10/14 Meeting-Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program

I hope that those of you who went to William Carey had an enjoyable trip!

A few upcoming events:

• Deadline to order 2010 – 2011 AMSA T-shirts is quickly approaching! Orders must be placed by Friday, October 22^nd. If you have not yet placed an order, e-mail us with your name, netID, and t-shirt size. The t-shirts will be $10 – 12 (we will have a price once we place the order).

• Two stadium cleanups this month! The next one will be on October 23^rd, which is Homecoming, so please come! The next stadium cleanup will be the following weekend on October 30^th. We have three possible medical school visits left. Remember, if you want to go on a medical school visit, you must have come to two stadium cleanups for the first visit and one cleanup for every subsequent visit.

• Sweet Potato Drop on November 12^th from 8 am – 12 pm. The Sweet Potato Drop will be held at the Palmeiro Center. This is a come-and-go thing so you don’t have to sign up for a time. Come out if you can! This is a great (and interesting) way to get community service.

• Practice MCAT November 14^th at 2 pm. We will be meeting at Hand Lab. The price for the test is $30, and you will need a credit card to pay for it. AMSA will give you a check to reimburse you for the test.

• Our next meeting is November 11^th at 7 pm in McCool. Chief Patterson will be speaking about medical opportunities with the Navy, and she will be providing Abner’s!

This past Thursday Mrs. Janie Guice, Executive Director of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program (MRPSP), spoke to us about the MRPSP.

Her presentation covered information that can be found on the MRPSP website: http://mrpsp.umc.edu/index.html

Some important points (and interesting information) from her presentation:

• Mississippi has the fewest number of physicians of any state in the US. The MRPSP aims to fix this problem by encouraging pre-med students to practice in rural parts of Mississippi and helping them achieve this goal.

• The program targets college sophomores interested in practicing Primary Care in Mississippi.

• Ideally, students enter the program when they are college sophomores and remain in it through Medical or Osteopathic School, Residency, and Initial Practice (4 years).

• Juniors and seniors may enter the program as well and continue through it as normal. Juniors do not receive sophomore training, but everything else is the same. Seniors do not receive sophomore or junior undergraduate benefits and fill out a different application.

• The undergraduate requirements for applying to the program are very similar to those for medical school and can be found on the website. Applicants must also have a rural background, exposure to medicine, a strong work ethic, a commitment to MRPSP, good faculty evaluations, and participation in volunteer activities.

• The undergraduate application opens on November 1^st and closes on February 15^th.

• One interesting benefit from participating in this program is consideration for Direct Admission to UMMC. Basically, you can earn a seat in medical school while you are completing your undergraduate degree (and bypass some of the application process).

• Additionally, this program provides undergraduates with Medical Encounters experiences at UMMC, rural health academic enrichment, rural clinical experience, rural physician mentors, and a free Kaplan MCAT prep course. During medical school, this program can provide a $30,000 a year scholarship along with faculty mentors and academic support.

• Students complete residency in one of five areas: Family Medicine, OB/GYN, Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, or Pediatrics.

• After residency completion, members of the program must enter a clinic-based practice in a rural town of less than 20,000 people. You must remain in the town for at least 4 years in order to complete the program.

• If, at any time, you default on the program, the money must be repaid in full along with 6% interest. Be sure this is what you want to do before you apply!

If you have any questions, you can contact Janie Guice by phone at (601)815-9022 or by email at jguice@umc.edu.

A few important upcoming events:

• Blood Drive tomorrow (Monday, September 20^th) from 9 am – 2 pm! It will be in rooms 325 and 327 in the Union. Our volunteer slots are full, but you can still come and give blood (or bring your friends to give blood)!

• Medical School visit to William Carey University on October 15^th. Remember, you must have come to 2 stadium cleanups to go on the trip. We still have 2 more stadium cleanups before we go on the trip! Send us an email if you would like to come.

• Stadium cleanup this Saturday, September 25^th, directly following the game. We will meet under the old Jumbotron in the parking lot before we begin cleaning up. After we have started, you can find us just past the 50 yard line. We are on the right side of the stadium if you are facing the new Jumbotron. Remember, you get entered for a chance to win money in January for every stadium cleanup you come to!

• We are ordering t-shirts! If you’d like one, send us an email telling us what size you want. The t-shirts will be $10 - $12. The exact price will depend upon how many people order t-shirts.

• Our next meeting is October 14th at 7 pm in McCool 100. Jaynie Guice, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Rural Physician Scholarship Program, will be speaking about the scholarship program.

This past Thursday, Dr. Jim Weir, Jr., D.D.S., J.D., came to talk to us about the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Jim Weir is the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and a Professor of Pathology, Histology, and Oral Health at WCU – COM.

His PowerPoint presentation covered information that can be found on the school’s website: http://www.wmcarey.edu/COM/Home/1722/CollegeofOsteopathic.shtm

Some important points from his presentation:

• This year is the first year that William Carey University has had a D.O. program. Their charter class had 110 students.

• Doctors of Osteopathy (D.O.s) are fully qualified physicians who are able to practice and prescribe medicine in all 50 states. They receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system and are trained to look at the whole body when diagnosing patients. They focus on preventative care.

• D.O.s follow a fairly typical medical school path. They can enter into any kind of medicine, but 2/3 are in primary care.

• Important admissions information is available on the website. Keep in mind that, when applying to D.O. schools, the AACOMAS Application must be completed ( http://www.aacom.org ).

• Applicants to WCU – COM are judged on their academics, alignment with the school’s mission, personal attributes, and motivation to become a doctor.

Some of his advice for getting into medical school in general was:

• Follow a plan, do well in school, take the MCAT early, earn a degree, shadow a physician (particularly one in the field you are interested in), apply to schools early, and visit schools for advice specific to their programs.

If you have any questions, you can call Emily Bennett, Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, at (601) 318 – 6235. You can also email her at ebennett@wmcarey.edu. Dr. Jim Weir’s email is jweir@wmcarey.edu.

Dr. Mike Shaw, D.O., was also available to answer questions about D.O.s and medical schools. He is an Emergency Room Physician at Oktibbeha County Hospital. He reminded us about the Shadowing Program at OCH, in which students can shadow various physicians at the hospital. You can either see Mary Celeste Reese in the Biological Sciences office on the 2^nd floor of Etheredge or call the Medical Staff Office at Oktibbeha County Hospital.

Hello everyone.

This past Thursday, Dr. Steven T. Case, PhD, came and talked to us about the interview process at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. Dr. Case is a professor of Biochemistry and the Associate Dean of Admissions. He conducts many interviews at UMC. The program on Thursday was the first in a three-part series about the application and admissions process at UMC. This program was directed at Seniors preparing to interview at UMC in the next few weeks, but some helpful information for students of other classifications was included as well.

Dr. Case’s PowerPoint Presentation is available on the UMC website, http://som.umc.edu/admissions.html.

Some additional information is:

• Apply as soon as possible! The sooner you apply, the sooner an interview invitation can be sent to you.
• Admissions preference is given to applicants whose files are complete, including transcripts and letters of evaluation, so try to get everything in as soon as possible.
• At UMC, you will have 3 interviews. The interviews are one-on-one and typically last 20 - 30 minutes.
• On interview day, some of your interviewers may have read your file, and some may not have read it. Be aware of this in case they ask you questions about things in your file.
• Be sure to look at the website to see the traits that your interviewers are seeking to assess.
• Every question the interviewers ask you helps them to evaluate you as a future physician.
• The most important thing to remember in an interview is to be yourself!
• Be sure to sit up.
• The single most common mistake people make in the interview: failure to answer a question. This includes responding to a question without answering the actual question that was asked. If your interviewer asks for one reason for something, only give one reason (not two or three)!
• Remember that it is no longer about you. It is about how you would treat your patients as a physician. Conduct yourself how you would like your doctors to conduct themselves.
• Finally, interview day is not designed to intimidate you.
• About half the people who interview will be accepted. Some of the interviewed applicants will become alternates.

The Admissions Office email is AdmitMD@umc.edu. The Admissions Office phone number is (601) 984 - 5010. One-on-one appointments are offered at UMC. The appointment will allow you to get prepared for the interview beforehand so that you will be more comfortable on the day of the interview. You will be able to meet the staff in the Admissions Office and to familiarize yourself with the campus. If you would like to schedule one of these appointments or a medical school counseling appointment, call (don't email) the Admissions Office.

Also, we would like to thank everyone for coming on time and looking nice!
Kelsey

August 24, 2010 Meeting Minutes

Hello everyone.

Our first meeting was Tuesday, August 24^th, and it was great! We had introductions of all of our officers, wonderful pictures included, before covering some important information and upcoming events.

Meeting on Thursday!

·         Dr. Steven Case, the Associate Dean of Admissions at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, is coming to speak to us today, August 25^th, at 7:00 p.m. in McCool 109. He will be speaking about the admission and the interview processes.

·         Come early for pizza, and try to look nice!

Next meeting in September

·         September 16^th at 7:00 p.m. in McCool 100

·         Our speaker will be Dr. Jim Weir from the William Carey College of Osteopathic Medicine

Stadium Cleanup

·         Stadium cleanups typically begin at 6:00 a.m.

·         You must attend 2 stadium cleanups to go on your first medical school visit and 1 stadium cleanup for each subsequent medical school visit.

·         First stadium cleanup is Sunday, September 4^th.

·         We are unsure of the date of the cleanup for the Auburn game. You will receive an email about it later.

·         We will be having a raffle for $20 at the end of the semester, but you can only enter if you’ve come to stadium cleanups!

·         The more people we have, the faster the stadium cleanups go, so everyone should try to come!

Dues

·         One-time membership dues of $20 – this covers all 4 years, or any years you have left if you are not a freshman. If you have paid before, you do not need to pay again!

·         You can pay with cash or check at the next meeting.

Blood Drive

·         September 20^th, 2010 in Union rooms 325 and 327 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

·         Our volunteer time slots are all full, but you can still come and give blood!

AMSA T-shirts

·         2009 – 2010 t-shirts are available for purchase for $5

·         2010 – 2011 t-shirts will also be available for purchase. More information will be available at a later date.

Medical School Visits

·         We will have 2 each semester.

·         Possibilities for this school year are: Emory, UMMC, UAB, Tulane, and William Carey

 Practice MCAT

·         We’re having a practice MCAT this Saturday, August 28^th, in Hand at 8:00 a.m.

·         If you are a member of AMSA, you will be reimbursed for the practice test fee.

Service Project

·         Habitat for Humanity

·         The tentative date is September 11^th.

·         We will send out more information on this later.

Shadowing Opportunities

·         Mary Celeste Reese has information on a shadowing opportunity here at the Oktibbeha County Hospital.

·         If you’re interested, see her in the Biological Sciences office, located on the 2^nd floor of Etheredge.

2010-2011 Officer Election Results

Your 2010-2011 AMSA officers are:

President: Stefanie Vamenta
President-Elect: Alex Ruhl
Vice-President: Jordan Ingram
Secretary: Kelsey Thompson
Treasurer: Same Sullivan
Webmaster: Charles Runyan
Chapter Development: Becca Bernheim
Recruitment Officer: Jane Anderson
Historian: Dorothy Damm

Thank you to all who attended the election.

Minutes from 03/26/10 Meeting

Hello Everyone!

Here is what we talked about at our meeting last evening:

Our guest speaker was Mrs. Rosalyn Campbell from the North Mississippi Medical Center. She spoke about the Physician Shadowing Program they offer over the summer, as well as the requirements for the application. The deadline to apply is April 20th, but she will be returning to Mississippi State on April 6th in the Union from 3-6 to conduct interviews. She put out a sign-up sheet for the interviews, and all the time slots were filled. However, if you are interested in interviewing, please contact me at aas169@msstate.edu and I will see if something can be worked out. More information is available at nmhs.net/employment.

AMSA t-shirts have arrived! If you pre-ordered and did not pick up your t-shirt, please be sure to do so at the next meeting. We also have ordered extras, and are selling them for the price of $12 a shirt at the next meeting. The shirt comes in a v-neck and a "regular" (crewneck) style.

Upcoming Events:
Trip to UMC on April 9th. We will be leaving from the Hump parking lot on the morning of the 9th, and will return to campus late that afternoon. If you would like to go and did not sign up at the meeting last night, please e-mail us as soon as possible at msuamsa@gmail.com. Also, if you would be willing to drive please let us know. Drivers will be reimbursed on the day of the trip for gas costs. Those who have signed up will receive further details on the trip via e-mail.

Our next meeting in on TUESDAY, April 6th, in Room 100 of the ABE building. Dr. Case or Dr. Davis from UMC will be coming to speak on filling out the AMCAS (the application for medical school). Pizza and drinks will be provided.

Officer Elections are scheduled for April 22nd! If you are considering running, please remember that officers are required to attend stadium clean-up every Sunday after a home football game in addition to position-specific responsibilities. Let us know if you have any questions!

Minutes from 02/18/10 Meeting

Hey guys,

At our meeting on February 18th, we hosted MSgt Raymond Archambo of the US Air Force. He discussed medical school scholarships that the Air Force offers. They sound like a pretty nice deal, so if you are interested, the powerpoint presentation is available here! https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12721f0f23d602a7&mt=application%2Fvnd.ms-powerpoint&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3D4dd7ed766e%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12721f0f23d602a7%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26realattid%3Df_g6bj6fk00%26zw&sig=AHIEtbSHUyQwLwd92zh1jNMzDKYD_fCgGQ&pli=1

Also, we will have a CPR/First Aid certification course on Thursday, March11th (next week) from 6:00PM-10:00PM in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building Rm. 100. While four hours may seem like a long time,the normal time for a class like this would be 8 hours. It will be completely free to you, so it is an opportunity that you should definitelytake advantage of! CPR certification will be first, so you can leave after that portion if you don't want to do the First Aid part. Please respond to our email to let me know if you will be attending so that we can get a better head count.

We will be going to tour the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson on Friday, April 9th. There will be a sign-up sheet for this at our March 25th meeting, but make sure to keep this date open if you would like to go. We would be more than happy to write you a letter for your teachers explaining how beneficial the trip will be if you need me to.

The AMSA t-shirt order has been placed. If you didn't put your name down on the list, don't fret because we have ordered a few extras that will be on sale at the next meeting for $12.

If you would be interested in touring the UAB and/or UT Memphis, please reply to our email and let us know. We will need at least 10 people to tour these medical schools.

Minutes from 01/21/10 Meeting

Hello Everyone!

Here are some of the things we covered in AMSA tonight! In case you couldn't make it to Dr. Case's "Pathway to Medical School" presentation, you can check it out anytime via this link: https://webmail.msstate.edu/util/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsom.umc.edu%2Fadmissions.html&Horde=d3a7ef2390206d1d46667dcd97d09e38 and then click on "Pathway to Medical School" under the "Admissions" heading.*

Other Important News* We are offering a *practice MCAT* THIS SATURDAY *at 8:00 AM in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building (for those of you who don'tknow, it is between Dorman and the McCarthy Gym). There are only 10 computers there, so please bring a laptop if you are able to. You will also need to bring your debit or credit card, which will be charged $35. AMSA will refund you this amount with a check *immediately* at the testing site.

*AMSA t-shirts *are being offered this year! A link to the proof is located on the right of the blog so that you can see what they look like. We are offering them for only $12! Please e-mail Stefanie Vamenta at sv114@msstate.edu to let her know if you are interested and what size you would need. We are trying to get these ordered quickly, so let her know ASAP!

If you want to sell any of your MCAT study materials still, please let Brooke Harris know by e-mailing her at bh396@msstate.edu.

Hope that y'all are having a good week, and please e-mail us if you have any questions!