Michael Grasso - About Me

Number of multiple choice questions I answered during medical school and residency.

  • Basic science exams - 2,400 practice questions and 7,000 exam questions.
  • NBME Shelf Exams - 3,000 practice questions and 1,200 exam questions.
  • USMLE Step I - 3,000 practice questions, 336 exam questions.
  • USMLE Step II - 2,000 practice questions and 368 exam questions.
  • USMLE Step III - 1,000 practice questions and 480 exam questions.
  • ABIM Exam - 1,500 practice questions and 240 exam questions.
  • ABPM Exam - 130 practice questions and 200 exam questions.
  • 22,854 total questions (give or take a thousand).

Number of text books I read to get through medical school and residency.

  • Post-bacc courses - 8 text books.
  • Exam review - 14 text books.
  • Medical school - 42 text books.
  • Residency/Fellowship - 15 text books.
  • Total - 79 text books read from post-bacc through residency/fellowship.

Some statistics about my medical residency.

  • Residency length = 1,099 days (157 weeks or 26,376 hours).
  • Number of days worked = 1019 days (93% of all possible days).
  • Number of hours worked = 11,089 hours (42% of all possible hours).
  • Number of hours studying for boards, in-service exams, conferences, case reports, and patient cases = 3,120 hours, with total number of hours working or studying = 14,209 (54% of all possible hours).
  • Acutual salary paid during residency = $4.33 per hour (after accounting for uncompensated overtime from shifts exceeding 12 hours per day, for evening/weekend/holiday shifts, for working more than 7 days in a row, for lack of sick leave, etc.). Maryland minimum wage during residency = $5.15 to $6.55 per hour.
  • Number of overnight/call shifts worked = 201 days (24% of all work days).
  • Time spent in general medical in-patient services = 336 days (40% of all works days).
  • Time spent in the critical care units = 192 days (23% of all work days).
  • Time spent in other specialized units = 84 days (10% of all work days).
  • Time spent in the emergency department = 84 days (10% of all work days).

My Erdös Number is 3.

  • Path: Paul Erdös, Aviezri Fraenkel, Yaacov Yesha, Michael Grasso

My trumpet/jazz teachers.

  • Harold Lieberman (high school).
  • Richard Lowenthal (college).
  • Emile DeCosmo (college).
  • Wayne Cameron (as a comeback player).
  • John Blount (as a comeback player).

Most influential albums of my youth.

  •  Maynard Ferguson MF 4&5 Live at Jimmys
    • More than any other album, this album solidified my desire to play the trumpet. It also contained Maynard's best version of MacArthur Park.
  •  Chuck Mangione Feels So Good
    • I played along with this album almost every day in high school. I wonder what the neighbors thought?
  •  Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
    • "Funeral for a Friend" ... 'nuff said.
  • J. Geiles Band Full House Live
    • Let's see, they had a trumpet player who played the harmonica. This sounds familiar.
  • Deep Purple Made in Japan
    • The riff at the start of Smoke on the Water was required material for every rock guitar wanna-be.
  • Chicago X
    • Not their best album, but the first one I purchased. Plus, the album cover looks like chocolate.
  • Chicago IX Chicago's Greatest Hits
    • The list wouldn't be complete without a second Chicago album.
  • Maynard Ferguson Conquistador
    • The "Star Trek" cover was a bit lame. But his cover of "Gonna Fly Now" (Theme from Rocky) blew away the original, and was probably the best hit of his modern career.
  • Toots Thielemans Only Trust Your Heart
    • This was the first of many of Toots' albums I purchased. The man redefined the jazz harmonica.
  • Chet Baker Last Great Concert 1 & 2
    • Sadly, he left us too soon, and it was his last great concert.
  • Stan Kenton Presents
    • I first heard this album at a jazz festival in the 1970s. What Maynard Ferguson does on his feature song is unbelievable.
  • MacArthur Park (Richard Harris single)
    • Jimmy Webb's most iconic song.

A Few Firsts.

  • My First Job - Seasonal work making Christmas wreaths.
  • My First Car - 1973 Ford Gran Torino.
  • My First Computer - IBM XT with an Intel 8088 4.77 MHz processor.
  • My First Computer Programming Book - "Elementary Basic, as chronicled by John H. Watson".
  • My First Medical Book - "The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy", 12th Edition.
  • My First Trumpet - Olds Ambassador.
  • First and last time I saw Maynard Ferguson in concert - at the Ramapo College Summer Jazz Festival and Workshop in Mawah, NJ, July, 1973, and at James Hubert Blake High School in Olney, MD on May 7, 2004.