First Aid for the Match: Insider Advice From Students and Residency Directors

Vikas is a writer, editor, entrepreneur, and teleradiologist on extended sabbatical. In 1990 he conceived and authored the original First Aid for the USMLE Step 1. His entrepreneurial endeavors include a student-focused medical publisher (S2S), an e-learning company, and an ER teleradiology practice (24/7 Radiology). Trained on the Left Coast, Vikas completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of California Berkeley; an MD with thesis at UCSF; and a diagnostic radiology residency at UCLA. His eclectic interests include technology, cryptoeconomics, information design, photography, South Asian diasporic culture, and avoiding a day job. Always finding the long shortcut, Vikas is an adventurer, knowledge seeker, and occasional innovator. He enjoys intermediate status as a kiteboarder and father, and strives to raise his children as global citizens.