July 2010

Medical Student Perspectives: Find a Mentor who is Right for You

Many medical schools have established programs that will set medical students up with a mentor. But the following questions are not often addressed: How do I make the most out of my mentoring program? How do I pick a mentor? How often should I contact a mentor? What should I do if I don't connect with my mentor? Do I really need a mentor?

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My Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists: Kim Dixon, MD

Kim Dixon has an affinity for unexpected timing. After spending several years working as an engineer, she turned everything upside down and went to medical school while in her late 20s. While there, she married and had three children. At the age of 40, she took up figure skating, and last year she joined a competitive synchronized skating team. This innate spontaneity has paid Dr. Dixon great dividend, and so has the decision to be an internist. If given the choice of doing it all over again, would she make the same decisions? Her answer: a resounding 'yes.'

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Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month: Mayo Medical School

Mayo Medical School's Internal Medicine Interest Group has been active continuously since 2002. Our group serves students throughout all four years of medical school with student leaders from each class. Student leaders will often continue involvement over several years, and long-term participation in this manner allows close collaboration between students and continuity of involvement on larger-scale initiatives.

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Winning Abstracts from the 2010 Medical Student Abstract Competition: Propionibacterium Acnes: When Will You Grow Up?

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a gram-positive anaerobe that is normal flora of the mouth, conjunctiva, colon, and skin, predominantly in sebaceous follicles. P. acnes rarely causes serious infections and is often dismissed as a contaminant. However, in certain clinical circumstances, a positive culture deserves more attention. Recent literature has shown that P. acnes is an increasingly important pathogen in post-neurosurgical and prosthetic joint infections.

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Subspecialty Careers: Highlights about Careers in Internal Medicine: Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism

Endocrinology is the diagnosis and care of disorders of the endocrine system. The principle endocrine problems include goiter, thyroid nodules, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, hyper- and hypocalcemia, adrenal cortex dysfunction, endocrine hypertension, gonadal disorders, disorders of sodium and water balance, manifestations of pituitary disorders, disorders of bone metabolism, and hyperlipidemia.

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Advocacy Update

Learn more about news and public policy issues affecting internal medicine and patient care.

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