Saturday, February 25, 2012

Minutes from February 16th

Hey, everyone! We had an awesome turn-out for our last meeting. Thanks for being there! If you were not at our AMSA meeting on Feb 16, then you probably missed out. Dr. Peggy Davis from UMMC came down to speak to us about the pathway to medical school. However, here are some brief notes about upcoming events in AMSA and what Dr. Davis talked about.


AMSA Meetings
  • March 22: Rosalyn Campbell is coming to speak about the Tupelo Shadowing Program
    • She will also be conducting interviews on that day, so be on the lookout for an email with info on that
  • April 12: Dr. Case from UMMC is coming to give an application workshop. And you don't have to be applying this upcoming year in order to find this useful
  • April 17: OFFICER ELECTIONS
    • If you are at all interested in being an officer, then let us know and we can talk to you about it
  • Also, we will still be selling AMSA t-shirts at the rest of the meetings for $10. They have Dr. Bully on them, so how could you not buy one???

MCAT Practice Tests
  • We had an awesome turn-out to our last practice MCAT, and I think that everyone who came benefited from the experience
  • Another (and the last one for the semester) has been scheduled for Sunday, March 4 at 1:00pm. It will be in the 4th floor computer lab in Griffis
Medical School Trip
Volunteering
  • Run to Rescue 5K
  • April 26th at 6pm, beginning at the Junction
  • If you don't want to run, then you can still help out; email Melissa Byrd at mkb187@msstate.edu
  • For more info or to register to run, visit rescuetorun.org


Pathway to the School of Medicine 2012
by Peggey Davis, Director of Medical School Admissions
(http://som.umc.edu)

The Steps of Medical School
1. Get a degree, 4 years
2. Medical school for 4 years
3. Residency, 3-5 years
4. Optional fellowships

Quick look at the 4 years of medical school
  • M1 and M2:
    • Basic Sciences, Normal and abnormal physiology
  • Take Step 1 for the USMLE
  • M3 and M4:
    • Clinical Training
  • Take Step 2 during fourth year
Academic Preparation
  • Bachelor's degree
  • Any major
  • A year's worth of credit in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Math (must have the minimum prerequisites listed on UMMC's admissions website)
Personal Preparation
  • Exposure to medicine,volunteer or employment
    • MD office, clinics, hospital, nursing home, pre-medical organizations, medical research, ect
  • Extracurricular activities (indicative of effective iteration with diverse people)
  • Service to individuals, family, and community groups
  • Leadership and other forms of responsibility
  • Academic/cultural interests beyond the classroom
  • Work experience
AMCAS: online service for the primary application to allopathic medical schools (MD schools)
  • Be super detailed! Explain what you did in each experience and what you gained from it.
  • Choose up to 3 "most meaningful" experiences to give details about.
What to do now:
  • Keep a journal of your activities
  • Contact information for your activities
  • Reflect afterwards to determine what it means to you, so that you can have easy access to 
You are ready to apply if you:
  • Are a Mississippi resident (or can meet the 1 year residency requirement before matriculation)
  • Will complete all academic requirements within the current academic year
  • Prepared to matriculate next August (deferments discourages)
UMMC Programs:
  • Early Decision Program
    • Apply to one school only
    • > 3.6 BCPM GPA and 27  MCAT sum
  • Regular Decision Program
    • Apply to multiple schools
    • Sliding for BCPM GPA and MCAT scale (a low GPA can be off-set by a high MCAT score, ect)
  • Combined MD-PhD Program
    • Average: BCPM GPA >3.8, MCAT 31
    • Sequential acceptance to MD or PhD programs
Check out:
  • Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
    • AMCAS
    • MCAT
  • Also, Dr. Davis gives pre-application counseling for any who are interested

Thanks again for everyone who showed up to hear Dr. Davis speak. I'm sure you walked away with a new perspective and maybe some new idea on how you can turn yourself into a better applicant. Be sure to come out for our last 3 meetings!!
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