Dr. Anil Menon is the Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Program in Medical Sciences at the University Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Dr. Menon says he has so many students whose parents gave them stethoscopes on their 5th birthday. He says “If that isn't a projection, I don't know what is.”
Every year about 35,000 students apply for medical school in the US, and about half of them get in, with little experience on what’s ahead.
The Situation
In the US, students can get their undergraduate degrees in any discipline - music, physics, biology etc., and head over to medical school.
20 years later, a number of them realize that they didn’t really want to become a doctor!
Maybe they just felt pressured by their parents.
Sadly, they did not have an evidence-based experience before they leapt headlong into medical school.
And then, having invested time and money, they can’t easily back out.
Now, What If, You Could Test Drive…?
Dr. Menon and his colleagues have created an undergraduate program inside a medical school
Like a mini-medical school;
All students get to do everything that medical students do, but in a little lighter form.
They take classes from professors who actually teach medical students, they have medical student mentors, they meet people in their residency in, for example, internal medicine or pediatrics etc.
They shadow and do work in the hospital, a co-op program where they get paid to work in the hospital;
So, at the end of four years, they have a really good idea of what it is to work in health care!
An Evidence-based Decision
Dr. Menon believes that it's very different, being 18 years old versus being 22 years old, it's almost an exponential difference.
Students would have a very hands-on understanding of how a hospital works, because they have actually pushed those gurneys, taken those blood samples, know exactly how the “heart of a hospital beats”.
They can use the evidence of their personal experience of their lived experience through these four years to make that decision;
Should I go to Medical school? Do I want this? Do I enjoy this?
Or would I prefer doing something else related to the health care business?
What if Medicine is not for you?
Now, after going through the program, a fraction of the students conclude that they don’t want to pursue a career in medicine.
What’s next for them?
An MBA in Finance, with huge number of opportunities to work in a hospital in healthcare;
Pharmacy school;
Dental school;
Physician Assistant school;
MSN - Masters in Nursing Programs which allows them to be a kind of an advanced nurse practitioner;
Others like entrepreneurship, consulting etc.
In other words, lots of opportunities.
Typical Outcomes
After graduating with a BS degree in Medical Sciences from University of Cincinnati College Of Medicine,
70% of the graduates decide to go to medical school; and
30% of students say they want to do something else!
On With the Podcast
In this Podcast, Dr. Menon shares what the Medical Sciences undergraduate program is, How to Apply, Scholarships, Career Options and Advice for High Schoolers.
Hi-Fives from the Podcast are:
What is the UG Program in Medical Sciences?
Program Takeaways
Cost & Scholarships
Better Med School Odds
Advice for High Schoolers
Listen to Hi5s. Podcast Highlights with Dr. Anil Menon on UG Program in Medical Sciences at U of Cincinnati COM. (3-Minute Listen).
All the Best!
Have a Great Week.
Venkat