http://medicalmastery.com Realize your lifelong dreams - starting RIGHT NOW! Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:16:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 The Pre-Med Podcast from Doctor Dan is a unique resource for premedical students. Learn what it's REALLY like to go through medical school and beyond, always tempered with real life, practical applications for Pre-Meds today - even if you're just starting out! Dr. Daniel Williams takes the listener through the entire medical education process, from his book Diary of a Pre-Med Student: Guiding Pre-Med Student Through An Amazing Process. You can get this E-book for FREE, as well as the Speed Reading For Medical School course by registering at www.Medical-Mastermind-Community.com. Who can complain when they get exactly what they want? This is a listener-driven lecture series on how to get into and survive medical school. Consider Doctor Dan your own personal online academic adviser. From choosing medicine as a career, to the details of getting strong letters of recommendation, you will find everything you want! Take a listen... Daniel Williams, M.D. clean Daniel Williams, M.D. drdanielwilliams@gmail.com drdanielwilliams@gmail.com (Daniel Williams, M.D.) 2010 Premedical Solutions, LLC Realize your lifelong dreams - starting NOW! medical school, medicine, premed, pre-med, mcat, usmle, be a doctor, become a doctor http://medicalmastery.com/photos/MM-Logo-300.jpg http://medicalmastery.com http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/mcat-prep/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/mcat-prep/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:15:11 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/?p=198 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/mcat-prep/feed/ 0 aamc,dr. ferdinand,gold standard mcat,mcat prep,PreMed,premedical Episode 20: MCAT Prep like you've never heard before. Dr. Ferdinand and Dr. Dan discuss the MCAT from a physician's point of view. With both doctors actively coaching premedical students, their synergy on this subject is nothing short of a Mastermind! Episode 20: MCAT Prep like you've never heard before. Dr. Ferdinand and Dr. Dan discuss the MCAT from a physician's point of view. With both doctors actively coaching premedical students, their synergy on this subject is nothing short of a Mastermind! Dr. Ferdinand’s tells us about his not-so-secret performance on the MCAT and about his fatal error during planning his MCAT that caused him to not be able to even take the exam! [More...] The Association of American Medical Colleges administers the MCAT, accredits allopathic medical schools in the U.S., and manages the medical school application service. The trend over the past 2 decades has been to emphasize thinking, organizing information, and problem solving rather than rote memorization. In this episode, we two physicians discuss exactly why that is, what you can do to prepare, and ultimately whom you can trust when it comes to such an important exam – yourself! Future episodes will cover * Dr. Ferdinand’s 6 Steps to MCAT Preparation, which is remarkably similar to my 5-Step study method. * Dr. Ferdinant’s interview with the "Father of MCAT Books" (Dr. Flowers) * How a mastermind community can help premeds AND medical students Listen in to learn more... Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 24:16 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/find-pre-med-support/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/find-pre-med-support/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 17:21:52 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/?p=145 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/find-pre-med-support/feed/ 0 doctor,MCAT,med school suppport,medical education process,medical school,physician,pre-med,PreMed,premedical,undergraduate stress,usmle While there are many reasons for this, the only thing that matters to the motivated pre-med and medical student is getting through it - sanely! - Well, that my friend is exactly what the Medical Mastermind Community is all about. Episode 16: New medical mastermind community starting. Also volunteering, premed clubs  and committees may help you. [blip.tv ?posts_id=2139067&dest=-1] The "medical education process" covers the whole gamut from thinking about becoming a doctor, through the prerequisites, MCAT, and application, and never really ends in residency, fellowship and with continuing medical education as a practicing physician. Do you have what it takes to be a lifelong learner? Better yet, how many people really encourage you to follow that dream? My guess is that you're like the hundreds of students I have coached, and that you've had some degree of discouragement along the way. While there are many reasons for this, the only thing that matters to the motivated pre-med and medical student is getting through it - sanely! Well, that my friend is exactly what the Medical Mastermind Community is all about. This video describes a hint of what the upcoming community is all about. If you want to learn more, sign up at MedicalMastery.com on the Early Notification List and be included. In the meantime, seek out existing pre-med clubs, medical student organizations, Healer's Art courses or hospital volunteer offices for support. If someone brings you down, stresses you out, or discourages you from accomplishing your dreams - get away from them! Yes, this may mean friends and family. They'll come around later when you're successful, believe me. You need new friends. Just like the saying "you are what you eat", you think like those with which you spend your time. Hope this was an encouragement and sparks some self-care interest. The medical education process is a substantial percentage of your adult life - don't forget to live! Doctor Dan Daniel Williams, M.D. clean http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/mcat/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/mcat/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:29:02 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/?p=93 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/mcat/feed/ 2 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/medical-education-proces/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/medical-education-proces/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:16:07 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/?p=88 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/medical-education-proces/feed/ 0 MCAT,medical college admissions test,medical education process,medical school,PreMed,united states medical licensing examination,usmle Episode 11: From MCAT to licensing - Overview of the entire medical education process. MCAT, First Year of Medical School, USMLE - and beyond... - ==================================================== - Announcements: Happy New Year! Episode 11: From MCAT to licensing - Overview of the entire medical education process. MCAT, First Year of Medical School, USMLE - and beyond... ==================================================== Announcements: Happy New Year! It's now been 9... Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 30:19 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/drastic-changes-in-the-med-school-matching-process/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/drastic-changes-in-the-med-school-matching-process/#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:32 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/?p=66 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/drastic-changes-in-the-med-school-matching-process/feed/ 0 career in medicine,coaching course,eras,match,medical education,medical school,medical student,medical training,nrmp,physician education,physician training,PreMed Episode 9: Major changes to the way Texas medical schools accept their students. You have to know this or you could be missed! Interview with Celeste Whisenant, a second year medical student who almost learned this lesson the hard way! Episode 9: Major changes to the way Texas medical schools accept their students. You have to know this or you could be missed! Interview with Celeste Whisenant, a second year medical student who almost learned this lesson the hard way! =============... Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 28:07 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/time-sensitive-announcement/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/time-sensitive-announcement/#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:02:18 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/?p=59 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/time-sensitive-announcement/feed/ 0 career in medicine,coaching course,financial aid,health professions scholarship program,how-to-ask-for-a-letter-of-recommendation,hpsp,letter of recommendation,medical loan repayment,medical school,medical school debt,medical student,medical training Live Teleseminar FREE! The PreMed event of the year! - ==================================================== - This is a time sensitive announcement from MedicalMastery.com. - On December 2nd at 6:00PM Central time in the USA, Live Teleseminar FREE! The PreMed event of the year! ==================================================== This is a time sensitive announcement from MedicalMastery.com. On December 2nd at 6:00PM Central time in the USA, I will be hosting a live teleconference. Hosted by the American Medical Student Association, the lecture topics will include: Overview Of Medical Education Process Myths About Getting Into Medical School Differences Between College & Med School Your Pre-Med Committee How-To Study: Preparation, Whole Mind, etc. Different Types Of Questions And Exams Professional Review Courses Attitude For Success How-To Stand Out Among Competition Overcoming Deficiencies In Your Application Only a limited number of people can watch the live video feed of my slides during the presentation. So, the way to get invited is to visit MedicalMastery.com and sign up for the Free eBook. Starting now, this puts you on a special email list to receive the FREE login instructions for the teleconference 1 week before the event. Also, will also get videos, PreMed calendars, lecture handouts, portfolio label sheets for organizing, welcome letter from me. Finally, I'll demo the first ever PreMed Home Study Course: How-To PreMed. This is a 7 DVD, 2 CD, 1 Data DVD 3 Books with a 4-Year PreMed Calendar! The person with the most number of useful comments after the podcast posts on MedicalMastery.com by New Years will get this course FREE! ==================================================== Mission Statement “Medical Mastery seeks to podcast meaning into medical education by combining faith, high-quality lectures, and charity.” Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 3:31 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/50-listener-questions-and-special-requests-the-power-of-exploiting-your-competition/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/50-listener-questions-and-special-requests-the-power-of-exploiting-your-competition/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:03:19 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/50-listener-questions-and-special-requests-the-power-of-exploiting-your-competition http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/50-listener-questions-and-special-requests-the-power-of-exploiting-your-competition/feed/ 0 career in medicine,coaching course,financial assistance,letter of recommendation,medical education,medical student,medical training,physician education,physician training,PreMed,premedical Episode 7: 50 Listener Questions and Special Requests: The Power Of Exploiting Your Competition! - ==================================================== - In this episode: - ANNOUNCEMENTS PODCAST UPDATE Pre-Med E-book now a 17-week FREE course $0. Episode 7: 50 Listener Questions and Special Requests: The Power Of Exploiting Your Competition! ==================================================== In this episode: ANNOUNCEMENTS PODCAST UPDATE Pre-Med E-book now a 17-week FREE course $0... Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 1:08:59 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/financial-assistance-for-medical-school-an-oxymoron/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/financial-assistance-for-medical-school-an-oxymoron/#comments Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:28:55 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/financial-assistance-for-medical-school-an-oxymoron http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/financial-assistance-for-medical-school-an-oxymoron/feed/ 2 career in medicine,coaching course,dave ramsey,financial aid,financial assistance,health professions scholarship program,hpsp,medical education,medical loan repayment,medical scholarships,medical school debt,medical student Episode 6: Medical school scholarships, tuition-for-hire, and military exchange programs. Get real quotes and understand the financial burdens of getting a medical education in the United States. - ==================================================== ... Episode 6: Medical school scholarships, tuition-for-hire, and military exchange programs. Get real quotes and understand the financial burdens of getting a medical education in the United States. ==================================================== In this episode, ANNOUNCEMENTS AVERAGE DEBTS AND INTEREST SCENARIOS THE RULE OF THUMB FOR MED SCHOOL MONEY MINORITY SCHOLARSHIPS UNDERSERVED AREA & SPECIALTY SCHOLARSHIPS PAYING DOWN YOUR DEBT EARLY BENEFITS FOR JOINING THE MILITARY BENEFITS FOR PRIOR MILITARY QUICK REFERENCES: Vanderbilt, AAMC, NSLDS, Dave Ramsey ==================================================== Announcements: * I have been getting requests to provide critical appraisals and feedback  on personal statements by multiple people outside of the CD of the Month  Club. While had originally not planned to do this, some of them are making  attractive offers - paying even more than would cost them through the $17 CD  Club. Therefore, I'm temporarily agreeing to do this on an individual basis.  The reason for the discretion is the volume of questions I receive and sheer  number of listeners that only a few months of podcasting has brought. The  demand on a resident's time makes it impossible to help everyone. I hope you  understand. Financial Assistance For Medical School: An Oxymoron?     Nothing in life is free. Most people want to know if there is a scholarship available for medical school. Let’s discuss an overriding principle first, before we get into the details of money-saving strategies.   Society doesn’t feel sorry enough for the medical student’s plight to pay for their education. A lot of people perceive physicians as making a lot of money so they feel like medical students will eventually be able to pay their loan debts. The loan companies make a fortune off of us and love to give us as many loans as possible, though it’s not always enough. Remember this rule of thumb as you read further about tuition help that does exist.   At the time of this writing, the average cost of medical school at state-supported institutions is $12,000 - $20,000 per year and $35,000 - $42,000 for private schools. You can do the math and see that after you calculate living expenses the average debt at the end of 4 years of medical school is $120,000 - $200,000. If you’re carrying over undergraduate debt, it’s possible to max out at $250,000. Unfortunately, that’s not all. Compounding interest during residency, while you can only afford the minimum payments or the loan is on deferment, can add more than $50,000.   Have I gotten your attention?   There are a number of ways to mitigate this debt. Let’s take some of the most common ways and discuss them each in turn. The most common way to get financial help      Minority Scholarships. Very few of these exist but I  found a few when I was searching diligently online as a PreMed.   Underserved Area Contracts. Some states offer tuition  payments for an agreement that you’ll work as a physician in their  underserved areas for some length of time. Commonly, they’ll pay you  competitively while you work there and trade one year of tuition for one  year of service. Sometimes there are specialty-specific offers, such as  Texas’ Family Practice program that is heavily promoted. This, then,  specifies the specialty and location you have to work in to pay back the  “debt”. Watch for the fine print. You may have to pay back the money if you  don’t fulfill the contract. This is also true of military monies, but are  easier to back out of.   International bank of dad. You’re fortunate if you can  have family help. If so, use it. The key is to get your debt down early  after your education or you’ll wind up paying 200-300% more than you  borrowed!     Benefits for joining the military:     *   Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP): Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 46:34 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/the-perfect-gpa-no-matter-what-your-grades-sound-ridiculous/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/the-perfect-gpa-no-matter-what-your-grades-sound-ridiculous/#comments Tue, 27 May 2008 18:19:51 +0000 Doctor Dan 694962524 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/the-perfect-gpa-no-matter-what-your-grades-sound-ridiculous/feed/ 4 career in medicine,GPA,grade point average,how-to-ask-for-a-letter-of-recommendation,letter of recommendation,medical education,medical school,medical student,medical training,physician education,physician training,PreMed Episode 5: Retaking and dropping classes? Learn when and how to objectively assess your undergraduate academic record to determine what, if anything, you can do to have the best medical school application possible! Episode 5: Retaking and dropping classes? Learn when and how to objectively assess your undergraduate academic record to determine what, if anything, you can do to have the best medical school application possible! ==================================================== In this episode: ANNOUNCEMENTS YOUR PATTERN OF GRADES COMMON PROBLEMS COMMON SOLUTIONS DROPPING & REPEATING CLASSES TO SAVE THE GPA CHANGING MAJORS LISTENER Q & A'S QUICK TIP: When to assess your academic record! ==================================================== ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. I'm now on the Admissions Committee of my alma mater. 2. Over 1,000 listeners and growing! 3. The FREE email series has been revised, so sign up with your new, professional-sounding email address and archive the content. 4. The CD of the Month Club is exciting and fun. I'm enjoying the private, one-on-one PreMed consulting and application advising and am surprised with the collection of the MindMap materials. Visit www.MedicalMastery.com/lectureseries (http://www.MedicalMastery.com/lectureseries) to learn more. ==================================================== YOUR PATTERN OF GRADES I have received a substantial percentage of listener questions about their academic record. It makes sense that I spend most of my academic advising doing counseling on that very subject - people with 4.0 GPA's don't have that to worry about. They have other problems that need equal attention so let's not be jealous. From here on, we will discuss the subject of PreMed GPA and your medical school application in the context of your overall application. The Perfect GPA is your GPA that is nestled within a succinct description (application) that tells your story. The goal of the Perfect Application and GPA is really to say in one sentence exactly who your are and what you want in life (and a career). If you can do that, they you only have to tweak a few details in your application to let that shine through. The numbers only substantiate who you say you are! Well, I'm going to help you do just that... There are patterns to everything, and human behavior is no different. Let's start by a series of questions that you should write down as brainstorming ideas for your personal essay and prepared statements for the interview: 1. When did you decide to pursue a career in medicine? 2. What is the overall pattern of your college grades? (spiraling up, solid throughout, unpredictable) 3. What excites you? (In general and in specific terms - don't just mention career aspirations - use hobbies, interests, etc.) 4. Do you like a fast-paced life or slower, country-style? 5. Where do you want to work when your training is complete? 6. Can you put all of these answers together into one sentence that summarizes you and where you are going in your life? If so, put it in writing. Once you have done this objective assessment of your academic record, you are beginning to get insight into how the admissions committee sees your application. There are almost infinite patters of grades and reasons for them. Is there a drop in your grades for a period of time? Did you take time off from school? Do your grades suddenly get better at a point in time? I hope so, because you can explain it as you weave together the overall medical school application. I was fortunate to have a string of 2 years of straight A's while in the Army, beginning right as I decided to pursue medicine. See if there's a point in time that you can point to that matches up with major event or decision in your life. If so, use that subtly in your personal essay. Don't exaggerate it, but it is important and often overlooked. See, the admissions committee looks for this trend, but not everyone knows to explain it. This takes out guesswork and makes you more transparent - all good things that support you being the genuine article. COMMON PROBLEMS Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 49:08 http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/is-medicine-right-for-me-secrets-of-physician-training-exposed/ http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/is-medicine-right-for-me-secrets-of-physician-training-exposed/#comments Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:15:15 +0000 Doctor Dan http://medicalmastery.com/is-medicine-right-for-me-secrets-of-physician-training-exposed http://medicalmastery.com/http:/medicalmastery.com/is-medicine-right-for-me-secrets-of-physician-training-exposed/feed/ 1 career in medicine,medical education,medical school,medical student,medical training,physician education,physician training,PreMed Episode 3: Take the premed quiz, formulate notes for your personal essay, learn the factors that affect medical student choices This material comes directly from my book, Diary of a Pre-Med Student which you can get emailed to you for FREE. Episode 3: Take the premed quiz, formulate notes for your personal essay, learn the factors that affect medical student choices This material comes directly from my book, Diary of a Pre-Med Student which you can get emailed to you for FREE. Simply sign up for automatic updates in the upper right corner of www.MedicalMastery.com (http://www.medicalmastery.com/) Contents of this episode: Words of advice Questions that identify your preparedness for a career in medicine Importance of life experiences QUICK TIP: Things you can do right now do help you decide if medicine is right for you QUICK REFERENCE: Stimulating research papers on US, UK, and Canadian medical students’ career choices 3 career questionnaires Let me preface my remarks by saying that from now on you should avoid career advice from anyone that has no experience with medical school. This includes family, friends, professors, and sometimes Pre-Med Advisors. What many notice is that people often project their own impression and reasons that they chickened out and didn’t follow their dreams onto the enthusiastic Pre-Med student. Word of advice: Ignore the crotchety old doctor that tells you not to do it because of the influence of insurance and governmental regulations of recent decades. Not that you would listen to them, but if you educate yourself on the market you’re entering and still want to do it, you won’t have to. When you account for the diversity of people entering into the medical profession, the reasons that they site for becoming interested vary widely. Some have people have always known they wanted to practice medicine, others are not so sure, and still others decided a little (or a lot) later in life. Whatever your background, I support you! None of these approaches will hinder you from reaching your goals. So consider your sources carefully! This is all the more reason to plug into Medical Mastery.com and read our insiders advice and get automatic email updates! So, how in the world are you supposed to know if medicine is right for you? Open a new text document or grab a pen and answer these questions: Are you the type of person that gives of yourself to help others? Do you receive satisfaction in helping someone when they're down? How do you really know? Have you done it? Would you consider yourself a concrete, logical thinker or an abstract thinker? Have you had any exposure to the medical field, either through family or volunteering? Do you complain a lot when you're tired? Have you ever really worked hard before? Have you ever been challenged academically? To the point that you weren't sure if you could survive? Have you ever had a life challenge that lasted months or longer? (financial, stress, family illness...) Have you ever been financially challenged, or have you always had a stable life? Do you know what it feels like to be a helpless patient? These questions should stimulate your mind and, if so, take notes! How did you react when you read them? Did you have quick, pat answers for every one? Did you think that some of them were irrelevant? Your reaction is important, no matter what it is because you can learn something about yourself! You may notice that many of these important factors don't illicit the warm and fuzzy feeling that you may have had when thinking about the nobility of the medical profession. That is because the practice of medicine, though it is noble, focuses on helping people in their greatest need. If you haven't had any of the down-and-dirty experiences of life, you're at a disadvantage to knowing how well you'll like medicine. You have no way of knowing either how to relate to the patients or how you'll react when you're around them all the time. That doesn't mean that it's not right for you, only that your ability to know how well you'll like it ahead of time is impaired. The best you can do is volunteer in shelters, emergency rooms, shadow doctors, Daniel Williams, M.D. clean 38:31