Average Pre-Med Kid

[averagepremedkid-blog]

So, lately I've been going crazy.  I'm a senior, and I want to get started with med school already.  Problem is I got a 24 on my MCAT.  Can't really get in anywhere in the US, unless I want to go to Podiatry school or maybe, if I'm lucky, an Osteopathic school.  Another option has been starting to look real nice, though- THE CARIBEAN.

The pictures above are Ross University School of Medicine, located in Dominica.  Beautiful, right?  Now, there has been a lot of stigma attached to going to medical school outside of the US for a long time.  Honestly, I was a little befuddled when the physician I was shadowing told me he went to medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico.  That was 30-something years ago.  His story was compelling.  He had to study Spanish for a year before he could start studying medicine, since Guadalajara Med School teaches in Spanish (or at least it did back then), and he had to do a year of unpaid residency in the US before he could practice here.  It sounded like a nightmare to me, and I was sure I would go to medical school in the US.  Things have changed, though.

With Ross Med School, you're good to go when you graduate - nothing extra.  No unpaid residency, no extra exams.  Aside from the bias people may have against you studying abroad, it seems like Ross Med School can get you to where you wanna be - in a practice/hospital as an MD!  As far as accreditation, Ross is not accredited the same as US Med Schools, but it is accredited by standards that are comparable, which is why Ross graduated are able to get straight into residencies in US hospitals.

So, I think I will be applying here for admission in Fall 2014.  I'm attending an information session this Saturday in Washington, DC.  So far, I'm liking Ross Medical School.  I will keep you all posted as I find out more and get further into the process.  I hope you all find this as interesting as I did.  It seems schools like Ross are becoming a more viable option for people who don't want to wait another year just because the US Med Schools are so competitive.  

I just might learn to surf...

-Jordan  

P.S here's a link to their website.

http://www.rossu.edu/medical-school/

[averagepremedkid-blog]

Different Titles: DO, MD, DPM, etc.

I never knew about all the different types of doctors.  I always thought a doctor was a doctor.  Then, I realized not every doctor had an MD on their name tag. 

The American Medical Association says that, in order to be a PHYSICIAN, one must be either a DO or an MD.  

To earn the MD degree, you go to an allopathic medical school.  Most medical colleges offer this degree, and most physicians in the United States (and the world) are MD's.

A DO is a physician that specializes in Osteopathic Medicine.  They go to Osteopathic medical schools.  There are fewer DO's than MD's in practice, and fewer DO schools.  

The difference, you ask?  Well, pretty much nothing besides the extra hundreds of hours of training that DO's undergo.  The extra training is in OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine).  Other than that, DO's and MD's are qualified to do all the same stuff in the United States.  In other words, MD's and DO's have an unlimited scope of practice.  As the number of medical school applicants increases, the less competitive DO schools have started to look more appealing to pre-med students.  You can get into most DO schools with around a 26-32 MCAT score, whereas most MD schools are 30 and up.  Don't forget to calculate GPA and other variables.     

There's another title I threw in the title of this post, DPM.  A DPM is a doctor of podiatric medicine, aka a podiatrist.  Podiatrists are defined as physicians of the foot, ankle, and lower extremities.  They do everything from wound care to gnarly surgeries that involve bone-saws (as long as it's foot, ankle, lower extremity).  I actually have around 20 hours shadowing a podiatrist in a private practice, and I have watched him do multiple surgeries - very cool stuff.  It's also cool that podiatry school is less competitive than MD or DO school, yet still offers a very rewarding career.  

So, when you're thinking about being a doctor, perhaps keep an open mind as to what type of doctor (other than a good doctor) you want to be.

-Jordan 

[averagepremedkid-blog]

Getting Those Hours for Medical School

It's never too soon to start getting some volunteer experience at your local hospital.  I came across my first volunteer opportunity while trying to find a job, actually.  I was 18, fresh out of high school, and ready to operate on people already.  The lady I spoke to suggested I start as a volunteer, however.  I obliged, and I was lucky enough to be taken under the wing of a veteran who really knew the ropes of the hospital.  It was a great experience.  Becoming a volunteer is usually a piece of cake - just go to the hospital and ask to speak with the volunteer supervisor.    

These days, medical schools want you to have a lot of hours!  They want breadth and depth of experience.  So, get into that hospital and get used to that environment.  Also, try to get to know some doctors because you also need as many hours shadowing a physician as possible.  Plus, how can you know you want to be a doctor if you've never experienced a day in the life?  Finding a doctor to shadow can be tough, if you don't know what to do.  I went on yellowpages and called about 15 doctors' offices in my area, and I received one call back - hey, one call back is all you need.  I called back, shadowed an MD at a wound treatment center all summer and got great exposure to all kinds of things.  

Get out there and get those hours!  It might seem boring and pointless, but it's all about the experience - you've gotta pay your dues.    

-Jordan   

[averagepremedkid-blog]

What's Your Major? Pre-med

You ever ask somebody what their major is and they say, "Pre-med,"?   Well, most school catalogs I've browsed through don't have "Pre-med" as a major, but they do have an advising track.  While this may be old news to some, I have to throw it out there because many people are still unclear about it.  

Medical schools don't require you to be a certain major.  Study whatever you want, BUT you do have to take certain classes to prove you can handle medical school.  

You can find this information on any medical school's website, but they will all tell you that you need these core classes:

General Biology w/Lab(2 semesters)

General Chemistry w/Lab(2 semesters)

Organic Chemistry w/Lab(2 semesters)

General Physics w/Lab(2 semesters)

English/Composition (2 semesters)

Calculus or Statistics (1 semester)

As long as you have these classes under your belt, you're good for most medical schools.  This is why I'm a Psychology major - I like studying psychology, and it gave me the time to take all the prerequisites I listed above.  I also took Cell Biology, which is highly recommended for medical school, and I am currently taking Biochemistry.  I made the mistake of taking my MCAT before I took Biochem - don't do that.  You might not have a choice, though, because Biochem is supposed to be added to the MCAT in the next year or so.   Anyways, the point of this post is to tell you not to worry about your major.  You can seriously be an art major and still get into medical school, as long as you have taken your chemistry, biology, physics, math, and English.  By the way, you'll know whether you're cut out for medical school or not once you get to organic chemistry - I had a lot of "Pre-Med" friends change career paths because of that class.  You're stronger than that, though. ;)

-Jordan 

[averagepremedkid-blog]

Average Pre-Med Kid Intro

This blog is intended for all those other kids out there who, like me, think they want to be a doctor.  I hope I can provide some guidance, clear things up, and help students plan a clear path to their success.  One might say, "Well, isn't that what counselors/advisers are for?"  Well, yes, but at many universities (like VCU, where I go) there are so many students that advisers tend to just give every student a packet and tell them the same thing.  I think I can hit a little closer to home, since I have been through most of it and am still going through it.

About the Author (Me) and My Purpose:

I'm a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University.  I transferred here from Thomas Nelson Community College in Fall 2012, and I should graduate May 2014 with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry.  I'm not your typical pre-med guy, but then again, what is typical?  

Well, when I imagine a pre-med student, I imagine a kid who always wanted to be a doctor, got a 4.0 in high school, went straight to a 4-year university, joined a frat (or not), and just seems like the All-American student.  If I just described you - congrats!  You are well on your way to becoming a doc, as long as you stay motivated; however, I am nothing close to that.  As a matter of fact, I barely graduated high school - I was a "Must-Pass-All" my senior year and finished with something like a 2.2 GPA.  

Now, don't go thinking I'm some dummy trying to become an MD just because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.  I actually wanted to be a pilot ever since I first laid eyes on an airplane, and I did just that.  That's right - this dummy with a 2.2 GPA in high school got his pilot license when he was 18 years old.  You see, it's all about dedication, and it's a lot easier to be dedicated to something you're passionate about.  

So, why am I in school and not flying?   I chose to go to college rather than try to make a career out of flying, since I figured most airlines would want a college degree, anyways.  Also, I had my dad in my ear all the time always making medicine seem like the holy grail of careers.  Parents are always right, aren't they?  

Well, now I'm in my senior year of college, I've earned A's in all the classes required for medical school, and I've taken the MCAT.  If I can come this far, given my history, there's no reason you can't - and I want to help you any way I can!  Whether you're in high school, undergrad, graduate, or anything pre-med, I'm sure you will find some of the information in this blog helpful.  

-Jordan