Preparing Your Medical School Application

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Liza

 

Every premedical student needs to be well organized. In addition to taking the required classes, premeds must fit in a plethora of activities, prepare for and take the MCAT, and plan for the application cycle. As a premed coach and medical school admissions consultant I enjoy helping prospective medical school applicants put forth the best possible application to medical school. In the year leading up to the application I help clients do an audit of the following to make sure they represent themselves well to the medical schools and get the results they want:

Academic record/GPA.  Does your GPA represent you well and will it enable you to be a competitive medical school applicant?  Do your research: find the median GPAs of various medical schools in the MSAR. Most medical schools accept applicants who hover around the median. Don’t be misled by the tenth percentile—people who are admitted in that range are truly the exception and not the rule. If your GPA isn’t where it needs to be come up with a plan to fix it. The plan will vary depending on your particular scenario.

The MCAT.  There’s no avoiding the MCAT so premeds must plan carefully for it. Select a date in the time frame when you believe you’ll be ready for it and only take the MCAT when you’re fully prepared. Once you’ve chosen a date come up with a specific plan and create a calendar to prepare for the test. Stick to your plan!

Experiences. Do you have enough experiences to show that you truly know what themedical profession entails?  Have you shown that you care about others through the activities you’ve chosen to engage in?  There are 15 spaces in the AMCAS application for activities. Will your application look rich and have depth or do you need to gain additional experience before applying?  The best applicants have a range of experiences Continue reading →

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Medical School Secondary Application Information

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Liza

The AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS are considered the “primary” applications in the medical school application process. Each of these is a centralized processing service for allopathic, osteopathic, and the Texas public medical schools, respectively. Applicants submit their information to these services, which then verify the applications and transmit them to the medical schools selected.  Applicants often ask me about the secondary process so I have provided information below to help clarify and explain how it works.

  • Once the primary application is submitted it will go through a review process during which personnel will confirm that coursework and grades entered in the application are accurate.
  • Depending on the time of submission the verification process can take less than one day (if one submits very early in the cycle) to as much as eight weeks at the height of the season (usually mid-to-late summer).
  • Once the application has been verified it will be transmitted to the designated medical schools; shortly thereafter secondary applications will begin to be released to applicants, unless a school screens prior to sending a secondary. Most schools do not screen.
  • For TMDSAS, the secondary applications are available at the same time as the primary application and it is an applicant’s responsibility to find these applications (links to them are available on the TMDSAS site) and submit them in a timely fashion (as early as possible!)
  • DO schools generally release secondary applications after the primary has been verified and transmitted. For some schools you may have to go to their website to find the secondary application. Continue reading →
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Social Media Use and Medical Students’ Professionalism

Posted on June 11, 2014 by admin

The use of social media is widespread and heavily adopted by med students. A study at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California investigated whether a course on professionalism in social media use among medical students would positively impact students’ online behavior. As a result of the class, 40% of the med students indicated that they would edit or change their web presence and 24% said they would spend less time on social media. Another 36% did not respond to the survey at the end of the course (they were probably too busy using social media!)

Two studies at Penn State College of Medicine showed that medical students need training on social media use to abide by standards of professionalism. In the first study ethical situations involving patients (compromising patient confidentiality via social media, for example) were posed to students and they described how they would respond.  The second study investigated the use of social media in evaluating residency applicants; there was a disconnect between the way students thought residency program directors should handle applicants’ posting of inappropriate pictures on social media (only 3% of the students thought they should be judged based on any postings) and the way program directors usually interpret such content (more than 50% would reject applicants who post objectionable content).  Many in medical education circles feel that medical schools have an obligation to train medical students on the appropriate use of social media to ensure that they uphold the standards of the profession.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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10 Most Popular Medical Schools

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Liza

Applications to medical school have reached an all-time high, according to information released by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Applicants in the 2012-2013 cycle increased by 6.1 percent over the previous year t0 48,014.  This beats the record set in 1996, when 46,965 applied to medical school.

Which are the most popular medical schools and how is this measured?  One way to figure this out is to analyze the schools’ yield, which is the percent of applicants who choose to enroll after being offered admission. Bear in mind that there are many factors that affect yield:  the cost of the school, location, caliber, acceptances applicants have elsewhere, etc.

You’ll notice that most of the schools with the highest yield are public institutions. It’s possible that applicants chose them in greater numbers due to their relatively low cost compared to private schools. Here’s the list, from an article in US News & World Report, with the corresponding yield for each school:

1. University of Kansas    85.1%

2. University of Arkansas 83.4%

3. University of Oklahoma 82.9%

4. University of New Mexico 80.5%

5. University of Washington  79.4%

6. University of South Dakota  78.4%

7. University of Utah  77.9%

8. Ohio University  77.5%

9. Harvard University  76.3%

10. University of North Carolina  75%

Most applicants include their state school(s) at the top of their list; not only can these schools be easier to get into due to their preference for in-state applicants, most public schools are cheaper than private schools and also very high caliber. No wonder so many state schools have such high yields.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical Schools Admissions Consulting

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House Calls Returning

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Liza

Photo courtesy of hamptonroads.com

Photo courtesy of hamptonroads.com

House calls seem to be making a comeback in the medical profession. Lately there have been several articles and videos across media platforms vaunting the return of the house call as a way to both control healthcare costs and provide better care. A recent article in the New York Times declared that “House Calls Are Making a Comeback.”  And a video from a news organization features the advent of house calls in Ohio. NBC nightly news also featured a recent segment on house calls, as did Time. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel also weighed in about the return of the house call. A doctor who loves making house calls describes what she does and helps readers understand why she has woven them into her practice.  The Washington Post recently had an article by a doctor who reminisces about the house calls he made in the past. And finally, a news report from Albany, New York describes the difference house calls can make in the lives of elderly patients. Future physicians should keep this in mind as a possible new model of care.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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Medical Training Milestones

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Liza

There are many stepping stones on the path to becoming a physician. Premedical requirements are just the beginning of a long and exciting journey. Then come the following steps:

Here’s a schematic of the above, brought to you courtesy of the Federation of State Medical Boards.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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The Difference Between MDs and DOs

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Liza

What’s the difference between MDs and DOs?  Both are fully licensed physicians who diagnose and treat patients but allopathic medical schools grant the MD degree whereas osteopathic medical schools grant the DO degree.

Osteopathy began in the early 19th century and incorporates a holistic philosophy emphasizing prevention and the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Osteopathy originally used the manipulation of bones and the musculoskeletal system (known as osteopathic manipulative treatment or OMT) to diagnose and treat illness but this is now used mainly as a treatment for musculoskeletal disorders. Despite the rapid expansion of DO schools across the country (there are currently 34 osteopathic schools and more seem to be opening in quick succession) osteopathic physicians are still in the minority, consisting of a little over 10% of the physician population in the US. In the Midwest, where there are more DO schools, there are more DOs in the population.

Osteopathic schools have a history of producing more primary care physicians than allopathic schools: about 60% of osteopathic graduates pursue primary care and there is a strong emphasis on preventive care in osteopathic medicine. Allopathic physicians (MDs) have historically opted to pursue more specialized fields of medicine, although there is now a greater emphasis on primary care since there is such a high need for it across the US.

A recent decision to unify the accreditation process for MD and DO residency training programs signifies the increasing similarity among the two groups. Continue reading →

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Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Sponsors Open House at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Liza

On Sunday, March 23rd from 10:30am to 2:30pm the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is hosting an Open House sponsored by the SNMA, which is “dedicated both to ensuring that medical education and services are culturally sensitive to the needs of diverse populations and to increasing the number of under-represented minorities entering and completing medical school” (the quote is taken from the publicity materials for the Open House).  The Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS) is the undergraduate branch of the SNMA. All populations which are under-represented in the medical profession (by definition that means that there are fewer numbers of these individuals in medicine relative to the number of them in the general population) are invited to attend. The agenda includes sessions on the following:

  • Getting Into Medical School
  • Visits to the Anatomy and Simulation Labs
  • Demonstration of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine

To register, send an email to maps@pcom.edu prior to March 17th. Free parking is available to participants in the parking garage on the PCOM campus. A boxed lunch will also be provided. Enjoy!

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

 

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Medical Schools’ Curricular Changes Emphasize Primary Care and Health Disparities

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Liza

As part of an initiative sponsored by the American Medical Association, 11 medical schools received grants to innovate their curricula. Three of those schools are using the funds to integrate new curricular components which strive to help future physicians focus on primary care and eliminate health disparities. These schools—Brown’s Alpert Warren Medical School, the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina, and the University of California at Davis—have come up with novel ways to teach students about the needs of underserved populations.

At Brown the Primary Care and Population Health Program, which is set to launch in 2015, will grant participants a dual MD-MS degree emphasizing population health, public health policy, leadership skills, and teamwork. Continue reading →

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LGBT Health Workforce Conference

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Liza

A conference designed to explore the best ways to serve the health needs and concerns of LGBT populations is being held on May 1-3, 2014 at Hunter College in New York.  The meeting is designed for premedical and medical students, educators, health professionals, and any other interested parties. Speakers include:

  • Rashada Alexander, Ph.D.,  from the National Institutes of Health
  • William Byne, M.D., Ph.D., Editor in Chief, LGBT Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai
  • Baligh R. Yehia, M.D., M.P.P., M.S.H.P., Director, LGBT Program at Penn; Chair, American Medical Association LBGT Advisory Group
  • Jennifer Gaboury, M.A., Associate Director, The Women and Gender Studies Program, CUNY
  • and many others

To read more about this conference and to register please click here.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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