To Be...A Spartan MD

“What are you majoring in at college, Elizabeth?” That question came from the mailman. It came from my hairstylist, my friends, my coworkers, and the lady-who-used-to-go-to-my-church-who-I-ran-into-at-the-grocery-store-after-ten-years. Fair enough. I was about to leave my quiet Ohio town to set off on a new adventure at Indiana University, and I counted myself lucky to have others sharing in my excitement. “Organ performance.” I had spent the last year practicing my tail off for college auditions, getting up at 6am to get an hour in before school each day. At the end of audition season, I was headed to my top-choice school, to study with my top-choice instructor, and spend the next four years learning how to be the best church organist possible. “Huh! So you want to be a doctor? A surgeon?” Mr. Runner, a family friend, was much more familiar with the organs of the body than the pipe organs of Europe. I had very fond memories of the summer that I spent shadowing in an orth...

At the inception of the National Medical Association (NMA), African American physicians were not allowed to join the American Medical Association (AMA), or its student organization, the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the daughter organization of the NMA. “The Student National Medical Association, established in 1964, is the oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of black medical students in the United States.” Based on this knowledge, the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine SNMA chapter has worked hard to create and maintain community and medical student involvement in the lives of underrepresented and under-resourced members of the East Lansing and Grand Rapids communities. In the current medical climate, our chapter feels it is important to continue to be critical of the medical school pipeline and consistently help to strengthen and add to...

The path to medical school is rarely a straight one. Each journey is different and, more so today, prospective students can take various routes to matriculation. Sometimes, a winding road is more out of need than preference. But whether by choice or not, the path to medical school no longer has to be so...linear. In fact, medical schools are increasingly accepting of those coming from outside the traditional pre-med, B.S. route. As the admissions review process has become more holistic , schools are rounding out their entering classes more effectively, filling any gaps. Institutions like the College of Human Medicine (CHM) have become a bit more flexible about such paths. It's one reason why the college's Office of Admissions has moved on from requiring students meet one single list of more traditional prerequisites. Now, students are allowed the ability to select from several prerequisite models for which to have their applications reviewed. These model options allow...

I walked into the crowded school gymnasium. I didn’t know so many people even existed in my small California town. Yet, here they were, packed into bleachers.  I was very aware of the fresh, minty taste in my mouth—I heard chewing gum helped calm the nerves. Suddenly, the crowd went silent. Now all I could hear was the sound of my shoes, step-by-step, as I continued to make my way up onto the stage and in front of the podium's mic.   "What did I get myself into?" I thought. I had always been somewhat of an introvert. However, I desired to be more social. So what did I do? I decided to run for Class President. I had never given a speech before, let alone in front of an entire school. But here I was.  They chose me. I won. After the elections, I wondered, "Now, how did I manage to pull that off?" Good question. Several years later, I watched Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk that discussed how one should “fake it until you make it.” It really resonated with...

Wondering if medicine is right for you ? Decided medicine is your path but want to learn more about the process? Are you simply curious to learn more about what makes the College of Human Medicine a great choice? Join us tomorrow as the Office of Admissions hosts our first Twitter Talk of the cycle. Potential applicants are bound to have questions and can directly interact with current College of Human Medicine students and admissions staff by simply joining us on Twitter! This initial Twitter Talk will be held Thursday, October 11th at 5pm ET. The Office of Admissions typically hosts several Twitter Talks each fall, now in it's fourth year of the initiative. More Twitter Talks are being planned for later in the season. Wherever you are in the process, applicants can chat with the college and ask about a variety of topics including what makes a competitive applicant, the innovative Shared Discovery Curriculum, premedical requirement models, special programming like LRM...

Did you know that September is Women in Medicine Month (#WIMmonth)? As September nears its end, I asked myself whether I have truly appreciated the remarkable journey and accomplishments of women in medicine before me. Despite passing by headshots of CHM graduates in the Secchia Center hallways on a daily basis, I had not stopped to think about their struggles and challenges as women and minorities in medicine. These women overcame unique obstacles and fought for equality so that a woman like me can be where we are today. Women have come a long way and statistics show a growing number of women choosing careers in medicine. In celebration of Women in Medicine Month, I would like to highlight a few historical women who truly made a difference in and for medicine. Elizabeth Blackwell, MD It has been less than 200 years since the United States accepted its first female medical student into Geneva Medical College in New York. After graduating, Blackwell opened The New York ...

“Why did you choose medicine?” I get that a lot. In fact, these may be words that medical students and doctors hear the most. Well, maybe second only to “I was googling my symptoms and I think I may have...” I mentioned in one my previous posts that I grew up in a rural farm town in Northern California before being admitted to the College of Human Medicine . Yup, California is more than sandy beaches and a coastline. Growing up surrounded by farms meant that I was able to see the fruits ripen and flowers blossom all around me. Kiwi and strawberries in the winter/spring, peaches and plums in summer, and grapes, almonds, and walnuts in the fall. If you are a fan of the Mediterranean diet, this is the place to be. I watched as the farm workers pulled ripe fruit off trees, one by one. Many wore hats to protect themselves from sun exposure, with no air conditioning in their immediate future. Sweat dripping down their faces and clothes full of dirt, they climbed ladders trying to...

The Shared Discovery Curriculum (SDC) is a very different curriculum. Of the many ways it differs from your more traditional medical school curricula, the SDC enhances the learning-through-experience mode of training by including personal learning plans. Intersessions are one of the ways each student can customize their experience at the College of Human Medicine. A series of focused topic study courses, Intersessions provide an opportunity for students to dive into particular areas of strength, weakness, and/or interest. Each intersession schedule is tailored to the student. These four-week mini-courses fill in the gaps between the Early Clinical Experience (ECE) and the Middle Clinical Experience (MCE) as well as the MCE and Late Clinical Experience (LCE) prior to the USMLE Step 1 Exam .   Shared Discovery Curriculum Intersessions from MSU MD on Vimeo . "This is different than other medical training programs in that you get to choose what you want to tak...