Poor MD

Apple Core Lesion

2012-02-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is a piece that I originally published in Diagnostic Imaging in January 2012, as part of my radiology comic series that I now draw for them twice a month. While the humor is geared towards radiologists, you can check out my comics at their site, Diagnosticimaging.com.

For those of you who have forgotten what an "apple core lesion" is, refresh your memory here. Sorry, there are no CME credits available for this exercise.

Costs of Becoming a Doctor

2012-02-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Impossible Medical School Interview

2012-01-28T21:23:00.001-08:00

Vegan Cheese Comic

2012-01-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

Grim Birthday

2012-01-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Not really medical related, but it's a topic that has been on my mind since my birthday.

Urologist License Plate

2012-01-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Headache Excuse

2011-12-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Closet

2011-12-24T21:00:00.001-08:00

Star Wars Paper Snowflake Instructions

2011-12-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

Darth Vader Snowflake

Boba Clone Snowflake

Here's a cheap thrill with a holiday flair for all you Star Wars fans.

What's more fun than paper snowflakes? How about Star Wars paper snowflakes! Costs almost nothing, super easy to make, fun to do, and the finished product is quite impressive.

Below are my adaptations of the original instructions found at http://dancell.cwahi.net/star-wars-paper-snowflakes-instructions.html.

Technical Support Flow Chart

2011-12-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

Chicago Bulls in Medical School

2011-12-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Dedicated to the salvaged NBA season.

The RSNA Song

2011-11-29T20:18:00.005-08:00

Dedicated to all those fun loving radiologists enjoying the RSNA! Check out the entire RSNA Song after the break.

Stats

2011-11-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Egocentric Merit Badge

2011-11-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

This merit badge is earned after one has mastered the following 2 skills:

Regard yourself as the center of the world.
Have no regard for other's interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than your own.

Please note that completing a surgical residency at an ACGME accredited institution also fulfills the requirements to earn this merit badge.

Please refer to the comic, Surgeon's Lightbulb for more information.

Surgeon's Lightbulb

2011-11-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

Black Cloud Merit Badge

2011-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

The Black Cloud merit badge may be earned after fulfilling the following criteria:

Have the worst overnight call shifts not because of bad luck but because of your bad attitude and whining.
Perceive that you work harder than everyone else which may be partially true, but mainly because of your inefficiencies.
Believe that everyone has it easier than you mostly because you create unnecessary work and stress for yourself.

Please print, cut out, and give it to the most deserving medical student, intern, resident or physician you know. For more, please refer to the Black Cloud comic.

Black Cloud

2011-11-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Kidney Transplant

2011-11-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hospital Halloween

2011-10-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

1% vs 99%

2011-10-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Student Loans

2011-10-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my medical school loans which will end up costing me an arm and a leg.

When I Grow Up...

2011-10-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

X-ray Glasses

2011-10-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Inspired by October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, all those tough NFL football players with their cute pink mouth guards and gloves, and especially by those at the breast imaging center where I am currently rotating this month.

MRI de Cabeza

2011-10-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Dedicated to my Dora loving 2 year old daughter and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Sorry babies, no more TV shows. Hurry up and develop hand-eye-coordination so you can play on my iPad!

Fundamentalists

2011-10-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Inspired by those so focused on other's motes, they ignore their own beam. [Matt 7]

Physician Pain Scale

2011-09-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Physician Pain Scale is based from data provided by the Medscape Physician Compensation Report: 2011, in which physicians responded to questions regarding satisfaction with their particular specialty. The poor primary care doc was the least satisfied with a whopping 57% of them saying they would not choose the same specialty if they could do it over again.

Fantasy Football

2011-09-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

First his hand is broken. Then it's just bruised. Come on Eagles, you spend $100 million on quarterback but you can't afford a decent radiologist?

If you need someone to read your films, I'd be more than willing to give up my fantasy football stakes to do a little moonlighting for you guys.

Keeping the Doctor Away

2011-09-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

This comic was inspired by my new Macbook Air which is AWESOME.

All characters appearing in this comic are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Applying to Medical School

2011-09-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

This comic is inspired by and dedicated to all those premed students who try so hard. If medicine is what you want to do, then follow your dream!

White Coat Ceremony

2011-09-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed drawing but have never had any formal training. With the advent of web tutorials and YouTube videos, I am now spending my free time learning how to create comics. When I'm not working, moonlighting, helping my kids with their homework or studying for my upcoming radiology oral boards I relax by creating these little comics.

This comic is inspired by my sister who just had her own white coat ceremony last week.

Oh Doctor, the Places You Will Go...

2011-09-03T08:52:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to announce the release of my first fully illustrated book. 13 illustrations composed completely on my iPad 2 by your's truly!

Download the entire book for FREE to view on your computer or other electronic devices from Smashwords.com.

First Aid for Personal Finance: What Every Medical Student and Resident Should Know

2011-08-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce the first official book for all those poor MD's out there (and poor MD's in training). Published through Amazon.com on to their Kindle platform, First Aid for Personal Finance: What Every Medical Student and Resident Should Know may be purchased through Amazon.com and read on your Kindle device and Kindle apps for your Ipad, laptop, and smartphone!

You were an overachiever in high school, college and medical school. But did you know that getting your M.D. only made you a "Money Dummy?" Don't be another physician with a low personal finance IQ. This book has the personal finance tips for medical students, interns, residents, and fellows that will MAKE YOU RICH! ...or at least keep you from going further in debt.

Improve your personal finances and develop healthy life long money skills. Proven money saving strategies for medical school and residency will save and earn you money during your medical training.

For about the cost of lunch, you'll have the tools to become a more money savvy medical student and resident. This book is a great investment for your personal finance health. By following some of their simple principles, you'll make up the money spent on this book plus more in no time.

The Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets

2011-08-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

With interviews for medical schools and residencies coming up, many applicants will be finding themselves booking airline tickets. I'm a huge fan of Southwest Airlines for the obvious benefit of being able to cancel the flight without penalty.

Here are some other tips for getting the best deal on airfare:

Shop Tuesday at 3pm Eastern for the best prices
Sale prices are removed from websites on late Thursday
Airlines start discounting tickets 3.5 months before departure
Airline ticket prices dramatically increase 14 days before departure
Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days to travel
Monday, Friday and Sunday are the most expensive days to travel

For detailed explanation on how this works, read more at Farecompare.com.

Time Lapsed Photography Fun

2010-08-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know I'm only confirming my geekiness. But I felt compelled to make a time lapsed video of a mushroom that was growing in our potted, grown-directly-from-a-seed, avocado tree (I love avocados and I am quite proud of our plant). It's my first attempt at time lapsed photography using a tripod, a little point and shoot digital camera, and windows movie maker. Fun stuff!

[Tutorial from Tucows]

Xtranormal.com Review: Make Easy 3D Animation

2010-08-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

One of my new time wasters online is xtranormal.com, a fun site with "text to speech" capabilities which lets you easily bring 3D animation to life. It took me 30 minutes at work to put together this little piece about one of our chief residents who also happened to be working that night. Make 3D characters tell a funny joke or share a story in no time. Just as xtranormal professes, "If you can type, you can make movies." Check it out and make a movie!

Hitler Gets Radiology Oral Boards Results [Instant Classic]

2010-07-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hitler has just returned from Louisville where he has just taken his radiology oral boards. An emotionally heart wrenching and award winning performance.

Cleaning Sticky Wii Remote Buttons | Proud Do It Myself Moment (PDIMM)

2010-04-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

There is a satisfying sense of fulfillment when you do it yourself (DIY). Some grow their own vegetables, others tinker in wood shops or on cars. Me, I learn and do what I can University Internet.

For example, after modifying our Wii to play our games directly from an external hard drive and there by avoiding the all too often "unplayable-scratched-disc-because-we-have-four-kids-phenomenon," a new excitement for an old toy was awaken within my family (we were part of the first wave of happy Wii owners when the device first hit the scene).

Now that our discs were safe from 1 to 7 year old children hands, I realized that some of the Wii controllers had sticky buttons from years of use (children are not the cleanest of creatures). A quick web search and viola, a solution was found. An old toothbrush and some warm water did the trick, and now we are enjoying our Wii and Wii remotes just like the day I first out ran a crowd to get one of the last Wii consoles during a holiday rush.

As I glowed with pride, having resurrected the Wii from the dusty shadows of the powerhouse PS3, my wife reminded me of all my proudest do it myself moments (PDIMM). Some were trivial while others saved us a whole bunch of money, but all were satisfying. I hope to share these moments as a reminder to myself an inspiration to others. [PDIMM]

Below is the complete tutorial on how to clean your Wii remote.

Try cleaning the buttons of the Wii Remote using the cleaning instructions below, being sure to follow the directions carefully or you can damage your Wii Remote permanently.

What you will need:
1 clean toothbrush (no toothpaste on it)
1 cup of warm tap water
1 paper towel

Instructions:

Remove the batteries from the Wii Remote.
Get a clean toothbrush (no toothpaste) and a cup of warm tap water (not hot). Do NOT pour or submerge the Wii Remote in any type of liquid or it will cause permanent damage.
Slightly dip the toothbrush in the water (the toothbrush should not be dripping wet) to moisten and scrub the area of the Wii Remote around the edges of the buttons.
Work the bristles down around the sides of the buttons to give it a deep cleaning.
After cleaning the Wii Remote, dry it off as much as possible with a paper towel.
Let the Wii Remote air dry with the buttons facing down for at least two of hours although overnight is recommended.
Test the Wii Remote for proper response.
Repeat the steps if necessary.

Money Saving Sites with Potential

2010-04-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

Money Magazine recently did an article on the 100 Best Moves You Can Make With Your Money. I'll let you sift through the article yourself, but from my point of view here are some potentially useful websites:

Gazelle.com: Got old electronics you are thinking about chucking or donating but hate selling stuff on Ebay or Craigslist? Gazelle will take your old electronics (camera, cellphone, computer, games, movies) for recycling and in some cases will even pay you for doing so. Enter the gadget's model and condition to see how much you can make.
Fiverr.com: Got $5 and need something done? Fiverr joins enterprising souls willing to do just about anything-advertise your website on Twitter or Facebook, design a logo, write a love letter- for $5. Maybe a good source for a letter of recommendation?
Airfarewatchdog.com: Still trying to figure out what this site has on top of all the other travel sites out there. They claim to offer some of the cheapest flight deals around. Check it out.

The Doctor Shortage

2010-04-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

I guess you could call it job security, but:

Experts warn there won't be enough doctors to treat the millions of people newly insured under the law. At current graduation and training rates, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

Every Resident Must Have a Roth IRA!

2010-04-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

The best money move you'll make as a resident is to open and invest in a Roth IRA. If you don't have a Roth IRA, your only valid excuses are:

You're single and make $110,000 a year, highly unlikely as a resident.
You're married to a sugar mama and your combined income is $160,000.
Your residency program matches your contributions to a 401k which you are contributing to (not very many residency programs match 401k contributions for residents).
You don't know what a Roth IRA is. Well, it's time to get reading. Here are some pretty good articles: Understanding the Roth IRA, Roth IRA Rules, Why you need a Roth IRA.

The Roth IRA makes perfect sense for residents. Sure, your contributions are made with after-tax dollars, but your money then grows tax free and when you retire, you pay no more taxes upon withdrawal. Realize that as a resident you will never find yourself in a lower tax bracket for the rest of your life. So while the money is after-tax dollars, the tax hit is minimal.
When we retire, it is guaranteed that we will be in a higher tax bracket. Being able to pull money from a Roth IRA tax free will feel like grand larceny. Still have hesitations? I'll try to address them:

The little money I can invest now will be nothing compared to what I can put away when I'm a big rich doctor: Well it is still to be seen whether there will be much money to be made as a doctor once we are done with our training. Also understand the power of compound interest. Let's say you contribute $4,000 for this year and never put any more money into the fund. In 30 years when you retire, at a conservative 7% growth, your $4,000 dollar investment will have become $30,449. Using a 10% growth and your four grand becomes $69,797 at retirement, all available for you to tap tax free!

I'm too busy busting my butt on the wards to open a Roth: The three main firms I would recommend
(Vanguard, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price) can all easily be accessed online. In 20 minutes you can have a fund set up and ready to go-- 20 minutes! The same amount of time spent doing an admit H&P (stay tuned for my take on which investment firm makes the most sense for residents).

I don't have the money: If you lack the funds because you are living large, then you need to read our financial tips. Budgeting is an important skill no matter how much or little money you make. Oh, and what are you using your tax refund and rebate this year for? Invest that $600 stimulus check and find a way to save $100 a month toward the Roth and you'll have invested $1,800 this year. In 30 years at 10%, that $1,800 becomes $31,408!

I might need the money later on: Then the Roth makes even more sense. Unlike the 401k, you can withdraw the principle (the contributions you invested but not the interest gained) any time, penalty free. MyMoneyBlog.com was able to withdraw money pretty easily from his Vanguard Roth IRA:

In less than 2 minutes, I was able to request an early withdrawal online from my Vanguard IRA. No humans, no forms to send in. Good to know. Taking 2-3 business days directly into my bank account seems fair enough.

Pumped up to start investing for retirement? Understand that there are limits to how much you can contribute. But start your Roth IRA before April 15th and your contributions will count for the previous tax year. Also realize that you can only contribute while you are still a poor, lowly resident. Once you become an attending, then you'll have to look at other options. Enough said, now residents, go out and open your Roth IRA!

Upgrading PS3 Hard Drive Error: No applicable update data was found. Connect storage media that contains update data of version 3.15 or later [SOLVED]

2010-04-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered that my PS3 80 GB hard drive was near full capacity with downloaded games and movies. It was around this time that I found a sweet deal on a 500 GB laptop hard drives on my favorite deal site Slickdeals.net. So I made the purchase along with a portable hard drive (also a sweet deal off of Slickdeals) and educated myself on Youtube on "how to upgrade PS3 hard drive."

After watching the videos, the process was going to be easy peasy lemon squeezy... up until I actually tried it. So here's the tale of my frustrating dilemma and how I resolved it:

Backing up the 80 GB drive into my portable 500 GB drive was no problem, just took little over an hour. This step and the last step should be skipped if you are just upgrading a drive without needing to back up any data.
Replacing the old drive with the new internal drive could not have been easier.
With the new drive in, just power up the PS3 and VOILA! Yeah right. Instead, I get the error: “The system software cannot be run correctly. Press the PS button to try to restart the system.
If the system cannot be restarted, the system portion of the hard disk must be reformatted and you must reinstall the sysytem software. Connect storage media that contains update data of version 3.15 or later, and then press the START and SELECT buttons at the same time. For information on how to obtain update data, refer to the SCE website for your region.”
Okay. So I read online that the correct way to download the 3.15 system software is from http://dus01.ps3.update.playstation.net/update/ps3/image/us/2009_1210_54ee80e14e479f8351a988eb9a472072/PS3UPDAT.PUP because the playstation site download does not work correctly. The workable file should be a total of 163 MB in size. So I download it to my portable hard drive and I get the error: “No applicable update data was found. Connect storage media that contains update data of version 3.15 or later, and then press the START and SELECT buttons at the same time.”
Now my blood pressure is rising. So after much research, I find that the 3.15 update file named PS3UPDAT.PUP must be in a subfolder entitled (in all caps!) UPDATE which is contained in folder (again all caps!) PS3
I move the file PS3UPDAT into folders PS3/UPDATE and like manna from heaven, the thing finally works!
I follow the on screen directions to format the new internal drive.
Then I restore my backed up data on my portable drive to the new internal drive just like the folks on Youtube.

Much more difficult than expected, but it is done. There are a lot of discussion forums and blogs offering bits and pieces of help, but hopefully having the entire process that worked for me on one site will be helpful to some. Now I need to find stuff to fill my extra 420 GB!

If you found this information helpful, please remember to say thanks in the comments. Next, learn how to easily transform your old PS3 hard drive into a hand dandy portable external hard drive here!

Medical Resident's Best Financial Move: Max Out Your Roth IRA by April 15!

2010-04-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Now that my kids are done decorating and hunting for Easter Eggs, that means April 15th is right around the corner and if you have not done so, make sure to max out your Roth IRA. Read more about why the Roth IRA is one of the medical resident's best financial moves, check out the links below:

Income Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax

2010-04-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

As I look forward to fellowship program locations and with the April tax day coming, one factor I must consider (being financially and frugally minded) is the tax burden my family and I will carry where ever we plant our roots. Below are some nice visuals courtesy of taxfoundation.org that breaks it down:

No More Excuses to Not Get an iPad

2010-04-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Cellphone, pager, wallet, keys... there are not nearly enough pockets, let alone big enough pockets to fit the iPad. That is until this sporty little vest with iPad sized pockets came out! Now I have no excuse not to get one!

iPad vest

Happy April 1st.

Overpriced HDMI Cables

2010-03-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

We have two HDTV's, a plasma and an LCD, so obviously we have needed to purchase HDMI cables. Below is proof that "there is absolutely no difference between the cheapest and most expensive HDMI cables." --www.mint.com/blog

Budget Planner – Mint.com

Congrats, You've Matched! Now What?

2010-03-22T02:02:00.000-07:00

Now that match day has come and gone and your liver is recovering from the beating it took on St. Patrick's and Match Day, you wonder: what's the next step? You might as well go to the registrar's office and pick up your diploma because after the match you're basically done with medical school.

Sure, you may have a few more rotations left, but mentally you have graduated and moved on to your next station of medical training. PoorMD has some tips to help get ready for the transition from student to scrub:

Book your moving truck: Now that your next destination has been established, book a moving truck or moving service as soon as possible. Rates are still low during mid-March but they tend to take a jump as soon as Spring rolls in. Lock in a lower rate now and go with a company that gives you the option of price matching if their rates go down. Most places even let you cancel penalty-free. For more on moving check out, "Moving Madness."
Buy or rent: each individual situation is different, but you need to decide which makes the most sense for you. Make sure to read more tips on making this big decision by reading, "Renting Versus Buying: What Makes the Most $ense for Residents."
Sell all your old books: If you're sighing a breath of relief that your board scores and grades were high enough to actually get you a residency spot, then you probably also held on to a lot of your books from medical school and from the USMLE boards. Now is the time to sell them. Almost all of the books used during medical school, especially during the first 2 years, will be useless to you as a resident. The only book I still use from my med school days is Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine, a must have for student and intern. Sell books by posting on boards at school, otherwise Ebay and Amazon are great options.
Prepare graduation announcements: Having matched pretty much seals the deal for graduation. Look into having graduation announcements made through your school or make your own; it's really not that expensive and when done right can look quite professional. Graduating from medical school is a huge event that all your friends, family, friends of family, and extended relatives should know about. Send them out and maybe you'll be receiving cards with checks and gift cards as congratulations-- I know I did. Just make sure to include a graduation photo. It personalizes the announcement a little more and your rich, great-aunt will be more inclined to sent money. What to do with that money? Read, "5 Financial Tips for Interns."
Plan a trip: Some may call me cheap, but I like to think I'm frugal. If you can find a deal (and there are always deals to be found) take advantage of your extended vacation before internship and go on a trip. Whether it's to go back home and visit family or a cruise to Alaska (things that I did as a medical student), take some time to recharge your batteries. Internship can be grueling, so enjoy your time off.

Roku vs PS3

2010-03-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Severing the evil cable company cord is becoming more bearable than ever with the ease of online streaming services. The divide that separates computer from television is ever shrinking with cheap and easy services such as Netflix.

After hearing nothing but great things, we decided to purchase a Roku HD Player to go along with our Netflix account. The Roku Player has some fancy features such as Hulu Plus, Amazon on demand, Pandora, MLB etc... but when it comes down to it, the little black box is basically a Netflix box.

We use the Roku for our bedroom TV and have Netflix available on our living room television via a Playstation 3. Here is our quick and dirty take on the pros and cons of each:

Roku HD Player

PROS:

Inexpensive... less than $100 at the time of purchase and we actually go it for free with the purchase of a TV
Super Easy to set up, easy to use
Access to movies from Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand nearly instantaneously, tons of TV shows via Hulu Plus.
Great HD quality
No discs necessary
Very simple, easy to use remote
Load times are very short as the device is never powered off.

CONS:

Video quality sometimes suffers depending on your internet speed, but usually is solid.
One trick pony for internet streaming media only. Does not play discs or media from hard drives.
Difficult to filter shows from kiddos when they have access to the entire Netflix collection

Playstation 3

PROS:

Built in Bluray player and gaming device

Access to movies from Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Video on Demand

Streams media from not only the internet, but from your home network and computers

CONS:

May not be worth the cost if you're not a gamer or don't need a Bluray player

Video quality sometimes suffers, especially when you first start a show

Difficult to filter shows from kiddos when they have access to the entire Netflix collection

Navigating with game controller or Sony remote is a little clunky

And the winner is... it was a close race, but the versatility of the PS3 as a Bluray player, game station, Netflix Player gives it the edge in my book. But from a cost perspective, the little Roku packs a powerful punch as the ultimate Netflix box for the movie/TV buff who doesn't play around!

Change Your Old PS3 Hard Drive into an External Hard Drive

2010-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

Now that you've upgraded your PS3 hard drive to a size more suitable to fit your ever expanding video, photo, music, and gaming needs-- what will become of that old PS3 hard drive?

Simply purchase an external enclosure which will set you back less than $15, and you've got yourself a decent sized portable hard drive. But before you run over to Amazon, keep in mind that you'll need to make sure you buy the correct enclosure type, a 2.5" SATA hard drive enclosure. Don't make the mistake I did and get an IDE enclosure.

Amazon has a nice selection of cheap enclosures. Or you can check out your local electronics store, but expect to pay a little more.

1 Chicken | 5 Days | 17 Healthy Meals | $26

2010-03-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

One blogger's five day long affair with a single Perdue Roaster chicken which transformed into 17 meals. Chicken truly is the most versatile meat. Cheap, healthy, good... read about her journey here.

Cooking Gets Exponentially Easier with Bing.com

2010-02-28T23:01:00.000-08:00

Bing.com is gaining some internet search cred with their innovative approaches to search. With searches rich in pictures, easy to navigate pages, and programs such as Bing Cash Back, I find myself using Bing more and more these days.

A feature that I find especially helpful is their recipe search. Complete with pictures of the final product, reviews, and filters that allow you to pick the ingredients you would like to use as well as the cooking method, it is a great resource to find an appropriate recipe for orphaned ingredients left in your freezer and pantry. Below is a nice little video summary of the Bing's recipe search:

Walmart Produce vs Whole Foods

2010-02-26T12:09:00.001-08:00

We do most of our grocery shopping at Walmart because of the
convenience, great prices, and the ability to price match anything
with local stores in the area. Well apparently, we can now add
quality and taste to the list after The Great Grocery Smackdown.
Check it out:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/the-great-grocery-smackdown/7904/

The Best Times to Buy Stuff Timeline

2010-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Timing is everything. If you've ever wondered when the best time to make a certain purchase was, Lifehacker has compiled a sweet timeline showing just that!

Superfreakonomics Review: Still Freaky, but not Super

2010-01-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to a work social function or interview luncheon for medical school or residency only to have the evening's conversations be dominated with drab work-related discussions? Why is it, that when you get a bunch of intelligent and hardworking medical students, residents and doctors into a room, all they want to do (or seem to know how to do) is talk about their work, or their research, or where they trained, or why the medical system is broken?

Well here is the cure. I fell in love with the first Freakonomics book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner and consumed the book in mere days, thus adding to my arsenal of crazy topics to liven any discussion such as how Roe v Wade led to a dramatic drop in crime years later or how one man and a Superman Comic led to the fall of the KKK. The sequel to Freakonomics, call Superfreakonomics, also provides a shock factor and nonintuitive approach to analyzing topics such as the economics of prostitution, the hazards of drunk walking, the ineffectiveness of car seats, and the profile of a suicide bomber.

While Superfreakonomics continues to succeed in it's presentation of a dizzying array of data and correlations in an easy to read and digestible fashion, the topics tackled in this book just could not hold my interest like the original. But in the end, while I would not call this book "Super," the Freakonomics sequel delivers fodder to invigorate any humdrum cocktail conversation. And for the medical folks who just have to have all their discussions revolve around medicine, there are medically related topics such as doctor's ratings and outcomes, pharmaceuticals, and the hand washing of physicians.

Free WiFi at McDonald's!

2010-01-15T13:29:00.001-08:00

I love all things free, especially if it makes life easier or more
pleasant. So, needless to say, I am stoked that McDonald's will be
offering free WiFi starting today.

This could definitely come in handy given the numerous McDonald's that
litter the earth.

Site Under Construction

2010-01-14T19:55:00.001-08:00

PoorMD.com is undergoing some behind the scenes renovations as well as the associated technical difficulties. Please bear wth us!

Going Mobile with MoFuse

2010-01-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

If you have internet access with your cell phone, you can now check out the blog in smart phone ready form at

http://poormd.mofuse.mobi/

Give it a try. If you have your own blog that you would like to see in an Iphone or Android friendly format, check out the free service at app.mofuse.com which is easy to sign up for and set up.

Resurrecting my Dead Overheating Aspire 3620 Laptop

2010-01-10T03:23:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night of New Year's day and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for me and my laptop mouse.

Having worked all day on January one, I was now looking to ring in the New Year with a little geeky-nerd fun.

Screw driver in hand and Google as my guide, I dismantled my laptop that had long ago died.

Out came the hard drive, motherboard, and RAM...

Off with the monitor, keyboard, and cooling fan.

I cleaned up the insides which were all clogged with dust and put it back together without much of a fuss.

I powered her up and to my chagrin, the darn thing started working like it was 2005 again.

And so here I am blogging away, on my little old laptop I resurrected on New Year's Day.

Find the step by step directions for taking apart this laptop and other laptops at Insidemylaptop.com.

Poor MD 2009 Highlights and Lowlights

2010-01-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

2009 was a rough year for many. Here are some of my bright and not-so-bright spots from last year.

2009 Highlights:

The birth of our 4th child, beautiful baby Maggie.
Passing my radiology boards.
Surviving 21 nights of night float call.
Coming in 2nd place in our Fantasy Football resident's league.
Satiating my techie-geek-guy urges and getting a PS3 and Iphone.

2009 Lowlights:

Our 3rd child's mastery of the "terrible two's."
An attempted break-in while my family was home.
Realizing I still have 35 nights of night float call left.
Losing the Fantasy Football Championships 110.5 to 110.
Neglecting my blogging duties for the last 2 months.

Already, 2010 has proven to be a fruitful year with my discovery of the miracle known as the pressure cooker and my successful complete dismantling, cleaning and reassembly of an old laptop... all stories for future blog posts.

Passed My Radiology Physics Boards

2009-11-09T21:40:00.001-08:00

I received my radiology physics board results a few weeks ago and am happy that another exam is behind me. It seems like from the moment we are born we are constantly being rated, evaluated, or tested. APGAR score, IQ tests, SAT's, MCAT's, USMLE Steps 123... does it ever end?

Apparently not, because in about a year I'll be taking a radiology writtens exam, then the next year it will be radiology oral boards, then radiology certificate of added qualification exam, then...

You'd think that now physics is done, I'd be blogging more. Instead, I've been busy with work, call, moonlighting, fantasy football team, research projects, and family. I actually think I blog more when I'm preparing for a test because it's a convenient excuse to not study. And now that I'm not studying, I no longer need the blogging excuse.

But now I'm just rambling. I will renew my effort to try to post at least once weekly as long as I have something worth blogging about.

The Official PoorMD Borders.com Coupon Page

2009-10-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

Since radiology residents read more than any other resident out there, I'm always on the lookout for good book deals. Borders frequently has discount codes and coupons, and this is my attempt to pass the savings to you.

Before purchasing from Borders, double check with Amazon.com to make sure you are getting a good deal. Most Borders coupons posted here can be used on textbooks, however certain exclusions will apply.

40% OFF!

BRE1129H

Expires 11/2/09

The Caffeine Power Nap

2009-10-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

We can all use more sleep. Whether we partied too much before being on call, or are scrambling to study for upcoming exams, the power nap is one of my favorite tools to jump start my brain when I'm feeling a little foggy. Drastic times call for drastic measures and to make a power nap even more powerful, I use a little "nap enhancer" or the so-called caffeine power nap. According to Wikipedia:

A caffeine nap is a short nap that is preceded by the intake of a caffeinated beverage or a caffeine pill. In a driving simulator and a series of studies, Horne and Reyner investigated the effects of cold air, radio, a break with no nap, a nap, caffeine pill vs. placebo and a short nap preceded by caffeine on mildly sleep-deprived subjects. The last mentioned was by far the most effective in reducing driving "incidents" and subjective sleepiness.

My wife and I were on the two year baby plan. We had our first baby shortly before medical school and then every two years thereafter. During medical school we had two more children and during residency we had our fourth. Suffice it to say, as a medical student and resident I was no stranger to sleep deprivation. Here is how I did it:

I gave up caffeine on a regular basis to prevent from building a tolerance. I reserve the drug for when I most need an extra boost. By keeping myself uncaffeinated, I can then fall asleep on a moment’s notice.
I quickly drink half of a 24 ounce Diet Mountain Dew, thus bolusing 54.5 mg of caffeine into my system, and then quickly fall asleep in a nice cozy place: call room, library, car... etc.
My phone alarm wakes me up 25 minutes later just as the caffeine is hitting my blood stream.
I slowly sip the rest of my Dew and thus consume another 54.5 mg of caffeine as a maintenance drip over the next few hours.

To this day, I still use the caffeine power nap for a quick recharge. I especially like it on those post-post-call days (the day after your post call day) when I can feel pretty run down at times.

Read more tips on being productive in my book, First Aid for Personal Finance.

Map Out Local Crimes With CrimeReports

2009-10-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we were the victims of a breaking and entering with an attempted burglary. Fortunately, those that were home at the time were unharmed and damages totaled about $250 worth of repair work on a busted front door and some new locks.

We live in a very quiet and seemingly safe neighborhood. Check out CrimeReports.com to see the crime activity near your current or potential residence.

Cheap Thrills: Make a Website!

2009-10-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

I started my first blog back in 2006 on a whim and it has since become a hobby that I enjoy spending my free time with. It costs basically nothing to start, and if you have a neat idea, it may have the potential to gather momentum and become something more. And even if it does not become a hit blog or website, it's still fun.

There are many sites that will host a blog such as Wordpress or Google's Blogspot. But a fun site that I recently came across is Weebly.com. With an easy to use WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) powered system, you can make good looking blogs and websites for free!

I'm currently working on incorporating a website feature to the PoorMD.com blog which I've created with Weebly and I have to say that I am impressed with the rich and easy to use features. Best of all, it's free to make a basic site! If you are looking for a cheap thrill, go to Weebly.com and make your own!

Check out some websites that I've put together on my free time include:

www.radiologyAZ.com: our radiology residency website.
www.poorMD.com: a central website for the poorMD blog.
www.friedgonads.com: a blog and website by daddy bloggers who happen to be doctors.

If You've Never Failed, You've Never Lived

2009-09-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

You have to check out this video:

I was told by my premed advisor in undergrad that because of my freshman grades, I would "never get into medical school and should consider other options." But I applied anyway and here I am with my MD.

I was told by family that I was too young to get married when we got engaged. Eight years later, we are still happily married.

I had an acceptance to a medical school on the East coast. But because we preferred a different school which I was on the waiting list, we took the risk and moved to the Midwest even though I did not have a firm acceptance. I finished number 1 on the waiting list, had to sit out a year, but was granted acceptance for the next academic year. I excelled in my classes, clinicals, and boards and received honors in academics and research.

When we were expecting our first baby, people questioned how I would support a child as a medical student. Now a radiology resident with four kids, we have no credit card debt, maximized Roth IRA's, and a decent emergency fund and savings.

Each challenge, struggle and failure brings us that much closer to success. If you don't take risks, you'll never reap the rewards.

Myths of the Credit Score Gone in 60 Seconds

2009-09-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

My take home points:

Myth: No car, no house no worry: your credit standing can impact employment, insurance and lending decisions – don’t fight it, accept it. – 20% of all employers look at it now.
Myth: Closing cards helps you. Sadly, this hurts your score as it lowers the credit available to you.
Myth: You have to keep a balance to build your score. Ugh. No. Not true.
Myth: Checking credit scores hurts. Nope, as long as you are getting it from a non-lender your score is unaffected.
Myth: Online loan shopping hurts. Truth is all inquiries in a 30 day window for home loans are treated as 1 inquiry.

[via Consumerist]

Cheap Thrills: Fold A World Record Paper Airplane

2009-09-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

PoorMD.com is devoted to bringing you the best of personal finance which includes cheap entertainment. Need a break from studying? Then why not fold yourself a Sky King, the world record holding paper airplane for longest flight time of 27.9 seconds. While simple to make, it's a pretty neat little airplane. Fold one for yourself with these directions from Wired.com.

Premed Students and Personal Finance

2009-09-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

With the start of each school year a new crop of college freshman premeds with high hopes and dreams move out from under their parent's protective nook and into apartments and dormitories across the country.

Up until now, PoorMD.com has managed to ignore the young impressionable minds of these premed hopefuls who are in just as much need for personal finance help as us medical students and residents... read more.

Preparing for Radiology Physics Boards

2009-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

While not a financial post, the radiology physics boards is what I've been preparing for the past few months. I find radiology to be one of the most intellectually stimulating and technologically fascinating fields in medicine but it's kind of a drag that we have three sets of boards: physics, writtens, and oral boards.

Overall, preparing for physics boards was not as painful as I had imagined. Still, I can't wait to get it over this Thursday so I can go back to studying good old radiology sans the physics and focus on loves of family, blogging, fantasy football, and college football.

For anyone interested or preparing for the test, here are some of my observations:

Do not read the Bushberg physics book as your primary text as it is too dense and contains too much unnecessary information.
The Huda text should be your main source and references to Bushberg should be made as needed for clarification. As for Huda-- read it, love it, live it!
Go to a physics review course if your program does not provide one. I went to Master Huda's course which I thought was fantastic.
Do as many recalls as you can get your hands on, but only from the last four years or so. Older recalls are outdated as radiological technology advances so quickly.
Power through the Radiobiology Syllabus questions from the RSNA, as this topic is stressed on the exam and the syllabus is a high yield source for questions.

Fast Food Secret Menu

2009-09-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Looking for a cheap, quick bite to eat but just tired of having the same old fast food? The mental floss blog outlines 10 Secret Menu Items that you can use to invigorate boring old menus or even make them more health conscious.

I've always known about the In-N-Out secret menu and have enjoyed their "Animal Style" burgers. But a new one for me that I will definitely have to try is Chipotle's secret menu:

Chipotle has a whole secret menu that is limited only by your imagination – they have a store policy that says that if they have the item available, they will make it for you. Things that have been tested include nachos, quesadillas, taco salads and single tacos.

So if you are looking for fast food with a twist, give a secret menu item a try. Click here to read more...

Will That be Credit or Debit?

2009-08-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

With the current credit crunch and the tenuous state of many people's finances, there has been a trend to ditch credit cards in favor of debit cards. Perceived as "safer," debit cards certainly have benefits over credit cards. But when it comes to personal finance safety, I prefer credit cards.

Every time you buy something with your debit card you are essentially handing out personal information directly linked to your bank account. Any shady individual armed with your debit card information would basically be a four digit pin away from free access to your savings.

While fraudulent use of debit cards is protected to some degree, imagine going to pay your rent only to find out your account had been zeroed. And while you wait for the bank to sort out the mess (and who knows how long that could take), you still have utilities, rent, and other bill collectors knocking who may not be sympathetic towards your empty account.

Credit cards, on the other hand, provide a "finance firewall" adding a robust layer of protection separating your bank information from would be intruders. Many credit card companies are very astute when it comes to identifying and notifying you of suspicious activity. On top of that, credit cards offer other advantages of such as rewards and extended warranties.

So next time you are asked "Credit or Debit?" I recommend going credit with the added caveat that credit cards definitely make sense in responsible hands that always makes sure to pay off monthly balances!

Increase Savings and Decrease Spending in Just 10 Minutes

2009-08-07T02:39:00.000-07:00

Ever watch those old infomercials by Ron Popeil, the founder of Ronco, and inventor of many "As Seen on TV" products? Best known for products like the Showtime Rotisserie and Food Dehydrator, his big punch line was always "Just Set It and Forget It!"

While putting things on autopilot can make life a lot more convenient, in the world of personal finances and spending, autopayments through your bank or credit card often leads to forgotten recurring expenses that slowly and unknowingly drains your financial resources like a parasite.

A quick and painless way to reduce unnecessary expenses and increase your savings is to take 10 minutes, go online or pull out your last credit card/debit card statement and go over each expense. You may be amazed to find that you are still paying for an old Netflix account you hardly use or a gym membership that you don't have time for.

Identify the neglected expenses and either find a use for them so you get your money's worth, or cancel them. Then with the difference saved, pay off credit card debt a little faster or set automatic transfers from your checking account into your savings account. Because when it comes to saving money, as Ron Popeil would say, "Just Set it and Forget It."

Dark Medicine

2009-07-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

Listening to Internet Radio

2009-07-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

While on call as a radiology resident, I pray for peace and quiet during the long nights. In the rare occasion that I'm not reading the numerous necessary and unnecessary radiology studies out of the emergency department, or answering the questions of insomniac interns who have nothing better to do at 3 am, then I pass the time listening to internet radio.

The two that I prefer are Pandora.com and Slacker.com. It's quick to register, and you can listen for free. During my angio rotations, before patients are put under conscious sedation, we offer them the chance to pick out the type of music they would like to listen to during their procedure. The two services are customizable and easy to use. Give it a try!

When to Give Kids an Allowance

2009-06-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Already late for work and hurrying the boys into the back of my car to whisk them off to summer camp, our oldest son Ethan (6 years old) stopped and asked for some money so he could play arcade games during their bowling trip that day.

Not wanting to waste time discussing the details and responsibilities of money for fear of being even later for work, I reached into my wallet and pulled out two dollar bills and handed it to Ethan.

Flash forward to after work and picking up the kids from camp:

"Hey Ethan, how was camp?" I asked.

"Good," Ethan responded, dragging his Ratatouille backpack.

"Did you have fun bowling?"

"Yes."

"What video games did you play?"

"Shooting ones."

"Did you spend all your money?"

"All the gold tokens, yeah. But the green money I didn't know what to do with it, so I gave it to some bigger kids who asked for it."

Then it struck me. I had taught my son all the things that a 6 year old should know-- lifting the toilet seat to pee, looking both ways when crossing the street, avoiding strangers... but I had yet to teach him the value of money.

And so this is now my undertaking, to teach Ethan the importance and value of money by starting an allowance. The Simple Dollar blog offers great tips on how to start an allowance for children.

I also plan on helping Ethan understand the Money Savvy Pig philosophy which simply put, is to split his allowance into four categories: Save, Spend, Donate, and Invest.

Getting Ready for Radiology Call

2009-06-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

I begin radiology call on July 1. Wish me luck.

Doctor's Pay and Health Reform

2009-06-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Reform... Change... Replace... Rebuild... Restructure... regardless of the word you use, there is no doubt that now that the government owns a good chunk of the banking system and auto industry, health care is next on the "to do" list.

While many are in agreement that health care is hurting, how to fix the many problems is a point of debate. The NYT blog offered an interesting article with a compilation of doctor's (many of whom are bloggers) opinions on the matter. Here's an excerpt:

"The health care system has long been accused of emphasizing the quantity — rather than the quality — of care, giving doctors and other health providers incentive to order extra tests and procedures when they don’t improve the outcome. 'It is a model that has taken the pursuit of medicine from a profession — a calling — to a business,' -President Obama"

It is an interesting article presented by actual physicians. The discussions revolve around topics such as specialists' pay, how physicians are compensated, unnecessary services, and medical liability. Check out the entire article.

Join Twitter, Follow Poor MD, and I'll Follow You!

2009-06-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

You can judge how busy I am by my blog's activity. At my busiest, I try my best to blog once a week. When I'm on a lighter rotation, I'm able to put together several posts per week with no problem. Since the birth of our fourth child and now that I'm rearing up for radiology call as well as radiology physics boards, I have not been able to blog as often as I would like.

I remember reading about surgeons who would twitter from the operating room and thought, if people care about surgeons tweeting, they should definitely care about twitters from a radiology resident interested in personal finances... right? <--- sarcasm

First came email, then blogs, then Facebook. Now the buzz is all about Twitter. I've heard a lot about Twitter, but in my old age have been reluctant to adopt any new technology I do not fully understand. To understand twitter, watch the following clip:

For PoorMD, twitter is but another way to utilized the Internet as I sit at my radiology workstation. Twitter gives me the freedom to share what I'm thinking and interesting tidbits I find on the Internet without having to commit to an entire blog post. I can also follow others and be connected in the Twitter universe. Here is another interesting read from the NY Times on Medicine in the Age of Twitter.

Follow me on twitter as I see my first pseudocoarctation on call or find a great deal on books. If you follow me, I'll follow you.

Check me out on Twitter, I'm "poormd"

The Housing Bottom: Are We There Yet?

2009-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Just one year ago I was finishing up my transitional year in the Midwest and moving out to Arizona. During that time, home prices had fallen, but few had foreseen the imminent housing crash. In fact, with home prices slightly down and great interest rates available, there were many, both expert and lay people, who claimed that it was "finally" a good time to get into the housing market.

One year and 20% loss in value later, graduating medical students preparing for their next stage of training are asking yet again, is it time to buy? There is no simple answer for a question with so many conditions. Depending on what part of the country you live in and how long your residency will be will greatly influence whether or not you should buy.

For many residents, renting now is the financially smart move. The pre-bubble bursting days of residents buying a home and then selling after residency to make $100,000 profit are nevermore. In fact, there are many markets where renting is significantly cheaper than buying.

To figure out if your area is one of them, calculate the P/R ratio (price to rent ratio) by dividing the average price of the home you're thinking of buying by the annual rent you would pay on a similar home. The historical average has been around 15. If your area's P/R ratio is near or more than 15, I'd seek the peace of mind that comes with renting.

As the history of home values chart above details, the bubble has popped, and we still have a long way before we reach the historical equilibrium. The way I see it, there are three ways this housing crisis plays out:

(A) Best case scenario--we hit bottom soon and things start heading up.
(B) More likely--the credit crunch, job losses, foreclosures, lack of confidence, and overall fear causes an exaggerated and overcompensated depression in home prices which takes a long, long time to recover from.
(C) Very plausible--our government's meddling with multifarious "bail out" packages leads to a slow and painful death of the housing economy, thus preventing what could have been a fairly quick recovery.

And then there are the intangibles to ownership, some of which we've discussed in "Renting vs Buying."

Paternity Leave from Residency and Blogging

2009-04-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

It's a GIRL! Okay, so because of modern medicine we've known for some time that we've been expecting a girl. But I'm proud to report that everything went smoothly with our tax day baby (April 15th) delivery.

Even though it was baby number four for us, it was just as special as the other three with the added challenge for me to take care of the older siblings at home. Remembering to make lunches, help with homework, getting them ready and taking them to school/preschool, remembering to pick them up on time, getting dinner ready... it was quite the experience.

Going back to work would have been much less stressful than the paternity days I took off last week. Stay at home mom's definitely have a full time job on their hands.

Mom and baby are home and her older brothers and sister can't get enough of her. April has certainly been a busy month. With a new baby and new Playstation 3, I will be taking the next week off for my paternity leave from work and the next few weeks away from blogging. If I get a chance, you may catch me on Twitter since that can be done from the comfort of my PS3.

Learn to Cook, Save Money, Impress Chicks, Have Fun!

2009-03-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

For my wife's birthday, instead of going to some fancy restaurant, I decided to try to cook up a nice meal. With the three kids locked in their room playing video games (don't call child protective services, the door wasn't really locked), my wife and I enjoyed sweet balsamic glazed filet mignon topped with Gorgonzola, sauteed spinach with red onion, steamed sweet potato and mashed potatoes.

For dessert, I satisfied the chocolate cravings of my pregnant wife with a chocolate souffle served with fresh strawberries. The dinner was a success and only cost a fraction of what would have been spent at a restaurant. I estimate the entire meal for two cost less than $20 with the most expensive items, the two filet mignons from Costco, costing about $9.00. But most importantly, my wife loved it.

So learn to cook, save money, impress chicks (or dudes), and have fun!

Money Wasted on Fun, Is Not Wasted Money

2009-03-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

I embrace frugality. I live within my means, while saving and investing for the future. And while I respect money and credit, I certainly do not feel guilty when it is wisely spent. Some may come to the conclusion that in order to live frugally, money spent on unnecessary items and vacations such as a 42 inch HDTV, Playstation 3, or cruise to Alaska as excessive and wasteful.

While toxic debt certainly will not lead to happiness, extreme frugality can be just as burdensome. According to Tierney of the New York Times, oversaving is a burden of our times:

Consumer psychologists call it hyperopia, the medical term for farsightedness and the opposite of myopia, nearsightedness, because it’s the result of people looking too far ahead. They’re so obsessed with preparing for the future that they can’t enjoy the present, and they end up looking back sadly on all their lost opportunities for fun.

Balance is key. If you are someone who gets too wrapped up about poor money decisions made in the past or saving every last dime for the future (which in my opinion, these people are few and far between), set some money aside for you to enjoy life now. It is all too easy for medical doctors in training to become hyperopically transfixed on the future. As Oogway, the wise master from Kung Fu Panda puts it:

You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present."

I have no past credit card debt. I have maximized my Roth IRA contributions each year. Yet I still enjoy the present by spending time with my wife and 3.5 children, our 42 inch HDTV, our Playstation 3, and cruises to Alaska.

Who to Turn to for Financial Advice

2009-03-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

People say to never ask a doctor for financial advice. I argue you should never go to the so-called "television experts" for financial advice. As Jon Stewart put it:

"If I only followed CNBC's advice, I would have a million dollars today! ... Provided I started with a hundred million dollars!"

Watch the a summary of the on-going feud between The Daily Show's host, Jon Stewart and CNBC's Jim Cramer:

The next clip shows how the mud slinging all started. If you have not seen it yet, I find it therapeutic to be able to laugh at the "financial experts" despite the losses I've taken in the market.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Financial Advice

comedycentral.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor

There are plenty of clips that build on the battle between Stewart and Cramer at Comedy Central's website. Note to self and Jim Cramer: Getting into a verbal wrestling match with a comedian will rarely have a good outcome.

Moral of the story: Financial advice as seen on TV, is neither education nor reality but entertainment. Turning to television shows like Mad Money for financial advice is like watching the Bachelor for tips on getting engaged. For real advice, turn to the professionals like Bob Paff at Integrated Benefits.

Free ($150) Epocrates Essentials for Some Medical Students

2009-03-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

If your school is on their list and you are a medical student, you are eligible on March 17-18 from 9am-6pm PST to download FREE for one year the Epocrates Essentials, an integrated drug, disease, and diagnostic reference for mobile devices (valued at $149/year).

As a third year medical student, I used the Epocrates Rx version heavily. Looks like this version is the cat's meow. To check if you come from an eligible school and for more information, check out Epocrates.

The Green Smoothie

2009-03-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

In an effort to get our kids to consume more calories and eat more healthy, I've been experimenting with different smoothies every night. One of our favorites is a Mango Pineapple smoothie that's easy to make. It's my interpretation of Jamba Juice's Mango A-Go-Go.

To make things even more interesting and nutritious, I throw in some spinach to give the smoothie a nice vibrant green color. The kid's call it their Hulk or Shrek smoothie. Surprisingly, the spinach adds a hint of freshness to the smoothie, making it quite delicious but not over-powering. This smoothie is a perfect St. Patrick's day treat that can easily be modified to suit one's taste.

Since I never measure anything, here is roughly what I do when I make this smoothie for my family of five:

4 scoops of Pineapple sherbet
0.5 cup yogurt
1 cup or a generous handful of pre-washed baby spinach
5 ice cubes
1.5 cups of frozen mango chunks
1-2 cups of your favorite juice (I use a mix of orange and apple juices)

Add the ingredients into the blender in the order listed above. Blend. Add more juice if needed until desired consistency is achieved. Enjoy!

PoorMD's 1 Year Anniversary and 100th Post

2009-03-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your support of PoorMD.com-- the brainchild of a couple of transitional residents with a lot of time, no money, and a lot of debt on their hands. Now one year later, I'm a radiology resident with less time, still no money, and even more debt on my hands. But I still enjoy finding ways to help inspire others to make personal finances a priority.

Now more than ever, with the seemingly terminally ill economy and an uncertain future for health care, medical students and residents need to establish sound financial habits and position themselves to protect their most valuable assets now and into retirement.

While it doesn't take a genius to learn the ABC's of CPR (airway, breathing, and circulation), getting people to perform them accurately can be difficult. The basic fundamentals of personal finances are also quite simple but you never learn about them in medical school. Here is my checklist in order of priority, that medical students and residents should have accomplished for their personal financial well being:

Pay off all toxic credit card debt.
Stop using your brick and mortar bank and keep your money in a higher interest account.
Fully fund your Roth IRA. You still have about a month to max your contributions for 2008!
If single, get good disability insurance. If married, get good disability and life insurance.
Accumulate an emergency fund.

That's it! How I managed to stretch out these five simple tasks into a whole year of 100 blog posts is another story. But as each task is accomplished, that medical trainee becomes closer to financial enlightenment.

Thanks again for your readership, and please support us by linking to us and telling your friends. I have just started a blog roll on the sidebar. If you would like to be included, email me or leave a comment on this post.

Huge Time Saver: Subscribe to Google Reader

2009-03-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

The thing about blogs is anyone with an internet connection and half a neuron can write something and post it for all to see. The difficulty is wading through all the useless blogs and find one that is unique and interesting with helpful information.

If you're like me, you probably follow a few blogs on a regular basis. For me, it became tedious checking for updates each day. I'd go to the site, only to see that there had been no recent updates. Trying to stay connected my favorite blogs, email updates only led to my inbox getting filled with unread emailed blog posts.

Then I started using the Google Reader and my blog experience became much more enjoyable and efficient. While the internet savvy have probably been using applications like Google Reader since 1996, if you're not familiar with the technology, check out this one minute video of the Google Reader:

Another great advantage of the Google Reader is I can bypass hospital firewalls and filters that block "social networking" media such as blogs. Now I can sit at my work station, read radiographs and CT's, while catching up on my favorite blogs.

If you have a Gmail account, you already have access to the Google Reader. If you haven't done so, subscribe to the PoorMD feed along with your other favorite blogs. Just look for the icon below or something similar, and give it a click.

A Visual Explaination of the Credit Crisis

2009-02-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

Because I don't live in a dark cave (I just work in one as a radiology resident), I have a certain understanding of the current credit crisis. There are plenty of explanations out there, but I found the following visual explanation to be the easiest to understand. I guess as a radiology resident, I enjoy seeing things put out in front of me.

I highly recommend you take 11 minutes of your day and watch the excellent explanation of what got us ALL into this mess.

But even though the financial world is collapsing, here are some reasons to be happy...

Preparing for a Baby During Residency

2009-02-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

With our new baby due less than two months away, my wife planned a tour of the hospital where we will be delivering. Our previous three children were all delivered at the same hospital in Wisconsin. Now that we are in Arizona for residency, my wife wanted to make sure, if nothing else, at least after this tour I'll know how to get to the hospital when game time arrives.

I'll be honest, the tour was a bore. Knowing where they keep the sodas and snacks will be most helpful, but when you've already rotated through six weeks of OBGYN and have gone through this with your own children three times, all I needed was a little refresher course, courtesy of Dwight Schrute and Michael Scott:

If having a child wasn't stressful enough, having one during medical school and/or residency can potentially compound the stress of what should be a joyous occasion. People look surprised when I tell them we had three kids during medical school. Looking back, it actually was not as difficult as one would expect.

When you think about it, as a med student, especially during the first two years, you have no patients or collegues that rely on you. Therefore, having a child during that time only meant that I had an actual excuse to miss class instead of missing class because I was lazy.

During the second half of medical school, being in the wards and clinics actually working with patients increased the challenge. But again, a little bit of planning and using the "expecting a baby" card to my advantage allowed me to schedule a pretty cush rotation the month we had the baby.

Now that I'm a resident, having a baby is a little more complicated. I have radiology call to think about, and the time I take away from work is time someone else is going to have to pick up the slack. So in anticipation for this, I have frontloaded my call early in the year so that I'll only have one weekend call left after the baby arrives. Besides call, I've mapped the course to get to the hospital, and I'll certainly remember thanks to Dwight that babies are slippery.

What to Expect When Your Loved One is Expecting: A Guys Guide to Pregnancy

PoorMD.com Interview with Bob Paff: Integrated Benefits Corporation

2009-02-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

I recently had a conference call with Robert Paff who is founder and president of Integrated Benefits Corporation, a full service financial planning practice specializing in working with

medical trainees and professionals. Since most medical students, residents, and physicians could benefit from the help of a financial specialist, here is my interview with Bob, and some pearls he had to offer:

Tell us about yourself.

I'm the president and founder of a boutique practice that specializes in working with doctors at all levels, from medical students and residents to established practitioners in 36 states. I am married to a physician and have been practicing for 20 years.

What is Integrated Benefits Corporation?

Integrated Benefits Corp is a full service financial planning practice founded with the principle of treating others the way we ourselves would want to be treated. Our business motto is quite simply to "Simplify, Educate and Advise” an already enlightened professional and executive population.

What experiences do you have with physicians, particularly medical students and residents?

I have been lecturing to, and working with students, residents and established physicians throughout my entire career. 70% of our clients are physicians! We are the only firm approved to lecture at the University of Maryland medical school on the topic of Financial Planning and the Business of Medicine. We are also the exclusive broker for the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians 1600 members - the only direct endorsement the academy has ever made in this area.

If you were a medical resident, what are five things that would definitely be on your financial planning "to do" list?

Residents are overwhelmed with many issues to deal with. I think the biggest thing young doctors need to realize is that medicine has changed forever. Now, more than ever, medicine has become big business. Doctors need to realize that in large part they are in sales. Here's what I would suggest all residents consider:

Decide the career path you’re taking and the reasons for your decision; whether it is due to lifestyle, income or other factors.
Get a handle on your debt and the means by which to pay if off. First and foremost have ALL your "protection" products in place in the event of any unforeseen tragedy. As we ask many of our physician clients, “What happens if you don’t die?”
Make sure to protect your greatest asset, that being your ability to work, earn a living and protect your family.
Develop a financial plan for debt reduction and savings.
Develop a marketing plan for your financial future.

What are some common financial mistakes made by medical trainees?

Most people spend more time planning a vacation than they do their financial future. Medical trainees always assume that because they make little to no money that they can't save or do not need a financial plan. Often we are asked, “Should I pay down debt or contribute to the 403B?” Medical trainees need to own the best disability policy they can afford. It is the single most important purchase a resident, 3rd or 4th year medical student can make. It's also very important to use and mange your credit wisely. Another big problem is setting priorities and time management. We know the internship year is a killer but,

little by little, set an organizational strategy. We also recommend medical trainees start to formulate their team of advisors based on recommendations from friends and colleagues. Resources like PoorMD.com are invaluable tools for the profession.

Give PoorMD.com readers a few quotes from your clients in the medical field.

“Bob Paff has an incredible ability to really connect with people in a very touching and personal way. He really helped me with my disability insurance and it changed my life. As a health care professional myself, I certainly understand the need to relate to people and help them with their lives. And, whether he is speaking to an individual client o
r to a group of people, Bob always brings his passion and dynamic personality to the table. He easily takes complex topics and makes them understandable to everyone. Bob is my insurance advisor, my colleague and my friend!”
Dr. Dave Heydrick

“Your lecture was the only lecture I’ve listened to in the last six months.” (In reference to Financial Planning 101)
Dr. Rob Johnson, Psychiatry Resident

What else should PoorMD.com readers know about Integrated Benefits Corporation?

IBC was founded to be a part in the journey of life and career that medical professionals take on. We tell our clients across the country that we are in the relationship business NOT the product business. Our obligations are to educate and protect our clients, and to plan for the good, as well as the unforeseen, that life has to offer. We've been honored to work with folks from medical schools across the country who are now running their own practices or working for leading hospitals and universities. Integrated Benefits Corporation supports those who support medicine!

The Clinical Skills Progession of a Medical Student

2009-02-15T00:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun little comic brought to you by Half MD.

Would More Medical Students Choose Primary Care If they Received Specialist Salaries?

2009-02-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

Fewer and fewer medical students are choosing to go into primary care fields despite the emphasis and growing need for more internists and family practitioners. When choosing a medical specialty, medical students have many factors to consider: lifestyle, personality match, competitiveness, length of training, and salary (compensation) are some of the major considerations. Let's break down each of the considerations a poor medical student must make when choosing a career:

Read the rest of my guest post at Scrubnotes!

Every Medical Residents Should Be Maxing Out Their Roth IRA

2009-02-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

Around this time last year, I posted about the importance of maxing out your Roth IRA contributions for the previous year. Well, it's that time again, and you have till April 15th max your $5,000 Roth IRA contribution.

This is a once in a lifetime chance from both a career and market standpoint to potentially take full advantage of getting the best, tax-free retirement income returns.

Here are some reasons why:

Once you finish residency, you'll never be able to contribute to a Roth IRA again, so use it before you lose it! Every resident should be maxing out their Roth IRA every year!
WWBD? (What Would Buffett Do?) Well according to old Warren, the best investor in the galaxy, it is time to buy and that is exactly what he is doing. You too should be investing in stocks. And if you are too busy or lack interest in the stock market, go with an easy, low cost index fund.
Don't think you should be worried about retirement as a resident? Here are some reasons why you should be thinking about retirement now.

If you don't have a Roth IRA, then start one! I recommend Vanguard. If you have a Roth IRA but have not maxed your 2008 contributions, then do it! If you've done all of the above, congratulations, you are on the road to wealth.

Borders Coupon: 30% Off With a $10 Purchase (Expires 2/8/09)

2009-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

You need to have one of those free Borders Rewards Memberships to use this code, otherwise it worked for me on a nice new radiology textbook.

Online Code: SLD5812W

Printable Coupon: Link

Expires: 2/8/09

Credit Card Points to Lose Value Soon, Spend Now!

2009-01-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

As a proponent of using credit cards for all the good that they have to offer, I was saddened to see that the downward state of our economy forcing credit card companies to diminish the value of our credit card reward points.

For example, one of my favorite credit cards, the Citibank Professional Card's Thank You Points system will require more points for Airline Travel starting in March. So if you were planning to save your points for a large purchase, now is the time to use them before they lose their value. Here is a summary from the Wall Street Journal article:

Who Needs Hulu or YouTube, Watch TED.com

2009-01-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

I'm always on a vigilant lookout for free entertainment. YouTube brought us homemade videos of people performing entertainingly stupid feats of danger while Hulu gave us access to our favorite television shows from past and present.

Just recently, I was introduced to TED.com and now have a favorite time waster that is actually entertaining, educating, and enlightening. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design and according to Wikipedia, the annual conference defines its mission as "ideas worth spreading." The lectures, also called TED talks, cover a broad set of topics including science, arts and design, politics, culture, business, global issues, technology and development, and entertainment.

I highly recommend you check it out. And since we are ringing in the Chinese New Year, here's an intriguing TED lecture on the history of American Chinese food.

A Financial Second Opinion: Why Medical Students and Residents Need a Financial Adviser

2009-01-14T23:14:00.001-08:00

In the medical field, it is not uncommon for patients and physicians to seek a second opinion. After all, there are times when a second opinion is needed to confirm a diagnosis and treatment plan or to offer an alternative diagnosis or treatment approach.

So why would a medical student or resident with a huge amount of educational debt, not seek financial direction from a professional? Listed below are several pitfalls I could identify that prevent medical trainees from turning to professional financial advice:

Financial advisers are only for the rich.
Financial advisers would cost too much money.
Financial advisers just want to sell me unnecessary insurance policies.
Smart and educated individuals can manage their own finances.

Now let's break it down:

Financial advisers are only for the rich: I remember while driving to medical school I would sometimes pass panhandlers and think to myself, I probably have less money and more debt to my name than that guy with his cardboard sign, "will work for food." The training to become a physician requires huge investments of time and money. Far from being financially rich, medical students and residents are rich with debt and rich with potential. It is this huge debt and potential earning power that complicates finances enough to warrant professional advice.

Financial advisers would cost too much money: Think of LeBron James during his high school years and everyone wanting to board the Lebron James express hoping to hit the jackpot. Similarly, there are plenty of advisers out there who are willing to work with medical students and residents at discounted rates or even for free, with the understanding that your future increase in income may provide a future increase in the adviser's income as well.

Financial advisers just want to sell me unnecessary insurance policies: There is no question, medical trainees need to be adequately insured to protect your most valuable asset-- yourself! Unfortunately, advisers looking for a quick and easy sell may take advantage of this necessary need, but then try to sell unnecessary bloated and expensive insurance policies without much concern for your financial well being. Therefore, finding the right financial adviser with a history of positive experiences working with medical trainees and a good understanding of the medical residents unique financial situation is vital.

Smart, educated, and capable individuals can manage their own finances: Eight years of higher education consisting of courses such as physics, biochemistry, embryology, and anatomy does not equate to anything resembling a knowledge in finances. Jonathan Clements in a Wall Street Journal article stated, “If you want to see the greatest threat to your financial future, go home and take a look in the mirror." This topic is so well realized, there is an entire book entitled, "Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them: Lessons From The New Science Of Behavioral Economics" by Belsky and Gilovich, which I recommend.

In conclusion, as a physician, you would not hesitate to refer to, or consult a specialist such as an orthopod, cardiologist, interventional radiologist or oncologist under the appropriate circumstances. Realize that as a medical trainee you have limitations that despite your high SAT, MCAT, or USMLE board scores, managing money and debt is outside your specialization and you may need a financial second opinion from an adviser to help avoid costly financial mistakes further down the road.

EXPIRED Free Download: "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" Audiobook

2009-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

I read Stephen R. Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" as an undergraduate and actually found it to be a solid personal development book with real substance.

If you have yet to read it, try this free download from Audible.com. It does require you to download their manager, but I was able to load it up to my Ipod for my morning commutes without a problem.

Check out the Amazon.com review on this great book, and if you are having troubles downloading, check out this discussion from Slickdeals.net.

Save That Raise!

2009-01-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

Visiting with friends and family this last holiday season, it sounds like the current economic down turn is affecting individuals from many walks of life. Companies are cutting back and laying off employees. Christmas parties were scaled back and end of the year bonuses were non-existent for many in 2008.

As a medical resident, one thing I enjoy is job security. Unless I really screw something up and get fired, my job is pretty darn secure. In fact, after every year of residency, residents can expect to see an increase in their salary of about $2,000 each year. On top of that, you can also expect the occasional "cost of living" raise, which for us would be another $2,000 increase.

While a raise is needed to maintain our lifestyles, I would say that to maintain one's current lifestyle from year to year, the increase in spending should not be as much as the increase in income each year.

Our mentality of consumption would lead us to believe that if we get a raise, then we should find something to spend it on. I am here to tell you to cast away that natural tendency, and instead of spending that raise, you should SAVE IT!

So instead of buying a new Lexus, make due with your Toyota Corolla for another year and put that raise to better use:

Pay off toxic credit card debt!
Build an emergency fund and put it in your Roth IRA, high yield savings account, or CD's.
Contribute to your Roth IRA. If you don't have one, open one now as I believe, for residents, this is one of the best times in history to start your Roth IRA.

Embracing Frugality in 2009

2009-01-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

While many may view deal hunting, coupon clipping, buying generic brands, or buying used items as tacky, I feel that you can live well and still live within your means. My parents came to this country as war refugees and started with nothing. Their examples taught me the art of frugality and to understand the old adage: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

I am often asked how my family, consisting of myself, my wife, three small children, a baby due in April, and a hermit crab, are able to survive on just my resident salary. The answer is simple-- we live within our means. By viewing frugality as a challenge and a game, we've managed not only to survive, but to thrive and still have the resources to donate regularly to our church and max out our Roth IRA each year.

Me , my daughter, two sons, wife, and an unrelated jolly old man.

Here are some quick examples of how our family of five thrived in 2008:

Transformed unnecessary junk into money with Craigslist.
Transformed Craigslist money into needed stuff like a desk for my new computer, a futon, bunkbeds for the kids, a TV stand for my new 42" plasma TV, a dining table, stroller... all at bargain prices, of course.
Earned over $500 in gift cards and rewards with our credit cards.
Had zero credit card debt in 2008.
Got smoking hot deals on items like a home computer, running shoes, a trampoline, all my Christmas shopping, and a 42" plasma HDTV from Slickdeals.net. Even got 6 months of free Blockbuster All Access.
When items like our washing machine and DVD player stopped working, a quick Google search helped me fix both with less than $2.00 of materials.
I demonstrated self control by foregoing an Xbox 360 or PS3 for another year and gave new life to my old school Xbox by teaching my boys how to play Halo over the Christmas break. While mom may does not seemed too please, hours and hours of quality father and son time were spent working on hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
Made enough money from various PoorMD.com ventures to buy a PS3, but decided to put it towards maxing my Roth IRA. How's that for self control.

Here's a story from MSNBC about a family of seven living debt free on $44,000 a year, while people like Britney Spears can't seem to save any of her $737,000 per month income and Hulk Hogan manages to spend twice his $57,000 per month income! If "green" was the buzz word of 2008, let's make "frugality" the buzz word of 2009.

Borders 40% off any book in store

2009-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

This 40% off printable coupon expires 1/6/2009 and is valid with a FREE Borders Rewards membership only.

Certain exclusions apply. No rain checks, special orders, or reservations. Excludes previous and online purchases, magazines, comics, coupon books, eBooks, audiobooks, Smartbox products, Rosetta Stone® software, and shipping.