To Be...A Spartan MD

Are you an undergraduate student seriously interested in going to medical school upon graduating? Do you come from a disadvantaged background or have a strong interest in serving in a high-need medical specialty area? If so, you may actually be able to gain acceptance to the MSU College of Human Medicine (CHM) before graduating with your undergraduate degree. Early Assurance gives students the opportunity to apply to CHM in their junior year (or the year prior to completion of their undergraduate degree) at both public and private undergraduate institutions in the respective communities where the college already has partnerships in the medical training of third and fourth year students. This ability to apply prior to the regular pool of candidates offers several benefits. Perhaps the most obvious benefit of utilizing Early Assurance is simply securing a spot at a top-notch medical school and one of the nation's pioneers of community-based medical educ...

Green. White. Golden. The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (CHM) was founded in 1964, making this year the 50th anniversary for one of the nation’s pioneer community-based medical education institutions.   With footprints that span the entire state of Michigan, the college is nationally recognized for the social mission of preparing physicians for service in underserved communities—a mission that has been in place since the start. After early 1960's reports suggested an immediate need for additional medical schools in the state of Michigan, MSU Board of Trustees responded in 1961 by implementing a new two-year medical program foundationally supported by other related areas of the university, such as the Institute of Medicine & Biology in the provost's office. The College of Human Medicine came into fruition after several grants further supported successful development of the pro...

It's the closing of a new year and we, here at the College of Human Medicine Office of Admissions, reflect on a terrific 2013. Like any college, the students are the heart and soul of CHM and we feel we have some of the brightest, most talented future physicians in the nation. As we look forward to a new year, we're sure the incoming class of 2018 will follow suit. Our #SpartanMD's achieved much this year, not only across East Lansing and Grand Rapids, but across the globe. We're proud that the CHM student body took on so much this year in a variety of directions. Considering the many different roles (like teammate, employee, tutor or even mother, father, scholar , researcher , navy medic , and  board member ) each CHM student can play in their daily lives, staff and faculty have the opportunity to witness them take the role of student very seriously. Yet, as a community-based medical school , we also have the...

Throughout medical school, students can spend much of their time studying—exerting a good amount of mental energy taking in gulps here and swigs there of information that, well,   took humans quite a bit of time to accumulate. Yet studying can be most rigorous when proficiency with school curriculum is to be displayed. So the most intense stressful times during medical school focus around final examinations. Sure, finals can be stressful. Asking themselves what they could do to help alleviate some of that stress, the MSU College of Human Medicine Office of Student Affairs set out to give our terrific medical students an opportunity to sit back and, yes, unwind if at least for a bit. It’s all part of helping our CHM students succeed, even if that’s helping them catch a breather and have a little fun in the process. The Health & Wellness Team, comprised of MSU Faculty: Judith Brady, PhD; Laura Bennett, MA; and Patricia Brewer, PhD, among other Office of Student A...

The MSU College of Human Medicine (CHM) was among an impressive list of medical schools to participate in Joining Forces Wellness Week this year, bringing awareness to the unique health care needs facing our military members and their families. Beginning on Veteran’s Day, the week-long initiative beginning on Nov. 11th saw over 100 medical schools across the entire country addressing those needs by holding various events such as clinics, seminars, and symposia to go along with a national webinar series—hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges—focusing on a variety of military health-related topics. At Michigan State University , CHM hosted a Joining Forces presentation by 1st Lt. Stephanie Boltrick on Nov. 12th called “Understanding Our Veteran Population: Unique Considerations for Health Professionals,” which was simultaneously being shown live to Grand Rapids’ Secchia Center contingent. “Through Joining Forces, medical schools and teaching hospitals are ensurin...

If you can see the MSU College of Human Medicine as a possible home to pursue your MD degree come next fall, don't forget to submit your AMCAS® (American Medical College Application Service) application by Friday, November 1st. AMCAS is a centralized application processing service provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges available to applicants to the first-year entering classes at participating U.S. medical schools. Many of the US medical schools whom grant Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degrees utilize AMCAS as a primary application method, thus requiring AMCAS submissions. As stated on the AMCAS website , "Regardless of the number of medical schools to which you apply, you submit just one online application to AMCAS." However, "AMCAS does not render any admission decisions and does not advise applicants where to apply." An overview of the 2014 AMCAS application including important information on coursework and transcripts, letter...

The experience of being an MSU College of Human Medicine student is a challenging yet rewarding one. CHM students can have a lot on their plates journeying to become productive physicians who are respected across the state and country. Naturally, there's much to learn at CHM and students regularly take advantage of opportunities to practice many of the procedures they'll be implementing one day as full-fledged Spartan MD's. Clinics, lectures, exhibitions, demonstrations, and workshops are all great opportunities for students to get better insight into those procedures. One such workshop was put on by the Family Medicine Interest Group last Tuesday evening. Students were invited to attend a special casting clinic to learn how to place an arm cast — something they may come to be very familiar with as family practitioners. Experienced physicians from CHM and Sparrow Hospital were joined on the ...