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1999
December
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December
Vol. 19, No. 4
1999
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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.
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2000
March
June
September
December
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March
Vol. 20, No. 2
2000
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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.
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June
Vol. 20, No. 3
2000
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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.
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September
Vol. 20, No.
4
2000
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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
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December
Vol. 21, No. 1
2000
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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
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The
perception of osteopathic medicine as an alternative approach to
health care
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A history of
osteopathic physicians practicing primary care
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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
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2001
March
June
September
December
|
March
Vol. 21, No.
2
2001
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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
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|
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
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|
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
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|
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
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|
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
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|
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
Karen D.
Wootten, M.S., Sunni A. Barnes, M.S. and David E. Pennington, Ph.D.
The Impact of
technology and Culture on Medicine: A Course for Premedical Students
H. Richard
Levy, Ph.D., Department of Biology, Syracuse University
|
2003
March
June
September
December
|
March
Vol. 23, No. 2
2003
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|
Special Theme:
Professionalism
Professionalism and
“The Master Clinician” An Early Learning Experience
Ronald
Harrison Fishbein, M.D.
“How can I keep from becoming emotionally involved”
Laurence
A. Savett, M.D.
Crying in the
Curriculum/A Piece of My Mind
Nancy
R. Angoff, M.D., M.P.H., M.Ed and Edited by Roxanne K. Young
Viewpoints:
From Pigs’ Eyes to Mouse Paws
Karen de Olivares, Ph.D.
Admissions Deans’ Roundtable: Medicine as a Liberal Art
Mike McGrath, Ph.D.
Naturopathic Medicine: An Advisor Goes to Medical School
Debra Kirchhof-Glazier, Ph.D.
A Non-Traditional Non-Traditional:
The Professor Becomes the Student
James D.
Fisk, O.D., Ph.D.
Who Gets an Interview from the Health
Professions Committee?
Ralph E. Werner, V.M.D.
Highlight on a Profession
Audiology: An
Exciting Career Choice for the
Pre-Health Major
George
Lindley, Ph.D.
Book Review:
Let Me Listen To Your Heart: Writings by Medical Students
Edited by
David Svahn, MD and Alan Kozak, M.D.
|
June
Vol. 23, No. 3
2003
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|
Special
Theme:
Public Health
A Public Health
Primer
Nancy
Alfred Persily
Trends in Public Health Education
Arthur J.
Culbert and Allison Foster
Understanding the Admissions Processes of Schools of Public Health
Jeffery
Thomas Johnson
Financing Your Public
Health Education
Jill D’Amico
Diversity and Public
Health
Ciro V.
Sumaya and Mah Sere Keita Sow
“I’ve finished my
degree…Now what?”
Monica
Gonzalez and Michelle Frisch
Viewpoints:
Minorities in
Medicine: Nurturing Interest and Enhancing Opportunities to Pursue a
Medical Degree
Carol L.
Elam, Karen E. Hamilton, Saundra Herndon Oyewole and Lily May Johnson
Research Articles:
Success in One
School’s Medical Curriculum As Predicted By Students’ Undergraduate
Academic Scores
E.
Gregory Keating, Ph.D.
Highlight on a
Profession:
Clinical
Investigation, an Emerging Field of Health-related Graduate Studies
Amy Rutstein-Riley and Paul A. Boepple
Liaison Report,
NAAHP Liaison to the ASPH
William H.
Harvey
|
September
Vol. 23, No. 4
2003
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|
Special
Theme:
Keynotes of the Regional Meetings
Partnerships in the Continuum of Medical Education
Carol Elam,
Ed.D.
Developing and Nurturing the Diversity of The Medical Workforce:
The Role of The Office of Admissions
Gabriel
Garcia, M.D.
On Humanism in Medicine
Edward F.
Bell, M.D.
The Education of Future Physicians
A University – Medical School Partnership
D. Kay
Clawson, M.D.
Humanism in Medicine,
So What?
Sandra O.
Gold, Ed.D.
Viewpoints:
To Interview
or Not Interview, That is One of the Questions
Barry S.
Anton, Ph.D.
The purpose of this article is to capture the
core elements of professionalism as they specifically relate to Physical
Therapy (PT). A consensus conference of the American
Physical Therapy Association (APTA) shows a high degree of overlap with
other health professions, regarding these elements: accountability,
altruism, caring/compassion, duty, excellence, integrity and respect.
Three challenges specific to PT are 1) a need to raise the consumer’s
perception of the importance of movement as a vehicle for health; 2) to
meet APTA’s newly expressed expectation of social responsibility; and
3) for physical therapists to achieve recognition as primary care
practitioners in the hierarchy of health care systems.
Service-Learning Partnerships in a First Year Seminar: Linking Science
to Young Scholars
Chrystal
Kelly
The author describes a service-learning opportunity
at Colorado State University. An introductory seminar for
pre-health professional students includes teaching a laboratory for
fourth grade class studying human anatomy. The lab has the college
students teaching the anatomy of a sheep’s heart, which they dissect
as a demonstration. In order to prepare for their presentation,
the seminar participants need to learn the anatomy themselves, practice
the dissection and be able to answer questions the 4th
graders might have.
Research Articles:
Is Taking MCAT
Practice Tests Helpful before Taking the Actual MCAT?: Perceptions of
Minority and Disadvantaged Students
Paul
Henry, Ph.D.
This study was designed to examine the perceptions of underrepresented
minorities and disadvantaged students regarding the extent to which
taking several mock MCAT Practice Tests was helpful before taking the
actual MCAT. The research suggests it was helpful for developing
and refining their test-taking skills. Ninety-two students were
chosen as participants. The results showed a high degree of
agreement that the mock tests were helpful. The satisfaction level
was lowest for the Verbal Reasoning portion of the exam. The
article includes several anecdotal comments from the students.
Highlight on a
Profession:
The Anatomy of
Professionalism in Physical Therapy: A Shared Value System
Susan S.
Deusinger, PT, Ph.D.
The purpose of this article is to capture the
core elements of professionalism as they specifically relate to Physical
Therapy (PT). A consensus conference of the American
Physical Therapy Association (APTA) shows a high degree of overlap with
other health professions, regarding these elements: accountability,
altruism, caring/compassion, duty, excellence, integrity and respect.
Three challenges specific to PT are 1) a need to raise the consumer’s
perception of the importance of movement as a vehicle for health; 2) to
meet APTA’s newly expressed expectation of social responsibility; and
3) for physical therapists to achieve recognition as primary care
practitioners in the hierarchy of health care systems.
Book Review:
The Dressing Station: A Surgeon’s Chronicle of War and Medicine and
Complications (A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science)
Review by
Cecilia Fox
|
December
Vol.
23, No. 5
2003
Back to the top
|
Collection of Articles
The Winds of Change in Veterinary Medicine Recruitment
and Admissions
James W. Lloyd,
DVM, PhD and John E. Roane, Jr., B.A.
Two recent studies of the veterinary profession gave
high marks for medical knowledge and education, but raised concerns
about non-technical skill levels, e.g. people skills and business
acumen, exhibited by veterinarians. The National Commission on
Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI) was established to examine
characteristics exhibited by successful veterinarians and develop a
definition for success. In addition to the core competencies, data
on the amount of time spent on different activities within the normal
course of practice were also collected. Subsequently, two groups
within an “applicant pool” were examined: 1) actual applicants and
2) potential applicants with appropriate background, who did not
ultimately apply. It was found that the potential applicants
scored better on the characteristics for success than the actual
applicants. Both groups underestimated the level of autonomy and
prestige within the profession. A measure of “attraction to”
the professional activities found that accepted applicants actually
scored lower than potential applicants. These findings are leading
to a change in how applicants are interviewed and to efforts to
publicize the autonomy and prestige of the profession.
Fundamentals in Financial Aid:
Factors for Consideration by Health Professions Advisors and their
Premedical Students
Linda
Gilbert and Carol Elam, Ed.D.
Since the financial cost of a medical education is
increasing, it is more important than ever for students to develop a
familiarity with financial management and the sources of financial aid.
This article reviews the sources of financial aid, from the federal to the
local level, explains how financial aid packages are developed by each
school, and what the application procedures are. Student credit
ratings are discussed, along with an estimate of the monthly repayment
costs a graduate may be responsible for. The article includes
resources that provide the student and advisor with information to make
informed decisions. An emphasis is put on the importance of a
student being budget-conscious.
Medical Student Debt, Class of 2003
Paula Craw
Cultural Competency: Dentistry and Medicine Learning from One Another
Allan J. Formicola, D.D.S., M.S., Judith Stavisky, M.P.H., M.Ed., Robert
Lewy, M.D., M.P.H.
Underrepresented Minority Populations in US Dental Schools
H. Barry
Waldman, DDS, MPH, Ph.D.
A review of the change in minority demographics in US dental schools
over the past 30 years shows that African-Americans and Hispanics
(particularly males) are still underrepresented. The challenge is
to find a way to increase these numbers. The article describes a
cooperative effort, related to dentistry, between a large health
sciences center and a pre-professional advisory office. The
program includes 1) seminars aimed at promoting student interest in
educational and research activities, and 2) a course which gives the
students an opportunity to review and analyze complex social and
economic issues in health care delivery. This cooperative effort
has resulted in an increase in the numbers of underrepresented minority
applicants to health professional schools, including dental schools.
The Need for Physician Investigators
Alan L. Hull,
M.D., Ph.D., Elaine F. Dannefer, Ph.D., Jeffery C. Hutzler, M.D., Andrew
J. Fishleder, M.D., and Lindsey C. Henson, M.D., Ph.D.
In recent years the proportion of NIH-sponsored
research by physicians has decreased, particularly with regard to clinical
research. The success rate for funding is equivalent between PhD’s
and MD’s, so there is not a deficiency in the quality of physician
research. The repercussions of having fewer clinical researchers are
discussed. Several reasons for this decrease in clinical
investigations exist, the most important being the increased cost of
medical education. MD/PhD programs usually stress bench research.
The article concentrates on a description of a new
program developed by the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM)
of Case Western Reserve University to confront the problem. The
school has developed a five-year program, which allows for considerable
clinical research opportunities in an environment provided with faculty
guidance. A key feature of this program is significant financial
support to ensure that excess debt does not discourage individuals from
seeking a research career.
The Biomedical Humanities Program: Merging Humanities and Science in
a Premedical Curriculum at Hiram College
Colleen Fried,
Ph.D., Sandra Madar, Ph.D., and Carol Donley, Ph.D.
The Biomedical Humanities program at Hiram College, established in
1999, engages premedical and other qualified students in ethical and
informed decision making, improves their ability to interact with
persons of different backgrounds and cultures, provides them an active
introduction to basic medical research and clinical practice, and
coaches them in communicating across barriers, appreciating that
scientists and humanists typically learn and work differently. The
program offers both a major and a minor in biomedical humanities topics.
The major requires the core biology and chemistry curriculum necessary
for further studies in medicine as well as courses in genetics and
statistics. The remainder of the major is devoted to four core
areas: Communications, Relationships and Cultural Sensitivity, Ethics
and Medical Humanities, and a nonacademic core area, Experiential
Learning. Many of the ethics and medical humanities options are
team-taught interdisciplinary courses. The Experiential Learning
area requires students to take two special topics seminars, two service
seminars, and two internships – one shadowing a professional in his or
her area of interest and one engaging in basic biomedical research.
The shadowing internship and service seminars focus not only on career
exploration, but also on human interactions. Students reflect on
the personal interactions they observe during their various experiences,
and on their own strengths and weaknesses. Essays, designed to
help students learn more about their roles in these settings, push them
to deal with the sociopolitical issues involved in their service.
The major, a robust and vital component of Hiram’s undergraduate
program, has attracted academically gifted students with a diverse array
of career goals.
Getting on Base for Health Professions Admissions
Peter Van Houten,
Ph.D.
A long time, career pre-professional advisor offers a baseball
analogy for how to look for those “non-cognitive” measures of
potential success. Sometimes it is not the highest paid team that
wins the World Series, or the straight A student who makes the best
health care professional. How do we learn to recognize the winning
combination of good judgment and “heart” – understood here to
refer to the desire to serve others, drive, determination and
willingness to work hard to do the best possible job – that can be the
characteristics of a winner? The author advocates consistently
keeping the mind open to fresh ideas so that we do not miss out on what
is important in selecting students, to challenge conventional wisdom,
and to look for applicants with “heart”.
|
2004
March
June
September
December
|
March
Vol. 24, No. 1
2004
Back to the top
|
Special Theme:
Dentistry
A Message from ADA President Eugene Sekiguchi and ADA Executive Director
James Bramson “Dentistry — A Unique Profession”
A Message from ADEA President Paula K. Friedman “Careers in Dentistry —
A View from Dental Education”
A Message from ASDA President
Joshua Ries
A Report from the NAAHP
Liaison to the American Dental Association
C. Larry
Sullivan, Ph.D.
Predental Clubs
Help to Prepare Students for Dental School
Anne Wells, Ed.D.
Three-fourths of those who sought
admission to dental school in 2002 did not start their undergraduate
studies intending to become dentists. As Dr. Wells points out, a
pre-dental club not only supports those who have an interest in
dentistry, but also provide opportunities for students to learn about
the profession. This article lists resources available to advisors and
pre-dental students who want to begin a club. These include: the
American Student Dental Association (ASDA) and the Student National
Dental Association (SNDA). Students belonging to ASDA and SNDA have
access to newsletters, mentoring, and the ASDA Handbook titled
Getting into Dental School.
SNDA specifically “seeks to improve disparities in dental manpower by
nurturing and supporting minority pre-dental and dental students …” In
addition to exposing students to information, those involved in
pre-dental clubs can develop leadership skills while retaining a focus
on academics.
The ASDA Advantage
Katherine A. Dwyer
The American Student
Dental Association (ASDA) reaches out to current dental students, those
who have graduated from dental school, international members, and
pre-dental students. ASDA members take an active role in influencing
policies of the American Dental Association (ADA). The organization is
active in working to improve exam procedures, reduce student loan
indebtedness, improve curriculum, and address licensure qualifications.
For the pre-dental student ASDA provides an opportunity to learn about
dentistry, keep current on issues affecting the profession, and connect
with others who have similar vocational interests. Health professions
advisors “often play a crucial role by encouraging school support for
students participating in ASDA.” For advisors, involvement with an ASDA
chapter is also a way to gain information and stay current with what is
happening with dental school admissions and in dentistry.
The Admissions Process: A Primer for Advising
Pre-Dental Students
Anne Wells, Ed.D.
This article provides basic information
for those advising pre-dental students. It is a good review for the
experienced advisor and a valuable guideline for those beginning
advising. Topics covered include: Factors in Considering Dental
Schools; Applying to Dental School; Factors in the Selection Process;
and Important Tips in the Admissions Process. A series of questions,
which are among those considered by admissions committees when reading
applications can be used as a checklist during advising appointments.
Financing Your Dental Education
Gina G. Luke, B.S. and Anne Wells,
Ed.D.
Although the reported costs of dental
school education will change, undoubtedly rising, the review of student
aid programs provides a solid reference for pre-health advisors. Types
of aid programs listed include: federal and institutional loans; the
Indian Health Service Scholarship Program; and NIDCR short term awards.
Additionally, the author emphasizes that pre-dental and dental school
students should keep good financial records and maintain good credit.
Model Programs/Resources to Attract
Underrepresented Minorities (URMs) into Dentistry
Jeanne Sinkford, DDS, Ph.D. and Sonja G. Harrison, B.A.
Minority enrollment statistics, from 1994
to 2002, are presented in tables that make comparisons easy. The
following statement, however dramatically captures the scope of the
problem: “The entire applicant pool for African American students has
been less than 500 students per year for the past twenty years.” The
authors then describe three model programs, as well as additional
resources of which advisors should be aware. These include ADEA
Regional Workshops for pre-dental advisors and the National Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Research and Career Development
Programs.
Academic Dentistry
Richard R. Ranney, D.D.S.
Explaining “academic dentistry” as the
repository for building and testing the specialized knowledge unique to
the field, Dr. Ranney gives the reader an understanding of the different
ways in which dental school faculty contribute to this endeavor.
Teaching and research are important activities, but so is service.
Dental school faculty members are consultants to local, state, and
federal agencies. They administer and direct programs. In addition to
involvement in a professionally stimulating environment, health
insurance plans, tuition benefits for family members, and retirement
plans help compensate for what may seem like “an income differential
between those in academic/research careers and those in private
practice.” Dr. Ranney encourages students to pursue a career in this
area. He assures us they will be “welcomed into the academy.”
The Need for Enhanced Oral Public Health Education and State
Infrastructure
Stanton
Wolfe, DDS, M.P.H.
A
neglected epidemic in the United States, dental decay affects all
children, but those who are economically disadvantaged are far more
likely to have untreated dental disease. Because the problem is so
widespread with increasing costs for individual persons as well as for
society, Dr. Wolfe advocates instituting a comprehensive public health
approach involving government, dental care providers and consumers.
Current levels of funding for both education and treatment are
inadequate to deal with the crisis. Two short-term goals are: “the
development of health coalitions” and “the enhancement of health
education in dental and medical schools to create the accessible,
culturally sensitive, healthcare network able and willing to provide”
all people with the services needed.
Dentistry Career Options —
Something
to Smile About
Beverly
Skoog, M.A. and Diane Boehm
While 80 percent of practicing dentists are general practitioners, and
most of these are in private practice, numerous other options are open
for those entering dentistry. These include: academic dentistry,
research, public health dentistry, international health care, hospital
dentistry, and military dentistry. Dentistry is an attractive career
because new graduates and as well as practicing dentists have
opportunities to move into specialties or one of the options listed
above. In addition to outlining different career paths, the authors
interviewed dentists and asked them why they choose dentistry, if they
had a mentor and how they thought college advisors might best assist
students. The last two pages of the article are the excerpted responses
of the dentists.
Viewpoints:
International Medical Schools for U.S. Citizens:
Considerations for Advisors and Prospective Students
Paul J. Crosby, M.A., and Robert E.
Cannon, Ph.D.
The authors explain terms, provide
statistics and recommend a series of questions students and advisors
should ask preparatory to the student applying to a “foreign,”
“international” or “off-shore” medical school. This article is
indispensable for advisors who counsel students considering medical
school outside the United States.
The exact number of U.S. students who enroll in international medical
schools is not known, but in 2002 the Educational Commission for Foreign
Medical Graduates (ECFMG) “issued 1,427 certificates to candidates who
were U.S. citizens at the time they entered medical school in another
country.” The route to licensure via an international medical school is
not an easy journey. Students should be prepared to assume extra
financial costs, face challenging living conditions and potentially have
fewer learning resources. Additionally, the authors caution prospective
students and recommend a thorough investigation of the school prior to
making a commitment to enroll. Not all foreign medical schools provide
students with the foundation to take Step 1 of the USMLE, gain clinical
skills and pass subsequent licensure exams. Some foreign medical
schools have operated as little more than “diploma mills that sell
medical degrees while providing little or no education or training.”
Asking tough questions about oneself as an applicant and about the
school can help students desiring to take this route avoid costly
mistakes.
The Educational Experiences of U.S. Citizens Who Graduate from
International Medical Schools
John
Norcini, Ph.D. President and CEO of the Foundation for International
Medical Education and Research
The Educational Commission for Foreign
Medical Graduates (ECFMG) was created because little was known about the
international medical schools. Medical schools in the U.S. undergo a
rigorous accreditation process and are associated through AAMC, an
organization which “seeks to improve the nation’s health by enhancing
the effectiveness of academic medicine” (see
www.aamc.org).
International Students and Medical
Education: Options and Obstacles
Edward J.
Miller, M.A., and Joni Huff, M.A.
Of
the 16,538 students who matriculated to U.S. medical schools in 2003
only 82 were international students, 539 international students applied.
As the authors note, significant obstacles exist for those students who
are not U.S. citizens, yet wish to obtain a medical education in the
United States. This article provides information for advisors on how
they might counsel the undergraduate pre-med who is classified as an
international student. Additionally, the authors discuss the special
situation of Canadian citizens. School policies vary and “Canadian
students have been admitted to medical schools that state they do not
accept applications from foreign students.” Advisors should be informed
about the issues international students will confront and about the
policies of individual medical schools. The 7th edition of the
Premedical Advisor’s Reference Manual
(PARM) is a good place to start. Additionally, advisors might want to
read the statement titled “Special Note to International Students
Intending to Study Medicine” which can be found on the Yale University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ website (www.yale.edu/admit/international/application/index.html).
Book Review:
Death of the Good Doctor:
Lessons from the Heart of the AIDS
Epidemic
Kate
Scanell, M.D.
Review by
Laurence A. Savett, M.D.
|
June
Vol. 24, No.
2
2004
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|
Special
Theme:
Measuring and Evaluating
Non-Academic Qualities
Assessing Professional Behavior: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Louise Arnold,
Ph.D.
The author interprets
the state of the art of assessing professional behavior. She reviewed
the literature on professionalism from the last 30 years, most of which
appeared in peer reviewed journals. Synthesizing the results of this
review from a knowledgeable perspective, she defines the concept of
professionalism, reviews the psychometric properties of key approaches
to assessing professionalism, conveys major findings that these
approaches produced, and discusses recommendations to improve the
assessment of professionalism. The article also includes an extensive
bibliography.
The MCAT Communication Skills Research Project
Patricia Etienne, Ed.D.
The author presents the rationale for
adding a “communication skills” component to the MCAT. Test researchers
have proposed adding a set of streaming video scenarios that would
require test takers to “make decisions about possible subsequent courses
of action associated with some of the personal interactions depicted.”
More information about the MCAT Communication Skills project can be
found at
www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/comskillfaq.htm.
Quantifying the Art of Medicine
Ryan Gregory, M.A.
Whether to include the “art” of medicine as well as the science in an
evaluation of medical school applicants, and how to do so is the subject
of this article. While questioning the feasibility of finding a way to
quantify qualities like professionalism and altruism, he advocates
placing these on a par with GPA and test scores in admission decisions.
Why We Should Use
Noncognitive Variables With Graduate and Professional Students
William E. Sedlacek, Ph.D.
The author defines
noncognitive variables “as those that appear to reflect Sternberg’s
experiential or contextual intelligence.” He argues that standardized
tests such as the GRE do not assess these intelligences, and that the
range in scores for both GRE and GPA is restricted. Over reliance on
quantitative measures increases homogeneity, decreasing diversity among
those admitted to colleges of veterinary medicine. Dr. Sedlacek
proposes multiple methods be employed to select applicants. These
include: questionnaires, interviewers trained to identify high or low
scores on noncognitive variables, portfolios, and raters trained to
score essay material on noncognitive variables. Table 1 in the article
lists and briefly describes noncognitive admissions variables.
Toward a Career
Development Model for Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs: From Theory
to Practice
Paul Henry, Ph.D.
“Career maturity” and “professional
identity” are used interchangeably in the article. Both are used as
terms for developmental and self-assessment processes, which lead
students to choose medicine as a career and help them to define a
concept of themselves as physicians. This article reported on the use
of the Medical Career Development Inventory, which was administered to
168 minority and disadvantaged premedical students. A previous study by
Inglehart and Brown reported that “the more students choose medicine
based on professional identities, the better their performance on
National Board” examinations. Thus, a purpose of the study was to help
identify an effective model for intervening during exploratory stages of
career development, and allow practitioners to focus on meeting the
needs of students in various stages of development.
Transmitting
Letters of Evaluation Using a Secure Web-Based System
Kay H. Singer, Ph.D. and Saeed T. Richardson
This article explains the rationale for
the development of VirtualEvals and provides a history of the project.
Although digital technology made it feasible, VirtualEvals happened
because the authors sought a more efficient means for advisors to
transmit letters of evaluation from undergraduate institutions to
medical schools. VirtualEvals has moved past the pilot stage described
in the article, but readers should find useful information, including an
itemized cost estimate for sending letters via the traditional (U.S.
Post Office) route. Using this as a model can help an advisor work out
cost comparisons.
Book Review: This Side of Doctoring:
Reflections from Women in Medicine
Edited by Eliza
Lo Chin, M.D.
Review by Jenette Wheeler, M.D.
Liaison Report: Association of Physician
Assistant Programs
Susan Gormely
|
September
Vol. 24, No.
3
2004
Back to the top
|
Special Theme:
Highlights of the Meeting
Reflections from the
Program Chair
Jeremiah L.
Putnam
This
inspiring message was written after the 2004 NAAHP meeting held in
Washington, D.C. NAAHP members may want to check it from time to time
to gain renewed energy. Dr. Putnam addresses the topics covered at the
2004 meeting and describes his vision of a vibrant, diverse and active
association. He states that we must find ways to be inclusive, both
within the association and as advisors on our campuses. “Our mantra
must be that we are stronger as an association when we achieve unity
through diversity.”
Leadership Workshop
Hugo C. Lane,
D.Sc.
This
article summarizes problems encountered in efforts to identify and
involve a changing cadre of leaders for the pre-health advisor
associations at the national and regional levels. Workshop topics and
proposed solutions are presented in an easily accessible, bulleted
format. Three discussion points are covered: finding good leaders;
matching advisors to the leadership position; and, holding on to good
leaders.
How to Listen So Students Will Talk, and
Talk So Students Will Listen: A Few Dozen Suggestions to Improve the
Communication Climate of the Advising Session
Charles V.
Roberts, Ph.D.
On
average people spend 42% of their day listening. For college students,
however, the time is much greater, with 55-85% of the day spent
listening. Understanding more about what listening is and how people
listen can help the advisor structure communication during an advising
appointment so critical information isn’t lost or misconstrued. “The
key to increased listening effectiveness is awareness.” The author
offers 24 suggestions for actions advisors can take. These include:
re-arranging the office, controlling eye contact, timing a message and
preparing the listener for the message.
Diversity in Medical
Education: Way Beyond Race
Gabriel Garcia,
M.D.
In
the opening paragraph of this article Dr. Garcia states, “It is one of
our greatest challenges to serve all members of our society fully.” He
names three underserved constituencies – racial and ethnic minorities,
LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), and field workers – and
articulates reasons for their inadequate access to health care. Dr.
Garcia concludes that we must act to bring more members of underserved
groups into the medical profession and structure education to graduate
culturally aware practitioners.
MD-PhD Training: It’s Not Just for Lab Rats
Anymore!
Olaf
Anderson, M.D./Ph.D. and Brian Sullivan, M.A.
This
article summarizes a presentation by Dr. Anderson, and the dialogue from
an ensuing panel discussion. The purpose of MD/PhD training is
reviewed. In the subsection titled, “How Is MD-PhD Training
Structured,” the authors point out that the “educational goals and modes
of learning are different for medial school and graduate school.” In
order to allow an individual the opportunity to attain tenure before
becoming, as the authors write, “eligible for membership in AARP, MD/PhD
programs seek to eliminate overlap and create a unified curriculum.”
MD/PhD programs look for applicants who have a passion and aptitude for
research. Characteristics of competitive applicants are outlined and
web site addresses are provided.
Foreign Medical Schools from
the Premedical Advisor’s Point of View
Revisited
Suzanne Combs, William Harvey, Ph.D., Kenneth Moore, Ph.D., and Linda
Scott, Ph.C.
Although attempting to give good advice when a student asks about
attending an international medical school (IMS), the authors point out
that the number of foreign medical schools North American students
regularly apply is actually less than 20. A set of questions is provided
that students can use as a guide for an honest assessment of their
motivation and other personal qualities, as well as knowledge about the
schools they are considering. Additionally, the authors offer a set of
questions and suggestions that advisors can use to evaluate foreign
schools.
A Summer Reading Program to
Enhance Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension Scores
Debra Kirchhof-Glazier
University Illinois and
Dartmouth College — Connecting through NAAHP
Ursula Olender
The University of Michigan
Health Sciences Scholars Program: Supporting Student
Joyce
E. Sutton, M.A.
The University of Michigan Health Sciences Scholars Program (HSSP) is “a
diverse living-learning community that welcomes students who are
thinking about majoring in a health sciences field ….” The author lists
program highlights which include facilitating the transition from high
school to college, providing individualized support, and enhancing
knowledge of careers in health care. Further details are provided on
the Student Community, Faculty Involvement and Pre-Health Advising.
Health Career Exploration
in a Diverse Environment
Joyce E. Sutton,
M.A.
The Research Associates
Program at St. Vincent’s Medical Center: A Potential for Win-Win-Win-Win
Keith
Bradley, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
Dr.
Bradley compares buying a house, with a 40-year commitment to stay put
or incur a huge penalty, with embarking on a medical career while not
having had the opportunity to gain experience in a clinical setting. He
then describes the program at St. Vincent’s, which was designed to meet
the needs of the hospital while providing undergraduates with
opportunities to learn more about the medical profession. As Research
Associates students work in the Emergency Department and directly
participate in patient care. Everyone benefits including advisors who
have a program available in which to place aspiring physicians.
|
December
Vol. 24, No.
4
2004
Back to the top
|
Collection of Articles
Research Articles:
Retrospective Pre/Post Survey Design
to Assess Student Gains in Knowledge, Confidence and Motivation in a
Premedical Summer Enrichment Program
Pamela G. Ferry, M.H.S.; Jason E. King, Ph.D.; William A. Thomson, Ph.D.
This article reports the
results of a survey administered to 119 participants at the end of a
six-week summer enrichment program. Participants assessed the extent to
which their knowledge, confidence and motivation were advanced as a
result of program activities. Results indicate that the program made
significant and measurable impacts on participants’ self-assessed
knowledge of medical education pathways and practice, as well as on
confidence and motivation to pursue medical careers.
An Analysis of Factors that Influence What
Specialties Medical Students Envision Pursuing
Sharyn J.
Potter, Ph.D., M.P.H., Rebecca L. Lozman, M.P.H. Candidate, Jeffrey
Lozman, M.D.
First and fourth year medical students at
two Northeastern medical schools were sent questionnaires. Logistic
regression was used to determine which factors were most significant in
predicting perceived specialty choice. Gender was the most significant
predictor, but socioeconomic status, and income and prestige were also
significant predictors of the choice of surgery as a specialty. The
authors conclude that additional efforts need to be made to attract
women medical students into surgical and non-primary-care specialties.
Viewpoints: Encouraging Pre-Medical Students to “see the world”
Kerry L. Cheesman, Ph.D. and
Jennifer Adams, M.A.
The authors support
university sponsored study abroad experiences. They cite a University
of Delaware survey which found “a transformation in their [students]
attitudes and their appreciation for the social side of medicine.”
Careful planning is recommended in order to fit the study abroad with
students’ academic goals and the medical school application process.
The authors pose questions that they recommend the advisor and student
consider. Several options for structuring a study abroad experience are
presented.
Interview
appearance and professionalism: setting standards
Peter
Van Houten, Ph.D.
Directly pertinent to discussions on the
listserv about students sporting tongue studs and other body
ornamentation, this article delves deeper into the subject. The author
reflects on changing standards and questions what is meant by
professionalism. He suggests the term may be too vague to communicate
information students need in order to actually meet or exceed appearance
and behavioral expectations for medical school interviews and for
practicing physicians. Dr. Van Houten writes, “Respect may be a term
that helps us find an appropriate definition of what is or is not
appropriate in an interview and more importantly in our relations with
others.”
Narrative in Medicine- Important for Both Doctor and Patient
David S. Svahn,
M.D.
Efforts to incorporate
the study of literature in medial education are aimed at helping doctors
elicit and decipher the stories patients tell. Dr. Svahn writes,
“Narrative training is, thus, most assuredly not simple entertainment.”
He supports medical education models that educate both doctor and
patient in the literary arts. These models encourage development of the
“medical relationship” and contribute to accurate diagnosis of illness.
From the Literature: Changing the Culture: An Institution-wide
Approach to Instilling Professional Values
Bruce A. Berger, Ph.D., Stephen L. Butler, Ed.D., Wendy
Duncan-Hewitt, Ph.D., Bill G. Felkey, M.S., Paul W. Jungnickel, Ph.D.,
Janelle L. Krueger, M.S., Charles R. Perry, and Charles Taylor, Pharm.D.
Book Review:
Get Into Medical School! A Guide for the Perplexed
Kenneth V. Iserson, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.E.P.
Review by Cecilia Fox
Resource Review: Ethical and Economic Issues Confronting Today’s
Practicing Physicians: A Synopsis
Charles.
F. Thurber, M.D., M.A.
Review by Carol Baffi-Dugan
|
2005
March
June
September
December
|
March
Vol. 25, No. 1
2005
Back to the top
|
Special Theme:
Rural Health Care
The Special Theme issue
on rural health care includes four separate articles approaching this
issue from different perspectives. “The Case for Growing Rural
Physicians” is the most general of the articles and provides an overview
of the issues and people involved in rural health care. The two
articles, “The AHEC Program” and “Rural Medical Education- Idaho’s
Incentives,” describe special programs that support and encourage
medical education for individuals interested in providing rural health
care. The article “Importance of Rural Public Health” addresses some of
the public health issues unique to the rural setting. Each of these
articles is summarized below.
The Case for Growing Rural Physicians: Perennials vs Annuals
Robert C.
Bowman, M.D.
Using the plant analogy of perennials and
annuals, Bowman discusses the current maldistribution of physicians,
describes the programs addressing this issue at several medical schools,
and offers some ideas for rectifying the situation. There is a critical
need for rural family physicians, and the people who are most likely to
serve underserved communities are the ones least likely to be admitted
to allopathic medical schools in the U.S. Osteopathic medical schools
in general produce a larger number of physicians who settle in rural
areas. The people most likely to choose to practice in a rural area
tend to be older, interested in family medicine, and have grown up in a
rural area. Several medical schools have successful programs. The
Jefferson PSAP works with several small colleges and uses selective
criteria in admissions. Factors such as growing up in a rural setting
are given significant weight in the admissions process. The medical
schools (allopathic and osteopathic) in West Virginia are all leaders in
rural medicine through almost exclusive preference given to (the largely
rural) in-state applicants and substantial assistance with medical
school tuition. Other schools, such as Duluth’s RPAP, provide intensive
training in rural settings during the clinical years of medical
education.
In short, perennial programs admit and support the types of people who
will return to their rural roots and remain there in practice. Annuals,
those serving rural communities to pay off loans through such programs
as the National Health Service Corps, are unlikely to stay in an
underserved area beyond the required time, resulting in high turnover
and less than optimal medical care. An extensive bibliography is
provided supporting this work.
The AHEC Program and One Advisor’s Experience
Chere Pereira
Ms. Pereira, the health professions
advisor at Oregon State University, describes the Area Health Education
Center (AHEC) Program and how it can assist advisors. With regional
offices located across the country, the AHEC mission seeks to improve
access to quality health care by improving the supply and distribution
of health care professionals in typically underserved areas such as
rural and minority communities. Their website and printed material
serve as excellent resources of information on workforce issues, health
care needs, and training programs. Some regional AHECs provide outreach
programs such as camps and career fairs to spark interest and provide
support for students interested in health care careers. Their staffs
and boards of directors are good sources of speakers. Having had good
experiences with the Oregon AHEC, Ms. Pereira urges others to
investigate their regional AHECs.
Rural Medical Education – Idaho’s Incentives
or
What Exactly is WWAMI?!
Glenda
Hill
WWAMI is the acronym for a medical school partnership begun in 1972
which includes Wyoming, Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. Each of
the participating states designates a specific number of seats in the
University of Washington School of Medicine allowing for publicly
supported medical education in states that do not have their own medical
school. WWAMI has made a successful commitment to training and
retaining physicians in its many medically underserved areas. Idaho,
ranking 49th among states in physicians per capita, has made further
commitments to “growing and keeping their own”. U-DOC is a program for
high school students. Student Providers Aspiring to Rural/Underserved
Experiences (SPARX) is directed to college level pre-health students.
It provides shadow experiences, medical student mentors, field trips,
and guest speakers. Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program (R/UOP)
allows Idaho medical students to spend the summer between their first
and second years of medical school with a rural primary care physician.
All WWAMI students may complete their clinical years in the 5 state
area through WRITE (WWAMI Rural Integrated Training Experience).
Through the Idaho Track, Idaho residents may move back to Idaho for
their clerkships. Finally, there are three primary care residency
programs in Idaho. These programs have successfully retained an
unusually large percentage of physicians to practice in rural,
underserved areas.
Importance of Rural Public Health
Dan Boatright,
Ph.D., FRSH, Allison Foster, M.B.A., C.A.E., and Michael B. Meit, M.A.,
M.P.H.
Although most public
health concentrates on densely populated area, rural communities are in
need of public health practitioners and programs. Rural public health
deals with such unique issues as agriculture, mining, and logging health
concerns as well as the more prevalent issues created by poverty and
negative health behaviors. The geography of such regions often results
in low availability of primary and preventive care, and poor use of the
care that is available. Rural health practitioners typically enjoy the
outdoors, don’t mind driving long distances, and are able to work alone
or with little support. These people tend to be public health
generalists, addressing a variety of issues at once. Interested parties
are encouraged to visit the Association of Schools of Public Health
website at:
www.asph.org.
Viewpoints:
Crafting the Letter of Evaluation: Composing a Letter
that Captures the Applicant as an Individual
Carol Elam,
Ph.D., Thomas Oeltmann, Ph.D., Joe Workman, Ph.D.
The letters of evaluation written for
pre-medical students are key components of their admissions application
materials. Admissions committees use these letters to screen and select
applicants. The most useful letters are candid and honest, offering
insight and examples. The least useful letters repeat information found
elsewhere in the application and offer vague and irrelevant information.
The two aspects of letter writing addressed by this article are
obtaining useful information and crafting the language of the letter.
Advisors obtain direct information about students in several ways:
academic advising, teaching courses, and directing research. Advisors
also review a student’s record of courses taken and grades earned. Some
use standardized test scores (MCAT, SAT, ACT) to put grades in some
context. Whether the advisor works alone or with a faculty advisory
committee, the final letter that is written should synthesize all
available data on a student including personal characteristics and
social skills. The most valuable letters address weaknesses as well as
strengths.
A table is provided with key personal qualities, social skills and other
relevant information that should be gathered and addressed for each
applicant. These characteristics include: leadership, ability to work
collaboratively, honestly and integrity, responsibility and dedication,
motivation, empathy, communication skills, service to others,
problem-solving ability, and exposure to the profession. An extensive
collection of examples of student strengths and weaknesses in each of
these areas is presented. These contrasting examples of writing about
strengths and weaknesses would be especially helpful to a new advisor.
Research Article:
Effects of a Summer Preparation Program on
Aptitude Test Scores: A Program Evaluation
Paul Henry,
Ph.D., Linda Herrold, M.S., and M. Kimberly Gordon, B.S.
Highlight on a Profession: Orthotics and Prosthetics: Make a
Career of Making a Difference Every Day
Julie G. Hayes
Book Review:
Caring for the Country: Family Doctors in Small Rural Towns
Howard K. Rabinowitz, M.D.
Review by Kirsten Peterson
|
June
Vol. 25, No.
2
2005
Back to the top
|
Special Theme:
Physician Assistant
The
Special Theme issue about physician assistants addresses a variety of
aspects of this profession. The
Brief Overview offers a history and current state of the
profession. The “Insight” article explores the sources of job
satisfaction and dissatisfaction among PAs. The “Comparison
of the Practice Expectations” study notes similarities and
significant differences between the PA entering classes of 1977 and of
2003. “Where Do Physician
Assistants Practice?” spotlights the Child Health
Associate/Physician Assistant Program at the University of Colorado and
supports the findings in previous articles about practice trends among
PAs. The two articles, “A
Commitment to Diversity” and “How
a PA program is Addressing Professionalism and Cultural Competency
through Problem-based Learning,” discuss the issue of
workforce diversity and how one program encourages it.
A Brief Overview of Physician
Assistants in the United States
James F.
Cawley, M.P.H., P.A.-C. and Roderick S. Hooker, Ph.D., P.A.
Cawley and Hooker provide an historical perspective as well as a current
state of affairs for the physician assistant (PA) profession. The rise
of the PA profession in the U.S. in the late 1960’s resulted from a
fortuitous combination of physician shortage, healthcare maldistribution,
and a trained workforce of medics returning from service in Viet Nam.
Eugene Stead, MD, at Duke University pioneered the PA concept as a way
to use these military medics in the civilian world, founding the first
PA training program. PAs were endorsed by the AMA in 1969, which opened
the door for state licensing and prescribing laws. The PA was seen as a
new type of medical generalist, extending, as opposed to replacing,
physicians. Although the initial thought was to extend primary care to
underserved areas, PAs have found their way into most medical
specialties. Roughly half of PAs currently work in primary care and
about as many work in rural, inner city, and small town communities.
Although PA programs initially varied widely in curricular models and
credentialing, they were, and still are typically, two-year programs.
In 2005, 134 PA programs were operating, 90 of which awarded a master’s
degree or other graduate degree option. Most other programs have
committed to being at this point by 2008. PAs are licensed in all 50
states, must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE),
and must continue to obtain medical education annually. The original
competency-based educational philosophy is still reflected in state
requirements. PAs have been widely accepted by physicians and patients,
enjoy high job satisfaction, and provide cost-effective health care.
Several other countries have begun to adopt this model.
Physician Assistant
Education in an Evolving Health Care Delivery System
Anita
Duhl Glicken, M.S.W.
Anticipating the Profession’s Future
Justine
Strand, P.A.-C.
Insight
into Physician Assistant Vocational Satisfaction
Dawn M.
LaBarbera, P.A.-C., Ph.D.
According to an extensive vocational satisfaction study, physician
assistants are, as a group, satisfied with their jobs. It is widely
believed that a satisfied individual will produce higher quality work, a
factor especially important in health care. The primary sources of job
satisfaction were found to be substantial patient interaction, a work
schedule that allows a good work/life balance, a team approach with
co-workers, variety in terms of patients and medical conditions, medical
problem solving, and limited (malpractice) liability.
There were some sources of dissatisfaction. These included lack of
respect and understanding of the PA role, low compensation, long hours,
and insurance issues.
LaBarbera also used the Holland typological system as part of the survey
to predict the type of individual who would be most satisfied by a
career as a PA. In general the Holland PA typology favors a Social and
Integrative personality. Compensation does not appear to play a role in
job satisfaction. PAs were found to dislike repetitive, mundane tasks
such as paperwork.
A Comparison of the
Practice Expectations of First Year Physician Assistant Students of the
Class of 1977 and the Class of 2003
J. Glenn
Forister, M.P.A.S., P.A.-C., J. Dennis Blessing, Ph.D., P.A.-C., and
Eugene S. Schneller, Ph.D.
Two
physician assistant cohorts, separated by a twenty-eight year interval,
were compared in terms of characteristics and expectations. Despite the
perception that there are significant differences in the backgrounds of
the two groups, they are, in fact, quite similar. The results discussed
centered mostly around professional expectations and these have changed
significantly over twenty-eight years. More 2003 PA students expect to
work in group practices rather than in a solo practice. They also
expect to work in specialty practices as well as in urban and suburban
areas. 46% of the entering class of 1977 expected to work more than 56
hours per week whereas only 11% of the 2003 group expected to do so.
Most of the latter group expects to work a more standard 40-hour work
week. Another major area of difference lies in the expected level of
responsibility and autonomy. The 2003 cohort expects to be less
physician supervised and more involved in diagnosis, prescription
writing, and direct treatment than their 1977 counterparts. Finally,
the current group seems to have realistic salary expectations.
A
Commitment to Diversity in the Physician Assistant Profession
Grace
Landel, P.A.-C., M.Ed., Christina M. Robohm, M.S., P.A.-C., Cristina
Gonzalez, M.A., Suzanne Hage, M.H.S., P.A.-C. and James R. Fry, M.S.,
P.A.-C.
The
Association of Physician Assistant Programs and the American Academy of
Physician Assistants have both recently affirmed their commitment to
providing diversity in the Physician Assistant work force. Citing the
2003 Institute of Medicine report, the 2004 Sullivan Commission Report,
and the Supreme Court decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, et al, there
seems little question that increasing diversity improves health care
delivery to minority populations, but also improves health care delivery
in general. Minority enrollment in PA programs has remained fairly
level in the 20-22% range for the past 20 years. Nonetheless, the
number of potential applicants still falls short of demographic
representation.
How a PA Program is
Addressing Professionalism and Cultural Competence through Problem-based
Learning
Clara
LaBoy, P.A.-C., M.S.
Clara LaBoy, the Academic Coordinator of the PA program at St. Vincent’s
Catholic Medical Center, describes how problem-based learning is used to
foster cultural competence. In fulfilling the program’s mission to
serve “the poor, alienated, and the aged”, students learn to work in
teams of people from diverse backgrounds to help them learn to better
communicate, negotiate, and interact. Students with different
backgrounds, ideas, and learning styles must work together to solve a
problem and present their findings in a high-pressure situation. To
connect the sensitivity gained in the first, didactic year with the
clinical training, students participate in a forum, “Spoken from the
Heart”, and keep a journal of issues such as cultural differences,
ethical dilemmas, difficult cases, and interpersonal challenges of all
types. LaBoy notes that the faculty must be willing to evaluate
themselves and self reflect if they are to remain effective in this
endeavor.
Where Do Physician
Assistants Practice? A Comparison of National and Child Health
Associate/Physician Assistant Program Trends
Christina Robohm, M.S., P.A.-C.
Christina Robohm
describes the history and current status of the PA program at the
University of Colorado. Begun as the first specialized PA program (in
pediatrics), this program evolved to include a full adult curriculum,
although it retains its emphasis in pediatrics. Robohm then presents
data indicating the trend away from primary care and toward a specialty
focus among PAs over the last decade. Her point seems to be that PA
training is versatile and adaptable, allowing PAs to enter a wide
variety of medical fields with their generalist training.
Humanitarian PA Helps People One
Day at a Time
Jénene
Fontenot
CASPA: An Evolving Advisor
Resource
Timi Agar-Barwick and The CASPA
Advisory Committee
Physician Assistant Liaison Report
Chere Pereira
|
September
Vol. 25, No.
3
2005
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|
Collection of Articles
From Generation X to the Millennials: The
Transition to a New Generation of Students
Carol Elam, Ed.D.,
Ann Randolph Flipse, M.D. and Terry D. Stratton, Ph.D.
The authors highlight some of the key
differences between members of Generation X (born between 1961 and 1981)
and the Millennials (born between 1982 and 2002). The latter group
started entering college in 2000 and brings with it a new set of
educational needs and challenges.
In general, Generation Xers are known for their lackluster academic
performance, declining SAT scores, and general lack of global
competitiveness. They are viewed as private, egocentric, wary of
intimacy cynical, and pessimistic. Resourceful and comfortable with
technology, they are often independent and skeptical.
Millennials are generally thought to be hard working, generous, and
practical. They are accustomed to structure and rules. Academically,
they are collaborative and organized, accustomed to testing and
feedback. Millennials are multi-taskers who are comfortable with
technology. Some of the concerns about this generation include poorly
developed interpersonal skills, short attention span, lacking ability to
think critically or self-reflect, and inadvertent racism. The parents
of this generation are likely to be involved even through the college
years.
Admissions Requirements for Physical Therapy Programs
David A.
Lake, P.T., Ph.D.
Dr. Lake summarizes a
study done in 2002 of physical therapy program requirements and the
subsequent recommendations made by the Commission on Accreditation in
Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Data, obtained from 186 programs,
showed a wide variety of requirements, but some distinct trends. About
80% of the programs required a bachelor’s degree and a minimum GPA,
typically a 3.0. About 70% of the programs required the Graduate Record
Exam (GRE). About 60% of the programs required volunteer experience in
physical therapy. The largest variation occurred in required courses,
which ranged from 0 to 28. About 75% of the programs had 9 common
course requirements.
As a result of the study, the Education Section of the American Physical
Therapy Association adopted in 2004 recommended guidelines. Recommended
pre-requisite courses include 2-3 courses in human behavior, 4 courses
in biology including anatomy and physiology, 2 courses in chemistry, 2
courses in physics, and one course in statistics. Other recommendations
include a standardized test for graduate study, exposure to the field of
physical therapy, evaluations of some type to assess personal qualities,
and GPA standards.
Postbaccalaureate Options for the Medical School Applicant
Gerald Soslau,
Ph.D., Yolanda Pressley, and Laura Mangano, M.Ed.
A number of postbaccalaureate options
for the student who wants to become a physician, but lacks strong
credentials. The authors outline the basic types of programs and
illustrate them with specific programs offered by Drexel University.
The two basic types include the career change program and the
enhancement program. Career change programs offer the basic
prerequisite science courses and occasionally some upper level courses
as well. For the well-qualified student who is trying to decide between
research and clinical paths, a thesis-based Master’s of Science program
in their field of interest makes sense. By experiencing graduate level
research, they can make a better-informed career choice.
Enhancement programs are quite varied and advisors can play an important
role in helping a student choose one most suitable for their needs.
Evaluating a student’s academic strengths and weakness is a critical
component of this decision. The first type, for students with the
weakest academic credentials, offers upper level undergraduate
coursework in the sciences as a way of improving their GPA and preparing
for the MCAT. The second type, for students with low GPAs, but decent
MCAT scores, allows students to take graduate courses in science to
offer proof of scientific ability. Non-science programs (i.e. MPH) are
not likely to help as much if the undergraduate science GPA is low. The
third type of program offers a combination of graduate and undergraduate
courses allow students to improve their GPAs, prove competence at the
graduate level, and improve their MCAT scores. The special master’s is
a fourth type and best suited to the student with reasonably good
credentials. Typically, students take the first year medical school
curriculum, allowing the school to see how they will perform. The fifth
type of program is designed specifically for the disadvantaged student.
Postbac programs can be surveyed on the AAMC website, services.aamc.org/postbac.
Health Care in Action: A Multidisciplinary View of Patient Care
Bradley S.
Bowden, Ph.D. and Erin M. Finn
Pitfalls and Pratfalls in Writing Personal Statements
Robert E.
Cannon, Ph.D.
Veteran advisor Robert Cannon
presents dos and don’ts for writing personal statements. He addresses
the purpose of the statement broadly as a way for admissions people to
get to know and help remember a candidate. He warns against clichés,
lists of accomplishments, platitudes, and quotations. He recommends
substance, stories, recent experience in medicine, and genuinely
personal thoughts and examples. As part of the writing process, he
suggests starting early, keeping a journal, paying attention to such
details as spelling and grammar, and getting feedback, preferably from
people who can be objective. The substance of the article is meaty; but
it is written with a light touch. It could easily be adapted for use
with advisees.
The Physician’s Role as Undergraduate Teacher
and Pre-Health Professions Advisor:Lessons from Doctoring, Transferable
Skills
Laurence A.
Savett, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Dr. Savett, a retired physician who serves as
the health professions advisor at two colleges in Minnesota, compares
the doctor-patient relationship to the advisor-advisee relationship and
makes the case that a physician can be an effective advisor. He
describes his work as an advisor and presents a fair amount of detail
about his role in medically related courses and seminars, such as “The
Human Side of Medicine”.
He discusses the skills necessary to be both an effective advisor and
physician. He notes that the relationship with the advisee/patient is
crucial, that it takes time to establish, and that it starts most
effectively with open-ended questions. He suggests that active
listening is critical; learning what the advisee/patient already knows,
hearing larger unspoken fears in seemingly simple questions, and a
willingness to reflect when the relationship founders. Savett likens
advising to the differential diagnosis, identifying the problem and its
possible courses and remedies. As with his patients, he advocates
giving advisees a role in the decision-making process, recognizing their
ability to accept bad news, summarizing the plan and tacitly offering
hope. He encourages advisors to practice preventive medicine, warding
off trouble when it is still manageable. Finally, he recommends seeking
advice from colleagues for unusual or difficult problems.
From the Literature: Changing Demographics
of Public Health Graduates: Potential Implications for the Public Health
Workforce
Caitlin
Kennedy, M.P.H. and Timothy Baker, M.D., M.P.H.
A Comparison of Personality-Type Among Seven Health Professions:
Implications for Optometric Education
Patrick C. Hardigan, Ph.D., Stanley R. Cohen, Ed.D. and Lester E. Janoff,
O.D., M.S.E.d.
Highlight on the Profession: Careers in Veterinary Medicine
Compiled from
staff reports by Charlotte R. Hendrix
AAVMC Liaison Report
Marilyn Hoffman,
NAAHP Liaison
|
December
Vol. 25, No.
4
2005
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Special Theme:
Diversity in the Health Professions
The
Special Theme Issue, Diversity in the Health Professions, describes
several pre-professional programs designed to increase diversity in the
health care work force. “Why Health Professions for Diversity
Coalition?” describes the need for, the mission of, and the strategies
being used by this organization. “The New Summer Medical and Dental
Education Program” describes a successful pre-medical program that has
recently expanded to encourage greater diversity in dentistry as well.
“Critical Partners”, although not summarized below, identifies advisors
as key players in the success of the aforementioned program. Finally,
three articles highlight efforts to boost diversity in specific
professions: dentistry, public health, and veterinary medicine.
Why Health Professions for Diversity
Coalition? Why Now?
Geraldine
Bednash, Ph.D., R.N., Moraith G. North, Marian Osterweis, Ph.D., Jeanne
Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D., Charles Terrell, Ed.D., and Richard Valachovic,
D.M.D., M.P.H.
After presenting basic demographic information and projections, the
authors reiterate a well-documented concern that serious disparities
exist in our health care system. Beyond the issues of income and access
to insurance, some racial and ethnic groups receive lower quality care
because of the way decisions are made about treatment and referrals,
cultural and language factors, and systemic bias. The Health
Professions for Diversity (HPD) Coalition, originally formed to fight
anti-affirmative action initiatives, has refocused its mission to
promote diversity in health care. To support this mission, the HPD will
document the need for diversity through research, will conduct campaigns
to raise awareness, will lobby for political solutions, will share best
practices, and will encourage collaboration with other organizations.
The authors believe that HPD is well positioned to accomplish these
goals because its membership is already diverse, it has a sound
infrastructure which includes a website (www.hpd-coalition.org)
and an e-newsletter, and has sufficient resources to engage in specific
projects. Involvement is open to everyone and the newsletter, HPD
Digest, is available by request from
hpd@aamc.org.
The New
Summer Medical and Dental Education Program: A New Effort by the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation to Diversify Medicine and Dentistry
Douglas P. Merrill, Ph.D. and Jeremiah L. Putnam, Ph.D.
Written by two experienced advisors, this article highlights a
well-established, successful, and recently expanded program to increase
diversity in health care. The Summer Medical and Dental Education
Program (SMDEP), funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, supports
6-week intensive summer programs for talented students from
underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged backgrounds at twelve
professional schools. Although the programs are not identical, they do
have some common features. Typically, they enroll 80 students (60
pre-medical, 20 pre-dental) in their first two years of college with
minimum, yet reasonable, grades and scores. Features of the programs
include lectures to enhance the academic foundation, development of test
taking skills, career exploration through shadowing and individual
counseling. Students establish a network of professionals, develop
confidence through a supportive environment, and make friends with peers
experiencing similar challenges. Typically, the program covers all
expenses.
Critical
Partners: The Role of Health Professions Advisors in the Success of the
Summer Medical Education Program Recruitment Efforts
Kevin
Harris, M.S.A.
The ADA’s Commitment to Diversity in Dentistry
Beverly
Skoog, M.A.
Ms. Skoog identifies four ways in which
the American Dental Association (ADA) is trying to increase diversity in
dentistry. To increase general knowledge about the career, the ADA
plans to increase the number of pre-dental clubs working with minority
student dental groups. An effort to provide better mentoring is
expected to increase the exposure to a dental career. Partnerships,
such as those with Explorer Posts and local dental societies, will
promote career awareness. The Institute for Diversity in Leadership
Program supports twelve dentists with workshop style leadership training
and requires participants to design and carry out a personal leadership
project related to dental career awareness. Each of the twelve projects
from the 2004 participants is described briefly.
Schools of
Public Health and American Indian/Alaska Native Communities
Mah-Sere
Keita Sow, M.P.H.
American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN)
populations have acute public health needs that are not being adequately
addressed despite good representation of AI/AN in public health schools.
A task force of Tribal leaders and public health deans concluded that
the overall goal should be to develop collaborations between schools of
public health and AI/AN communities. To recruit more public health
students they identified the most effective methods as: scholarships and
fellowships, visibility at major recruitment venues, collaboration with
Tribal schools, fee waivers for graduate school applications, and
advertising in “Winds of Change” magazine.
Recruiting a Diverse Veterinary Student Body
Ronnie G.
Elmore, D.V.M., M.S., D.A.C.T
Minorities are seriously underrepresented
in the field of veterinary medicine and in veterinary education
programs. Originally thought to be the result of inadequate
recruitment, it is now believed that the lack of diversity results from
several factors: differences in animal ownership, cultural and racial
biases toward animals, expected income, and absence of minority role
models. Low rates of pet ownership among racial minorities result in
less exposure to animals. Exposure to veterinarians is also
considerably lower, yet applicants are expected to have substantial
veterinary experience. The typically higher incomes commanded by human
medicine tend to be more attractive to the minority population
considering a medical career. Dr. Elmore believes that the largely
untapped pool of minority candidates may alleviate the anticipated
shortage of veterinarians.
Diversity: A Missing Link to Professionalism
Marie A.
Chisholm, Pharm.D.
Viewpoints:
Opportunities and
Challenges: Advising the Millennial Generation
Denise D.
Gibson, Ph.D., L.I.S.W. and Carol L. Elam, Ed.D.
The authors describe a number of defining
characteristics about the Millennial generation of college students and
how those characteristics may be viewed as both assets and challenges.
Among the characteristics discussed were feeling special, goal
achieving, team orientation, structured, conventional, technological
savvy, diversity, and civic spirit. While these characteristics may be
strengths, they also may manifest themselves as weaknesses. Feeling
special may become an entitlement. Goal achieving may quickly become
frustration when the goal is not easily attained. Millennials are good
at doing things and multitasking, but are not so adept at
self-reflection. The team oriented, technologically savvy student may
struggle with individuality and ambiguity. Practical suggestions are
offered for dealing with the challenging aspects of these students and
changes that advisors might consider to work more effectively with this
group.
Research Article:
Academic Preparation for Medical
School: What Second Year Medical Students Perceive to be Important
Kerry L.
Cheesman, Ph.D., KT Mechlin, M.S., Peggy Abels, M.S., Jeanne Barnett,
Ph.D., Marivern Easton, M.A., and Ian Cheesman
|
2006
March
June
September
December
|
March
Vol. 26, No. 1
2006
Back to the top
|
Collection of Articles
American Medical Student Association
“Taking Control of Your Premedical Experience”
Benny
Esparra and Trina Denton
The American Medical Student
Association (AMSA) is the oldest and largest of the student medical
associations. Originally part of the AMA, the organization became
independent to focus its energies on issues of the underserved, inequities
in the health care system, and issues of medical education. There are
chapters at many undergraduate as well as medical schools.
The focus at all levels, national, regional, and local is service.
At the local level this takes the form of projects such as health
fairs and screenings. At the
regional and national levels, there is more emphasis on legislative
activism and public policy. At
the national level there are a number of committees that focus on very
specific issues. The national
organization is run by medical students who take a year off from their
studies to work on AMSA business and projects.
Students wishing to establish a chapter on their campus must have
five active members and submit a petition to be chartered to the national
House of Delegates. Information
may be found at www.amsa.org/premed/charter.cfm.
Among the advantages of belonging to this organization are the
monthly journal, The New Physician, and opportunities for
leadership development.
V26 – 1 – 5
The Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
“…a history of service, a tradition of caring…”
Alden M. Landry
The
Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the oldest medical student
organization that focuses on the needs and concerns of underrepresented
minorities. It is dedicated to
increasing and retaining the number of students of color in medical
school. At the pre-medical
level, the primary initiative is MAPS (Minority Association of Pre-medical
Students), a mentoring program that puts pre-medical students together
with medical students. The
national SNMA is involved in legislative advocacy and health policy issues
as well as community service projects and research forums.
The details for starting a MAPS chapter are outlined in detail in
the article. The first steps
are identifying a sponsoring medical school and contacting a regional
liaison. Further information
may be found at www.snma.org.
V26
– 1 – 7
Predental Enrichment Activities of U.S. Colleges and Universities
Lauren E.
Mentasti, B.S. and Edward A. Thibodeau, D.M.D., Ph.D.
HOSA: An Inclusive National Health Professions Organization
Debra Kirchoff-Glazier,
Ph.D.
HOSA
(Health Occupational Students of America) is a national organization
endorsed by the U.S. Dept. of Education.
It distinguishes itself from other student organizations in a
couple of ways. First, and
most importantly, it is an inclusive organization, encompassing students
interested in all types of health professions.
It is not an honor society and welcomes students of the full range
of academic achievement. Finally,
although there are college level chapters of the organization, the
majority of chapters are at the high school level.
One advantage to the inclusiveness of the program is that students
are introduced to a wide variety of health care careers.
Even if they do not choose to enter one of these careers, they are
better informed about them and better able to think as a health care team
member.
Much
of the article provides details about the activities of the HOSA chapter
at
Juniata
College
, the college at which the author teaches.
Some of these activities include an annual brunch for students and
alumni in health care, community service projects related to health care,
and the development of a code of ethics for the pre-health students at the
school. The code of ethics is
provided in its entirety in the article.
V26
– 1 – 16
Research Report:
Validity of the Medical College Admission Test for Predicting Medical
School Performance
Ellen R.
Julian, Ph.D.
A Premed Advisor’s Curriculum for Increasing Verbal Reasoning Scores
Gina Paul, Ph.D.
As
the advisor and professor for the MEDPREP program for underrepresented
minorities at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Dr Paul has
developed a program to help students improve their Verbal Reasoning scores
on the MCAT. This program,
when used in its entirety, has proven quite successful.
The basis of the program is that students approach a Verbal
Reasoning passage as a scientific passage, focusing on the details and
often missing the big picture. The
program has seven major components: clue words; identification of the main
idea; paragraph summary; underlining question and answer stems; analysis
and rule making; reading and vocabulary logs; and diaphragmatic breathing.
Clue
words (ie. contrast and emphasis) help students identify the main idea.
The basics of sentence and argument structure contribute to
understanding the main idea. Students
practice summarizing passages in their own words. Underlining Q&A
stems helps students focus on what the question is asking and what the
answer is saying in relation to the question.
Students analyze their mistakes to prevent them from making the
same ones repeatedly. Rules
are developed to help them overcome common mistakes.
Reading
logs force students to read articles outside of the sciences and on topics
that they do not particularly enjoy. Diaphragmatic
breathing is taught to help students remain calm and focused during the
exam. A performance analysis
chart is included with the article. The
small sample of results indicates that this program results in
significantly improved scores.
V26
– 1 – 33
Viewpoint:
Biomedical
Research as an Integrated Feature of the Undergraduate Pre-Medical
Curriculum
Melissa
Betz Cichowicz, Ph.D.
Highlight on a
Profession:
What is Occupational Therapy,
anyway?
Barbara
P. Kresge, M.S., O.T.R.
Occupational
therapy is a rehabilitative profession that seeks to improve or sustain an
individual’s ability to perform daily functions.
Taking a holistic approach, occupational therapists help people
retrain their mind or body, or to discover new ways to do activities that
have been affected by injury or illness.
This therapy may help a person return to work, return to living
without assistance, or become more independent in general.
Occupational
therapists study human anatomy and physiology, the psychology of illness
and disability, and the relationship of the person to her environment.
They work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools,
industry, private practice, wellness programs, and adaptive sports.
They work with people of all ages and a wide variety of
debilitating conditions. Entry
level programs are currently at the master’s level and involve two years
of academic work and 24 weeks of fieldwork.
Most occupational therapists are generalists, but there are
specialized certifications available in geriatrics, neurorehabilitation,
and pediatrics. The job
outlook is very good for this field. More
information may be found at: www.aota.org.
V26
– 1 - 42
Book Review:
Polio: An American Story
David M.
Oshinsky
Review by Robert Cannon, Ph.D.
|
June
Vol. 26, No. 2
2006
Back to the top
|
Special
Theme:
Criminal Background Checks
Criminal Background Checks: Meeting the
Expectations of the Public and the Needs of the Profession
Robert Sabalis,
Ph.D.
In this article Dr. Sabalis
explains the context for the development of “an AAMC-administered
national, centralized system for completing and reporting on criminal
backgound checks for potentially all AAMC-member medical schools.”
An 18-member AAMC Criminal Background Check Advisory Committee was
formed to advise the GSA Steering Committee and make recommendations about
how this system might function. The
article contains the substance of these recommendations (2 pages) as well
as five other relevant issues discussed during Advisory Committee
meetings.
v. 26(2) 5-8
The Criminal Background Check Requirement for
Medical School Admission: Keeping Minority Applicants and the Criminal
Justice System in Close Perspective
Cynthia E. Boyd,
M.D.
Pointing to widely documented
disparities in the way minorities are treated within the criminal justice
system, Dr. Boyd offers eleven recommendations for health professions
advisors and admissions committee members.
She offers these recommendations for use as a guideline in order
that advisors, student affairs personnel, admissions committee members and
other medical school officials can be more cognizant of the existence of
discretionary decisions, and how these may have affected the minority
applicant with a criminal background.
v. 26(2) 9-14
Boston University School of Medicine: One
School’s Approach to Criminal Background Checks
Robert Witzburg,
M.D.
Boston University School of
Medicine appointed a committee to develop policies and procedures to
advise Dean Karen Antman on the use of Criminal Background Checks (CBCs)
in medical school. The
Committee was asked to address the following topics:
use of CBCs for accepted applicants; guidelines for evaluation the
information obtained from CBCs; management of the information once it has
been obtained; and, the process for performing CBCs on enrolled students
and on Pathway students. Dr.
Witzburg presents a synopsis of the Committee’s report.
His article also includes a workflow chart for the “Criminal
History Review Committee.” Dr.
Witzburg concludes with the hope that the program designed at Boston
University will serve to “bring our campus together, rather than divide
us.” He suggests every
medical school undertake a similar process in order to devise a system,
for handling criminal background checks, tailored to the particular
history and culture of that institution.
v. 26(2) 15-19
Public Health: A Field Whose Time Has Come –
Association of Schools of Public Health Launch Common Application
Service
Arthur J.
Culbert, Ph.D., Allison J. Foster, M.B.A., C.A.E., William H. Harvey,
Ph.D., and Jeffery T. Johnson, Ph.D.
The authors write about the
development of the SOPHAS – the Schools of Public Health Application
Service. While presenting the
history, they also provide information about the career field and possible
degree combinations. Readers
can find references to additional resources, such as Public
Health, Career Choices that Make a Difference and the website www.whatispublichealth.org.
As explained in the article, SOPHAS plans to do more than provide a
centralized application for students.
For example, the site should serve to help “clarify the
complexity of public health both for the applicant and the advisor.”
The authors encourage advisors to visit www.sophas.org.
v. 26(2) 20-26
The International Job Market for Public Health Graduates: Supply and
Demand
Caitlin Kennedy,
M.P.H., Jane Park, and Timothy Baker, M.D./M.P.H.
This article is the result of a
study undertaken to estimate general workforce supply and economic demand
in the area of Global Health. The
authors acknowledge the myriad problems of attempting such a measurement.
Based on available data from the Association of Schools of Public
Health, private voluntary organizations registered with USAID, and the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), they
conclude: “it appears that
the supply of trained personnel in International Health is not exceeding
demand.”
v. 26(2) 27-31
A Top Ten List of Premedical Student “Diseases and Syndromes”
Kerry L.
Cheesman, Ph.D.
Dr. Cheesman adopts a humorous
approach to illuminating common problems encountered when advising
premedical students. He offers
solutions based on his 20 years of undergraduate advising experience
coupled with prior experience teaching and doing research at a medical
school. While advisors might
disagree about the ranking or related syndromes (functopenia
could become a growing concern which might outrank organochemophobia), Dr. Cheesman offers easily digested, practical
advice for helping “all of us re-examine our role as health professions
advisors.”
v. 26(2) 32-37
Book Review:
Mountains Beyond
Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World
Tracy
Kidder
Review by Karen deOlivares
|
September
Vol. 26, No. 3
2006
Back to the top
|
Special
Theme:
Highlights of the Meeting
Maintaining the Fire
Jacqueline
Gaines, M.S.N.
Shaping Tomorrow’s Doctors:
The Path Begins Here
Sandra O. Gold, Ed.D.
This article is the text of the
speech Dr Gold gave at the June, 2006 NAAHP Meeting in which she calls for
the help of pre-health advisors to help in the selection of humanistic
doctors. The educational system is already set up to select for students
with academic strengths, especially in the sciences, but Dr Gold believes
that the medical profession should demand students who also demonstrate
such characteristics as integrity, compassion, and empathy. Speaking on
behalf of the Gold Foundation, she noted that humanistic skills may be
taught, mastered, and measured. The mission of the Foundation is to
advocate for humanistic patient care, and to that end, it supports rituals
as the White Coat Ceremony, recognition in the form of awards for
outstanding humanistic practice, and support for curriculum development to
help medical students develop humanistic attitudes.
Dr Gold then turned her attention
to identifying ways in which pre-health advisors could help their students
develop empathy, professionalism, and compassion in their undergraduate
years. She suggested six
specific ideas for advisors to try. First,
students should be encouraged to learn about the human condition through
art, literature, history, and the study of the humanities and social
sciences, in general. Next she
urged advisors to recommend or even require students to participate in
service programs in order to develop a life-long commitment to service.
She suggested exposing students to speakers who embrace humanistic
values in their practice, and, as a follow up, to have students shadow
these practitioners, preferably over a period of time.
It is important for students to understand the life of a physician
and to clarify the commitment one makes when entering the field.
Dr Gold also recommended exposing students to patient stories by
having them hear the stories of real people.
Finally, she asked advisors to encourage their students to accept
responsibility for the care of the entire population, not just their
particular patients. Students
need to develop knowledge and leadership skills to help them improve
public health, advocate for better policies and legislation, and to become
agents of change. By
encouraging undergraduates in these ways, advisors will help set their
students on the “right path” to the practice of medicine.
V26 – 3 - 9
A Challenge for Medicine and for Society:
Responding to Changes in Physician Supply
and Demand
Carol Elam, Ed.D.,
Robert F. Sabalis, Ph.D., Thomas Levitan, M.Ed., Vicki Fields, B.S. and
John D. Schriner, Ph.D.
The authors offer an overview of
the current physician workforce as well as future needs. Several major
reports call for a substantial increase in the physician workforce over
the next 10 – 15 years as a result of the following factors: an increase
in the U.S. population, a doubling of the number of citizens over the age
of 65, a continuing rise in expectations for health care, an aging
physician workforce, and a new generation of physicians with different
practice expectations, including fewer hours than their predecessors.
In addition to the overall shortage, eleven specialties have
reported shortages.
The commonly accepted solution to
this problem is the expansion of medical education in the forms of
increased class size and the addition of new medical schools.
Because medical training is such a lengthy process, it would take
at least 10 years to begin to see the number of practicing physicians
increase. Some of the barriers
to increasing enrollment size include expansion costs, scholarship
availability, space constraints, availability of preceptors and training
sites. Already in response
there are plans for five allopathic and six osteopathic schools to open in
the next several years. Another
option for increasing the workforce is expansion through regionalization
of medical education. This
alleviates the space issues, while conserving curricular and
administrative costs. Regional
or branch campuses have been opened by both allopathic and osteopathic
schools. Another option for
expansion is medical training for specific specialties or types of
practice. Such a program would
attract potentially a different group of applicants that might otherwise
seek advanced education elsewhere.
One of the challenges to expanding
medical education is maintaining a qualified applicant pool.
Another is maintaining the quality of medical education as defined
by the accrediting bodies of allopathic and osteopathic medicine.
To address the former challenge, programs are underway such as “aspiringdocs.org”,
an effort that targets underrepresented populations.
It is clear that standards will not be compromised in any expansion
effort. Additional
considerations to provide quality care to a greater number of people
include the use of technology, the use of physician extenders, an increase
in scholarships, and the expansion of loan repayment programs.
The solution, like the problem, is likely to be complex, employing
the use of a variety of methods.
V26 – 3 - 15
Here Come the Predental Students
Anne Wells, Ed.D.,
Thomas Luten, M.A. and Mark D. Mitchell, M.A.
In response to the significant
rise in the number of dental school applicants (67% from 2001 to 2006),
the authors have provided the answers to many common questions about the
desired attributes of candidates for dental school.
Academic preparation is important and, although a biology major is
generally not necessary, upper level biology courses are recommended.
Strong candidates demonstrate good time management skills, strong
ethical behavior, and a clear understanding of the field.
Shadowing, work, and volunteering demonstrate knowledge of the
field. Students are encouraged
to spend time with a general dentist even if they desire a specialty for a
career. Good hand-eye
coordination may be developed through art courses, hobbies, and other
activities. Applicants who
have overcome challenges and applicants whose career goals match those of
the school are looked upon with favor.
Tables are presented to show
competitive GPAs and DAT scores. Students
are advised to take the DAT in the late spring of their junior year and to
plan to take the test only once (although up to three tests are allowed).
Applications should be submitted as early as possible and should
address clearly the reasons for choosing dentistry as a career.
Older applicants are welcomed, as are dental hygienists with strong
academic backgrounds. Applicants
whose early academic careers were poor may be viable candidates if there
is significant improvement. Misconduct
at the undergraduate level must be adequately explained.
Academic enrichment programs, formal or self designed, are
encouraged for disadvantaged students.
Community college courses may be cause for concern unless taken for
good reasons. Re-applicants
should apply early, demonstrate improvement from the first application,
and should have a Plan B. Red
flags include light course loads without good reason, too many course
withdrawals, too many schools attended, and “helicopter parents”.
Advisors are encouraged to consult the ADEA publications, as well
as the ADEA and
ADA
websites for more information.
V26 – 3 - 20
Religion, Politics and LGBT Issues and Their
Role in the Medical School Admissions Process
Edward Miller,
M.A., Chere Pereira, B.A., Glenn Cummings, Ph. D., Joni Huff, M.A. and
Richard Wallace, M.A.
This article summarizes a panel
discussion about how advisors can help applicants address sensitive
issues, in particular, LGBT, religious, and political issues. Advisors are
often privy to very personal information and are in a position to help
students articulate their personal struggles and beliefs.
If applicants opt to write about
such issues in their personal statement it is important to remind them to
consider tone and audience. The personal statement is not a good place to
argue a controversial or sensitive topic. The focus should be on linking
their issue to the broader topic of the practice of medicine.
The reader (audience) should be able to understand clearly why they
are reading about the issue. Useful
directions to take such issues include how it has shaped the applicant,
how dealing with the issue will influence their future medical practice,
and how it might inform medical school classmates.
Care should be taken not to appear intolerant or to portray one’s
self as a victim.
In broader terms, it was suggested
that advisors guide students about how much to reveal based on their
comfort level in discussing their beliefs or situation.
If an issue is discussed in the personal statement, it becomes fair
game for discussion during an interview. Applicants
should research their schools carefully to determine how supportive the
institution will be to their situation.
Suggested resources for such information include mission
statements, EOE statements, religious affiliations, availability of
student groups, and the tolerance of the surrounding community.
Comfort level with discussing their needs should also dictate
whether applicants explore the issue during their interview day or after
receiving acceptance.
In summary, it is important for
the applicant to portray their true self.
Keeping a personal issue personal is fine, but no one should try to
be someone counter to their values and beliefs.
The “fit” is important for both the applicant and the school.
V26 – 3 - 26
Coast to Coast:
Preparing for the Storm Advocating for Yourself and Your Program
Amy L.
Burkert, Ph.D. and Carol S. Weisse, Ph.D.
Two veteran advisors offered three
common scenarios that put advisors on the defensive and gathered
suggestions for response and prevention of the various issues.
The first involved a new
administrator who does not understand the need for a pre-health advisor.
Consensus was that lack of knowledge is the problem and education is the
answer. Documentation in the
form of annual reports and weekly logs would be especially useful.
Education might also include noting the importance in cultivating
relationships with professional schools, describing their role as buffer
between parents and administration, noting the additional burden that
would be placed on faculty, and emphasizing the role that advising plays
in admissions and recruitment efforts, pointing to comparison schools, if
necessary.
The second scenario involved an
untenured faculty advisor whose department chair suggests that advising
duties might interfere with getting tenure.
The consensus was that the person should first obtain tenure,
putting advising aside if necessary, and return to advising after being
granted tenure.
In the third scenario, the
advisor’s job responsibilities have grown, but the job description and
salary have stayed the same. There
was agreement that the advisor should ask for more money or release time.
Providing documentation as described in the first scenario is a good
strategy to use. In all cases,
being proactive in letting supervisors know what is involved in the job is
a good preventive measure to take.
V26 – 3 - 31
Hot Topics
Karen deOlivares, Ph.D.
Book Review:
A Time to Hear,
A Time to Help: Listening to People with Cancer
Daniel
Rosenblum, M.D.
Review by Laurence A. Savett, M.D.
|
December
Vol. 26, No. 4
2006
Back to the top
|
Special Theme:
Optometry
Optometrists for the
21st Century
Hector C.
Santiago, O.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.O.
Dr. Santiago’s essay provides an
introduction for the theme of this issue:
Optometry. He uses
Howard Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences to weave together the
words of visionaries. Dr.
Santiago emphasizes the importance of understanding changing demographics
and intersperses quotes to remind us how immigrants have strengthened our
nation. He concludes that
nurturing “respectful and ethical minds” develops capacity for the
appreciation of diversity, a commitment to community service, and empathic
responses to patient needs. Development
of these qualities allows “all students to become the servant leaders of
society.”
v. 26(4), 5-6
State of Profession: U.S. eye, vision care market grew 6.5% since 2004
Tracy
Overton
This article provides a synopsis
of the report “State of the Profession:
2006,” published in the June issue of Optometry:
Journal of the American Optometric Association.
Highlights include: a
6.5 percent increase in the
U.S.
ophthalmic market; statistics on the number of full-time equivalent
optometrists in the
U.S.
(35,855); and, information about the type of care given patients during
the year.
v. 26(4), 7
Trends in Student
Enrollment and Applications
Enid-Mai
Jones, M.A., M.Ed., Patricia Coe O’Rourke, M.A. and Joanne Zuckerman,
M.A.
The authors begin by pointing out
that applications to optometry schools declined between 1998 and 2001.
The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)
subsequently launched a campaign to promote the profession.
The trend toward fewer applications has reversed in recent years,
although the numbers are still lower than in 1998-1999, and applications
from groups underrepresented in the profession have not increased.
The article contains easy to read tables which show not only
changes in the applicant pool and enrollment, but also break down the data
to provide a demographic view of those entering optometry schools.
v. 26(4) 8-12
Diversity in Optometric Education
Melvin D.
Shipp, O.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H.
Dr. Melvin Shipp writes that
“optometry is the nation’s third largest independent
health care profession with prescribing authority …”
He provides fundamental information about the profession and
recommends five strategies for “addressing the under representation of
minorities within optometry education.”
These strategies include focusing on efforts to increase awareness
and institutionalize “diversity/multiculturalism into each
institution’s culture.”
v. 26(4) 13-14
Cultural
Competency and Optometric Education
LeVelle
B. Jenkins, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Student Recruitment in the Teleconferencing Age
Barbara W.
Brown, O.D.
The author’s description of the
steps taken by UM-St. Louis College of Optometry’s recruitment program
provides rationale, inspiration and concrete advice for others who may
want to re-examine their own initiatives.
Through “webinars,” on-site workshops and forming a “virtual
community,” travel time for staff was significantly decreased while
prospective students had increased access to information.
Although the innovations were undertaken initially as
budget-trimming measures, staff benefited.
People traveling were less fatigued, as were the staff who remained
in the office covering for those away.
Dr. Brown reports an increase in the applicant pool and although
she acknowledges it is too early to judge whether this is due to the
described programmatic changes, she is optimistic about the future of
their efforts in this direction.
v. 26(4) 23-26
Student
Perspective on the First Year Experience in Optometry School
Barbara
McGinley, M.A.
The article draws from the
experiences of five students at The New England College of Optometry (NECO)
and that of the author who is Director of Student Services at NECO.
The students were asked to talk about:
their background, reasons for choosing optometry as a career,
expectations of academic and clinical work at NECO, and the biggest
adjustment faced when making the transition from an undergraduate
institution to optometry school. The
information provided would be useful for any student interested in
optometry.
v. 26(4) 27-30
Optometry
Admission Testing Program (OAT)
Mark Colip,
O.D.
Dr. Colip discusses the structure
and function of the OAT. He
notes that all optometry schools require the test for applicants; however,
each college determines the relative weight of the test score in the
admission process. The
information in this article is detailed.
Dr. Colip lists topics covered in the test, provides specifics
about test administration, and explains how the test is scored.
A handy summary titled “The OAT in the brief” appears on the
last page of the article.
v. 26(4) 31-37
Addressing the
Shortage of Physician-Scientists One Student at a Time
Jennifer L.
Bloom, Ed.D., Amanda E. Propst Cuevas, M.A., and Katie Andre
The number of physician scientists
in the
United States
peaked in 1985 at 23,268. By
1995 there were 14,340 physician scientists, and that number has remained
fairly constant up to the present time.
While providing an overview of the physician-scientist shortage in
the
United States
, the authors describe a specific program at the
University
of
Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign called the fMRI
(future Medical Research
Investigators) club which is aimed at encouraging undergraduate
students’ research and clinical interests.
Sponsored by the Medical Scholars Program (MSP) this student led
organization attracts about thirty members to its monthly meetings.
One club initiative is Mentor Match which pairs a club member with
an MD/PhD student. The authors
write, “it is time to stop complaining about the shortage of physician
scientists and instead spur al of the pertinent parties … to collaborate
on new and creative solutions.”
v. 26(4) 38-41
Exhibit Review:
A Visit to Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ “BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical
Exhibition of Real Human Bodies”
Melissa Betz
Cichowicz, Ph.D.
|
2007
March
June
September
December
|
March
Vol.
27, No. 1
2007
Back to the top
|
Report
of the 2006 NAAHP Membership Survey – Part 1:
Similarities and Differences Between Faculty and
Administrative/Professional Advisors
Kerry
L. Cheesman, PhD and Anne L. Ewing, PhD
Authors Cheeseman and
Ewing
describe the results of the survey of advisors requested by the NAAHP
Board of Directors and administered in 2006. This electronic survey
closely mirrored two previous surveys done in 1988 and 1992.
532 surveys were analyzed by SPSS software.
Part 1 presents the data concerning the advisors, who they are,
where they work, and how they are supported.
Extensive detail is offered in the form of pie charts and clearly
shows that advisors are a diverse group of people.
A number of findings were
significant and, in many cases, represented changes from the previous
surveys. Baccalaureate and
doctoral degree granting institutions make up the largest representation
among advisors, whereas community colleges are clearly under-represented.
Administrative/professional advisors now make up the majority of
NAAHP membership, perhaps reflecting the increase in membership of
doctoral/research universities. There
is a significant decrease in the number of tenure-track faculty members
and a small increase in the number of advisors with professional degrees.
Other changes include an overall
increase in budgetary support for advisors, although 11% report having no
institutional support for travel. More
advisors now participate in student recruitment and orientation.
Faculty advisor salaries tend to be higher overall than
administrative/professional ones, and tend to be higher in masters and
doctoral granting institutions. One
finding of concern is that 40% of tenure-track faculty receive no release
time or compensation for their efforts.
The authors suggest that NAAHP issue a “white paper” to help
advisors address some of the concerns revealed by the survey.
Pp 5-13
Changing
Premed Requirements and the Medical Curriculum
Emanuel,
Ezekiel J., MD, PhD
Bicameral
Prerequisite Curriculum
Robert
Blystone, PhD
For the majority of this article,
Blystone muses about the existence of and tension between the bicameral or
dichotomous aspects of medicine. The
basic sciences are balanced by clinical training.
The current science requirements for admissions are juxtaposed to
the social and interpersonal skills that characterize a good clinician.
Critical thinking, analytical ability, and integration are all
important, but these may be learned through quantitative and qualitative
means.
Blystone argues that the sheer
number of undergraduates expressing interest in medicine affects the
staffing and funding of departments that offer the prerequisite courses
required of these individuals. He
also suggests that the skills required be expressed in terms of function,
such as critical thinking, rather than anatomy, such as a specific course,
and that these skills may be learned in any number of disciplines.
It is clear that he thinks we should reassess who and what we want
our doctors to be.
Pp 19-21
The
Health Professions Advisor’s Letter of Evaluation:
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask
A
Two-Part Article by Kay H. Singer, PhD and Robert A. Witzburg, MD
In this article Dr Singer
represents the advisors who write the letter of evaluation and Dr Witzburg
represents the admissions deans who read and use these letters in their
decisions. Witzburg sets the
stage by identifying the admissions officer’s constituencies, the most
important of which are patients and society.
He also identifies the data made available in the admissions
process, some of which is not helpful as might be expected. Grade
inflation, for example, makes it difficult to distinguish among candidates
and glowing faculty letters tend to offer any real insights.
The advisor’s letter, however, has the potential to provide the
necessary information that will allow for the meaningful evaluation and
comparison of candidates.
The letter of evaluation is deemed
most useful when it includes a candidate’s life story, academic history,
personal qualities, and a fair, yet honest evaluation and recommendation.
Personal qualities are broken down into a number of categories.
Witzburg asserts that downplaying or withholding negative
information serves the process, and ultimately the patient, poorly.
In response to Dr Witzburg’s
comments, Dr Singer offers many excellent suggestions for structuring a
useful and meaningful letter of evaluation.
Based on her extensive experience writing letters for students at
Duke
U.
, Singer suggests a three step process. First, from among the various
models for letter writing, determine the process that best suits your
program. Who will write the letter and what will be included?
Second, collect the information available about your applicants.
Such information might include GPA, activities, interview, and
letters of recommendation. Third, decide on a format so admissions
officers know where to look for specific information. She shares the
format that she used for her advisees as an example.
Finally, she offers some general advice such as using a spreadsheet
for large groups of applicants, using macros for standard sentences and,
of course, using Virtual Evals.
Pp 23-27
To
Take or Not To Take: Online
Science Courses as Prerequisites for Professional Schools
Ruth
O. Bingham, PhD
Online courses, although
increasingly available, are a source of controversy and concern for
pre-health students, their advisors, and the admissions committees who
must evaluate them. These
courses are taken for a variety of reasons, many of which are legitimate
– convenience, flexibility, cost, and courses that are not offered by
the home institution. Professional
schools, however, vary widely in their acceptance of online courses, and
advisors are often called upon to assist a student considering taking such
a course. The author argues
that the advisor’s role is to help the student assess an online course
through a series of questions.
The student needs to be able to
articulate a reason for taking an online course and the advisor needs to
listen carefully for underlying reasons that may exist.
The student also needs to consider how the course will fit into
their overall academic planning. The
advisor should then encourage the student to research their choice
carefully, considering such things as course level, intended audience,
format, cost, computer requirements, and time commitment.
More difficult, but important aspects, such as the institution’s
accreditation, reputation, and transcript appearance, must be assessed.
In short, the student needs to understand the level of risk
involved. Other details to
consider include the instructor’s background, the syllabus, test format,
class format, student: teacher ratio, instructional format, interactive
capability, and assistance with both the material and technical problems.
Beyond the purely practical
considerations, Bingham offers an interesting discussion of the skepticism
and biases surrounding online courses.
She also cites some thought-provoking comparisons of “live”
courses and online ones, especially those involving laboratory exercises.
She suggests that the final assessment must include consideration
of the student’s learning style and identifies some styles that would
seem a good fit for online learning.
Pp 28-35
Highlight
a Profession:
Medical Radiation Physicists
Dawn
LaBarbera, PhD, PA-C, CNTM, RT(N)
Nursing
Against the Odds: How Health Care Cost Cutting, Media Stereotypes, and
Medical Hubris Undermine Nurses and Patient Care
Suzanne
Gordon
Reviewed
by Judy Jensvold, MEd
|
June
Vol.
27, No. 2
2007
Back to the top
|
Report
of the 2006 NAAHP
Membership
Survey – Part 2:
Who We Advise and How We Facilitate Letters of Evaluation
Anne
L. Ewing, Ph.D., Ian W. Cheesman, and Kerry L. Cheesman, Ph.D.
The 2006 NAAHP Membership Survey
was designed and administered as part of an ongoing effort to better serve
NAAHP members. Specifically,
the survey was intended to provide data for “developing sets of
recommendations about professionalism and institutional standards.”
The authors of this article assumed the task of administering and
analyzing the data. Graphs are
included in the presentation of their findings that visually illustrate
how the scope of advising has broadened.
“We are not just premed advisors anymore – we cover the entire
field and have evolved in our expertise.”
One of the changes noted during the time between this survey and
those previously administered is the increased use of a committee letter
attached to individual letters. Survey
respondents also indicated satisfaction with the work NAAHP is doing on
behalf of members. The authors
outline recommendations for directions in which NAAHP might expand its
role.
v. 27(2) 5-14
21st
Century Medicine and the Liberal
Arts and Sciences: Preparing Students for the
Health
Professions
Norma
E. Wagoner, Ph.D.
As Emeritus Dean of Students,
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and a member of the
Committee on Admissions, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Dr.
Wagoner has interviewed thousands of applicants to medical school.
In this article she summarizes shifts in medical school education
and provides concrete suggestions for premed advisors.
Dr. Wagoner writes advisors can assist undergraduate students in
developing the personal and academic competencies they will need in order
to face the changes and challenges they will encounter as medical school
students and physicians. Students
should not only have a broad range of experiences, but also should engage
in the type of critical reflection that leads to an understanding of what
those experiences mean in the context of their core values.
Dr. Wagoner states: “
... those elements critical to students’ undergraduate careers include
balance and diversity of experiences, challenges to their value system,
and a chance to get to know who they are as human beings before they head
out into a complex world that will demand their best.”
v. 27(2) 15-20
Pre-health
Students Receptivity to Evaluation by ACGME Competencies
Aruna
Selina Harduarsingh, Seth Leibowitz Ed.D., and Joann N. Bodurtha M.D.,
M.P.H.
This article reports the results
of a study at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCM), which was designed
to address the lack of a “uniform way students can document
[medically-related] experiences to make sure they are getting appropriate
or relevant exposure.” Concomitantly,
when preparing committee letters advisors have no standard way to assess
the appropriateness or relevance of students’ experiences.
Ar VCM, premedical students were given an evaluation tool to help
them “record, reflect, and get credit for” their medically-related
experiences. A survey was then
administered to determine student opinion about the usefulness of the
evaluation tool. This tool
used the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
Outcome Project’s six core competencies and incorporated elements from a
form used by the VCM pre-health advisory committee.
The majority of the 51 students responding to the survey believed
the evaluation tool valuable – “necessary, beneficial, and
relevant.” The article
includes the evaluation tool used in the study.
v. 27(2) 21-26
Advising
Unsuccessful
Medical
School
Applicants
Mariella
Mecozzi, M.A., Adam Myers, Ph.D.,
and Consuelo López Springfield, Ph.D.
As the authors point out, in 2006
about one-fourth of those matriculating to medical school were
re-applicants. They present a
step-by-step guide for working with students who were unsuccessful in
their first attempt. While
outlining what an advisor might do to help those who want to change their
career direction, the authors focus on advising students who intend to
apply again to medical school. They
list common reasons applicants fail, suggest strategies for addressing
issues in each area, and provide guidelines for evaluating
post-baccalaureate and special master’s programs.
While offering practical suggestions, the authors emphasize that
advising the unsuccessful applicant is a “highly personalized
process.” Only occasionally
is there a “quick fix.” They
recommend scheduling several meeting with the re-applicant.
“The potential rewards to advisor and advisee in this
follow-through are limitless.”
v. 27(2) 27-35
Advising
the Unsuccessful
Medical
School
Applicant, A Holistic, Skills-Based
Approach
Sally
Fell, MS, LPC, C.A.D.C., N.C.C.
In this article the author
provides tips on establishing a professional and trusting relationship
with a re-applicant. Five
“core traits intrinsic to a helping relationship” are identified:
unconditional positive regard, genuineness, caring, warmth and
empathy. The author recommends
asking open-ended questions and listening carefully.
Advisors can help “open the door to healing and hope.”
v. 27(2) 36-37
Triangulation
and Performance Analyses: Two Critical Components in Analyzing Verbal
Reasoning Mishaps
Gina
Paul, Ph.D.
Dr. Paul shares a method for
improving the likelihood of obtaining correct answers to test questions
accompanying verbal reasoning passages.
This article is a follow-up to a previous article on the topic,
published in the March 2006 issue of The
Advisor. When using the
method described, Dr. Paul strongly recommends students analyze their
performance as an individual assignment, rather than a group exercise.
The article provides an explanation on how to guide students in
understanding Clue Words, and
includes the Performance Analysis Chart as well as the Triangulation
Analyses Chart (TAC). Dr. Paul
issues a caution: “this
method does take time and effort ...”
But, she also states that students have responded positively and
also found it useful for other sections of the MCAT as well as their exams
in science classes.
v. 27(2) 38-42
|
September
Vol.
27, No. 3
2007
Back to the top
|
It’s
Time for Change in Medical Education; It’s TIME for ITME
Fred
Donini-Lenhoff, M.A., Barbara Barzansky, Ph.D., and Paul H. Rockey, M.D.,
M.P.H.
The Initiative to Transform
Medical Education (ITME) was launched by the AMA in 2005 to address needed
concerns in a medical education system that has remained largely unchanged
in the past 100 years. Its goal is to promote excellence in patient care
by reforming medical education from the pre-medical years through
continuing education for practicing physicians.
Strengths of the current system
were identified as knowledge and technical proficiency, physician concern
for individual patients, and patient respect for physicians.
Gaps and areas needing improvement were more extensive.
Physicians are not prepared to adjust or improve the health care
system, and are ill equipped to act as patient advocates on social issues
or to participate in ethical and political discussion about resource
allocation. They often lose
their altruism through their training years, and have difficulty dealing
with uncertainty. Managing
information and effectively using technology also presents a challenge.
Physicians typically expect to be autonomous in treating patients,
yet are often uncomfortable discussing delicate issues with those
patients.
The ITME identified ten ways to
improve medical education. These
include: assessing interpersonal skills in the admissions process;
creating alternative pathways to medical education; introducing core
competencies with accompanying methods of evaluation; assisting current
faculty in shifting to the new paradigm; rewarding participants for their
buy-in; modeling appropriate behaviors in the educational process;
enhancing coordination among licensing, certifying, and accrediting
bodies; funding medical education research and development; and evaluating
effectiveness based on outcomes.
Change in admissions requirements
is one way to change the system. The
ITME suggests that greater breadth of coursework in pre-medical years as
well as significant commitment to service would be good starting points.
They also recommended that humanism, ethics, and professionalism be built
into the curriculum at all points.
V26-3-5
Entering
the Continuum: Undergraduate Preparation for
Medical
School
Carol
L. Elam, Ed.D.
Although the continuum of education
for physicians is well defined, it is often not well integrated. The
author has collected a series of articles describing courses typically
taken in the first two years of medical school, the skills necessary for
success in these courses, and recommendations for appropriate
undergraduate preparation. The
common thread is a general sense of what it takes to be successful in the
first years of medical school.
Getting
Started: A Primer on Comprehension
R.J.
Jacob, Ph.D.
Successful medical and dental
students are self-directed, life long learners.
Jacob describes four levels of learning, each with progressively
better comprehension and retention. The higher the level, the greater the
chances are for success in a medical curriculum.
Human
Gross Anatomy
Bruce
E. Maley, Ph.D.
Maley asserts that the primary
purpose of most anatomy courses is to teach the language of the profession
to allow for communication in the discipline.
A challenge for most students is working with a dead body and this
creates considerable stress. The
other major challenge is coping with the sheer volume of information.
Suggestions for preparation include taking comparative anatomy,
taking an anatomy/physiology course that includes dissection, and taking a
medical terminology class. Even
with such a background, medical students must be able to use the
information, not just memorize the facts.
Maley suggests study groups as a way of learning to use the
information just learned, to find reasons for learning the extensive
amount of information, and becoming comfortable with making mistakes.
He also encourages students to seek faculty assistance to maximize
efficiency in studying.
Cell
and Tissue Biology
Brian
R. MacPherson, Ph.D.
This area involves the study of
cells, their organization into tissue, and ultimately into organs.
It introduces the student to the appearance and organization of
normal human tissue and organs. Although
molecular biology has crept into some courses, MacPherson feels strongly
that “what we can see” is a critical aspect of the course.
Assessment is typically multiple choice and focuses on facts, not
comparisons. Digital
microscopy is becoming common as a way of more efficiently staffing labs.
Group study is encouraged.
Physiology
Dexter
F. Speck, Ph.D.
Physiology is the study of the
normal function of the body, and typically integrates many disciplines to
describe health and disease. The
study balances mathematical principles of predictability with biological
principles of variability. It
involves extensive use of charts and graphs, a skill often lacking from
undergraduate studies. Comfort
level in reading and interpreting graphs predicts success in this course.
Once again, students are encouraged to study in small groups.
Biochemistry
Thomas
N. Oeltmann, Ph.D. and Neil Osheroff, Ph.D.
Biochemistry studies the
structure, function, and interaction of biomolecules, their synthesis and
degradation, and the mechanisms by which their activities are coordinated
and regulated. It also
includes the pathways by which they are converted to usable energy and the
process by which genetic information is transmitted.
Medical school courses focus on mammalian systems.
Students with a good background in organic chemistry, molecular
biology, and biochemistry generally fare well in these courses.
Medical
Behavioral Science
H.
Jean Wiese, Ph.D. and John F. Wilson, Ph.D.
Medical behavioral science
includes multiple social science disciplines.
The authors note the
Institute
of
Medicine
’s recommendations for teaching basic behavioral principles.
They recommend that undergraduates take courses in social sciences
to broaden their knowledge, but also to become familiar with a
multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving.
Service and service learning are valuable preparation as well.
Introduction
to Clinical Medicine
David
W. Rudy, M.D.
Traditionally composed of learning
how to take a history and how to perform a physical exam, this course has
broadened in recent years to include the doctor-patient relationship and
general communication skills. It
may also include learning to present a case, write up a medical case, and
write progress notes for a patient chart.
Suggestions for undergraduates include taking a broad range of
courses outside of the sciences, learning to reflect on experiences, and
developing good communication skills.
Seminar classes and experiential learning are also encouraged.
Genetics
Jeffrey
N. Davidson, Ph.D.
Medical genetics, the study of the
interaction of genetic mutations and environment, has become an integral
part of all medical specialties. The
focus is on disease and abnormality, and undergraduate preparation in
molecular biology may be more useful than a standard genetics course.
The author recommends also taking courses in ethics, religion, and
psychology. Comprehension is
more effective than memorization.
Pharmacology
Donna
R. Weber, Ph.D.
Pharmacology studies the mechanism
of drug action on the body, the kinetics of drug absorption, metabolism
and elimination, and the use of drugs in disease prevention and treatment.
Weber suggests that undergraduates prepare by taking biochemistry, anatomy
and physiology. She also
recommends that students learn about drugs as consumers by reading labels
and package inserts. Success
is predicted by learning at the highest levels as defined by Bloom’s
Taxonomy, staying current with coursework, understanding one’s personal
learning style, and actively engaging in class.
V27-3-11
Demystifying
Careers in Medicine: The
Physician-Student Mentoring Program at
Butler
University
Johnny
D. Pryor, J.D. and Michael J. Samide, Ph.D.
The authors describe a physician
mentoring program established in 2006 at
Butler
U.
Sophomore pre-medical
students are matched with a physician mentor for a 2 year commitment.
Students and mentors complete a participation form and meet at
least once each semester. In
addition to shadowing opportunities, the pairs share a meal, attend a
performance, or engage in a volunteer activity.
Mentors may be alumni or local physicians and are matched with
students by medical interests, general interests, and gender.
The program is too new to have
assessment data, but appears to be successful.
Students are enjoying the experience and are learning from their
mentor. Some have learned that
a medical career is not appropriate for them to pursue.
V27-3-27
A
Rural
Kentucky
Osteopathic Professional Education Preparation Program
Stephen
M. Payson, M.S. and Meg Wright Sidle, Ph.D.
The Pikeville College School of
Osteopathic Medicine’s Professional Education Preparation Program (PCSOM-PEPP)
is a pipeline program intended to encourage rural
Kentucky
residents to consider medicine as a career goal and offer support for
those who decide they are interested.
The program was prompted by the need for rural physicians and the
underrepresentation of rural residents, those most likely to fill that
need, in medical school. The lack of challenge presented to the best
students in disadvantaged schools often results in academic struggles once
those students go to college. Low
grades and MCAT scores then stand in the way of admission to medical
school.
The PCSOM-PEPP seeks participants
of high school age through guidance counselors and screens them through
use of an essay, science teacher letter of recommendation, and
demonstrated interest in medicine. The
majority of participants are white, female, Appalachian, public school
students from low income families. PEPP is a 2 week program including
daily anatomy and physiology lectures presented by second year medical
students, anatomy lab participation, and volunteer work at the local
hospital. Hard work is balanced by fun in a variety of forms. The primary
objectives of PEPP are to have students understand the intensity of
medical school, the competition they will encounter, and the level of
dedication required to succeed.
Considerable detail is offered in
the article about assessment and outcomes of the program.
In general, participants recognize the need to improve their study
skills and knowledge base, and have a better understanding of the
expectations of the medical school experience.
Having medical students who come from similar backgrounds teaching
courses and labs provided positive role models for the participants.
V27-3-30
Health
Professions Advisors and AHECs: A Partnership That Benefits All
Jason
C. Baker, Ph.D. and Paula Overfelt, M.Ed.
Authors Baker and Overfelt
describe an effective partnership between the Northwest Missouri Area
Health Education Center (AHEC) and the health professions advising
services at
Missouri
Western
State
University
. By collaborating on
programs, they conserve time and resources, as well as providing good
attendance for their various activities.
The AHEC office has extensive contacts with health professionals,
and staff to organize events. The
pre-medical students become familiar with AHEC, and, presumably, are more
apt to work with them when they get into practice.
Working with the AHEC also makes it easier to work with other
institutions creating a larger audience for speakers and recruiters.
Some examples of collaborative efforts include mock exams, mock
interviews, personal statement writing sessions, and day long workshops on
specific medical topics.
V27-3-39
Not
So Elementary Dr. Watson: Points
to Ponder When Gang Involvement is Detected in an Applicant’s Background
Wafeeq
Sabir, Ph.D., Charrise Meadows and Karen de Olivares, Ph.D.
The use of criminal background
checks has created a new concern in medical school admissions: how to deal
with gang activity and affiliation. “Gangs”
are defined specifically by state penal codes as groups regularly engaging
in criminal activity. Further definition includes the common use of
identification (name or symbol) and the atmosphere of fear and
intimidation created by the criminal activity.
Some of the issues of concern are the level of perceived threat,
the types of criminal activity (petty theft vs murder), and the
misidentification of individuals as gang members.
Especially troubling is the disproportionate assignment of gang
membership to minority members. Although there are criteria by which
individuals are labeled as gang members, these vary, are used
inconsistently, and may be applied by law enforcement agents with little
or no training about gangs. The
authors present an interesting and convincing case of misidentification.
The authors in no way condone true
gang activity or the violence associated with it.
Rather, they suggest caution in making assumptions about
individuals and offer two major suggestions.
First, that gang membership and related criminal activity be
carefully researched, and that assistance should be sought of someone with
specialized training in gangs. The
second suggestion is to keep an open mind.
Some gang members do get out, go back to school, and set a positive
course for themselves. The
applicant should be considered as an individual with potential positive
attributes as well as some negatives in their past.
V27-3-43
|
December
Vol.
27, No. 4
2007
Back to the top
|
Special
Theme:
Osteopathic Medicine
The
State of Osteopathic Medical Education
Stephen
C. Shannon, D.O., M.P.H.
Dr. Shannon describes the role
osteopathic colleges play in helping to meet predicted physician
shortages, particularly in primary care and for underserved populations.
Currently, “nearly one in five of the nation’s medical students
is studying at an osteopathic medical school.”
With the new colleges projected, this number is expected to
increase. Dr. Shannon writes
that Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COMs) are also focusing on
recruiting students “who reflect the communities they will serve” in
rural and urban areas.
v. 27(4) 5-6
Osteopathic
Medical Education — Enrollment by the Numbers over Forty Years
Thomas
Levitan, M.Ed.
The numbers presented by Mr.
Levitan graphically demonstrate the rapid growth in osteopathic education
since 1969. Prior to that
year, there were only five Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COMs).
They were established in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
This article provides a look at current enrollment, trends in the
composition of medical school classes, and projections for future growth.
Factors inhibiting growth include:
“the availability of faculty and clinical training sites, and
funding.”
v. 27(4) 7-12
Osteopathic
Principles and Philosophy: A Contemporary View
Raymond
J. Hruby, D.O., F.A.A.O.
The author places the practice of
osteopathic medicine in historical context.
Quotes from Dr. Andrew Taylor Still’s writing are woven in to
help the reader understand more about ideas that form the foundation of
osteopathic practice. For
example, in one passage Dr. Still described an incident that eventually
led him to incorporate a different approach in his treatment of patients.
Transitioning between past and present, Dr. Hruby explains four
basic principles: Unity of
Body, Self-regulatory and Self-healing systems, The Relationship between
Structure and Function; and, The Rational Treatment Approach.
He highlights key concepts and lists four of an osteopathic
physician’s goals. Dr. Hruby
also describes how goals and principles fit together in models, which
“allows the osteopathic physician to consider” the patient’s overall
condition, treatment options and preventive measures.
v. 27(4) 13-22
Changing
the Blueprint of Medical Education
ATSU
builds the medical school of the future in Mesa, Arizona
Adrian Anast, Ph.D.
Dr. Anast writes about the need
for change and outlines curricular components at the
School
of
Osteopathic Medicine
in
Mesa
. Beginning with the second
year, students will leave the
Mesa
campus and complete their training at Community Health Centers.
In these settings full-time faculty will directly supervise
clinical exposure and instruction.
v. 27(4) 23-26
A
Three-Year Accelerated Medical
School
Curriculum Designed to Encourage and Facilitate
Primary Care Careers
Hershey
S. Bell
, M.D., Silvia M. Ferretti, D.O., and Richard A. Ortoski, D.O.
Prescription
for Progress: Florida Passes
Landmark Physician Workforce Legislation
Scott
Colton
In this article the author writes
about the passage of CS/CS/SB 770, and its subsequent signing into law by
Florida Governor Charlie Crist. The
bill authorizes the Department of Health to collect and analyze physician
workforce data. The
information gained from the data is intended to “help the state make
appropriate decisions in the future concerning physician workforce
issues.” Mr. Colton provides
numbers and comments on the need for a detailed assessment.
v. 24(4) 34-37
Costin
Institute Trains Osteopathic Medical Educators
Fran
Daly, Ph.D.
ANCHORS
AWAY
WVSOM Grads Serve as Navy Physicians
Jeffery
D. Cobb
The author talks with three Navy
physicians who attended West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine –
Lt. Lisa Zaleski, Lt. Mickey Deel, and Lt. Christopher Hardy.
They describe advantages of military scholarships and service.
Being the “person on the ship with the most medical knowledge”
requires leadership ability and developing confidence in one’s skills.
Being in close proximity to patients, allows the physician to feel
like he or she is “treating people, not diseases.”
The admitted downside is that when deployed, the Navy physician is
away from home and his or her family.
The article concludes with a statement by Lt. Deel:
“Overall, there are some sacrifices ... but I still think it is
one of the best decisions I could have made.”
|
2008
March
June
September
December
|
March
Vol.
28, No. 1
2008
Back to the top
|
Preventive Medicine: An Opportunity to Combine Public Health and Medicine
F. Douglas Scutchfield, MD
Dr Scutchfield describes a preventive medicine specialty for physicians interested in a career in public health. The three general areas covered by this medical specialty are general preventive medicine, aerospace medicine and occupational medicine. The residency for this specialty is 3 years long, combining traditional clinical medicine with public health and preventive medicine experiences. Typically the resident in this specialty earns an MPH or equivalent. Given the recent number of public and global health concerns, preventive medicine is an important specialty for physicians to consider.
v. 28(1)
5 - 7
An Opportunity to Establish a Relationship, Explore and Listen, Teach, Guide and Coach, and Model the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Laurence A. Savett, MD, FACP
An early extended interview between a pre-medical student and an advisor is an opportunity to establish a relationship, explore and listen, teach, guide and coach, and model the doctor-patient relationship. This article details an interview model that Dr Savett has used since 1994 at two small liberal arts institutions, along with the rationale for the inquiry and process. The method can easily be modified for use in advising those interested in careers in other health care professions, at small and large institutions.
His premise is that an early meeting with an advisee needs to be an extended one. In general, he recommends the following goals as important to accomplish in that first meeting.
Establishing a relationship and discovering the advisee’s knowledge base as well as aspirations are key elements to successful advisor/advisee work. As advisors, we need to help students reflect upon and assess their skills, interests, and experiences. We also must guide them in clarifying their needs; not dictating steps, but rather helping them discover their own needs and plan their own paths to fulfilling those needs. Done well, the advisor/advisee relationship models a positive doctor/patient relationship, is itself instructive to the student.
Dr Savett takes the reader through a detailed interview, complete with follow up questions, and points out teachable moments along the way. He also offers a sample interview form that may be especially useful to new advisors. The author’s insights and suggestions will be useful for new and experienced advisors getting to know new advisees.
v. 28(1)
8 - 14
Making the MCAT Writing Sample Less Complex
Jerry Passon, MA and Gina Paul, PhD
Authors Passon and Paul present an outline of the component of the MEDPREP course taught at the Southern Illinois U. School of Medicine dedicated to helping students improve their MCAT Writing Sample score. Although students commonly perceive the Writing Sample to be of less importance than other MCAT sections, the authors believe that the ability to write reflects the way in which one thinks, and is, therefore, an important skill to learn. They approach writing skill building through a series of three workshops. The first workshop focuses on the way in which the essays are graded and are taught to use the concepts of Clarity, Depth, and Complexity of Ideas in approaching their responses to the essay prompts. The second workshop provides in-depth examination of sample essays based on the concepts learned in the first workshop. The final workshop involves students examining and critiquing each others’ essays. Using this approach the MEDPREP students were able to raise their Writing Sample scores significantly.
v. 28(1)
17 – 21
Genetic Counseling as a Career Option:
The Role of Health Profession Advisors
Amanda G. Noyes, MS, Robert E. Cannon, PhD, Nancy Callanan, MS, CGC
and Pamela J. Reitnauer, MD, PhD
This study was designed to determine if health profession advisors
could help resolve an ongoing recruitment problem in genetic counseling.
As with many other health professions, the diversity in genetic counseling
does not resemble that of the general population. According to the
National Society of Genetic Counselors’ 2006 Professional Status Survey,
the majority of practicing genetic counselors are Caucasian females. A
2005 study by Oh and Lewis discovered that previous awareness of genetic
counseling is correlated with consideration of the profession and that the
students who were already aware of genetic counseling were more likely to
be Caucasian females. Minority and male students were equally likely to
consider the field if they had previous awareness.3 A survey of students
enrolled in genetic counseling training programs in the 2003-2004 school year by Lega et al. revealed that only 2.5% of the 235 students first learned of genetic counseling through a career counselor.2 Health
professions advisors are in the ideal position on college campuses to create and increase awareness about genetic counseling. We surveyed advisors to examine their knowledge of genetic counseling, their previous experiences with the field and how they prefer to receive new information about health professions. In addition, we solicited advising responses to hypothetical scenarios. The findings indicate that although health professions advisors do advise male and ethnic minority students, there are deficiencies in the advisors’ knowledge about the profession. None of the advisors demographics, including gender, ethnicity, years of experience or number of genetic counseling training programs in their region correlated with knowledge regarding genetic counseling. Advisors demonstrated a preference for suggesting genetic counseling to female students with higher GPAs over male students. Web-based sources were the most frequently chosen preference for receiving new information about health professions.
v. 28(1)
31 – 37
Healthcare Management – A Different Kind of Health Profession
Lydia M. Reed, MBA, CAE
Healthcare management is a good career choice for persons who are interested in the business side of medicine and for those who have a passion for healthcare, but prefer not to function in a clinical setting. The career opportunities in this field are abundant and offer excellent earning potential, flexibility, and a means of making a difference in the community. The typical curriculum involves management theory, study of the healthcare industry, and the integration of theory with practical problem solving. Although there are numerous degrees granted in this field, the three most common are the MPH, the MBA, and the
MHA. The author offers considerable detail about what to look for in a program, and provides an extensive list of web resources.
v. 28(1)
38 - 42
|
June
Vol.
28, No. 2
2008
Back to the top
|
Academic
Preparation for
Medical
School
: similarities and differences
between what allopathic and osteopathic medical students perceive to be
important
Kerry L Cheesman, PhD; Ian Cheesman and
Derek Gibbons
The authors report the results of a survey administered in the fall of
2005 to osteopathic students at 7 Midwestern osteopathic schools.
The study was a follow-up to a 2003 survey administered in 2003 to
students at 8 Midwestern allopathic schools.
Students were asked to identify undergraduate courses they deemed
“essential to success in medical school, and those deemed irrelevant or
not helpful ...” (p. 9). In
addition, students were asked to respond to an open-ended question
“asking for any comments they would like to pass on to premedical
advisors.” One interesting
result was that the “osteopathic students surveyed [338] were, in
general, less likely to label undergraduate courses as irrelevant” (p.
11). Perhaps not surprisingly,
the “notable exception was calculus.”
The authors found the open-ended responses generally fell in three
categories: 1) Tell students
to take more upper division biology; 2) Tell students to be well rounded;
and, 3) Be sure students understand what osteopathic medicine is. Examples
of responses for each category were reported in Figure 6 of the article.
v. 28(2) 8-17
To be or
not to be: A comparative study
of factors that influence commitment to career choice among pre-health
students
Steven Bair, BS and Cynthia Fitch, PhD
A series of three surveys was administered to students at
Seattle
Pacific
University
during the first semester of their undergraduate studies.
Students completed the surveys in the first of 3 courses required
for pre-health students. The
authors describe the results and the context in which the surveys were
administered. The surveys were
designed to elicit information about students’ choice of career,
specifically why they chose one of the health professions.
Findings included that altruism plays a significant role in choice
for pre-health students. The
authors also explored factors that influence students’ redirection away
from a health professions career. Questions
for future study are suggested including:
“Does academic performance take on a more significant role when
examined over two or three years rather than just a single term? and,
“... how can advisors effectively use this information to give their
students the tools and resources that they need to make informed career
decisions?”
v. 28(2) 18-30
Creating
a clinical internship program for your school
Cathy L. Pederson, PhD
Dr. Pederson describes a step-by-step process for implementing and
maintaining a clinical internship program at an undergraduate institution.
Although time-intensive, she believes that the benefits to students
and the institution of a well thought out program outweigh the time
commitment. Her article should
be a “must read” for anyone planning to arrange clinical internships
for students. Dr. Pederson
provides the program eligibility criteria used at
Wittenberg
University
and how health professionals might be reached as well as suggestions for
meaningful evaluation.
v. 28(2) 31-34
The
Relationship Between Hope, Career Maturity, and GPA for Underrepresented
Minority Premedical Students: Advisement
and Counseling Implications are Presented
Paul Henry, PhD and M.K. Gordon
Hope, as operationalized in this study, is more than wishing for
something. The authors
reference a book by C.R Synder in which hope is described as a
“cognitive process” with “three primary components:
(a) a goal (or anchor points); (b) the cognitive willpower or
energy to get moving toward one’s goal (this is called the agency
component); and (c) the perceived ability to generate routes to get
somewhere (this is called the pathway component)” (p. 36).
For this study the Hope Scale was used to measure individual
students’ level of hope. It
and the Medical Career Development Inventory were administered, along with
a battery of other tests, to 86 students enrolled in MEDPREP.
GPA, when added to Hope-Pathways increased “prediction of career
maturity.” The authors
suggest that “hope intervention” can be a useful method for advisors
and counselors who look for ways to “increase the sense of agency and
pathways that people have for the goals in their lives.”
This is of particular importance when barriers, and perception of
barriers, have and continue to influence career development.
v. 28(2) 35-41
Health
Degree or Peace Corps Service? Master’s
International Provides the Best of Both
Adrienne Benson Scherger
Master’s International (MI) combines Peace Corps service with the
pursuit of a graduate degree. The
author intersperses her prose with comments from students, thus providing
overall perspective and glimpses into individuals’ experiences and
motivation for pursuing acceptance to an MI program.
Ms. Scherger states: Master’s
International takes the strengths of dedicated aspiring health
professionals and puts them to good use in serving the neediest
populations ... around the world” (p. 45).
MI students do this while developing their knowledge in the area of
public health. For example, at
the time the article was written MI student Mary Berghaus was in
Honduras
“working on HIV prevention and child survival” (p. 43).
Students generally spend one year taking courses on-campus, “then
spend a full 27-month term in the Peace Corps, during which they work on a
project related to their degree program” (p. 43).
When they return to campus, they finish their degree requirements.
v. 28(2) 43-45
Study
Abroad in Pre-health: Problems
and Perspectives
Anders Uhrskov
As Director of the Danish Institute for Study Abroad, the author presents
general reasons for including a study abroad component in undergraduate
education. The article also is
of interest because he gives a description of a course titled “Health
Care in
Scandinavia
.” Students taking this
course engage in the comparative study of different approaches to
financing and delivering health care.
Readers of this article are provided with a tantalizing glimpse at
the issues. The author
concludes: “One major
purpose of study abroad is to inform and inspire students to a life-long
habit of comparing and critically discussing the problems of one’s own
system with the problems – and solutions – of other systems” (p.
49).
v. 28(2) 46-50
Lessons
Learned from the Premedical Advisor’s Reference Manual
Carol Baffi-Dugan, MA
The author draws from her experience as editor of the Premedical
Advisor’s Reference Manual (PARM). The
lessons she relates are not about the mechanics of gathering the 155
entries (although those too are incumbent with the publishing of the PARM).
Instead, the author synthesizes information in the PARM and notes
changes that have occurred over the course of several editions.
(The PARM has been updated every 3 years.)
For example, a great deal of value is now placed on patient contact
and community service. In
contrast, “while research is valued, it is never mentioned as a required
component of a competitive application (p. 51).
A number of the areas discussed in the article are recurring topics
on the HLTHPROF listserv: early
decision, on-line courses, and the MCAT.
The article provides an overview of the topics covered in the PARM
and inspiration for more systematic review of the information contained
therein. As Ms. Baffi-Dugan
states, the article is not a “scientific analysis” and she “invites
reader of the manual to pick a topic that interests them and do a more
thorough analysis for a future issue” of The
Advisor.
|
September
Vol.
28, No. 3
2008
Back to the top
|
Special
Theme:
National
Meeting Highlights
How
Can Advisors Help Their “Stressed Out” Students Prepare for a Career
in Medicine?
Carol
S. Weisse, PhD and Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed
Why do pre-medical students seem
“stressed out” so much of the time?
What can advisors do to help them manage their stress more
effectively? In answer to the
first question, the authors point to some of the unique challenges of the
current generation: the anxious hovering parents, the parents who have
smoothed the way, the over-emphasis on self esteem and achievement, the
protection from disappointment and failure.
All of the factors have created a generation of perfectionists who
are afraid to fail, and, hence, to take a risk.
Multiple, popular TV shows have generated an unrealistic view of a
medical career. The popularity
of superheroes has emphasized heroic success over quiet caring and
compassion.
Advisors are encouraged to help
students learn resilience through the model of “the 7 C’s”.
These are confidence, competence, connection, character,
contribution, caring, and control. Students
need a mentor, good coping strategies, creative pursuits, and healthy
lifestyles. They need to
understand that they can’t and won’t be good at everything, but they
can still become a doctor. Caring
and contributions will help remind students of why they are pursuing a
medical degree. Several good
books and a website are recommended.
P5 – 7
Preparing
Students for Success in
Medical
School
Gina
Paul, PhD
The author advises MEDPREP
students and addresses how she prepares these individuals to cope with the
six most commonly cited academic problems of medical students.
As a starting point she recommends the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test so students discover and
understand their learning type. Although
the MBTI identifies four preferences, the two that seem most relevant to
medical studies are Sensing/Intuitive and Judging/Perceiving.
Sensing types tend to see the big picture, but may miss the
details. Intuitive types focus
on memorizing the details, but may miss the patterns or overall concept.
Judging types tend to be structured and organized, but may lack
flexibility. Perceiving types
tend to be flexible, but may have trouble managing a hectic schedule.
A survey of Midwestern medical
schools revealed six common problems: organizing large amounts of
information, integrating large amounts of information, time management,
test-taking, test-anxiety, non-testing stress.
The author discusses each of these problems in the context of the
MBTI preferences and offers strategies to help the various types. She
recommends several study skill books, and finds the use of labels,
recommended in one of these references, useful in helping students
organize their notes and connect the details to the bigger picture.
She recommends the use of concept maps to help students integrate
information. Both strategies
encourage students to be active learners.
For time management, the author
recommends a combination of trying a strategy, then reflecting upon how
useful it was, until the student finds a couple that work well.
She also has students search for concentration strategies in a
similar fashion. To improve
test taking, students generate test questions and analyze incorrect
answers. For anxiety of any
type, students are taught Deep
Breathing Meditation.
P13 – 15
Advising
for Careers in Public Health – the Good News and the Bad News
William
H. Harvey, PhD
After acknowledging that advising
about public health can seem daunting, the author offers some useful
summaries. There are three
core public health functions: 1) assessment and monitoring of community
health, 2) formulating public policy in communities and populations, and
3) assuring that all populations have access to appropriate and cost
effective care including health promotion and disease prevention.
Two key words to describe public health are “community” and
“populations”. These serve
to contrast public health from individual patient health.
The last decade has seen a large
increase in interest in public health for a variety of reasons, including
study and travel abroad opportunities, potential pandemic diseases,
increased awareness of environmental health issues, and awareness of
social justice issues. Related
to the increased interest in public health careers has been a dramatic
increase of college students doing volunteer service.
Undergraduate programs in public
health have expanded, and there has been a significant increase in the
number of applicants to public health graduate programs.
Entry to graduate programs can be challenging because there are
multiple entry points with some programs expecting the applicant to have
academic or practice experience prior to entry.
A challenge for advisors and undergraduates is that interested
students don’t necessarily come from the same majors or populations as
pre-medical students; often the advisor and the interested student are
unaware of the other. Although
there is now a centralized application service (SOPHAS), the test and
course requirements are not uniform. The
author recommends a number of useful publications and websites to help the
advisor better understand the field and the various public health programs
available.
P17 – 21
Pilot
Study to Begin to Identify How to Keep Community College Students in the
Pipeline to Medicine
David
Thurlow, PhD
Community colleges have evolved in
recent years from extensions of high school to a major component of the
US
system of higher education and job training infrastructure of today.
Minority enrollments are high and, therefore a key source for
enriching the pipeline to medicine. Roughly
8% of applicants to allopathic medical schools had attended a community
college. About 10% of AMCAS
applicants had taken courses at a community college.
In response to perceived need for advising at the community college
level, the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation offered support for five community
colleges in the northeast part of the country to join NAAHP and NEAAHP, to
receive NAAHP publications, and to attend national and regional
conferences. Testimony quoted
in the article clearly suggests that this pilot project was a resounding
success, educating and inspiring community college pre-health advisors.
There are some challenges that
must be addressed. Community
college courses must be recognized by 4-year schools as well as medical
schools and credits must be accepted for transfer.
There is a bias on the part of the medical schools, sometimes
clearly stated, sometimes implied, against community college courses. This
poses a serious obstacle and discourages a population that needs
encouragement. There is
general lack of information exchanged between community colleges and their
higher education colleagues.
It is also clear that advisors at
community colleges need the same resources as those advisors at 4 year
institutions. Even though they
do not deal with students through the application process, they advise
those students during two critical years of their preparation and need
knowledge of the application requirements and process.
Access to the regional and national organizations, their printed
and Web materials, conferences, and mentors would be extremely helpful and
to everyone’s benefit.
The article concludes with
selected testimony from participants in the pilot project funded by the
Macy Foundation.
P24 - 28
Creating
Peace of Mind for the Health Professions Undergraduate
Julie
Fresne and Shelley Yerman
This article discusses financial
peace of mind, not mental health issues!
The authors describe in some detail the AAMC’s FIRST (Financial
Information, Resources, and Tools) program, a suite of financial planning
materials designed for applicants, students, residents, and their
advisors. The FIRST website
has a Power Point presentation on financial planning for medical school,
as well as a library of fact sheets, printable PDFs, on a wide variety of
financial topics.
Much of the article describes the
resources that would be most useful to advisors and references the
websites and publications that support the information.
It is clear that debt is a very real concern, but that it is
manageable with good planning and good spending habits.
The authors point out the difference between tuition/fees and the
real cost of attending a school. They
also discuss the AAMC Fee Assistance Program and costs of applying that
won’t be covered by financial aid. Typical
financial aid sources are described and a plea is made to get to know the
Financial Aid Office at the school the student will attend.
Also noted are ways of preparing for the financial aid process and
managing wisely the aid received.
It should be noted that, although
FIRST is a product of the AAMC, most of the information is available to
any user and the information is applicable to most other graduate,
professional programs.
P29 - 33
|
December
Vol.
28, No. 4
2008
Back to the top
|
Special
Theme:
Podiatric
Medicine
Residency
Training: Putting Knowledge
Into Practice
Carol R. Jensen
In this helpful article the author
explains the rationale for residencies and steps students at colleges of
podiatric medicine take to apply for residencies.
As she indicates, the process is similar to the AAMC Electronic
Residency Application Service (ERAS) and the AAMC residency match with one
notable exception. Students at
colleges of podiatric medicine go to a central geographic place for
interviews. Ms. Jensen states
that the podiatric residency training years are exciting and challenging;
“ ... the memories, attitudes and influence of colleagues involved in
that training period remain as a very special time” (p. 12).
v 28(4) 10-12
Young
Members Salary and Benefits Assessment
An article provided by the
Young Members Committee of the American Podiatric Medical Association
In 2005 the APMA Young Members
Committee initiated a survey to gather and report data on the practice of
podiatric medicine. This
article highlights results of the 2007 survey.
It contains very useful graphs with information on salary, type of
podiatric residency, student loan dept, and primary practice arrangements.
The graphs are clearly labeled and easy to read, with comparisons
by gender.
v 28(4) 13-15
AACPM’s
DPM Mentors Network
Moraith G. North
Illustrated with graphic images of
webpages, this article walks the reader through the American Association
of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) DPM
Mentors Network. This
project began in December 2000 and there are approximately 500 active DPM
mentors – “podiatric physicians who believe in the value and
importance of their profession and are willing to share this perspective
with those who express an interest in the discipline” (p. 16).
The American Podiatric Association (APMA) is a partner in this
initiative and has “additional options for health professions advisors
in their efforts to provide guidance for students” (p. 16).
Students have the opportunity to visit with a mentor in his or her
office as well as communicate via phone and/or email.
v 28(4) 16-18
Interview
with Jane Andersen, DPM
LeRonda N. Swain
Dr. Jane Andersen earned her
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from the California College of Podiatric
Medicine and completed residency programs at
Stanford
University
Medical
Center
and DVAMC Palo Alto. She and
her husband have a practice in
Chapel Hill
,
North Carolina
. In this article Dr. Andersen
answers questions about why she chose her specialty, what she likes best
and least, volunteer work, what she wished she had known when she was an
undergraduate, and her favorite TV show (“24”).
Dr. Andersen states: “There
many opportunities in podiatric medicine, working in a hospital (teaching
or otherwise) ... [and] many different areas to specialize in:
diabetes, pediatrics, sports medicine, geriatric care, surgery
...” (p. 20). She adds that
“the profession can offer a great lifestyle.”
v 28(4) 19-20
Spreading
the Love Around the World: Podiatric
Mission
Trips
David J. Zych
This inspiring article highlights
work done by several doctors of podiatric medicine as they travel the
world to help people with foot and ankle problems.
For example, Dr. DeHeer, DPM, works with Cure International,
“which is sponsoring a club foot project in
Haiti
, as well as in countries all over the world.”
Dr. Cachia, DPM, has been involved with Liga International, Flying
Doctors of Mercy. He describes
a case where a young girl was run over and dragged beneath a car.
Dr. Morelli, DPM, travels to Leon Nicaragua through a
Mamaroneck
United
Methodist
Church
program. He states:
“We do everything from club foot to triple arthrodesis surgery,
cavus foot, flat foot, bunion surgery, pediatric birth defects ...
whatever can be done, we do” (p. 23).
In this article are other stories too, ones about people who give
freely of time, skills and money to do humanitarian work.
v 28(4) 21-24
Building
Professional Bridges: SNMA
teams with SNPMA at SCPM and OCPM
Lois Lott and Mandy Meinhardt
This article is about partnerships
formed at the 2008 Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Region II
meeting held at the campus of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and
Science. “SNMA members felt
it important to reach out to the membership of their counterparts in the
Student National Podiatric Medical Association (SNPMA), and members of the
Dr William M Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine “played a large part
in the Region II meeting ...” A
similar bridge-building effort was the focus of the SNMA Region V
conference held in November 2008 in Cleveland and involved students from
the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine.
v 28(4) 25-26
A
Preliminary Comparison of Academic Performance between Podiatric and
Osteopathic Medical Students at
Des Moines
University
Robert M. Yoho, DPM, MSS, FACFAS and Kathryn
T. Comstock, MA
The authors point out that
podiatric and osteopathic medical students at
Des Moines
University
“take the same basic science medical curriculum.”
Two tables compare performance of these groups; the first presents
data from admissions (e.g, GPA, MCAT) and the second lists aggregate data
on Biochemistry and Pharmacology scores.
Although the study suggests a trend, the authors recommend
additional studies to “substantiate the power of the findings.”
v 28(4) 27-28
|
2009
March
June
September
December
|
|
March
Vol. 29, No. 1
2009
Back to the top
|
Special
Theme:
Diversity Matters
Introduction to the Abstracts
In the Editor’s Corner, Carol
Baffi-Duggan offers thoughtful comments for each issue of The
Advisor. Like the Preface
sets the stage for reading a book, The Editor’s Corner introduces the
articles assembled and provides context for their inclusion.
The comments foregrounding the March 2009 issue’s special theme,
“Diversity Matters,” remind us that what we do is not narrowly focused
on providing advice about course selection.
The tone of the Editor’s Corner is uplifting; the hope is that
after reading this issue “you feel pushed, challenged and even a bit
uncomfortable.” Three of the
articles in this issue are reprints; we traditionally have not provided
abstracts for reprinted articles. We
recommend reading them, as well as the Editor’s Corner and the Book
Review of Anatomy of Hope. Taken
together, this issue will provide a plethora of topics for continued
discussion and action.
How
Do You See Me?
Michael Ellison, PhD
Dr. Ellison’s synthesis of his
research on African American Male Leaders in Higher Education personalizes
the facts with a quote from and reflections on Ralph Ellison’s Invisible
Man.
This
is followed by historical and demographic information (e.g., “African
American, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians combined make up 25% of
the U.S. population but only 9% of the nation’s nurses, 6% of
physicians, and 5% of dentists.”) He
reminds us too that “college campuses are also witnessing a decrease in
the number of African American males who qualify for acceptance ... ”
(In a 1997 report, 1 out of 3 African American males between 18 and 30
years of age were either incarcerated or “ensnared by the criminal
justice system ...) Dr.
Ellison writes, “As advisors, we advise in a way that is framed by our
experiences, values and cultural awareness.
The direction he suggests is toward a more holistic approach
whereby “All of us can make a difference by embracing and working toward
creating a diverse society.”
v. 29(1) 7-10
“Change has come”:
Celebrate but DO NOT become complacent!
Thomas Landefeld, PhD
Perhaps Dr. Landefeld’s call to
action applies more for the years that follow 2009 than for 2009 itself.
He makes a case for engaging in discussion, commitment,
participation, and sacrifice, all of which are required more now than ever
before if progress is to occur. And,
he writes: “we can never, as
a nation, reach our full potential unless we are inclusive of all
groups.”
v. 29(1) 11-13
Addressing
Dental Health Care Disparities through a Dental-Specific
Post-Baccalaureate Program at
San Francisco
State
University
Harry A. Brody, DDS, MEd and Barry S. Rothman, PhD
This article compliments the one immediately preceding, “Increasing the
Enrollment of Underrepresented Minority Dental Students:
Experiences from the Dental Pipeline Program,” reprinted by
permission of the Journal of Dental
Education. In
“Addressing Dental Health Care Disparities,” Dr. Brody and Dr. Rothman
describe two related dental post-baccalaureate programs (12 month and 18
month) operated in cooperation with the University of California, San
Francisco, School of Dentistry and the University of the Pacific’s
Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry.
The authors provide the rationale for developing the Dental
Specific Post-Baccalaureate Program, selection criteria used to identify
program participants, and details about the twelve program elements.
In addition to increasing awareness of the program, advisors might
draw from the program elements when looking for strategies to enhance the
retention and success of undergraduate populations.
The authors state that this program “has been successful in
meeting its primary goal of assisting [underrepresented minority and low
income] students in gaining admission to a
US
dental school.” They
conclude a “high level of psychosocial support” has been central to
that success.
v. 29(1) 22-28
Exploring
Rural Health Careers:
Another experience in understanding diversity
Linda Cragin, MS
The author provides a history of
the Area Health Education Center Program (AHEC) in the context of
Massachusetts
’ rural needs, but the application and information extends across the
country. There are AHEC
programs in almost every state. They
are dedicated to recruiting, training and retaining “a health
professions workforce committed to underserved populations.”
These programs offer opportunities for career exploration,
internships and clinical rotations, medical interpreter and community
health worker training, health literacy awareness, and continuing
education. Ms. Cragin states:
“Our job as advisors, advocates, and mentors is to encourage
students to look beyond what they know and explore ... opportunities in
rural health care are many ... ” She
also reminds us that “a student who comes from a small town or rural
community may understand the opportunities but not always know the path to
return to his/her hometown as a professional.”
A list of resources is offered at the end of the article.
v. 29(1) 29-30
Courses
in Rural Health Care:
A Cooperative New Vision
David Hutto, PhD and Debra Kirchhof-Glazier, PhD
The authors share their experience
with a program developed at
Juniata
College
in
Huntingdon
,
Pennsylvania
and describe a curricular model “that could be implemented at other
colleges and universities committed to fostering interest in rural
health.” Through structured
lectures and rotations in two courses, students learn not only about rural
health care, but also about the diversity of professions.
Those considering developing similar courses might be particularly
interested in the integration of a community service component and the
journals students are required to keep.
v. 29(1) 31-32
Pilot
study to begin to identify how to keep community college students in the
pipeline to medicine:
a detailed description
David Thurlow, PhD
This article provides community college student population demographics.
The author then summarizes discussions held at the 2007 NEAAP
meeting and the 2008 NAAHP meeting in
Chicago
. Direct quotes from community
college advisors provide insights into the challenges they face and the
strengths they can add to an advisor knowledge base.
The importance of communication is emphasized, with recommendations
for strengthening the capacity of NAAHP, regional advisor organizations,
and the professional organizations (e.g., AACOM, AAMC) to engage in
establishing ongoing ties with community college pre-health advisors.
Advisors at 4-year institutions are encouraged to connect with
colleagues at community colleges to facilitate the advising of students
who transfer to 4-year institutions. “Community
colleges are more likely to have greater diversity and have students who
have low mental horizons solely because they have no exposure to the broad
opportunities that exist ... These are not second class citizens.
They must be able to dream and have the dreams realized.”
v. 29(1) 33-41
The
Health Professions Strive for Diversity
The Medical, Nursing, Physician
Assistant, Dental and Physical Therapy professions are featured, although
as the editor notes: “Many
of the health professions professional associations as well as their
education associations have implemented programs, initiatives, symposia,
etc. to address the underrepresentation of certain groups in their
workforces.” This
article includes references. For
example, the Nursing Profession has developed a Cultural Competency
Toolkit “to provide resources and exemplars ... in baccalaureate nursing
education.” The Physician
Assistant Education Association (PAEA), Committee on Ethnic and Cultural
Diversity “has promoted Cultural
Competencies for Physician Assistants.
More information about the professional associations can be found
on the NAAHP website. The
NAAHP website also maintains a section on diversity.
v. 29(1) 42-44
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June
Vol. 29, No. 2
2009
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|
Special
Theme:
Diversity Matters
The
Center for Experiential Learning – An Integrated Model of Collaboration
Kirsten
A. Peterson, MA and Michaeline M. Shuman, MS Ed
The
Allegheny
College
Center
for Experiential Learning (ACCEL) brought several offices and programs
together in a shared space: Career
Services; International Programs and Services; Community Services and
Service Learning; and, Pre-Professional Studies.
The authors describe how the integration is more than proximity in
a physical location. It is a
model of shared leadership, offering an integrated approach to advising
that encourages student learning and acquisition of a broad spectrum of
competencies. “In truly
collaborative fashion, the Center for Experiential Learning assists
students in making critical connections between their parallel academic
and experiential learning, and effectively guides them in their
professional development.”
v. 29(2) 5-8
Participation
in Undergraduate Research Benefits Pre-Medical Students by Developing
Critical Skills
Barbara
Crippes Trask, PhD and Christian R. Francom
The authors summarize results of
“several studies, some anecdotal and others controlled ...”
The benefits undergraduate students, in particular pre-medical
students, can derive from participating in research activities are
enumerated. The authors
develop a verbal image of a structured research experience in which
students gain, for example, “opportunities for self-evaluation and
regular evaluation by a mentor” and “an arena for the development of
problem-solving abilities ...” They
also point out that the allopathic medical school in their state (Utah)
“requires that matriculants have participated in at least one
hypothesis-driven research experience (a minimum of 4 hours/week for
approximately two months) within their four years of undergraduate
education.”
v. 29(2) 9-12
Service-Learning
Embedded in a First Year Undergraduate Seminar Course
Jan
Reichard-Brown, PhD
Dr. Brown describes the challenges
– transportation, funding, scheduling and student commitment to a
project – faced when designing a service-learning component in a
required undergraduate course “focusing on an interdisciplinary
topic.” The project that
evolved was the Perspectives Oral History Project, which paired students
with seniors at a local assisted living facility.
Dr. Brown provides an inspirational outline of the project goals,
and a realistic assessment of outcomes.
It is a model that can be applied elsewhere and with other
populations. When juniors and
seniors, students often commented favorably on their experience even
though at the time it made many feel “uncomfortable.”
v. 29(2) 13-16
Changing
the Healthcare Workforce One Summer at a Time:
A Preliminary Report of the Summer Medical and Dental Education
Program (SMDEP)
W.
David Brunson, DDS and Norma Poll-Hunter, PhD
The authors provide a very
readable synopsis of SMDEP and include a section on “Program Impact.”
The article is an excellent introduction to the Program for new
advisors and a good refresher for seasoned advisors who have recommended
students for SMDEP. The
authors conclude that by “Working together, pipeline initiatives and
prehealth advisors provide exposure to career opportunities and reliable
information to support students in their career development.”
v. 29(2) 17-20
Outcomes
of an Introduction to Dentistry Course on Undergraduate Pre-dental
Students’ Attitudes and Knowledge
Nathan
J. Hawley BA; Kristopher R. Smith; Aaron M. Bjarnason BA; Victor A.
Sandoval DDS, MPH; and Christine C. Ancajas DDS
The authors describe a “Preview
to Dentistry” course for undergraduate predental students, offered at
the
University
of
Nevada
,
Las Vegas
. Twenty of the 23
undergraduates enrolling in the course participated in an accompanying
study. Although taking the
course did not alter significantly, for most students, the strong
commitment they already had to a career in dentistry, students did report
feeling like they gained valuable information about preparation for dental
school and that the course increased confidence in their ability to
matriculate into dental school. Limitations
of the study are recognized (e.g., small sample size) and potential for
bias. The authors conclude the
course “was successful in assisting undergraduate students ... ”
v. 29(2) 21-24
Students
Going Abroad for Service-Learning Experiences:
Questions Considered
Evaleen
Jones
,
MD
Dr. Jones is Associate Professor
of Medicine at
Stanford
University
and Founder and Medical Director of Child Family Health International.
Her article is an excellent resource for those who want to learn
more about what questions to ask and seek help evaluating the answers
received. Dr. Jones addresses
frequently asked questions such as:
- What
is Global Health?
- What
are some of the common mistakes that we should be aware of as we
prepare our students to go abroad?
- What
is the value of an international experience when there is significant
need in the student’s own backyard?
- What
should be the underlying objective for students who participate in a
service-learning program abroad?
In offering answers to these
questions, Dr. Jones includes a consideration of ethical issues and the
“potential power differential between academic centers and the
communities where the service-learning experiences take place.”
She concludes: “A
meaningful service-learning experience abroad can help foster [students]
understanding of [the connection with others and passion for their work]
and give them the support to
maintain their idealism and humanity.”
v. 29(2) 25-29
Competency-Based
Holistic Evaluation of Prehealth Applicants
Emil
T. Chuck, PhD
Dr. Chuck shares the rubric he developed to evaluate prehealth students.
Specifically, the rubric was intended for use in letters addressed
to health professions schools. He
invites comment and discussion of ten areas of competency “that
characterize the holistic qualities desired in incoming students and
future professionals,” and seven levels of competencies – Naïve,
Novice, Advanced Novice, Proficient, Competent, Expert, Master.
Drawing upon “fictionalized examples, Dr. Chuck details the type
of comments generated at each level for each area of competency.
He also states that he presents the rubric to students at the
beginning of their undergraduate education.
“By having this clear set of standards and goals, self-analysis
becomes possible for an individual seeking to pursue a successful career
in health care service and establish appropriate goals to address any
areas of deficiency.”
v. 29(2) 30-36
Applicants
to US Allopathic Medical Schools Who Take Courses at Community Colleges:
How Do They Fare?
David
Thurlow, PhD
This article is the companion to
“Pilot study to begin to identify how to keep community college students
in the pipeline to medicine: a
detailed description,” which appeared in the March 2009 edition of The Advisor. In the
current article, Dr. Thurlow presents “baseline data on how such
applicants fare in the admissions process.”
Tables and graphs are included.
The findings are intended to be useful in discussions about “how
best to utilize community colleges as a potential source of applicants to
medical schools” and help students for whom community college coursework
constitutes an economically sound choice.
|
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September
Vol. 29, No. 3
2009
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Special
Theme:
Beyond the Classroom:
The Education of the Whole Prehealth Student
Abstracts will be added Spring 2010.
|
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December
Vol. 29, No. 4
2009
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Special
Theme:
Pharmacy
Abstracts will be added Spring 2010.
|
|
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