PREMEDLIFE THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR PRE-MEDICAL STUDENTS
MARCH/APRIL 2014
Getting in...
THE POSTBAC PREMED WAY
The 2014 Unofficial Guide to Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Programs Across the U.S.
PLUS: 2014 Summer Premed Programs Check out these summer opportunities specifically geared towards students aspiring to pursue medicine
5 Simple Things That Can Affect Your MCAT Performance Quick ways to help you get through
more efficiently and effectively
Lessons To Be Learned From Organic Chem One of the most notorious premed courses can actually teach a lot
Check out these summer opportunities specifically Medical School Ditches Entire Year of Training p. 8 | New Premed Program Supports Students p.10 |1 March/April 2014Undergrad | PreMedLife Magazine
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contents|||||
premedlife | march/april 2014 “With more and more post baccalaureate premedical programs being added, is post-bacc becoming the new baccalaureate for med school applicants?” p.16
p.8
Medical School Ditches A Full Year of Training for Students
p.16 COVER STORY GETTING IN... THE POSTBACC PREMED WAY
Right now there are over 180 postbaccalaureate premedical programs offered across the U.S. And the idea of pursuing a career in medicine after completing an undergraduate degree is apparently becoming a growing trend in the world of medical education. With so many options and routes to choose from, it is important for anyone who may be considering this alternative to the traditional medical school admissions process to make well informed decisions about taking the next steps. Here is a quick guide and overview of programs for those interested in becoming a postbacc premed student.
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5 SIMPLE THINGS THAT CAN AFFECT YOUR MCAT PERFORMANCE IN A BIG WAY
When you think you have done all you can do to prepare for the MCAT, there’s still more that you can do. Here are a few last minute tips to rock the test of your life.
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2014 SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR PRE-MEDICAL STUDENTS
Our listing of summer programs for pre-health students. The list includes programs nationwide in several states.
LIFE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM TAKING ORGANIC CHEM
It is not actually true that what you learn in organic chemistry will never be used again. It’s the lessons you don’t actually see that mean a lot more than you may realize.
March/April 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine |3
contents/departments
premedlife | march/april 2014 “Commitment to a single accreditation system comes at a watershed moment in the U.S.” p. 11
IN THIS ISSUE SELF-DISCIPLINE: A WAY FOR PREMEDS TO REALLY LEARN | 32
Self-discipline helps us stay loyal to the things that we want instead of giving into the daily temptations.
ACHIEVING THE PREMED STUDY/LIFE BALANCE | 62
For many premeds, finding a balance between school work and having a social life is hard to achieve.
DEPARTMENTS NEWSBITES | 8
p.10
Relevant news and information for students applying to medical school and pursuing medicine. In this issue: One medical school plans to cut a year of student training; Boston University plans to offer a new joint degree program; and more.
Boston University to Offer New Joint Degree Program
THE GOODS | 66
Gadgets, gizmos, and other unique things to keep you entertained. From the random crap bag and a skull bank to the ‘never sleep’ pillowcases and more.
IN THE STACKS | 69
Books to inspire you or provide you with advice to make it through your med school admissions journey.
The Goods: Tea Tube Infuser
p.12
Medical School Brings in Therapy Dog for Students
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LET’S DO THIS!
Executive Director/COO | Jonathan Pearson Executive Vice President | Monique Terc Managing Editor | Monica Lee Contributing Editor | Njeri McKenzie Digital Editor | Donald Gibbons Production Coordinator | Shawn Klein Online Marketing Consultant | Portia Chu Find us on Twitter @premedlife Find us on Facebook.com/premedlife Here’s How to Reach Us: Kisho Media, LLC P.O. Box 7049 New York, NY 10116 Main Office (347) 857-7491 Have a Story Idea? Email us at editor@premedlife.com
it’s okay to say it - regardless of whatever road you’re on and whatever journey you’re trekking, you’re going to face challenges along the way. There’s a saying that goes something like: everything that happens to you along the way is preparing you for everything that you have asked for. So, while making moves to get in to medical school requires a lot of work and sometimes come with unexpected experiences, it may help to tell yourself that “everything happens for a reason” and despite how quickly or how late the reason reveals itself, don’t get discouraged - never! And however much stuff happens to you, here’s the good news: It will make you a better person in the long run.
Want to Subscribe? Visit www.premedlife.com and sign-up to our mailing list to receive an email when the latest issue is available online Want to Join Forces? (a.k.a. Partner With Us) Email us at info@premedlife.com Advertising Inquiries? Email advertise@premedlife.com
So, we’re here to let you know that you can do this thing - this thing called getting into medical school because if this is really what you want to do and you intentions are true and reasons behind wanting to become a doctor are all the right reasons, we’re here to keep giving you the information you’ll need to make that happen. For this issue we’re interested to hear what you have to say about what worries you most as you prepare to apply to medical school. So email us at editor@premedlife.com and share your feelings about what scares or worries you most about gaining admission to medical school. But you have to make a deal, once you hit send on you email and send your worries our way, use the space once occupied by those thoughts to allow positive and good thoughts into your life. Let’s do this!
Sheema
Sheema Prince Publisher tprince@premedlife.com
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PreMedLife magazine is published six times per year by Kisho Media, LLC. and copies are provided to select colleges and universities free of charge. The information in PreMedLife magazine is believed to be accurate, but in some instances, may represent opinion or judgement. Consult your premedical/pre-health advisor with any questions you may have about the medical school admissions process and related topics. Unless otherwise noted, all articles, photographs, artwork, and images may not be duplicated or reprinted without express written permission from Kisho Media, LLC. PreMedLife magazine and Kisho Media, LLC. are not liable for typographical or production errors or the accuracy of information provided by advertisers. PreMedLife magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertising. All inquires may be sent to: Kisho Media, LLC. P.O. Box 7049 New York, NY 10116 To reach us by phone call (347) 857-7491 or email us at info@premedlife.com.
THELATEST
“When it comes to accelerated medical school programs, a year of medical training could be eliminated without adversely affecting academic performance”. {PAGE 8}
Recent news & information relevant to students applying to medical school
flickr/Army Medicine
Medical Schools Give Students Chance to Finish Training Earlier
For medical students who may feel overwhelmed about the six-figure price tag attached to receiving their degree, relief may come sooner than later, according to Kaiser Health News. To ease some of the pressure that comes with paying for medical school, some schools are giving their students the chance to finish their training early - shaving off the final year of training attached to a traditional curriculum. With the rollout of the new laws behind Obamacare, the need to produce more doctors has fueled the development of a growing number of medical school programs that are three years rather than the traditional four. Among policy makers and medical school administrators, the new approach seems like a great idea since doing so would essentially gradu-
ate medical students faster and make room for the next group of students quicker. According to the news release, “for more than a century, medical schools have largely designed their programs around a template: two years of preclinical or classroom work in basic medical science, followed by two years of clinical rotations, mostly in hospitals. “A year of medical school could be eliminated without adversely affecting academic performance,” wrote University of Pennsylvania Vice Provost Ezekiel Emanuel and Stanford economist Victor Fuchs. “The overall time it takes to train physicians is an example of waste in medical education and could be shortened without affecting patient care or eroding clinical skills; students could be assessed on core competencies rather than on time served.”
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While the positives of an accelerated program may seem quite clear - less time training, lower tuition costs - some experts do say that the faster route may result in a new set of issues for students, namely burnout from trying to fit four years of curriculum and material into a three-year time frame, as well as worries among students and administrators that performance on licensing exams may be compromised during the process. For those who support the accelerated threeyear track programs, which are currently in place at several schools across the country, the new approach comes during a time that is different from the curricula offered during the 1970s, which was mainly built on rote memorization. ¡
The Power of Difference: Enhancing a Community of Inclusion OHSU Center for Diversity & Inclusion
Summer Equity Research Program Thinking about graduate school? Interested in research, nursing, medicine, or dentistry? Spend eight weeks in the summer working with faculty and graduate students at the OHSU Equity Summer Research, Dental, Nursing, and Medicine Internship Program. Learning opportunities include: • • • • •
CONNECT Website: www.ohsu.edu/equity-research Email:
cdi@ohsu.edu
Phone:
503 494-5657
Facebook: facebook.com/OHSU.CDI Twitter:
twitter.com/OHSU_CDI
Hands-on experience in a research or clinical setting Clinical shadowing and dental observation Weekly seminars and meetings with fellow students and faculty to discuss ongoing research A poster presentation of your research project Ongoing, personal mentoring about your individual career path
Emphasis on Mentorship We strive to match scholars and mentors based on research and clinical interests. During the internship, interns work full-time with their mentors in an OHSU laboratory and/or clinical setting. Who Should Apply The paid internship program seeks diverse students from underserved, economically and socially disadvantaged communities. Applicants must have completed at least one full year of college coursework. The most competitive applicants will have completed coursework in mathematics and basic sciences, (e.g. biology, chemistry, neuroscience, biopsychology). Equity interns will be selected in April, and will receive a stipend for 40 hours of lab or clinical work per week during the program. Applications will be available in December 2013.
Center for Diversity & Inclusion www.ohsu.edu/diversity
Hamilton College Lets Juniors to Apply to Med School Early
flickr/SLU Madrid Campus
Wikipedia/Boston University Medical Center
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Brand New MD/JD Joint Degree Announced at Boston University Two of Boston University’s most prestigious professional schools have joined together to offer interested students the option for a six-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Law (JD) degree. The new program, set to begin in fall 2014 will give students the opportunity to earn two degrees in 6 years rather than the 8 years it would normally take. "From the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to patenting innovations in biotechnology to managing the growing complexities of health care organizations, the legal and medical fields have become increasingly intertwined," said BU School of Law Dean Maureen A. O'Rourke. "We want to prepare future leaders who can manage the rapid changes that are happening in these interdisciplinary fields." The program is structured so that students can complete the first three years of the medical
school's curriculum, then spend the next two years fully immersed in BU's School of Law. Lastly, the complete their remaining medical school and law courses requirements in the sixth year of the dual program. "By collaborating across the University with our outstanding law school colleagues, we have designed an outstanding comprehensive MDJD programs to prepare students for leadership roles in hospital or health care systems, medical policy or academic administration," said BU School of Medicine Dean and Medical Campus Provost Karen Antman, MD. To gain acceptance to the program, students must first apply to both the medical school and the law school and be accepted into both programs. For more information about the new program, visit www. http://www.bu.edu/law/central/jd/programs/dual/medicine.¡
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Premed students who are juniors at Hamilton College now have the chance to apply early to the University of Rochester Medical School. The Early Assurance Program is designed to allow premed undergraduates offer a great deal of flexibility for students to not only explore other areas of interest during their undergraduate years, but also does not require them to begin medical school immediately after graduation. Students who are accepted to the program also have the option to defer their enrollment and pursue other avenues such as completing a fellowship, conducting research, or taking time to pursue other interests. And while students accepted to the program are not required to take the MCAT, which is required by the majority of medical schools in the U.S., the school assures that standards for acceptance into medical school through the program is still competitive. “There are no ‘back door’ entrances to medical school,” said Leslie North, health professions advisor in the press release announcing the program. “The mean GPA for those admitted to all U.S. medical school last year was 3.69, and Rochester is a highly rated medical school.” The Early Assurance Program supports the school’s strong beliefs and values related to future physicians gaining real-world experience. “Hamilton’s participation in the Early Assurance Program reflects the collective commitment to creating a generation of well-rounded, driven and compassionate doctors.” ¡
THELATEST
Single Accreditation System Brings Medical Education Under System
flickr/timsackton
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American Osteopathic Association, and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine are now joined under a unified accreditation system.
In a commitment to create a unified system designed to prepare future generations of doctors, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) are now under a single accreditation system for graduate medical education programs in the U.S., according to a recent announcement. “The commitment to a single accreditation system comes at a watershed moment for medical education in the U.S.,” said Thomas Nasca, MD, MACP, chief executive officer of the ACGME. “As
we move forward into the Next Accreditation System, this uniform path of preparation for practice ensures that the evaluation of and accountability for the competency of all resident physicians – MDs and DOs – will be consistent across all programs.” Nasca added, “A single accreditation system provides the opportunity to introduce and consistently evaluate new physician competencies that are needed to meet patient needs and the health care delivery challenges facing the U.S. over the next decade.” As it stands right now, the ACGME and AOA have separate accreditation systems for MD and
DO educational programs, But now, under the unified system, graduates of MD and DO medical schools can complete their residency and/or fellowship programs in ACGME-accredited programs. “A single system standardizes the approach to GME accreditation, and ensures that all physicians have access to the primary and sub-specialty training necessary to serve patients,” said AOA President Norman E. Vinn, DO. “Importantly, the system recognizes the unique principles and practices of the osteopathic medical profession and its contributions to the health of all Americans.” ¡
March/April 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine |11
THELATEST
flickr/Tulane Public Relations
Brown Medicine Eliminates Preclinical Honors Grading
Beginning with the class of 2017, the Alpert Medical School will grade the first two years of study solely on a satisfactory/no credit basis (S/ NC). While the S/NC grading option has been in place at the school, the previous policy also allowed students to earn honors distinction for certain courses after the first semester. There was a widespread interest in ditching the honors grading for preclinical classes among both administrators and students, according to the press release announcing the new policy. Specifically, a survey of first-year medical students revealed that 65 percent of students favored the change. In 2011, a study conducted by researchers at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine found that “has a greater impact than other aspects of curriculum structure on their well-being. Curricu-
lar reform intended to enhance student wellbeing should incorporate pass/fail grading.” To put the change in motion, members of the class of 2017 brought the issue to the other classes in the student senate, which then all agreed that the change would be a good one and voted to change the policy adopted by the school’s MD Curriculum Committee (MDCC). Prompted by the strong support among students, Luba Dumenco, chair of the subcommittee on the first two years of the MDCC, conducted additional research on the topic and found that grading options during preclinical years was quite common, with the country's top 20 medical school using a pass/fail grading system without honors. “I don’t think the absence of honors would have affected my stress levels tremendously during years one and two,” Greg Elia told The
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Herald, though he added that he supported the change on the whole. "Med students are highly self-motivated regardless of the honors distinction." Following evidence presented to the MDCC, the school’s Office of Medical Education conducted their own study “indicating that 87 percent of students supported the motion to restrict preclinical grades to S/NC.” And while the proposed policy change was not supported across the board, the MDCC made the decision to move forward based on the approval among the majority of the students and the support of evidence reflecting positive outcomes and beliefs. “Increasingly, as people saw the data, they became more interested in it, and that’s because the data were strong,” added Dumenco. ¡
flickr/Marvin Kuo
New Therapy Dog May Help Med Students Relieve Stress Often found in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and nursing homes, therapy dogs can offer stress release for those in need. Now, Yale Medical school is also enlisting the services of a thearpy dog to help students manage stress. Finn, a three-year old certified therapy dog, will be on call every friday for two hours for students. “Animal-assisted therapy is an ever-expanding practice that traditionally involves allowing a patient to spend time with an animal, and research has shown that benefits of the practice include reduced levels of stress hormones, lower blood pressure, improved fine motor skills and a greater ability to communicate with others,” according to background information provided in the story announcing the school’s latest practice. Prior to Yale, Finn worked as a therapy dog at a nursing home community in Boston where he had the “gift of being in a crowded room and still having the ability to make you feel like you’re getting all of his attention. In 2011, when the Yale Law Library introduced
Finn, a new therapy dog on Yale University’s Campus, may offer medical student a way to relieve the stress linked to rigorous training.
its new therapy dog Monty, the library's new resource gained national media attention and has since drawn crowds of visitors. Students and staff say they hope that Finn’s presence at the medical library will “provide a stress-relieving outlet for the community and “bring a little joy into the building.” Studies have shown that interaction with dogs increases the level of oxytocin, a hormone linked to the reduction of anxiety and blood pressure. Specifically, researchers have shown that petting a dog or caring for a pet can help people feel less scared, and has the effect of distracting them away from their own fears or anxieties. Furthermore, research also shows that excessive stress, like the kind students may experience during medical school, has a negative impact on memory. A stress-relieving activity, even a shortlived one like petting a dog, can significantly improve a student’s ability to retain and comprehend the large amounts of information they are required to learn during medical school. ¡
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flickr/Joe Shalabotnik
flickr/U.S. Pacific Air Forces
Caribbean Med Students Take Online Courses to Get Access to U.S. Loans
Penn Professor Suggests Medical Education is Next Market Bubble The high costs of health care may be linked to the high price tag attached to earning a medical degree, says a professor at the Perelman School of Medicine. In a perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine titled, “Are We in a Medical Education Bubble Market,” Professor David Asch, who is also the executive director of the Center for Health Care Innovation, says that if we aim to reduce the costs of health care, we need to reduce the costs of medical education. “We don’t have to believe that the high cost of medical education is what causes increases in health care costs in order to develop this sense of urgency,” Asch explained. “We just have to recognize that the high costs of medical education are sustainable only if we keep paying doctors a lot of money, and there are strong signs that we can’t or won’t.” Asch’s article first presents evidence of his
beliefs namely, data that may suggest that we are approaching such a collapse in primary care fields. But then he states that this scenario is probably not going to happen. He points out that for undergraduate medical education, students are charge a single price regardless of whether they will ultimately pursue family medicine or orthopedics. However, he explains that “although it isn’t necessarily clear to students or schools which students will choose what fields, the income of the average doctor can sustain the debt of the average doctor even as the differences among specialties create pressures for primary care and psychiatry.” He concludes by stating: “The general lesson is that if we want to keep health care costs down and still have access to well-qualified physicians, we also need to keep the cost of creating those physicians down by changing the way that physicians are trained.” ¡
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In an article that appeared on Bloomberg.com, titled “For-Profit Caribbean medical Schools Use Federal Funds Loophole” it was reported that at least nine medical schools located outside of the U.S. ally with U.S. colleges to make available a financial-aid loophole that allows online students to receive loans for living expenses. As the debate surrounding the financial burden tied to the cost of obtaining a medical education intensifies, finding a way to get a break on the price tag of an MD would almost naturally be luring. The article details what the president of the nonprofit Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education calls “a shenanigan.” According to the article, through the graduate Stafford Loan program, students who attend school in the U.S. – on campus or online – can take out up to $20,5000 a year to cover the cost of tuition, room, board, books, and transportation. One example of such a partnership was between Urbana University and American University of Antigua (AUA), where nearly 50 AUA students registered for Urbana’s online healthcare management MBA track. While students attending school in the Caribbean grapple with their options for financing there medical school dreams, the number of U.S. schools partnering with island medical schools will continue to grow. Several schools in the U.S. are helping medical students take advantage of this financial-aid loophole and as long the federal government does not seem to be making a fuss about it and schools and students are meeting the requirements, the trend will continue. The full list of schools mentioned in the article can be found here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/201312-03/for-profit-caribbean-medical-schools-use-federalfunds-loophole.html. ¡
Biophysical Society
2014 Summer Research Program in Biophysics University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Priority Application Deadline: February 15, 2014 Interested in interdisciplinary science? Want to work in fast growing area of biomedical research? Looking to get some hands-on lab experience this summer? Check out the Summer Research Program in Biophysics, an 11 week course for undergraduate minority students at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Course expenses, travel costs, meals, and housing are covered.
Course includes:
Recommended Prerequisites:
• Lectures with UNC faculty members and seminars with visiting professors from graduate programs across the country
• Studying quantitative science: chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and/or computer science
• Mentored research experience
• 2 semesters of biology • 2 semesters of calculus-level physics
• Team-building activities and field trips
• 3.0 cumulative or higher GPA in science courses
See what past students have to say about the Summer Research Program!
“…this has been the most useful and wonderful summer of my college career. Not only have I learned academically, I have built multiple bridges that can only benefit me in the future.”
“It has influenced me to take an additional science course at my university as well as has helped me create ideas for my senior project... the environment of the course created learning.”
“I learned new lab techniques as well as worked on the project independently. I was able to complete |my own experiments and when I had questions or hit a snag, my mentor was available to help.”
For more information or to recommend a student, email Ellen Mackall: emackall@biophysics.org, or visit www.biophysics.org.
123rf/natza
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Among the 43,000 pre-medical students who applied to medical school, more than 15 percent completed a postbaccalaureate pre-medical program to gain admission, that’s according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Those with a post-baccalaureate pre-medical education have different stories to tell and the type of program they choose to complete will most likely explain their path.
THE POSTBACC
WAY T
here are multiple options when it comes to taking the alternate route to medical school. (1) Careerchangers who wish to change their present career and pursue a life of studying medicine, (2) late starters who wait until after graduating college to decided that they want to practice medicine, and (3) re-applicants who apply to medical school after an unsuccessful attempt at gaining entry into medical school due to an inadequacy in some area or another. With the way the trends look today, pursuing medical school the post-baccalaureate way is non-traditional and nontraditional is apparently becoming the new “traditional.� There are a greater number of students who are deciding later on, after gaining life and career experiences that their passion is a career in medicine. For the most part, medical school admissions committees like these individuals because they essentially know for sure that medicine is what they want to do.
March/April 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine |17
> CAREER-CHANGERS Starting from scratch
> ACADEMIC ENHANCER PROGRAMS Boosting that Less Than Stellar GPA/MCAT Score
It’s no secret that getting into medical school is a difficult process and some students might have not been accepted the first time around and need to improve their credentials. For students that are looking for that “second chance” to be
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come doctors, there are programs that address the student who has a bachelor’s degree, but does not have a strong enough academic record to apply immediately to medical school or those who have applied but were unsuccessful. This type of post-baccalaureate pre-medical program allows students to show that they can compete at a level required of medical students. While any post-baccalaureate program is a time when students need to excel academically, this is especially true for the student needing to enhance their academic profile. Students in these programs may have struggled academically early in their college years, or have had a particular semester that caused their GPA to drop. This type of program is right for students who truly believe that they are capable of doing the coursework the second go-round to successfully increase their GPA or MCAT score. For students who have a GPA that misses the mark for getting accepted into medical school but managed to score fairly well on the MCAT, a “special masters” degree that offers medical schools courses may be the way to show medical schools that you are capable of succeeding on the level needed to complete medical school-level courses. With this type of program, students have the opportunity to take actual medical school courses alongside actual medical students, and are even graded on the same curve as the medical students. For some students, and definitely for some medical schools, it might be sufficient that a post-baccalaureate student demonstrate excellence along medical students in graduate level courses. However, a student who has a weak undergraduate GPA may need to take additional undergraduate courses in order to show their readiness. In this case, only additional undergraduate (not graduate) courses will raise the undergraduate grade point average (uGPA) that the AMCAS application computes for medical school applicants.
> PROGRAMS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED/ UNDERSERVED Programs to Help Fill the Gap
“Underrepresented in medicine” means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical progression relative to their numbers in the general population. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, post-baccalaureate pre-medical programs are a valuable tool for increasing the number of disadvantaged and
Flickr/ www.audio-luci-store.it
With today’s challenging economy, many individuals might be considering a change of career. For those who have held a job as an experienced professional in the “real” world but have no training in the sciences or have decided to attend medical school but it’s too late to change majors, then career-change post-baccalaureate pre-medical programs may be the way to go. Individuals who have their “ah-ha” moment later on in life and decide after they have completed their undergraduate degree that they want to go to medical school probably told themselves, “this is what I want to do and I’ll do whatever it takes,” and in this case the “whatever it takes” way is through post-baccalaureate career-changer programs. Many colleges and universities offer these types of programs to meet the needs of “career-change” individuals who need to complete premed requirements, as well as liberal arts graduates whose interest in health careers solidified later in their undergraduate careers. The majority of these students are either recent graduates or experienced professionals seeking a career change who were academically successfully as undergraduates. Sometimes students enter these programs right after finishing an undergraduate degree, and sometimes they do so after several years in the working world. These programs are not meant for students wishing to retake the prerequisite science courses to strengthen their grade point average or MCAT performance. Post-baccalaureate career-change students run the gamut from recent college grads in their 20’s to individuals in their late 30’s, or older, who have had successful careers but want to redirect their lives later in their undergraduate careers. The majority of these students are either recent graduates or experienced professionals seeking a career change who were academically successfully as undergraduates. Sometimes students enter these programs right after finishing an undergraduate degree, and sometimes they do so after several years in the working world. These programs are not meant for students wishing to retake the prerequisite science courses to strengthen their grade point average or MCAT performance. Post-baccalaureate career-change students run the gamut from recent college grads in their 20’s to individuals in their late 30’s, or older, who have had successful careers but want to redirect their lives. Career-change post-baccalaureate pre-medical programs are designed to provide a strong educational foundation in basic science prerequisites necessary for competitive admission to medical school. These programs can be both rigorous and rewarding. Over the course of these programs, students endure intensive study to help them prepare for the challenges of medical school. The characteristics of a good program will feature a highly focused curriculum that includes optimally sequenced courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and organic chemistry; an MCAT preparation course; and opportunities for students to interact and engage with medical students and medical faculty. These programs usually offer an advising element to help students with managing courses, finding clinical experience, and preparing to apply to medical school. They usually offer a letter from a program faculty member in support of the student.
underrepresented students who matriculate into medical school. The findings from this study strongly support the premise that this type of educational program is a positive and important intervention that furthers the academic achievement and health career aspirations of minority and low-income students. While any post-baccalaureate program could be beneficial to students who are members of groups underrepresented in medicine, there are schools that offer programs specifically designed for these students. Many of the schools that offer such programs are aligned with the AAMC’s belief that both medical education and health care delivery benefit from diversity among medical students and physicians. This type of program can be an essential part of forming a competitive academic reputation for those individuals who are eligible to utilize them. Like the other types of programs, students who participate in these receive the same type of assistance to gain admission to medical school. Additionally, however, many of these programs offer more financial aid, mentoring, research opportunities, and MCAT prep.
> LINKAGE AGREEMENTS Programs With Benefits
An exciting and encouraging feature of many programs is the medical school linkage element that offers conditional early acceptance to students. For students lucky enough to find a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program that has a linkage program, they might be able to completely avoid the infamous “glide” year, which is the time from applying to medical school to when they actually enroll. Linkage is a formal agreement between a post-baccalaureate program and a medical school that enables exceptional students with a strong interest in a specific medical school to accelerate the application progress. A linkage arrangement enables students to avoid the pressure and expenses of the medical school application process, and provides “peace of mind” knowing that a place is reserved
in the medical school of their choice. Through these linkage programs, medical schools guarantee interviews and even spots in their first-year class based upon a student’s academic performance in the post-baccalaureate program and performance on the MCAT.
> PROGRAM STRUCTURE Within these types of post-baccalaureate programs, there are a range of options, both formal and informal. While some programs can be completed in as little as nine months, formal programs are typically one to two years for either academic enhancement or career changers. Participating in these programs means that you are in a specific program geared to enhance your application to medical school. While these programs can be rather costly, students will most likely obtain a certificate or recognition of completion of some sort rather than just a grade on a transcript. On the other hand, informal programs are more independent and for those that don’t need as much “guidance.” In these programs, individual students are responsible for their own progress and course planning. Taking this path means that you’re not associated with any program and you are just taking the necessary pre-medical classes you need in order to complete your application process. The up side to informal programs is that they generally cost less than formal programs and you can finish classes you need without fulfilling any other prerequisites. However, students participating in informal programs don’t receive a degree after completion. Students who have completed their undergraduate degree can also enhance their chances for medical school by pursuing a master’s degree in a specific program geared to what the student is interested in studying like a Master of Bioengineering or Master of Public Health. The following is a list of many of the post-baccalaureate premedical programs that are available across the country to prospective medical school applicants.
NON-TRADITIONAL IS THE NEW TRADITIONAL ALABAMA Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Premedical Studies
Spring Hill College | Mobile, AL Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, MCAT Prep Designed for individuals who have a college degree in a field other than the sciences and seek admission into medical, dental, veterinary, and other health-related schools. The program is also designed to prepare students for the MCAT.
CALIFORNIA Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program for Pre-Health Professionals California State University | Los Angeles, CA Program Type: Offers grade improvement
Aimed to help pre-health career students strengthen their academic background prior to application for admission to a health professional school. The program is designed to make students more competitive for admission through a combination of coursework, standardized test preparation, and health science activities.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Certificate Program
California State University | Fullerton, CA Program Type: Offers prerequisites Designed to prepare students to be competitive applicants for medical school. The program provides the required and recommended coursework for students from non-science majors. In addition, the program provides advising support for many issues related to the health professions and assistance with obtaining clinical experience. On-campus standardized test preparation courses may be available from commercial vendors at a discounted fee.
Pre-Professional Health Certificate Program
California State University | Hayward, CA Program Type: Offers prerequisites Designed for students who have many years of experience in various fields and decide to return to school. The program is integrated with health profession volunteerships/internships, research experience, community service and prehealth association opportunities. In addition, the program combines academic instruction with entrance test preparation opportunities, growth and development of personal characteristics and includes mentoring, tutoring and general advising. The program length is 2 years or students pursuing the Career Enhancer track can complete the program in one year.
Post Baccalaureate Pre-Health Professions Preparatory Program Chapman University| Orange, CA Program Type: Offers prerequisites Provides students, who have already graduated from
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college, the opportunity to complete the prerequisite science courses needed for admission into medical school. The program is intended for students who require all or most of the basic pre-med courses and is not intended for those seeking to improve their GPA.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program
Charles Drew University| Los Angeles, CA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement Designed for individuals with an earned bachelor’s degree who lack a science background and now wish to pursue a career in medicine or other health professions, and for those who wish to enhance their science background and/or improve their overall science GPA. The program gives college graduates and professionals the opportunity to take courses required for consideration to medical school. The curriculum aims to assist health professions candidates to 1.) comprehend, assimilate, and utilize scientific information comprising medical school curricula 2.) prepare for the MCAT 3.)apply to medical school with essays, letters of recommendation, and interviewing skills and 4.) perform and compete well upon entry to the medical school of their choice.
Pre-Health Professions Certificate Program
San Francisco State | San Francisco, CA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree, to obtain prerequisite coursework necessary to apply for medical school. The program guides a cohort of 20-60 students through dedicated introductory science lecture and lab courses, discussion sections, clinical experience and a Health Professions Colloquium. The program features the integration of the following into appropriate course material: 1.) The use of MCATstyle test questions; 2.) The use of case-based learning exercises; 3.) Information on healthcare disparities and complementary and alternative medicine; 4.) MCAT preparatory courses offered on campus at a discounted rate in collaboration with commercial providers.
Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program
Scripps College| Los Angeles, CA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to offer students the opportunity to change the direction of their lives and, in one year, complete the requisite science courses to successfully pursue a career in medicine. The program aims to provide a strong education foundation in basic science prerequisites necessary for competitive admission to medical school. Students benefit from: Small classes and close interaction with professors; Personal advising; Individual and group tutoring; A broad array of volunteer experiences and internships in the greater Los Angeles area; and Linkage programs with opportunities to directly enter medical school.
Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program
UC Berkeley Extension| Berkeley, CA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for career changers who need to complete science prerequisites, students seeking to strengthen their academic record, students who are reapplying to professional programs, and students who are looking to maximize their admission opportunities into graduate and professional programs. In-depth advising aims to help students tailor a course plan; identify the program that fits; and prepare an application for further study, including a composite letter of recommendation. Students also get the opportunity to practice their skills in mock interviews. The program offers the option for evening and weekend study for students who are interested in working full time while they are enrolled.
Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program
Univ. of Southern California| Los Angeles, CA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who are beyond their undergradu-
ate studies to complete the science core classes required for medical school. The program accommodates both recent graduates and career-changers, and offers academic advising and preprofessional advisement and mentoring. A stipend is provided to students in good academic standing to enroll in a preparation class for the MCAT to help them in their applications to medical school. The program’s philosophy is one that emphasizes wellrounded preparation, so in addition to coursework, the program also takes into consideration time that should be devoted to extracurricular activities and exploring professional interests.
COLORADO Professional Master’s Degree Program
Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Designed to provide increased academic strength to preprofessional students, those seeking careers in biomedical education, and future PhD students. The program is designed as a place for biomedical students to extend their education beyond that which the undergraduate curriculum can offer. Three tracks of study are available: Human Biomedical Sciences, Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, and Neurobiology. Regardless of the concentration chosen, all students receive a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences.
Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences
Regis University | Denver, CO Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses, Grade Improvement Nine-month intensive program designed to provide students with a strong academic and experiential background in the biomedical sciences in preparation for entry into graduate health programs. The curriculum focuses specifically on courses most relevant for students to gain entry into and perform well in a professional health or research program.. Students earn a full M.S. degree in nine months based on rigorous coursework that will help enhance their credentials
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program
University of Colorado | Boulder, CO Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for “career changers” who were academically successful as undergraduates and have completed a bachelor’s degree, but have not completed the prerequisite courses needed to apply to medical and other healthcare-related professional schools. The yearlong program is appropriate for students who are either recent college graduates or experienced professionals seeking a career change. The program offers students the opportunity to gain a solid foundation in the science classes necessary to apply to graduate medical studies. Students also receive individual advising, study skills for science classes, and application assistance. An optional second summer, with Anatomy, Physiology, and/or Biochemistry courses, is also available.
Master’s in Biomedical Science
University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Designed to provide academic enhancement within a one year time frame to improve or substantially expand a post-graduate student’s overall scholastic credentials. The program aims to provide a foundation in basic biology that underlies and supports medicine and therefore provides a strong framework for professional school curricula. Students are required to pass a comprehensive examination covering material from core courses in order to graduate from the program.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate American University | Washington, D.C.
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Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement Designed for students who have a bachelor’s degree and either lack the prerequisites required by medical schools, or wish to strength their credentials. In addition to classes and advice, the program offers guidance and assistance in preparing for health professional school, helping students polish essay-writing and interviewing skills and prepare for the MCAT. Each student emerges with a composite letter of evaluation, which can be sent to health professional schools along with individual letters of recommendation. Students in the program range from new college graduates to individuals finishing a first career and looking for a second.
The Special Masters Program
Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Eleven-month special program leads to a Masters of Science degree in Physiology. The Special Master’s Program is tailored to college graduates who wish to strengthen their credentials for application to U.S. medical schools. Students take six of their classes and examinations with Georgetown’s first-year medical students. Students grades are then determined based on the medical student’s curve. Since the program is an 11-month program, it is possible for students to finish the requirements for their degree by July and matriculate to medical school right away in August.
Post-baccalaureate Pre-Medical Certificate Program
Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for “career change” students and offers the following for qualified applicants: co-matriculation with undergraduate pre-medical students for all lectures and some labs, the opportunity to be evaluated and receive a recommendation letter from the Pre-Med Recommendation Committee, volunteer and seminar opportunities and information in the health field, one-on-one advising and other academic support, workshops and seminars on how to apply to and interview for medical school, commercial MCAT preparation courses offered on campus and in the metro area, and more. The program is not appropriate for those who have complete the basic premed courses and wish to enroll only in advanced coursework. The program is also not intended for those who want to improve their GPA by repeating basic pre-med courses that they have already completed. The program is designed to meet the student’s needs and background. The time required to complete the certificate program ranges from 15 to 24 months, depending on the preparation of the incoming student. Pre-medical core science courses are offered to students at a reduced per credit tuition rate.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Program
Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Features a science-based MS curriculum that may be completed in 11 months. The program is designed for students who wish to pursue the following career placements: Biomedical research in a CAM-related area; Medicine or other health professions; Law with a focus on the legal aspects of CAM; Administrative or regulatory affairs within the CAM industry or in the public sector; Current and future practitioners of CAM therapies seeking basic science education relevant to their practices. The curriculum includes courses taught by faculty of the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Additionally, in order to emphasize the cross-disciplinary application of academic knowledge and develop real-time problemsolving skills, the students complete an eight-week long mentored practicum in a relevant professional.
Advanced Biomedical Sciences Program Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses
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GeorgeSquared Special Master’s Program
Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Eleven-month program designed for individuals interested in enhancing their academic science standing for entry into medical school. Successful completion of the program leads to a MS in Biomedical Sciences. The program is the sister program to the Georgetown Special Master’s Program. The curriculum includes six of the Georgetown University Medical School first year medical courses, and graduate curriculum emphasizing a system biology/systems medicine relevant courses. Georgetown University School of Medicine interviews students from the program on the same basis as students from the Special Master’s Program, and historically, students performing in the upper half of the MS class have been considered for interviews. Selection for the interview is based mainly on performance in the program, but also on other aspects of the student’s record and their recommendations. Students take the same exams as the medical students, and are graded against the medical mean.
Medical Science Master’s
University of South Florida | Miami, FL Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Developed to provide an interdisciplinary and concentrated program of study for students who are interested in either future professional programs. The program is designed to allow students to demonstrate their full academic ability and suitability for future careers in health care. Students take selected pre-clinical medical school courses and are able to complete the requirements for a Master of Science degree in Medical Sciences within one year.
GEORGIA Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program
Agnes Scott College | Decatur, GA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for non-science majors who can take the required pre-med courses in a program that aims to prepare students for the rigor of medical school. The
FLORIDA
Barry University | Miami Shores, FL Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Full-time, daytime program designed for students with a bachelor’s degree to strengthen their undergraduate and/or graduate credentials for application to medical school.
Master’s Bridge Program
Post Baccalaureate Career Changer Program University of Miami | Miami, FL Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for career changers, not for premedical science enrichment. Students applying to the postbaccalaureate program cannot be currently enrolled in any master’s program. Students with a GPA lower than 3.5 may be accepted to the program on a probationary status.
Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences
Rosalind Franklin University | North Chicago, IL Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Designed to prepare students to continue their graduate education in a variety of health care professions including allopathic and podiatric medicine, dentistry, health care administration and management, and physician assistant studies, by providing a rigorous background in the biomedical sciences. The program also provides an opportunity for students to earn a certificate in one of the following concentrations: health care administration & management, health professionals education, nutrition, and women’s health. The one-year program includes a number of graduate-level courses in the basic medical sciences and the choice of education concentrations in a variety of health care fields. Students in the program take classes with students in other degree programs, including allopathic medicine. Another benefit of the program is that, upon completion, students will have earned a certificate in one of the following education concentrations: Healthcare Administration & Management; Health Professions Education; Nutrition; or Women’s Health.
Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program
Post Baccalaureate / Master of Biomedical Science Combination Program
The Florida State University College of Medicine | Tallahassee, FL Program Type: Disadvantaged students Designed to expand the pool of successful medical school applicants from medically underserved, rural, and inner-city communities. The 12-month program provides both education in medical knowledge and experiences in clinical practice. The program provides disadvantaged students with a bridge to medical school or a career in health care. While preparing students for the rigors of medical school, the program also aims to provide training appropriate for a graduate degree and a career in health care-related biomedical sciences for those students who elect not to continue toward a medical degree. Students admitted to the program are enrolled with medical students in the medical degree curriculum.
Designed as an academic bridge for students who have complete a bachelor’s degree and who intend to pursue a degree in the medical sciences including but not limited to: MD, Ph.D, OD, DDS, DC, MA, and MS. The program offers students the opportunity to take pre-requisite and advanced coursework as well as a specialized second bachelor’s degree, the BMS, Bachelors of Medical Sciences. The program is appropriate both for students who have never before taken introductory natural science courses (career-changers) and for students who need to improve their grades in the science pre-requisites before applying to a professional program (academic enhancers).
12-month program features comprehensive studies in pre-medical laboratory sciences available through undergraduate departments. The program features small classes, science and laboratory facilities and personalized attention from professors. The program also has a linkage agreement with the Mercer University School of Medicine so that students who are Georgia residents and meet the requirements can get a jumpstart on medical school. Students are a mix of new graduates, seasoned career people, and everything in between. The program has recently admitted attorneys, individuals with doctorates, ordained ministers, and several recent graduates with majors that span the social science and humanities.
ILLINOIS Post Baccalaureate Pre Medical Studies Program
Dominican University | River Forest, IL Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement
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Southern Illinois University | Carbondale, IL Program Type: Offers Opportunities for Disadvantaged Designed to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their potential for success in health professions schools. The program provides assistance to educationally and economically disadvantaged students in preparing for and achieving success in health professions schools. College juniors and seniors can also participate. Students are expected to work on developing science knowledge augmented by efficient and effective learning skills. Each student receives assistance in developing an academic plan tailored to his/her specific needs and an individualized curriculum plan is prepared by the entering student and his/her advisor based on the student’s strengths and needs. In addition, most students engage in MCAT preparation and science background courses during the first year of program participation. During the following year, while the student is applying to health professional school, he/she enrolls in enrichment courses.
Premedicine Postbaccalaureate Certificate Program
Northwestern University | Chicago, IL Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students seeking the laboratory science courses in biology, general and organic chemistry and physics required for the application to most medical and related professional schools. The flexible schedule aims to give students the ability to prepare for advanced study at a pace that meets their individual needs. The program is designed for career changers and students who have
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Designed to offer a biomedical sciences curriculum to enhance an individual’s background for application to professional schools in the biomedical field. The program also offers advising and support towards each student’s goals. Classes are taken at the Prince William campus of George Mason University, but students are considered jointly George Mason and Georgetown students. The program has a set curriculum, however it can be tailored to the individual student’s needs if necessary. In particular, some students may require completion of one or two prerequisite courses, entailing modification and prolongation of the course of studies.
not completed the coursework needed to apply to medical school. In addition to the program requirements, students have the option to take any of the courses offered at the School of Continuing Studies. Many students take courses especially during their glide year in which they are preparing and submitting their medical school applications.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program
Loyola University | Chicago, IL Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to provide students with the classes necessary to apply to medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, optometry, podiatry or most any other allied health professional school. The program is tailored specifically for students who already have a bachelor’s degree, but have not completed the science courses necessary for admission to medical or health professional schools. In the program, students can take advantage of individual career counseling offered by experience professional advisors, workshops, seminars and conferences covering various issues relevant to aspiring health care professionals, individual assistance in preparing applications for admission to medical and other allied health professional schools, and more. The program is designed for part-time students. In some cases, students can complete the program in one year.
KENTUCKY Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med Program
University of Louisville |Louisville, KY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for career changers and college graduates with minimal pre-med science (biology, chemistry, and physics) who are preparing for medical school to become a physician. The program provides advising exclusively for its post-bacc pre-med students; monthly enrichment sessions; study groups and academic assistance (tutoring); community service involvement; shadowing opportunities; extra curricular activities (e.g. CPR training/certification, simulation center hands on demonstrations, etc.); medical school visits; a first year medical student mentor; a peer mentor; a mock medical school interview; a committee letter of recommendation from the Program Advisory Committee and assured admission to the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
LOUISIANA Masters in Cell and Molecular Biology
Tulane University |New Orleans, LA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement One-year program targets graduates who plan to attend postgraduate professional schools, including medical school. The program can also benefit students who want to enhance their educational experience in preparing for a career path in the Biotechnology Industry. The curriculum provides students with a specialized academic and experiential background essential for professional school admission. The program emphasizes student development in four areas (coursework, experiential learning, presentation skills, and personal growth) and allows students to build an academic foundation that is conducive to gaining entrance into professional schools.
Masters in Pharmacology
Tulane University |New Orleans, LA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Designed for those interested in improving their credentials to gain admission to a medical school. The class size is maintained at less than 35 to create a more personal connection between students & faculty. Students in the program take the Schools of Medicine’s Medical Pharmacology course along with 2nd year medical students. All other graduate courses are also taught within the School
of Medicine by full time faculty. The program is a postbaccalaureate program that leads to the MS degree in Pharmacology.
Masters of Biomedical Sciences
Tulane University |New Orleans, LA Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses One-year program is a post-baccalaureate Master of Biomedical Science Degree with a concentration in Human Genetics. The program is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental program combining clinical, genetics, biochemical genetics, molecular genetics, population genetics, and cytogenetics. The program is designed to give graduates an in-depth understanding of the rapidly advancing field of human genetics. It is designed to prepare qualified individuals for careers in the health sciences and to provide a more in-depth education experience to enhance the opportunity of an individual being admitted to a postgraduate professional school such as medical school or Ph.D. programs.
Masters in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tulane University |New Orleans, LA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement A two-semester program designed to enrich and improve credentials of graduates to apply for admission to medical, dental, or other healthcare-related professions. Students take the Human Medical Cellular Biochemistry and Human Medical Metabolic Biochemistry courses, with a strong emphasis on clinical application of biochemical and molecular knowledge. These courses are taken along with first-year medical students at the Tulane School of Medicine.
MAINE Certificate in Pre-medical Studies Studies Program
University of Southern Maine | Portland, ME Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who already have graduated from college with a bachelors degree and who seek to fulfill the science course requirements for admission to schools of medicine or dentistry.
MASSACHUSETTS Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Pre-Medical Studies
Boston University | Boston, MA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students with bachelor’s degrees to pursue the course requirements for admission to medical school. Students are eligible for assistance and letters of recommendations from the pre-professional advising office.
M.A. in Medical Sciences Program
Boston University | Boston, MA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement, Advanced Courses Introduces students to a broad range of topics in the medical sciences while strengthening their academic credentials for admission to medical school. The curriculum is closely aligned with the first year medical curriculum at Boston University School of Medicine and several courses have identical content. Approximately 170-180 students are accepted each year for the program. The program can be completed in 12 months by utilizing the two summer semesters. Of the graduates who apply to medical school, approximately 70% are admitted into medical school in the U.S.
Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program
Program Type: Offers Prerequisites This 2-year program is designed for career-changers and recent college graduates who would like to take the necessary pre-requisites for medical school. The program features two tracks: 1.) Advanced Biology Coursework which allows students to incorporate advanced biology electives and 2.) Research in Project Lab which offers students the experience of conducting bench research and an independent project through a small, lab-based course. Students in both tracks benefit from advising support, professional training, and consideration for a linkage with The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Studies
Elms College | Chicopee, MA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Students can prepare for admission to health professional schools by majoring in any subject, but they must include courses in their program that meet minimum requirements for entrance into the professional school of their choice. Admission to the program requires that students have a bachelor’s degree. There is no minimum GPA requirement for students entering the program. However, students are advised that the course work for the program is rigorous. Once admitted, students will be required to maintain a 3.0 or better GPA to continue the program. Students are also required to seek academic advising from the premedical advisor every semester while participating in the program.
Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program
Tufts University | Medford, MA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to provide the opportunity for college graduates who have not yet taken the sciences to prepare for entrance into a health care profession of their choice. The program is not for those who need to retake science courses or who may need to enhance their undergraduate record. If is for those who have not yet taken the majority of the prerequisite science courses for their intended health career. The school provides a variety of workshops specifically for Postbacc students - applying and interviewing for graduate programs, mock interviews, options for financing your education, and strategies for studying science. Once a student completes the prerequisite courses, the Health Professions Recommendation Committee will prepare a composite letter of recommendation. A certificate is also awarded to all who complete the program. In addition, students who complete their prerequisite courses with a 3.5 GPA or above are automatically granted an interview at the Tufts University School of Medicine, should they choose to apply.
Pre-Health Professions Certificate
Univ. of Massachusetts | N. Dartmouth, MA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for any student who already has completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution but needs to complete the professional program undergraduate requirements before applying to the allied health program of their choice.
Certificate in Pre-Medical Studies
Worcester State University | Worcester, MA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to recognize the individual needs of students. Each student’s academic history is evaluated and appropriate courses are selected in consultation with the Chair of the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee based upon the student’s specific needs. Students who have not taken science courses or very few take the basic core sciences as prerequisites for medical school. Students entering the program with a strong background in the sciences may opt to take advanced courses in his/her area of interest. There is not a specific GPA requirement for the program.
Brandeis University | Waltham, MA
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MICHIGAN Physiology MS Program
University of Michigan |Ann Arbor, MI Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Targeted to students who specifically desire to earn an M.S. degree and who plan, after program completion, to pursue one of the following: 1) employment in a research laboratory in academia or industry or other related profession, 2) application to a doctoral degree-granting program, or 3) application to a health profession program such as medical or dental school. Students can choose upon application to pursue either 1) an intensive, research-oriented track which aims to prepare students for the workforce or a Ph.D program or 2) an intensive, course-oriented track that aims to prepare students for a health professional graduate program.
MISSISSIPPI Master of Biomedical Science Degree Program
William Carey University |Hattiesburg, MS Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Ten-month program designed to offer students an opportunity to pursue graduate studies in the biomedical sciences. The program provides preparation for the professional study of medicine, both osteopathic and allopathic. The program also offers students a versatile non-thesis Master’s degree that can be used for career preparation in science education, biomedical research, and for preparation for doctoral studies in the biomedical sciences. Graduate students in the program take courses alongside first year medical students in William Carey’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. The program’s curriculum places emphasis on structure and function in a medical context.
MISSOURI Pre-Medical Post-Baccalaureate Program
Rockhurst University |Kansas City, MO Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who have complete a baccalaureate program, usually in a non-science area, and who now desire to come back to school to fulfill their science requirements for medical school. The program is applicable to those preparing for either the allopathic (MD) or osteopathic (DO) medical schools. The program is not intended as a remedial program for students who have taken all or many of the required courses, but who need to improve their scores, either GPA or MCAT scores. It is not an “MCAT prep” course. There are no strict cut-off grades for admission to the program. The program considers many factors when review prospective applicants.
Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program
Washington University |St. Louis, MO Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for college graduates to take core and elective science and math courses that satisfy medical school admission requirements. Students can also take approved elective courses in natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities that provide a broad context and skill set for the practice of medicine today. The program is flexible to accommodate individuals changing careers, including those without a science background. For students who enter the program with most premedical course requirements completed, the program offers numerous upper level biology courses to enhance a previous academic record and demonstrate science mastery. Courses are typically taken during the evening, and are available in fall, spring, and summer terms. Day courses are also available to students though tuition rates are higher. Some students may be able to complete the program in 12 months. However, most students spend two academic years sat-
isfying requirements. The program may take up to three years for students who are not able to attend on a full time basis.
NEBRASKA Premedical Post-Bacc Program
Creighton University| Omaha, NE Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement, Opportunities for Disadvantaged Students Designed to strengthen the academic abilities (science, mathematics, perceptual ability, writing, analytical reading, and critical thinking) of students who are disadvantaged academically, environmentally, financially and socially and who, for one reason or another, have previously been denied admission to a school of medicine/ dentistry. The program aims to enhance the students’ test-taking skills and their competitiveness for re-application to medical/dental school and provide them with cultural competency and other professional skills that will prepare them to be capable health care providers and members of increasingly global social and professional communities.
NEW JERSEY Pre-Medical Preparation Program
Drew University | Madison, NJ Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who need additional undergraduate coursework in math and the sciences in preparation for application to medical or other health professions schools. A health professions advisor is available to help guide and mentor students in this program. Students have access to the same academic resources and activities as other Drew University students, including the graduate-level library, full network access and extracurricular activities. Students who successfully complete the minimum number of credits may be eligible for support from Drew’s Health Professions Committee.
Health Professions Preparation Program
Richard Stockton College | Galloway, NJ Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to meet the needs of college graduates seeking a career in the health professions. Students are nontraditional students who possess a bachelor’s degree in a non-science discipline, but require post-graduate science coursework to pursue admission to medical school. Students in the program will primarily take science and mathematics courses in preparation for graduate study in health professions. All students in the program have full access to guidance from the health professions advisor, which includes course planning, career counseling, and assistance with the medical school application process. In addition, opportunities exist for internship and independent research.
Post Baccalaureate Premedical Studies Program
Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for career changers who have not yet taken the undergraduate science course prerequisites for admission to medical school. Although not a masters degree program, students receive advising and academic support from Rider’s premedical studies committee. Additionally, students take advantage of the Continuing Studies part-time rate regardless of the number or credits taken per semester.
Post-Baccalaureate Program
Rutgers University | New Brunswick, NJ Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for the individual possessing a non-science bachelor’s degree who is now seriously considering a ca-
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reer in the medical profession. Applicants are expected to have complete college-level courses in mathematics and also have evidence of volunteer or paid service in the medical field. Students are also offered continuous services including tutorial assistance and advisement focused on preparing them for admission to professional schools. The program allows students to apply to New Jersey Medical School as “linkage applicants.”
Medical Scholars Program
New Jersey Medical School | Newark, NJ Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Designed for students interested in applying to medical school including schools of osteopathic medicine, and to other health related professions. The program leads to a graduate degree that can also be used as a qualification for other careers. Students get the opportunity to take medical courses and be graded with New Jersey Medical School students. Opportunities for training for volunteer positions at the University Hospital Emergency Room and along side medical students are also made available to students in the program. In addition, students are guaranteed an interview at NJ Medical School by earning a 3.5 GPA after at least 20 credits and a 28 or greater MCAT score.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Professional Program
William Paterson University | Wayne, NJ Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for college graduates who wish to pursue a medical education but have not taken any or all of the science courses required for admission to medical school. The program has two options: 1) an intensive full-time program which can be completed in 16 months or 2) a flexible program of part and full-time study which can be started while continuing to work a full-time job, or doing internships, shadowing, or research - this option can culminate in a BS in Biology if desired. Students in the program receive individual advising, preparation of a composite letter of evaluation, seminars by health professionals, MCAT advice, essay-writing assistance, faculty mentoring, mock admission interviews, and more.
NEW YORK Basic Sciences for Health Professions: Certificate
Adelphi University | Garden City, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Program focuses on all factors that are important to medical school applications, including science course work, medical volunteer experience, attaining good scores on the MCAT, and securing important recommendations from academic and medical professionals.
Postbac Premed Program
Columbia University | New York, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Allows students, alongside all other Columbia University undergraduates, the opportunity to complete the academic prerequisites for admission to schools of allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and graduate programs in allied health fields. Additional the program, which as more than 400 students enrolled, provides students with opportunities for practical clinical research experience, With guidance throughout the medical-school application process; and with institutional support through a letter of recommendation. The program linkage agreements with 13 medical schools to enable highly qualified students with a strong interest in one of the schools to accelerate the application process.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Health Studies Cornell University | Ithaca, NY
Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Designed for individuals who wish to enhance their academic career with a 1 year individualized and rigorous science-based education program. With the program’s limited enrollment of twenty, students often form close friendships with peers and enjoy individual attention from instructors. Program advisors work closely with students to provide academic guidance during the program and one-on-one career advising. In addition, the small class size enables faculty to prepare highly personal letters of recommendation focusing on the student’s personal growth during the program, key academic strengths, and effectiveness of interpersonal skills demonstrated during the program.
Certificate in Sciences for the Health Professions
Farmingdale State College | Farmingdale, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to meet the needs of students with bachelor’s degrees in non-science fields who seek a career change into the health professions, but lack some or all of the necessary science and mathematics background. Acceptance to the program requires an earned bachelor’s degree with a GPA of at least 3.0.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program
Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for career-changer students (those who lack requisite math and science courses). Students enroll in the appropriate undergraduate courses with non-matriculating graduate student status. The undergraduate coursework, couples with the advisement resources of the pre-professional advisement office is designed to help to prepare students for the application process to medical school. Students are academically advised and tracked throughout their time during the program by the preprofessional advising staff. Stony Brook’s Faculty Committee on Health Professions may nominate up to five eligible students per year for linkage (a fast track admission) to Stony Brook’s School of Medicine.
Program in Premedical Studies
City College of New York | New York, NY Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Designed to prepare students for careers in medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, veterinary medicine, optometry and podiatry. The program aims to advance student’s knowledge of careers in the health sciences through academic advisement, tutoring services, workshops, and symposia. Students are also referred to hospitals and other clinical centers to provide volunteer and research opportunities to facilitate their clinical shadowing experience, which carries significant weight in a professional school admissions application. The program guides students through the application process with information on timeliness, and assistance with personal statements, and preparation for interviews.
Master of Science Interdisciplinary Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences Touro College | Harlem, NY Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Designed for students who have a strong ambition to complete an osteopathic medical education. The program is intended to immerse students in the biomedical curriculum so that candidates can determine whether the content satisfies their academic curiosity while the medical college evaluates their potential for professional success. Admission to the program constitutes provisional acceptance into Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Direct matriculation requires completion of the MS curriculum with a GPA of 3.5/4.0 and successful completion of a Comprehensive Examination. All courses are offered at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine campus in Harlem and are presented by the medical college faculty in lecture, workshop and laboratory venues. The oppor-
tunity exists for students attending the program to take classes alongside students who attend the DO program.
Post-baccalaureate Pre-medical Program
University of Rochester | Rochester, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who wish to complete the prerequisites needed for medical school. The program is individually tailored to meet student’s needs, taking into account the courses already completed as an undergraduate or graduate students. Students who have complete no more than calculus should be able to finish the program in 12 months of full-time study, including one summer session. Some students may wish to remain at the University of Rochester during the “glide” year between completing coursework and MCATs and entering medical school, using this time to take advanced classes, work in laboratories or in health-related placements, and experience some of the other academic opportunities available at the university.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med/Pre-Health Program
Fordham University | Bronx, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for college graduates interested in a career in the health professions but still in need of the prerequisite science courses. The program offers the pre-med curriculum primarily in the evening, or weekends, and during the summer to prepare students for application to medical, dental, or veterinary schools, nursing, physician assistant or physical therapy programs. Classes are offered at Fordham’s Rose Hill, Lincoln Center, and Westchester campuses. Eligible students may apply for a letter of recommendation from the Committee on Health Professions. The core curriculum includes one year of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and English required by most medical and professional schools for admission. Additional upper level science courses are also available in alternate semesters for students who have fulfilled the prerequisite core sequence in biology and general chemistry. The curriculum aims to prepare students for professional school entrance exams, including the MCAT.
Postbaccalaureate Prehealth Studies Program
New York University | New York, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to work with students to create a program that meets their specific needs. Program requirements are based upon the general requirements established by most medical schools of the health professions. Once admitted to the program, students have full access to pre-professional advising. NYU currently has “linkage” agreements with 8 medical schools. Through the linkage agreements, very competitive students may be considered for entry into medical school for the Fall directly following the completion of the program. In addition, students are offered individual tutoring sessions, one-hour small group sessions, and daily “walk-in” tutoring.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program
Hunter College | New York, NY Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students pursuing careers in medicine, dentistry, optometry, osteopathy, veterinary medicine, and podiatry. Applicants to the program fall into 2 categories: Preparatory - students with less than 15 credits in science in preparation for entry to health professions schools. Enrichment - students with existing science background who are in need of further science preparation, improvement of science performance (due to low grades or credits of more than 10 years old) before applying to health professions schools. Students can expect to complete their requirements in 2 to 3 years.
NORTH CAROLINA
Premedical and Predental Post-Baccalaureate Program
University of North Carolina |Greensboro, NC Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for career-change individuals who have not yet completed the courses that are required for applying to medical, dental, or other health professional schools. Students who lack any science background can, within 12 months of summer matriculation, complete the prerequisite courses for the MCAT or DAT. The program can also serve students who desire to enhance their academic records. Such students often retake prerequisite courses in which they did poorly and take upper level science courses to demonstrate academic success. There is no set curriculum for grade enhancement.
Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program
Wake Forest School of Medicine |Salem, NC Program Type: Offers Opportunities for Underrepresented/Disadvantaged Designed to facilitate the entry of students into medical school from populations underrepresented in medicine and/or disadvantaged. The curriculum focuses on graduate level science and communication skills. While tuition is waived, students are responsible for their own living expensive and a $15,000 program fee. In addition, scholarships are available to qualifying students and academic support services are available.
Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
Meredith College|Raleigh, NC Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement One-year program designed to educate students as they pursue their goals of a career in the field of health care. Students are individuals with a bachelors degree who are interested in either enhancing their credentials for re-application to medical school or preparing to enter a healthcare field through medical school. Two tracks are available: a preparatory certificate and an enhancement certificate. Program flexibility allows for individualized curricula to fit the requirements of specific health fields. This includes course selection, clinical rotation schedules and additional opportunities such as study abroad and professional seminars. Every student completes a clinical rotation, choosing from opportunities including hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and counseling centers.
OHIO Post-Baccalaureate Program - MS in Medical Physiology
Case Western Reserve University |Cleveland, OH Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Designed for students with a background in the physical, chemical, or biological sciences, usually with a bachelor’s degree in one of these areas, who are seeking advanced training in the physiological sciences, typically in preparation for admission to a professional medical program. The program is flexible in duration and can take as little as 1 year to complete.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Professional Program
Cleveland State University |Cleveland, OH Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree who are seeking to gain entry into careers in medicine and wish to complete additional undergraduate work that prepares them for the science and math courses required by professional schools. The program prepares students with the understanding needed to take the aptitude tests and the courses required for application to most medical schools. The program does not have a fixed curriculum and the number of courses and the program duration will be determined by your career goals and by previous undergraduate coursework.
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Medical Careers Pathway Post Baccalaureate Program
Ohio State University |Columbus, OH Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement, Opportunities for Disadvantaged One-year program aimed at developing and enriching the academic knowledge base and skills of students prior to their entrance into medical school. The program allows students to become more competitive and successful in the medical school environment. Increasing the number of students underrepresented in medicine and/or students from economically and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who graduate from medical school is a major goal of the program. A limited number of University tuition waivers are available to students participating in the program. Students are provided with assessment and instruction in reading, writing, learning strategies, test-taking and problem solving. Conditional acceptance is awarded following successful completion of the program.
Master’s in Physiology
University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement, Designed to help college graduates strengthen their academic credentials in preparation for application to U.S. medical schools. The program is approximately 11 months in duration and participants can only enroll as full-time students. While there is no guaranteed that completion of the program will lead to acceptance to medical school, the program provides credentials that allow for direct comparison of the program’s graduates to current medical school students at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The special master’s program aims to expose students to the rigors and excitement of medical-school coursework at the fundamentals of biomedical research. Students are allowed to take classes and identical exams with first-year medical students, and to be ranked in their performance directly against currently matriculated medical students, as well as recent graduates of the first year medical student class. Students are also provided with insight into the medical school interview process with mock interview sessions in both the traditional interview process and those focused on multiple stations.
Master of Science in Medical Sciences
University of Toledo |Toledo, OH Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement, Designed to educate and train graduate students who have completed all prerequisites required for medical school but wish to enhance their understanding of the biological sciences and potentially improve their academic credentials for applying to medical school. Students will have the opportunity to compete coursework with medical students (being graded on the same scale), participate in other graduate college courses, and design, perform and present their own scholarly project. The curriculum is designed to provide foundational information for continued study in the medical school curriculum. In addition, students who have good academic standing are guaranteed an interview for medical school at the University of Toledo College of Medicine. Students who successfully complete the program will also be awarded the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree.
OREGON Pre-Health Post-Bac Program
University of Oregon |Eugene, OR Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses Designed for students who have completed a previous bachelors degree, and would like to take additional classes. Enrolling as a post-bac student is an avenue to: Complete prerequisite courses for a specific program of interest; Begin a second undergraduate bachelor’s degree; Repeat prerequisite courses to show significant
Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program
Bryn Mawr College | Bryn Mawr, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites This 1-year program is designed for those motivated to pursue a career in medicine but have not taken the required premedical courses as undergraduates. Over a 12-month period of intensive, full-time study, students are exposed to a curriculum that fulfills all the requirements needed to apply to medical school. The program has links with many medical schools that offer conditional early acceptance to students.
Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Allows an individual with a non-science baccalaureate degree the opportunity to continue his or her current career while working during the evenings to prepare for medical, veterinary, dental, podiatric, chiropractic, or other allied health professional schools. This program may help candidates to transition into a new career by allowing them to maintain their current position while completing the pre-requisite coursework for application to health professional schools. The program is the equivalent of five semesters over a two-year period. During the last semester of the program, students can take an inhouse MCAT preparation course free of tuition charges. Students completing the program may also be eligible to apply to medical school sooner than a typical medical school applicant through one of the program’s linkage agreements. Currently, linkage is available to the Drexel University College of Medicine, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, and to The Edward Via College Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Medical Science Preparatory Program
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program
improvement. Students work closely with a pre-health advisor to create an individualized academic plan and to assist in preparing to apply to health professional school. Advising assistance is also provided as students plan coursework, select schools, and prepare for interviews. Students are not awarded a certificate or masters degree.
PENNSYLVANIA
Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement This 1-year graduate level certificate program is designed to help students enhance their academic credentials for application to medical or other health professional schools. The program has been designed to help students improve their academic science background and help them prepare for their MCAT test or improve current MCAT scores. The curriculum offers graduate-level biological science coursework, undergraduate review courses in physics, chemistry, and organic chemistry, and a community outreach course, and an MCAT preparation and review course. Students achieving a minimum 3.0 gpa and an MCAT score of 27+ are granted a guaranteed acceptance into the Master of Biological Science program which leads to a Master of Science degree.
Interdepartmental Medical Science Program
Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement Offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates first-year medical school basic science courses and presents them through clinical system-based modules. The program is offered at the school’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, California campus in addition to their Philadelphia Center City Health Sciences campus. Applicants to the program include students: 1.) who are late in their decision to apply to medical school 2.) interested in improving their academic record before applying or re-applying to medical school 3.) who would like a year in a medical school setting before deciding whether medicine is the career for them and 4.) interested in applying to dental, optometry, podiatry, chiropractic or other health professional schools. The program allows students the opportunity to test their preparation, motivation, and commitment to medicine.
Master’s in Biological Science Program
Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses The program offers two entry ways into the program. The traditional pathway involves the successful completion of the Medical Science Preparatory program before transitioning into the Master’s in Biological Science program. Students can also gain entry to the program at the outset, still completing the Medical Science Preparatory program first. The two options allows students to either complete a one-year certificate program, saving time and money if they only need a one-year enhancement program, or enter the two-year graduate program knowing they are going to complete the two-year program.
Evening Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program
Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA
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Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement Certificate program designed for students currently enrolled in college or who have already earned a college degree. The program offers students two tracks: 1.) Enhancement Track: for individuals who wish to enhance or complete an already existing science background and lack adequate or appropriate preparation in the sciences required for application to a health professional school or 2.) Pre- Professional Track: for students who have few or none of the basic science courses that are required for admission to a health professional school. Each semester students can expect to take three science courses and one non-science course. Students also take classes with both undergraduate and graduate students within the University. Linkage programs exists with both the Temple University School of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Through the linkage, students directly enter medical school in the fall, following the completion of the program.
Accelerated Undergraduate Postbaccalaureate Medical Sciences Certificate Program
Drexel University | Media, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for working adults who have little or no science background, but would like to prepare for admission to schools of allied health, dentistry, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatry, and veterinary science. Online instruction is paired with bi-monthly faceto-face labs for optimal convenience. The program offers students two options: One-Year Option: accelerated program geared toward working adults, comprised of courses in a fixed sequence, where the majority of course work completed through the Internet and self-study; Two-Year Option: for working adults who do not wish to pursue the fast-track, which allows students, who may have significant personal or job demands, to spread the course work over a two-year period. The program has a linkage agreement with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
MS in Biomedical Sciences
Philadelphia College | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Advanced Courses First year of the program emphasizes biomedical concepts and is more generally designed for those who are preparing to continue their education in medical school or other health professions programs. Courses are similar in subject matter to the first-year courses in professional degree programs. Students who complete the curriculum benefit from instruction that they will be able to use as they enter a career or further their education in a professional school. Upon completion of the first year of study, the certificate of graduate study is awarded. Students en-
ter as MD degree candidates and may progress to one of three second-year concentrations: Biomedical Research, Forensic Biology , or Organizational Leadership in the Biosciences.
Advanced Core in Medical Sciences Program
Temple University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement Ten-month program offers graduate level science courses taught by medical school faculty to candidates who are interested in strengthening their academic record. The program also includes educational and extra-curricular activities at the School of Medicine including MCAT preparation, shadowing opportunities, Ethics in Medicine lecture series, and a seminar series with review of the medical scientific literature. Components of the program also feature: Personal advising; Formal MCAT preparation; Clinical shadowing opportunities; Opportunity to matriculate immediately into the MD program at Temple University School of Medicine.
Basic Core in Medical Sciences Program
Temple University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to meet the needs of applicants who need to complete the basic core premedical requirements of biology, general chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, with their respective labs. Successful applicants have a college degree in a non-science major with a record of strong academic performance. The program also includes educational and extra-curricular activities at the School of medicine that includes clinical shadowing, scientific journal review, and MCAT preparation Components of the program also feature: Personal advising; Formal MCAT preparation; Clinical shadowing opportunities; Opportunity to matriculate immediately into the MD program at Temple University School of Medicine.
Master of Biomedical Sciences Program
The Commonwealth Medical College | Scranton, PA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement, Advanced Courses Designed for students who: Seek to strengthen their credentials for application to medical school or a health professions schools; Seek a foundation in biomedical sciences to enter a career in public health, scientific research, education or biomedical technology. The program also provides an opportunity to explore and prepare for other professional educational opportunities and careers in biomedical and health science fields. The program’s curriculum has been designed to provide students with a unique, personal learning experience to assist in career goal achievement. In addition, students who wish to apply to medical school are given a simulated medical school interview with feedback to help prepare for their interview. The Commonwealth Medical College will hold several MD slots open for program graduates who meet the criteria for medical school.
Postbaccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate in Premedical Basic Sciences
Penn State University | University Park, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for individuals who do not have a science background. In 15-24 months, students can complete the science coursework require to apply to admission to medical school. The program is flexible in terms of scheduling, and students that need to work may enroll as part-time students. An individualized curriculum can be designed to encompass the courses needed to prepare for specific health professions programs. Students in the program have access to the pre-professional evaluation committee that writes letters of evaluation to medical and other allied health schools for most applicants.
Postbaccalaureate gram
Pre-Professional
Pro-
Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Created for individuals seeking to complete their basic sciences requirements in preparation for entrance to medical and pharmacy schools. The program is designed to offer educational and professional development in the health professions for academically competitive individuals with non-science undergraduate and graduate degrees. The program highlights exam preparation with a focused curriculum and continues throughout the duration of the program with specific exam preparation courses and a comprehensive review at the completion of program course work. In addition, the program has a linkage agreement with Jefferson medical College, allowing students with academically exceptional records the opportunity to have an early-decision status for admission to medical school.
Post-Bac Pre-Health Certificates
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement Designed to serve the academic needs of students who have a bachelor’s degree and either lack the prerequisites required by medical school (career-changers) or who wish to strengthen their academic credentials (academic record-enhancers). The program aims to broaden and enrich the student’s academic preparation for medical school curriculum, foster academic excellence and success on the MCAT, and enhance acceptance into medical school.
Pre-Medical Program
West Chester University | West Chester, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed to prepare undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students for application to the health professional schools of medicine. Supervised by a premedical committee composed of faculty members from various relevant departments and chaired by the pre-medical director, the program consists of an individual selection of course work, personal counseling, academic support, and junior/senior year biomedical research internship at a medical school or research institute. For highly qualified post-baccalaureate students, early assurance programs exist with Drexel University College of Medicine and Temple University School of Medicine.
Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program
La Salle University | Philadelphia, PA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students wishing to change career paths and enter the health professions. Students have access to intensive advising during their coursework and application process. All students receive direct guidance from their advisor on selection of course work, gaining volunteer experience, preparation for the MCAT or other appropriate admissions tests, and completing the application process. A linkage program exists with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The time required to complete the program usually ranges from 15 months to 20 months depending on the preparation of the incoming applicant.
TENNESSEE Post-baccalaureate Program
Carson-Newman College | Jefferson City, TN Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Advanced Courses Designed for students to build on their bachelor’s degree to pursue a career in medicine. An individualized curriculum is designed based on the background, interests, and needs of each student. Students have the opportunity to take a full range of courses, including gross anatomy with cadavers, a course offering shadowing experience, a committee composite letter of recommendation to sup-
port application to medical school, computerized practice MCAT exams with follow-up sessions, and regular workshops on the short interview. The intensive program is designed to be complete in 12 to 24 months by full time students.
TEXAS M.S. in Biomedical Sciences (Pre-Medical Sciences Track)
Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who need additional preparation for medical school, or whose goal is a teaching career in the anatomical sciences. Students take courses in the anatomical and physiological sciences with the first year medical students. The program is a 2-year non-thesis Master of Science degree offered through the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Cell and Molecular Biology graduate program. This program will not fulfill undergraduate medical school prerequisites, and students who eventually wish to pursue admission to a medical school should not the admissions requirements. Requirements for admission are flexible and there are no minimum GPA or GRE requirements.
VERMONT Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program
The University of Vermont | Burlington, VT Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Open to anyone who has completed a bachelor’s degree with a strong academic record, but lack the core science courses needed for admission to medical school. The program is designed to provide the necessary resources and guidance to help students acquire the undergraduate science prerequisites. Although the program is rigorous, it offers flexibility with the option of a one or two year program designed exclusively for students’ needs, previous experience and interests. In addition, the program offers linkage agreements to enhance the professional school admissions process for its students. The program also offers linkage agreements to enhance the professional school admissions process for our students. Linkage agreements are currently in place with the following schools and programs: University of Vermont College of Medicine, University of Vermont Masters Entry Nurse Practitioner Program, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England Physician Assistant Program, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. What’s more, the program has a 90% acceptance rate. For Summer 2014, the University of Vermont Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program is offering a one-course scholarship for the first twenty-five admitted students who start the program with summer term 2014.
Postbacc Premedical Program
Bennington College | Bennington, VT Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who have excelled in an undergraduate program in an area other than science and now wish to acquire the prerequisites necessary to apply to medical and other health-related professional schools. The program students are both recent college graduates and experienced professionals from many background. The program offers close assistance to their alums in achieving their professional goals. Students have access to intensive advising not only during their postbac year but throughout the following application (glide) year as well. Students meet regularly with a faculty pre-med advisor and have ongoing access to teaching faculty and to all of the other curricular and extracurricular resources of the school’s college community. After a summer of classes that are exclusively postbacs, students work alongside upper-level undergraduates in classes.
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VIRGINIA MA in Biomedicine
Eastern Mennonite University | Harrisonburg, VA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Two-year program designed for students who already completed a baccalaureate degree but have continuing interest in health and human biology. It is designed for students who want to enter medical school but lack the prerequisite coursework. The program uses natural science courses as the core curriculum, and students immerse themselves in the physical, social, psyche and spiritual dimensions of biomedicine.
MS in Biomedical Sciences
Eastern Virginia Medical School | Norfolk, VA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement One-year program with the majority of the courses medical school courses taught by medical school faculty, with the exception of a library research paper and a seminar course. The program is designed to provide an opportunity for students to improve their academic credentials by demonstrating their academic abilities in a rigorous medical school environment. For this reason, it is particularly suitable to help students to make themselves more competitive applicants to medical programs.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med Program
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine | Blacksburg, VA (also available in Spartanburg, SC) Program Type: Offers Prerequisites, Grade Improvement Designed for individuals who are changing careers, interested in apply to an osteopathic (DO) or allopathic (MD) medical program and/or for graduating students who need to meet or strengthen the requirements for health professions schools. The program is a non-degree granting, certificate program offered to attract individuals from rural areas, low-socioeconomic status backgrounds,
and underrepresented minorities. The curriculum includes biomedical coursework, clinical and research experiences, professional skills workshops, and MCAT preparation.
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program
University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Full-time, one-year certificate program designed for college graduates with strong academic records who have made a late decision to pursue a career in medicine. It provides the science courses students need to be eligible for medical school admission. The coursework in biology, chemistry, and physics is offered through the University of Virginia’s College of Arts and Sciences by faculty with extensive experience preparing students for medical school. Students in the program prepare for the practice of medicine by shadowing physicians and volunteering at the University Medical Center and in other community clinical settings. Students also take a special course on the structure and financing of the U.S. health care system taught by the program’s medical director.
Premedical Graduate Health Sciences Certificate Program
Virginia Commonwealth Univ.| Richmond, VA Program Type: Offers Grade Improvement One-year, graduate-level program for individuals seeking to enhance their qualifications for admission into professional school, including medical school. The program curriculum is structured to improve competitiveness for admission to professional schools and to help prepare students for taking or retaking standardized exams. In particular, the program offers an MCAT refresher course in the spring semester to help students become more competitive. Certain students are guaranteed an interview for the medical school at VCU, for the application cycle following completion of the program.
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Post-Baccalaureate Health Sciences Certificate Program
Virginia Commonwealth University| Richmond, VA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites Designed for students who have received a bachelors degree and wish to pursue their undergraduate prehealth sciences requirements at VCU. The program is designed for those students who have few or non of the prerequisites they need to enter doctoral level programs in physical therapy, pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, osteopathic medicine, optometry, or veterinary sciences. All students accepted into the program must also commit to at least 50 hours of volunteer service in the VCU Medical Center Volunteer Program or a private health care setting. All students matriculating in the program are assigned a counselor.
WASHINGTON Post Baccalaureate Pre-Professional Health Certificate Program
Seattle University | Seattle, WA Program Type: Offers Prerequisites The program is best suited for people who are changing careers, rather than students who have already taken the science courses they need for professional school but are seeking to enhance their science credentials. Students in the program are advised by the pre-health advisor, take classes along with undergraduate students and have the option to interview with the Pre-Health Advisory Committee in preparation for interviews at professional schools. The pre-health advisor offers advice about career exploration and professional school application process including interview strategies and review of essays and other application materials. Students can choose to take a part-time course load to accommodate their work schedule, or enroll full-time.
FREE
Post-Baccalaurate Pre-Medical Virtual Fair All Access Week Starts June 9 Register at www.premedlife.com/events
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DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF YOUR TESTING ROOM
5 Simple Things That Can Affect Your MCAT Performance in a Big Way Helpful advice on what to do before the biggest test of your pre-med life ‘Tis the season to take the MCAT. You register months ago. You probably can’t help thinking about it. If you’re on Twitter, you’re probably tweeting about it. And you looked at the calendar and realized that the MCAT is right around the corner. You might have signed up for the test when registration first open, continued on with your classes, and started your test prep. Or maybe you’ve made the last minute decision to take the MCAT and just registered for the test a month ago. Whatever the case may be, the test is coming and you need to be ready. We combed through research on factors that affect performance on standardized test to identify 10 surprising things that can influence how well you do on the MCAT. THE FIRST BREAKFAST OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE There’s a whole lot of research on breakfast consumption and what’s called “cognitive performance.” Aisde from being told that from your grade school years that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” the underlying principle is that the day’s first meal provides essential nutrients (such as fiber, protein, calcium, and carbs) that have been shown to improve concentration, problem-solving ability, mental performance,
and memory - to say the least. Moreover, leading experts have even suggested eating something for breakfast is better than eating nothing at all. However, on the day of the MCAT, it will definitely be in your interest to opt out for the tempting glazed donut and go with something more “healthy.” Here’s what the experts say you should eat on test day: protein and complex carbohydrates (aka oatmeal with fresh blueberries or two scrambled eggs on whole wheat toast). BE AN EARLY BIRD BUT DON’T CATCH THE FIRST WORM It’s quite simple. Arrive to early to the testing center on the day of your MCAT and you risk the chance of opening the floodgates to nervous thoughts. Many pre-meds make the mistake of arriving to the test center (more than 1 hour before your test) and while arrive too early beats arriving too late, being around other students who may be overcome with feelings of anxiety can rub off on you and add to you’re own feelings surrounding the unknown events in your immediate test-taking future. Developing feelings of test anxiety can significantly impact your performance on the MCAT. Do yourself a favor and plan accordingly so that you’re not thrown off by the unforeseen distracts that may come with getting there too early,
30 | PreMedLife Magazine | March/April 2014
While you may have given little thought to the AAMC’s recommendation that you bring a sweater or sweatshirt on test day, there may be more to just making sure you are comfortable while taking your test. In fact, the temperature of your testing room could actually keep you from performance at your peak. One study, presented at a Environmental Protection Agency event, found that temperature impact a student’s ability to concentration and solve problems. Specifically, when the room was too cold (61 degrees) or too hot (81 degrees), test results were lower compared to students in the control room (72 degrees). Students in the cold room had an average score of 76, students in the warm room had an average score of 72, and students in the control room had an average score of 90. The moral of the story dress comfortably in layers so you can adjust your personal temperature as you need. ON YOUR MARK. GET SET. GO. A short hike that is. If you’ve never thought about taking a walk, here’s a big reason to on the day of your test: regardless of being fit or not, studies show that students who walked for just 20 minutes before taking a test improved their scores. Exercise can have immediate effects on cognitive function - little something you just might need to perform well on the MCAT. Engaging in light exercise hours and even minutes before your test can not only increased “mental processing speed” and attention, but also enhance your mood, increase concentration and memory level. GRAB A STICK OF GUM Researchers have found that chewing gum for 5 minutes before taking a test improves test scores. With this simple tip, it won’t hurt you to try it so why not? If it does work, the short-term benefit of chewing gum will get blood flowing to your brain - just the effect you’re looking for right? And while researchers explained that the effect only lasted a few minutes, the simple pre-test act could give test-takers an advantage in some ways.
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Premed culture: Students who are on the road to medical school must realize that being self-disciplined is a very big part of obtaining success.
The Self-Disciplined Pre-Med A way for pre-med students to really learn by Kesha Shah
I have a habit of reflecting upon my habits at the end of every semester. I sit down and I literally have a full-blown conversation with myself about where I went right and which areas I still need to work on. As usual, I sat down one day during winter break and evaluated my grades and study habits. Every single one of my mistakes boiled down to one thing: a lack of self-discipline. Self-discipline was the only thing I lacked and unfortunately, the only component needed to transform my day to day life into absolute chaos. What exactly is self-discipline? Contrary to what many think, self-discipline is neither abhorrent nor restrictive. Instead, it is actually a concept that helps us differentiate between choices that will not matter years from now and choices that will. Self-discipline helps us stay loyal to the things that we want instead of giving into the daily temptations. So why is self-discipline the most important skill for premed students?
As I am writing this article, I realize that I never understood what hard work truly is. Many times for exams I have procrastinated and then studied only a week in advance. Of course, when I have received my grades back, I have howled and cried at the unfairness of life. I have honestly believed that I deserved better grades because I have worked “so hard” the past week not realizing that I haven’t paid attention in class or studied every day. Now I realize that hard work without discipline does not bring success. Yes, sometimes I get lucky and somehow manage to ace my tests without studying hard for it. But all that information that I learned only stays in my head until the exam. It never becomes committed to my memory. Disciplined approach to learning, on the other hand, requires studying in little chunks for every single day. And since that means taking information over an extended period of time, discipline is a way of mak-
32 | PreMedLife Magazine | March/April 2014
ing sure that we truly learn and know the information. All of my science professors have always said the same thing on the first day of classes and that is, “Premed classes don’t teach you anything about how to be a doctor. Instead, they teach you how to learn.” The only way to really learn in these science classes is by being disciplined. Therefore, in a way, these classes actually teach us the importance of discipline. Why is discipline so hard to implement even when we know how essential it is? This is something we can blame our brain for. Biologically, our brains are still stuck in the past and have not come as far as we have. Back in the day, our evolutionary ancestors needed their brains to constantly wander so they could spot danger easily. Today, however, human beings are not always on the run and therefore need their brains to be able to focus on one activity at a given time. Unfortunately for us, our brains don’t understand this and still want to be wandering at all times. This is why; we get distracted easily, lose interest after a while, and find it hard to focus. We are, in some sense, prisoner of our own minds. Therefore, until we gain control over our own selves, we will be never be able to completely be in control of our situations and circumstances. How do we become disciplined? I have received countless pieces of advice on this subject over the years. And they have all said that discipline can only be developed through sheer dedication. I have been told to study every single day even if I only do it for 10 minutes a day. Taking out little time daily at a fixed time ensures that I will stay motivated and not let distractions get in my way of studying. I have been told that in order to cultivate self-discipline, I will need to be mindful of everything I do. For instance, when I get tired or bored while studying, I will have to reason with myself to see whether I am really tired or it is just my brain wanting to go to the default state of wandering. We, as human beings, value our freedom above all else. We like to believe that we are in control of our actions and our choices. But without self-discipline, we will always be a prisoner of our minds. Our minds will make us want to do countless number of things at a given time. This means that nothing will be done in depth and mastered. Therefore, to really grow and progress, we must be free from our own minds. Only then can we understand true freedom and true success.
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PRE-MED
2014
SUMMER PROGRAMS
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Little Rock, Arkansas
Early June 2014
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
Los Angeles, California
June -August 2014
Seaver Undergraduate Research in Biology at Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
May 11 - July 26, 2014
Stanford Summer Research Program (SSRP)-Amgen Scholars
Stanford, California
June 21 - August 23, 2014
34 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
Summer research and academic enrichment geared toward pre-medical students are a great way to strengthen your medical school application. Most students who get accepted to medical school have participated in one or more summer pre-med programs during the course of their undergraduate studies.
The following is a list of summer programs available to students aspiring to become doctors. There are various opportunities available in a number of institutions across the US. If you want to participate in academic enrichment programs, test preparation courses, research projects, or hospital internships, check out the following list of opportu-
nities for Summer 2011. Be sure to check individual websites for application deadlines! The list includes opportunities nationwide in several different areas. Among the areas include are: California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and more. To find more information about any of the programs listed, search the name of any of these program in Google.
DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
Paid summer research fellowships for undergraduate students who will be juniors or seniors by the fall semester. Students will work on a project relevant to human health in a laboratory of a faculty member at either the University of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, or the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Biomedical Research fellowships are designed for students with a solid background in science who wish to be part of an ongoing research project, develop their technical skills and are interested in pursuing a research career.
ü$3000 Stipend
MARCH 6, 2013
The UCLA SMDEP will serve as a model learning community in which students examine health care issues in medically underserved communities. Through a research project, problem-based learning cases, lectures, clinical experiences, and small-group discussions, students will also improve their learning skills and increase their science knowledge. The program targets educationally and financially disadvantaged community college students.
üMeals üStipend üHousing
MARCH 6, 2014
üStipend üRoom + Board üTravel Costs
FEBRUARY 14, 2014
ü$3,500 Stipend
FEBRUARY 3, 2014
Summer research program geared specifically to undergraduate students who are interested in pursing a career in biological research, science education, environmental science or biotechnology. Over the summer, students will pursue individual research seminars in one of five research areas students may elect to study. Program offers undergraduates who want to prepare for and enter Ph.D programs in the sciences an opportunity to work with Stanford's distinguished faculty and work in one of Stanford's state-of-the-art research facilities. Participants will work with a faculty member and a lab mentor to craft a research project. The program culminates with a research symposium, where students present individual talks and posters on their summer projects in front of the faculty, lab mentors, and University administrators.
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 35
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
UCLA Pre-Medical Enrichment Program (PREP)
Los Angeles, California
June - July 2014
UCLA Re-Application Program (RAP)
Los Angeles, California
June 18-August 1, 2014
Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy
Duarte, California
May-July 2014
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Continuing Umbrella of Research Experience (CURE) Program
Duarte, California
May-August 2014 June-August 2014 June-September 2014
UCSD Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
San Diego, California
June - August 2014
Graduate Experience for Multicultural Students (GEMS) at the University of Colorado - Denver School of Medicine
Denver, Colorado
June 2- August 8, 2014
36 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
DESCRIPTION Program designed to provide premedical and predental students from disadvantaged background with a means of strengthening their ability and readiness to study medicine or dentistry. Students will work at a rigorous pace with a highly focused scope to prepare for the MCAT and DAT. Participants will engage in an extensive and lively classroom review of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Verbal Reasoning. Participants are also assigned to observe practicing physicians, dentists, and medical researchers performing the typical functions of their professions.
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
端Travel Allowance
MARCH 1, 2014
MAY 2014
A comprehensive, structured re-application program designed to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have been unsuccessful in gaining admission to any U.S. medical school. The program begins with an intensive eight-week summer session, focused upon prerequisite science review and on MCAT preparation.
Program gives promising students with an interest in research and health science careers practical experience and helps them develop important skills for their futures. Our instructors are world-renowned physicians and scientists who guide students in their research, while helping them develop their critical thinking skills. Weekly seminars allow students to present research findings to their peers, a good primer for what graduate and postdoctoral students do. Program is designed to engage the scientific curiosity of promising young high school and undergraduate students from underrepresented populations who are interested in cancer research as a career.
端$4,000 Stipend
MARCH 14, 2014
端$4,000 Stipend
CONTACT PROGRAM
Program for motivated undergraduate students interested in seeking future training in a combined MD/PhD program. Principle focus is an 8-week research project conducted in the laboratory of a faculty member in the biomedical sciences.
FEBRUARY 14, 2014
Selected GEMS interns will enroll in a research internship course, Topics in Biomedical Science and Research. The course will be conducted by distinguished research faculty and will consist of lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory research assignments with a mentor.
FEBRUARY 15, 2014
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 37
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Summer Student Research Fellowship at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, Connecticut
June 2-August 8, 2014
Yale University Summer Medical/Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
New Haven, Connecticut
June 14 - July 26, 2014
College Enrichment Program (CEP) at the University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
June - July 2014
College Summer Fellowship Program at UConn School of Medicine
Farmington, Connecticut
TBA
Summer Medical/Dental Education Program (SMDEP) at Howard University
Washington, DC
June 1 - July 12, 2014
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation Internship Program
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Open
38 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
Program offers a unique clinical research opportunity for college students pursuing careers in medicine. Fellowship is designed exclusively for pre-medical students completing either their junior or senior year in college. It offers the student an introduction to research methodology, patient treatment, and ethical issues in medicine as well as exposure to a broad spectrum of health care providers within a large community teaching hospital.
ü$4,000 Stipend üTravel Allowance
FEBRUARY 5, 2014
Program for highly motivated college students who are considering a career in medicine. The Program exposes students to a problem-based learning model of science education that is similar to that used in medical school.
The program addresses the needs of University of Connecticut freshmen and sophomores. The program is designed to provide sound development of scientific and mathematical skills. The program consists of courses in individual programs of study in: Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Calculus, and Physics. The program will consist of 30 hours per week of formal lecture, laboratory, directed study, and clinical experiences addressing the needs of college freshman or sophomores.
MARCH 1, 2014
üStipend üFood üHousing üTravel Allowance
The program is designed to offer undergraduates who are completing their sophomore, or preferably their junior year of college, and plant to purse a career as a MD, DMD, MD/PhD, or DMD/PhD. Once a student is accepted to the program and has selected and found a faculty sponsor in which to do research, the student will meet with the faculty sponsor in June and develop a research protocol and suitable project description. The program is designed to provide an educational experience of exceptional quality that will strengthen the overall academic preparation of underrepresented minority, disadvantaged, and low-income students who express interest in admission to medical or dental school.
Research & Development: Throughout the summer, interns will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with top researchers in their field. Medical: Interns within the medical department have the opportunity to assist on both early and late phase clinical trails. Whether the project entails enrolling participants into a clinical trail or measuring and analyzing trail results, interns work with leading doctors and researchers to assure that all Boehringer Ingelheim products meet all requirements set forth by the FDA.
APRIL 2014
MARCH 15, 2014
ü$2,500-$3,000 üStipend üHousing
MARCH 1, 2014
MARCH 1, 2014
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 39
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Georgetown Summer Medical Institute (GSMI)
Washington, DC
June - July 2014
Pre-Medical Summer Enrichment Program (PSEP) at The University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
May - June 2014
Minority Students Health Careers Motivation Program
Miami, Florida
June-July 2014
Health P.A.S.S. Program
Des Moines, Iowa
June 9 - 27, 2014
Professional Education Preparation Program (PEPP) at The University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
n/a
MCAT-DAT Review Summer Workshop at the University of Louisville School of Medicine
Louisville, Kentucky
June 4 - June 28, 2014
Buck for Brains Summer Research Program at the University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Varies
40 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
The program, combined with the informative and supportive environment at Georgetown University School of Medicine, will provide preparation and insight for individuals exploring the calling of medicine as a career, and those making-up medical school course.
ü$3,862 (5 Credits) ü$3,090 (4 Credits)
TBA
The program is designed for highly motivated tudents who are preparing for medical school. The program includes a review of concepts in biology, general and organic chemistry, and physics. Participants will work closely with faculty in areas of reading skills, test taking skills, etc. Participants are also paired with physicians in the local community to have an opportunity to develop an appreciation of the "real world of medicine" through weekly clinical experiences.
ü$1,500 Grant
MARCH 2014
The program is designed to be a mini first-year medical education experience that exposes participants to classroom instruction in select basic science courses in the medical education curriculum and offers physician-shadowing opportunities. Great attention is placed on identifying and removing any barriers that may prevent a participant from being a competitive medical school applicant.
ü$400 Stipend üHousing üMeals üTravel Allowance
MARCH 2014
The program is for promising college sophomores and juniors to prepare for and enhance their chances of getting into medical school and other health professions programs. In the program's courses, clinical opportunities and practical exposure, students will gain the confidence that they can achieve a degree and career in any of Des Moines University's four clinical areas- and the knowledge they need to get started.
üTravel Stipend üMeals üMaterials
MARCH 1, 2013
üHousing üMeals
N/A
Free MCAT review workshop for eligible students
üStipend üHousing üMeals
MARCH 2014
The program provides undergraduates at the University of Kentucky with hands-on experience in academic research, working alongside "Bucks for Brains" faculty. Students are placed in research settings ranging from plant biochemistry to computer science to American history.
ü$3,500 Stipend
Tuition: $3,862 (5 Credits) for Human Gross Anatomy and Human Physiology; $3,090 (4 Credits) for Medical Histology (Microscopic Anatomy) and Medical Biochemistry. Tuition includes the use of course textbooks and lab fees (for Anatomy).
The program provides academic enrichment in chemistry and biology, as well as clinical experiences, medical and dental experiential activities, laboratory experiences, seminars, demonstrations, and clinical site visits.
APRIL 15, 2014
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 41
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Frontier Nursing Service Courier Program
Wendover, Kentucky
TBA
Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Bethesda, Maryland Baltimore, Maryland Frederick, Maryland
mid-May-June 2014
Summer Internship Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
May 25 - August 2, 2014
College Summer Enrichment Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts
May 25 - June 20, 2014
Four Directions Summer Research Program at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
June 9 - August 7, 2013
Siteman Cancer Center Summer Opportunity Program
St. Louis, Missouri
May 27 - August 2, 2014
42 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
The program provides a type of internship for young women and men who had a desire to go into the medical field. For young women and men who are interested in the healthcare field, the Courier Program provides limited opportunities to shadow healthcare professionals including: family nurse practitioners, physicians, nurse-midwives at FNS rural healthcare centers, at Mary Breckinridge Hospital and Home Health Agency.
ü$500 Stipend
FEBRUARY 15, 2014
The program is designed to provide an independent research experience in biomedical and/or public health research to undergraduate students under the direct mentoring of established Johns Hopkins researchers. During the program interns work one-on-one with faculty on research projects in their field of interest and attend a health science seminar series.
üStipend
MARCH 1, 2014
The program provides experience in research laboratories to students of diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented minority students and students from economically disadvantaged and underserved backgrounds. The purpose of this exposure to biomedical and/or public health research is to encourage students to consider careers in science, medicine and public health.
ü$3000 Stipend üHousing
MARCH 2014
A tuition-free four-week residential program for undergraduate sophomores and juniors interested in entering the health professions. The goals of the program are to help participants improve their qualifications and competitive standing for admission to professional, graduate and/or medical school. Sessions include the professional school application process with emphasis on medical school admissions and financing professional school.
üStipend üHousing üTravel Allowance
MARCH 15, 2014
The focus of activity during the summer is participation in a basic science research project. Additional program goals include: Experience cutting edge research at a leading medical school, understand the medical school application process, exposure to Native American health care issues, integrate Native traditions including talking circles, networking with Native American students and faculty.
üTravel Allowance üHousing üLiving Stipend
FEBRUARY 17, 2014
ü$3,500 Stipend
MARCH 1, 2014
Program provides opportunities for undergraduate, pre-med and medical students enrolled at Washington University or other accredited universities to work on cancer research projects during the summer. Opportunities range from basic laboratory research to clinical research to prevention/control and population research.
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 43
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Biomedical Research Apprenticeship Program (BioMed RAP) at Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
May 27 - August 2, 2014
University of Nebraska Medical Center Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
Omaha, Nebraska
June 7 - July 18, 2014
Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program at the Eppley Cancer Research Institute
Newark, New Jersey
June 2 - August 8, 2014
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical and New Jersey Dental Schools Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
Newark, New Jersey
June 2 - July 11, 2014
Biomedical Careers Program (BCP) at Robert Wood Medical School
Piscataway, New Jersey
June - July 2014
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
New York, New York
June 20 - August 2, 2014
44 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
As a BioMedRAP/CD-BioRAP participant, students will conduct independent research with outstanding faculty mentors, work in a cutting edge science and technology environment, gain exposure to some of the nation's finest biomedical investigators and an extensive variety of research topics, receive individualized career counseling and develop your career interests, participate in workshops, seminars and journal clubs, build a social network with student peers and faculty, and prepare to apply to the best Ph.D. and M.D. /Ph.D. programs in the United States.
üStipend üTravel Allowance üHousing
FEBRUARY 3, 2014
üMeals üTravel Assistance üStipend üHousing
MARCH 1, 2014
ü$4,000 Stipend üHousing
MARCH 1, 2014
üStipend üHousing üMeals
MARCH 1, 2014
üTuition Free
MARCH 15, 2014
üMeals üTravel Assistance üStipend üHousing
MARCH 1, 2014
The program is designed to identify, recruit, and assist future dentists and doctors through a comprehensive six-week summer experience for talented freshman and sophomores. The overall goal of the program is to provide each scholar the navigation tools necessary to reach their current and future goals. NMC's primary focus on core academics is a springboard for students in their pursuit of a career as a physician or dentist.
Students in the summer program work for 10 wks doing hands-on research in Eppley Institute laboratories. Students get to try research, learn techniques and new concepts, and work with professional researchers, all while earning a competitive summer salary.
Program serves to advance our institution's core mission of meeting society's current and future health care needs by preparing individuals underrepresented in medicine and dentistry, and doing so while championing cultural competency and humanism in all aspects of education. SMDEP reaffirms our continued commitment to and involvement in pipeline initiatives and will allow our two institutions to attain even greater diversity. Academic enrichment program for undergraduate students interested in careers in the health professions. The program targets undergraduates who are economically and/or educationally disadvantaged. BCP offers an intensive six-week summer program to serve students at all stages of undergraduate education. Students take part in a variety of science enrichment and healthcare-oriented activities. The program provides students seriously interested in applying to medical or dental school with a well-defined, integrated approach to learning, focusing on the basic science curriculum needed to apply to medical or dental school. Students engage in intense labs, learning-skills, and career development courses during the six weeks of the program, while attending weekly clinical rotations and seminars. The program strives to help students enhance and improve their chances of becoming successful applicants and students at the medical/dental schools of their choice.
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 45
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program at Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering
New York, New York
June - August 2014
Summer Undergraduate Mentorship Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Bronx, New York
June - July 2014
Montefiore Medical Center's Health Opportunities Program (Monte-HOP)
Bronx, New York
TBA
Project Asian Health Education and Development (AHEAD)
New York, New York
June - August 2014
The Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program for Premedical Students at Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, New York
June 23 - August 8, 2014
Project Healthcare at NYU Langone Medical Center
New York, New York
June - August 2014
46 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
The program was established for underrepresented minority and disadvantaged college students who wish to pursue the combined MD-PhD degree. Over the summer, students will: Work independently on a research project. Students will present and participate in weekly journal clubs. Participate in a hands-on tour of the Gross Anatomy Lab. Sit for a Mock MCAT exam. Partake in a Lab Techniques Workshop and Clinical Skills Workshop. Participate in Career Development Workshops. Scrub into surgeries at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
ü$4,300 Stipend üTravel Expenses
FEBRUARY 15, 2014
The program will be comprised of a six-hour per week commitment to a shadowing experience with an assigned mentor and fourteen hours per week of lecture attendance. These fourteen hours will be distributed into the following three core curriculum components: six hours clinical didactic, six hours medical informatics, and two hours of MCAT preparation and test taking strategies.
ü$1,000 Stipend üTransportation üMeals
APRIL 2014
The program is designed to promote, educate, and encourage underserved youth to purse careers within the health fields. Students will gain valuable knowledge and professional skills through interactive workshops, mentorship by physicians, observation of physician-patient interactions, lecture activities and independent learning. The program is designed to provide training and experience for college students who are interested in pursuing a career in the health care field. The program consists of a practical field placement, seminars and workshops, and participation in the development and completion of a community health project. Students explore various health careers, and gain an understanding of the dynamics of the New York Asian American community and of current health issues impacting the health status of Asian Americans in the United States.
The program is designed to give 25 premedical students deeper insights into the field of medicine, including issues that greatly affect the health of traditionally underserved groups. Through the experiences of laboratory or clinical research, the students learn how one purses a specific research problem under the supervision of a faculty member, thus providing an early education into basic research techniques that could be applicable to any area of medicine. Project Healthcare is an innovative volunteer program for enthusiastic and inspired college and post-baccalaureate students. Created by the Bellevue Hospital Center Emergency Department, PHC allows students an opportunity to experience and many different aspects of healthcare. The program is comprised of several weekly rotations which are based in the Emergency Department. It offers the committed student a unique healthcare experience, which is intended to furnish a wealth of knowledge about the numerous options for a career in healthcare.
MARCH 1, 2014
üMeals üTravel Assistance üStipend üHousing
FEBRUARY 15, 2014
ü$140/Wk üHousing üTravel Expenses for students who live some distance from NY
FEBRUARY 1, 2014
üMeals üTravel Assistance üStipend üHousing
FEBRUARY 14, 2014
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 47
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Summer Scientific Work Program (SSWP) at Franklin Hospital
Valley Stream, New York
TBA
ACCESS Summer Research Program at Cornell University
New York, New York
TBA
AGEP Summer Research Institute (SRI) at SUNY Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York
n/a
Bronx-Westchester Area Health Education Center
Bronx, New York
May/July 2014
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
Cleveland, Ohio
June 7 - July 18, 2014
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine Summer Scholars Program
Athens, Ohio
June 2 to July 3, 2014
48 | PreMedLife Magazine | January/February 2014
DESCRIPTION The program is designed to help college students decide whether or not a career in medicine is right for them. This renowned program offers students the opportunity to complete a four-week summer internship where they have the chance to observe and ask questions in order to learn more about the medical field. Throughout these four weeks, accepted students rotate through various departments in order to gain a well rounded experience of the hospital. Some of these departments include the operating room, emergency room, radiology, geriatrics, laboratory, psychiatry as well as the rehabilitation unit. The Access program of Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences is a summer internship program that trains underserved college students in the biomedical sciences Interns gain hands-on xperience in a biomedical research laboratory and are encouraged to apply to PhD programs. Selected students are placed in laboratories at the Weill Cornell Medical College under the mentorship of experienced faculty members. The program is an intensive residential research internship program for underrepresented minority undergraduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Students will get a unique opportunity to work on independent research projects in cutting-edge laboratories under the direction of Stony Brook University faculty.
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2014
ü$3,000 Stipend üUp to $300 for Travel üHousing
FEBRUARY 1, 2014
ü$3,500 Stipend üRound-trip airfare üHousing üMeals
CONTACT PROGRAM
Health Careers Internship Program (HCIP): This program allows students aspiring toward a career in the health professions the opportunity to work in a health care setting and interact regularly with health professionals. Students must be Junior or Senior in college. Summer Health Internship Program (SHIP): The program provides a six-week summer placement opportunity for junior/senior high school, and freshman/sophomore college students who have expressed an interest in the health field.
APRIL 2014
The program is designed to identify, recruit, and assist in preparing as many highly talented, ommitted, and hardworking minority and economically disadvantaged students as possible for careers in dentistry and medicine. We hope to imbue our students with the confidence and skills necessary to allow them to return to school better prepared to perform well in more rigorous basic science and math classes.
üMeals` üTravel Assistance üStipend üHousing
APRIL 2014
Summer Scholars participants prepare for the challenges and rewards of medical school. Twenty-five applicants are selected each year to participate in this rigorous six-week program designed to give you an intensive and realistic introduction to the first-year curriculum at OU-COM. In addition to traditional medical school curricula taught by medical college faculty, graduate students and upper-class medical students, the program focuses on case-based problem solving and small-group/team work.
üRoom + Board üStipend üProgram Materials üRound-Trip Travel Expenses
MARCH 1, 2014
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 49
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
MedStarz Program at the University of Toledo College of Medicine
Toldeo, OH
July 2013
Research, Observation, Service, and Education (R.O.S.E) Program at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Cincinnati, Ohio
Mid June - Early August 2014
Chester Summer Scholars Program
Cleveland, Ohio
May 27 - August 1, 2014
Pre-Professional Internship Program at Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine
Cincinnati, Ohio
n/a
Summer Premedical Enrichment Program (SPEP) at the University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
June - July 2014
Summer Premedical Academic Enrichment Program (SPAEP) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
June - July 2014
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DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
The program provides students exposure to medicine and will include experiences that encompass sessions on navigating the medical school application process, introduction to the Problem Based Learning (PBL) model in small group sessions, hands on experience in the gross anatomy lab, clinical lectures on medical topics, diversity and cultural competency exercises, and contact with physicians in the clinical setting.
üHousing üTravel Allowance
MARCH 1, 2014
The R.O.S.E. program is part internship, part early acceptance to medical school, and part mentorship program. The purpose of the program is to provide stimulating experiences and contact with academic medical faculty for high ability, intellectually curious pre-medical college students.
ü$3,000 Stipend üROSE students have conditional acceptance to the Cincinnati College of Medicine
FEBRUARY 3, 2014
The program awards 15 collegiate undergraduate students the opportunity to spend the summer in clinical laboratory research at MetroHealth Medical Center. The program is an opportunity equpment are for pre-medical and scientifically-oriented students provided to explore the potential for a career in medical research or academic medicine.
ü2,000 Stipend üFree Parking üSupplies and equpment are provided
FEBRUARY 14, 2014
The Pre-Professional Internship Program at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM) is designed to provide insight into the many facets of podiatric medicine and the education involved with obtaining the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Degree.
CONTACT PROGRAM
Residential program for 18 college juniors, seniors, and postbaccalaureate premedical students. Students receive intensive exposure to medicine as a career through tours, speakers, seminars, and shadowing. Students are exposed to the medical school experience and the academic curriculum through a noncredit course in cardiophysiology, extensive interaction with medical students and faculty, and detailed guidance through the medical school application process.
MARCH 1, 2014
This program, open to high school graduates and college students, is designed specifically to prepare and support students who wish to pursue careers in the field of medicine. Spend seven weeks in Level I, strengthening your academic skills and learning more about careers in medicine. Or, spend eight weeks immersed and engaged in the work of physician-scientists including laboratory research and MCAT preparation through Level II. Both programs will enhance your skills and knowledge in science, writing and public speaking. You'll discover a challenging and stimulating program in the environment of a major academic medical center.
ü$1,000 Stipend üTransportation üHousing üMeals
MARCH 1, 2014
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 51
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Pre-med Enrichment Program at the University of Pennsylvania Health System
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 19 - July 25, 2014
Pre-Med Program at St. Mary Healthcare Center
Langhorne, Pennsylvania
June - August 2014
Summer Pre-Med Program at Doylestown Hospital
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Late-May - August 2014
Mini-Med Spring Break at Drexel University College of Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March/April 2013 Choose from 7 sessions
Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy (VSSA)
Nashville, Tennessee
June 2 - August 1, 2014
Oncology Education (POE) Program
Memphis, Tennessee
Mid-June - August 2014
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DESCRIPTION The aim of this program is to prepare minority students for careers in academic medicine other positions of leadership in medicine. Students will be engaged in a program of research, clinical observations, classroom exercises and teaching observations, designed to stimulate their interest in academic medicine. In addition, the students will be engaged in the following: activities pertaining to the medical school application process and medical school admissions; classroom instructions and simulated testing to prepare the students for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This program is for students who have complete their second year of college with a GPA of at least 3.2 in a course of study that qualifies them for
PERKS OR COSTS
DEADLINE
ü$2,500 Stipend
JANUARY 31, 2014
ü$3,000 Stipend üConditional acceptance to the UC COM
CONTACT PROGRAM
The program is designed for college students who have complete their junior year and are pursing academic programs leading to medical school. Doylestown Hospital physicians assist with the program, which includes lectures and "hands-on" volunteer work on patient floors and in many departments.
FEBRUARY 2014
Participants will experience a medical education as seen through the eyes of 3rd and 4th year medical students during their clinical rotations in the hospital and clinical practices. The experience can enlighten participants about a career in medicine, whether they're about to enter medical school or are just beginning the application process. Participants will accompany the teaching team and 3rd and 4th year medical students on hospital rounds and be part of discussions between physician, patient, and medical students.
ü Tuition: $1500
MARCH 1, 2014
The program offers biomedical research opportunities to undergraduates who want to pursue a career in biomedical sciences. There are two major tracks within the VSSA; the Basic Science Programs for undergraduates interested in careers in research, and the Undergraduate Clinical Research Internship Program for undergraduates who wish to pursue a career in medicine.
ü$2,500-$4,000 Stipend
FEBRUARY 1, 2014
The POE program offers a unique opportunity for students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, or public health to gain biomedical and oncology research experience. The POE program provides a short-term training experience (internship) in either laboratory research or clinical research. Students participating in the Pediatric Oncology Education program will receive training in a superb academic environment created by the interaction of committed basic scientists, research-oriented physicians, and postdoctoral fellows.
ü$4,000 üHousing
FEBRUARY 1, 2014
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 53
PROGRAM NAME
LOCATION
DATE
Dialysis Clinic, Inc. Collegiate Medical Summer Internship Program
Nashville, Tennessee
TBA
Michael E. DeBakey Summer Surgery Program at Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
Mid-June- August 2014
The University of Texas Dental Branch and Medical School at Houston Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
Houston, Texas
May 27 - July 3, 2014
Health Career Opportunities Program (HCOP) at The University of Houston College of Optometry
Houston, Texas
TBA
Physiology Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE)
San Antonio, Texas
June - July 2014
Scholars Program in Organic Chemistry at University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas
TBA
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DESCRIPTION
PERKS OR COSTS
This program is a summer internship for pre-medical students in the clinical area of organ transplantation. The internship includes shadowing physicians on rounds in the hospital, observing and assisting in an outpatient/clinic facility, and observing transplant and transplant-related surgical operations.
CONTACT PROGRAM
The Michael E. DeBakey Summer Surgery Program offers the pre-medical student a glimpse of a career in surgery long before they will ever pick up a scalpel for the first time. During the eight weeks, students become familiar with the hospital environment, the operating room, and the lifestyle of a surgeon. They are expected to become an integral part of their surgical teams by participating in rounds, surgery, and conferences.
The program seeks motivated students from a variety of backgrounds including those who are underrepresented or underserved that are interested in pursuing a career in dentistry and medicine, including those who have an interest in serving the underserved. Students will have clinical experiences in such areas as emergency medicine, family practice, internal medicine, restorative dentistry, and oral surgery.
DEADLINE
JANUARY 3, 2014
üStipend üTravel Assitance üMeals üHousing
The program involves specific activities designed to enhance qualifications for entry to the professional program including preparation for the Optometry Admission Test (OAT), counseling regarding the admission and application process, academic counseling, time management training, and test-taking/skills.
MARCH 1, 2014
MARCH 1, 2014
This research program designed for highly motivated college undergraduate students with a genuine interest in experimental research careers in biomedical science. Undergraduates will have the opportunity to receive hands-on experience in on-going research projects under the direction of a faculty member as well as work with postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.
ü$3,000 Stipend
FEBRUARY 15, 2014
The goals of the program are to improve college students' performance in organic chemistry and to provide these students with exposure to clinical medicine. The SPOC program will be conducted on the UT Southwestern campus in Dallas and has two components: 1) a 10 week course in Organic Chemistry and 2) clinical preceptorships with practicing physicians at UT Southwestern or in one of our affiliated clinical sites.
ü$1,000 Stipend
CONTACT PROGRAM
January/February 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine | 55
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LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM ORGANIC CHEMISTRY WHEN IT COMES TO THE INFAMOUS “WEED-OUT” COURSE, THERE’S GOT TO MORE TO IT THAN BEING A PRE-MED RITE OF PASSAGE BY JEFF MOORE ON THE ROLE OF MEMORY- PRACTICE AND REPETITION Throughout high school and possibly even in their first year of college, rote learning served my students well. Their past success encourages them to stick with what worked. And so, it’s not surprising that many will try to rely heavily on a memorization-only approach when they begin organic chemistry. But memory alone will not suffice! Complex problems are challenging, in part, because they are new to solver; the solver has never before charted a solution to the problem at hand.
Since the problem is new, it follows that the solver’s memory provides no record of the complete solution. And while memory alone cannot possibly provide a complete solution to a complex problem, a strong and productive memory does help the solver by allowing him / her to quickly generate relevant options at each step of the iterative process. Here it may be helpful to distinguish memorization that is productive from rote learning. Rote learning is the act of storing information without meaning. To realize fast recall and to make proper connections, it’s essential not only to have a wealth of relevant facts in one’s mind, but also to have those facts organized in an orderly manner. Rote learning fails to achieve this. Structured information, on the other hand, provides insight and a deeper level of understanding. So how does one acquire a rich memory that is organized for solving complex problems? The answer is practice and repetition. By practicing a variety of complex problems, students are exposed to a wide range of fact-filled experiences. With repetition, they’ll learn to construct associations and recognize patterns. In other words, practice grows their information warehouse while repetition organizes it. Practice and repetition are thus effective means to a strong and productive memory. And unlike rote learning, this memorization technique does help solve complex problems.
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The role of memory is easily seen by comparing students with strong memories to those whose memories are deficient. When students with poorly developed memories reach into the information warehouse to generate initial-step options, they cannot find what they need, either because it’s not there or because the facts are not well organized. These students tend to grab and use whatever they find. The result is a poor set of initial-step options and almost certain failure. These students are relying on intuition that’s biased because their information warehouse is limited or in disarray. In contrast, students who perform best have practiced solving complex problems over-and-over again. Having an extensive collection of organized facts, these students are able to reach into their memories in the heat of the moment and quickly find what they need. You might say they are developing “accurate intuition.” EDUCATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE My colleague Peter Beak makes a valuable observation: Too many students are unable to make the transition [from algorithmic to nonalgorithmic approaches], and while not literally failing the course, miss the opportunity to develop an important professional and intellectual skill at this point. For those who are flexible and capable in problem solving, the course can be a turning point in intellectual development.
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||||||| Tips for handling schoolwork and a social life when you’re a pre-med student
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the study life balance
62 | PreMedLife Magazine | March/April 2014
DO YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE PRE-MED YOU CAN’T HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE? Does staying on top of your studies and maintaining a healthy study/life balance sound like an oxymoron? For many pre-meds, finding a balance between completing schoolwork and having a social life is often difficult to achieve. From attending lectures and completing lab reports to studying for the MCAT and participating in extracurricular activities, pre-meds have a lot on their plates. Achieving a balance between academics and social life is not a luxury – it’s a necessity! Sure, you’re pre-med, but that doesn’t mean that for the next few years, while you’re preparing to become the best medical school candidate possible, you’re a slave to a schedule that has you studying like a maniac. You have the same amount of time in a day as President Barack Obama, who, while running the nation, finds time to shoot some hoops and watch an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. So don’t tell yourself that you’re too busy to have a social life. It’s not true. The following are four ways to bring a little more balance to your pre-med life: INSERT DOWNTIME INTO YOUR SCHEDULE If you’re not in class, then you’re studying. If you’re not studying, then you’re working on a paper. If you’re not working on a paper, then you’re doing some other activity that must be done, right? Well, while you can’t control all of the factors that affect your study/life balance, there are certainly some things that you can control, and as impossible as it may seem, it is important to set aside some time in your busy schedule to relax. If you don’t have a formal agenda besides the one that comes from your schedule of classes, then you need to create one and make sure it includes activities you find enjoyable, even if it’s for only 15 minutes a day. DROP ACTIVITIES THAT DRAIN YOUR TIME Pre-meds who spend their time participating in countless activities are often so busy being busy that they don’t take a step back to evaluate what they’re really spending their time on or if it is still worth what it once was. Yes, medical school admission committees like to see that you’re involved in extracurricular activities, but that doesn’t mean you have to have your hand in everything. It’s important to spend time on the activities that truly matter to you. If you joined a club or organization at the beginning of the semester and a month later find yourself not really gaining anything from going to meetings, then stop going. Don’t keep forcing yourself to go just because you think it will look good that you were a part of the “Smartest Pre-meds on Campus” society for three years! The space you free up after ditching a “time-draining” activity will allow you to spend your energy exploring a passion of yours and maybe reading
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||||||| Achieving this balance could mean the world of difference in your premed life
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Walking around the block a couple of times before going into your testing center could be priceless
some scientific journals to brush up on your verbal and reading skills. By getting rid of activities in your life that take more away from you than you gain, you’ll begin to see how doable a study/life balance can be. LEARN HOW TO SAY NO You don’t have to say yes to everything you are asked to do. If you have a weakness for saying yes when you really want to say no, then achieving a study/life balance will be a challenge for sure. You don’t have to say no all of the time, but occasionally, saying this word will give you back the time you were handing out for free. Learning how to say no the “right” way can rid you of the guilt you may feel when turning someone down. One of the best ways to handle a “no” situation is being able to offer alternatives or suggestions to the person asking for your time.. If you learn how to say “I can’t, but…” or “I’d love to, but…,” then people will usually be more receptive to your “no” response. Being able to say no can mean a world of difference when it comes to finding more “life” time. CHALLENGE PRE-MED STEREOTYPES In the competitive world of pre-med students, spending hours studying is considered the norm. But you don’t have to study all of the
Getting through your pre-med years will prepare you for what’s to come during medical school
BY GETTING RID OF ACTIVITIES IN YOUR LIFE THAT TAKE MORE AWAY FROM YOU THAN YOU GAIN, YOU’LL BEGIN TO SEE HOW DOABLE A STUDY/LIFE BALANCE CAN BE. time just because everyone else is doing it. Don’t go to the library just because, in your mind, you feel like you need to be studying. What matters most is making the time you do spend studying and the time your head is not in the books count. The best medical school candidate is the one who is well-rounded. And, in case you didn’t already know, you
64 | PreMedLife Magazine | March/April 2014
don’t even have to be a science major to get into medical school. In fact, each year thousands of non-science majors are accepted, and by not being weighed down by such a heavy course load as a science major, students who elect to go the non-science route may find more time to do the things they enjoy, thus achieving the desired study/life balance. GET TO STEPPIN’ As trivial or simple it may sound, making time to exercise can mean a lot to your balancing act. Engaging in some sort of physical activity is what will essentially allow you to have the energy to accomplish everything you need to do on both sides of the scale. Time after time, study show that exercise plays a significant role in reducing fatigue . “More than 90 percent of the studies showed the same thing: Sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not exercise” said
professor Patrick O’Connor, co-director of the University of Georgia exercise psychology laboratory and author on one of these said studies. “A lot of times when people are fatigued the last thing they want to do is exercise,” said O’Connor. “But if you’re physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help.” Last year, an article by Forbes magazine “How Successful Leaders Attain Superhuman Energy Before Most People Wake Up” further confirmed the importance and powerful benefits of exercise when the story reported that “successful leaders carve out time for daily exercise because they have no choice.” And the number of supporting research and data are endless. If you’re not already exercising on a regular basis (at least three times a week) give yourself a fair chance to balance your life by taking the right steps to have the energy you need to execute all of the things you need to effectively and efficiently.
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THEGOODS
Our pick of items that will add some flair to your pre-medical life and perhaps put a smile on your face
Desktop Dogs
u
There will be no more chasing your tail as you hunt for supplies on your desk. Instead, these helpful hounds will faithfully catch all your desktop necessities while adding some fetching appeal to your workspace. Their geometric design is more than just stylish. The black dog holds onto a pad of sticky notes (included) in its mouth and stores pens and pencils in its ears, while his red buddy hides a magnet in its mouth that grabs onto paperclips (included), and has a storage nook in its back for pushpins.
u
u
Take A Break Emergency Mug
No matter what you do, your job is probably important. But as important as work may be, everyone needs to take a break after a while. This helps you relax and recharge, reading you to go back out there and work some more!
u
What Would You Attempt Paperweight
This 100% lead-free pewter paperweight poses the question boldly and simply, with an emphatic question mark on the back to keep you thinking. An inspiring reminder to follow your dreams.
66 | PreMedLife Magazine | March/April 2014
u
Plantable Wish Cards Perfect as party favors or a treat to yourself, these plantable wish cards encourage you to write down your wishes, dreams, goals and prayers, and watch them bloom! Simply write a wish for yourself or someone else on the card, plant, water and watch it grow.
TeaTube Infuser Give tea the welcome to the 21st century it deserves, and brew your cup with this “teatube” test-tube-inspired infuser. Pop open the test tube, add loose-leaf tea, and the specially-designed glass tube allows the infuser to turns your water into tea like magic (only it’s science). The wooden handle allows for easy stirring. It’s an easy task, but feel free to yell “Science!” while steeping it.
u
March/April 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine |67
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INTHESTACKS Books we think those aspiring to become doctors might be interested in reading THE YOUNG NEUROSURGEON LESSONS FROM MY PATIENTS
by Paul Edward Kaloostian
In his book Dr. Paul Edward Kaloostian, who initially graduated from UCLA followed by a seven-year neurosurgery residency at the University of New Mexico Hospital, provides readers with an inside look at his experiences during his medical school training and beyond. In an easy-to-understand kind of way, Dr. Kaloostian is able to express the ins and outs of his life as a medical doctor and the things he encounters on the doctor side - giving readers a point-of-view that may otherwise be a mystery to outsiders looking in. “Dr. Kaloostian’s intimate account describes both the lifesaving feats and tragic failures that are the daily ups and downs of twenty-first century neurosurgery.”
“AT LEAST YOU’LL BE MARRIED TO A DOCTOR”: MANAGING YOUR INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP THROUGH MEDICAL SCHOOL
by Jordyn Paradis Hagar
Jordyn Paradis Hagar is married to medical student, and in a rarely seen look into the intimate relationship of those completing medical training, she shares her experiences and candid thoughts about managing and maintaining during medical school. “She addresses both the med student’s overwhelming reality as well as the unique and often overlooked experience of a med student’s significant other.” However, beyond just sharing the ups and downs that come along with maintaining and working through intimate relationships during medical school, she also gives insight into the “process of creating and maintaining a healthy relationship during medical school.” For pre-meds who are preparing to enter medical school, Jordyn’s book is a great read and will give students some food for thought beforehand.
45 MEDICAL SCHOOL RECOMMENDATION LETTERS: THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE
by Dr. Nancy L. Nolan
If you’re going to medical school you’re going to need them - recommendation letters. Dr. Nancy Nolan, an Ivy League admissions expert, focuses on helping medical school candidates standout in the crowd with their recommendation letters. “At top medical schools, where the competition is fierce, the quality and depth of a candidate’s reference letters can make the difference between acceptance and rejection.” The book over 40 “high caliber” and successful recommendation letters ones that tell the story of a candidate’s extenuating circumstances (i.e. below average grades, an employment gap, or subpar MCAT scores).
March/April 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine |69
BETTERLIFE
Latest news and information on taking care of yourself as a busy student living the pre-med life.
Caffeine has a positive effect on long-term memory, according to a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. The study, led by a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins, found that aside from being a commonly used stimulant, caffeine may also enhance ones memory. According to background information provided by the authors, previous studies have not looked at caffeine’s effects on long-term memory in detail. Moreover, among the studies that were conducted, it was concluded that caffeine had little or no effect on long-term memory retention. ““Almost all prior studies administered caffeine before the study session, so if there is an enhancement, it’s not clear if it’s due to caffeine’s effects on attention, vigilance, focus, or other factors,” Yassa explained. “By administering caffeine after the experiment, we rule out all of these effects and make sure that if there is an
Study Proves Placebo Sleep The placebo effect can extend to the effect of sleep on cognitive functioning, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. “The placebo effect is any outcome that is not attributed to a specific treatment but rather to an individual’s mindset,” the authors explained. “This phenomenon can extend beyond its typical use in pharmaceutical drugs to improve aspects of everyday life.” For the study, participants listened to a brief lecture about how cognitive function can be improved through better sleep. They were also informed that the kind of sleep that the brain benefits from the most is about 20 to 25 percent of a normal person’s night of sleep is REM sleep. The participants
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enhancement, it’s due to memory and nothing else.” For the study, Michael Yassa, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins, and his team recruited individual who either did not eat or drink caffeinated products on a regular basis and gave them either a placebo or a 200-mg caffeine tablet five minutes after exposing them to a series of images. In addition, samples of the participant’s saliva was taken to measure the difference in caffeine levels before and afterward. Then, the following day the researchers tested both groups on their ability to recognize the images they were exposed to the day before. The results revealed that a greater number of participants from the caffeine group were able to successfully identify the new images as “similar” to previously viewed images rather than erroneously citing them as the same. “We’ve always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects, but its particular effects on Previous studies have not strengthening memories and making them resistant looked at caffeine’s effect on to forgetting has never been examined in detail in long-term memory in detail humans,” said Yassa, senior author of the paper. “We report for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours.” ¡
were then told that they were wired with sensors to measure their pulse, heart rate, and REM while they slept. Then some of the participants were falsely told that they got approximately 16 percent REM sleep, while others were told they got close to 30 percent REM sleep. The researchers then gave the participants to take a test that involved adding numbers together. Researchers found that participants who were told that they had below average sleep quality performed significantly worse on the test. Specifically, Assigned sleep quality but not self-reported sleep quality significantly predicted participants’ scores on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test and Controlled Oral Word Association Task.” A follow-up experiment that included additional controls and tests confirmed the study's initial findings. “These findings supported the hypothesis that mindset can influence cognitive states in both positive and negative directions, suggesting a means of controlling one’s health and cognition,” the authors wrote. ¡
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Caffeine May Help Boost Memory
Health | Wellness | Fitness | Nutrition | Mind &Body
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High Anxiety, Low GPA Linked to Frequent Cell Phone Use Students who use their cell phones frequently may experience higher levels of anxiety and receive lower GPAs, according to a study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. The study, which surveyed over 500 undergraduate students from a public university in the midwest, found that while “low” cell phone users (defined as less than 150 minutes and 30 text messages/day) had an average GPA of 3.2, students defined as “high” cell phone users (over 300 minutes and 80 text messages/day) had an average GPA of 2.8. In addition, Jacob Barkely, associate professor of exercise at Kent State University and co-author of the study, reported that “high” cell phone users showed higher anxiety levels on a common multiplechoice test used to evaluate prolonged anxiety. “There is growing evidence that college students’ cell phone use is negatively associated with academic performance as well as mental and physical health,” the authors wrote. “Thus, the development and testing of interventions designed to reduce college students’ cell phone use is warranted... [S]tudents should be encouraged to monitor their cell phone use and reflect upon it critically so that it is not detrimental to their academic performance, mental health, and subjective well-being or happiness.” ¡
The amount of exercise an individual engages in may have a positive effect on how well they are able to manage their work-life balance, according to a new study published in the journal Human Resource Management. For the study, Russell Clayton, lead author and assistant professor of management at Saint Leo University, and his team of researchers sought out to examine the relationship between exercise and how well or poorly an individual the balance between their work and home life. To do this, they looked at the responses of over 450 working adults who took a survey about their exercise habits, as well as the conflicts that they may encounter at home and at work. According to background information provided in the paper, previous studies have shown that when it comes to reducing stress, exercise helps. Unfortunately, however, no prior studies looked at the link between reduced stress and work-life balance. Researchers found that individuals who reported that they exercised on a regular basis were more confident that they could handle the balance between their life at work and at home. ““The idea sounds counterintuitive. How is it that adding something else to our work day helps to alleviate stress and empower us to deal with work-family issues?” Clayton explained. “We think exercise is a way to psychologically detach from work -- you’re not there physically and you’re not thinking about it either -- and, furthermore, it can help us feel good about ourselves.” ¡
flickr/Martin Hajek
Exercise Helps Work-Life Balance
March/April 2014 | PreMedLife Magazine |71
LASTWORD
Some final thoughts on getting through your days as a college student
“Be skeptical, ask questions, demand proof.
Demand evidence. Don’t take anything for granted. But here’s the thing: When you get proof, you need to accept the proof. And we’re not that good at doing that.” MICHAEL SPECTER, is an American journalist who has been a staff writer, focusing on science and technology, and global public health
“Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.
“When I get fed up with one, I spend the night with the other. Though it is irregular, it is less boring this way, and besides, neither of them loses anything through my infidelity.” ANTON CHEKHOV, was a Russian physician, dramaturge and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history
“I’m taking inorganic chem and physics not because I want to.
but because I have to. Not every doctor wants to be a scientist. Some of us just want to take care of sick people. I can’t help thinking that medicine is more closely aligned to the humanities than to the sciences. I can’t help thinking that I could learn more about being a good doctor from William Shakespeare than I could from Isaac Newton. After all, isn’t understanding people at least as important as understanding pathology?” MICHAEL J. COLLINS, physician and author of Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them–a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”” MUHAMMAD ALI, an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport’s history.
72 | PreMedLife Magazine | March/April 2014
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