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Three questions you have to answer before planning an internship abroad

An internship in another country can give you insights in other health care system and gives you many opportunities. But odds are you’ll always be recognized as a tourist and will be sent sightseeing after lunch. (One doc in NY told me: “You shouldn’t go to the OR, go to the BAR.”) At the end of your studies you want to avoid the impression of being a great tourist rather than a good doctor.

Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com

Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com

So before you start planning, booking and snorkel-shopping ask yourself three questions:

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Make more time to read: my five-step-strategy

When I started my residency in 2008 I only read two books in three years. ALTOGETHER!
But as I wrote in my last blogpost: It is critical for our personal development and our career to read non-medical books. But how can I make time for that?
Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com

Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com
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Three reasons why reading non-medical books will boost your career.

“The man who doesn’t read has no advantage over the man who can’t.” Epictetus. 

Reading is the most effective way to stay well-informed in your field.  But is it okay to limit our literature to medical-only? When I started off my career all I read was medical literature and noticed quickly, that I missed important points. I now read at least one non-medical book a month. Here is why:

Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com

Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com

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5 Typical Interruptions of Your Workflow – and How To Handle Them!

Interruptions of your workflow are common in your work as a doctor. Most of them are legitimate, after all we get paid for solving medical problems.

Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com

Photo courtesy of IStockphoto.com

But if we manage to channel these interruptions in time slots that work for us, your concentration and your work will improve tremendously.

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How to choose a Medical Specialty: 5 Steps to Clarity.

In my most recent blog post I wrote about the best point of time when to choose a specialty:

The earlier, the better.

You will have a great advantage in your future career if you start preparing for your specialty while studying.

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

That is easier said than done. These five steps will help you make up your mind:

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When to decide on your future specialty

The most difficult thing during studying medicine is not preparing for exams. The real challenge is to decide for a specialty.

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

 If you do this right, it can really help your career.
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3 Ways To Start Improving Your Writing Skills

As a doctor you will be confronted with different writing tasks: grants, case reports, letters. But what if you don’t know how to write?

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

I had classmates who studied medicine because they don’t like to write. Their writing skills were barely good enough to take a multiple choice test..   But what can you do to improve your writing skills?

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I’m back!

Hey, I’m back!

You may have noticed that I took a short break and didn’t blog as much.

The reason for that was a change in my personal life you can read and see more about in my about section.

Great times…

 

 

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Get my new Ebook for FREE!

Here is my new “Start Guide for Doctors and Medical Students”. All new subscribers can get this as a Download  as a Thank-You-Gesture for FREE.

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My Top 5 topics to Smalltalk with Your Patient About.

When I implant a central venous catheter, the patient’s face is covered with drapings. Many patients who are conscious during this kind of intervention are very nervous. I can only imagine that it’s not much fun to have your face underneath a blanket, it’s 40°C, dark and you are waiting for some guy to put a needle in your neck. There are definitely things more fun to do, I imagine.