So You Want to be a Doctor, Dentist, Vet, Chiropractor

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So You Want to be a Doctor, Dentist, Vet,
Chiropractor, Essential Knowledge for
Prehealth Students

• Dalene M. Aylward, Prehealth Advisor
• Libby Morsheimer, Coordinator of
• Preprofessional Advising
• Nicole Schwab, Prehealth Advisor
• University at Buffalo

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Prehealth Advising

• Basic Facts for Competitive Applicants
• Getting Started!

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Prehealth Refers To

• Allopathic Medicine (MD)
• Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
• Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
• Chiropractic Medicine (DC)
• Dental Medicine (DDS/DMD)
• Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
• Optometry (OD)
• Physician Assistant (PA)

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• Why?
• How Do You Know?

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Ask Yourself The Following Important Questions

• Do I care deeply about other people, their
  problems, and their pain? Do I enjoy using my
  skills and knowledge to help people?
• Do I enjoy learning and gaining new
  understanding?
• Do I enjoy and value learning in the sciences
  and overall not just earning good grades?
  
• Am I intrigued by the way medicine can be used
  to improve life?

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Reframe Your Thinking

• What is everything I need to do to get into
  medical school or dental school or vet school,
  etc? ASK INSTEAD
• What do I need to do to become the best
  possible doctor or dentist or vet I can?

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Choosing a Major

• Students from ALL academic majors are admitted to
  US professional health schools. Admissions
  Committees value applicants who have a broad
  based, varied educational experience.
• GRADES MATTER.
• ALL grades count though, the professional health
  schools will look at the overall trend of grades.
  

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Basic FactsRecent Average GPAs

• Allopathic Medicine 3.6/3.7
• Osteopathic Medicine 3.3/3.4
• Dentistry 3.4
• Veterinary Medicine 3.5
• Optometry 3.4
• Podiatry 3.1
• Chiropractic Medicine 3.0

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GPAs

• Excellent academic credentials is a critical
  piece of the application, but alone it is not
  enough. Admissions committees will review the
  ENTIRE application. Applicants need to strive for
  overall excellence.
• Minimize repeated courses as ALL courses are
  viewed and considered.

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Basic FactsPrerequisite Courses

• One Year with Two Semesters of Lab for Each of
  the Following
• General Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Biology
• Physics
• One Year of English
• Recommended
• - One Year of Calculus
• Recommended for Non-Bio Majors - Additional
  Science (Biochemistry, Physiology, etc.)

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Basic FactsAdditional Prerequisites

• CHIROPRACTIC Psychology, Social Sciences,
  Humanities
• OPTOMETRY Statistics,
• Microbiology, Psychology,
• Biochemistry
• VETERINARY MEDICINE Biochemistry, Genetics,
  Animal Nutrition, Microbiology

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Basic FactsAdmissions Exams

• Medicine - MCAT
• Dentistry - DAT
• Optometry - OAT
• Podiatry MCAT
• Veterinary - GRE or MCAT
• Chiropractic - NO admissions test is required

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Basic FactsBeyond Academics

• Volunteering/Shadowing
• Institutions (Hospitals, Nursing Homes, etc.)
• Private/Group Practices
• Community Service
• Extracurricular Activities
• Research
• Employment
• Honors/Awards

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Basic FactsWhat Else are They Looking forin
Candidates?

• Integrity/Values
• Professionalism
• Inside outside of professional settings
• Maturity/Character
• Motivation/Dedication
• Overall preparedness to be a health care
  provider

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Letters of Recommendation

• Highly sought by ALL the professional health
  schools.
• Provides insight and detail regarding individual
  applicant (e.g., explains context of academic
  record)
• Advice? Get to know your faculty, clinical
  staff, researchers, etc.

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Being a Prehealth Student at UB

• Specialized Advising
• Individual Appts/12 Months
• Numerous Info Sessions (e.g., summer orientation,
  fall/spring semesters)
• Connections to local healthcare community
• Guest Speakers
• Student Clubs (e.g., shadowing, service, social
  events, support, info)
• Website/Listserv/Blog

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How Do I Get Started?

• VISIT THE PREHEALTH WEBSITE
• http//prehealth.buffalo.edu
• VOLUNTEER
• TAKE A SCIENCE COURSE
• ATTEND A WORKSHOP(S)
• JOIN A UB PREHEALTH CLUB
• REGULARLY READ PREHEALTH BULLETIN

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ALTERNATIVES TO DOCTORAL LEVEL HEALTH CAREERS
Nurse Practitioner Respiratory
Therapist Occupational Therapist Physicians
Assistant Speech therapist Physical
Therapist Counselor Pharmaceutics Perfusio
nist Drug Information
Specialists Psychologist Cardiovascular
technologist Medical Technician Biomedical
Programmer Nuclear Medical Technician
Biomedical Engineer This
list is not exhaustive...
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Good Luck!