Becoming A Doctor

Across the world, and especially in the United States and Canada, growing and aging populations have resulted in an increased demand for physicians. However, there are many obstacles that prevent medical school graduates from becoming practicing doctors. Our blog will guide students through the medical school  experience from premed to medical school graduation, residency and licensure. This week’s blog will focus on the premed program and how it influences your success in a medical career.

Medical school is a competitive and strenuous academic choice, and also a very challenging yet rewarding career path. Signing up for premed as a major in your undergraduate program isn’t cut and dry, as a premed major can study a variety of subjects. The goal of the premed program is to produce well rounded individuals who are not only strong in the sciences but are also effective communicators iwth critical thinking skills.

“The Association of American Medical Colleges has data to suggest that your major simply does not matter when it comes to getting accepted to medical school. According to their data, only 51 percent of students who enrolled in medical school in 2012 majored in biological sciences. That means the remaining medical school matriculants majored in humanities, math or statistics, physical sciences, social sciences or specialized health sciences.” (source)

AUS offers a premed program which allows students to complete their undergraduate requirements in 2 years, instead of the traditional 4 year degree. In fact, many premed students do not know that a Bachelor’s degree is not required for admission or licensure as a physician.

The premed program at AUS includes science courses such as Biology and Chemistry, but also Political Science and Public Speaking.

In addition to the courses studied, being a premed major also involves extracurricular activities. Premed majors can volunteer in a healthcare setting, but the focus is to promote a sense of well-roundedness. While volunteering in a medical setting exposes the premed major to the healthcare field, other activities can also enhance your premed experience as well as your future success. Activities such as sports and music show that the premed major as a unique individual outside of the academic world and can illustrate abilities such as time management and teamwork.

“Participating in activities outside the average pre med agenda provides medical schools with a sense of who you are beyond the academic atmosphere. These activities can function as an exemplary showcase of your strengths and what makes you uniquely different from other applicants. Additionally, being involved in other activities illustrates your ability to manage your time and work well with other people, which are necessities once you enter medical school. Staying committed to organizations that fall outside of the medical realm allow you to seem less robotic and more relatable, which is a gigantic factor that has recently began to heavily influence medical school acceptances. Plus, holding a leadership position in one of these organizations is an excellent way to prove that you are capable of handling responsibility and assumes you are an alluring leader in your college community.” (source)

Students graduating May 2016 may be overwhelmed by the options available to them at the undergraduate level and unclear on what exactly a premed major should look like; that’s why the 2 year premed program at AUS is a clear choice. Classes in the premed major take place on the same campus as the MD courses, giving students direct access to their peers and instructors and better preparation for the medical school coursework. While studying at AUS, life on the island of St. Vincent provides many volunteer opportunities within the community. Visit www.aussom.org today and speak with an admisisons represenative about our 2 year premed program.

Next week our blog will continue to discuss premed issues such as the MCAT and personal statements. Let us know what you’d like to learn more about in our blogs by emailing us!