Carol Hagan – Page 7 – Penn & Beyond

I want my post-bac, post-bac, post-bac….

Your roommate says she isn’t applying to dental school this year, she’s going to “do post-bac.” Your mother says you should talk to your cousin because he “did post-bac” after working for a couple of years. Or, you know you want to “do post-bac,” but don’t know where to start with your planning. What IS post-bac? A dance? A yoga practice?

2600031114_85025349a8 — Baby back ribs -- not post-bac. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacasea

“Post-bac” is short for post-baccalaureate and it refers to academic coursework undertaken after completing your undergraduate degree. More school?! Why would a person do this? There are two reasons if someone is planning to go to medical, dental or veterinary school: either he wants to improve his GPA and academic profile before applying or she didn’t complete the required coursework as an undergrad.

For example, Perry Pre-med completed his requirements and feels his GPA is not where he would like it to be before applying to medical school. Perry might decide to take post-baccalaureate classes in the sciences to raise his cumulative undergraduate GPA. Perry could either enroll in a post-bac “academic record enhancer” program (awkwardly named, but accurate in that he wants to give his transcript an appealing makeover) or take upper level science courses at a college or university as a non-matriculated student (meaning he is enrolled, taking courses for a grade, but not working towards a degree). Alternatively, Perry might consider a “special master’s program” (SMP) in which he takes first-year medical school courses to demonstrate his academic readiness for medical school. An SMP will not affect his undergraduate GPA, but it will demonstrate his ability to handle the work in medical school if he does well. A master’s in public health is not likely to help Perry with his goal of gaining admission to medical school as the graduate courses will not affect his cumulative undergraduate GPA, nor will they show his ability in basic science courses.

Paulina Pre-dental, on the other hand, did not take any of the required coursework as an undergraduate. Before she applies to dental school she can complete her coursework through a post-bac “career changer” program (even if she doesn’t have a career to change) or as a non-matriculated student.

So, how will Perry and Paulina decide whether to do a program or not? If Perry wants to do a post-bac program, how will he choose one? And who cares about Perry and Paulina? What about YOU?

If you are deciding between a program and taking classes on your own, you may want to come in and speak with a pre-health adviser about your options. We have worked with graduates who have taken both routes with success (and both routes without success…post-bac work doesn’t guarantee admission to graduate school, which is a good reason to consider it thoroughly before beginning). Here are some important points to consider regarding post-bac:

Post-bac programs are numerous and varied. Most of them can be found in the AAMC’s searchable database. You will need to be proactive and research the programs. Read the websites and call admissions offices with your questions.
Programs offer more and less flexibility in terms of the pace of your coursework and the time of day classes are offered. If you are working at the same time, this could be important.
Some programs are specifically for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or groups underrepresented in medicine. The University of California Post-bac Consortium is one such program.
What, if any, support is given to students enrolled in the post-bac program in terms of advising, committee letters, MCAT preparation, or research and clinical opportunities?
What is the cost of enrolling in a post-bac program vs. taking courses as a non-matriculated student?
What is the minimum GPA for admission to a program and are there other requirements and deadlines you need to know?
Does the post-bac program offer linkage with specific medical schools? Linkage means that you can apply to the medical school before you have completed all of the coursework in the post-bac program. Applicants admitted to medical school via linkage are strong applicants, nominated by their program, so you cannot assume that if the post-bac program offers linkage that you will be admitted that way.
If you have completed some of the requirements for medical school, but not all, are you a good fit for a post-bac program? You will need to call them and find out and you may be better served picking up the courses on your own.

Choosing a post-baccalaureate path can be a difficult process as there may not be a “right” or “best” way to proceed. Researching and considering all of your options is a great idea and your pre-health advisors are happy to meet with you to discuss your plans.

Survey Says! 1/3 of Penn Alums Entering Medical School Wish…

3331216854_f2c427454f — http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles

Pre-health students — it has arrived! Feedback from our survey of Penn alums who started medical school in 2010 is here and available for your reading pleasure in the Career Services library and in the pre-health advising waiting area (aka, the places where we keep “the stats”). Here are some of the questions we posed to alumni:

What do you wish you had known before starting the application process?
Are there any specific courses you wish you had taken before starting medical school?
What pre-medical experiences best prepared you for medical school?
If you took time between undergrad and medical school, what did you do?

In addition to answering these questions, alumni generously provided detailed comments on about 36 individual medical schools with multiple responses for many schools (particularly Penn Med and Jefferson).

To warm up before reading the survey, get ready to hit the buzzer. Here is the question (insert dramatic silence): What do Penn alums, enrolled in their first year of medical school, wish they had known before they applied? Survey says! BING! TO APPLY EARLY! One third of those who returned the survey said they wish they had known to apply early. And so I say to you, “Apply early! It’s important!” Some other popular responses were: I wish I had known — applying to medical school is expensive…how important it is to know why you want to be a doctor…that medical school is very difficult…more about the curricula at different medical schools….

Alumni are always a great resource, those wise old Quakers! There’s a great deal of helpful information in the survey from many different voices and we appreciate our alums taking the time to share their experience and insight with us. Also, if you wish to connect with an alum, don’t forget the Penn Alumni Career Network, known as PACNet!

Professionalism and the Pre-health Student: Beyond “Please” and “Thank you.”

by Carol Hagen

We talk a lot about “professionalism” at Career Services and, on the whole, people seem to listen. The email I receive is invariably gracious and thoughtful and I routinely conduct mock interviews with well tailored and poised applicants. But what about outside the boundaries of “sincerely” and a clean white shirt? The qualities of professionalism beyond the reach of Emily Post are also important, particularly for pre-health students.

Funny-Cat-Green-Avacado — "I'm a professional." http://my.aegean.gr/gallery

While working or volunteering in a clinical environment or research setting, it is vital that you conduct yourself in a professional manner. Lapses in professionalism make a strong impression on faculty and staff, not only in terms of your personal relationship with supervisors and colleagues, but in maintaining clinical and research opportunities for other pre-health students. How eager is Professor X going to be to offer a lab position to an undergraduate after two people have quit when mid-terms came up? Does the hospital need to give access to volunteers who bring their friends along with them to a shift or disregard other rules, all of them important?

Know that health professions schools take professionalism amongst their students very seriously. Students are routinely written up by faculty when areas of concern emerge and studies have shown that medical students who demonstrate unprofessional behavior are more likely to receive disciplinary action from state medical boards down the road. Unite for Sight has a super (and free) online guide to volunteer ethics and professionalism — read it! Here are some important points to keep in mind:

Consider in advance whether the opportunity is a good fit. It’s unfortunate when volunteers do not fulfill their commitment to serve because they find their time unsatisfying.
Show up on time, be polite, and ask questions when uncertain. Follow all rules and procedures.
Be humble and open to all opportunities to learn.
Respect boundaries and your work environment. Patients are not friends. Flip-flops, for example, (and I do love them) are not appropriate or safe in the hospital or lab.
If you make a mistake, tell somebody. It won’t be easy, but communicating errors is seen as a sign of maturity and professionalism.

Access to a professional research or clinical environment is a privilege. Maintaining a positive attitude and open communication with your supervisors will help you make the most of your opportunity and ensure that others will do so in the future.

Clinical Exposure: The Unwritten Requirement for Health Professions Applicants

Health professions schools expect applicants to have had some exposure to clinical situations before applying. I often advise applicants not to expect interviews or offers of admission without it. Why!? Because it isn’t hard enough to meet the official requirements? And what is clinical exposure? What are schools looking for and how much is enough?

penn-dental-reader — Reading about dentistry on the outside of the dental school isn't clinical exposure for this Penn pre-dental gargoyle. http://www.philart.net

For starters, this pre-health advisor sympathizes with the puzzlement over the term “clinical exposure.” I don’t care for it much and it always makes me think of those paper dressing gowns at the doctor’s office. If you come to Career Services for an advising appointment (and we hope you do), you are likely to hear someone use an elegant description like, “getting around sick people and doctors.” Working in a lab is not clinical exposure. Even if the lab is at the hospital. Even if someone in your lab is sick. Clinical research might be clinical exposure. If you are reviewing patient charts (which is a fine research opportunity, by the way), then no. Administering tests to subjects or recruiting subjects in the ER, then yes. Examples of ways to obtain clinical exposure include volunteering or working as a: hospital volunteer in a patient area, EMT, hospice volunteer, clinical researcher interacting with patients/subjects, or volunteer in a rehabilitation or mental health care facility. Shadowing a physician, yes; however, while shadowing is great, few applicants gain many hours shadowing and taking a more active role as an employee or volunteer is recommended in addition to shadowing. Volunteering in high school? Super, but you will want more recent experiences to put on your application. Eating a cheeseburger at the hospital cafeteria…no. Measuring your roommate’s gum recession…no. Dating a third-year med student…nice, but no.

So, why do schools expect this? What is the best thing to do and how much clinical exposure should you have? Health professions schools invest a great deal in their students’ training and they want people who are committed and have a very good idea of what lies ahead. They want applicants who are thinking beyond “getting in” and have considered their motivations, abilities, and general “fit” for the field. By spending time around patients, you demonstrate your curiosity about the field and, hopefully, gain a sense of the real rewards and challenges of working in health care. Most likely, either you will confirm your interest in the field and gain insight into the aspects you like the most or you may find that health care is not for you. Certainly, there are people who, through their clinical volunteering, considered alternatives to a medical or dental degree and are now happily working both in and out of health care.

As for how much, I am not sure you can have too much clinical exposure and it’s a good idea to think about it early — not as you are filling out your application. It takes some time to arrange clinical opportunities. Every applicant is different and some people will have years of clinical exposure and some will have months and they may end up as classmates at the same graduate school. Truly, I think the best clinical exposure is one that reflects your interests and where you made the most of your opportunity to help others and learn about the field. Whether you are asking patients to step on a scale, restocking bandages, or administering a questionnaire to a study participant, you will want to take in everything going on around you and reflect upon what you do and see. Your level of mental and emotional engagement will contribute to your thinking about your career. Also, the more you take in, the more you can share in your application essay or interview in a truly personal and reflective way. So, expose yourself! (In a legal, professional, and medically relevant manner.)

411: Rural Medicine

You probably know that rural medicine isn’t all tomahawk lacerations and rabies cases unless you’ve viewed too many episodes of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (DQMW to fans), but you may wonder why you should think about it. After all, many of you came to Penn to be in a big city and plan to stay in one. But consider the following points:

You may have the option to do a clinical rotation in a rural area during medical or dental school.
You may speak too generally about the “projected physician shortage” and “underserved areas” in a medical school interview, revealing your lack of knowledge about current issues in the field.
You might apply to one or more rural medicine programs thinking, “Well, I wouldn’t mind living in the country (and the mean GPA looks promising)” — a less than compelling reason to apply.
Rural practice might be for you. Dr. Quinn went to medical school in Philadelphia, but the frontier offered better opportunities. Okay, she isn’t real (just real cool with her old-timey stethoscope); however, some people change their career plans after trying a rural rotation or residency. And some of you may be interested in rural medicine programs, but should learn more about them before putting them on your application.

The AAMC’s January 2010 edition of Choices: The Careers in Medicine newsletter has a detailed profile of the field, from day-to-day life on the job to opportunities to train in a rural area in medical school. Another excellent resource is the National Rural Health Association.

The Frontier Nursing Service’s Courier Program offers a clinical volunteering opportunity to spend six to twelve weeks in an eastern Kentucky community. You can also find the program on Facebook and read blog entries written by a volunteer from Dartmouth. Some Penn students have made their own arrangements to volunteer at rural hospitals and clinics close to home or near a relative.

Currently, the U.S. federal government’s National Health Service Corps offers up to $145k in medical school loan repayment in exchange for five years of service providing health care in an underserved area (not exclusively rural) and 50k for two years of service. On Facebook? You bet!

Sadly, the Bring-Back-Dr.-Quinn-Medicine-Woman movement on Facebook has burned itself out — choked on its own fervor — and will leave Facebook on October 1, but don’t let that stop you from checking out some of the links above!