Medical Schools Change Up Their Curricula

When people think of the first year of medical school, they often think about new doe-eyed medical students fearfully cutting up a cadaver in their first week.  Now, medical school curricula is continually changing to keep up with changing scientific and cultural demands that doctors face.

For example, at Georgetown, students take a few months of more hands-off courses before they begin dissecting.  These classes include “Social and Cultural Issues in Health Care” and “Physician-Patient Communication.”

Johns Hopkins has implemented a new case-based teaching method, where students study cases to understand the intricacies of the disease, medication options, the pros and the cons of certain treatment options and more.  The case-based teaching method is similar to those employed in law schools.

The idea behind the new teaching methods was that medical students were not able to apply subjects such as anatomy until they started doing clinical rotations.

The Association of American Medical Colleges has suggested scrapping the list of undergrad course requirements for pre-med students.  These courses would be replaced by a set of ideas that students will have to understand before entering medical school.

Classic courses such as organic chemistry, anatomy, and physiology have been questioned as necessary pre-med or early medical school courses.  The new changes in the curricula can encourage potentially strong doctors to pursue a medical career without being disenchanted or deterred by an inability to perform admirably in some subjects — organic chemistry, for example.

Minorities in Medical School

In the United States, all medical schools are non-discriminating in their acceptance of new students: they give an equal opportunity for both white and minority applicants. However, while grades of the two main groups are on par throughout most of the educational periods, there is a noted difference when it comes to the medical school years. The groups that we are focusing on are mainly Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asians.

The first two years of medical school involve mainly intense and in-depth test-taking, while the third and fourth years involve more hands-on situational work. While there is not much of a difference between medical school performance between the white medical school student population and the minority medical school student population throughout the first two years of this schooling period, there is a reportedly significantly greater difference in grades during the third and fourth years.

The difference, says many researchers of the topic, lies in the cultural values and habits of the two mentioned groups. While the white students observe and therefore imitate the assertiveness of doctors in the real life situation, the minority groups lack in their exertion of assertiveness, especially during these critical training periods.

Cultural terminology defines this situation as power distance. In certain cultures, the populations regard their authority figures with considerably more power than themselves. As a result, they are brought up to act a certain way towards all authority figures, including doctors. For example, if a doctor makes a mistake and the mistake is evident to the minority groups, then the chances that they will actually speak up and correct the doctor are noticeably less, as opposed to the white population, who will immediately point out the error.

In order to correct this problem, which affects the minority group from succeeding to a certain point, it is essential for the medical community to raise their awareness of cultural differences. If this issue is targeted directly and brought up to all involved parties, then minorities can be properly educated in all aspects of being a doctor – especially that involving doctor-student relationships.

Tips

The Medical School Personal Statement is thought by many to be the single most important factor in the application process. Aside from the interview, in which you personally come in to meet and converse with the admissions officer(s), the personal statement is your opportunity to distinguish yourself from the hundreds, or even thousands, of other medical school applicants.

There is a lot of freedom in what you write. Most of the time, there are few guidelines to follow. The main idea of the medical school personal statement usually revolves around the reason why you chose to become a medical professional. While it is advisable to be creative with your writing, make sure not to go overboard with your writing styles, ideas, or themes.

In preparation for writing your medical school personal statement, take into consideration the following tips I’ve gathered from speaking to several medical school applicants:

1)      Exercise your creativity. As mentioned briefly above, make sure you are creative enough to be unique in the eyes of the person or persons reading your personal statement, but do be careful of standing out too much: as in a negative way. Provide an insight into your own personality and mix it with your medical ambitions, or goals. It is important to tell the admission officer(s) who you are and why you are applying to medical school.

2)      Theme. Choose a simple, but powerful and memorable theme. The theme of your medical school personal statement can help direct the flow of your personal statement. Similar to my tip on creativity, be careful with your choice of theme as well. Make it personal; which leads us to my third tip:

3)      Personal story. A popular (and attractive) technique in writing medical school personal statements is something called a “personal story.” People of all ages and backgrounds always enjoy a good story. If you decide to write your entire personal statement in story form, make sure to keep in mind the plot! The plot is what your entire story revolves around. Making your story personal does not mean making it overly emotional – such as a tear-dropper or a comedy skit, so make sure it has the right balance of… you.

In addition to the above tips, keep your medical school personal statement straight to the point. Don’t beat around the bush. You want to have your statement read as fluidly and coherently as possible. Make it easy and enjoyable for the admissions officer(s) to read.

Also, if you should mention your weaknesses, do so in a fashion that ends the positively. For example, you can mention a weakness that you currently possess, but follow it up with some ways in which you are working to improve in those particular weak areas.

And as for my last word of advice, remember to put yourself in the seat of the admissions officer or officers. They are reading hundreds if not thousands of different personal statements, so it is wise to be a little different… a little more like… you.

Medical Professional

Becoming a medical professional is a challenging, daunting, and expensive path to follow. There are so many different paths that a person could follow – speaking in terms of different medical schools a person can attend – but they all lead to the same place. Regardless of the medical school that you choose, a person who graduates from medical school (and completes residency) will become a medical professional. After all, a medical professional from one school is still a medical doctor in another school. So, what’s the big deal in attending a top medical school, anyway?

For starters, reputation has a lot to do with contemporary society. Most people , including patients, have no idea what the rankings are of the top medical schools in the nation. As a result, even if you graduated from one of the Top Ten medical schools, St. Louis’ Washington University, your patients (and the general public) might not regard that accomplishment as being anything close to a doctor that graduated from a more popular prestigious medical school, such as Yale’s. In other words, how impressed an outsider is about your credentials, unfortunately, to a certain extent, on the popularity of the top medical school that you attended. From this perspective, usually possessed by a person that desires and relies on having graduated from a highly reputable medical school, then attending a top medical school might very well be a great decision.

Building on the idea of reputation, attending a top medical school has its perks. From the simple fact that the general public’s lack of knowledge about what the top medical schools are, people prefer more popular-named schools that those that are a little less known, however highly ranked that medical school may be.

But, what about the extremely lesser-known medical schools? Why would anyone want to attend medical schools that are not nationally ranked? For one, different people have different goals. If an individual wants to start up his or her own practice, then graduating from a top prestigious medical school is not as important an factor as for an individual who wants to be a plastic surgeon for famous celebrities. In the latter example, the patients that this particular doctor has might rely on his nationally ranked medical school credential to drive more patients to his office.

So, the main point is this: a medical professional from any medical school is still a medical professional. These doctors will more or less, depending on the specialty, make about the same annual salary. However, attending a top nationally ranked medical school can help satisfy a person’s reputation-related goals. It’s all a matter of perspective; and more importantly, it’s all a matter of personal preference.

Medical School Career

The general public usually has a somewhat skewed perception of what life after medical school is really like. To start things off, people usually believe medical school is the most difficult time of one’s medical career, or road to one’s medical career. On top of that, there are numerous television shows portraying a comfortable, though oftentimes action and drama-filled, lifestyle of the typical medical professional. However, this particular depiction could not be further from the truth. The true story of life after medical school – residency – is a lot less glamorous… and a lot more real.

The first year of out of medical school, you can expect to do routine rotations either by yourself or with a team consisting of other residency students, upper-level residency supervisors, and doctors. The second year is when you will finally dive deep into your chosen specialty. Furthermore, you will be immersed not only in the books, like what you are – by this point in the journey – very well accustomed to, but also in real-life experience. You will have the opportunity to deal with real-life patients, giving life to everything you have been reading in books and learning in lectures throughout medical school.

As you progress through the minimum of three years of residency, you will notice the pattern of being an observer into being a teacher to newer residency students.

Now, let’s dig deeper into the real life of a typical residency student. A number of residency students are married with kids, while another group of residency students are deprived of a social life – particularly one involving an intimate relationship. In addition, residency students in today’s age earn on average $35,000 to $40,000 a year for the often over 80 hours of work they do every week. Residency students claim this three (or more) year period to be the most challenging point in their road to becoming a medical professional.

However, after all the hard work and sacrificing, and with medical school and residency under their belt, the life of a medical professional is much, much different. Perhaps the most significant difference between the life of a residency student and a medical professional is the dramatic jump in pay scale. Doctors are consistently ranked among the highest paid professionals in the nation.

With all this being stated, the life of a residency student is a necessary, yet undeniably grueling, step in becoming a prestigious medical professional.

As a final note: despite the hardships (some of which have been clearly laid out above), ask any doctor if the journey was worth it… and you’ll like hear something on the lines of… “definitely yes, but I wouldn’t go through it again.”

Choose the Right Medical School

Choosing the right medical school can be a daunting task. If you have begun your search, you will have already have considered key factors—among them, your field of study, finding a means of payment, and residency options. That is why, before you embark on riveting biology labs and crowded lecture halls, it is imperative that you choose not only the right medical school, but the right one for you.

Though we cannot ace the MCATS for you, we can provide a general direction. Taking data from national surveys and student polls, we provide you with an overview of the top five medical schools in the nation and why they deserve your attention.

1. Harvard University Medical School
   Conducting research throughout Boston, Harvard tops the list of medical schools. This prestigious institution is world renowned for peak teaching hospitals and a staggering count of 50 clinical departments. These facilities are invaluable for research and breakthrough treatment. The Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention is the backbone of their illustrious medical department, providing incredible instruction to aspiring young EMTs.
2. John Hopkins University School of Medicine
   The John Hopkins School of Medicine is spearheaded by the prototypical “Hopkins Model” an ethical approach that encourages basic science instruction and community involvement. The Summer Internship Program (SIP) is the brain child of the medical school, providing equal opportunities to the economically challenged at an affordable, reasonable cost.
3. Washington University Medical School in St. Louis
   If you are seeking a medical school with high credentials, Washington University may be your direction. Founded in 1891, the Washington University Medical School enjoys an impressive 117 year history of nationally renowned research and top quality patient care. Running by the ethos of “investigation and practice are one in spirit, method and object,” Washington touts amazing achievements, among them: having close affiliation with 17 Nobel laureates and possessing 100 faculty members as recipients of awards from the National Institutions of Health (NIH).
4. Stanford University School of Medicine
   The Stanford School of Medicine is located in the belly of Silicon Valley next to progressive, technological monsters Hewlett Packard and Google. And rightly so, this school of medicine shares heavily to the community in which it is encased. The well-known Stanford Medical Center offers unmatched clinical patient care and their Learning Teach Team heads biomedical research in the nation. If you are still skeptical about this medical school’s achievements check out their research accomplishments. It is wise to consider the institution that conducted the first adult human heart transplant in the United States.
5. Duke University Medical School
   Though located bottom of the list, this university is by no means a medical school to overlook. The youngest school at the forefront, Duke University Medical School became a world renowned institution within five years of its inception. The Physician Assistant Program, the Medical Scientist Training Program, Medical Science Training Program—Duke asserts nation-leading basic and clinical departments. Start writing your application now—last year, only 100 of the 2500 applicants made it in. Number 5, huh?

Again, we can only provide with a sneak peak at what these schools have to offer. The relationship is reciprocal. As an aspiring medical student, be sure to demonstrate what you have to offer in return. The rest is up to you.

Good luck finding the right medical school for you.