I have seen the light...and it's a 21" flat panel

[Adcadet]

So my father recently bought his own optometry practice, and out of the blue a local news station announces that they are doing a little story on the new business. Now, the place previously has been a bit....um...run down. My dad plans on sprucing the place up, but this news story has dramatically increased the pace of things. The other day he asked if I had a 15" monitor I could loan him. He wants to put a computer monitor on a counter to give the appearance of being in the 20th century. He asked for a small monitor since the desk it will sit on during the filming of the news piece is not very deep - only about 18". Well, being the techno-nerd that I am, I did what anybody would do - I ran out to my local Best Buy and made a sale guy's day. He saw me looking at flat panels, asked if he could help me with anything, and I calmly said "I need your biggest, baddest, most awe-inspiring LCD. Price is irrelevant." After confirming the 14 day return policy without a restocking fee, I walked out with a Samsung SyncMaster 213T. 21", and it runs 1600X1200 native. I'm on it now, and it is completely amazing. It blows away my two 19" CRTs - a LG Studioworks 995E and a Samsung SyncMaster 950p. And it's much brighter than the UltraSharp LCD on my Dell Inspiron 8200. Returning this is going to be very, very hard. If I had a spare $1400, I'd think about keeping it.

If anybody needs me, I'll be here, in front of my computer for the next 14 days with a towel under my chin to catch the drool. I'm planning on sleeping here, and I may skip work.

 

[CityK]

I like the looks of that model, and also admire it simply because they have done away with the wall wart this time (or at least that is my understanding, maybe you can confirm Andy).

CK

 

[Adcadet]

nope, no wall wort on this model.

A nice an simple design. And the base lets it rotate from landscape to portorate, something many models these days don't do.

 

[CougTek]

You American fellows have 1400$ 21" Samsung flat panels stock at local stores...

...Damn I hate you all. It's unfair, you ear me. UNFAIR!

Here, pretty much the only monitors that are in stock at computer stores are low-end Viewsonic A series, low-end LG, low-end Samsung and low-end NEC. When you ask for a Viewsonic P series or Samsung 900NF or 957NF for instance, the first answer from the sales guy generally is : "Hunh?"

 

[Prof.Wizard]

21" LCD must rock, I was thunderstruck when I say a good-quality 19"... imagine Adcadet's babe!

Keep it man,
keep it!

 

[Adcadet]

PW - I'm not sure how your medical education is being financed, but I'm paying for mine. My first year of med school will cost $25K in tuition, with another $20K in other expenses (at least that's my school's budget - I should be able to live on much less). I'm not sure I can really afford a $1400 monitor.

 

[Piyono]

A mere twenty-one inches?
Let's not forget about Apple's 23" Cinema Display, which, incidentally I just saw IRL for the first time last week (at CPUsed on Dupont for all you T-Dot-ians).
Mine for the paltry sum of CAD$3199. A pittance. Who needs food, anyway, right?
*sigh*


Piyono

 

[Prof.Wizard]

PW - I'm not sure how your medical education is being financed, but I'm paying for mine.

Depends the country. In Greece for example it's gratis. In Italy some €1000, in the UK it can even arrive to circa €3000 for top med schools.

These prices are only for EU nationals

Of course I'm talking about public unis.

 

[Mercutio]

Amy's first year was a little under $22,000. That was almost three years ago.

I wrote a check.

She dropped out.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

Prices for med school in the USA are insane. Even public med schools are probably off-limits for many young aspirant premeds there. It's a shame IMO.

 

[Adcadet]

Prices for med school in the USA are insane. Even public med schools are probably off-limits for many young aspirant premeds there. It's a shame IMO.

Since you're pretty much guaranteed a job after graduation (avg. physician salary in the US is a bit above $200K), you can take out loans to pay for school. I believe the only people who can't get the money are those with really bad credit and who want to go to the few highest-priced private schools (like George Washington University, where the total annual cost is about $65,000/year, and that's living a fair distance from their campus in Washington DC).

 

[Handruin]

A mere twenty-one inches?
Let's not forget about Apple's 23" Cinema Display, which, incidentally I just saw IRL for the first time last week (at CPUsed on Dupont for all you T-Dot-ians).
Mine for the paltry sum of CAD$3199. A pittance. Who needs food, anyway, right?
*sigh*


Piyono

I saw this monitor at the mall last night inside of an Apple store. Not bad! I can't say the $2000 price tag was appealing, but the monitor looked decent.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

Since you're pretty much guaranteed a job after graduation

Where? Not in all regions/States right away AFAIK...

avg. physician salary in the US is a bit above $200K)

When and for which specialties? Don't tell me this is a starting salary for family practice, I won't buy it.

 

[Howell]

avg. physician salary in the US is a bit above $200K)

When and for which specialties? Don't tell me this is a starting salary for family practice, I won't buy it.

It certainly isn't $200K for pediatricians.

 

[Adcadet]

Pediatricians average $145,000/year, and are among the lowest paid physicians. The only specialties earning less are Psychiatry (140K) and Family Practice (135K). The highest two groups are Cardiology and Diagnostic Radiology at $300K/year each.

It's a shame the most important physician link in our health care system (primary care docs) tend to earn the least. But then again, the training for these is usually "only" 3 years past med school, compared to 5 for cardiology and diagnostic radiology. It could be worse: pediatric neurosurgery and pediatric thoracic surgery both take 8 years.

*Souce: Taken From Iserson's Getting Into a Residency, which cites American Medical Association Physician Socioeconomic Statistics 2000-2002.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

I'm going for Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery. :wink:
It should only take a year or two of fellowship. So I guess pretty more or less 8 years as well.

Functional neurosurgery is that science that involves surgery to change the function of the nervous system - to lessen the impact of a brain that is malfunctioning, as in movement disorder surgery, or to diminish the function of a nervous system that is responding to an abnormal stimulus, as in cancer pain.

Stereotactic surgery is that science that involves precise targeting of a structure within the brain, whether it be an anatomical target or a brain tumor. It is based on three-dimensional constructs, and allows the surgeon to place a probe - an electrode, radiation therapy beam, or resection instrument -- exactly where the x-ray or imaging study indicates.

Functional neurosurgery involves diseases seen more often by neurologists than neurosurgeons, and demands specialized knowledge in the pathophysiology of such maladies and applied neurophysiological techniques.

Stereotactic neurosurgery involves techniques that every neurosurgeon should know. Image guidance can enhance many procedures, to the benefit of both patient and surgeon. Every neurosurgeon should know what can be treated by stereotactic radiosurgery or conformal stereotactic radiotherapy to make the best decisions for the type of treatment and how aggressive to be in the operating room.

 

[Adcadet]

Since you're pretty much guaranteed a job after graduation

Where? Not in all regions/States right away AFAIK...

Have you ever heard of a medical graduate not matching and then not being able to find anything after scrambling? Every year there are some people who want to go into a few select specialties, don't match, and end up doing a "transitional" or "non-categorical" internship in something other than what they ultimately want to do - IM, FP, and G.surg (for those trying to get into ortho surg) come to mind.

In 2002, the average specialty offering PGY-1 positions through the NRMP PGY-1 match filled 89.5% of their spots. Some programs filled essentially all spots (ortho surg at 99%, EM at 98%, Peds-Primary 97%, Anesth 96%). And this does not include the several specialties that don't use the PGY-1 NRMT such as optho, neur, neurosurg, urology, and a few others.

Now, getting a job after residency is another matter. My understanding is that once you have completed residency, it's more a matter of getting a position where you want it than if you get a position.

And after completing a residency

 

[Adcadet]

PW - is your medical training structured more like the British system in which you go from high school straight to med school for a 6 year program (I think it's 6), then on to specialize?

 

[Prof.Wizard]

In 2002, the average specialty offering PGY-1 positions through the NRMP PGY-1 match filled 89.5% of their spots. Some programs filled essentially all spots (ortho surg at 99%, EM at 98%, Peds-Primary 97%, Anesth 96%). And this does not include the several specialties that don't use the PGY-1 NRMT such as optho, neur, neurosurg, urology, and a few others.

Wait a second, I doubt these percentiles got all their first selection. You see things from a DoH perspective (understandable since you're an Epidemiology grad) to "fill the spots", but what about getting the residency you wanted, meaning 1st match? Listen, I've been an AMSA "New Physician" subscriber for a long time now and I've read some pretty freaking stories there.

Now, getting a job after residency is another matter. My understanding is that once you have completed residency, it's more a matter of getting a position where you want it than if you get a position.

And after completing a residency

Well, I was actually talking about this.
I doubt it is easy to open a practice in big cities downtown in West or East Coast. Of course you can always settle in rural midland America... Yak!

------------------------
Yes, like the British. Although I prefer to call it "continental" because the British used to have 5-year courses and only recently they settled on the EU directive for compulsory 6-year medical education.

I'm in my fifth year, I expect to graduate in a couple of years (with my MD thesis).

 

[Adcadet]

do all "continental" programs require a thesis for the MD? In the US the majority of schools do not. In fact, I've only found a few that do. But then again it seems like you guys get streamlined into an area faster - word on the street is that most med students here in the US have only a faint idea of what they want to go into when they start their clinical years (MS3) - meaning that in the US you'll have graduated from high school, did 4 years of college, then two years of med school (and perhaps an additional degree in there for some) before you start seriously thinking about what you want to do.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

do all "continental" programs require a thesis for the MD?

Not all,
in my home country (Greece) and some others you get the MD title by just graduating. In Germany and UK the MD degree is if you actually opt-in for research while or after you graduate, respectively. In Italy we have a compulsory degree thesis in all faculties.

This is good for us, I think, cause this way I can use my thesis experience as a step-stone for a more complete CV to gain access to better residency programs or PhDs. But as you understand, more work...

Let me tell you something, I wish med school (and law school) were graduate schools here as well. We would have less unemployed or underemployed in these professional fields. Becoming a lawyer or a physician requires mature thinking, something that one might not have while choosing med/law school at 18.

 

[Adcadet]

ah, the non-research is the MBB (or something like that)? And the MD is more like a US PhD.

Yeah, more research, better CV, but more work. I'm currently planning on doing my PhD during medical school - so there's another 2-3 years (most PhDs, even for those doing an MD/PhD is ~4 years, but since I'm already in my lab, and since the coursework - pharmacology-is mostly tought during the MD years, it's significantly shorter).

 

[iGary]

You American fellows have 1400$ 21" Samsung flat panels stock at local stores...

I've seen 'em locally for US$1249 (+ 8.5% sales tax).

 

[Prof.Wizard]

ah, the non-research is the MBB (or something like that)? .

Depends the country and even the university. University of London gives MB BS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) degrees. Oxford gives the same with other names.
In Germany normal medical graduates are just called Artz. You get the Dr. Med. only if have done MD. BTW in Germany the MD-thesis research is integrated with the course, like your own combined Medical Scientist MD/PhDs.

And the MD is more like a US PhD

I would say no. We have in Europe PhDs in Medicine too. They have to be 3-5 years long, like yours. MD is more integrated with the research you do when still in med school or in the clinic immediately after. In any case the real bench-and-bedside research is done in PhDs.

I'm currently planning on doing my PhD during medical school - so there's another 2-3 years (most PhDs, even for those doing an MD/PhD is ~4 years, but since I'm already in my lab, and since the coursework - pharmacology-is mostly tought during the MD years, it's significantly shorter).

Good luck man. You got a long way!

PS. If you need me to upload you any of Scrubs episodes, lemme know. I have them almost all, seasons 1 and 2. :wink:

 

[Adcadet]

PW - Scrubs? Oh nice!

I'm rounding with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist today and don't have time for much, but why don't you shoot me an email in the near future so we can set something up- acalvin@med.umn.edu.

Thanks!
Andy

 

[Pradeep]

$1400 for a 21" LCD? Seems excessive:

Dell Home has the Planar 20" PL201M 1600x1200 Digital LCD for $949 - auto 10% off - $35 off $300 code B5F1D0FE7960 = $819 with free shipping (item A0055651). Features include 500:1 Contrast ratio, 25ms response time, 170 degree H/V viewing angle, 250 cd/m2 brightness.

bensbargains.net

 

[time]

How could you possibly stand to look at such giant pixels? Doesn't that work out to be a miserly 100dpi?

 

[Pradeep]

Yes pathetic I know. But for sites such as SR and SF that don't scale font size, it is a must.

 

[Adcadet]

Pradeep - I never said this beast was the best bargain I could get, or even that I'd buy one for myself if I was seriously on the market. I had three real criteria: it looks cool (which I think it does), it was available to me in 2 days (which is was), and that I could buy it and return it without any cost to me.

 

[Pradeep]

Ooops, sorry I only just properly read your post and saw you only needed one for appearance in the news story.

 

[Adcadet]

so the news crew did show up, and did film the place, and did interview the staff. It is set to air this Wednesday. And in the mean time, I'm enjoying this monitor - perhaps it's not the absolute best, but it still is very very nice to my eyes.

 

[Will Rickards WT]

Yes, I saw that monitor while I was in Best Buy the other night. Pity they didn't have it hooked up properly to show it off. Looked impressive though. But I believe they had it hooked up to an analog splitter so they picture quality was not that great.

 

[CougTek]

I've seen Sony's new 17" SDM-HS73 and 19" SDM-HS93 flat panels. They look very good. I don't mind the large frame. The overall design is still nice looking. And the picture quality was above-average compared to the other models I've seen, even the Samsung (like the 191N, not the 213T though).

 

[Adcadet]

I didn't spend much time looking at the monitor in the store, but it seems to look much better running of the DVI out from my ATI Radeon 8500.

 

[honold]

i just picked up an nec 1760nx 17" 16ms lcd. it's much better than, say, a 25ms dell 2000fp, in terms of response but it's still not up to truly competitive first person shooter gaming

 

[Fushigi]

Any thoughts on the Planar PL201M?

Just over $800 with current coupons at Dell. I have to admit to being tempted.

- Fushigi

 

[Clocker]

Do LCD Panels still suck for gaming and stuff like that?

C

 

[honold]

clocker

 

[Clocker]

:?:

 

[honold]

i just picked up an nec 1760nx 17" 16ms lcd. it's much better than, say, a 25ms dell 2000fp, in terms of response but it's still not up to truly competitive first person shooter gaming