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.