By Stacie Bartman
A successful career in medicine can be based on three things: a love for learning, a true intellectual curiosity about medicine and a strong desire to help others, writes Carl Bianco, MD, in How Becoming a Doctor Works. Bianco, an emergency physician at Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge, MD, says there are no required majors for acceptance into medical school, though the most common is biology. “OU’s pre-medical concentration — previously called pre-professional — identifies a group of courses that are required and/or recommended as preparation for medical school,” says Kathleen Moore, associate dean of OU’s College of Arts and Sciences and professor of chemistry. These courses can be incorporated into any degree program.
Though biology is no longer a required major for pre-med students, “students still need to complete the required biology, chemistry and physics courses, and do well in them," says Keith Berven, pre-med adviser and associate professor of OU’s Department of Biological Sciences. “Most pre-med students, however, choose biology as their major since it contains all of the required pre-med courses. Regardless of their major, students should be broadly trained and participate in activities that demonstrate they like people, interact well with them and are interested in their well-being.”
Doctors from William Beaumont Hospital on the committee for the medical school coming to OU’s campus in 2010 indicate “they are looking for students that are well-rounded and have a life outside the classroom. They want to see that students have a passion for things and are involved in organizations where they interact with people,” Berven adds.
“Sometimes it is better to have a major outside the usual,” Bianco writes. “Some medical schools are looking for more diversity and want some students with liberal arts degrees.”
That’s true for medical programs beyond OU’s campus. In a Newsweek article titled “Well-Rounded Docs,” Gail Morrison, vice dean of education and professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, talks about how medical schools across the nation are looking for students who have a degree in a non-science related field prior to starting medical school. The idea is to have students who have hobbies and interests other than medicine. According to the article, this innovative way of thinking hopes to decrease the burn-out rate of medical school students; it has become a priority that medical students need to maintain mental and physical health.
A strong communications background is a peak interest among medical schools and volunteer experience is another realm that students need to make sure they engage in. Admissions officers for various medical schools feel that a student who has worked with the public on a volunteer basis is more likely to have quality communication skills when working with patients.
“Some time ago the MCAT was redesigned to stress basic principles in biology and the physical sciences (chemistry and physics) and the ability to apply them, rather than simple factual information,” says Berven.
“It doesn’t make you a better doctor to know how fast a mass falls from a tree,” Morrison says in the Newsweek article. “They’ve got to be happy and have a life outside of medicine. We need whole people.”
“Medicine is getting a lot more collaborative and there’s a lot more people skills that are needed in order to be a successful physician these days,” says Moore.
Students interested in medical school after receiving a degree in a non-science related field are encouraged to complete the pre-med requirements and apply. In fact, starting in 2010, students will be able to attend medical school on OU’s campus through a partnership between Beaumont and OU that will create a new, privately funded medical school.
For more information about specific class requirements and contact information, please visit: http://www2.oakland.edu/biology/ugrad_premed.cfm.
Stacie Bartman is a senior integrative studies major from Rochester Hills, Mich.
A successful career in medicine can be based on three things: a love for learning, a true intellectual curiosity about medicine and a strong desire to help others, writes Carl Bianco, MD, in How Becoming a Doctor Works. Bianco, an emergency physician at Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge, MD, says there are no required majors for acceptance into medical school, though the most common is biology. “OU’s pre-medical concentration — previously called pre-professional — identifies a group of courses that are required and/or recommended as preparation for medical school,” says Kathleen Moore, associate dean of OU’s College of Arts and Sciences and professor of chemistry. These courses can be incorporated into any degree program.