Glossary

For neophytes to the Med School universe.  Additions as I think of/encounter new jargon.

• AMCAS – American Medical College Admission Service
• COT – Commissioned Officer Training.  Boot camp lite for doctors and chaplains.
• ERAS – The residency application website for civilian residencies.  See also “MODS.”
• Fellowship – Specialization in a medical specialty after Residency, e.g. Pediatric Oncology is a specialization of Pediatrics.  These last 1+ years.
• Internship – First year of Residency.  Used to be considered separate from Residency, but no longer.
• M1, M2, etc. – First year of med school, second year, etc.  There are four total.
• MCAT – Medical College Admission Test
• MCV – Medical College of Virginia.  The original name of the medical school until it was subsumed by VCU.  See also: VCU.
• MODS – The residency application website for the military.  See also “ERAS.”
• Orgo – Organic Chemistry
• Peds – (pronounced “pedes”)  Pediatrics.
• PGY-1, 2, 3, etc. – Post Graduate Year.  Number of years of training after graduation from med school so far. Includes internship, residency, and fellowship, as applicable.
• Pimp – Rapidfire questioning by the professor/attending until the student gets one wrong.
• Residency – Formal apprenticeship in a specialty after graduating med school.  These are 3+ years long.  Can be followed by a Fellowship for further specialization.
• Richmond – The capital city of Virginia, and the capital of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865.
• Richmond is a Hard Road to Travel – A song detailing the difficulties the Union had trying to get to Richmond during the Civil War.  Also the title of this blog.
• Step 1, Step 2, etc. – See “USMLE.”
• USMLE – United States Medical Licensing Examination.  There are three steps.  Step 1 is taken after M2 and covers “basic sciences.”  Step 2 is taken during M4 and covers clinical skills.  Step 3 is taken after the first year of residency (“intern year”) and tests application of medical knowledge.
• VCU – Virginia Commonwealth University.  The official banner institution of the medical school.  Used somewhat interchangeably with MCV on the blog.  See also: MCV.

Last updated: 15 December2015