Medical school

Archive for April, 2011

How To Get Into Medical School

April 26th, 2011

Being accepted into medical school is no easy chore. In fact, most people will be denied entrance to the school of their choice. In this article, we will discuss the best ways to go about getting into medical school, and how to improve your chances of being accepted.

The first step starts with picking the right schools you wish to attend. A good way to start is to think of which medical schools you’d like to go to, if there was no stopping you from attending them. By identifying your ideal school, you can then assess your situation to determine whether or not it’s attainable. If it’s out of your reach, consider schools that don’t have the same strict guidelines, but is similar to your ideal school. It’s also good to get recommendation by an advisor.

When you apply, you should apply to several schools — some schools that may be longshots, some were you have a good chance of being accepted, and also some backup schools.

Before applying, make sure you strengthen your chances of getting accepted. Typically, admission committees for medical schools will look at several things. First, they will look at your grades, and see what kind of trends they have gone through. If you have maintained good grades, throughout, this is a good sign. Also good is an upward trend, showing that your grades have improved as you went on in school.

Also, they like to see letters of recommendations from your professors and most important, from your pre-med advisor. Make sure you befriend all your professors, and give them a good impression, so when it comes time to get a letter of recommendation from them, it will not be a problem.

Another smart move would be to volunteer and get involved in the community, as it relates to the hospital. Not only will this look good on your record, but will give you a better idea of what it’s like to work in the medical field.

Finally, study early and take the MCAT ahead of time, preferably before you become a senior. This way you can apply to the medical schools you’re interested in, before it is your senior year. The earlier you submit your application, the easier it will be for the committees to approve your enrollment.

There you have it — a simple guide on how to get into medical school.

By: Steven P. Ross

About the Author:

Want to learn more? Steven Ross has written many great articles about getting into the medical field at http://www.best-us-medical-schools.com

Kansieo.com

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Tags: Admission Letters Of Recommendations Medical Field

How to Apply For Your MTAS Medical Training Application Service – Medical Students

April 26th, 2011

If you’re in 4th or 5th year you’ve probably heard something about “MTAS” which stands for Medical Training Application Service (MTAS). You will be using this service to apply for your foundation school and foundation year 1 (and possibly 2) jobs after graduating from your medical student exams. If your preparation was anything like mine was, you’re probably wondering what it’s all about, and despite being given an hour long lecture on the process, you’re still none the wiser.

Here is a quick guide to the MTAS process:
Each of you will make your application online. Go to the foundation programme website. Here, there is a PDF document with an application timeline which gives you the dates for each process of the application. When applications open, you will be given a log-in for the foundation programme website. On this website you will find the application form. Your application is scored out of 100.
Your score is made up by…
Your answers to the set questions (Max 60) – You will be given 7 questions and each one will be scored. Each question requires you to reflect on a personal or clinical achievement and state how this will benefit you during your foundation year jobs. You will be given example questions and answers to look at before you receive the definitive questions. Make sure you look at the styles of the sample answers and try to use the same format. (The questions will be given to you around 3 weeks before the submission deadline so start preparing your answers early!) Your ranking at medical school (Max 40) – your medical school will split the year into quartiles depending on your exam performance. Everyone in the top quartile receives the highest number of points (40). Everyone in the bottom quartile receives the lowest number of points (34).
On with the guide…
There is an area on the application to write about any extra qualifications you may have. Make sure you put down any other degrees you have and also any courses you have completed e.g. ALS, ALERT, PLS. You will also have the opportunity to write about any audit projects you have completed or if you have received any publications at medical school you – if you are in 4th year it may be worth beginning an audit project. They are not too time costly and will set you apart from your colleagues. You will need to contact 2 doctors to use as references. These are preferably consultants that you have got to know over a period of time. Obviously try and use people you have impressed! Ask them for their permission and obtain their contact details. They will be asked to submit a short reference on your performance with them (you will not need to organise this yourself). It is unlikely that anyone will not agree to write a reference on you however, make sure you aren’t rushing to find someone at the last moment – think back to your previous attachments. Lastly, you will be asked to rank the foundation schools in order of preference. Make sure you pay attention to the deadlines and begin the process early – you do not want to be rushing this in at the end, especially since the applications are submitted online. If you all wait until the last moment to press the “submit” button, the system will crash meaning your application may be late! Once you have submitted your application you will receive your score and will see your allocated foundation deanery.
After this, the process differs slightly for each deanery:
You will be asked to rank the F1 (+/- F2) jobs in order of preference. This is generally a time-consuming process so don’t try and do it all in one go! Remember, you will allocate your job based on your score. If you have unfortunately, achieved a lower score, you may need to be strategic about which jobs you rank highest. You will be less likely to be allocated jobs that are extremely popular if your score is low however, if your score is high, this is less likely to be a problem.

That summarizes the process. Remember to follow each step through and things should be okay for your admission. The process as a whole is highly daunting. You will hear rumours flying around for years before you even make your application !

Try to remember that the vast majority of people will get into their preferred foundation school and most people will be allocated one of their top ten ranked jobs.

Remember that people will be ranking jobs in an infinite number of different combinations meaning generally you will all be competing for different “favourite” jobs while you are revising for your medical student exams!

By: Ben M Foster

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Pass med-student exams
http://www.medicaleducator.co.uk

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Tags: Exam Performance Quartiles Submission Deadline

Are Caribbean Medical Schools Worth It?

April 22nd, 2011

The Caribbean has four major medical schools that are sometimes referred to as “The Big Four”. These medical schools are accredited and have produced many fine physicians. Many of the graduates are American born and return to the states to set-up a lifetime practice. They have proven that medical schools in the Caribbean can and do produce fine doctors of medicine.

Actually there are some specific advantages to Caribbean medical schools. These schools are a viable option and alternative to American medical schools. They are generally lower in cost. Tuition is normally less expensive. Housing is readily available for US students. Another advantage is that admission is easier than US schools. The opportunity to gain acceptance into a Caribbean med school should be greater than that of an American school. The med schools in the Caribbean generally use English to teach all of their classes. Language should not be a problem.

While US schools have one deadline for admission, the Caribbean schools usually offer three application periods in a year. This means you might be able to start classes at a time other than the traditional start dates of American schools. There are three schools in the Caribbean that deserve your research and investigation. Those three include: Ross School of Medicine, Sava School of Medicine, and the St. George University.

There are some disadvantages to attending a school in the Caribbean. The cost of travel will be an added expense. It is not cheap to travel these days. You will also have to adjust to a different culture. For some this may be difficult although most American medical students make the adjustment with time. Another disadvantage is the process of obtaining clinical rotations and residencies. The Caribbean schools do not have a strong program like American schools. There is also a limited number available. Many of the medical schools in the Caribbean do offer rotations back in the United States but you will have to investigate those specific situations. If you return to the States you will have to take the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) and the USMLE tests as well.

Caribbean medical schools do offer an alternative for American medical students. The final judgment will always be up to the individual. Many students have attended medical school in the Caribbean and have solid careers. You will have to make those decisions for yourself.

By: Hwang Keum-Ok

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Hi! I hope you enjoyed reading this article on medical schools. For more information please visit http://www.medical-school-rankings.net/caribbean-medical-schools.html – Medical School Rankings We recommend it highly!