Poor MD

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

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.

Free $25 Starter Bonus with the Best 529 Savings Plan: Ohio CollegeAdvantage

2009-09-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Birthdays, holidays, first day of school, good grades... my kids are always getting money from their grandparents for special occasions. Recently, my wife and I decided to open a college savings plan otherwise known as a 529 savings plan for the kids. To learn more about the 529 college savings plan for your kids or future children, click here.

The tax advantages of a 529 savings plan are appealing, and The Ohio CollegeAdvantage plan gives the perfect combination of a good plan with a great variety of investment options and some of the lowest fees in the nation.

Recently rated the "Best 529 College Savings Plan" by Morningstar, this plan is currently offering a $25 bonus refer-a-friend promotion for those who open up an account and deposit at least $25 by December 15, 2009. You do not have to be a resident of Ohio to take part in this program.

So if you have kids or plan on having kids, get a jump on funding their college expenses by opening this great plan. To get the $25 referral bonus, the process will take just a few minutes:

Open up a new account before by December 15, 2009 and enter in your information with Ohio CollegeAdvantage.
Choose your investment fund and amount (you will need to deposit at least $25 to qualify for the bonus)
For the $25 bonus, be sure to enter in the referral code: 2505466
Wait 2-3 business days for the account to be verified and opened.

The benefits of a 529 plan are many:

Earnings are tax-free if funds are used for college.
Funds can be used at any college in the country to pay for tuition, room and board, or books.
Contributions can be made for as little as $25 at a time and can be made automatically through your bank account, payroll deduction or online.
CollegeAdvantage offers a wide variety of investment options managed by leading financial firms, and you can also save with FDIC-insured bank products.
There are no enrollment fees, no maintenance fees and low administrative fees.
CollegeAdvantage offers flexibility allowing you to transfer funds to another child, withdraw funds at any time and change investment options.

If you have multiple kids like myself, you could then use your newly opened account's referral code to refer other siblings and receive the $50 referral bonus as stated on their website:

Q. I currently have two CollegeAdvantage accounts, but have not yet opened an account for my third child. Can I receive a referral bonus for opening a new account for my own child?
A. Yes, you would receive a $50 referral bonus for one of your existing accounts (whichever one you used as the referral code) and a $25 referral bonus for the new account. Simply complete the referral bonus section on either the online or paper application when you open the new account.

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."

Jamba Juice BOGO (Buy One Get One) Coupon

2009-08-02T03:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's over priced fruit. But for someone who does not drink over priced coffee, this is my indulgence.

Get the coupon here. Good till 8/9/09!

Where did Dr. Obama get his MD?

2009-07-30T12:39:00.001-07:00

Apparently, the people trying so desperately to shove health care reform up our butts have less of a clue about health care than previously thought. Case in point, as Mr. Obama attempts to show off his medical prowess, he falls flat on his face regarding a discussion on tonsillectomies. From the Wall Street Journal:

“You come in and you’ve got a bad sore throat, or your child has a bad sore throat or has repeated sore throats,” President Obama explained at Wednesday’s press conference. “The doctor may look at the reimbursement system and say to himself, ‘You know what? I make a lot more money if I take this kid’s tonsils out.’”

Well if that's the case, then why are tonsillectomies performed so much more infrequently now than in the 70's and 80's? Are there fewer greedy doctors out there to rob patients blind? And how do family practice docs and pediatritians who refer to ENT docs make money?

But Dr. Obama continues:

“If there’s a blue pill and a red pill and the blue pill is half the price of
the red pill and works just as well,” he asked, “why not pay half price for the
thing that’s going to make you well?”

Four years of medical school, five years of residency, and a year of fellowship all to learn that cheap red pills are better for treating red diseases than expensive blue pills! Why on earth did it take me so long to figure that out? It would be nice if we lived in a world of Obamacare where medicine were so simple, but unfortunately, medicine is complicated with a few more shades than just two primary colors.

I don't know if he was really trying to insult physicians across the board, or if he is really just that unaware. Either way, I am very underimpressed and am definitely going to keep my kids away from those greedy and rich, refer happy pediatricians.

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.

The Caffeine Power Nap

2009-04-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

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.

With a new baby due any day now and having already been through the busy "new baby period" three times previous, here is how I perform the caffeine power nap.

I gave up caffeine on a regular basis and now reserve the drug for when I need an extra boost most. By keeping myself uncaffeinated, I can then fall asleep on a moments notice. Caffeine also works better if I'm not tolerant to it.
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 watch alarm wakes me up 25 minutes later.
I slowly sip the rest of my Dew and thus consume another 54.5 mg of caffeine as a maintenance drip.

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!