PreMed Guidebook
This Program Guide Includes
▪ Timetable for Pre-Medical Students ▪ Information Regarding Applications to Medical School ▪ Tentative Course Schedule ▪ Staff Information ▪ Map to the Health Sciences Building
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Information prepared by WWAMI Staff November 2012
Table of Contents
Welcome Letter ............................................................ 3
Timetable for PreMedical Students .............................. 4
Information Regarding Application to Medical School . 7
Academics: Q&A ................................................... 7
Application Process ............................................... 9
Financial Concerns ............................................... 10
Course Schedule for Freshmen ................................... 12
WWAMI Staff Contact Information ............................. 14
Map to the Health Sciences Building .......................... 20
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Welcome! Medical school. A pathway of knowledge and exciting experiences. But how do I get in? What should I know? How long will it take? Those are good questions and to help you under‐stand the processes, here is a guide covering important topics like the academic timeline, suggested courses, finances, course options, and additional resources or other questions you may have. After you’ve read through this guidebook, stop in and visit us at the WWAMI department in the Health Sciences Building or visit the PreMed Advisor, Dr. Quentin Reuer, at the Conoco Phillips Integrated Science Building, Room 301 M. We hope to see you soon!
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TIMETABLE FOR PRE-MEDICAL STUDENTS
Listed below is a timetable for students completing a traditional four-year premedical pro-gram and planning to begin medical school immediately after receiving an undergraduate degree. Participation in research is strongly advised. The focus of the research does not have to be in a biomedical field. As an example, research instead may be in health disparities of Alaskan underrepresented minorities or underserved populations. Freshman Year Meet with a Premedical Advisor every semester, particularly concerning the develop-
ment of course schedules. Get off to a good start academically, especially in math and science courses. Get to know your professors, as some of them may become good sources for letters of
recommendation. Attend UAA orientation sessions for the Honors Program (if chosen), the department
that provides your major, etc. Join UAA’s premed clubs: UAA PreMed Club and/or the AMSA/Diversity Pre-Health
Club Find out about volunteer activities at hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, other facilities
and begin to accumulate volunteer and job shadow hours. Look at sample MCAT tests to get an idea of what the test is like. Read magazines, newspapers, essays, novels, and research journals to enhance your
reading and verbal skills. Sophomore Year Be involved with research opportunities, summer internships, and the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP). Examine AAMC’s MCAT Student Manual at www.aamc.org/amcas and begin your MCAT preparation in earnest. Continue volunteer activities at hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities. Reflect and ask yourself if you are meeting your goals.
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Junior Year If the MCAT will be taken during the summer following your junior year, make sure you have completed general biology, general chemistry, physics, and organic chemistry prior to taking the exam. Hone your writing skills by drafting a personal statement (as required for your AMCAS application) and ask a pre-medical or academic advisor and others to critique it for you. Ask professors and mentoring physicians to write letters of recommendation for you, and give them a resume or some other form of biographical information. Continue to study for the MCAT with the help of preparation manuals (such as Exam
Krackers or Kaplan), class notes, and textbooks. Review sample questions and take as many timed practice exams as you can.
AAMC offers a free MCAT exam at this link. http://www.e-mcat.com/starttest.aspx?cmd=login&program=mcatpractice&type=consumer&target=order&limit=all
Apply to medical schools with the help of web-based information and manuals such as the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR®) and Peterson's Insider's Guide to Medi-cal School.
Summer Prior to Senior Year As soon as possible submit the AMCAS application. Complete the MCAT by the end of September (but preferably earlier).
Get contact numbers or email addresses so you can remind your professors that the secondary application process requires letters of support and ask they send letters to the Pre-Health Professions Advisor.
Contact the Pre-Health Professions Advisor regarding the composite letter of recom-mendation.
Senior Year: Fall Semester Complete secondary applications as soon as possible. Confirm that schools have received all of your application materials, including letters
of reference.
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Senior Year: Fall Semester Complete secondary applications as soon as possible. Continue volunteer or shadow activities with variations from past years. Prepare for the medical school interviews with the help of mock interviews and the Stu-dent Doctor Network interview feedback. There are mock interview opportunities at the WWAMI sponsored Premed Summit held every March. If possible, take upper-level Biochemistry, as many medical schools strongly suggest that premedical students take the course. Senior Year: Spring/Summer Semesters Arrange for travel to schools that invite you for interviews. If you have been accepted by more than one medical program, choose the school you will attend by the May 15 deadline. Make sure that all the requirements for the baccalaureate degree are completed by August, and submit final transcripts. Celebrate your acceptance to medical school!
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ACADEMICS: Choose a major: 45% of candidates accepted to medical or dental programs have majored in the biological sciences. 15% have majored in chemistry or physics. However, any under-graduate program is acceptable as long as the following pre-med or pre-dent program courses are also taken. For example, if a person wanted to major in astrophysics but also wanted to be a medical doctor, they would major in astrophysics and also complete the premed courses listed below. The minor would consist of the courses listed below. This course selection would allow the student to apply to nearly any medical school in America.
(prefixes and course numbers are UAA-specific)
Fundamentals of Biology I and II (BIOL A115 and A116), with labs. General Chemistry I and II (CHEM A105 and A106), with labs. Organic Chemistry I and II (CHEM A321 and A322), with labs.
Basic Physics I and II (PHYS A123 and A124) or General Physics I and II (PHYS A211 and A212), with labs. Calculus I (MATH A200). Principles of Biochemistry I and II (CHEM A441 and A442).
Consider additional courses to expand your perception of the medical field. Recommended courses include those involving health care delivery, underserved populations, biomedical ethics, philosophy, economics, and the history of medicine. Grades are important: The mean GPA of students accepted to medical school is 3.5. The mean GPA for the WWAMI Program it is 3.6. The mean GPA for those accepted to dental school is 3.4. Score high on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) or the Dental Admissions Test (DAT): Double-digit MCAT scores (>70th percentile) are competitive for the WWAMI program. A good MCAT score is 30 or higher. Every year during April through August, the MCAT is offered and is typically taken prior to the candidate's last year of undergraduate school. Be aware that the DAT has a section on perceptual ability.
INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCHOOL
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Obtain a baccalaureate degree. It is preferable to complete this degree in four years. On pages 12 and 13 there is a four-year plan to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Bio-logical Sciences. Avoid withdrawals, audits, and take 14 to 18 credits per semester IF you are not working full time. PERSONAL: Obtain letters of recommendation: Professional programs will ask for letters of recom-mendation. Letters should be obtained from professors and perhaps supervising physi-cians, but not family members, pastors, or political figures. The letters should be sent to your Pre-Health Professions Advisor, who will use them in the preparation of a composite letter. Typically, copies of strong, individual letters are sent with the composite letter to medical schools requesting secondary applications. Extracurricular activities and work experience: These activities demonstrate commit-ment, leadership, and well-roundedness. Health-related experience: Presently, the practice of medicine is much different than it was 10 years ago and it continues to change rapidly. Besides showing you are committed to service, in today's competitive field of applicants you must have medical experience, espe-cially patient care experience. Dental schools prefer candidates that have experience in the dental field. Job shadows play an important part in your premed experience and appli-cation. Plan to have 50 hours of shadow experience by the time you submit the primary application. Be informed! Know your values in relation to your position on ethical and political issues in medicine. You may be asked to explain them during the medical school interview. An ex-cellent introductory course to biomedical ethics is Biomedical Ethics (PHIL A302), and the University of Washington School of Medicine website covers bioethics and it is available at http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/index.html. Stay informed of current politi-cal and cultural events by reading editorial pages of newspapers, medical journals and medical literature in general. Be certain you want to become a physician or dentist. Be able to verbalize your reasons for choosing your career path. Do not say, “I want to help people.” Other: Practice your writing and test-taking skills. Sample MCAT writing tests are avail-able at http://testprep.about.com/od/themcat/a/MCAT_Writing.htm and other sites.
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APPLICATION PROCESS: April-August, 17-13 months before expected matriculation: Take the MCAT. Applica-tion forms are available at https://services.aamc.org/authregistration/index.cfm?fromapp=MCAT . Volumes of practice materials and sample tests are available commer-cially and on the web. Plan to spend one hour a day reviewing the science course materials for six months before the test. Do not take the test until you are adequately pre-pared! If you are interested in dental school, take the DAT with a similar preparation schedule. June, one year before expected matriculation: Fill out the AMCAS or AADSAS applica-tion and send your transcripts to AMCAS/AADSAS. The application can be obtained from www.aamc.org/ or http://www.adea.org/dental_education_pathways/aadsas/Pages/default.aspx . Submit the application more than a year before you plan to enter medical/dental school. You are more likely to get interviews and be accepted if you apply early, be-cause many schools have a rolling application process and review applications as they are received. Fall/one year before expected matriculation: Fill out any secondary applications re-quests you receive. Also, you must send letters of recommendation to these schools. Fall and winter/one year or less before expected matriculation: Travel to schools that give you an interview. This can be costly, but it may be possible to schedule more than one interview for a particular round of air travel. Letter of acceptance! You're in! WAHOO, celebrate. Letter of non-acceptance. If you are put on hold, are an alternate, or are not accepted, you should write or call the admission director at the applicable schools to ask what your perceived weaknesses were. To reapply, improve your application in some way, consider an MCAT prep to obtain a higher MCAT score, obtain more patient care experience, continue to job shadow and consider taking Biochemistry as many schools now ask for this course. Doing well in this Biochemistry may be seen as an indication of your ability to complete higher-level coursework.
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FINANCIAL CONCERNS: Try to keep your student loans to a minimum during undergraduate school. Main-tain a good credit rating. Medical school is quite expensive, and nearly all students must accept loans to complete their education. It will be HIGHLY beneficial to you to do your best to pay off all previous loans prior to matriculation. As a medical student, your time will be extremely limited; therefore, external employment is usually impos-sible while in school. Save your dollars for the application process. AMCAS and secondary application fees can add up, and travel and telephone expenses may become significant. Discuss finances with your family. WWAMI participants now average nearly $120,000 in personal debt by the time they complete medical school. USEFUL WEBSITES: http://www.aamc.org/ This website offers the MCAT and AMCAS applications, as well as MCAT Sample Tests and Writing Sample Items for the year, and other mate-rials. http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/wwami/ This website contains information pertinent to the WWAMI Program and Alaska residency, along with some hints for becoming a vi-able applicant to the WWAMI Program. http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview/ This website contains medical school inter-view feedback, links to allopathic and other pre-professional/professional forums. http://www.adea.org/dental_education_pathways/aadsas/Pages/default.aspx This website contains necessary information for students applying to dental school. http://www.aavmc.org This website contains information of interest to students ap-plying to veterinary school.
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12
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WWAMI Staff Information
Jane Shelby, Ph.D. Director T 907-786-4772 F 907-786-4700 Email: [email protected] Health Sciences Building, Room 301 C Robert Furilla, Ph.D. Associate Director T 907.786.4721 F 907.786.4700 E-mail: [email protected] Health Sciences Building, Room 301 D
Quentin Reuer, Ph.D. Pre-Health Professions Advisor T 907.786.1747 F 907.786.4607 Email: [email protected] Conoco Phillips Health Science Building, Room 301M
René Contreras, Ed.D. Pathways Coordinator T 907-786-1019 F 907-786-4700 E-mail: [email protected] Health Sciences Building, Room 105 G
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Maryann Kniffen Business Manager T 907.786.4794 F 907.786.4700 E-mail: [email protected] Health Sciences Building, Room 301E Nancy Hall Program Coordinator T 907.786.4789 F 907.786.4700 E-mail: [email protected] Health Sciences Building, Room 301 F Cassandra Dale Administrative Specialist T 907-786-4737 F 907-786-4700 E-mail: cdale5 @uaa.alaska.edu Health Sciences Building, Room 301 A
Physical Address: Health Sciences Building (HSB) 301
3795 Piper Street Anchorage, AK 99504
Mailing Address: 3211 Providence Drive, HSB 301
Anchorage, AK 99508
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WWAMI Faculty Contact Information Raymond Bailey, Ph.D. Professor of Anatomy [email protected] Jaime Butler, M.D. Adjunct Assistant Professor Emergency Medicine [email protected] Kathy Case, M.D. Adjunct Assistant Professor Family Practice [email protected] Jamie Elswick, B.S. Term Instructor Anatomy [email protected] Robert Furilla, Ph.D. Associate Director Adjunct Professor Physiology [email protected]
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Timothy Hinterberger, Ph.D. Associate Professor Developmental Biology [email protected] Clarence Hughes, M.D. Adjunct Assistant Professor Family Medicine [email protected] Cindy Knall, Ph.D. Associate Professor Signal Transduction & Innate Immunity [email protected] Tanya Leinicke, M.D. Adjunct Associate Professor Emergency Medicine [email protected] Ryan McGhan, M.D., M.S.P.H Adjunct Assistant Professor Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine [email protected]
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Kerstin Miller, M.D. Affiliate Assistant Professor Internal Medicine (907) 786-4789 Jesse L. Owens, Ph.D. Associate Professor Cell Physiology [email protected] Quentin Reuer, Ph.D. Professor Virology [email protected] Ram Srinivasan Ph.D. Professor Biochemistry [email protected] Alexander von Hafften, M.D. Affiliate Assistant Professor Psychiatry (907) 786-4789
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Stephanie Bauer, Ph.D Biomedical Ethics [email protected] Jocelyn Krebs, Ph.D Research [email protected] David Pfeiffer, Ph.D Anatomy [email protected] Ian van Tets, Ph.D Physiology [email protected] Caroline Wilson, Ph.D. Anatomy & Physiology [email protected]
Additional WWAMI UAA Faculty
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Map
to H
ealth
Sci
ence
s Bui
ldin
g
