The true Jeopardy fans read the title of this post and scoffed, "there is no $25,000 category!" And they are correct -- but anyone that saw grad student Sara Garnett win big on Jeopardy recently knows gets the reference. Sara is a biology grad student at Michigan State University, pursuing a masters degree in Zoology. She recently took home $25, 601 -- that's one way to pay off those student loans. Congrats Sara! Let's check out some other grad school news:

• So you have been accepted to grad school -- sweet! But...what steps should you take next?
• One thing you'll definitely have to do is balance work and life in grad school. There's academic life, work, family, social life -- but with some advice and planning, it can all be accomplished!
• Grad school and a zombie marathon -- check out what these two things have in common. Do you think this metaphor from the Chronicle is accurate?

Be sure to check back for more grad school news, and don't forget to follow GradShare on Facebook & Twitter!

Athanasia Leivaditou has designed a new product that will surely find a place in academia -- for both overworked students and faculty. The convertible desk and bed is reminiscent of a classic Seinfeld episode, but one has to ask, is this blurring the line between work and life? Or have we already blurred that line beyond recognition? Let's check out some grad school news:

• A recent article from The Chronicle of Higher Education examines how blogging can help when it comes writing a dissertation -- ahem! On that note I would like to point out that GradShare loves having grad student guest bloggers! Just contact support@gradshare.com
• Wait, why would a grad student want to take the time to contribute to our blog? Well, a blog post on our site would mean you are published online, you can assist your peers by providing information and advice about grad school, and you can contribute to the Top Graduate School Blog according to BestMastersDegrees.com.
• Alright, we're done with the shameless plugs, I promise -- check out this informative piece about surviving grad school on a stipend from Southern Fried Science.
• Here's a great list of 25 Questions to Answers Before Going to Grad School. Don't be surprised if you don't have all the answers yet, that's just part of the process.
• You may need to discuss some of those questions with an advisor or mentor, and here is blog post offering a perspective on how both students and mentors should approach applying to grad school.

Check back for more grad school news, and don't forget to follow GradShare on Twitter & Facebook!

Adam Ghosh has over twenty years' experience as a researcher in the medical field. In that time he has worked with allergists and vascular surgeons, and everyone in between. Now he supplements his early retirement by contributing to Weatherby Healthcare.

Sometimes local customs can be frustrating beyond learning when and where not to give anyone the "OK" hand sign (the Middle East and Brazil for starters). One Canadian doc, Stephen Sullivan, recounted his locum time in Saudi Arabia and its accompanying frustrations (and rewards) for the Canadian Medical Association Journal. During appointments with female patients Sullivan would often find himself hindered by language, culture, social, religious and practical barriers at once. In accordance with the conservative Islamic law and conventions governing them, Saudi women were often brought to an appointment by a husband or other male chaperone- one that would speak for them.

As Sullivan's Arabic wasn't totally fluent, he usually had to rely on an interpreter who was interpreting the male chaperone's answers to medical questions. Sullivan repeatedly struggled with accurate interpretation as well telephone-game miscommunications. A female patient would give her husband a quiet, long and detailed account of the type, acuity, location, severity, longevity and exacerbating agents of pain or discomfort. The chaperone would relay this to the translator with varying degrees of detail and accuracy, which the translator would render to Sullivan as, "She says it hurts all over." On top of which, the full coverage of a burka impeded virtually any visual diagnostic cues- was she cyanotic? Jaundiced? Contused? Was her expression indicative of pain, fear, anxiety, confusion, etc.?

Having come from the West, cultural norms that were simply a part of life for Saudis (and people from many other nations) struck Sullivan as endlessly frustrating. Particularly the Saudi devotion to cigarettes, despite a national fear of cancer, and a lack of mandatory seat belt laws resulting in only around 10-20% of Saudi men bothering with them (women aren't allowed to drive).

Obviously, those are Saudi Arabia-specific grievances but the moral is universal: people outside your home country, whatever that country may be, are weirdos. No! The moral of course is that wherever one ("one" being a North American in this case) lands abroad they're going to experience some degree of culture shock, ranging from minor (Britain) to major (anywhere east of Europe or south of the equator). The keys to learning the ropes and avoiding the pitfalls of international incident and nation-shaming are: ask a lot of questions; listen closely to the answers; watch the behavior of your coworkers and new hosts for cues and keep an open mind about local traditions.

Minding the traditions isn't just wise because it's the polite thing to do, either. While those traditions, even medical ones, may prove baseless superstitions (sometimes even detrimental ones), they can also be carriers of important area-specific medical warnings. Another doc abroad reported working at a clinic in Mexico where a patient brought in with facial flushing caused by sun exposure (melasma) was put through a number of seemingly unnecessary renal function tests by the supervising doctor. Upon inquiring after tests he considered wasteful the visiting locum was informed that the local wisdom held facial splotching and flushing as warning signs for liver or kidney disease.

While this wasn't the case, the supervising doctor is obviously more acquainted with the history of the local people and any medical conditions or quirks common to them. Pigmentation changes can be a sign of renal distress and if there is a local history of the same perhaps the supervisor sees patients presenting with flushed skin because they're scratching at the resultant pruritus. Learning from your hosts can prove helpful for common local health issues and those they've encountered to which medical practitioners from more developed nations rarely, if ever, do- cholera, polio, malaria, perhaps sickle-cell anemia and so on. Less commonly, but still a legitimate concern are culturally specific psychological ailments a medico should become familiar with though they would never encounter outside Southeast Asia or Latin America or wherever.

Despite the abundance of warning here, in my experience most everyone I've known to seek locum tenens positions outside of the country find the experience fascinating, rewarding, pleasantly challenging, eye-opening and an enterprise they've treasured since. As adventures you get paid for go, you could do a lot worse.

Adam Ghosh has over twenty years' experience as a researcher in the medical field. In that time he has worked with allergists and vascular surgeons, and everyone in between. Now he supplements his early retirement by contributing to Weatherby Healthcare.

I will tell anyone who asks that doing at least one tour as a locum tenens is an excellent career and life choice, particularly at the beginning of a career. Though I've known a number of health professionals who've used a turn or two as a locum to climb out of mid-career ruts or even alleviate boredom. Locum gigs often pay more than standard arrangements, provide unique experience and, perhaps most importantly, they can facilitate the paid evaluation of a living situation and specialty. Ever been curious about an urban hospital in Hawaii or a rural clinic in Alaska? Or considered working for a pathology lab in the Southern US or a pediatric ward in the south of France? Give them a shot for a few months (or a few years).

An advantage of medicine's status as a pretty recession-proof field is the quantity of work to be found. A quick check among the internet's many locum tenens staffing organizations will acquaint a prospective traveling med pro with these many opportunities- all over the United States and a great many abroad. A post anywhere unfamiliar can be an inspiring venture but foreign appointments often bear out a particularly exotic, rewarding and exciting assignment, yielding invaluable practical experience (that looks great on a resume).

With that in mind, however, the cultural, social, sometimes technological, religious and political differences of nonnative societies can be profound. Even in a med practitioner's hometown a visit to the clinic or hospital can very well be the most vulnerably intimate contact a patient has with anyone outside their family. Compounding that fairly common anxiety with cultural unfamiliarity makes for especially touchy and delicate territory a doctor, nurse or PA must navigate.

In fact, human interaction is so variable and complex medical mistakes, missteps and faux pas resulting from cultural misunderstanding don't even require one leaving the country. An example is the misdiagnoses of bipolar disorder as schizophrenia disproportionately common when the medico and patient are of differing ethnic, cultural and/or sociological backgrounds. If the attending practitioner is unfamiliar with their patient's language, dialect or regional patois, manic but cohesive verbosity can easily be misread as disordered incoherence. The prescription of antipsychotics rather than mood stabilizers often results.

The possibility for culturally-divergent mishaps is generally greater beyond one's border, of course. Being aware, curious, open, patient and perceptive is the best way to ensure a good experience far from home. At the risk of sounding dramatic, mistakes both medical and cultural are a risk in nearly every facet of a foreign practice. Before any examination begins the examiner must be aware of the etiquette for greeting and conversing with their examinee.

What are the local social protocols for cross-gender-conversation, eye contact, hand-shaking or other physical contact, familiarity and formality conventions, expectations of treatment based on age or positions, etc.? That you meant a post-appointment thumbs-up as an entirely innocent and friendly reassurance will probably be small consolation to your furious, insulted patient in the Middle East, West Africa or South America. Similarly, better to learn the easy way that in Greece holding your palm up at someone definitely doesn't mean "Sorry, could you please hang on a moment while I finish this task or phone call," or "I'm done eating/drinking, no more thank you!" before you do so. Rather than discovering as much after your assistant throws a hemostat at your head and storms out.

Be sure to check back in the coming days for Pt. 2 of Adam's guest blog!

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2013 is the year of the Water Snake. Those born in the year of the Snake are said to be detail oriented, good communicators, very accomplished yet shy and unassuming. They also do not like to ask for advice. If you ask any advisor, at any graduate school, any place in the world -- they'd probably tell you that 9/10 of their students must have been born in the year of the Snake! So here's a resolution for grad students everywhere, ask for advice once in a while, there are plenty of peers, professors, and advisors out there with a wealth of information for you. And if this is your zodiac sign, you're in good company, check out your fellow Snakes!They didn't become successful without asking for advice now and then! Let's check out some grad school news:

• Speaking of resolutions, check out these New Year's resolutions for graduate students.
• Does it pay to go to grad school abroad? A degree overseas may just be cheaper.
• Where are the graduate schools for Educational Public Health?
• Calling all RefWorks users, check out the recently launched RefWorks Community -- it provides blogs, resources and updates about everything RefWorks!

Check back for more grad school news, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter & Facebook!

There is a new reality television show in the works that focuses on women in graduate school that are looking for husbands. The show is currently having casting calls in 20 different cities, so ladies now is your big chance! I have a feeling that not every female grad student will be a fan of this show because I've yet to see a reality dating show that didn't make people look desperate, trashy, or foolish -- or a combination of all three. Nevertheless, there are some entertaining discussions in the comment section, so be sure to check it out. Here is a favorite of mine from a user by the name of oh_snap, "I can't wait for the second part of this reality series, where the grad newlyweds can only find low-paying adjunct teaching jobs." Let's check out some other grad school news:

• Speaking of women in higher education, take a look at these interesting statistics about female academic authors over the past 400 years.
• Those statistics appeared in a larger article from the Chronicle that examined the gender gap in scholarly publishing.
• Sometimes competition between friends can get out of hand -- take the case of these two friends, and grad school peers, that are having trouble getting along as they embark on their careers.
• Last, but not least, GradShare recently made Online Ph.D Program's list of the Top 100 Blogs for Master's and Ph.D. Candidates! Be sure to check out all the other great resources on the list.

Check back for more grad school news, and don't forget to follow GradShare on Twitter & Facebook!

Queen Elizabeth II just wrapped up her Diamond Jubilee, the celebration commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Queen's ascension to the throne in 1952. Although much of the spotlight has been on Queen Elizabeth II, there is a former queen that also made a splash in the headlines recently.

With the help of ProQuest, Queen Victoria's personal journals were just published online for the first time ever. Now these resources will be available to scholars worldwide thanks to the work of ProQuest and CIG. The personal journals of the Queen will be free to all users in the UK, and users worldwide can view the journals for free until June 30, 2012. After that point in time the journals will be available to all libraries through ProQuest.

View the journals for free: http://www.queenvictoriasjournals.org/home.do

The Washington Post ran an interesting article that included the history of how Mother's Day was founded, as well as some statistics about mothers in the United States. It turns out that the very woman who lobbied in front of congress for Mother's Day to be an official holiday, was also the same person that led a tireless effort against the day being an official holiday. Anna Jarvis was able to convince congress to observe Mother's Day, and we've been officially celebrating the day in America since 1914; however, Anna later opposed the commercialization of Mother's Day and led a campaign to repeal the holiday. I think mothers everywhere are happy her later efforts failed, because commercial or not, they all deserve more recognition. And after all, there have to be some mothers that work for Hallmark, so either way you look at it, moms are still reaping the benefits from the sale of all those cards. Let's check out some grad school news:

• Grad School is an important decision, so it's necessary to examine how grad school can and can't change your life.
• Check out some of these fun (and funny) facts about grad school. You'll probably find them more humorous if you're already out of grad school!
• You may have updated your CV, but have you ever given thought to the value of a business card?
• So you think you're having a tough day? Well at least you don't have a flesh eating disease like 24 year old grad student Aimee Copeland. We wish her the best in her battle with the disease.
• On a lighter note, check out the latest comic (and magic eye) from Ph.D Comics.

Check back for more news about graduate school, and don't forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter!

This time of year brings all sorts of changes in the world of academe. Undergraduates are wrapping up the school year and eagerly counting down the days until they can toss their caps in the air to celebrate graduation. Some may use their bachelors degree to enter the professional work force, while others will open a new chapter in their academic career - grad school. For those attending grad school, it's important they dispel the myths about grad school, and focus on what they need to do to get into grad school. Congrats to all those moving onto the next phase of their professional and/or academic careers, now lets check out some grad school news:

• Grad school is a great option, but is your grad school is doing enough to prepare you for a career?
• Science Career Blog recently examined how the pathways from graduate school to a career can be improved.
• Are you thinking about graduate school for the humanities? Take some advice from a humanities grad student on the best way to approach your decision.

Check back for more graduate school news, in the meantime you can follow GradShare on Twitter & Facebook!

I have yet to read the books that inspired Game of Thrones, but like so many others, I am enthralled by the HBO adaptation of the successful fantasy novels. There are countless reviews and critiques about the series circulating all over the internet; however, few mention that if not for postgraduate education, the television series may have never existed. It was 15 years ago at Trinity University in Chicago when Dan Weiss and David Benioff struck up a friendship. Both men, and eventual writers for the Game of Thrones HBO series, were each pursuing a master's degree in Irish Literature. They shared a keen interest in the fantasy genre, and in particular, George R.R. Martin's series of books A Song of Fire and Ice. A perfect storm of post-grad study, two smart guys that liked the fantasy genre, and Martin's inspiring novels helped to create one hell of a television show. Let's check out some other grad school news:

• Here's some great advice about choosing a thesis advisor from Jenn Tatum-Cotamagana. It comes from Marginalia: The Graduate Blog brought to us by Columbia University, Chicago.
• Warning: After you read this story, you may NEVER skip a class again. A BYU nursing student is surviving cancer that was detected in her class. Going to class does the body good.
• Stanford University is offering students the opportunity to simultaneously pursue a bachelor's and master's degree. Talk about a heavy workload.
• Do you ever wonder if grad school is still worth the money? If you decide that it's worth it for you, then check out these 7 tips that can help you find the right grad school.

Check back for more grad school news, in the meantime you can follow GradShare on Twitter & Facebook!