Welcome to the Health Sciences Information Meeting for Sophomores 2012

1. Welcome to the Health Sciences Information Meeting for Sophomores 2012

2. Purpose of this meeting • This meeting is to remind you to preparefor applying to health professions schools • Answer questions you have about the process • Slides from this presentation will be posted on Pre-Applying section of : www.medsci.pomona.edu

3. Health Sciences Office • Located in Smith Campus Center 148, sharing space with the Career Development Office (which you should also visit) • Director of Health Sciences: Paula Goldsmid • Administrative Assistant: Brenda Reynolds

4. For more information • Visit Our Website Frequently: • http://www.medsci.pomona.edu

5. Contact Information Email • prehealthadvising@pomona.edu • Make Appointment with Matt Sazinsky, Chair of Health Sciences Committee • Matthew.Sazinsky@pomona.edu • Or Health Sciences Office Director Paula.Goldsmid@pomona.edu

6. Other Resources I pity the fool who doesn’t use resources!! • Visit Pomona’s Pre-Health website OFTEN!www.medsci.pomona.edu • for advice about applying to health professions schools, event announcements, links to information about health professions, and instructions for signing up on the Pre-Health listserv. PowerPoints including this one will be posted there. • Visit the Career Development Office (CDO) in person and online for excellent library resources on health professions, internship opportunities, general career counseling, and referrals to Pomona alums in the health professions.

7. Health Science Listserv • Everyone who signed into the meeting and not already subscribed to the PreHealth listserv will be subscribed. • If at any point you want to unsubscribe, follow instructions on: • http://www.medsci.pomona.edu/ • If reading this on the web and not yet subscribed, do it via: • http://www.medsci.pomona.edu/

8. Health Sciences Liaisons Seniors • Nicola Lew • Vanessa Ho • Connie Wu Juniors Jessica Lin . Mitsuko Yabe Sophomores • Andrea Diaz Liaisons are students who have been selected to help answer your questions about preparing for careers in the health sciences Email addresses are posted on www.medsci.pomona.edu

9. Health Professions • There are many ways to contribute to improved health care • Become familiar with them! Medicine • Allopathic (M.D.) • Osteopathic (D.O.) • Podiatric (D.P.M.) • Veterinary (D.V.M.) Dentistry

10. Health Professions Allied Health Professions • Nursing • Pharmacy • Optometry • Physical Therapy • Occupational Therapy • Speech Therapy • Nutrition • Genetic Counseling • Physicians Assistant • And Many Others

11. A good starting place for information about health care professions: • www.explorehealthcareers.org

12. Public Health • Epidemiology • Biostatistics • Health Services Administration • Environmental Medicine • Behavioral Sciences/Health Education • For more information: • http://www.asph.org/ • http://www.whatispublichealth.org/

13. How Do I Prepare for the Health Sciences? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXc5ltzKq3Y

14. What are Health Professions Schools Looking for? • Gray matter to be a health professional • Can problem solve • Serious about a career in health • Empathetic • Assertive • A good leader/Leadership ability • Ethical • Can handle challenges • Can communicate • Function Independently • Good team member • Reliable • Disciplined Emphasis on skills, background and personal attributes varies among schools.

15. How do you prove you have some of these skills? • Medical Schools will look at/for: • Grades/GPA • MCAT Scores • Letters of Recommendation • Community service/volunteer work • Leadership Experiences • Research – medical/clinical/basic science • Schools want to see these questions answered: • Have you tested your desire to be a doctor? • Do you have personal characteristics associated with success in health professions?

16. Your Goal: Become the best version of yourself

17. Academic Preparation • What should I major in? - Major in what you love! No one major is best. • What courses do I need to take? • When should I take these courses? - Depends on your interests, previous preparation, learning style. Most need to be completed before you apply. Consider taking “useful” courses before the MCAT.

18. MCAT 2015New Changes Influence Course Requirements/Prerequisites CURRENT MCAT MCAT 2015 • Biological Sciences • Physical Sciences • Verbal Reasoning • Writing Sample • Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems • Chemical & Physical Foundations of Living Systems • Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior • Critical Analysis/Reasoning

19. Consider Coursework in Behavioral and Social Sciences • Psychology* Psych 51 • Sociology* Soc 51 • Anthropology • Politics • Economics • Public Policy • Science Technology and Society *2015 MCAT prep includes material taught in Intro Psych and Intro Sociology More reasons for taking these courses appear in later slides.

20. Grades/Admissions Tests (MCAT, DAT, etc.) Although many factors are taken into account in the admission process: grades from college are probably the most important single factor.

21. Correlation between Grades, MCAT & Matriculants High GPA & MCAT help, BUT other qualities are IMPORTANT!! [We’ve had some applicants with high MCAT/GPA not admitted, and some with much lower GPA/MCAT admitted] Example from MD-PhD Data

22. Additional Considerations • Demonstrating Personal Characteristics Associated with Success in Health Professions • Letters of Recommendation • Health Care Experience • Study Abroad • Co-curricular Activities • Research Experience

23. In surveys, admission officers expressed interest in measuring varied attributesOnly 5 of 20 items are academic subjects: what does this suggest to you? Integrating Information Critical thinking Logical reasoning Scientific reasoning Verbal reasoning Biology Written communication Cell/Molecular Biology Integrity Oral communication Professionalism Biochemistry Organic Chemistry Personal maturity Intellectual curiosity Self discipline Reliability Teamwork Genetics Quantitative analysis

24. Developing Successful Characteristics of Future Health Care Professional • Characteristics associated with success in medical education (AAMC): • Shaping the Learning Experience • taking an active role in learning and knowledge acquisition • Self-management & Coping Skills • possessing the ability to balance the demands of medical school with other aspects of life by prioritizing, setting limits, adapting to diverse environments, and appropriately requesting feedback and assistance from professors or other students

25. Developing Successful Characteristics of Future Health Care Professional • Characteristics associated with success in medical education (AAMC): • Interpersonal Skills and Professionalism • interacting with colleagues, professors and others in health care setting in a mature, respectful, and professional manner • Interacting with Patients and Family • displaying empathic and communication oriented behaviors when interacting with patients and their family members.

26. Developing Successful Characteristics of Future Health Care Professional • Characteristics associated with successful education (AAMC): • Fostering a Team Environment • working in a team environment and helping others; engaging in behaviors that benefit the team • Technical Knowledge and Skill • Demonstrating an understanding of medical knowledge and skills appropriate to medical students; knowing when to request assistance or supervision for performing technical procedures.

27. Developing Successful Characteristics of Future Health Care Professional • Characteristics associated with success in medical education: • Extra Effort & Motivation • displaying actions that entail being motivated and conscientious; exhibiting leadership • Ethical Behavior • displaying honesty, integrity, and personal responsibility; adhering to formal and informal medical ethical codes and norms; responding to the unethical behavior of others.

28. Experiential Data

29. Letters of Recommendation • Get to know your professors well - Pomona professors get $ to take you to lunch!! • Cultivate good relationships with your instructors early in your academic career. • Develop and display personal characteristics outlined above - Be yourself!! They can spot phoney behavior • Demonstrate interest in the course subject and activities including labs, discussions, writing assignments, and exams. Ask questions inside and outside of class. And, work well with classmates. • Keep up the relationships you cultivated early in your academic career--you can’t expect the professor who gave you the ‘A’ three years ago to write a good recommendation unless you’ve kept her informed about your progress.

30. Letters of Recommendation • Keep copy of work in each course. Presenting this work to faculty when you ask for a recommendation will facilitate good, analytical, and timely letters. • The best letters aren’t a list of adjectives. Opinions are backed with fact and anecdotes about your personal characteristics. People who know you the best will write the best letters.

31. Cultural Competency • “Medical students need to understand that cultural competency encompasses language, customs, values, belief systems, and rituals that patients bring to the medical encounter.” • Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2004

32. Changing Demographics • By 2050, percentage of US population that is other than white/non-Hispanic will increase to 49.9% • U.S. Bureau of the Census projections, 2012 • “The ability to understand and effectively treat diverse populations requires a recognition that the cultural context of illness can be an essential aspect of a successful therapeutic relationship” • Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2004

33. Consider Course Work that Will Enhance Cultural Understanding • Languages • Culture • Study Abroad

34. Study Abroad • Valuable experience, highly recommended! • You will need to plan carefully to fit it into your schedule.

35. Health Care Experience All schools value health care/human service experience It is important to have enough experience to be able to make informed decision about choosing a career • Don’t wait until right before you apply! • Volunteering, internships, shadowing professionals are all potentially valuable: what you learn about yourself as well as health care, and how well you present that learning, is key. • Most Osteopathic medical schools require a letter from a D.O. • Veterinary medicine typically requires 200 or more hours of veterinary experience (many more hours are typical for strong applicants)

36. Familiarize Yourself with Requirements Early • Dental Schools’requirements are similar to those of allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. • Veterinary, Optometry, Physical Therapy, and other health sciences schools’requirements are less standardized. • Check each school’s requirements on their web. • Allopathic Medical School Admission Requirementshttp://www.aamc.org/students/applying/msar.htm • Osteopathic Medical College Information Book: http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Pages/default.aspx • ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools http://publish.adea.org/dental_education_pathways/educational_resources/Pages/ADEAOfficialGuidetoDentalSchools.aspx

37. Explore Summer Programs • Summer Medical and Dental Education Program • http://www.smdep.org/ • http://services.aamc.org/summerprograms/ NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip http://www.aamc.org/members/great/summerlinks.htm For more information: http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/careers/programs

38. Co-Curricular Activities High grades and high Admission Test Scores alone may not get you into medical/dental/veterinary school. Health Sciences schools are interested in well-rounded applicants, those who have shown interest in and ability to work with people.

39. Co-Curricular Activities Get involved in internships through the Career Development Office, and explore Draper Center for Community Partnerships opportunities. Get involved in on-campus activities relating to health care, such as the Red Cross Club, Student Health Advisory (SHAC), write for “Asclepius: The 5-C Health Journal” (or revive it). Become a Sponsor or RA. Write for Student Life Join a sports team or work in the training room. Become a tutor, TA, class mentor. Find opportunities to build cultural competency in your own backyard - campus or community. SHOW COMMITMENT!! Don’t Collect Activities!!

40. Research Experience • Is NOT considered a requirement for a competitive application • Unless your program is research intensive, e.g. M.D.-Ph.D, D.O-Ph.D, or DVM-Ph.D program • Or your career interests are more focused on research than on patient care.

41. Clinical Experience Exposure to the world of health care is valuable, to test your interest and to demonstrate the right attributes and attitudes - but work in a truly “clinical” setting is not required. Seek experience in any place that serves people coming for help with their health and well-being, very broadly defined. Shadowing a professional is valued, even required, by some schools - but not by others. Quality of the experience varies widely. Be clear about your goals and agree in advance about what will happen beyond just observing the professional person at work.

42. Standardized Admission Tests • MCAT (Allopathic & Osteopathic Medicine) • DAT (Dentistry) • OAT (Optometry) • Etc

43. When should I take the MCAT/DAT/OAT? • When you are best prepared • after taking required courses; • when you will be able to prepare and preparation won’t interfere with your academic work; • when you will know your scores before applying; • when you have time to retake the test before applying if necessary • and when scores will not expire before applying to/entering professional school

44. What you should be doing now • Develop personal characteristics associated with success in health sciences. • Build good relationships with faculty, staff, and students • Develop good study habits and excellent time management right from the beginning of your college career. • Keep your grades up! • you need a GPA that is at least a B, both in the sciences and overall, if you are going to be a serious applicant. (But, don’t let a low grade or difficulty in some subjects deter you from pursuing career in health sciences. It may take more time, but you can do it!)

45. What you should be doing now • Decide on a major in which you are most interested! • High interest correlates with higher GPA and intellectual growth. • Familiarize yourself with health science requirements • Take some or all of the required basic science courses

46. What you should be thinking about now • Get involved in health-care-related and community service experiences. • Get involved in College and community activities. • Seriously consider Study Abroad, and plan carefully for this program.

47. Typical Timelines: But there is no one ‘right’ time for all! Jr Yr Apply Sr Yr Apply w/ Break Yr Some take 2 yr off Always ok to change your plans!

48. The End Any Questions?