Sunday, July 17, 2011

International Medical Graduates in the USA: Beware of Twittering, Facebook posts, etc.

Hope you are having a great summer!

As you have learned, the privacy laws in the USA are very strict. By all means, be careful what you say on the social networks.  Here is a link to an excellent article on this subject:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/07/01/advice-on-tweeting-for-new-medical-residents/

It is never too early to understand the laws of the country where you want to work as a medical resident. Be careful and keep your patient stories to yourself.  Confidentiality is of prime importance in the medical world. You may find yourself without a job or lose the license you have worked so hard to earn, should you discuss  patient details and cases in public. Facebook and Twitter are public places. Even if you do not use the name of the patient, the case may be recognizable.

In addition, watch out what you post about yourself in general.  Remember that your future employers, patients and colleagues may gain access to your internet footprints (photos, blogs, your remarks on other peoples' pages, etc.), so it is a good idea to present yourself in a respectable light.  You probably know exactly what I mean!  If you were a program director, wouldn't you think twice about hiring the guy with a bitter attitude, the lady dancing on a table in a bar with a beer bottle in her hand, the glassy-eyed person in the Chippendale's outfit, etc. etc.? Even if you have your "privacy settings" on, sometimes there are accidents and certain things become visible to anyone doing a Google search of your name or one of your email addresses. As they say, "Once it's out there, it's out there." 

So enough for the warnings.... Happy July!  By now you have probably started on your personal statements for Match 2012.  Call us today if you need help with your essay: 618-207-3277; or send us your current personal statement in a WORD document: CVPersonalstatement@gmail.com

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