Category: Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
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Living With Hypochondria: A Patient Experience
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Hypochondria or hypochondriasis is a psychological disorder where someone develops chronic stress about an imagined illness. It often manifests after someone has lost a loved one to serious illness, and while it’s often dismissed and stigmatized, the condition can cause real harm by putting excess stress on the body. Today…
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OMM Question of the Day: Joint Muscle Energy
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Today’s OMM question involves a 34-year old patient who’s experiencing neck pain. What’s the optimal way to set up a muscle energy treatment for her cervical spine somatic dysfunctions?A 34-year-old woman presents to your clinic with two weeks of neck pain. She describes a dull ache along the right side…
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How to Take Notes Faster in Medical School
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Taking notes in medical school can be messy and time-consuming. With so much material to write down and memorize, having a strategy for effective note-taking can make a difference in your performance in medical school.
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Homozygous Delta-F508 Deletion
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Prepare for the USMLE® Step 1 exam with today’s question focusing on a 3-year-old boy presenting with symptoms indicative of cystic fibrosis and learn to identify the underlying genetic cause. Strengthen your clinical assessment skills and improve your understanding of managing this common genetic condition!
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Breaking Bad News: Using the SPIKES Protocol vs. the BREAKS Protocol
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Learn how to deliver tough medical news to patients using the SPIKES and BREAKS protocols to enhance communication and create better patient outcomes.
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USMLE® Step 2 CS and COMLEX-USA® Level 2-PE Canceled: What This Means For US Medical Students, IMGs, and Institutions
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Some medical students are breathing a sigh of relief that they have one less exam to study for: the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) exam. The USMLE Step 2 CS canceled news comes about eight months after the exam was initially suspended amidst the…
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How to Prepare for and Pass USMLE® Step 2 CK as an IMG
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With USMLE® Step 1 becoming pass/fail and USMLE Step 2 CS on hiatus, there’s a greater need for International Medical Graduates who wish to practice medicine in the US to do well on the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. In today’s blog, Osmosis Medical Education Fellow and Regional Lead, Santiago…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Acute Chest Pain with Diabetes and Hypertension
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A 60-year-old with chest pain and ECG changes shows LAD artery occlusion. Learn why endothelial cell injury is the first step in atherosclerosis causing myocardial infarction.
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Overcoming My Fear of Blood as a Med Student
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Imagine aspiring to become a doctor, only to realize that the very sight of blood sends you into a panic. This was fourth-year Aylin Canik’s reality; a future physician paralyzed by hemophobia. Find out how she overcame her fears.
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Make Yourself Comfortable: How to Be Aware of Your Implicit Biases
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“I want to help people” is a common response on a medical school application, but sometimes we experience trepidation when working within a new environment or group—especially when we lack understanding of these groups. Read about how one medical student ventured outside of her comfort zone and overcame her biases…
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Learn Histology with Videos on Osmosis
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Improve your understanding of histology with the Osmosis Histology video series! This comprehensive collection of videos offers clear explanations and engaging visuals to help medical, nursing, and healthcare students learn the essential histological features of various organ systems. Dive into the fascinating world of histology today!
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How to Thrive During Clinical Rotations and Make the Most of Your Time in the Clinic
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Clinical rotations are one of the most challenging (and rewarding) parts of medical school. Learn 12 practical strategies to improve your clinical skills, stay organized, work effectively with your team, and make the most of every clerkship.
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Your USMLE® Step 2 CK Questions Answered: The Osmosis Ultimate Guide
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Get ready for USMLE Step 2 CK with a handy guide to exam content, question types, scheduling, and healthy study habits to maximize your success with Osmosis!
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MD vs. DO: What Are the Key Differences?
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The journey to becoming a doctor certainly isn’t an easy one, and part of the challenge is navigating different paths. As a prospective doctor, you likely want to know whether you should pursue a DO vs. MD degree. By reading this, you’re starting off on the right foot: this guide…
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Seeking Mental Health Services as a Medical Student
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Undertaking the feat of obtaining a medical degree is nothing short of monumental, but how we preserve our sanity amidst the strife and triumph truly shapes our experience. Today on the Osmosis blog, medical student and Osmosis Medical Education Fellow DianneMarie Omire-Mayor explores the harmful trope of “the tough physician”…
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Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Medical School
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Do you struggle with impostor syndrome? What if there was a way to take control of that nagging little voice that tells you you’re not good enough, and turn it into confidence? Osmosis Medical Education Fellow Sarah Patterson shares her experiences battling impostor syndrome, and how she was able to…
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Burnout in the Medical Community
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This month, Osmosis is partnering with Thrive Global to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and taking steps to avoid burnout. In today’s blog, Christy Brewer, CRNA, shares advice on how to help or prevent burnout before it becomes a major issue. Burnout in any industry is something…
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How to Get the Most Out of Shadowing in Medical School
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After getting into medical school, the question of “What kind of doctor do you want to be?” is commonly asked. Some people come to medical school knowing what they want to be, while others don’t—and that’s OK! Regardless, shadowing is a great opportunity to get experience in a specialty you…
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Recognizing Symptoms of Stress and Depression in Medical Students (and How to Help)
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It’s vital that we have each other’s backs during the COVID-19 pandemic—but how do you do this while practicing social distancing? Osmosis Medical Education Fellow and medical student Omer Rott shares his advice on managing stress and signs to look out for. Beginning medical school means starting many new things.…
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How to Build an Outstanding Curriculum Vitae During Medical School
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Discover valuable strategies for crafting an impressive CV as a medical student, featuring tips on experiences, skills, and self-reflection to enhance your residency application.
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What Is SOAP and Why Should You Care?
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What is SOAP and why does it matter during Match Week? Learn how unmatched applicants can secure residency positions and what to do if you don’t match.
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The Osmosis Ultimate Guide to the NRMP® Match
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The Osmosis Ultimate Guide to the NRMP Match helps medical students navigate the residency process with expert tips, deadlines, and matching strategies.
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A List of High-Impact Medical Education Journals
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Medical education research improves teaching and training strategies, helps determine effective policies for the field, and shapes the future of clinical practice.
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Should DO Students Take Both USMLE and COMLEX?
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Explore whether DO students should take both COMLEX and USMLE exams amid changing residency landscapes as well as how which tests you take affect your chances of matching in competitive specialties.
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If Santa Claus Were Your Patient
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What medical conditions might Santa Claus have? From rosacea to cardiomegaly, explore the playful diagnosis behind the jolly old elf’s health.
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How to Use USMLE® Question Banks Efficiently on Osmosis
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Learn practical tips to use medical question banks effectively, improve test-taking skills, and stay motivated throughout your USMLE preparation.
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A Day in the Life of a Dual Degree Program Student
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Meet a graduate student tackling a masters and medical school simultaneously. Here is how they do it and what they find rewarding about it. I’m a medical student and graduate student in a small program, a hidden medical school at UC Berkeley, called the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP).…
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How I’m Managing Medical School with OCD
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Medical school is hard, but I’m sure you know this already. What they don’t tell you though, is that many medical students experience high amounts of stress – and this stress carries well into residency and beyond. As a result, mental health conditions can be exacerbated by the stress. A…
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Top 3 Tips You Should Know About COMLEX-USA® Level 1
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COMLEX-USA® Level 1 measures your knowledge of the biomedical sciences relevant to solving clinical problems and promoting osteopathic medical care. Tip 1: Should you take both USMLE® and COMLEX-USA®? To obtain physician licensure from an osteopathic school, you must take and pass all three levels of the COMLEX-USA. Some osteopathic schools are now…
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3 Tips to Write Progress Notes
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Discover how to write an effective SOAP progress note that tells the patient’s story clearly, communicates accurately with colleagues, and builds trust; all while avoiding common documentation mistakes.