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Potential physicians sample med school


by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
Claflin University junior Neema Hooker sat in Baruch Auditorium listening with interest to Pathology and Laboratory Medicine professor Debra Hazen-Martin, Ph.D., as she described the anatomy and biology of the human breast and the stages related to breast cancer development.
 
Hooker was among 85 undergraduate students and their parents who participated in this lecture and several other presentations made by medical school faculty as part of MUSC’s 2nd annual Mini Medical School held April 16-17 on campus.
 
“This was a great opportunity to learn,” said Hooker, who is majoring in biochemistry and considering medical school. “Sitting in on the  lectures, learning about the integrated curriculum and hearing first-hand advice and strategies from students was a valuable experience for me.”
 
Undergraduate students and parents attend MUSC Mini Med School
April 16 - 17.

The spring event, sponsored by the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) and College of Medicine (COM), was part of a program of lectures and presentations targeted at college-level juniors and seniors who are interested in a career in medicine. The program oriented students to preclinical medicine featuring a new integrated learning curriculum. Students listened to real medical school lectures taught in systems and themes or blocks. They also heard from faculty speakers, watched demonstrations and learned details from a panel of medical students who each related their experiences and shared suggestions for success.
 
Hooker was accompanied by her father, Glenn C. Hooker, M.D., an Orangeburg  psychiatrist, who also enjoyed the experience. A graduate of the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Hooker was curious about the curriculum changes in comparison to the traditional curriculum that he followed, as well as the use of technology and computer-based activities in learning.
 
Featured lectures included a study on immunization and the prevention of infectious diseases, anatomy of medicine, interprofessional learning, the scope of simulation training in health care and clinical evaluation, student life and a “day in the life of a medical student” presentations, advice about admissions strategies and academic support. The event ended with a campus tour.
 
Hazen-Martin, who also is COM associate dean of curriculum integration and Gabe Virella, M.D., Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology, gave modified versions of course lectures as presented to medical students.
 
Donna Kern, M.D., assistant dean for patient safety and associate professor in medicine, reviewed details about the college’s integrated learning approach and lectured on the cardiorespiratory system. Kern reviewed the first-year, pre-clinical curriculum, which  features a half-day of lectures focused on studying systems of the body in three subject blocks. The rest of the day is devoted to more hands-on patient care activities, where students learn in teams. They review physical diagnosis, patient interviewing, critical thinking and behavioral science. Teams also can study in the new MUSC Simulation Center, complete a self-directed study or work with the Senior Mentors program, an experience that introduces students to senior partners in the community and geriatric medicine.
 
“Today’s health care focuses on patient safety and teaching our students early enough to prevent medical errors while in training,” said Kern. “Understanding patients in life is the forefront of being a good physician.”
 
To conclude the program, Chris Pellic, M.D., COM associate dean of students, reviewed an educational map about challenges relating to medical school, residency training and careers in medicine. COM admissions director Wanda Taylor spoke to students about admissions strategies and gave advice for applicants, while Jeff Wong, M.D., COM senior associate dean for medical education, summarized the program’s activities and events.
 
The two-day event was created by Jennifer Schnellmann, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Office of Scientific Editing and Publications, and the CAE and Writing Center team.


 

Friday, April 30, 2010


The Catalyst Online is published weekly by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. The Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to The Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.