What do I want out of my university education?

Joshua Liu — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 07:17:39 +0100

About a year and a half ago, I wrote an article on my thoughts about what to keep in mind when applying to university, using my personal experience as an example.

So I didn’t get into medical school… what now?

Joshua Liu — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:20:06 +0100

If you applied to medical school this past year, you probably know where you’ll be this fall by now. Some of you may have been accepted into medical school and are excited for the journey that lies ahead. If so, congratulations, and best of luck as you start a brand new chapter in your life! Getting into medical school is aRead More...

Things I Wish I Knew before starting Medical School

Joshua Liu — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:07:48 +0100

It has been a month since I last blogged. To be honest, blogging has not at all been on my mind up until this past week when my “summer break” finally started (I use that term loosely because I am, like many of you guys, working this summer, but it’s a break from school nonetheless).

As some of you may know, admission offers just went out today. A HUGE CONGRATS to those who've made it! For those who are less fortunate - never give up. Many people gained admission to medical school after many tries, so the dream ends only when you stop tryingRead More...

Iron Man 2, Pinky, School, and Healthcare Innovation

Joshua Liu — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:10:13 +0100

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siQgD9qOhRs 560x340]

Last Friday I went out with my close high school friends to watch Iron Man 2. I’ve never actually seenRead More...

The End Is Near

Kevin L — Mon, 10 May 2010 07:24:06 +0100

While the undergrads are already out celebrating their freedom, medical students are still cooped up in lecture halls, grinding out the last month of the school year. The interesting journey of 2nd year medicine is near its end and I can’t wait to cross the finish line.

I look back at this school year with ambivalent feelings. I started the year with some major goals:

Making MedChatter the biggest premed website in Canada

Being fully prepared for the USMLE (UnitRead More...

Appreciation, Niceness, and Generosity – Why Being Kind is Best

Joshua Liu — Fri, 07 May 2010 06:42:29 +0100

Last night I was at dinner with a couple of friends. A good friend of mine from class was sitting across from me, and at one point, the topic of generosity came up. The discussion helped elucidate a concept that I’ve always believed, but never really put onto paper, so I guess now is a good enough time than ever.

The Liberation Treatment

Michael Chan — Wed, 05 May 2010 04:40:48 +0100

So we are currently in the middle of our Brain and Behaviour course. Last week, we had a PBL session focussing on multiple sclerosis. Our discussions of the disease naturally included a consideration of the Liberation Treatment which was developed by Dr. Paolo Zamboni in Italy. Dr. Zamboni believes that many cases of multiple sclerosis are due to a condition called ‘Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency’ that can be treated with endovascular therapy. Dr. Zamboni’s work Read More...

So I think I know why my marks have dropped...

Joshua Liu — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:57:41 +0100

So I'm happy to say that I passed my Brain and Behaviour midterm - barely, with a 70.96 (a 70 is a clear pass). It was a pretty difficult midterm, with a bell ringer for neuroanatomy in the morning and then a written exam in the afternoon.

It's funny how easily I went from not only wanting and getting 80's and 90's in undergrad to hoping I get a 70 in medical school. For the most part, I don't think the material is any harder, and often times it's actually easier. Read More...

Hidden Luck

Joshua Liu — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:51:55 +0100

Luck, variance, randomness - whatever you want to call it, it has an undeniable influence on the course of events.

Taking a simple case, you get lucky when your medical school interview is conducted by a physician who turns out to be life long buddies with one of your referees, or perhaps you get unlucky when you realize your interviewer and you are complete opposites.

Or maybe you were lucky (in the way that I was) to only have two organic chemistry passages on yourRead More...

Kevin's video blog

Kevin L — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 05:07:59 +0100

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M09EYAuooY 550x350]

iPhone 4G leaked!

Michael Chan — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:45:57 +0100

So, I was reading the paper the other day and I was surprised to see that the next iPhone had accidentally been leaked by an Apple software engineer, especially because Apple is so secretive with these things. I feel really bad for the engineer who leaked it...

For more information, see:
http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone

So I went to the doctor today...

Joshua Liu — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 03:08:47 +0100

...to get a referral.

I got the referral, but also left with a splint on my pinky finger and a form to get an X-ray done tomorrow morning.

I have a bump on the distal interphalangeal joint and the tip of the pinky remains bent downward.

I hope it's a mallet finger and not early signs of osteoarthritis... fortunately there isn't any pain or inflammation, so I guess it's unlikely to be osteoarthritis.

Here's a photo of a mallet finger... I'd rather not post photos ofRead More...

Internal Medicine 2010

Michael Chan — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:10:52 +0100

The American College of Physicians is in town this weekend for the Internal Medicine 2010. They have a few programs for medical students including "Mastering the Match" and "Interacting with Pharmaceutical Industry Representatives".

For more information, see http://www.acponline.org/meetings/internal_medicine/2010/.

MedChatter - The Book

Kevin L — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:32:03 +0100

.... is writing a book????

Recently, an idea occurred to me that I thought was worth sharing. Many premeds out there are very unsure of what it takes to make it into medicine. Although resources regarding medical admission are widely available, most of such resources provide scattered pieces of information that require significant amount of time Read More...

O Canada like you've never heard it!

Jerome L — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:45:07 +0100

Hey Guys,

So during one of my many rounds of procrastination leading up to our 2nd Foundations of Medical Practice exam, I was reading the Toronto Star website and came across an article about our National Anthem. Featured in the article was a link to a video of a couple of the worst renditions of O Canada.

The first person really should have considered going through the lyrics before singing in front a crowd of people. She even tried to fake it too for a bit. Oy big mistaRead More...

Physican to Mogul - Dr. Kevin Ham

Kevin L — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:56:00 +0100

So it’s 2:20 AM right now, and I’ve just spent the last 14 hours studying. I think I’ll call it a day. But before I head to bed, I just wanted to share this interesting success story that I’ve recently come across. This is the story of Kevin Ham, a graduate of UBC medicine who took a career detour in 1999 and built a $300 million empire. Business magazine calls him “the man who owns the internet” and “the most powerful dotcom mogul you’ve never Read More...

Gotta Give Props

Joshua Liu — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 23:00:43 +0100

I'm all about giving credit where credit is due, and I have to say that UofCalgary's medical school made the best interview weekend video I've ever seen this year.

Check it out:

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETrQvZ_fHT4 560x340]

This is such a cool Master's program

Joshua Liu — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:49:40 +0100

I was reading about the courses in Harvard's Masters of Science in Health Care Management program and it just screamed awesome to me.

If you read my where do I see myself in 10 years reflection, you'd remember that solving problems in our health care system outside my own future clinical practice is something that I'm interested in.

The schedule is pretty sick too. A few weeks each summer, several 4-day weekends per year, and then bam, you've learned a ton of cool, relevant sRead More...

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