Medical Explorers High School, College, Medical School and Beyond Dr. Courtney LaCaze-Adams Washington Township Pediatrician

Introduction  Grew up in Orange County, California  Interest in medicine started in high school Anatomy class Strong science interest Dance team Piano

Introduction  High school: El Dorado (public high school)  College: UC Riverside  Medical School: UCLA  Pediatric Internship and Residency: UC Davis  Chief resident at UC Davis  Practice at Washington Township since Sept 2011

My road to medicine  High school-Family practitioner mentor  National Youth Forum on Medicine-Boston  Strong science interest  Researching colleges

Why UC Riverside?  Close to home  “Big fish in a small pond”  7 year combined program with UCLA-enter as a Biomedical Science major  Strong science program  Campus tour

UC Riverside  Biomedical major  Intermural sports  Sorority  ***Clinical experience  ***Research experience

College Years  National Youth Leadership Forum- China  Applications to medical schools  Application to 7 year UCR/UCLA MD program (separate)  Clinical experience at Riverside General  Research experience with physics professor  MCAT Challenges Take during summer vs. school year

MCAT  Physical Sciences Physical Sciences  Verbal Reasoning Verbal Reasoning  Writing Sample Writing Sample  Biological Sciences Biological Sciences  Multiple choice, 5 hour test  Usually offered in summer and spring

Medical School  First two clinical years at UC Riverside  Third and fourth clinical years at UCLA  Third year rotations: Surgery Psychology Obstetrics/Gynecology Family Medicine Pediatrics Doctoring Neurology

Medical School Third Year  Rotations  Why pediatrics? Specialty personalities Feel on rotation Fourth Year  USMLE Step 2  Sub-internships (3) Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at UCLA General pediatrics at Harbor, UCLA Pedatric Infectious Disease at Cedar Sinai, UCLA  Applications for residency  Residency interviews  Match day: UC DAVIS!

-Delivering a baby on my ob-gyn rotation at Oliveview, UCLA

Pediatric Residency  3 years  Rotations-requirements and electives  Research  Advocacy-American Academy of Pediatrics  Chief residency One year after residency Attending and teaching the residents

Day in the life of pediatric resident  At hospital at 6 am  Sign out from overnight team  See patients  Morning report  Attending rounds  Patient care  Sign out 4pm-7pm  Incredible patients and learning!  Difficult cases

Day in the life of a pediatrician  Outpatient clinic 8am-5pm  Home/weekend call  Opportunity to get to know families and patients from birth to 18 years

High school students considering medical school  Enjoy high school!  Do well on your SAT/ACT  Research colleges  Get involved in activities that interest you

College  Chose a college that feels like the best fit for you, both academically and personally  Do not chose a school based on getting into medical schools  Enjoy college and get involved!  Good time to develop peer relationships and independence as a individual

Premedical requirements  1 year of general chemistry with associated lab  1 year of biology with associated lab  1 year of physics with associated lab  1 year of organic chemistry with associated lab

Recommended premedical courses  Biochemistry  English  Humanities  Mathematics

Remember…  Medical schools accept any major, as long as you have met the requirements  Medical School Admissions Requirement (MSAR) book is published every two years by the AAMC. This book will become your official resource for the medical school admissions requirements.

Becoming a doctor  1: High school 4 years  2: College 4 years  3: Residency 3-6 years  4: Fellowship 1-3 years

There are many paths to medical school  Many people chose to take time off to travel, pursue other interests, have children/start a family  Average age of person entering medical school is now: ~25  Post Baccalaureate programs  Masters programs

Standardized tests!  High school-SAT/ACT  College-MCAT  Medical School-USMLE Step 1,2  Residency-USMLE Step 3  After residency-Board certification  Fellowship-Specialty board certification  Yearly CME/Re-certification

Applying to medical school  GPA-General rule of thumb: 3.5 or above  MCAT-Score above 30  Personal statement  Letters of recommendations  Work and activities Work Volunteering/community service Research Extracurricular activities

My best advice:  Enjoy high school!  Chose a college that you feel is the best fit for you  Get involved in 1-2 activities that you are passionate about  Medical experience/exposure

Questions?  Thank you all for coming!  with any questions