BS/MD Q and A

This discussion was created from comments split from: *** BS/MD Results For Class Of 2014 ***.

<p>you guys have been saying that your extensive knowledge of the medical filed has gotten you into these programs. could you please elaborate on what sort of knowledge you are referring to</p>

<p>its just a personal reflection of why you want to be a doctor. It really doesn’t matter if you’ve volunteered for 5000 hours in the hospital if you haven’t gained anything from doing it. Healthcare experience should give you this knowledge of what you’re getting yourself into</p>

<p>@SmartAlec An extensive knowledge of the medical field just comes with experience as become more involved with hospital volunteering or research. When you go for an interview, you should be able to portray that you know what the field is about, have a realistic view of it, and are committed to it despite your knowledge of it’s pitfalls. </p>

<p>Wait, I’m confused. If you’re IN the program, are you in separate classrooms with the other accepted students? And do you have to work extra hard to cram 4 years into 3 for undergraduate?</p>

<p>@jelly765 For the 7year programs the first year of medical school usually transfers back to the UG to complete BSc requirements.</p>

<p>@jelly - usually the undergrads so extra summer classes and some of the medschool classes count for UG credit. </p>

<p>Congrats to all those who got it. One question on MCAT requirement in the Combined-MD route, in case if you have to take MCAT as part of BS/MD requirements. Are there any limitations on how many times one could take MCAT? For PreMed route MCAT attempts, I believe the rule of thumb is only once. Not sure on the Combined-MD route MCAT attempts.</p>

<p>For the BS/MD program, do you have to apply to the college and get accepted first or can you just apply to the program?</p>

<p>you apply to the program, but you’re essentially applying to each separately. You have to get into the college, or else the med program is forced to reject you</p>

<p>I just finished high school! I got into NU HPME and Brown PLME, and a couple others, so if you want any advice or help, I’m totally free, so just PM me </p>

<p>“Extensive knowledge of the medical field” is kind of a general term, and it means different things to different people. Like it was stated above, it doesn’t mean 500 hours of volunteering in a hospital. To me, knowledge of the medical field means that I am aware of the pros and cons I would be personally looking at if I were to enter the field (time for family, doctor-nurse relationship, steps necessary to treat one patient). I know of some jobs I’m interested in, and some that I’m not interested in; I am aware of the duties and responsibilities of some/all of the career paths I’m interested in; and I know some of the beautiful parts of working in medicine, as well as some of the problems that could arise in the future. To others, knowledge of the medical field might mean knowing all the steps of a clinical exam, or knowing a lot about medical law and ethics, or having an awareness of the day-to-day schedules of a lot of medical careers. I think that, with reflection, most people can tell whether or not they are comfortable with the level of knowledge they have of the medical field to want to pursue a career in it for certain. If they feel that they need more knowledge to determine their certainty, then they might go back to search for new experiences in the field.</p>