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Minimum United States medical licensing examination and comprehensive osteopathic medical licensing examination scores often do not align
Association Between Clinical Depression, Anxiety, and Chronic Pain in the Active Duty Army Personnel
INTRODUCTION: Chronic pain is highly prevalent among soldiers leading to costly impacts on disability and readiness. Depression and anxiety (D&A) are frequently comorbid with chronic pain, but previous studies tend to focus on reporting the odds of co-occurrence. The aim of this study was to examine the association of properly diagnosed D&A disorders on chronic pain indicators among active duty soldiers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were drawn from the intake assessments of 203 soldiers seen at an Interdisciplinary Pain Management Center. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 diagnostic criteria and the D&A subscales of the Patient Health Questionnaire were used to identify patients who met criteria for clinical depression or anxiety. Of the 203 patients, 129 met neither depression nor anxiety criteria (No D&A), 12 met clinical depression criteria only, 16 met clinical anxiety only, and 46 showed coexisting D&A disorders. The D&A and No D&A groups were compared using validated measures to assess the pain intensity rating and pain effect on well-being, physical functioning, and catastrophizing tendency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test analyses. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the D&A and No D&A groups on all pain-related measures (all Ps \u3c .001). Patients in the D&A group reported higher average intensity of pain (6.11 versus 5.05) and greater effect of pain on activity (6.91 versus 5.37), sleep (7.20 versus 4.90), emotional state (7.74 versus 4.47), and stress (8.13 versus 4.78). Depression and anxiety patients also reported higher pain-catastrophizing tendency (38.56 versus 18.50) and greater physical disability (18.20 versus 12.22). CONCLUSIONS: Soldiers who have chronic pain with coexisting D&A disorders experience a greater degree of perceived negative impacts. Consequently, attentiveness to proper diagnosis and treatment of coexisting clinical mood disorders is an essential step in fully addressing chronic pain management
Key factors for residency interview selection from the National Resident Matching Program: analysis of residency Program Director surveys, 2016-2020
CONTEXT: As the number of medical school graduates continues to outpace the available residency training positions, applying for residency in the United States has become a highly competitive process, often associated with a low rate of selection and invitation for interview. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Program Director survey provides data assessing factors considered by Program Directors (PD) in selecting and inviting candidates for interview. Assessing the evolution of these factors over time is efficacious to inform and guide prospective applicants toward improving preparation for residency application. OBJECTIVES: We aim to synthesize NRMP data showing factors that PDs reported and rated as important in their decision to select and invite applicants for interview. METHODS: Data from residency PD surveys from 2008 to 2021 were accessed, but after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, only the data from 2016 to 2020 were reviewed and analyzed. The NRMP survey reports provided two metrics that characterized PDs\u27 evaluation of the residency factors for interview, namely, percent citing factor and average rating on a 0 to 5 Likert-type scale. These two metrics were combined into an aggregate measure of importance (AI), and another measure of relative importance (RI) was constructed from normalizing the AI of each individual factor to the sum of the AI within each survey year. RESULTS: The top ranked factors were United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1/Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) Level 1, Letter of Recommendation (LOR) in the specialty, Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE/Dean\u27s Letter), and USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK)/COMLEX Level 2 Cognitive Exam (CE) score, any failed attempt in USMLE/COMLEX, and perceived commitment to specialty. Factors rising in importance were Audition Elective/Rotation Within Your Department, Personal Statement (PS), Perceived Commitment to Specialty, Perceived Interest in Program, LOR in the Specialty, Other Life Experience, and Personal Prior Knowledge of the Applicant. Factors with declining importance were Interest in Academic Career, Awards or Special Honors in Basic Sciences, Graduate of Highly Regarded US Medical School, Awards or Special Honors in Clinical Clerkships, Lack of Gaps in Medical Education, Awards or Special Honors in Clerkship in Desired Specialty, and Consistency of Grades. Compared to the 2021 PD survey, our findings show continued predictive consistency, particularly related to specialty and program commitment. CONCLUSIONS: The factors identified for the selection of medical school graduates for interview into a residency program reveal that PDs move toward a more integrated approach. Specifically, PDs are placing increasing emphasis on factors that border on subjective qualities more so than the more traditional, quantitative, and objective metrics. Medical students and educators need to continually apprise themselves of the NRMP data to inform students\u27 preparation endeavors throughout medical school to strengthen their application portfolios and enhance their competitiveness for the matching process
Should physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia be legalized in the United States? A medically informed perspective
Spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma of the orbit
A 3-year-old boy developed proptosis over 3 weeks. CT and MRI disclosed a 3.2 × 1.9 cm soft-tissue mass of the right extraconal and intraconal orbit with sphenoid bone erosion. After debulking through an upper eyelid crease incision, the tumor was diagnosed as a spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma. DNA sequencing was negative for an L122R mutation in MyoD1 . Spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma is an uncommon variant of this neoplasm, and only 2 patients with orbital tumors have been reported in 2 case series. Spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcomas confined to the orbit are considered to have an excellent prognosis when treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Diagnosis and treatment planning rely on histology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular analysis