*  Medical program overview

*  Getting into med school

*  Other medical professions

*  What should I major in?

*  What courses should I take?

*  Pre-medicine at NCC

*  Links

*  Back to health science page

Health Sciences:

Medicine and Dentistry

What do I have to do to become a doctor?
 
[Doctor] An MD degree requires four years of medical school after you complete your bachelor's degree. At least three additional years of internship and residency are required before you begin practice--even more in some specialties. Some students choose osteopathic schools; these four-year programs lead to a DO degree, which is equivalent to an MD with additional training in osteopathic manipulation. Students with a strong interest in clinical research or a career on a medical school faculty may choose a combined program awarding both an MD and PhD degree, which usually takes at least six years. Dental schools have four-year programs and confer DDS or DMD degrees, with one or two years of residency required for some specialties.

How do I get into medical school?
 
[Owl] Admission to medical school is a highly selective process. Typically, a little less than half of the qualified applicants are admitted. Six important elements of a successful application are: (1) Grades, (2) MCAT scores, (3) Courses, (4) Application and Recommendations, (5) Experience, and (6) Interview. Remember, however, that each medical school sets its own specific entrance requirements, so make a list of schools you're interested in and look up the details for each one.

Grades. Although good grades might not make a good doctor, medical schools rely heavily on GPA during the initial screening process, and students with mediocre grades are unlikely to be considered further. The average student accepted to medical school has a GPA of 3.55 in science courses and 3.7 in other courses (3.62 overall).

The MCAT, or Medical College Admissions Test, is required for admission to nearly all medical schools and is also very important in the initial screening process. The exam covers four areas: physical sciences (PS, physics and inorganic chemistry), biological sciences (BS, biology and organic chemistry), verbal reasoning (VR) and two essay writing samples (WS). The first three sections are scored on a scale of 1-15, and students accepted to medical school usually have scores of 9-10 on all three. The writing sample is scored alphabetically from J (lowest) to T (highest), with "P" being the average score of successful applicants. A strong GPA can sometimes help compensate for a slightly weaker MCAT, or vice-versa.

Courses needed to meet medical school entrance requirements are discussed below.

Application and Recommendations. Most medical schools accept a standardized application form called the AMCAS. They may then ask for a secondary application, including letters of recommendation and sometimes personal essays, from students they are interested in once preliminary screening is complete. Strong letters of recommendation are very important, and a small college like North Central can give you an edge here, since you will have many opportunities to work one-on-one with your professors and get to know them well. You can ask individual professors to send letters of recommendation or request that the premedical advising committee to assemble a single composite letter for you.

Experience can make you a stronger candidate, once you've gotten through the initial GPA and MCAT screening. The medical school admissions committee would like to see that you know something about what you're getting into! Relevant experience might include working or volunteering at a hospital, internships or research.

The interview is your final opportunity to impress the admissions committee with your brilliance and commitment to a medical career. Only students that the committee is very interested in will be offered an interview; travel to the interview is usually at your own expense. The committee may ask you why you want to go into medicine, why you chose that particular medical school, how you prepared yourself for a medical career, how you feel about key current issues in medicine, and so on.

What about dentistry? Osteopathic medicine? Optometry?
 
[Dentist] Most doctoral programs in other professional schools have entrance requirements generally similar to those described for medical schools. Osteopathic medical schools also require the MCAT, though they have their own standardized application form, the AACOMAS. Average GPAs and MCAT scores of successful applicants are slightly lower than for standard medical schools: 8 to 8.5 in each section of the MCAT and an overall GPA of 3.43. The admission test for dental students is the DAT, focusing on natural science, quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension and perceptual ability. The standardized application is the AADSAS. Optometry schools require the OAT. If you are interested in medical careers not mentioned here, talk to one of the premedical advisors. Again, individual schools set their own specific entrance requirements, which you should research well in advance.

What should I major in?
 
[Student] Professional programs usually do not require any specific bachelor's degree, such as a science degree. As long as the entrance requirements are met (see below), you can major in anything you want. Most students major in either biology or biochemistry because of the close connection between medicine and the life sciences. In addition, completing the major requirements in these fields generally meets most of the entrance requirements. However, medical admissions committees also look favorably upon a broad, well-rounded liberal-arts education...but they may also ask you to justify why you majored in some field other than the biomedical sciences!

What courses should I take?
 
Most medical schools require at least the following courses:

[Student] Many schools also require a biochemistry course and some psychology or other behavioral social science courses. You should check the specific entrance requirements for schools you are interested in at least by the end of your freshman year. The sample schedule below would prepare you for the MCAT by the end of your sophomore year and includes additional courses that will strengthen your preparation for medical school.

Freshman year:

Sophomore year:

Junior year:

Additional recommended courses:

What resources does North Central have to help me?
 
[Help] North Central's pre-health committee includes pre-health advisors who assist students in selecting courses, planning schedules and preparing for the admisions tests and application process. Dr. Ed Navakas, a practicing psychiatrist, is also a half-time faculty member who helps advise pre-health students, assists in finding internships and other experience and takes a group of pre-health students to a major medical conference each spring. Another major source of support is PHO, the student Pre-Health Organization. PHO activities include visiting medical facilities, shadowing medical professionals, MCAT reviews, coordinating internships and volunteer opportunities, and inviting speakers--both health professionals and experts on the application and admissions process.

Where can I get more information?
 
Below are some helpful links to get you started. Don't forget to keep in close touch with your academic advisor and the pre-health advisors as you plan your medical career!