physician who is responsible for the overall organization of the entire hospital department. In the surgical department at Seattle Grace Hospital, that responsibility is given to Dr. Richard Webber.
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“What are the qualities of successful doctors?” is the question that both practicing medical doctors and medical students want to be answered. Of course, you are curious. After all, you want to be a successful doctor too. So, what makes them successful? Is it their excellent choice of medical schools? Their outstanding grades? To give you some tips on how to be a great physician someday, here are some of the qualities of successful doctors:
Successful doctors are excellent communicators
Social interaction is both inevitable and important in medical practice. Case in point: Dr. Cristina Yang of Grey’s Anatomy. Dr. Yang graduated received top honors from Stanford Medical School and got her PhD from Berkeley. She is a walking medical textbook with excellent surgical skills. So, what’s missing? People skills. Dr. Yang is not comfortable with communicating with her patients or good at delivering terrible news. You need to find a balance between medical aptitude and social skills to be a successful doctor. Patients are people too, and they need to be taken care of with enough sensitivity.
Successful doctors are keen observers
Great things, they say, come in small packages, and this still holds true when it comes to diseases and disorders. Malaria starts with a tiny mosquito bite. Cancer begins with a small malignant tumor. An eye for detail is very important in medical practice because it will help you in easily identifying the cause of an illness or the problem of a patient. A keen observation will help you save a person’s life. In medical practice, you have to stay curious and alert 100% of the time before things get worse. If you wish to have a successful career in medicine, then you should start practicing that Sherlock Holmes vigilance.
Successful doctor are time management experts
Yes, time management is very important in medical practice. Time management, however, doesn’t start with medical residency. It should start during medical school. Practicing excellent time management skills during medical school not only helps you study all your lessons well but it also helps you get more sleep. Organizing your daily activities into a tight schedule is very effective in fighting procrastination and laziness. If your schedule for studying biochemistry is from 8:00 to 10:30 pm only, then you must understand pyruvate oxidation by 10:30 pm. And if your schedule indicates that you need to be asleep from 12:00 midnight to 5:00 am, then you better be in bed once midnight strikes.
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Have you decided on a medical specialization yet? If not, then you should start checking your options now. Selecting a medical specialization, just like writing sample medical school personal statements, needs a lot of careful planning and evaluation. One of the things that you have to consider in your selection is the tightness of competition. Medical practice, after all, is not only about helping other people survive but also helping yourself survive. To help you make your choice, here are some of the most competitive medical specializations according to most people.
Neurosurgery
It may look easy for Dr. McDreamy, but neurosurgery is actually one of the toughest specializations in the medical world. There is absolutely no room for mistakes in neurosurgery because the nervous system is the control unit of a person’s entirety, so damaging one part of the brain can ultiately harm the whole person. Even the slightest mistake in neurosurgical operations may lead to paralysis, coma, psychosis, brain damage, or death. Despite the risks associated with it, neurosurgery still remains as a favorite medical specialization among aspiring doctors. Many doctors are drawn toward neurosurgery because it is both challenging and exciting. The human brain is so powerful and delicate that every successful neurosurgical operation seems like a medical breakthrough.
Dermatology
In a world where people are obsessed with physical beauty, it comes as no surprise that competition in dermatology is very tight. Skin care services, despite their being expensive, remain very popular because people want to look good all the time. Dermatology, however, is not limited to wart removal or skin whitening services. It also involves the treatment of skin diseases such as impetigo, dermatitis, acne, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, eczema, and melanoma. Because of its wide scope of potential patients, dermatology is still one of the most sought-after medical specializations today. Dermatology appeals to many medical practitioners because it involves a wide variety of medical procedures and a huge amount of salary.
Competition in neurosurgery and dermatology is tight, but it doesn’t mean that you have to cross them out of your list. If you think you can handle the insertion of electrode in people’s brain or the removal of tissue from people’s eyelids, then go for it. After all, you did mention in your sample medical school personal statements that you will do whatever it takes to succeed in the world of medicine.
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Learning doesn’t stop with your graceful exit from medical school. Medical practice, in itself, is a continuous learning process. To help new doctors learn more about the professional practice of medicine, medical experts began setting up teaching hospitals. Teaching hospitals are medical institutions that focus not only on providing medical care to patients but also on providing clinical training to interns. To give you an idea on which teaching hospitals to consider, here are some of the best teaching hospitals in the USA.
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital is responsible for the birth and development of popular medical specialties such as neurosurgery, pediatrics, endocrinology, and urology. Other medical breakthroughs such as the discovery of restriction enzymes, the identification of the three polio virus types, and the operation of the first blue baby have been all made in Johns Hopkins Hospital. To preserve and continue its legacy in the world of medicine and health care, Johns Hopkins Hospital invests in the proper training and education of its medical practitioners. A proof of its success? Eighteen consecutive years of recognition as the best medical institution and teaching hospital in the USA.
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Joining Johns Hopkins Hospital in the list of top medical institutions and best teaching hospitals in the USA is Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Canter. Aside from getting recognition for its overall medical services and programs, the teaching hospital also gained praises for its outstanding medical specialties. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is also known for its low mortality data, advanced medical technology, and brilliant medical practitioners. The secret to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center’s success? Its effective clinical education and training program not only for its interns but also for other medical residents.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Experience, they say, is the best teacher, and that saying is evidenced by the success of Massachusetts General Hospital. The teaching hospital, aside from being one of the best, is also one of the oldest medical institutions in the USA. The medical staff from Massachusetts General Hospital, through its affiliation with Harvard Medical School, is dedicated to finding new ways to improve medical clinical practice and develop medical innovation. The annual budget for their hospital-based research program is over US$400 million, the biggest in the USA.
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