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Jesse F. Simon, DO

Guides, reflections, and thoughts on succeeding in medical school, medicine, and balancing it all with family life—penned by a diagnostic radiology resident, husband, and dad.

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Latest posts

Two Weeks Later: Reflections After the ICU

✍️ This post is a follow-up to The Night Before the ICU —a piece I wrote on the eve of starting my first meaningful rotation as an intern. I'm writing this now while on an elective, having just finished my two weeks in the ICU.

The Night Before the ICU

I’m afraid. Afraid of failing in a high-stakes setting. It feels like I haven’t done a meaningful medicine rotation since third year of medical school, and now, I’m about to start a two-week ICU rotation—managing nearly ten patients, introducing myself

Facing My Fear: Why I Let Go of GI and Chose Radiology Instead

I entered medical school unsure of my path but convinced I wasn't "competitive enough" for radiology. This is the story of how I let go of someone else's dream, faced my fear of failure, and ultimately found the specialty that felt right for me.

How to Prepare for Your Radiology Residency Interview: Common Questions & Tips

Interviews were conversational. They're not about grilling you (most of the time). They're about fit. You get 15-20 minutes per interviewer. Make it count. Here's what I learned, what I was asked, and how I prepared. 🤔 Think: Can they imagine sitting next

10 High-Yield Tips for Matching into Diagnostic Radiology

Medical students already know the essentials of matching into residency: good grades, board scores, extracurriculars, and research. But what are the lesser-known strategies that can give you a competitive edge? Here are my 10 high-yield tips to help you succeed in matching into a U.S. Diagnostic Radiology

My COMLEX LEVEL & USMLE STEP 2 Write-Up

Outlined below is the study strategy and plan that I used to prepare for COMLEX LEVEL 2 & USMLE STEP 2 medical board exams. This strategy is a continuation of how I studied for LEVEL & STEP 1 . I recommend reading that article as well, since I will avoid repeating

Let Them Drive: A Radiology Rotation Experience

Unlike traditional medical school rotations, such as Internal Medicine or General Surgery, radiology rotations can be challenging for students because we offer little direct value to the residents and attendings we shadow. Sure, I can help catch typos in their reports, but for the most part, I’m just

Faith Over Fear: Thoughts on the Match

The Match can be a horribly stressful time. Since submitting my ERAS application in late-September, I find myself thinking about my future in medicine all too often. I’ve worked so hard for the last three years trying to do everything possible to increase my chances of matching

Fainting in the OR

"We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." - Carl Jung "I can't believe this is happening again," I thought to myself in a slight panic as I felt the blood leaving my brain and pooling in my legs.

Cerebral Palsy Fundraiser

My nephew, Jack, was born with cerebral palsy and has undergone a battery of tests and procedures to ultimately diagnose and treat him properly. He recently underwent a difficult tendon transfer operation to increase his chances of having the ability to walk.  In honor of Jack, and my sister

My Low-Stress COMLEX LEVEL & USMLE STEP 1 Write-Up

Outlined below is the study strategy that I used to prepare for LEVEL & STEP 1 medical board exams. I have used an Anki-focused approach with the AnKing deck on AnkiHub since the beginning of medical school, which significantly affected the decisions I made for myself regarding boards prep.

So Good They Can't Ignore You

You can purchase the book here: Hardcover | Kindle Rule #1: Don’t Follow Your Passion 💡 The Passion Hypothesis: The key to occupational happiness is to first figure out what you’re passionate about and then find a job that matches this passion. Newport explains why he believes

How to Set Up The 8BitDo Controller for Anki in Medical School (MacOS)

Anki is a popular flashcard application used by medical students worldwide to help remember all the information that we learn in school. Given that we spend so much time sitting at a computer, it’s important to have ergonomic alternatives that both enhance studying and protect our body. This

Antifragility In Medicine

The following is an essay of mine that was recently published in NSU-KPCOM's student newsletter, SGA Rounds . You can access the full newsletter edition here . With permission from the publisher, the full essay can be read below. At times, many of us might naturally tend to avoid

My Favorite Books from the First Half of 2022

I managed to read 18 books during the first half of 2022. Below, I’ve included short summaries of my favorites that I’d recommend to just about anyone. You can find the complete list at the end. The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin | Paperback I loved