Thoughtful Career Advice for Penn Students and Alumni, written by the staff of the University of Pennsylvania Career Services office and selected special guests.
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.
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!
About this time in 2008 we saw the economy implode. Recruiting just about froze in place. Those who had summer offers were lucky: the employers honored them, and we urged students to accept them. Other students were in for a hard time. Even so, the class of 2009 landed on their feet. They worked hard to get jobs or get into graduate programs. Some ended up in positions that were not their first choice, but they are doing well nonetheless. Others were liberated from the specter of more traditional employment and struck out on their own, to pursue a dream. By the fall of 2009, only 11% of the class was still seeking employment.
A year ago this time things were a little better. Employer activity on campus was more palpable. The recruiters who came were serious about hiring, and not just going through the motions. During the spring semester of 2010 things really took off. Spring career fairs had an uptick in employer attendance. Some employers who didn’t recruit in the fall returned to campus, with unexpected positions to fill. On it went throughout the late spring and this summer, when we saw strong signups for fall career fairs and on-campus recruiting. We breathed a sigh of relief: things would be almost normal for the class of 2011.
But not so fast. Over the past week or two there have ominous financial reports. In particular, sales of existing homes were off 27%, and the number of first time filers for unemployment benefits was higher than expected. More commentators are talking about a double dip: having emerged from the last recession, perhaps we are going to fall back into a second. Something called the Hindenburg Omen may presage a stock market collapse. Will the class of 2011 actually have an experience closer to that of the class of 2009? If I could answer this question with any authority I would be in a different line of work.
If you are going to be graduating this spring (or before), what should you do? First, you can’t control the economic forces swirling around us. And we remain hopeful, after all, that all the employers visiting campus this fall will not just be going through the motions. But if things do slow down, focus on the things you can control. Take a leaf from the pages of the 2009 book. Think seriously about what you want to do in your first post-Penn job. If you need help figuring that out, see a counselor here at Career Services. Make sure your supporting documents (resume, cover letter drafts) are ready to go. For those of you interested in the large employers who recruit on campus, the year starts today, August 30, the first day you can submit resumes. Employer information sessions begin the day before classes start. The large career days are the second week of classes. Recruiting starts September 28. Those who get a slow start will miss out on real opportunities.
If you are applying to graduate or professional school, consult early with one of our pre-professional advisors. Attend graduate school information sessions, beginning in September. Be realistic about the schools on your list (our advisors can help with that too). Ask for recommendations in plenty of time. Make sure your applications are ready to go early.
Is all this making you nervous? It’s still August, you say, and you’re right. So sit back and enjoy this final week of summer. Be confident. You are at Penn, which will help, believe me. Take advantage of all the resources that come with being a Quaker, especially those here in Career Services. We look forward to working with you in the year ahead. Here’s to the class of 2011!
My academic motivation in high school did not follow me to college. Freshman and sophomore year I struggled through classes, or it’d be more accurate to say I struggled to make it to any class. I didn’t know why I was in college other than my parents (and most everyone else) told me I was supposed to go. Of course I knew eventually I would head to college, either in Elle Woods or Will Hunting fashion, but after graduating high school I just didn’t feel ready. Still, I went because that’s what kids in my town did. The first two years I practically failed out. It was comical that such a smart girl was wasting an expensive academic experience (Right dad? We’ll look back and laugh after the student loans are paid off.)
During the middle of my sophomore year of college I realized before I tried to pass my biology requirement for a third time I needed to take time off to get my priorities straight, to mature and recharge. I didn’t want to go back to Central Jersey and live with my parents and work at the movie theater as I had done during high school, I really wanted to do something. The only thing I still had remaining from high school was my dedication to community service. With help from my mom I searched the internet for international service programs. Unfortunately most programs required I pay them to serve, whereas I needed income, as meager as it might be. I narrowed my search to the states and was fortunate to find out about City Year.
City Year is an AmeriCorps program that unites idealistic 17-24 year olds in a year of powerful service in 20 cities around the country. Volunteers, or corps members as we were called, work at schools in underserved communities tutoring, mentoring, and teaching. Corps members also perform a significant amount of transformational service including working in community gardens or painting murals. Sounds like your typical service program, right?
City Year Rhode Island Newport Young Heroes 2003
Well, City Year is a little different. Unfortunately I have to compare it to joining a cult. Instead of Nike Widerunners and a glass of Kool Aid, you received a uniform provided by Timberland consisting of boots, khakis, a team shirt with your sponsors’ names, and a bright red jacket (or yellow in Los Angeles or San Jose as red is a dangerous color to wear because of gang activity in the area). When I served as a corps member in 2002-2003 in Rhode Island we had to meet requirements in order to earn a uniform. Besides completing a certain amount of training and service with our team we had to demonstrate knowledge of City Year physical training exercises and recite various AmeriCorps and City Year creeds.
The physical training, or PT, was CY sanctioned exercises that all new corps members initially looked at as ridiculous (City Year Slap-Happies? Just call them jumping jacks!). PT is very low impact and barely makes you break a sweat (except those who are embarrassed about doing City Year Foot Fires in a public place…and it is always done in public), but is meant to demonstrate discipline, purpose, pride and power. City Year culture is part of what makes the program so successful and so meaningful. Standards were high (a fellow corps member was sent home for not having creased khakis, another written up for chewing gum, and you were required to cross at a crosswalk when the signal read walk even if you were running late), but for a reason. We were a young organization providing critical service in at-risk communities. In order to be taken seriously we needed to present ourselves as disciplined, purposeful, prideful, and powerful young adults.
The culture strengthened our team relations and our ability to lead. Though we were incredibly diverse, we had a common goal, to effectively serve a community in need. City Year gave me so many opportunities to lead my fellow corps members and work with influential community members. City Year also taught me how to communicate. After a long day of working in schools and at after school programs all we wanted to do was go home. Despite that longing our team usually ended up spending another hour constructively and passionately discussing the day’s drama and successes with the children, children’s families, and team members. Some days there was crying about disparities in the community, other days there was venting about corps members. We always left with a resolution or a hug. My team became my family; we supported each other and pushed each other to succeed.
Taking a year off was a difficult decision, especially since my dad thought doing a year of service was tantamount to dropping out of school and joining the circus, but it was certainly one of the most difficult and gratifying experiences I’ve had. My year of service was inspiring and motivating. When I returned to school I took biology for the third time and passed, and I even made the dean’s list numerous times! I became more active in the community and more importantly I cared about what I was learning in school.
It’s summertime, maybe you’re on a beach vacation dreaming about your future or stuck at a boring office internship wondering where your youth went (thoughts can become pretty outrageous after 4 hours in front of Excel), whatever the scenario, if you’re wondering what to do with your life, consider dedicating a year to service. From creating curriculum for elementary school children to participating in round table discussions with political and community figures, my AmeriCorps experience provided me with so many skills that I wouldn’t have gained elsewhere. If working with children doesn’t interest you, AmeriCorps offers many different programs. One example is the National Civilian Conservation Corps, a program that primarily provides transformational service in different regions around the country, which is a great fit for someone who enjoys traveling and has a propensity for manual labor (you’re not going to get pecs pushin’ paper in an office). AmeriCorps programs offer a meager salary (my team and I were on food stamps), but you do receive an education award of about $5000 after your year of service which some schools will even match!
This blog is pretty long and I hope that if you did not read the entire post you at least skipped to the end (though that means you missed the riveting rising action, very exciting climax, and the oh-so-dramatic falling action), where I tell you I loved my AmeriCorps experience and love to talk about it, so don’t hesitate to stop by the office or shoot me an email if you have any questions about AmeriCorps, City Year, or how to tell your parents making $120 a week doing community service is a good idea. However, if you’re looking for insight on biology courses, despite taking it 3 times I can’t help you.
I’m sitting in my office listening to a student and, after a brief pause, am asked, “Um…I heard…are you applying to medical school this year?” My response, as I recall, was something along the lines of, “[sputter, sputter, pick eyeballs up off floor] Who ME? NO! Good heavens, NO!” The student, looking relieved and reassured, mentioned, “Well, I heard that…it didn’t seem right.”
Later in the afternoon, it occurred to me why someone may have thought I was making a major career change. We had used my name as a “Jane Doe”-type place marker in a sample AMCAS application during a workshop. I think a joke was even made at the time about my “application.” But at least one person didn’t see the humor, which is perhaps understandable at the end of a busy semester. It called to mind, though, the many times I’ve clarified other pre-health “rumors” in my office (as well as memories of hype man Flavor Flav, c. 1988). For example:
“I heard you can go to medical school without taking science courses.”
“I heard that Penn Med doesn’t like to accept Penn students.”
“I heard you have to take the MCAT right after your sophomore year.”
“I heard that admissions is really only about your MCAT and grades.”
Admission to graduate school in the health professions is so competitive and the process so fraught with uncertainty, detailed information, and waiting, that it’s natural for people to talk. To commiserate. To worry. To, er, suspend disbelief.
Gathering information is a vital part of pursuing a career in the health professions and going through the application process with confidence. Be mindful, however, of the source of your information and consider whether it can be checked against another or more reliable source. An internet forum for applicants can be a source of support and insight, but it can also be a breeding ground for false statements. A family friend’s thoughts about admissions can be invaluable or, possibly, a little out of date. A story about someone who surprisingly had ten interviews, or none at all, might say little about admissions in general or your particular application. In fact, it may not be true.
Whether you’re starting out on your pre-health path or waiting for those secondary applications to arrive this summer, keep in mind that if something doesn’t sound right, it may not be correct. Check your information. Of course, your pre-health advisers are happy to point you to resources or share their perspective on those questions that don’t always have a right or wrong answer. That is, if we aren’t busy filling out our own secondaries (don’t you believe it!).
As a pre-medical or pre-dental student, visiting another country to volunteer in a clinic can be a valuable, even life-changing experience that strengthens your commitment to medicine and teaches you about patient care in a different cultural or economic context. If you are interested in serving communities abroad and learning more about global health issues, clinical volunteer work in another country is a great idea! There are, however, some points to “know before you go.”
1. It is not necessary to volunteer abroad to get into medical school; in fact, a week or two in a clinic abroad without medically-related service work in your local community or the U.S. can raise doubts about your commitment to serving others.
2. Evaluate the organization or program carefully before you commit. How long has it been in operation? Have you talked to anyone who has participated in the past? What plan is in place should you fall ill or are injured?
3. Consider your budget when looking at programs as well as less expensive ways to volunteer that might be equally interesting to you. Some opportunities can be extremely expensive.
4. A good clinical volunteer experience is not the one where you are allowed to do the work of trained physicians and dentists. When volunteering abroad, your level of training may be vastly overestimated by staff and patients. Consider carefully whether you, as a patient, would want an untrained volunteer giving you medical advice or performing procedures such as pulling teeth or conducting hands-on exams. Show respect for patients by knowing your limits before you go abroad and expect that you may be asked or invited to perform duties beyond what you might do at a clinic at home.
It may seem necessary to volunteer abroad to build a strong application, but it isn’t the case. Also, you may despair that your clinical volunteer work will not impress admissions committees because you “didn’t get to do a lot of hands on stuff” that other students have reported from their experiences. Know that professionals on admissions committees are troubled by applicants who appear to have put themselves before the patient by taking on care beyond their training.
Having the above in mind while searching for a clinical volunteer experience can help you find a “good fit” for what is sure to be a rewarding, exciting, and educational time in the field.
