Your Path to Med School

Your Path to Med School

• Andrew McLemore, OMS-I
• Pre-SOMA
• Michigan State University
• November 2, 2009

Taking the Osteo-Path

• As you prepare your application, ask yourself these four questions:
• What draws me to my chosen career in health care?
• Am I making an informed career choice?
• Do I have a good head?
• Do I have a good heart?
• Am I prepared to spend the time?

You are your resume!

• Purpose of application process is to tell admissions committee who you are
• More than grades, admission test scores, extracurricular activities
• How do you differentiate yourself from others applying for the same spot?

You are your resume!

• Be ready for the transition:
• Student -> Applicant

How to be a Successful Applicant

What draws me to my chosen career in health care?

• Desire to help and to serve is true of all applicants
• Each person has a unique personal journey
• Osteopathic Practices and Principles
• Would make a good introduction to any personal statements you must make on your application

Am I making an informed career choice?

• Do I know what it’s like to be a patient?
• Personal or family experience
• Do I know what it’s really like to be a physician?
• Paid or volunteer activity in serving others
• Keep a journal or blog
• Be a part of relevant communities

Do I have a good head?

• Do I have the intellectual capacity?
• High GPA
• High scores on admission tests
• Do I have an open, creative mind?
• Can you examine all the information, draw a conclusion, and ask if there is another way to look at the problem
• More than being a “walking biochem book”

Do I have a good heart?

• Do I understand the meaning of empathy?
• Must have good interpersonal skills
• Do I appreciate the importance of the doctor-patient relationship?
• Career is built on relationships
• Not the “Dilbert” lifestyle

Am I prepared to spend the time?

• Am I prepared to spend the time required for the practice of my profession?
• Am I prepared to spend sufficient time with each one of my patients to meet his or her needs?

Standardized Test: The MCAT

Standardized Tests

• Veterinary, PT, OT, masters – GRE
• Dental –DAT
• Optometry - OAT
• Pharmacy -PCAT
• Medical (allopathic and osteopathic) – MCAT

Standardized Tests

• Usually taken a minimum of 1 year before you plan to matriculate
• This cycle’s test-takers are applying to begin in fall 2011
• Application to medical school is done during summer between junior and senior year.

Preparing for the Exam

• Critical to doing well on the test
• Learn as much about the format and content before you take the first test
• Think of this test as the single most important one in your life
• Do it once, do it right
• Material vs. Methods

Preparing for the Exam

• Make sure you have taken the required courses before attempting the test
• Need an organized, systematic review of the topics
• Form study groups
• Commercial review courses
• Practice exams
• Self-preparation

Preparing for the Exam

• Start studying well before the test date, sometimes as early as 6 months before
• Make getting in “game shape” a routine
• Study 1 to 2 hours/night for the duration
• Do not cram

Applying

Choosing which schools to apply to:

• What type of city do I wish to live in for the next four years?
• Is it important for me to be near friends and family?
• What is the “culture” of the professional school?
• What about financial considerations?

Application Forms and Services

• AACOMAS
• Online, central clearinghouse for DO admissions
• May apply to all 29 osteopathic campuses
• AMCAS
• Parallel system for MD schools
• You may apply to both DO and MD programs

Application Forms and Services

• 11742 applicants in 2008 cycle

Personal Statement or Essay

• Your first chance to go beyond the numbers
• No universal formula
• Personal journey
• Important experiences
• Strengths you possess
• Goals for education and career
• How you will contribute to class diversity

Personal Statement

• Can also be used to explain anything in your background
• Difficult semester
• Bad year due to illness or family problems
• Have your advisor give you critical feedback on essay
• Begin thinking about it now!

Supplemental Application

• Once your target school receives your application and evaluates it, you may be sent a “secondary” application
• Answer more questions
• Another essay (different)
• More $
• DO IT QUICKLY!

Letters of Recommendation

• Will this person write a strong letter?
• Make sure your professors know more about you than your grades
• Have a good mix of science/non-science professors, volunteer mentors, physicians
• Furnish your evaluator with a resume or list of college activities

Application Timetable

Freshman, Sophomore, Junior

• Visit your advisor each semester
• Take relevant core science courses at a reasonable pace
• Get some experience in your anticipated career and its community
• Perform community service
• Plan to take MCAT

Junior Year (spring)

• Take standardized test
• Keep grades up
• Last chance to make an academic statement
• Upward trend is great
• Register with centralized application services (AACOMAS, AMCAS)

Summer after Junior Year

• Complete application
• Request transcripts from ALL schools be sent to appropriate schools or application service
• Arrange letters of recommendation

Senior Year (Fall Semester)

• Complete supplemental applications QUICKLY
• Send updated transcript at the end of the semester if requested
• Begin preparation for financial aid
• Go to scheduled interviews

Financing your Education

• In-state/out of state issues
• 98% of professional school students receive some form of assistance
• 86% of graduates have debt this is manageable!

Financing your Education

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Grants and Scholarships
• Service Commitment (military, etc)
• Underserved areas
• Loans
• -Subsidized vs. unsubsidized

Be Aware of…

• Federal loan limits
• D.O./Ph. D circumstances
• Dependency from parents
• Health Insurance
• Rate of loan repayment

Life in Medical School

First Two Years

• Classroom-Based
• Final dose of Basic Science
• Anatomy, Physiology, Biochem, Genetics
• Doctor-Patient Relationship, Clinical Skills, OMM
• COMLEX Level I

Years Three and Four

• Hospital-Based
• Rotations through various disciplines
• Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Orthopedic Surgery
• COMLEX Level 2-CE and -PE

Internship and Residency

• AOA or ACGME?
• Your first work as a paid physician
• Approximately $45,000 in PGY-1
• PGY-1 through PGY-7
• COMLEX Level 3
• Board Certification

Life as a Med Student

• Work Hard, Play Hard
• Caregivers Must Be Careful
• Lean on Each Other
• Remain Objective
• Be Good to Yourself
• Remember the Number One Symptom

The Two Kinds of Students in Medical School

• The “next thing to do = 17th grade
• The “good kind”

What do you mean- Go another way??

• Public Preprofessional Persona
• The Power of Inertia
• The School of Hard Knocks
• It Happened to McLemore

Contacting Me

• andrewmclemore@gmail.com
• 517-803-7324
• Facebook: Andrew McLemore
• AIM: andrewmclemore
• THANK YOU!