Monday, June 02, 2008

Pimpnotes

Interesting sites for Step 1 preparation.

PimpNotes.org is an open-source notes project for medical students and doctors in training. The site hosts free notes, guides, books, or any other materials created by and for medical students and residents.

It currently hosts a complete systems-based pathology charts ("the grids"), bugs charts, pharm charts, and pathophysiology flash cards (in progress). We are currently trying to organize a group of intellegent, progressive, and committed students to help write an open-source guide to USMLE Step 1. If interested, please contact us using the contact form in the footer below.

SESAP 13

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education presents the 13th edition of the Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program (SESAP). SESAP has been a premier educational resource for practicing surgeons and surgical residents for over 35 years. Each program consists of 650 Multiple Choice Items (MCIs) with discussions and references to the current literature in 17 content areas of interest to general surgeons. Program materials are furnished in both print and CD-ROM formats, and may be used to obtain up to 60 hours of Category 1 credit.

The content of SESAP 13 addresses the core competencies of medical knowledge and patient care and also focuses on some of the other core competencies as defined by the American Board of Medical Specialties and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The content has been designed to be especially useful to surgeons enrolled in the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program of the American Board of Surgery. SESAP fulfills the Part II requirements for MOC that focus on self-assessment and lifelong learning, and will be very useful in preparing for the qualifying or MOC examinations.

The goal of SESAP is to provide general surgeons with a broad-based educational experience using current evidence-based literature and practical experience, and the dual formats give users maximum flexibility. The CD now offers a resizable window with resizable and adjustable text for a customized study experience, with improved image display and zooming. In addition, items, critiques or media elements may now be printed or exported as PDFs or HTMLs. PDFs can be e-mailed, reviewed later, or printed. HTML files can be loaded onto your portable device for reading on the go.

Look for SESAP 13 here

OW DO I REGISTER FOR THE NRMP MATCH?

U.S. Seniors
In the spring of your third year of medical school, you will receive a
preprinted student agreement form to review and sign. Make sure that the
name listed on the agreement matches the name you use on your residency
applications. The current registration fee is $40, payable to the NRMP, and
is nonrefundable. Upon registering, you will be assigned an NRMP Applicant
Code that you will use to identify yourself on residency applications
and correspondence. The deadline for registration is in July at the start of
your senior year. Consult the current edition of the NRMP Handbook for Students
for additional registration details.

U.S. Graduates
If you graduated from a U.S. medical school accredited through the Liaison
Committee for Medical Education (LCME), you can register through your
own school or another U.S. medical school. You can also enroll directly with
the NRMP as an Independent Applicant (see below). If you are sponsored
by a U.S. medical school, the school will serve as your NRMP “home base,”
from which to submit your rank-order list and where you will receive NRMP
correspondence, including your Match results. Your Agreement for Students or
Sponsored Graduates must be signed by both you and the dean of student affairs
at your sponsor school. Your nonrefundable registration fee is also $40.
Upon registering, you will receive an NRMP Applicant Code used to identify
yourself on residency applications and in correspondence. The deadline
for registering is in October before Match Day. See the current edition of the
NRMP Handbook for Students for registration details. Also visit the NRMP
website at http://www.aamc.org/nrmp.

Independent Applicants
The category of “independent applicants” includes several different groups:
nonsponsored U.S. graduates, Canadian students/graduates, osteopathic students/
graduates, and international medical graduates (IMGs). For information,
contact the NRMP at (202) 828-0566 during the summer before the
Match to receive the NRMP Handbook for Independent Applicants. Or, you
can visit the NRMP website at http://www.aamc.org/nrmp. To enroll, submit
a completed Independent Applicant Agreement and $90, payable to the NRMP.
The NRMP might also independently verify or request to see your credentials
in order to approve your Match eligibility status. For example, IMGs
need to pass the USMLE Step 1 and 2 as well as the English Test to participate
in the Match.
Following registration, you will be assigned an NRMP Applicant Code,
which you will use to identify yourself on residency applications and in correspondence.
You will also receive a confidential Personal Identification
Number (PIN). Match results will be made available to independent applicants during Match week via the web (http://www.aamc.org/nrmp) as well as
through the NRMP Voice Response System (VRS) by calling (202) 828-
0566. The registration deadline is in October before Match Day. Consult the
current edition of the NRMP Handbook for Independent Applicants and visit
the NRMP website (http://www.aamc.org/nrmp) for further details.