Preparing for Medical School

1. Preparing for Medical School

2. Today’s Agenda • What is medical school like • Types of medical school • Why go to med school? • Academic preparation • Experiential preparation • What schools look for

3. Very Important • See premed advisor soon after you transfer to four year college or university. • Premed advisor has admission data for that college’s applicants, and will tell you what you need to do before you apply. • Ask that advisor about reference letters and service they can provide you.

4. The Medical Degrees • Allopathic (M.D.) 3.4 – 3.7 GPA, strong MCAT scores • Osteopathic (D.O.) 3.0 – 3.5 GPA, good MCAT scores • Podiatry (D.P.M.) 2.7 – 3.0 GPA, average MCAT scores • All require same science course pre-requisites • All require the MCAT & some experience • All can work independently • Continuing education required throughout career

5. Allopathic Medicine (M.D.) • Historically, the traditional medical degree • Over 125 schools in U.S. • Some acceptable foreign medical schools • Admission can be easier • M.D. accepted world-wide • The best option for international work • Can pursue any specialty training • Can teach in M.D. medical schools • Requires USMLE (three parts) • U.S. Medical Licensing Examination • Tests science and clinical skills

6. Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) • D.O. degree after 4 yrs. • May not be accepted in some foreign countries • Basic sciences & rotations same as M.D., and • Includes osteopathic philosophy & techniques • Holistic, “hands-on” approach with patients • Musculoskeletal manipulation • Other non-surgical, non-drug therapies • Can pursue all medical specialties • Three schools in the West; most back East • Bay area, Pomona, Phoenix area • Similar licensing exam required • 2/3 of D.O. grads pursue residency in M.D. setting • They take are req. to take the USMLE also

7. Podiatry (D.P.M.) • 1st & 2ndyrs. – sciences, labs, intro to podiatry • 3rd & 4th yrs. – core rotations, orthopedic & podiatry rotations, and podiatric surgery rotation • 2 or 3 yr. Residency required: 2 yr. residency to become podiatric surgeon • Not including. rear foot and ankle 3 yr. residency to become podiatric surgeon • Including rear foot and ankle Licensing exams required throughout training

8. Med School Curriculum (M.D.) • 1st & 2nd yrs (the “healthy” body) • Science lectures & labs • Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, etc. • “Intro to clinical interviewing” • Some patient contact (more at some schools) • Some schools use “case study” approach • Science electives • General topic electives • Can begin research projects • Take Part One of USMLE (science knowledge) • at end of second year

9. M.D. curriculum (cont.) • 3rd & 4th yrs (the “sick” body) • Core rotations in clinics & hospitals (1-2 mos. each) • Surgery, family med, peds, emergency med, psychiatry, ob/gyn, internal med + others • Elective rotations in subspecialties, e.g. • Oncology, orthopedics, dermatology, neurosurgery, etc. • Elective time for research, public health project, experience abroad, study at other med schools • Apply & interview in 4th yr for internship/residency • Take Part Two of USMLE (Clinical Skills) • At end of 4th year

10. After Medical School (M.D.) • One year internship in general medicine • Part Three of USMLE after that year • required for medical license • 2 to 5+ yrs residency in specialty area • Can then work as specialist (e.g., Ob/Gyn) • 2 to 3+ yrs fellowship for “sub-specialty” • Can then work as sub-specialist • e.g., pediatric oncologist, neurosurgeon, etc.

11. Length of Specialty Training • For all M.D. & D.O. graduates • 3+yrs = pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, general practice medicine • 4-5+ yrs. = psychiatry, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, radiology, others • 6-7+ yrs.= neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, others

12. Cost of Medical Training • You pay for medical school (4 yrs) • $20K to $60K/year, $30-40K average tuition • Some financial aid available • Students generally borrow significant amount • You are paid for: • Internship year (general medicine) • About $35K to 40K per year • Residency years (specialty) • About $40 to 45K per year • Fellowship years (sub-specialty) • More $$$ than residents make

13. Why Go To Medical School? • To help others through knowledge of science • Your love of science (esp. biology & chemistry) • You are a problem-solver • You possess intellectual curiosity • You want lifelong learning • You enjoy teaching others • It’s a “calling” and becomes your “identity” • You enjoy being a leader or making decisions • You enjoy being in “authority” position

14. Personal Characteristics Needed • Maturity & ethical integrity • Motivation and determination to succeed • Interpersonal & communication skills • Demonstrated interest in helping others • Willingness to accept responsibility • Energy, enthusiasm, physical stamina • Compassion, empathy, altruism • Problem-solving skills & good judgment • Awareness of the medical profession • Exposure to various cultures & life problems • “Cultural competency” stressed • Able to accept constructive feedback & criticism • Ability to lead, teach or influence others

15. Academic Preparation • 1 yr. General biology (not botany) • 1 yr. General chemistry • 1 yr. Organic chemistry • 1 yr. General physics • 1 yr. College level math (calculus & statistics) • 1 yr. College English composition (120 + 124) • Upper division biology recommended • Biochemistry, physiology, genetics, one U.D. lab • Bachelor’s degree in any major • Breadth in humanities, social sciences, arts • Can do all course prep here at Grossmont • Except upper division science courses

16. Your Transcripts • AP units can count for required courses • All grades count in GPA, except APs • Original grades of repeated courses count • Comm. College units & grades count • Better to get “W” than to repeat “D” or “F” • Not too many “W” or “CR/NCR” grades • Upward GPA trends look good • Light course loads don’t“look good” • Unless you were working full time or ??

17. Medical College Admission TestThe “MCAT” • Test of general biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, verbal reasoning, writing (2 essays) • After 2007, MCAT will be offered all year (all-day exam) • Need average or better scores to be admitted • Take MCAT in Spring of year before you graduate • Apply to med school that summer for following fall • Repeated MCAT scores are not averaged • Many take commercial MCAT prep course

18. MCAT Scores • Biological, Physical, Verbal sections: • Each section scored 0 – 15; 8 is national mean • Writing section: • Scored “J through T”; “O” is national mean • M.D. requires 10’s or higher • D.O. requires 8-9’s or higher • D.P.M. requires 7-8’s • Multiple MCAT scores are not averaged • Highest scores used for admission

19. Experiential Preparation Demonstrated commitment of service to others: • Working, interning, or volunteering to help others • Medically related experience helpful • Hospital, clinic, nursing home, public health clinic • Clinical research through a medical school • Teacher’s aide, asst. or tutor (any school level) • Community agencies (homeless shelter, geriatric) • Leadership on or off campus • Including captain of NCAA team or officer in student org • Volunteer with a physician mentor • Medical mission work, other church work

20. Scientific Research ?? • Research exp. required for M.D./Ph.D. program • Pre-med research experience shows: • Independent interest in science • Dedication & initiative in independent work • Intellectual curiosity • Can help a low GPA applicant • Can be a good source of faculty reference letter • Explore summer research programs • Desire to contribute to scientific knowledge • Find year-long research oppties. after transfer

21. When to Get Involved? • ASAP!!!! That means NOW!! • Volunteer or work summers & school year • Minimum 6-12 mos. in one location • 4 to 6 hours per week • Keep record of your service there • Keep supervisor’s name, address, phone • For reference letter when applying

22. What Medical Schools Look For • To predict success in 1st & 2nd yrs med school: • Total college GPA (from all colleges) • Science GPA (all math, biology, chemistry, physics grades) • MCAT scores • Rigor of academic experience • Including caliber of bachelor’s degree college • Course load difficulty

23. To predict success in 3rd & 4th yrs. & beyond: • Reference letters (from faculty and others) • Application essays, including life experiences • Answers to specific application questions on: • Challenges and hardships • Diversity of background and experience • Handling of ethical dilemmas • Goals for the future • Interview the applicant to learn: • What is motivating the student • Their interpersonal skills • The sincerity of their goals

24. Many applicants take one or more years off after college graduation before applying to medical schools

25. Application Process • MCAT in Spring of junior year, or earlier • Apply June/July to application service • Transcripts, essays, select schools, approx. $1,000 • August – November, send supplemental • More essays, photo, reference letters, $500-1,000 • September – March, interviews at schools • Costs include plane fare, hotel, business attire, etc. • Rolling admission notification • October 15 through following summer • Average Californian applies to 20-25 schools • May get 5+ interviews, then admitted to 1+ school • May not be admitted and have to reapply the next year • Total application cost may exceed $2500 or $3000

26. What To Do If You Are Rejected? • Take a deep breath, then • Call the schools and find out why • Assess your chances for reapplication • Assess what you need to improve • Ask yourself how determined you are • Choose best course of action • Should you consider alternate careers?

27. Maybe You Need More Experience, or ? • Peace Corps, Americorps, or ? • More exposure to health care? • More time helping others ? • Could research experience help ? • Should you repeat some courses ? • Should you repeat the MCAT ? • Do you need stronger reference letters ? • Evidence of maturity & responsibility ? • Post-baccalaureate programs ?

28. Post-baccalaureate Programs • 1 to 2 year programs after B.A./B.S. degree • To show potential to succeed in med school • Can be a Master’s degree or just courses • Some courses are with medical students • MCAT prep included • Research project usually included • Strong programs at: • Georgetown, Boston U., Chicago Medical College, Drexel U. • Some programs for underrepresented applicants • Good admission rates to medical school

29. Transfer Center has • AAMC’s Guide to Medical School Admission • Includes info on all U.S. M.D. programs • Also, check out the following Web sites:

30. www.aamc.org (M.D.) • Info on careers, preparing, applying, and M.D. medical education • www.aacom.org (D.O.) • Info on same as above, for osteopathic med • www.aacpm.org (D.P.M.) • Info on same as above, for podiatric med Also, good info at UCSD’s Career Center site: http://career.ucsd.edu then, click on “Medical School Information”

31. DISCLAIMER • There is no magic formula to get into medical school, and no Penn Med student has an identical journey. • However, there are some basics which helped all of us succeed.

32. Gather Information & Utilize Resources • Rule #1: Decide to devote a significant time commitment to preparing for medical school. • Rule #2: Research national medical school acceptance data based upon GPA and MCAT scores. • Rule #3: Seek advice from those well-versed in the medical school application process. • Rule #4: Get to know your pre-med office!

33. Gather Information & Utilize Resources • Confer with premed advisors, mentors, and upperclassmen who can support you through the application process. • Attend a medical school recruitment fair to learn from representatives about their schools. • AAMC Calender: http://www.aamc.org/calendar/careerfairs

34. Gather Information & Utilize Resources • Register withAspiringDocsfor information, guidance, and inspiration about preparation for medical school and medical careers. • http://www.AspiringDocs.org • Read“Monetary Decisions for Medical Doctors” which assists premedical and medial students in their planning for the financial aspects of the medical education. • http://www.aamc.org/md2

35. Gather Information & Utilize ResourcesThe MSAR aka Your Best Friend • The Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) profiles every medical school in the US and Canada. • Check the MSAR before applying to get a sense of what a school’s numbers are, their requirements, and their curricula. • For example, more and more schools require biochemistry, and same require two semesters of calculus.

36. Create Your Academic Plan • Before applying to medical school, you must take the following courses (and LABS!): • Biology • General chemistry • Organic chemistry • Physics • English/writing • Meet with your pre-med advisor ASAP to discuss your plan for taking these courses.

37. Grades Matter I am a wonderful, amazing person who… • Rescued children from burning houses • Built 50 houses with my bare hands by myself for 50 different families • Volunteered in the ER • Holds leadership positions in 10 different organizations It doesn’t matter that I have a 2.9 GPA and a 25 MCAT score, right???

38. Grades Matter WRONG! Grades matter. • Don’t bank on being the outlier case. • It’s stressful to take that risk (both financially and emotionally). • No one will see how wonderful you are unless your numbers get by the screening.

39. More on the “Screening…”  Medical School Admission Committees WILL NOT read every applicant’s personal statement and the rest of the application.  Every school has to screen its applications to reduce the number they actually have to read.  Once the screening process is done, then they start reading the applications.

40. What criteria are used to screen applicants? GPA (Grade Point Average) MCAT (Medical School Admissions Test) Fact and figures can be found at: https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/ Table 19: MCAT scores and GPA’s for Applicants and Matriculants to US Medical Schools by Race and Ethnicity, 2009

41. Calculating Your Chances: Applicant Pool and Matriculants, 2008-2010 (taken from Table 24 AAMC Facts and Figures- https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicationt/matriculant) For example, if you have a 2.9 and a 25 total MCAT…

42. 2009-2010 Penn Med URM Median Applicant Pool and Matriculants URM Applicants URM First Year Matriculants Max GPA: 4.0 Max MCAT: 45 T (15 each section)

43. GRADES MATTERTips on Academic Success Your early grades can have a lasting effect on the rest of college – make sure to maintain them!

44. GRADES MATTERTips on Academic Success • Balance your schedule and major – you should be challenged, but not to the point where you are unhappy and aren’t doing well. • Don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for help! • Go to professor AND TA office hours! • Work in groups to solve problems. • Don’t get caught up in the hype of how others are doing (or how they claim they are doing). • When things don’t go quite right, troubleshoot – ask yourself, “how can I do better next time?”

45. About the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)… • The MCAT is a multiple choice, standardized test required for admission into medical school • Tested subjects include: • Biology • Physics • General Chemistry • Organic Chemistry • All sections except the Writing Sample will have many, many passage-based questions • Don’t forget about the Verbal Reasoning and Writing sections of the MCAT

46. Start thinking about Letters of Recommendation • You will need to get letters of recommendation that validate your worthiness as a candidate for medical school from: • Pre-medical committee or adviser • Faculty members • Mentors • Supervisors • If possible, start an internship file at Career Services. • When a course is over, ask the faculty for a letter – if not then, keep lines of communication open. • GO TO OFFICE HOURS!