BTW, I see all my grammar errors. Sorry! I just am lazy at times. I will work on that.
- Presse Said:
If I ever want to be ready to tackle med. school material, I better get ready with similar material beforehand.
Makes some sense. On a related note, I have had three teachers ask me now "But do you really want to be admitted to med school with only the basic requirements?" Generally the tone used is the Office Space "flare" conversation tone: "Do you want to be the kind of person who does just the bare minimum?"
And, the answer in my head, is a resounding YES! For three reasons:
1. I have yet to take a class in a biology department (I've been in three different schools) that was worth anything at all. I've received A's in 4 biology classes and learned NOTHING so far. Why would I continue to take classes in this discipline with this a representative sample? I pray that my classes in med school will be better.
2. As you say, the topics are going to be covered in med school. So, while it may be a little more challenging to learn it for the first time in med school, why would I (an old pre-med) waste time learning it now...just to learn it again.
3. Lastly, my schools of interest discourage it. UCLA's school of medicine website reads: "Courses overlapping in subject matter (e.g. human anatomy) with those in the school of medicine are not recommended." (under requirements for admission)
- Krisss17 Said:
Honest question, how many people on this website have not come into contact with doctors who just don't know how to relate...they've got their facts, they've got their science backgrounds, but their bedside manner just s*&^%ks.
Kris
Amen. I'd be honored to share an OR, private practice, or what-have-you with you any day!
I understand what you’re saying - I only took two classes beyond the minimum: microbiology and biochemistry. Taking those two classes was very helpful in medical school, though. While it’s true that all the material will be covered in medical school, I think you completely underestimate the pace at which material is thrown at you in medical school. A semester’s worth of biochemistry might be covered in a week or two and probably will not be the only topic covered during that same period. I took biology, chemistry, physics (all with labs) and calculus for two quarters and thought that gave me a good idea of how I would deal with the load in medical school. That particular load pales in comparison to the volume that is covered in medical school.
There are certainly classes that are more useful than others. Biochemistry, Immunology, Genetics, and Microbiology are among them. I’ve heard mixed things on how helpful people found taking anatomy and physiology prior to med school.
Just my two cents . . .
I think it’s worthwhile to take some upper level science prior to starting med school. I agree with Emergency that undergrad courses don’t really prepare you for the onslaught you will face as a medical student, but it still helps a little, and that little bit might make the difference between a fail and a pass.
Contrary to what UCLA says in its brochure, I think a course in human anatomy is a great idea. Anything you can do to get familiar with the terminology and the 3-D structures is going to help.
Some of my classmates did the biomedical sciences masters here prior to entering med school, and they are doing quite well. The coursework is not as intensive as medical school but it covers a lot of the same material and has some of the same professors so their first term of med school was a familiar experience. As the school year progresses, however, the advantages of the previous coursework tend to diminish.
I wish I had done the biomedical courses or an SMP during the glide year prior to starting medical school. It would have definitely made the first couple of quarters here easier.
I am so glad that I found this site. I have been wondering how a future med-school would look at my Criminal Justice Degrees. I have to say that this site has been really helpful in helping me to get ride of all of the myths and fallacies surrounding med-school.
- pballard Said:
- Krisss17 Said:
Honest question, how many people on this website have not come into contact with doctors who just don't know how to relate...they've got their facts, they've got their science backgrounds, but their bedside manner just s*&^%ks.
Kris
Amen. I'd be honored to share an OR, private practice, or what-have-you with you any day!
Ahh, that's sweet...thank you!
Sorry I’m not replying really, but just chiming in on a discussion that has occupied much of my thought.
I am getting my undergrad in Spanish. It is incredibly useful in the ER where I currently work. Being able to speak Spanish is way cool regardless. It is hilarious to watch people’s faces when a 6’4" guerro starts casually conversing with the latino waiter, patient, coworker etc.
I think that schools want to see that if given the chance to be doc’s we will not be the robotic digital doc’s who cannot relate to their patients. Particularly patients from different ethnic backgrounds. Honestly though I don’t think that will be too much of a problem for most OPMs since we’ve had to be out in the world while getting old, and not gone straight from high school to undergrad to med school. Hopefully somewhere in all that experience we’ve all learned how to interact with people we may not even understand.