AMBOSS: Beyond the Textbook

This week, our host Dr. Tanner worked with Copy.ai, an AI tool, to guide you through the process of integrating the AMBOSS Library and Qbank into your daily study habits, with explanations, real-world examples, and actionable steps along the way. We’ll see how the AMBOSS platform can revolutionize your study routine and make you a better student and clinician. // Take the free AMBOSS Step 2 CK Sel...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Ryan Colaço,  a medical doctor who attended medical school in India, now resides in Germany, and works for AMBOSS. We explore his experiences in medical education systems, his passion for learning, as well as his role in improving students’ lives. We gain insights into Dr.  Ryan’s unique perspective on medical education, its future, and preparing students for...

Building rapport between students and tutors is key for a successful education. And establishing a connection between physicians and patients is fundamental to proper medical care. Our guest today will walk us through his experiences attempting all of the above from Portugal to Latvia to Mexico to many areas in between. // Interviewee: AMBOSS Physician and Senior Partnerships Manager Henrique Proe...

The number of resident doctors in the US who were trained abroad increased yet again in 2022, despite the ongoing pandemic. And of the more than 7,500 foreign-trained physicians, two-fifths of them were US citizens. Studying medicine abroad is an important and sometimes contentious topic to discuss. To find out more about the life of a medical doctor who left his home country to study medicine, to...

Poland has one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios in Europe. And populations across Europe continue shifting toward a majority of elderly patients being cared for by too few doctors and nurses. This combination of a physician shortage and an increasingly older population mean that being a doctor in the 5th most populous EU nation is no picnic. Today we’re talking with Dr. Ian Perera, a phys...

Global health issues require big ideas for big solutions. How can medical students, physicians, and the general public begin to tackle enormous challenges such as healthcare- and income-inequality, health disparities between cultures, and preparation for the next pandemic? In what ways are we already finding solutions and how can we do better? Dr. Omar Cherkaoui is here to help us make sense of th...

As we continue examining the differences between medical education systems globally, we wanted to gain a current student’s perspective on the changing field as well as focus on the huge impact that the war in neighboring Ukraine has had on folks living in Poland. Our guest, Olek, studies medicine at Uniwersytet Jagiellonski and dedicates his free time to raise funds and deliver much-needed supplie...

Dr. Syed Naqvi joins Dr. Tanner Schrank once again to tackle a very common clinical ailment: abdominal pain. While the two physicians walk through a standard history and physical examination of the mock patient, they discuss strategies to prepare for major exams as well as personal anecdotes that make the time in the clinic hit home. // Interviewee:  AMBOSS Content Lead for Medical Student Advisor...

The field of medicine is complex and becoming a competent physician requires mastering the details of human anatomy and physiology while developing more general skills such as task prioritization, managing a team, and breaking bad news. While each country and culture has its own unique twists on these, the foundation of medicine, health, and wellness is cross-cultural. Today we’ll take a closer lo...

Clear communication is key in medicine. But the language that physicians use with their patients can remain obscured, since so many medical terms are borrowed from Latin. Why do medical professionals and students learn Latinate terms today and where do they come from? What guidelines exist to instruct medical doctors on when to say "heart attack" versus "myocardial infarction"?...

Medical education has changed a ton in the last decade since AMBOSS was founded. Today we sat down with one of the co-founders of AMBOSS to discuss what has changed since then, how he sees medical education and AMBOSS evolving in the next year, and he always has insightful advice and study strategies for medical students around the world.  // Interviewee: AMBOSS co-founder and Director of Medical,...

Practicing for clinical cases and patient encounters are some of the most daunting tasks for medical students. With the suspension of the USMLE Step 2 CS exam, US students and international medical graduates aren’t formally tested on these skills outside of medical school. But they are still the most important job training opportunities for aspiring clinicians to prepare themselves for the day whe...

Medicine is a complex field. There are traditional ways of learning it with lectures and textbooks and then there are more novel methods such as using online medical education platforms and test prep materials. With the pandemic turning the field on its head, it stands to reason that more disruptions must be coming and along with them more complexity from startups, companies, and investors aiming...

Healthcare can be seen as a right, a product, and a business opportunity. While physicians are taught to put the welfare of their patients above everything else, they are also in a profession full of innovation, investment, and capitalist businesses. How do the fields of medicine and investment overlap, especially in the burgeoning digital health and online medical education sectors? To help us di...

Studying medicine is difficult no matter where you are. In previous episodes we’ve heard perspectives from students and physicians in countries ranging from Ecuador to Poland to Australia and many places in between. Today we’ll be talking with a fresh graduate from Iraq to hear about his experiences in med school, the IFMSA, and studying for the USMLE. // Interviewee: Dr. Rami Bahaa Saadi, a new g...

So far in this mini-series, we’ve talked with medical students who became parents. But today we’ll hear what it’s like to become a parent from a patient’s perspective. Not only this, but our guest went through pregnancy in a foreign country. Since global health is a major aspect of healthcare and maternal health a somewhat neglected issue, we want to shine a light on the experience of living abroa...

Combining family life and studying medicine can be tough. It takes not only patience but good time management to juggle these full-time priorities. How can students with children handle all this? Are there strategies to stay on top of everything? We’ll hear from our AMBOSSador Mitchell and medical student Amelia to find out more about this unique situation. // Interviewees: Medical students Mitche...

Succeeding in medical school is about balance. This means not only prioritizing study-time, but making time for yourself, your relationships, and cultivating a life outside of school. Today we’ll dive into one of the most difficult balancing acts for medical students: raising a family. We’ll discuss Ciaran’s experiences, shine some light on difficulties and joys of parenting while studying, and of...

Shiv Gaglani, the co-founder and CEO of Osmosis, joins host Dr. Tanner Schrank for part 2 of this interview. Osmosis is a leading online medical education platform, best known for their short videos. In this episode, Shiv describes how he and his colleagues are also dedicated to improving medical education, increasing medical literacy among patients, and he forecasts how the medical education fiel...

Osmosis is one of the leading online medical education platforms, specializing in animated videos with easy-to-follow narration. Their focus is on improving healthcare through better training of students, professionals, and even patients and their families. Osmosis was recently acquired by the publisher Elsevier, which should help in their goal of educating a billion people by 2025. Today, the Osm...

Medical students and physicians need to be prepared for all kinds of unforeseen situations. This is especially true for doctors in the emergency medicine field. But through thorough preparation and diligent practice, students can ensure success in their clinical rotations and residencies. To help them gain the knowledge they need, AMBOSS medical editors write and edit over a thousand articles in a...

Healthcare systems can differ greatly from country to country. International students and expats know this better than anyone. Today, three AMBOSS Physicians from the United States, Australia, and Germany discuss these differences from medical school to the hospital. Australia’s system in particular is ranked as one of the highest performing and best prepared healthcare systems. Find out what feat...

Every medical student is faced with a choice after medical school: to enter residency and practice medicine in the clinic or not. Some graduates may be drawn back to academia, becoming lifelong students and improving our collective understanding of medicine. Some find that careers in the private sector outside of the clinic are more appealing. Today’s guest has walked all of these paths. // Interv...

During the Covid-19 pandemic, all parts of our lives changed. One aspect that was drastically altered all around the world was education. Not only did students have to start attending classes online, but medical students had to figure out how to continue their preparation for entering the clinic when they couldn’t enter the clinic. Changes to medical school curricula come every year, but how do yo...

This episode, hosts Sophie Neale and Dr. Tanner Schrank discuss putting that medical school knowledge into practice, focusing on the importance of communication, empathy and strong interpersonal skills when working directly with patients. Exploring this topic from both a physician and patient’s perspective, we will discuss tips and advice on how these skills can be best implemented and improved du...