THE BASICS OF PRE-HEALTHCARE UGA AMSA - WORKSHOP 1

WHY HEALTHCARE? A common question that will be asked of you (and one you need to ask yourself) The right reasons Preparing yourself for what lies ahead The allied healthcare field Who is involved in healthcare?

Undergrad Medical School Traditional vs. Nontraditional students Statistics Recovering a low GPA Post-bac programs Special Masters’ programs Gaining more experience Saving money Travel

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Pre-Med MD vs DO – Allopathy and Osteopathy AAMC – Association of American Medical Colleges AACOM – American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Pre-Pharm – AACP - American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Pre-PA – PAEA - The Physician Assistant Education Association Dental, Podiatry, Optometry, Veterinary Medicine

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES FOR UNDERGRADS PA – common requirements hours of direct patient care hours – 3 years (PA-C) o What is and what is not “direct patient care” Pharmacy – bachelor’s degree not required; specific courses, 69 total academic hours – 4 years (PharmD) o Anatomy / Physiology, Microbiology, Economics Medicine – the common requirements – 4 years (MD or DO) Individual requirements will vary school to school

THE BASIC COURSEWORK Chemistry, Biology, Organic Chemistry, and Physics (both semesters of each, lab with each) English and Mathematics (1102 and 2250) Get the basics completed as soon as possible Be wary of individual medical school requirements “AP out” not allowed – some schools Supplementary courses for MCAT knowledge

ADDITIONAL COURSEWORK Biochemistry (BCMB 3100) Psychology / Sociology – New MCAT – PSYC (1101, 3230, 3810, 4150, 5850) SOCI (1101) Anatomy/Physiology (CBIO3710, VPHY3100, PMCY3000)*, Microbiology (MIBO3500), Cell Biology (CBIO3400)**, ENTO 3650 Genetics – GENE 3200 Immunology - CBIO(MIBO)(IDIS) 4100/6100,

CHOOSING A COURSE OF STUDY What do I major in? o Balancing interests with practicality o Common “pre-med” majors: Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Physics, Cell Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Biological Science Franklin vs. College of Agriculture (Biology and Biological Science) Dual Majors Minors – Biology, Cell Bio, Chemistry, Genetics, Microbiology, Pharmaceutical Science, humanities Arts/Humanities

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO AFTER REGISTRATION Create your plan Altering your plan Setbacks Contingency plans Health, well-being > Grades/academics > everything else

COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

EXAMPLE ACADEMIC PLAN

SO WHAT DO HEALTHCARE SCHOOLS REALLY LOOK FOR? GPA o The fabled “cut-off” GPA MCAT/PCAT/DAT score Extracurricular activities o Clinical experience o Shadowing o Research experience Letters of recommendation Impressions made during an interview Personal goals – vary depending on school

THE IMPORTANCE OF GPA AND MCAT Example: Student A has a 3.7 GPA and a 31 on the MCAT. 67.7% of students fitting Student A’s profile got into medical school.

ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT Their role Establishing a relationship Different types of academic advisors o The Freshman Advisor o The Gatekeeper o The Cheerleader o The Coach Utilizing them as a resource

STANDARDIZED TESTS The MCAT – Medical College Admissions Test o New MCAT – Four sections -- Biology/Biochemistry, Chemistry/Physics, Psychology/Sociology/Behavior, Critical analysis/reasoning The PCAT – Pharmacy College Admissions Test o Writing, verbal, biology, chemistry, reading/comprehension, quantitative ability DAT/OAT – Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Perceptual Ability, Reading, Quantitative word problems Prep courses – Kaplan (Brian Allen -- Princeton Review Self-Study – Exam Krackers

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Clubs clubs clubs!! o Healthcare related clubs  AMSA, AED, Pre-Pharm Society, Pre-PA Society, Predental Club, Medlife o Other clubs!  Clinical experience Shadowing Research Leadership Service and volunteer work Awards and achievements

NON-HEALTH RELATED EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Many healthcare schools want a human being Excelling at what you do Being well-rounded Outside interests Passion Commitment

THE PERSONAL TOUCH Letters of recommendation Impressions after the interview What sets you aside from other applicants? How are you able to demonstrate the attributes that would make you an effective healthcare provider? Were you faced with adversity? Personal struggles A story How would a medical school and a healthcare system benefit by accepting you?

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH FACULTY Letters of recommendation When to begin AMCAS guidelines – at least 5 letters. Max of 11. o A variety of sources (Ex:) 2 Science, 1 non-science, 1 physician, 1 research professor / other mentor) o People who know you well o Classes you have done well in o Office hours UGA Premedical Studies office packet and the little- known loophole Maintaining the relationship

THE APPLICATION PROCESS Attend pre-med orientation Keep track of names, dates, hours, etc. Have an active resume beginning freshman year Set up an appointment with the office for your respective advisor the year you plan to apply Know the right time to apply Begin building faculty relationships Summers! – Stay busy The personal statement – begin pre-writing it anytime 15 activities section

(CONTINUED) The process begins incredibly early on Be wary of due for different things dates Apply as early as possible – “batches” Take advantage of EDPs if you know where you want to go AMCAS and AACOM have different requirements (if applying to both) o GPA, MCAT, and resume are important

INTERVIEWS Dress and act professionally Be prepared to talk about everything you’ve submitted to the school Practice sample interview questions Open and closed interviews Group interviews Panel/Committee interviews Mock interviews and critique Be confident!

PLACES AND FACES UGA Premedical Studies Program – 111 Memorial Hall o Podiatry, Optometry, and Dentistry o AED listserv - Dr. Alan Langford – previous director of UGA Premedical Program o Recent changes o BIOL2900 Dr. David Eisner – Interim Director o Keisha Chandler - Senior Academic Advisor for Premedical o

(CONTINUED) Carol Roberts - Senior Academic Advisor for Predentistry & Preoptometry o Pamela Tolbert – Business Manager and Administrative Support o Dr. Martin Rogers - Associate Director of Honors & CURO o Dr. Joseph Crim - Professor Emeritus in Cellular Biology o

(CONTINUED) Dr. Mark Farmer - Professor and Director of the Division of Biological Sciences o Dr. Kathleen Anderson – Senior Pre-pharmacy Advisor o Susan Herda – Pre-Pharm Admissions Counselor o Brian Allen – Kaplan Representative - The Career Center - 2nd Floor, Clark Howell Hall o Katelyn Kivett – Pre-health -

HELPFUL WEBSITES AAMC - AAMCAS AACOM- AADAS - AAOPT - Bulletin - UGA Premed – – links to many other useful things! SDN - beware

QUESTIONS?