Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

A trio of second-year medical students at Mayo Medical School have created their own way to get students nationwide to communicate with each other.

Eugenia Shmidt, Kevin Christensen and Daniel Chan created a Web site called “MD Connector.” It helps pre-med and medical students connect, study, get advice and find mentors.

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WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials, alarmed at doctor shortages, are looking for ways to increase the supply of physicians to meet the needs of an aging population and millions of uninsured people who would gain coverage under legislation championed by the president

The officials said they were particularly concerned about shortages of primary care providers who are the main source of health care for most Americans.

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Source: Buffalo Prehealth

Please see the following important information/URL links for prospective students and applicants regarding international practice rights for Osteopathic (DO) Physicians.

Gina M. Moses, M.Ed.
Associate Director of Application Services
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
International Practice Rights for Osteopathic Physicians:

Currently, D.O.s have full practice rights in roughly 50 countries and partial practice rights in many more.   More information on the specifics may be found at the following sites below.

American Osteopathic Association (AOA)

Canadian Osteopathic Association

Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA)

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The Research Associates (RA) Program has grown such in the past year that we now have two positions available for Chief Research Associates.  We are looking for graduating seniors or post-bacs who have solid GPAs and test scores for whom a year of clinical research work will have a significant impact on their application to medical school.

Chief RAs
• work as the administrative assistants for the program
• are responsible for day-to-day supervison of the RAs serving in the emergency department as data collectors in our clinical research
o this includes significant patient contact in the emergency department
• have direct involvement in all aspects of the research from study initiation through publication
o this includes work to associate authorship on a clinical paper.
• participate in all research meetings
o this includes presenting our work to the Institutional Review Board and at regional and national meetings
• assist in recruiting new RAs and their orientation to the program
o this includes formal lecturing and direct bedside teaching
These are
• one-year commitments of approximately twenty (20) hours per week starting in mid-May and ending when medical school starts..
• unfunded, except for grants
o Chiefs will be a part of the grant-writing process, so they will “sing for their supper”
o in the past, Chiefs have routinely held other paying positions
So far, all of our Chiefs have matriculated to medical school, except one, who went on to a PhD program in clinical research.

There are still slots available, but it’s “first come, first serve” until positions are filled.  Again, details are the web link above.

Keith Bradley, MD
Director, Research Associates Program
www.RAProgram.org

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The Georgetown Summer Medical Institute (GSMI), a program of the Georgetown School of Medicine, will be offering medical school courses, seminars and workshops for premedical (rising juniors and seniors), post-bacc, graduate and medical students this summer. For undergraduate and post-bacc premedical students, this is a unique opportunity to experience the medical school environment, get to know medical school faculty, and get an in depth education in an actual medical school course. Our courses include:

- Gross Anatomy (with cadaveric dissection)
- Medical Biochemistry
- Medical Histology
- Human Physiology

Students may enroll for one of the above courses only. In addition, students who want to learn more about the medical profession and the application process are encouraged to enroll for two seminar series:

- Physician and Society Seminars
- Medical Admissions Workshops

This is the fifth year of this program. If you have questions, you may address them to me (myersa@georgetown.edu) or click on the link above.

Adam Myers, Ph.D.
Director, GSMI, GUSOM
Associate Dean for Graduate Education, GUMC

Global Health Corps (GHC)

GHC connects outstanding young leaders with organizations working on the front lines to promote global health equity. GHC works with partner organizations to identify an area of their operations that stands to benefit from a fellowship team. We then match those projects with young people who have relevant skills, providing tremendous value to the organizations and field experience for that GHC fellow.
Fellowships focus on everything from digitizing health records to community health work, supply chain logistics to data analysis.

I’m writing to let you know that we’ve made an official call for applications. If you know anyone who is interested in public health and may want to apply to our fellowship program, please let them know about us!
I’m including a flier and our application below. Since fellowships vary, we welcome applicants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. If potential applicants have any questions, they can reach out to me at charlie@ghcorps.org or info@ghcorps.org.

Unfortunately the deadline of April 6th is fast approaching, so we wanted to send out last minute emails to our friends and family to make sure we get as many applicants as possible.
We’d appreciate your help!
Thanks,
-Charlie

Interested in joining the movement for Global Health equity?

Apply NOW to
Global Health Corps

Application deadline for American Fellows is April 6th, and for Rwandan/Malawian/Burundian/Tanzanian fellows is May 1st
-Work with Clinton HIV/AIDS
Initiative, Partners In Health,
the Nuclear Threat Initiative,
and other leading health
organizations

-Participate in a paid
yearlong fellowship in
Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi,
Rwanda, or the United
States

-Use YOUR skills — fellows
with a background in
engineering, finance,
technology, education, and
other fields are NEEDED

http://ghcorps.org

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The AAMC Graduate Education, Research, and Training (GREAT) Group and its MD-PhD Section have developed new informational websites for students considering biomedical science careers.  The websites can be accessed at the links. The sites are linked through a Considering a Career in Medical Research hub which can be accessed at the link.

Biomedical and Health Sciences Research
Association of American Medical Colleges
2450 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

Potential applicants might be interested in purchasing and reviewing a copy of AACOM’s 2010 Osteopathic Medical College Information Book (CIB). This year, AACOM has released the CIB much earlier than in the past to facilitate early exploration among the more than 12,000 individuals who are applying to osteopathic medical schools. The AACOM reports that applications to the nation’s osteopathic medical colleges have grown by more than 30 percent in the last three years alone.

AACOM’s College Information Book (CIB) is the official guide for prospective students, applicants, pre-health advisors and others interested in gaining information about or applying to the nation’s osteopathic medical colleges.  The publication has been expanded to cover a wealth of important, timely topics, including international practice rights, residency and matches, board examinations, licensure and much more.  In addition, the book features six current or recent DO students discussing their personal stories, “In Their Own Words.”

To order additional copies of the 2010 CIB, visit the online AACOM Bookstore.   

Please note that the AACOMAS 2010 application will become available in May.  The application will be extremely user-friendly with no significant changes.  While it is your decision, please consider releasing your information to your advisor, so we will be able to monitor UB students in mters of DO admission. 

You are encouraged to begin (and complete) the application process early.  Although some osteopathic colleges will continue to receive applications for 2010 through the spring of 2010, interview appointments and seats in classes fill early.  With over 2.7 applicants per first year seat in the osteopathic medical schools, the earlier an application is submitted, the more comprehensive review that can be received.

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The MCAT administrators expect to open registration for the June through September administrations of the MCAT exam this Thursday, March 5.  The MCAT web site will be updated soon with this information.  They are unable to announce a specific opening time, however, once registration is open, they will update the web page accordingly.

Source: Buffalo Prehealth

The AAMC’s has developed an Official Guide to the MCAT(R) Exam, a 400-page publication developed under the direction of the MCAT staff.

Among the content included, are:

• Passages and questions from actual MCAT exams, with detailed explanations of both the correct and incorrect answers.
• Tips to help examinees come up with the right solutions
• “Difficulty levels” of questions, revealing what percentages of examinees answered correctly in the real-life tests
• Data to help your students determine how likely they are to increase or decrease your scores upon a retake, and by how many points
• Data that show what percentage of applicants were admitted to medical school, based on MCAT scores and GPAs combined
• A look at how MCAT scores factor into the admissions decision, with insights from a former associate dean of admissions

The guide is available under a two-tiered pricing schedule. Students may purchase the guide itself for $30, or they may buy an upgraded version for $45 that includes free access to an official AAMC practice test (which, as you know, ordinarily sells for $35 alone). We are pleased to make this low-cost – or, in some instances, no-cost* — preparation resource available to your students.

*Any student who registered for the MCAT exam under the Fee Assistance Program will receive a complimentary copy.
Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Do I Order?
Please order via the AAMC publications page at www.aamc.org/officialmcatguide. Individual and bulk orders may be placed online using a credit card.  If you need to pay by check or simply prefer to speak with someone to place your order, you may contact the publications department at 202-828-0416.

2. Which Practice Test is Available with the Upgraded Purchase?
Students may select any one of the online practice tests currently available for purchase through the AAMC Web site.

3. Will There be a New Edition Every Year?
We expect a revised edition at the end of 2009 for the 2010 testing cycle. Details regarding revised editions after that time have not yet been determined.

All orders should be placed at by clicking on the site. Please continue to direct general MCAT questions to mcat@aamc.org.)

Michelle Sparacino
Director, MCAT Administration & Reporting