As a prospective International Medical Graduate (IMG) who would like to practice medicine in the United States, you have likely come across the term “ECFMG Certification.” In this article, we’ll look at who the ECFMG are and what they do. We’ll also look at the recent ECFMG developments that may impact IMGs wishing to sit the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE®) Step 3 exam and complete their residency in the US and address any misconceptions about these changes.  ..read more

Medical students know there is a ton of information they need to study. Whether you opt for long-term study schedules or short-term cramming, you’re likely trying to fit as much information as you can into your brain.  ..read more

There are plenty of ways to shine during your residency interviews. Nowadays, its making sure you looked polished on video and that you’ve triple-checked your tech. It's also (and always) digging into yourself knowing how to tell the story of your journey from med student to future doctor. Tim Dang, M.D., Dermatology and AMBOSS contributor, gets to the heart of how to tell it with poise and authenticity ..read more

What are program directors looking for in potential residents? There’s no question— they want to be wowed! To knock their socks off, you must go in with confidence and simply be yourself. Show them how you’ll be a good fit in their program and that your demeanor would perfectly suit all those patient encounters. Dr. Johanna Hase, who completed her internal medicine residency at NYU, shares her advice on nailing your interview and matching into the program of your dreams ..read more

Interview season is finally upon us! These are the times that all medical students dream about: the culmination of four years of hard work and the beginning of a new chapter in their medical careers. Though, while it’s exciting, it also can be a very busy and stressful time. I’ve been on a few interviews myself and know how it goes. With that experience, I’ve gathered a number of tips as well as great advice from others that I’d love to share ..read more

You’re kicking off your clerkships this year, and there’s plenty to sink your teeth into as you begin to practice medicine. You’ll round, write notes, place orders, and present patients, as well as learn new skills like suturing and knotting, management of pregnancy, and more. It’s all part of the typical clinical routine, each task with its own standard rules and protocols to follow.  ..read more

No matter what career or interest you have, you can probably find a podcast on that topic, and medicine is no exception. So many weird and wonderful stories come from our field, it’s no wonder it makes for fascinating listening material. But with so many podcasts to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we asked the team of AMBOSS physicians to share their favorite medical podcasts. Here’s what they said:  ..read more

One of the most popular features of AMBOSS self-assessments is the 3-digit score. This score is intended to give you an idea of where you currently stand in your USMLE® preparation. To get a 3-digit score, you must complete all four blocks (that’s 160 questions) of the AMBOSS Step 2 CK Self-Assessment by 11:59 PM PDT on May 7, 2023 ..read more

Want to know how psychometric analysis is used to assess the quality of items on medical exams? Read on to find out! You'll also learn about the concepts of item difficulty and item discrimination, and how AMBOSS designs its items to be reliable and effective.  If you're studying for a standardized medical assessment or helping to create one, you're probably familiar with the importance of having high-quality questions as a part of the assessment. After all, the better the questions, the better the assessment will be at accurately measuring knowledge. But how can we objectively ensure th ..read more

If you're studying for a standardized medical assessment or helping to create one, you're probably familiar with the importance of having high-quality questions as a part of the assessment. After all, the better the questions, the better the assessment will be at accurately measuring knowledge. But how can we objectively ensure that the questions on a medical assessment are of the highest quality?  Enter psychometric analysis ..read more