The Pre-Med Podcast

Episode 34: Learn new tips on MCAT prep classes, study techniques, the mindmap CD, personal essays for DO applications, and a recommended flashcard tool. In this episode, Dr. Dan breaks his usual format in order to answer listener questions. Premed Questions and Answers You have to listen to the podacst to get the answers, but here are the questions that he addresses: Do you have any new tips and tricks regarding MCAT prep classes? I got a 24 on the AAMC MCAT test #3 and have one month to study for the MCAT. Shall I go for it? I received an F in Physics in undergrad, but then got an A later in grad school. Do you think it will seriously affect my chances of getting into medical school? If I upgrade my subscription in the Medical Mastermind Community, what CD’s will I receive? Where is the CD shipping schedule? I’m overwhelmed by the amount of material inside the Mastermind Community and on the Mindmap CD. Do I have to read it all? Thank you for giving me feedback on my personal statement. Should I comment on the philosophy of osteopathic medicine in my DO application? Here is the Flashcard Program that was mentioned on the show: ANKI srs

Episode 33: Listen to this science content review and learn its format for your own audio notes. Hematopoietic Agents Notice how these show notes are arranged: a list review of hematopoietic agents (that cause red blood cell production), core text review, and an audio version. This fits into the Mastermind Study System after you have attended lecture, read the material once, and are reviewing your notes and organizing them for the first time: MCAT Study Notes: 1.      Growth Factors 2.      Erythropoietin 3.      GCSF – granulocyte colony stimulating  factor 4.      GMCSF – granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating      factor 5.      Thrombopoietin 6.      Folic Acid 7.      Iron 8.      Ferrous Sulfate 9.      Iron Dextran 10.    Desferoxamine 11. Cobalamin – Vit B12   Growth Factors General Initiation – Stem cell factor, IL-3, and GMCSF stimulate marrow stem cells to proliferate and form burst forming units and colony-forming units Differentiation – stimulated by growth factors for each of the major cell lines 1.     RBCs – Erythropoietin 2.     Platelets – Thrombopoietin 3.     Granulocytes – Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) 4.     Monocytes/Macrophages – Monocyte/Macrophage stimulating factor (CSF-1 or M-CSF) Erythropoietin glycoprotein produced in the kidney acts synergistically with IL-3 and GMCSF Hypoxia – stimulates the synthesis and secretion of erythropoietin (adenosine A2-receptor, cAMP) Causes 1.     increase in the rate of mitosis of BFU-E and CFU-E 2.     increase in release of reticulocytes from the marrow 3.     induces hemoglobin formation requires adequate supply of iron Therapeutic uses 1)     progressive or chronic renal failure 2)     anemia of patients with AIDS being treated with AZT 3)     Anemia caused by cancer chemo 4)     Preoperatively to permit storage of larger volumes of bloods 5)     Anemia in myelodysplasia Side Effects 1)     hypertension and seizures Myeloid Growth Factors GMCSF, GCSF, IL-3, CSF-1, M-CSF Clinical investigations ongoing for: 1)     nonneoplastic diseases or malignancies that interfere with marrow production 2)     neutropenia caused by chemo 3)     augmentation of host defenses against infection 4)     harvesting of peripheral blood stem cells Thrombopoietin preliminary clinical studies now improves the platelet count following chemo induced thrombocytopenia IRON General absence of iron – microcytic, hypochromic anemia essential forms of iron – hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochromes, and nonheme iron-dependent enzymes Absorption – almost exclusively in the duodenum and jejunum Ø  enterocyte regulates the absorption based on need Ø  DCT-1 (divalent cation transporter-1) involved in transport of iron from the gut lumen to the enterocyte increased in iron deficiency Ø  HFE control enterocyte iron and DCP-1 levels defective in hereditary hemochromatosis Ø  Normal absorption – 1 mg/day in male, 1.4 mg/day in female Transport – bound in blood to transferrin Excess storage Ø  RE system and hepatocytes as ferritin or hemosiderin Body store of iron is highly conserved – no active excretion of iron Pharmacology Oral Ferrous Sulfate – treatment of choice for iron deficiency Ø  remember dosage based on amount of elemental iron content Ascorbic Acid – increases the absorption of iron by reducing the iron from ferric to the ferrous form. Optimal absorption occurs when dosage occurs in a fasting state Side Effects Ø  GI distress, heartburn, nausea, upper abdominal pain Iron poisoning rare in adults – due to “mucosal block” children do not have mucosal block 4 distinct phases of acute iron toxicity 1)     vomiting and hemorrhagic gastritis followed by hypotension and lethargy 2)     up to 12 hr quiescent period – looks improved 3)     12-24 horus post-ingestion – life-threatening events Ø  coma Ø  pulmonary ede[...]

Episode 32: A different dentist weighs in this month, but wait – he’s applying to medical school! What? You’ve never heard a podcast like this before… A Dentist Turned Pre-Med Seriously? You judge for yourself, but I think that the same decision factors that the last dentist we interviewed used to decide TO CHOOSE dentistry as a career, this dentist looks at them totally differently and CHOOSES NOT to stay in dentistry.  

Episode 31: The content dentist. Next month will be a discontented dentist turned pre-med! Learn why they made their choice and how to make your own. Most people don’t realize that Yale is not only one of the most prestigious universities in the country for dental health, but also the #1 university to learn all the ins and outs of dental implants and oral surgery. The education requirements for becoming a dentist are completing a bachelor’s degree, passing the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), and completing four years of study to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine. You must obtain licensure from your state board of dentistry to practice in the profession. Pre-Dentistry I’ve had numerous questions about other health fields besides pre-medicine. So, in this 2-part podcast series we will hear from two dentists: Five Reasons To Become A Dentist Listen to the podcast and discover the top reasons why Dr. John made his career choice to become a dentist. What I’ve always found fascinating is that these same decision factors can be used to justify the opposite – listen to next month’s podcast to see exactly how that can happen…

Episode 30: Doctor Dan explains the average MCAT for allopathic matriculates in the United States. The Average MCAT In 2010, the Association of American Medical Colleges (no affiliation) reported the following numbers from the entering class of allopathic medical students: Mean Total MCAT Score = 31.1, with a standard deviation of 4.1   Reviewing our MCAT average graph, this means that 15.9% of the 2010 entering class scored at or under 27. MCAT Verbal Reasoning Scores 2010 average was 9.9 MCAT Biology Scores 2010 average was 10.8 MCAT Physics Scores 2010 average was 10.4 MCAT Writing Sample Scores In 2010, a score of R was in the 75th percentile, Q was median, and a score of N was in the 25th percentile.

Episode 29: Harvard advice on the medical school personal statement. 6 Don’ts & 6 Do’s Personal Essay Help www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com 6 Don’ts of Writing Personal Essays: Don’t be generic. Don’t use personal medical experiences. Don’t be vague. Don’t write more than one page. Don’t use flowery language. Don’t use quotations. 6 Do’s of Writing Personal Essays: Do start early, say during the winter before your application cycle. Do make an outline. Do show, don’t tell. Do start with a zinger and end with a clencher. Do be proud. Do address severe deficiencies in the essay. (learn how to do this yourself here)

Episode 28: This is where I ask him the big question – you don’t want to miss his answer and the reason he gives for it! Caribbean Medical Schools This is the final reveal! Take a listen and see exactly why people complain about the quality of medical students coming from “some” Caribbean medical schools. In summary, this two-part series on “Do Caribbean Medical Schools Suck” has addressed the following points: The quality of medical training is on par with US Medical Schools The standard of care is often not based on American culture The content for licensing in the US is often outdated What do YOU think? Do they suck?   The opinions expressed in this interview are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Premedical Solutions, LLC or The Medical Mastermind Community and its members.

Episode 27: You have NEVER heard this stuff before – I promise or your money back… The opinions expressed in this interview are solely those of the interviewee and do not reflect the opinions of Premedical Solutions, LLC. yada yada yada

Episode 26: Learn the “Master Key” to taking notes and converting them for the Free Recall Study Method. Dr. Dan discovered it independently and, years later, found that he was not alone. In this episode, I’m going to tell you exactly how to prepare your notes from class and employ the free recall method. You can also look up sites that sell study notes to save up on your time. Something like one or two weeks before your exams to give you a serious boost to your exams scores. Now this is no BS, this is no hype. I’m just excited about it. Apollo audio books actually uses this exact same format which I discovered on my own as a pre med in all of their professional medical school audio courses. And right now, I’m in negotiations with Princeton review for you guys, to get them to create a full blown MCAT version. Highlight only notes or passages that you DON”T ALREADY KNOW Record these high yield notes in a Question-Pause-Answer format Listen to them throughout the day But you do not have to wait one or two years. By then you may already be in medical school. I truly hope you are. I’m going to teach you right now, exactly how to use the wisdom behind this study method in your daily operations of undergrad courses. And for your MCAT review. You do not have to wait. Let’s get started now. I want to start of explaining this format by exactly what kind of pressures and needs triggered me to discover this secret on my own. Going back to the time when I got out of the army and took on a job as a phlebotomist, for two years straight, as a full time student in pre med I worked from Friday afternoon at five until Sunday at midnight on call to be a phlebotomist and drive around a tri-state area covering hundreds of miles and drawing blood in nursing homes usually stat orders that didn’t necessarily qualify these elderly people to go to the hospital but couldn’t wait until Monday. I sort of cover these places on the weekend. Which meant I drove hundreds of miles every weekend, the troll truck I was in used to hurt my back, the whole story, you get the idea. MCAT STUDY TECHNIQUE The challenge as a pre med though, was I really needed study time. That was a problem because starting Friday afternoon, my pager would start going off and I couldn’t sit in front of the book. So that was a big pressure situation. I made decent money back then, and this was around 2000 when I got out and was a pre med and for the next two years before medical school. And while I was actually driving, I got paid mileage too on top of $9 an hour. It worked out to something like $17 an hour if I was on the road. It wasn’t bad money at all. And with my military benefits, I could afford to live on my own in an apartment and things like that, you know. So I was kind of strived for cash, totally strived for time, yet I need to ace my courses. And I did pretty much ace my courses. I did graduate with 3.85 magna cum laude at MI University in Biology. So that was pretty good. I figured out a way, to study without sitting in front of books. It did require some preparation during the week. But let me go through that process of the things I tried and what worked and what didn’t. First of all, the funny thing, and fun thing about this is, my portable recording device was a cassette tape recorder. This was only 11 years ago from the time of this recording. Now I’m using a – several hundred dollar digital device with best microphone for YouTube and a podcasting studio at my home. Things have changed a lot. And there are some specific advantages to the digital voice recorders that are out there in Wall Mart and Best Buy and everything right now. MCAT MP3s Okay. So when I first decided that, “Hey, recording my notes and reading them on to a recorder and then hitting the road and driving around, and doing the blood draws that I had to do was a great idea. That’s exactly what I did. I[...]

Episode 25: Doctor Dan does an expose on how his Physics knowledge has stayed strong for so long! Listen to the podcast to learn who she is... MCAT Physics Vectors Scalar quantities, such as temperature, have magnitude only and are specified by a number with a unit, 67 degrees Celsius and obey the rules of ordinary algebra.  Vectors, such as displacement, have both magnitude and direction, six meters west and obey the special rules of vector algebra. X and Y Coordinates Two vectors A and B may be added geometrically by drawing them to a common scale and placing them head to tail.  The vector connecting the tail of A to the head of B is the sum vector.  To subtract B from A, reverse the direction of B and then add to A.  The component AX and AY of any vector A are the perpendicular projections of A on the coordinate axes. Pythagoras' theorem Analytically, the components are given by AX=A (cos theta) and AY=A (sine theta).  Given the component, we can reconstruct the vector from:  A is given by the square root of the quantity, AX2 + AY2, which is a derivation of the Pythagoras' theorem. Kinematics The motion of a body is described by giving its position or displacement, its velocity and its acceleration.  The average speed is defined as the distance traveled divided by the elapsed time.  The average velocity is the displacement vector divided by the elapsed time. Displacement Displacement is the vector representing the position of an object relative to its position at some chosen earlier time, or its point of origin.  Whereas speed is a scalar quantity, velocity is a vector.  The instantaneous velocity whose magnitude is the same as the instantaneous speed is the average velocity taken over an indefinitely short period of time. Acceleration Velocity as well other qualities describing motion are always measured with respect to some frame of reference.  Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.  The change of velocity divided by the elapsed time, it is a vector.  If an object moves in a straight line with constant acceleration, the velocity, V, and the acceleration, A, are related to the initial velocity V0 and the displacement, D, and the time, T, by the equations-V=V0 + AT; D, the displacement, equals V0T + ½AT2; V2=V02 + 2AD.  The mean velocity equals V + V0/2.  Objects allow to fall freely without air resistance all fall with the same constant acceleration, G=9.8 meters/second2. Motion and force. Newton's 3 Laws Number 1 Newton's three laws of motion are the basic laws explaining motion.  Newton's first law states that if the net force on an object is zero, the object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion in a straight line with constant velocity.  The tendency of a body to resist a change in motion is called inertia.  Mass is a measure of inertia.  Weight refers to the force of gravity on an object. Number 2 Newton's second law states that the acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.  F=ma, where F is the force, m is the mass, and A, the acceleration.  Force, which is a vector, is a push or a pull.  More precisely, Newton's second law can be used as a definition of force as that action which is capable of accelerating an object.  Net force refers to the vector sum of all forces acting on a body. The force of gravity acting on a body is the product of its mass times the acceleration of gravity. Number 3 Newton's third law states that when every one body exerts a force on a second body, the second exerts an equal force on the first in the opposite direction.  A consistent set of units must always be used when making calculations.  SI unit s are the standard ones used for scientific work and these include the meter, kilogram and second. Friction When two bodies are in contact or slide over one another, the force of friction each exerts on the other can be written forc

Episode 24: Doctor Dan gives part 2 of his Cancer lecture series available in full at www.Medical-Mastermind-Community.com. Cancers and Associated Diseases - Part II Xeroderma pigmentosa – sun exposed areas, auto recessive, can cause all skin cancers (BCC, SCC, and melanomas), and the defect is in DNA repair enzymes. Other DNA repair defects are associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2, p53, they splice out the defects, this group is called the chromosomal instability syndromes – Wiskott Aldrich, Blooms, Ataxia Telangiectasias, and Fanconi’s, all have probs with DNA repair. Basic rule of thumb for BCC and SCC: Upper lip and up is basal cell carcinoma; lower lip and down is squamous cell (therefore, lesion on lower lip = sq cell; lesion on upper lip = basal cell) Example: inside nose is BCC, b/c above the upper lip Example: keloid – sq cell carcinomas and 3rd degree burns and sq cell carcinoma developing in areas of drainage from the sinus and ulcer that doesn’t heal from antibiotics. So, wherever there is constant irritation, and division of cells related to irritation, there is an increase susceptibility to cancer. This does not hold true for scar cancer tissue related cancers of the lungs or adenocarcinoma (just applies to things on the skin – ie burns and draining of sinus tracts). Only bacteria assoc with cancer? H. pylori – adenocarcinoma and low grade malignant lymphomas. XII. Grade vs Stage A. Grade = what does it look like? The term well differentiated means that the tumor is making something like keratin or glands, and if it’s identifiable it’s called low grade. When the cells are anaplastic, poorly differentiated under the microscope, and if you cannot tell what it is, then it’s called high grade. Example: sq cell carcinoma can see keratin pearls; can ID it, so it’s a low grade cancer. Example: see gland like spaces, can ID so its low grade B. Stage = (TNM) MC staging system; goes from least imp to most imp (TNM) Example: breast cancer with axillary node involvement; therefore, the N=1, but the “M” is worse, b/c it indicates that cancer has spread to other organs like bone, etc. Just b/c it goes to lymph nodes doesn’t mean it is the most imp prognostic factor. T=size of tumor; if tumor is over 2 sonometers, it has a chance of mets N=nodes (next most imp for prognosis) M=mets outside of nodes (most imp prognostic factor) Stage is more important than grade for prognosis; and within staging, M is the most imp factor for prognosis. Example: pt with prostate cancer, which of following has it the worst? The answer choices were cancer limited to prostate, it went into seminal vesicles, it involved the wall of bladder, went to lymph nodes, or bone? Answer = bone (bone represents the “M” of the TNM system – this is stage 4 by definition=mets) Example: a slide of a colon cancer and a lymph node: what is most important – size of tumor or lymph node involvement? Lymph node. If it was also in the liver, what is most imp? Liver specimen is the most imp prognostic factor. XIII. Host defenses – most important is Cytotoxic CD8 T cell Others – NK cells, Ab’s, macrophages, type 2 HPY. In hospital, they look for altered MHC class I Ag’s in the cancer pt, b/c cancer wants to kill T cells; they do this by putting in perforins, which activate  caspasases, and this leads to apoptosis (the signal, from the perforins, activate the caspasases, which have proteases, which break down the nucleus and mitochondria, and cell dies, without any inflammatory infiltrate). XIV. Other diseases seen in malignancy: A. Cachexia – cause is TNF alpha; it is irreversible. Once you see a pt with disseminated cancer about to go into catabolic state, can give then total nutrition, but still won’t help. (Will not get muscle mass back, and this is due to TNF-alpha) B. Many hematologic causes of anemia seen in malignancy MC

Have you read the Health Care Reform Bill H.R. 3590? Come on, it's only 2,409 pages! Doctor Dan has read it. Watch this video to learn all about it. H.R. 3590 On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed H.R. 3590, the most sweeping health care legislation bill in our nation's history. What is in the health care bill? Doctor Dan will be teaching the contents of H.R. 3590 and what to expect in a non-political way at the 3rd Annual Medical School LIFE Conference in Dallas, Texas on May 29-30, 2010.

Episode 23: Doctor Dan interviews Naheeds Ali, M.D., who is a pre-nursing adviser and college professor. Pre-Nursing Advice Over the years, I've had a lot of questions about other medical careers besides becoming a physician. Today's interview with Dr. Naheeds Ali covers a few basic pieces of pre-nursing advice: Study your career field in advance from people who are doing it Don't assume financial security, even in the nursing profession In your career choices, stay within your educational background Non-Clinical Careers For Physicians Dr. Ali gave some good insight into what physicians consider when they leave clinical medicine. Here are some of the things doctors consider when they leave clinical medicine: How the economy will affect physician careers Love of teaching

Episode 22: Download all of the MCAT Podcasts now. Dr. Brett Ferdinand  teaches one of the seven Biological Sciences lectures. Now all of the MCAT science exams are available here:  Download MCAT Podcasts Dr. Brett Ferdinand has been teaching and authoring MCAT books and DVD's for nearly 2 decades. Recently, he co-authored a book with Dr. Flowers, the father of MCAT Prep books (Silver Bullet MCAT).

Episode 21: This is a General Chemistry 101 overview for the MCAT. Get ready for more specific and detailed podcasts on a WEEKLY basis. Conservation of Mass The Law of Conservation of Mass state that there are no detectable changes in mass in any chemical reaction.  This indicates that there are the same number of atoms of each types present after a chemical reaction as there were before the reaction.  A balanced equation shows equal numbers of each type of atom on each side of the equation and is, thereby, consistent with the Law of Conservation of Mass. MCAT Equations (download complete list of MCAT equations) Equations are balanced by placing coefficients in front of the chemical formulas for the substances involved in the reactions.  It is possible to predict the products of simple reactions by analogy to known reactions and by use of the periodic table.  Among the reactions, there are the followings: One; combustion in oxygen in which an organic compound reacts with oxygen forming carbon dioxide, water and possibly other products depending on the composition of the compound. Two; neutralization reaction in which an acid plus a base react to form water or another neutral compound and a salt.  There are precipitation reactions in which one of the products over reaction between two substances in solution is insoluble in the solution.  The coefficient in a balanced equation can be interpreted as either the relative number of formula units involved in the reaction or the relative number of moles. Avagadro's Number A mole of any substance is Avogadro's number, which is 6.02 x 1023 of formula units of that substance.  The mass of a mole of atoms, molecules or ions is the formula weight expressed in grams.  For example, a single molecule of water, H2O, weighs 18 amu, which are atomic mass units.  A mole of water weighs 18 grams.  The empirical formula, or simplest formula, of a substance expresses the composition in terms of the smallest possible set of whole number subscripts denoting the relative number of atoms.  The mole concept can be used to determine the empirical formula of a compound and calculate the quantities involved in chemical reactions.  In dealing with reactions between substances and solutions, it is convenient to employ the concept of solution concentration. Molarity Molarity is defined as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.  Molarity serves as a conversion factor for interconverting solution volume and number of moles of solute. Chemical equations and energy We will look specifically at the energy and the first law of thermodynamics.  Energy can be measured in terms of the ability to accomplish work or transfer heat.  An object may possess potential energy because of its position relative to another object or because of its composition.  Thus, chemical energy is potential energy which can be released when the object undergoes a chemical change.  An object may possess kinetic energy because if it's relative motion to another object.  The first law of thermodynamics also referred to as the law of conservation of energy states that in any change that occurs in nature, the total energy of the universe remains constant. It is often convenient to consider one portion of nature called the system as separate from all the rest called the surroundings.  According to the first law of thermodynamics any energy gained by the system in a change must equal the energy lost from the surroundings.  Any process in which heat energy is lost to the surroundings is termed "exothermic".  On the other hand, when heat energy is absorbed by the system from the surroundings, the process is termed "endothermic". Heat changes occurring at constant pressure are of special interest.  The heat gained or lost by the system in a process occurring at constant pressure is termed the enthalpy change, represented by the symbol delta H.  This quantity is negative for an exothermic proc