Health Professions Informational Meeting How to spend your years at Trinity preparing for a career in the Health Professions

What It Takes to Be a Successful Healthcare Professional * Motivation and Intelligence Evidence of Motivation for Medicine Evidence of an Interest in Service Evidence of Leadership Good Communication Skills *- American Medical Association, 2005

What It Takes to Be a Successful Health Professions School Applicant * Well-rounded College Education Classes Related to the Study of Human Beings Good Academic Performance (High GPA) Completion of Prerequisite Courses Preparation and Timely Completion of Entrance Exams (MCAT, etc.) Good Recommendations Timely Applications to Health Professions Schools *- American Medical Association, 2005

Want their incoming students to have the broadest possible education experience, not just in the sciences, but in the humanities and the arts as well… One of the over-riding values that the Deans wanted to see in their applicants was a life-long commitment to learning…essential for students to develop the information gathering skills…applicants demonstrate intellectual curiosity and passion for their chosen discipline is really a mechanism for measuring the applicant’s commitment to a life of continual learning and educational renewal. Curriculum -taken from the article “Admission Deans’ Roundtable: Medicine as a Liberal Arts” published in The Advisor March 2003

Health Care Campuses all within a 10 minute walk Hartford Hospital Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Institute of Living Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center

Community Important that students develop broad cultural sensitivity and ability to appreciate customs and values which may differ from their own…through a wide variety of humanities courses and volunteer work with populations different from the student’s own background.

Academics Major Graduate School Requirements GPA Electives Special Programs –Study Abroad –Health Fellows –Internships

“ Speaking for one medical school, students should feel free to study what they wish, be it science or non-science. Demonstrating self-insight (knowing what they like) and ownership of their education is valued by our admissions committee. We don’t care what the major is; we only ask that if the student is a science major, that they take enough non- science so that they learn to think through ethical, cultural, and social issues and complications with the same ease that they determine how mass falls from a tree, and visa-versa. And to this, of course, add the social and interpersonal skills learning so important to health patient/physician relationship that comes from career exploration, service to others, leadership.” David M. Owen, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine “…we are looking for a strong science background (and recommend that non-science majors take at least two upper division basic science courses beyond the minimum premed requirements), depth of academic exploration (in whatever area) and enriching life experiences. Liliano Montano, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Weill Cornell Medical College

Majors of Trinity Students Attending Medical School Biology Chemistry Neuroscience English Mathematics Political Science

MEDICAL SCHOOL PRE-REQUISITE COURSES Trinity College Course Equivalent 1 year of Introductory Chemistry with Lab CHEM 111L (fall); CHEM 112L (spring) 1 year of Introductory Biology with Lab BIOL 182L (fall); BIOL 183/203L (spring) 1 year of Physics with LabPHYS 101L (fall), PHYS 102L (spring) or 131L/231L sequence* 1 year of MathematicsMATH 131 (fall); MATH 107 (spring) 1 year of EnglishTypically a writing intensive course and a literature course It is strongly recommended that a course in genetics and/or biochemistry be taken BIOL 224; BIOL 317 * Recommended for students who may wish to take more courses in physics

To Take Calculus or Not? Only 13.5% of US medical schools require a semester or more of Calculus (UCLA, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Harvard, Duke) Over 40% of US medical schools do not require any college math course (Tufts, Yale, Emory, Columbia, Wake Forest, UVa) Data obtained from the Medical School Admission Requirements, AAMC, Washington DC

Table 24: MCAT and GPA Grid for Applicants and Acceptees to U.S. Medical Schools, (aggregated) The table below displays the acceptance rates at different MCAT and GPA levels for applicants and accepted applicants from 2005 to The frequencies are combined totals of all three years. Please us if you need further assistance or have additional inquiries. Acceptance rate for applicants, (aggregated) Total MCAT Scores All GPA Total Acceptance rate % > All Acceptances ,0885,58612,79315,20810,2184,7081,48352,848 Applicants2,7053,5656,60212,07719,40126,16423,26013,5415,7151,682114,712 Acceptance rate % Source: AAMC Data Warehouse:Applicant Matriculant File, As of 2/22/2008. Importance of Good Grades and Getting off to a Good Start -data table adapted from original data supplied by AMCAS

MCAT/GPA and Acceptance to Medical School Correlation – Percentage of Trinity College Applicants Accepted MCAT GPA < >36 > <

RESEARCH The Deans’ felt that research was an excellent way for a student to demonstrate intellectual maturity, independence of thought, creativity, love of learning…all highly desirable qualities in a medical student….the area of research was unimportant. They want the student to demonstrate a genuine passion for the research and a depth of understanding which showed that he or she was not simply a pair of hands…in the lab.

Extracurricular Activities

Gaining an Understanding of the Profession AMSA Seminars SMDEP

Trinity’s Health Profession Advising Program Advising Informational Seminars Coordination of Health professions Internships Summer Healthcare Experiences Advice and Guidance before and during the Application Process

The Deans agree that the premedical evaluation letter was one of the most important components of their admission process. They considered it to be the single most valuable means to explain and expand upon the applicant’s important personal qualities that cannot be gleaned from a transcript. Health Profession Advising Committee 9 Faculty members Course planning Overall Application Advising Letter of Evaluation

HPAC Letter of Evaluation Required by most medical and dental schools Written by HPAC Interviewer following Committee discussion Edited and signed by Chair of HPAC

39% of applicants evaluated as either Outstanding or Superior Acceptance Rate Superior Rating - 20/21 = 95% Outstanding Rating - 21/25 = 84% Combined - 41/46 = 89% Applicants119 Accepted (MD/DO)90 Overall Acceptance Rate – 76%

Excellent interpersonal skills were absolutely essential…emotional and social maturity was just as important as intellectual maturity. Students who had shown leadership, persistence, empathy, an ability to overcome adversity, and a willingness to accept responsibility for their own lives and the lives of others…they were clearly able to demonstrate that they possessed the requisite maturity. This is where the student who has significant real life experience and achievements has a real advantage over the student who can only present academic accomplishments. Developing the Skills Needed in Health Care At Trinity, real life is lived every day… on and off campus

Thanks for coming and … Don’t forget to register (available on-line)

Fall 2010 HPAC Calendar 9/30 Visit from School for Health Sciences, Simmons College 10/19 Professionalism and Interviewing Skills Workshop 10/28 Health Career Opportunities Program at UCHC (7pm) 11/15 Public Health and Medicine with Margaret Gatti (Trin’05, MPH ’07 Emory School of Public Health, MD ‘11 Georgetown Medical School) 9/15 Hartford Hospital Research Assistant program (7pm)