Month: February 2019

The Medical School Letter of Intent How to Write a Compelling One

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A medical school letter of intent is a notice to an institution explicitly stating ones continued interest in the school. An applicant might write a letter of intent after interviewing or in response to a waitlist notification. Why write a letter of intent? Medical school admissions have become increasingly competitive of late especially in this weaker economy. Competitive applicants who would have considered business or law school are now recognizing the stability of a medical career. The bottom line: The number of medical school applications has again increased this year.

Here are some tips for writing a noteworthy letter of intent:

1.Keep it brief. Do not write more than one page.
2.Write in a formal style with proper syntax, format, organization, grammar and spelling.
3.Focus on your fit with the institution, rather than using bland platitudes about the school. Be specific about what you saw and liked during your interview day.
4.Reiterate what makes you a distinctive candidate. Highlight your accomplishments to distinguish yourself. This section will be the most important part of the letter.
5.Be explicit about your enthusiasm. If the school is your first choice say so. If not, you should still make clear your zeal. (Remember: The institution may yet be your first choices if it turns out you have no other options!)

Finally, consider working with a professional medical school admissions consultant who can substantially improve your letter of intent. Medical school admissions consulting companies come in a variety of forms. Some are bigger businesses that focus on admissions to several types of graduate programs not just medicine. Others are smaller and provide a medical focus, but have a pool of consultants of varying quality. Finally, elite companies offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients. These professionals are ex-admissions officers from highly respected medical institutions. They have the inside knowledge of how medical admissions work, providing individualized guidance to optimize applicants personal statements, medical school application and interview skills.

When choosing a medical school admissions consulting company, a candidate should verify the companys references and research its consultants. It is best if the company does not assign written materials to outside editors who cannot be evaluated. Elite companies that offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients offer a large advantage for pre-medical applicants, especially during these competitive times.

Medical Alert Systems and Signs Your Aging Parents Need Help What you Need to Know

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Parents, to us, have always been the people who took care of us. When we were kids, they were unflappable, and there wasnt a crisis (yours or theirs) they couldnt handle. Now theyre getting older, and you can see their weaknesses start to show through. Our parents are human, and now that were visiting family for the holidays, we may notice that somethings different about mom or dad.

When you see signs of declining health in your parents, that is when taking action will be the most effective. The best action is to find a method of preventing accidents before they happen in your aging parents homes. This may mean looking into medical alert systems, nursing homes, retirement communities or in-home care. The discussion may be difficult, but is so much easier than dealing with the aftermath of an accident at home. So what is there to look for?

Changes in Health:
– You notice bruises on your loved ones arms, legs, or face
– Your loved one has trouble balancing, sitting down, or standing up
– There is evidence of weight loss, or eating habits become less healthy. (Over eating, under eating, eating only candy, refusing to cook)

Changes in Attitude/ Behavior:
-Your once sweet and kind mother has snapped at you or another family member.
-Your parent seems disoriented, not as “sharp” as they once were, or slow to react.
-Your Parent has begun to slur their words in conversation.
-Your parent has received speeding tickets, and gotten into more accidents than is normal.

Changes in Routine:
-Hygenic habits such as brushing teeth, showering/bathing, and hand washing seem to have stopped (You smell odors in the home like urine, or body odor)
-Your mother who was once super-tidy has stopped cleaning, and clutter has started to build up in every corner of her home.
-Your father, who once took great pride in his appearance, has stopped combing his hair, ironing his clothes, etc.

So, now in this holiday season when were seeing our parents for the first time in months in some cases, pay attention to the subtle cues that perhaps your once young and strong parents may need your help.

Have the talk with your parents, if you suspect they need help, and discuss your concerns, and ideas for a solution. A medical alert system, home care, nursing facilities, and medical attention can all help, but the first step for those that think these solutions are necessary is to talk.

Make right choice to travel abroad for medical treatment

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In February, Jonathan Reeder had never heard of medical tourism. But today, he sings praises to one such medical tourism company WorldMedAssist.com for finding him an affordable option for the prostate surgery he needed.

Reeder knew when he left his dental practice in Houston to do dental contract work, hed either need to self-insure or find an affordable private pay policy. While researching his options, he got alarming news from his doctor: his PSA test results had soared from an alert-level 5 to alarm-level 8. This put him into the dreaded category of “pre-existing condition,” and therefore uninsurable.

When his biopsy came back positive for prostate cancer in February, he had three alternatives: watch and wait, radiation, or surgery. Wanting to get this behind him as quickly as possible, he chose surgery. Then came more bad news: The surgeons fee alone would cost $36,000. “Who knows what the total would have been by the time you add in hospital fees, anesthesiologist, tests, but probably around $50,000.” Reeder said.

His wife remembered an article theyd both read in AARP Magazine about medical tourism a few years earlier. Searching online under medical tourism, he found several companies offering to coordinate all details of his radical prostatectomy.

“Some websites were clumsy, some people I contacted were too aggressive, some had such broken English I couldnt understand them,” Reeder recalled. “I finally landed on www.WorldMedAssist.com. I got in touch with Wouter Hoeberechts, the CEO, who did a lot of research on my options, hoping we could find a place that would do laparoscopic surgery using a robotic arm. Turns out, this was not an option for me.”

WorldMed Assist hunted for the best doctor and the best hospital for Reeders open surgery. Ultimately, WorldMed Assist was able to offer the best cost with the best doctor at the best hospital in Hyderabad, India. When WorldMed Assist told Reeder his trip to India would cost $7,500, including all his medical expenses, travel and hotel, the deal was sealed in Reeders mind. But Hoeberechts urged him first to have his own physicians weigh in on the choice.

“Both my family physician and urologist checked out WorldMed Assists recommendation, and both agreed this was a good choice,” Reeder said. “The doctor is UK board certified, had a stellar reputation. I have a lot of friends and relatives whose U.S. physicians are from India, so I wasnt at all nervous about my decision I knew India had a reputation for high quality medicine, and I learned that Apollo Hospital was affiliated with Johns Hopkins.”

The surgery was scheduled for May 9. “All I had to do was make the payment, book my travel and get on the plane. WorldMed Assists travel agency partner, Carson Wagonlit, got me a great fare, with good connections,” Reeder said. “WorldMed Assist set up phone consultations with my doctor in India and transferred my medical records. All I had to do was show up.”

When he arrived at Indias Hyderabad airport, he was met by an executive team, who shuttled him directly to Apollo, showed him to his room, and told him to rest up for a two-day battery of pre-op tests that would begin the next morning. “I didnt have any medical procedures that first night, and they didnt even charge me for the room!” he said.

The thoroughness of the pre-op work amazed Reeder. “Besides the typical tests, they did an MRI and a bone scan, plus put me on the treadmill to make sure my heart would take the surgery. This was all included in my $7500 bill. Imagine how many lines of additional charges would have been on my bill if I were doing this in the U.S.”

His surgery lasted two hours and forty minutes, then off to spend the night in the trauma intensive care unit. “Since my wife wasnt able to go to India with me, Wouter called her at least four times during the 24 hours following my surgery,” he said. “He stayed on top of all the details, and relayed progress reports so shed know whether I was coming home or if she could collect on my life insurance,” he said with a grin.

Reeder was discharged after three days. “Looking into the big brown eyes of nurses with such beautiful skin must be why I recovered so fast,” he smirked.

After his discharge, Reeder had a week to tour Hyderabad before returning to Apollo to have his staples removed. The one thing he wanted most to see was a sacred cow. He didnt have to look far. “Cows walked down the middle of the road, creating chaotic traffic. No one wanted to hit a cow, so traffic would come to a complete stop, waiting for the cows to determine their course.”

Reeders experience in India turned him into a devoted fan of medical tourism. “As a dentist, I have more familiarity with the medical system than the average American. Given my situation of no insurance, I made the right choice going to India. WorldMed Assist made it all so easy. Everything was turnkey and flawless, and the medical care was excellent.” he said.