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1999 December
December Vol. 19, No. 4   1999 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Perspectives on Humanism and Advising An Invitation to Partnership with the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Sandra Gold, Ed.D. and Victoria B. White, M.A. More Challenges than Answers Norma Wagoner, Ph.D. Preserving Humanistic Interests in Medical Students Leah J. Dickstein, M.D. Point-Counterpoint: (Re)Considering Non-Cognitive Factors: Thinking About Non-“Cognitive” Factors Alan W. Childs, Ph.D. A Review of the Research Literature on Non-Cognitive Variables Greg Strayhorn, M.D., Ph.D., Roger Comeau, Ph.D., Joe Dogariu, Ph.D., Carol Elam, Ed.D. and Karen Hamilton, Ph.D. Discussions on Humanism and Medicine: Humanities in Dental Education:  A Focus on Understanding the Child Sophia A. Balis, D.D.S. and James T. Rule, D.D.S., M.S. Being in the Present Moment:  Developing the Capacity for Mindfulness in Medicine Julie Connelly, M.D. Stories for a Humanistic Medicine Richard Selzer, M.D. and Rita Charon, M.D. Comfort with Diversity Robert E. Cannon, Ph.D. Book Review:  Letters to a Young Doctor Richard Selzer Review by Theodore O’Tanyi, Ph.D.
2000 March     June     September     December
March Vol. 20, No. 2   2000 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Discussions of the MMEP MMEP:  Some Personal Observations Doug Merrill, Ph.D. Overview of the Minority Medical Education Program Footsteps on the Path Gina Shaw MMEP:  Commitments and Opportunities Vanessa Northington Gamble, M.D., Ph.D. Effect of an Intensive Educational Program for Minority College Students and Recent Graduates on the Probability of Acceptance to Medical School Joel C. Cantor, Sc.D., Lois Bergeisen, M.A. and Laurence C. Baker, Ph.D. Context: Increasing the number of minority physicians is a long-standing goal of professional associations and government. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of an intensive summer educational program for minority college students and recent graduates on the probability of acceptance to medical school. Design: Nonconcurrent prospective cohort study based on data from medical school applications, MCATs, and the Association of American Medical Colleges Student and Applicant Information Management System. Setting:  Eight U.S. medical schools or consortia of medical schools. Participants:  Underrepresented minority (black, Mexican American, mainland Puerto Rican, and American Indian) applicants to U.S. allopathic medical schools in 1997 (N=3830), 1996 (N=4654), and 1992 (N=3447). Intervention:  The Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP), a six-week, residential summer educational program focused on training in the sciences and improvement of writing, verbal reasoning, studying, test taking, and presentation skills. Main Outcome Measure: Probability of acceptance to at least 1 medical school. Results: In the 1997 medical school application cohort, 223 (49.3%) of 452 MMEP participants were accepted compared with 1406 (41.6%) of 3378 minority nonparticipants (P=.02). Positive and significant program effects were also found in the 1996 (P=.01) and 1992 (P=.005) cohorts and in multivariate analysis after adjusting for nonprogrammatic factors likely to influence acceptance (P<.001). Program effects were also observed in students who participated later and among those with relatively high as well as low grades and test scores. Conclusions: The MMEP enhanced the probability of medical school acceptance among its participants. Intensive summer education is a strategy that may help improve diversity in the physician workforce. JAMA. 1998;280:772-776. Financing Health Professions Education: Risky Practices and Unrealistic Expectations: Improving the Financial Advising of Premedical Students Daniel A. Burr, Ph.D. and John F. Klein, Ph.D. The educational debt of medical school graduates has been growing rapidly at a time when consumer credit is readily available to students and managed care is making significant changes in physician reimbursement. This combination of circumstances has given financial planning an increasingly important role in the lives of medical students. The more we understand about the financial practices and attitudes of our students before they come to medical school, the better we can target our financial advisement programs to address their needs during and after their enrollment. Previous studies have analyzed factors influencing medial student borrowing, the relationship between medical student debt and career choice, and how medical student attitudes toward educational debt and future income affect career choice. There have been studies, based on focus group interviews, of the financial attitudes, practices, and knowledge of students in general, but no study has attempted to analyze these elements for the medical student subset, which tends to be heavily indebted. The purpose of our study is to assess the financial practices, expectations, and knowledge of medical school applicants and to analyze them based on the demographic characteristics of sex and ethnicity differences. A Primer on Federal Financial Aid for Dental Students Anne Wells, Ed.D. In the eighteen years that I have been involved in dental education, I have seen student borrowing become a way of life.  The average debt of a dental school graduate has increased from around $20,000 in 1982  to nearly $100,000 in 1999.  Dental educators recognize that increasing student loan debt has the potential to impact dental education in many ways.  Potential dental students must consider whether the cost of dental education is worth the financial investment and the acquisition of substantial  debt.  Dental school graduates must make practice decisions reflective of their potential ability to repay student loans.  Dental educators are becoming increasingly concerned about the availability of dental health care to disadvantaged populations, and ethicists are considering how debt could compromise practice decisions of heavily indebted practitioners.   Higher education has entered the era of "pay as you go" consumerism.  Meanwhile, the cost of dental education, and all higher education, continues to climb.  Although the economy is strong and the dental applicant pool is relatively plentiful, are we setting ourselves up for a time when we cost ourselves out of business?  Will only the wealthy be able to afford a dental education?  Will dental health care become less widely available to disadvantaged populations?   A booming student loan industry has emerged as the outgrowth of federal legislation authorizing student financial aid.  Student loans have become big business for many banks and lenders.  Companies that employ thousands have been established to service student loans.  University financial aid offices have grown and expanded their scope as they try to keep up with the explosion of federal regulations and the call for institutional accountability.   There is no specific career path to become a financial aid administrator.  In fact, many of us fell into this business quite by accident.  Further, the responsibilities of financial aid officers has grown from facilitating the process of applying for and receiving financial aid to that of financial planner and debt management specialist.  As someone with one foot in the financial aid office and the other foot in the dental school admissions office, I offer this perspective.  Journal of Dent Ed, 62 (5) (MD)2:  Monetary Decisions for Medical Doctors Daniel A. Burr, Ph.D. Advisor to Advisor: The Med Vantage Program:  A Unique Opportunity for Pre-Health Students to Gain Clinic Experience Charles A. Fergusen, Ph.D. and Connie Nelson Assessing Your Application Profile:  A Workshop for Pre-Health Students David A. Verrier, Ph.D. and Gale Lang, M.S.W. Successful careers are not planned. They develop when students are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values. - Norma Wagoner, Ph.D. One of the most common challenges facing pre-health advisors is dealing with students who are not realistic about their own developing credentials and the competitive nature of gaining admission to health professions schools. Students are often unrealistic about their credentials, and often do not understand the complexity of issues which factor into the admissions process. Consider, for instance, the following statements: - "If there any chance that I can get in this year, then I have to try." - "My uncle (the doctor) said he got a ‘C’ in organic chemistry and it didn’t hurt him getting into medical school." - "I was told that all I need to get into medical school is good grades and MCATs." - "I know that my grades and MCATs are low, but won’t my leadership positions and community volunteering make up for that?" Do any of these statements sound familiar? What is our role in providing a reality check for students? Do we sometimes promote hope in students who are neither ready to apply nor realistic about their chances? How can we help our students realistically assess their application profile? How do we promote self-esteem and self-worth in a context of realism? . . . In this paper we outline an assessment instrument and a workshop titled "Assessing Your Application Profile" that we developed to address issues surrounding unrealistic self-assessment in our students. As health professions advisors, we believe our role is to empower our students to make informed decisions about their careers and to provide guidance, tools, and information which will enable them in this process. Scholarship, Humanism, and the Young Physician Ronald H. Fishbein, M.D. It is time to understand the value of broad liberal education for those college students who aim to be physicians, both because the medical curriculum is becoming more humanistic (such a liberal education would support) and because three enormous challenges confront physicians and educators alike: the relentless tide of biomedical discoveries, the great financial burden that medical care imposes, and the public’s desperate plea for physicians who are more caring and communicative. A liberal education — meaning a course of study that is largely unrestricted and that attempts to sample the entire breadth of human knowledge — can help the premedical student cultivate, ripen, and enrich fundamental proficiencies such as accurate recording of observations, communicating ideas well, dealing with human emotions and becoming sensitive to human frailties, learning to listen and respond appropriately, learning to make sound judgments, and cultivating empathy and compassion. These are all skills that a liberal education can help the young student learn early rather than late, skills that prepare the student for dealing later with complex social, ethical and clinical issues as a physician. A liberal education also can help prepare the student to take advantage of other general educational opportunities that are available in the small, closed community of residency, such a learning to both assume and delegate responsibility, to participate in rational debate while respecting the opinions of others, and to exercise mature judgment, civility, empathy and compassion. While a liberal education will not necessarily make the student a more technically proficient doctor, for some it will be essential to awaken and sharpen those essential skills that a physician needs to rise to the top of a profession that never fails to recognize excellence and humanity. (Acad. Med. 1999;74:646-651) Book Review:  The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Anne Fadiman Review by Robert Cannon, Ph.D.
June Vol. 20, No. 3  2000 Back to the top	Special Theme:  The PreMed Syndrome A Survey on the “Premedical Syndrome” Robert M. Sade, M.D., Glenn A. Fleming, Ph.D. and G. Robert Ross, Ph.D. The Plight of Premedical Education:  Myths and Misperceptions – Part I:  The “Premedical Syndrome” Gert H. Brieger, M.D., Ph.D. “It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again!”:  An Advisor Reflects on the Premedical Syndrome and the Premedical Stereotype Gail Glicksman, Ph.D. Research Articles: Gauging Matriculants’ Experiences with Small-Group Learning:  Implications for Medical School Performance Amy V. Blue, Ph.D., Carol Elam, Ed.D. and Kimberly Stahlman, B.A. Pre-Admission Medical Student Variables:  Do They Predict Practice Location and Specialty? Erin L. Graham, M.A., Steven J. Verhulst, Ph.D. and Erik J. Constance, M.D. Committee Letter, Advisor or Letter Service?  Results of the E-mail Survey Paul J. Crosby, M.A. Retrospective:  Informal History of the Founding of CAAHP Frank Whitehouse, Jr., M.D. Liaison Reports: ADEA Don Bloxham, Ph.D. AAVMC Marilyn J. Hoffman Book Review:  PreMed:  Who Makes It and Why? Mary Ann Maguire Review by Cecilia Fox, Ph.D.
September Vol. 20, No. 4  2000 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Reflecting on Initiative 2000 NAAHP Initiative 2000:  The Strategic Plan   Reflections on Initiative 2000 Douglas Wood, D.O., Ph.D. Initiative 2000:  A Response Carol Elam, Ed.D. Updates from the Health Professions: Allopathic Medicine Robert F. Sabalis, Ph.D. American Association of Medical Colleges Dentistry Richard H. Carr, Jr., D.D.S. American Dental Education Association Nursing JoAnne Weiss, Ph.D., F.N.P. Florida Atlantic University School of Nursing Occupational Therapy Rosalie J. Miller, Ph.D., O.T.R., F.A.O.T.A. Nova Southeastern University Program in Occupational Therapy Optometry Edward Johnston, O.D., M.P.A. State University of New York College of Optometry Osteopathic Medicine Robert Ruiz, M.A. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Pharmacy Elisabeth Johnston Ross, M.A. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Physical Therapy Sherrill Hayes, Ph.D., P.T. University of Miami School of Medicine Division of Physical Therapy Physician Assistant James Fry, M.S., P.A.-C. University of Kentucky Physician Assistant Program Public Health Vanessa A. White, M.P.H. Association of Schools of Public Health Veterinary Medicine James Thompson, D.V.M., Ph.D. and Paul Nicoletti, D.V.M., M.S. University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine Poster Presentations from the National Meeting: New Assessment Tools Cassandra Flambouras A Prescription for Successful Advising about Health Professions Carol Crafts, Ph.D. The Public and Community Service Minor Carol Crafts, Ph.D. One Perspective of the NAAHP Meeting Robert V. Blystone, Ph.D. Results from the Advisor Survey 2000 John Klein, Ph.D. Book Review:  The Tennis Partner:  A Doctor’s Story of Friendship and Loss Abraham Verghese Review by Cecilia Fox
December Vol. 21, No. 1  2000 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Osteopathic Medicine Dean’s Column Dorothy Dobbins, Ph.D. Osteopathic Medicine:  Emphasis on Health Rather than Disease Michael L. Kuchera, D.O Over one hundred years after its introduction as a distinctively American approach to health care, osteopathic medicine is now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. healthcare field. Organized around a distinctive philosophy, it is a complete system of health care delivery and disease prevention. Why is the osteopathic profession so popular? This article focuses on four aspects of the current popularity of this profession: An emphasis within osteopathic education on health The perception of osteopathic medicine as an alternative approach to health care A history of osteopathic physicians practicing primary care The profession's value-added perception approach to care using "high-tech and high-touch" Growing international recognition of the profession and its potential contributions Back to Main Abstracts Online page Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine:  Optimizing Patient-Focused Health Care Brian F. Degenhardt, D.O. As an osteopathic physician who integrates osteopathic manipulative medicine into his practice on a daily basis, I often spend a great deal of time explaining the role of this treatment modality in health care. This article describes the philosophy of osteopathic medicine, as well as how several of its basic tenets make this practice of medicine a distinctive form of health care in the United States. Survey on Perceptions of Osteopathic Medicine Lori Haxton, M.A. In 1999, the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine conducted three surveys through an independent agency, Central Surveys, Inc.  The surveys were conducted to obtain feedback from three populations:  (1) newly enrolled medical students, (2) premedical advisors, and (3) premedical students.  The college president supported and financed the project.  The purpose of the project was to obtain information on marketing, image and name equity.  A number of survey questions were developed specifically to obtain information on osteopathic medical advising from the entering medical student, premedical student and premedical advisor perspective.  Survey content was developed by a committee made up of the college president, assistant vice president of public relations and communications, vice president and dean of students, and the director of admissions with support from Central Surveys, Inc.  This article will focus on survey results as they relate to advising only.   Advisor to Advisor: Pre-Medical Student Attrition at a Four-Year Liberal Arts College Dan A. Gerbens, Ed.D. Interest in a career in medicine remains high among entering college freshmen, even though in recent years the number of medical school applicants has declined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attrition of pre-medical students during their four years of undergraduate, "pre-med" education. Two classes of pre-med students at Hope College were contacted after each semester of their college career to determine whether they still considered themselves to be pre-med students, and if not, why not. Results indicated that the largest attrition of pre-med students occurred following the first semester of college. The amount and difficulty of the required science courses were most commonly cited as the reason for abandoning medicine (pre-med) as a career direction. NEW VISION on Health Professions Bradley S. Bowden, Ph.D. and Joan M. Bowden, M.S. All health professions programs look for evidence of an applicant's familiarity with and sincere interest in the health profession to which he or she is seeking admission.  In the 1998 summer issue of The Advisor, Dan Gerbens described two programs at Hope College that provide college students with firsthand experience in the health care system to gain insight into the practice of medicine, to confirm their career choice and to build their resumes.  It is equally important for high school students to have this opportunity prior to college, especially to have close and extensive contact with the health care system, a diversity of health professions and the opportunity to assess their own commitment to the health professions.  In New York State, BOCES districts (Board of Cooperative Education Services) have sponsored NEW VISION Career Exploration programs that provide high school seniors these opportunities in several different professions.  NEW VISION Health Professions programs will be starting their tenth year in some BOCES districts.  This article describes the organization and the advantages of these programs.   Correlates of MCAT Performance in a Postbaccalaureate Population of Premedical Students George Delahunty, Ph.D. The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between traditional indicators of academic performance, SAT scores and grade point averages, and MCAT scores in a population of postbaccalaureate premedical students. Data was collected from postbaccalaureate students at Goucher College from the academic years 1990-91 through 1994-95. A strong correlation exists between the total MCAT score and the total SAT score whereas a modest correlation exists between the total MCAT score and the postbaccalaureate GPA. The Physical Sciences and Verbal Reasoning subsection of the MCAT correlated well with the Math and Verbal subsection of the SAT. These data suggest that SAT scores have significant value in helping to identify postbaccalaureate candidates who can be successful medical school applicants. From the Literature:  Mastering the New Public Health Noreen M. Clark, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Weist, M.A., M.P.H. The dramatic changes in the field of public health are reverberating in schools of public health in a number of ways, not the least of which is action by the deans of the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) to ensure that graduates with master’s of public health degrees are competent to meet the current challenges of practice. The conceptual framework at the center of this activity describes three domains — skills, perspectives, and settings — in which alumni of schools of public health may be required to demonstrate competency. ASPH work in this area is grounded in previous national and professional competency definitions and school- and department-specific competency development; it is distinct from earlier work, however, because its focus is on competency at the master’s level across the graduate schools of public health. The field of public health is undergoing a transition that is making itself felt deep into the heart of public health academe. The changing nature of people entering the field of public health is, moreover, causing graduate schools of public health to reconsider the way students are prepared for public health practice. Liaison Report David Verrier NAAHP Liaison to AACOM Book Review:  The D.O.’s:  Osteopathic Medicine in America Norman Gevitz Review by Helen Pigage
2001 March     June     September     December
March Vol. 21, No. 2  2001 Back to the top	Special Theme:  The Premedical Curriculum Required or Not?  That is the Question Edward N. Trachtenberg, Ph.D. and Jenette H. Wheeler, M.D. It appears from many recent communications to both the NAAHP and NEAAHP listserves that advisors, and presumably their students, are seeking better guidance in the area of curricular advising.  Should students be encouraged to go beyond the usual premedical science requirements and take more sophisticated courses in the natural sciences?  Do these play a role in making a candidate more viable for admission?  Is there a significant difference between candidates for the MD or DO and for those wishing to enroll jointly in a PhD program?  Has medicine changed so much in recent years that students realistically will not be able to compete with their fellow applicants unless they have background courses in such things as biochemistry, molecular genetics, or physical chemistry.  Are “recommended” courses essentially “required” because enough members of admissions committees will not support candidates who do not present them?  How flexible are medical schools in waiving requirements, both in the sciences and in English and mathematics, if they have been taken in nontraditional pathways or have been substituted for?  Do medical schools appreciate the importance of a liberal arts background, or do they view it as a luxury?  Should we require that students learn Spanish?  Should we gear our courses so as to educate (or, perhaps a better word is, train) students to take standardized exams?  As we enter a new millennium, how should we address all of these questions? Johns Hopkins University and Its Role in the Development of Modern Premedical Education Ronald Harrison Fishbein, M.D. The Plight of Premedical Education, Myths and Misconceptions – Part II:  Science “versus” the Liberal Arts Gert H. Breiger, M.D., Ph.D. For decades it has been known that students who major in non-science  fields perform as well as science majors who go to medical school.  Yet the  overwhelming majority of future medical students still major in biology or chemistry, and organic chemistry has come to be the defining premedical science course. This article traces the history of the liberal arts tradition, discusses its importance for medicine, and urges that readers think about the medical college in the age of the university. The author believes that the medical faculties should take a lead in helping to reshape the premedical as well as the medical education of future doctors. (Acad. Med. 1999;74:1217-1221) Medicine:  Art or Science? Robert Stach, Ph.D. The question of whether medicine is an art or a science is an important one to ask if students are to be educated in undergraduate school as well as medical school.  If medicine is an art, then the training that students receive may still be appropriate.  However, if medicine is a science, then students must be educated and not merely trained.  Training and education are not the same thing.  Training mainly involves the transfer of knowledge (i.e., information) to students; whereas, education involves, in addition to the transfer of knowledge, learning concepts and acquiring problem solving skills.  Medical school training has not changed much over the past century; while there has been new information and even new disciplines added to the curriculum, there has not been a new pedagogy.  Students have a multitude of facts to memorize. They have done this admirably, over the years, but they have less success with problem solving, a skill they must have in their medical practice.  A physician brings together a variety of information and observations about a patient’s symptoms and draws a conclusion about the patient’s problem. To gain admission to medical school, a student has to excel academically as measured by the undergraduate grade point average and test scores, and have strong recommendations, service or health experience, etc.  Therefore, one would assume that these students can think and readily solve problems.    Unfortunately, a significant number of medical students cannot solve problems.  To address this, many medical schools now use a problem-based learning approach, or something similar.   Yet,  medical   students  seem most   capable of regurgitation and taking tests (e.g., MCATs) where they must be able to determine which one of the four or five answers  correctly correlates with the information given in the questions.  In our society, we have come to believe that the ability to regurgitate facts is an excellent sign of one’s capabilities.  But is this really true?  Statements by employers, both in the press and on the Internet, indicating dissatisfaction with the quality of students graduating from our high schools and colleges, suggest it is not.  Most of these comments relate to the inability of individuals to problem solve (i.e., think).  Does this mean that merely learning facts and regurgitating them is insufficient?  In the past 10 years alone, we have had a burgeoning of biomedical information.  Thus, it seems more necessary to cram even more information into the heads of medical students.  Is this the way to handle this increase in information? The Importance of Premedical Coursework to Success in Medical School Rebecca E. Johnson, M.A. and Ellen R. Julian, Ph.D. There has been a great deal of discussion among the medical education community and students about what premedical coursework is necessary for success in medical school (Muller, 1980; Stimmel, Smith, and Kase, 1995; Elam, Lenhoff, and Johnson, 1997). The debate has centered on the appropriate balance between science and non-science courses in the premedical curriculum. There seems to be a consensus that having an undergraduate non-science major does not negatively affect a student’s academic performance in medical school and residency selection (Dickman, et.al., 1980; Canaday and Lancaster, 1986; Hall and Stocks, 1995; Smith, 1998). Most medical school applicants however, still major in a biological or physical science as undergraduates. In 1984, the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) published a report that recommended humanities and social sciences be included in any premedical curriculum (Muller, 1984).  Since medical students have to deal with the consequences of their premedical education decisions, it seemed appropriate to ask them about what was necessary for success in medical school. Therefore, this paper describes a research project that investigated what undergraduate courses were important to success in medical school and what a desirable balance between science and the non-science courses in the premedical curriculum might be, according to medical students and residents. A Retrospective Look at Premedical Students’ Majors Peter S. Van Houten, Ph.D. Throughout my 35 years as a pre-medical advisor I often heard the comment from students and parents that, “I hear medical schools are more interested in non-science majors than they used to be.” “Used to be,” when considered over 35 years, covers a great deal of time and should provide us with some evidence to support or refute this seemingly widely held belief concerning the value of a non-science major in the application process.  As this remark has been made so often and over so many years, I became interested in determining if there was any basis in fact for it, and if so, was there evidence to indicate that premeds were responding to it and thus increasing the number of medical school applicants from non-science majors. Surely, one could imagine, if the word got out to premeds that their chances for acceptance were better as non-science majors, a considerable number would act accordingly and major in something other than a typical premed major such as biology or chemistry. We know that premeds do a rather good job of “keeping their ears to the ground,” i.e., being attentive to rumors. Armed with copies of Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) starting in 1966-67, the year I began advising with the naive notion that all premeds at Berkeley were zoology majors, I undertook an examination of evidence on the majors of US medical school applicants and their acceptance rates. It appears that MSAR did not begin to publish comprehensive data on the major of applicants until the 1972-73 class. Over the years, the format and content of what we now know as Table 4B in MSAR — Acceptance to Medical School by Undergraduate Major — has changed somewhat, making absolute comparisons impossible. Nevertheless, the basic structure has remained much the same, thus allowing  adequate comparisons to be made. Data for the 1982-83 entering class were not available.  My data end with the 1999-2000 entering class.  Thus, the data I examined cover a period of 27 years, a great deal of “used to be.” The Mount Sinai Humanities and Medicine Program:  An Alternative Pathway to Medical School Mary R. Rifkin, Kenneth D. Smith, Barry D. Stimmel, Alex Stagnaro-Green and Nathan G. Kase The Pre-Medical Education Enhancement Project (PEEP) – A Call for Action Miles J. Schwartz, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.C. In undertaking any consideration of issues involving medical education it is more than appropriate to reflect on the views of Sir William Osler.  In 1906, Dr Osler commented:  "The hardest conviction to get into the mind of the beginner is that the education upon which he is engaged is not a college course, not a medical course, but a life course, for which the work of a few years under teachers is but a preparation."  The phrase "life course" serves to introduce the very issues I wish to address.  We are concerned about two interlocking educational challenges as a part of the premedical experience:  preparation for (1) a life in medicine, and (2) a life wherein medicine is a substrate for a wide variety of intellectual, social and physical activities. From the Literature: Attributes of Graduating Students:  Entry-Level and Beyond David A. Heath, O.D., Ed.M. This issue of Optometric Education contains an ASCO report entitled “Attributes of Students Graduating from Schools and Colleges of Optometry.”  This report represents the conclusion of a multi-year effort by ASCO member institutions to define and communicate the core outcomes of Doctor of Optometry degree programs in the United States.  The report was accepted unanimously by the     ASCO Board of Directors at their annual meeting    on June 20, 2000.  This important effort by ASCO:  (1) provides a common basis for curriculum planning and assessment at each of the schools and colleges of optometry; (2) assists optometric organizations in carrying out their functions as they relate to entry-level competency and post-graduate education; and (3) provides a clear understanding of the outcomes of an optometric education to non-optometrists  and external agencies.  Each of the other health care professionals has similar documents. (Optometric Education 26:1, Fall 2000)   Attributes of Students Graduating from Schools and Colleges of Optometry David Heath, O.D., Ed.M., Kent M. Daum, O.D., Ph.D., Anthony F. DiStefano, O.D., M.P.H., Charles L. Haine, O.D., M.S. and Steven H. Schwartz, O.D., Ph.D. Doctors of Optometry (American Optometric Association definition) Doctors of optometry are independent primary health care providers who examine, diagnose, treat and manage diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eye and associated structures as well as diagnose related systemic conditions.  Optometry — A Responsible Profession  Endorsed by the American Optometric Association (1996) and The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (1996)   The profession of optometry fulfills the vision and eye care needs of the public through clinical care, research and education, all of which enhance the quality of life.  The scope of optometric knowledge and practice includes the prevention, examination and evaluation, diagnosis, rehabilitation, treatment and management of disorders, dysfunctions, and diseases of the visual system, the eye and associated structures; and the evaluation and diagnosis of related systemic conditions.  Optometric practice is dynamic, with the emphasis on patient care services at the general practice level.  Responding to the changing needs of society, the profession must have access to all methods and modalities of contemporary practice.  Entry-level competencies include the professional attitudes, skills and knowledge to ensure safe and effective patient care outcomes and to support life-long learning.  The maintenance of continuing competencies and professional growth must be ensured by continuing learning and assessment, and thereby it sustains the integrity of professional licensure.  Additional education and training provide advanced practice skills and knowledge in specialized areas beyond those requisite at entry. (Optometric Education 26:1, Fall 2000)   Book Review:  Time to Heal:  American Medical Education from the Turn of the Century to the Era of Managed Care Kenneth M. Ludmerer Review by Robert Cannon, Ph.D. Liaison Report Saundra Herndon Oyewole, Ph.D.
June Vol. 21, No. 3  2001 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Letters of Evaluation Dealing with Negative Information:  A Dilemma for Premedical Advisors and Admissions Officers Carol L. Elam, Ed.D., Dwights Davis, M.D. and Saundra Herndon Oyewole, Ph.D. The Dishonest Dean’s Letter:  An Analysis of 532 Dean’s Letters from 99 U.S. Medical Schools Michael Edmond, M.D., M.P.H., Margaret Roberson, M.D. and Nael Hasan, M.D. A Reason to Reconsider Ronald Harrison Fishbein, M.D. Letters of Evaluation, AMCAS 2002 and the Electronic Age Lori Provost Special Theme:  The Premed Curriculum – Continuing the Dialogue Changes in the Medical School Curriculum Deborah German, M.D. Advising Pre-Health Professions Students in the Liberal Arts Tradition:  Appreciating and Valuing the Undergraduate Experience Kerry L. Cheesman, Ph.D. Continuing the Discussion of the Premed Curriculum – More, Less, the Same or Different? Robert E. Cannon, Ph.D. From the Literature:  Attributes of Students Graduating from Schools and Colleges of Optometry David A. Heath, O.D., Ed.M., Kent M. Daum, O.D., Ph.D., Anthony F. DiStefano, O.D., M.P.H., Charles L. Haine, O.D., M.S. and Steven H. Schwartz, O.D., Ph.D. Book Review:  Second Opinions:  Stories of Intuition and Choice in the Changing World of Medicine Jerome Groopman, M.D. Review by Peter S. Van Houten, Ph.D.
September Vol. 21, No. 4  2001 Back to the top	Updates from the Health Professions Allopathic Medicine Robert F. Sabalis, Ph.D. Associate Vice president, Section for Student Programs Association of American Medical Colleges   Osteopathic Medicine Robert F. Ruiz, M.A. Vice President of Applications Services American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Optometry Mark K. Colip, O.D. Dean for Student Affairs, Illinois College of Optometry, Chicago Pharmacy Elisabeth Johnson-Ross, M.A. Director of Student Affairs American Association of Colleges of Pharamcy Physician Assistant Jim Fry, P.A.-C. Liaison from the Association of Physician Assistant Programs UK Physician Assistant Program, Morehead State University Public Health Elizabeth Weist, M.A., M.P.H. Director of Education and Practice Programs Association of Schools of Public Health Veterinary Medicine John Roane, Ph.D. VMCAS Director Special Report:  Evaluation of a Centralized Application Service for Podiatric Medical School Anthony McNevin, C.A.E. and Donald Pollack, Ph.D. Viewpoints:  The Premedical Studies Seminar S.T. Dye, Ph.D., R.T. Kasuya, Ph.D. and D.H. Sakai, Ph.D. Academic Requirements to Medical School: A Retrospective Look Peter S. Van Houten, Ph.D. The State of Premedical Advising 2001:  A Physician’s Perspective Ronald Kapp, Ph.D. Liaison Reports: AACPM David E. Pennington, Ph.D. AACP Suzanne K. Murphy, Ph.D. Book Review:  The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Lori Alvord Review by Robert Cannon, Ph.D.
December Vol. 22, No. 1  2001 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Introducing AAMC Introducing the Division of Student and Education Services Robert F. Sabalis, Ph.D. Postbac Primer Carol Baffi-Dugan, M.A., M.Ed. and Gale Lang, M.S.S. Key Questions to Ask About Postbac Programs Gale Lang, M.S.S. Introducing the Section for the Medical College Admissions Test Ellen Julian, Ph.D. The MCAT Science Content Review Part I:  Report on the Medical School Survey of Science Content Pat Etienne, Ph.D. Introducing the Section for Student Services Pam Cranston, Ph.D. Time, Tide and the AMCAS Robert Blystone, Ph.D. Primum Non Nocere:  Factors Compounding an Already Difficult Situation Ronald Harrison Fishbein, M.D. Spotlight on a Health Profession:  Graduate Programs in Nursing:  A Rose By Any Other Name Linda Pellico, R.N., M.S.N., C.S., C.C.R.N. and Paula Milone-Nuzzo, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N. Research Articles: Predicting the Science GPA of Non-Traditional Postbaccalaureate Premedical Students:  An Investigation of the Validity of the DCAT Paul Henry, Ph.D. and Linda Herrold, M.A. Liaison Report: AAMC-COA Ken Moore, Ph.D. President, NAAHP
2002 March     June     September     December
March Vol. 22, No. 2  2002 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Advising and Supporting Underrepresented Minority Students Sustaining Minorities in Prehealth Advising Programs Challenges and Strategies for Success Saundra Herndon Oyewole, Ph.D. Dramatic racial and ethnic changes in the demographics of the United States make increasing the diversity of the health professions workforce a pragmatic as well as a moral imperative. Yet, despite years of concerted effort, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans continue to be underrepresented in the health professions (COME, 1998; AADS, 2000; AAMC, 2000a,b). Addressing this persistent problem requires proactive, systemic approaches at all levels of the educational process. Whether the metaphor used is the “pipeline” or Bowen and Bok’s Shape of the River (13 Owen & Bok, 1998), the educational system loses many minority students during the undergraduate years. This is especially the case for minority students who enter colleges and universities expressing an interest in the health professions, regardless of their intellectual abilities (Bowen & Bok, 1998; CB, 1999; Gandara, 1999).  Attention to the undergraduate years of academic preparation and personal growth is, therefore,  essential  to  achieving  the  goal of a health professions workforce that reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of this country.  The pervasive inequities in education that leave many underrepresented minority students ill prepared for the rigors of advanced education have been well documented. These inequities severely limit the pool of students entering colleges and universities (NCES, 1998; NSF, 2000). Therefore, it is imperative that under-graduate institutions provide the programmatic and personal support necessary to ensure the persistence of minority students to the baccalaureate.  With respect to the health professions, effective undergraduate prehealth advising programs play a unique and important role in the successful advancement of under-represented minorities to careers in the health professions. Understanding the root causes of the underrepresentation of minorities in the health professions will facilitate the development of effective strategies for remedying the problem.  For example, poor academic performance in science and math courses often impedes the advancement of minority students to health professions schools.  Because the factors influencing their performance in rigorous science and mathematics courses are complex, the solutions must be equally creative and multifaceted to have an impact. Several studies on the persistence of minority students to the baccalaureate in all majors, particularly in science and math, illuminate the complexity. Minority Affairs Committee On the Move David Verrier, Ph.D. and Saundra Herndon Oyewole, Ph.D. The current academic year has proven to be active and productive for NAAHP’s Committee on Minority Affairs.  We have formed an active and invested Committee of advisors and liaison members, have secured grant funding for the upcoming national conference, and are in the process of building some very important liaison relationships with relevant professional associations.  Let us give you a little background before we share more about what is planned. What is the Problem? The problem of decreasing numbers of underrepresented minority students (URMs) — African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans — who are recruited and retained in the pursuit of careers in the health professions continues to be an issue in medical education in the United States (see AAMC report “Minority Graduates of U.S. Medical Schools: Trends, 1950-1998”).  Medical Schools and the AAMC have worked toward increasing the size of the URM applicant population and improving the credentials and retention of these students in the applicant pool. Project 3000 by 2000, while increasing somewhat the numbers of URM students, did not achieve the goal of 3000 accepted students in the medical school class matriculating in 2000.  Most educators are aware of the inequality in teaching and schooling for  URMs  in  this  country  and  how opportunity is often rationed to minority students.  This is a pipeline problem that often begins in pre-school and extends into the college experience.  Related to this, there is a compelling need for cultural competence among health professions advisors. Cultural competency permits individuals to respond with respect and empathy to people of all cultures, classes, races, religions and ethnic backgrounds in a manner that recognizes, affirms and values the worth of individuals, families, and communities.  It is generally assumed that health professions advisors can more sensitively and optimally advise underrepresented students across cultural lines by examining their knowledge, attitudes, skills, and protocols in advising. The Role of Health Professions Advisors Health professions advisors in colleges and universities can play an integral role in the recruitment and retention of URMs into health careers.  Ideally, advisors can provide access to resources and opportunities for URMs as well as provide encouragement and support throughout the educational process.  They often serve as gatekeepers, facilitating the candidacy of minority applicants to health professions schools.  It is recognized, however, that health professions advisors can either positively or negatively impact access, opportunities, persistence, and the ultimate success of URMs.  Advisors, like all people, are susceptible to attitudes and practices of racial and ethnic stereotyping, specifically those that unintentionally have a negative impact on the confidence and persistence of URMs.   Millenial Challenges:  Insights on Minority Student Persistence in Health-Related Academics Carlos Rodriguez, Ph.D. Excerpts from the Report of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Ad Hoc Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity The AACP Ad Hoc Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity felt the need to establish why it is so important to pharmacy education that students from all racial and ethnic groups be well represented in the nation’s colleges and schools of pharmacy.  Committee members determined that there is a unique element to the practice of pharmacy that requires diversity to achieve the goals of professional pharmacy practice.   First and foremost, pharmacists are health care providers responsible for achieving positive health outcomes for all patients, regardless of background. Pharmacists are placed in a more diverse environment today than in the past.  Pharmacists, in contemporary practice, need to possess communication skills unprecedented in the history of pharmaceutical care.   Additionally, pharmacists are required to work in a closer relationship with patients and other health professionals than ever in order to achieve the goals of pharmaceutical care.  This is primarily a result of the rapidly changing demographic composition of the United States. As the new millennium begins, ethnic minorities comprise an estimated 27% of the U.S. population.  Reliable estimates indicate that their numbers will increase to 37% in the year 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau, 1999). The increasing numbers of minority persons will continue to create social and political changes throughout society. This will occur particularly in health care, where pressure on financing and delivery systems to close the gap in health status between minorities and the majority population can only increase.   Moreover, because minorities are underrepresented in all health professions, including pharmacy, pressures should intensify to achieve greater representation of minorities in the health care workforce.  URM Enrollment at U.S. Dental Schools – A Call to Action Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D., Sonja Harrison, B.A. and Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H. Excerpts from the Report of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Ad Hoc Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity The SNMA:  Mentoring the Health Professions of Tomorrow Aderonke O. Omotade MMEP Student Perceptions of the Pathway to Medical Education Pamela G. Ferry, M.H.S. and William A. Thompson, Ph.D. Purpose:  To gain a greater understanding of the perceptions of underrepresented minority premedical students regarding premedical preparation and the medical school admissions process.  Method:  A 36-item questionnaire was administered to 116 undergraduate premedical students attending a summer enrichment program.  Responses for most questions were scored on a Likert-type scale. Results:  Respondents reported high utilization of premedical advising services and rated these services as helpful.  However, the majority of respondents overestimated both the competition for medical school admissions and the representation of minority students in the medical school population. Respondents had a realistic perception of the importance of quantitative factors (grades, MCAT scores) and more qualitative/humantarian factors (communication skills, community service) in medical school admissions and tended to rate themselves as above average as medical school candidates based on these factors. Areas in which respondents reported lower levels of preparation include research experience and medically-related reading. Conclusion:  The findings suggest several avenues in which premedical advisors and/or enrichment program could assist minority premedical students in preparing for medical school admissions. These include providing a list of information resources, recommended reading lists, and up-to-date data on admissions trends, especially for minority applicants.  Why Xavier University Remains No. 1 Pearl Stewart Promoting Multiculturalism Connie O’Hara How do we promote and develop a diverse, culturally competent workforce of physicians to meet the needs of our changing society?  This issue was explored by 37 health professions advisors and numerous administrators from eight different medical schools at the sixth annual joint meeting of the Philadelphia LAN on January 4, 2002.  The event, hosted by Drs. Carol Terregino and David Seiden at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Camden campus, featured a keynote presentation, a panel of medical school administrators, and small group discussions on the issue of diversity.  Insider Tips:  Navigating the Medical School Admissions Process Lolita Wood-Hill Liaison Report:  MAS-GSA Saundra Herndon Oyewole, Ph.D. Book Review:  Premedical Advisor’s Reference Manual (7th edition) Review by Marliss Strange
June Vol. 22, No. 3  2002 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Liberal Arts and Preparing for the Health Professions Becoming a Physician:  The Value of a Liberal Arts Education in Preparing for a Career in Medicine Laurence A. Sevett, M.D. Health Professions Advising at Liberal Arts Colleges:  An Integrated Approach David A. Verrier, Ph.D. and Alan W. Childs, Ph.D. The Precarious Position of the Medical Humanities in the Medical Curriculum Lester D. Friedman, Ph.D. More on Standardized Tests: The MCAT Science Content Review Part II:  Education in Preparing for a Career in Medicine Patricia Etienne, Ph.D. and Ellen Julian, Ph.D. Composite ACT Scores as a Predictor of MCAT Scores and of the Likelihood of Acceptance to Medical School Stan Eisen, Ph.D. Predicting Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Scores Using Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores S.Q. Lafi, Ph.D., J.B. Kaneene, Ph.D. and J.B. Tasker, Ph.D. Viewpoints: The Healer Within Susan Nelson, Ph.D. Getting Acquainted or Reacquainted with the Premedical Advisor’s Reference Manual Edward N. Trachtenberg, Ph.D., Editor, and Wendy A. Praisner, Associate Editor Introduction to the Health Professions – A Course Designed for the “Pre-Med” Student Karla M. Bruntzel, Ph.D., A.T.C. and Douglas Fickess, Ph.D. Book Review:  Death to Dust:  What Happens to Dead Bodies? Kenneth J. Iverson, Ph.D. Review by Cecilia Fox, Occidental College
September Vol. 22, No. 4   2002 Back to the top	Updates from the Health Professions 2002 National Meeting Keynote Address: Communication:  The Four Points of the Health Professions Advisor’s Compass Robert F. Sabalis, Ph.D., AAMC Associate Vice President Updates from the Health Professions: Allopathic Medicine Robert Sabalis, Ph.D. Chiropractic Medicine William H. Dallas, D.C. Dentistry Richard H. Carr, Jr., D.D.S. Naturopathic Medicine Paul Mittman, N.D. Nursing Ellen-Marie Whelan, R.N., N.P., Ph.D. Occupational Therapy Guy L. McCormack, Ph.D., O.T.R., F.A.O.T.A. Optometry James M. Caldwell, O.D. Osteopathic Medicine Linda Heun, Ph.D. Pharmacy Elisabeth J. Ross, M.A. Physician Assistant Jim Fry, P.A.-C. Physical Therapy Susan S. Deusinger, P.T., Ph.D. Podiatric Medicine Marlene Reid Public Health Allison Foster, M.B.A. Application Services: AMCAS Pam Cranston, Ph.D. AACOMAS Robert F. Ruiz, Ph.D. AACPMAS Marlene Reid CASPA David Asprey  PharmCAS Elisabeth J. Ross, M.A. VMCAS John E. Roane, Jr. Advisor Fair Entries: Professional School Applications Procedures Website Beverly B. Childress Junior/Senior Health Professions Workshop Angela S. Cole and Lee Abrahamsen, Ph.D. In House MCAT Review Sessions Thomas A. Davis, Ph.D. Health Science Shadowing Course Thomas A. Davis, Ph.D. The Center for Life Sciences – Health Professions Advising Tools Chrystal Kelly and Jim Zakely Health Professions Advising at the U.S. Air Force Academy Helen K. Pigage, D.A. and Deborah L. Hall, Ph.D. Career Preparation Seminar for Health Professions Gail Robinson, Ph.D. A Simplified Approach to Mock Interviews Timothy A. Sherwood, Ph.D. Study Abroad Course for Premed Students Michael Ulrich, Ph.D. Health Professions Advising Issues: Effective Communication Skills and the Medical/Dental School Interview Barry S. Anton, Ph.D. Curricular Changes at Medical Schools and Premedical School Requirements Carol Baffi-Dugan, M.A., M.Ed. Foreign Medical Schools from the Premedical Advisor Point of View Paul J. McLoughlin II, M.Ed., William Harvey, Ph.D. and Anthony P. Smulders, Ph.D. International Education and the Premedical Experience Jeremiah L. Putnam, Ph.D. Book Review:  The Human Side of Medicine Laurence A. Savett, M.D. Review by Ronald H. Fishbein, M.D.
December Vol. 23, No. 1   2002 Back to the top	Special Theme:  Veterinary Medicine What is Required to be a Competitive Veterinary School Applicant? Ronnie G. Elmore, D.V.M., M.S., D.A.C.T. Associate Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University Grades Are Not Enough C.B. Chastain, D.V.M. and Kathy Seay, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri Subjective Criteria as the Sole Method of Selecting Veterinary Candidates at a U.S. Veterinary Medical School Sherry L. McConnell, D.V.M., M.S. and Lori R. Kogan, M.S., College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University Choosing a Veterinary College:  A Survey of Entering Students at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine Kathleen M. Quinlan, Ph.D. and Katherine M. Edmondson, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University Team Management and Student Support Joan E. Pfaller, Ph.D. and Janver D. Krehbiel, D.V.M., Ph.D., Michigan State University Becoming a Veterinarian Jane Westberg, Ph.D., University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Advisor to Advisor:  What We Teach Impact of a First Year Introduction to the Health Professions Course on Student Retention and GPA