Category: Medicine
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Understanding PTSD: A helpful guide for health professionals
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Approximately 6% of US adults develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during their lifetime. A sometimes debilitating mental health condition that develops after someone has experienced or witnessed a terrifying, dangerous, or shocking event, PTSD symptoms generally persist for more than one month and include reliving the traumatic event, avoidance of reminders of the experience, and…
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A Quick Reference Guide to Common Conditions Related to Sexual Health: Bacterial Infections
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Sexual health includes the respect, protection, and fulfillment of sexual rights, along with ensuring we’re free of disease. It’s a vital part of our overall well-being, including not only our physical health but also our emotional, mental, and social health with respect to our sexuality and reproductive system. Our patient’s…
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How to Empower Nurses to Lead the Way in Global Healthcare
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In a global world where we’re more interconnected than ever, it’s essential to examine the role of nurses in healthcare leadership. From information technology, international travel, social media, and migration patterns to international crises, pandemics, wars, poverty, and climate change, the role that nurses play in global healthcare is critical. While…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: HIV positive
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Explore a crucial aspect of HIV management with this scenario-based USMLE Step 2 CK question. Learn about recommended screening tests for newly diagnosed HIV-positive patients. A 32-year-old biologically female patient presents to the primary care office for an initial visit after learning she is HIV-positive from a screening test. The patient does…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Antidepressants
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This USMLE Step 1 Question of the Day involves a 36-year-old patient for evaluation of treatment-resistant depression. None of their previous medications helped improved their symptoms. Based on the findings, identify the most likely diagnosis. A 36-year-old presents to their outpatient provider for evaluation of treatment-resistant depression. They have previously…
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Understanding Mood Disorders: A helpful guide for health professionals
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Mental health awareness has been on the rise, with more people educating themselves on different mental health conditions, sharing their experiences with living with mental illness on social media, along with an increase in the development of new public health programs to improve access to valuable resources. Mental health is…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Difficulty swallowing
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Learn about the USMLE Step 2 CK diagnostic approach through the case of a 67-year-old man with progressive dysphagia, weight loss, hoarseness, and chest pain. This scenario highlights the importance of selecting appropriate tests and integrating clinical findings to confirm a diagnosis and guide treatment. A 67-year-old man presents to…
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Social Determinants of Health: Health Care Access and Quality
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“I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems if I am to care adequately for the sick.” Dr. Louis Lasagna, 1964 We all want…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Cognitive decline
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This USMLE Step 1 Question of the Day involves a 60-year-old woman with progressive cognitive decline, fluctuating mental clarity, mild tremors, slowed movements, and balance issues. She has also been seen conversing with her deceased partner. Based on these clinical features, identify the most likely diagnosis. A 60-year-old woman comes…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Pelvic pain
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Learn about a USMLE Step 2 question involving a 28-year-old woman with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, presenting with severe pelvic pain, hypotension, and a positive hCG. Understand the significance of emergent laparoscopy to control bleeding and remove damaged tissue.A 28-year-old woman comes to the emergency department for evaluation of right-sided…
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Understanding Anxiety Disorders: A helpful guide for health professionals
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We all experience feelings of nervousness, worry, fear, or anxiety to the point of discomfort and distress at various points in our lives. Anxiety is a normal response to fear-provoking situations. However, for people who live with an anxiety disorder, these feelings are excessive, persistent, and disrupt the flow of daily…
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How to Impress Your Attending: Obstetrics and Gynecology Edition
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Welcome to your clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology! You’ll find this rotation beneficial no matter your future specialty because you’ll very likely encounter pregnant patients, whether you’re a primary care physician or a surgical subspecialist. Probably the best part of your OB/GYN clerkship is that you’ll gain valuable skills that…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Sunlight sensitivity
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Prepare for USMLE Step 1 with this case! Learn about xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare genetic disorder causing extreme sensitivity to sunlight and increased risk of skin cancer due to defective DNA repair mechanisms. Understand its clinical manifestations, including pigmented skin changes, ocular damage, and neurological complications, for accurate diagnosis and…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Fever and confusion
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A 57-year-old man is brought to the emergency department for fever and confusion. His partner states that he has been increasingly confused over the past 24 hours and appears more lethargic than usual. The patient has a past medical history of cirrhosis due to untreated hepatitis C. His current medications…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Knee pain
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Discover the case of a 42-year-old man with knee pain, red eyes, and foot lesions post-UTI treatment. Could it be reactive arthritis? A 42-year-old man comes to his primary care physician’s office for evaluation of right knee pain, red eyes, and lesions on soles of his feet. The patient states…
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OMM® Question of the Day: Enlarged prostate
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Explore the role of sympathetic innervation in urinary symptoms and how manipulation of specific spinal levels can alleviate prostate-related issues. An 85-year-old man presents to the clinic complaining of needing to urinate over five times a night for the past month. He is frustrated because despite feeling an intense need…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Hypotonia
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Learn about Tay-Sachs disease, an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by regression of motor milestones, seizures, and a distinctive cherry-red macula. An 8-month-old girl is brought to the emergency department with a seizure-like episode. The parents state the patient started contracting her upper and lower extremities for 30 seconds. Her…
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A Quick Reference Guide to Signs and Symptoms Associated with Diabetes Mellitus
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Introduction You’ve probably heard of diabetes, know someone with diabetes, or have been diagnosed with it yourself, as it’s one of the most common conditions in the United States, with 11% of the population diagnosed, and Singapore (10.5%), Malta (10%), and Portugal (10%) following close behind. Diabetes mellitus, commonly referred…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Limited hip abduction
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Prepare for USMLE Step 2 with our QOTD on limited hip abduction, Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip, & Barlow maneuver. Strengthen your exam knowledge!A 5-month-old girl is brought to the pediatric clinic by her mother for a routine well-child exam. They recently moved to the area and have missed several…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Abdominal hernia
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Prepare for USMLE Step 2 with our QOTD on limited hip abduction, Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip, & Barlow maneuver. Strengthen your exam knowledge. A 58-year-old man presents to the primary care office for evaluation of a painful abdominal lump for the last six months. He states the lump becomes…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Thyroidectomy
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This week, we are sharing another USMLE® Step 1-style practice question to test your knowledge of medical topics. Today’s case focuses on a 56-year-old woman who reported a sensation of numbness on her mouth and intermittent twitching of her extremities. Physical examination demonstrates an intact incision over the anterior neck without…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Rule of nines
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The Rule of Nines is a method used in emergency departments to quickly estimate the extent of burns on a patient’s body. This USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day will test your knowledge on this topic. A 25-year-old man is brought to the emergency department with severe burns on…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Sinus tachycardia
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This USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day focuses on sinus tachycardia and its association with conditions like pheochromocytoma and hypertensive emergencies. Understand the role of alpha-blockers in management.A 54-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with the abrupt onset of severe headache, palpitations, and diaphoresis. She reports similar episodes…
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Understanding Dementia: A helpful guide for health professionals
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The mind encompasses so much of who we are within it, housing our feelings, thoughts, judgment, languages, and memories. It keeps these cognitive functions intact as long as our neurons are firing properly and remain connected. But what happens if those connections between them begin to malfunction and nerve cells…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Systolic ejection murmur
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Learn about a USMLE® Step 1 question of the day related to systolic ejection murmur, specifically focusing on aortic stenosis. Discover the characteristics of this murmur and how to recognize it during auscultation. A 66-year-old man presents to a cardiologist for evaluation of a new heart murmur discovered at a…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Thyroid management
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We’re back with a USMLE® Step 2 CK Question of the Day! Today’s case involves a 35-year-old woman presents with unintentional weight loss, diarrhea, and proptosis. Vital signs show an elevated pulse and blood pressure. Lab results indicate low TSH, high free T4, and positive thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin. What’s the best next…
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How to Build a Rank Order List
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Match Week is upon us! It’s an exciting and stressful time for you and your fellow medical students as you prepare to make the leap from medical student to resident physician. Whether it’s curating a strong residency application, anxiously awaiting invitations from residency programs, or building a competitive rank order…
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How to Impress Your Attending: Surgery Edition
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Welcome to your new surgery clerkship! To help you thrive during your clinical rotations, we’re sharing practical, hands-on advice from experienced medical professionals to help you make the most of your surgery rotation. Your surgery rotation is unique and exciting in comparison to your other rotations because you get to go…
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USMLE® Step 2 Question of the Day: Pleomorphic microcalcifications
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We’re back with a USMLE® Step 2 CK Question of the Day! Today’s case involves a 48-year-old woman with no breast symptoms, a history of PCOS, and family history of ovarian cancer presents with mammographic microcalcifications. What’s the best next step in her management? Can you figure it out? A 48-year-old…
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USMLE® Step 1 Question of the Day: Rehabilitation
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This week, we are sharing another USMLE® Step 1-style practice question to test your knowledge of medical topics. Today’s case focuses on a 57-year-old man experiencing anxiety, hand tremor, and nausea post-total knee replacement, now in the emergency department. With a continuous morphine infusion and a history of advanced liver…