IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL NOTE ON ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
Date Updated: 5/11/07
In brief: Why put these programs on a different page? Their philosophies differ somewhat--more of a focus on the academic and research side. Becoming a stronger med school applicant is a beneficial side-effect of your endeavors. Of course, someone else might draw the line differently in categorizing these programs.
When you survey the curriculum of post-baccalaureate enrichment programs, it becomes clear that although these programs share the common goal of strengthening students as applicants to medical school, there can be individual differences in the way that schools achieve this goal. You could also say that a number of enrichment programs have a professional component built into them--that is, even if the student did not elect to apply to medical school, the program in which he or she studied would be preparation for career track work in or entry to one of the fields of biomedical sciences or research.
Students should weigh these factors carefully when deciding on a post-baccalaureate enrichment program, and should also be aware that there are post-baccalaureate programs which "philosophically" are the other way around. That is, their main goal is to prepare you for a specific career or to enrich your potential or skills within an already established career in health care or biomedical science. These programs might also, however, make you a stronger candidate for medical school.
In looking at and evaluating these master's levels programs, it could be productive for you not to think of them as two fixed and diametrically opposed types of programs, but as a continuum of programs--some focusing heavily and almost exclusively on improving a student's chances of getting into medical school, others focused very heavily on training you in some aspect of biomedical science or health care.
If you are uncertain of where along the continuum from "pure enrichment" to pure "professional development" a program lies there are several things you might talk about when you contact a program representative:
- Does the program have some sort of MCAT preparation component
or assistance available?
- Does the program have a good number of students
who have attended and gone on to medical school?
- Tell the program representative honestly and clearly what your goals and interests are--they are there to help you determine if their school is right for you.
Six programs which appear to lean more strongly toward the professional development side are:
- Master
of Science in the Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth
The CECS Master of Science (M.S.) degree is designed for individuals who wish to research and improve the delivery and practice of health care. It is a one year, nine credit, program for those attending full-time. The M.S. degree may also be pursued part-time over a longer period of time. Each term is ten weeks with courses offered in single-day blocks. The program is open to physicians, health professionals, pre-medical and medical students, and post-baccalaureate individuals interested in contributing to the improvement of health care.
This rigorous program includes core courses in epidemiology and biostatistics, health policy, health decision making and behavior, and continual improvement of health care. Elective courses, directed reading and individual research provide an opportunity to concentrate on a particular area of personal interest.
--A student might also opt to pursue a Ph. D. in clinical evaluative sciences.
Doctor of Philosophy in the Evaluative Clinical Sciences:
The CECS Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program is a full-time, residential program designed to train participants for research and teaching careers. The program goes beyond the Master of Science program and offers an in-depth experience in the conduct of research and teaching of the evaluative clinical sciences. Each student works closely with an advisor to design a program of study and research concentrating in medical care epidemiology, health policy, health decision making or behavior or continual improvement of health care.
- Thomas
Jefferson University's Master's
Programs: Biomedical Chemistry,
Developmental Biology and Teratology,
Microbiology, Pharmacology
- UMDNJ
Master's of Science
in Biomedical Science
- The
Roswell
Park
Program (near
Buffalo,
NY) is
a
new
addition
to
our
list.
It
is
an
Interdisciplinary
Master
of
Science
program
in
Biomedical
Sciences
and
Oncology.
The
program
has
been
around
for
more
than
forty
years
(not
a
fly-by-night
recruitment
scheme);
about
half
of
its
graduates,
according
to
self-reported
data,
eventually
go
to
medical
school
(this
50%
could
be
a
total
of
US
MD,
osteo,
and
foreign
med).
If
you
are
interested
in
oncology,
not
just
enrichment,
the
program
is
probably
worth
a
look.
- And last, but not least--Stony Brook's own Master's of Physiology Program