Imagine getting the opportunity to ask a first-year medical school student what med school is really like. That’s just what Program Director & Professor of Biochemistry, Paula Tracy, PhD is hoping students do.
UVM’s Medical School Mentorship & Enrichment Program, a 4-week program starting in June, is designed to help prospective medical students truly experience medical school mentored by successful first-year students at Larner College of Medicine.
“My immediate goal for the program is to provide students with the confidence that they’re ready for medical school, and that they know what it’s about,” said Tracy.
In addition to working directly with medical students, program participants will shadow physicians in various specialties at UVM Medical Center including emergency medicine, pathology, radiology, primary care, and more. Virtual medical procedures will be performed at UVM’s state-of-the-art medical Simulation Center. Students will also have the opportunity to accompany and observe surgeons as they operate in the OR and learn from physicians on their rounds.
“This curriculum is designed to help students appreciate what medical school is all about and give them the tools that they’ll need to know what to expect with the MCAT,” said Tracy.
Preparation for the MCAT happens primarily through Team-based learning sessions that occur nearly every morning and allow you to both teach and learn from your peers, your medical student mentors and Dr. Tracy. The sessions provide a robust discussion of the more difficult concepts in the physical and biological sciences, as well as the social sciences. Tracy says this prep work as well as a deep dive into Biochemistry helps to strengthen applications.
“I have an in-depth understanding of what it takes to get into medical school. I’m confident that we’ve pulled together the right team of faculty and mentors to create the best experiences to help students confidently progress through their pre-med pathway to medical school.”
The program is designed for current undergrad students who are interested in strengthening their qualifications for stronger health professional school candidacy as well as pre-med students who are getting ready to take the MCAT.
Registration is open now for the Medical School Mentorship & Enrichment Program.
