Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Considering your options -- Choosing a generalist tract -- Choosing a specialist tract -- Choosing a transitional year -- Selecting your specialty -- General considerations -- Timing your specialty choice -- Relevant specialty criteria -- Specialty selection methods -- A specialty selection protocol -- Advice from the pros -- Major specialties -- Medical subspecialties -- Surgical subspecialties -- Other subspecialties -- Emerging specialties -- Laying the ground work -- Selecting an advisor/mentor -- Grades to strive for -- Attaining honors -- Board scores and your residency -- Evaluations and their role -- Getting started -- Specialty reality check -- Securing information -- Residency program selection -- Selecting prospective programs -- Strategy for applying -- Evaluating a residency program -- Applying for a residency -- Your application -- Your personal statement -- Your resume -- Your recommendations -- Your transcript -- The residency -- Interview -- Scheduling interviews -- Preliminary preparation -- Preinterview essentials -- Potential interview questions -- Becoming program savy -- Postinterview activities -- Prioritizing your residency choices -- Facing the match -- The match -- Standard match schedule -- PGY-1 training appointments -- Your rank order list -- Other matches -- Your contract -- Becoming oriented -- Residency goals -- The treatment team -- The ancillary staff -- Conflict resolution -- Time management -- Covering for others -- Personal time Off -- moonlighting -- Meeting responsibilities -- Keys to patient care -- Retaining empathy -- Coping with stress -- The impaired resident -- Maintaining efficiency -- Thirty steps to success -- Protecting your assets -- Guarding and maintaining your physical health -- Guarding your mental health -- Maintaining your mental health -- Professional challenges facing residents -- Resident as a student -- Resident as a teacher -- Resident as an ethical caregiver -- Resident's legal guidelines -- Personal challenges facing residents -- Women residents -- Minority group residents -- Religious residents -- Residents with disabilities.

Surviving yet thriving -- Adjusting -- Making it work -- The human element -- Mastering the art -- Using your heart -- Thriving -- Securing a position -- Formulating an action plan -- Searching for a position -- Achieving a successfu interview -- Negotiating for the position -- Contract considerations -- Getting ready for work -- Practice options -- Forces for change -- Salaried practitioners -- Solo practice -- Group practice -- Business/management preparation -- Marketing and operating a successful practice -- Keys to professional success -- Marketing your services -- Efficiently operating a practice -- Monitoring Your professional & personal finances -- Maintaining fiscal oversight -- Cost control -- Personal financial planning -- Responding to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) -- Alternative option seekers -- Nontraditional modalities -- CAM status report -- Getting exposed to CAM -- CAM in clinical practice -- The art of medicine -- Healing effectively -- Physician-patient relations -- Physician responsibilities -- Major components of the art -- Practicing the art -- The new frontier.

Residency is a defining period in a physician's life because it is the decisive stage for personal growth, intellectual challenge and emotional stress. It is a major transitional period transforming a medical student into a practice-ready physician. This role-change for the physician-in-training usually takes place in a new setting and necessitates coping with conflicting demands, heavy responsibility and long work hours. Adding to the residents' burden is the ongoing need to manage their financial, social and work demands. This manual was designed to help medical students on this final critical segment of their journey to become practicing physicians. It will enhance the students' awareness of the potential obstacles along the way and provide them with guidance on how to avoid them. The book includes: selecting an appropriate specialty, maximizing the chances of being selected, surviving residency and beginning practice.