Program prepares students for health careers
by Cindy AbolePublic Relations
For five years minority students, serious about pursuing a career in medicine and other health sciences, have met in Charleston to prepare and define their goals in an intense, interactive summer program.
MUSC’s Summer Institute is a eight-week academic program that prepares students enrolled at South Carolina’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) for careers in the health professions.
The program is sponsored by MUSC’s Office of Diversity and the staffs at MUSC’s Center for Academic Excellence andthe Writing Center. This year’s program took place from June 7 to July 23.
Its funding comes from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education and MUSC.
“The program is an outstanding summer learning experience for individuals interested in all areas of medicine,” said Thad Bell, M.D., director of MUSC’s Summer Institute. “Not only do students learn a lot about health science careers, but they learn a lot about themselves.”
The program is based on a structured schedule and experiences that provide plenty of hands-on interaction, skills building and academics.
Summer
Institute instructor Willie Glee emphasizes his point with participant
Crystallyn Guest, left, and Diversity's Laurine Charles.
The students share campus activities at the College of Charleston and MUSC. On weekday mornings, students attend science courses at the College of Charleston. Their afternoons are spent at MUSC attending medical professions classes coordinated by the Center for Academic Excellence and Writing Center. They also devote a portion of their day to independent study and professional test preparation. The 11 men and women reside at the College of Charleston’s Berry Hall for the duration of the program.
Beaufort native Austin Major praised the program. A senior majoring in biology at Morris College, Major’s summer goal was to prepare for the upcoming medical college admissions tests (MCATs). He hoped to sharpen his study and preparation techniques through the Charleston program.
“The format and daily test preparation have been helpful,” he said. “If what we do prepares me in the area I need to focus on, then I’m a step ahead of others. It's been an invaluable experience.”
Since 1999, the program has served as a pipeline for HBCU students to become MUSC students, Bell said. To him, the program has evolved into an effective experience that meets students needs and brings out the best in people. It allowes participants to rise to another level, transforming doubts and insecurities into a new belief and self-confidence, he said.
South Carolina State University senior Joseph Brannon wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor.
“The program was beneficial, necessary, and productive,” Brannon said. “It provided good student preparation and skills. I learned the value of time management and how I account for my time.”
Brannon’s parents were just as positive.
“Both of us think Joseph’s summers have been time well spent,” said Annette Disher, Brannon’s mother. “We’re confident that the time he’s invested with this program will help him prepare for medical school and the admissions process.”
Center for Academic Excellence and Writing Center director Tom Waldrep is also happy about the program’s continued success.
“The experience gives students a practical sense of what a graduate-level professional school is all about,” Waldrep said. “We’re proud of how the curriculum developed and expanded to provide a complete learning experience for all students.”
In addition to the basic science curriculum, courses in medical rhetoric and a professional issues class teach students a variety of topics, including online research, building communi-cations skills, and discussions about medical ethics and health disparities. The participants get a sense of what it's like to be a medical student, Waldrep said.
Interactive sessions and activities rounded out the program, allowing students to shadow medical profess-ionals, meet with program deans and campus leaders, talk to admissions specialists, and discuss concerns with current students.
On the program’s final day, students, parents, course teachers, and organizers gathered for an informal luncheon.
Bell closed the gathering with a final message to parents: “Continue to do what you’ve always done. Support these young men and women in their academic goals and activities. They need your support to succeed in their dreams.”
2004 HBCU Students are:
Crystallyn Guest, Ashlei Gerald, Montrel Fields, Nicholas D. Graham,
Adrienne D.N. Martin, Joseph Brannon, Ryan O. Brown, JiMiesh D. Green,
Austin B. Major,Pamela Ward and Ashley Brawley.
Friday, July 30, 2004
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