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Share Your Journey to Medicine: Write for the Aspiring Doc Diaries Blog
The AAMC is always accepting new blog posts from premeds, medical students, and residents about their journey to medicine. Writing a blog post about your path is a great way to inspire others and help you demonstrate one of the 17 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students: written communication. To get started, read our tips below for writing a great blog post.
1. Identify a Topic that Readers Will Care About
Aspiring Docs blog posts can be about anything related to medicine. Our most popular topics include stories about your interactions with patients, your inspiration for going into medicine, volunteer experiences, a time where you showed great resilience, etc. After choosing a topic, consider what makes your perspective unique and why readers should care. Another question to ask yourself while writing is, “Is this a post I would want to read?”
2. Write a Compelling Headline and Introduction
An engaging title and introduction can make or break a blog post. As the first thing people see, it’s important to quickly draw readers in. Some creative ways to open are to begin with dialogue, pose a question, or state a surprising fact.
3. Write From Your Point of View
Writing in the first-person gives readers a glimpse into your world. Whether you’re writing about a patient interaction, shadowing a physician, or a volunteer experience, the first-person perspective will allow readers to put themselves in your shoes.
4. Say It With a Story
If you have a story, anecdote, or memory of a specific event that pushed you to pursue medicine … share it in your post! Blog posts that feature a story with a distinct beginning, middle, and end are some of our most popular.
5. Don’t Skimp on the Details
When it comes to providing details in your post, the more the better. For example, instead of saying, “It’s important to establish a study routine,” tell us specifically what your routine was and why it worked for you.
6. Write How You Would Talk to a Friend
Avoid using formal language, technical jargon, or an academic tone. If you’re writing about a medical procedure, write about it the same way you would explain it to a friend. Using plain language will make your post relatable to a broader audience.
7. Open
Posts that show a bit of vulnerability — by sharing a mistake or a lesson learned — showcase the author’s growth and are more engaging to readers.
To learn more, read some of our most popular recent posts: Doubt, Deferral and Destiny, Repeating a Year of Medical School, and Small Acts of Kindness. To volunteer to write a post for Aspiring Docs, email aspiringdocs@aamc.org.