MSU Human Biology Club

Dr. PJ Arbit, M.D. - Anesthesiologist

Tuesday

(11/16/21)

• Dr. Arbit runs a surgery center in Novi

• He went to MSU for undergrad and went to a physiology major and Wayne State for medical school and then worked at Beaumont Hospital before opening his surgery center

• Dr. Arbit works on surgery procedures where the patient can walk out of the surgery center after

• Dr. Arbit emphasized that it's important to do what you love and that you can have a good schedule even if you're a doctor

• He mentioned that people can shadow his surgeries during non-COVID times

• He picked to be an anesthesiologist because he likes to do a lot of things and anesthesia sees a lot of things

• Dr. Arbit says that medical school is extremely difficult

• MD and DO degrees are equally valuable

• The first two years of medical school are mainly classroom based

• You learn from everyone in medicine, especially the nurses

• You do rotations the last two years of medical school, a core set and then electives

• Dr. Arbit does not work with PAs, but he does work with certified nurse anesthetists

• He said that in terms of personal statements for medical school, you should just not write something that's weird because you stand out in the interview; the personal statement matters less

• Dr. Arbit said that you should try to enjoy undergrad because it's just a pass through to medical school

• Feel free to call or text Dr. Arbit if you have any questions his number is: (248)310-7702

 

Nina Darwich and Kate Reidy- First year MSU COM Students

Tuesday 

(11/2/21)

• Nina Darwich: darwichn@msu.edu

• Kate Reidy: reidyka1@msu.edu

  • Discussed why they chose MSUCOM/ DO route

  • Discussed activities to get involved in as a pre-med student

  • Discussed the application process as well as what was difficult about it

  • Discussed MCAT preparation

  • Discussed ways to avoid burnout/ balancing academics with personal life 

 

Tracy Feazel- Sparrow Volunteer Coordinator

Tuesday 

(10/12/21)

​

• Updates

  • Dues extended to 10/19​

  • Volunteer Opportunity 10/19 @ Bessey Room 105

  • Volunteer Opportunity 10/28 @ Haven House

  • Submit a t-shirt design idea by 10/31 for one volunteering point

• Volunteer Opportunities

  • One-on-one patient interactions in several departments​

  • Patient guide at discharge desk 

  • COVID-19 Vaccination clinic

  • Training/experience with support of hospital staff 

  • Visitor escorts

• How can you get involved?

  • Go to: volunteers.sparrow.org​

    • Fill out college application ​on website

  • Currently accepting applications for spring semester

  • Also accept volunteers over the summer​

• Contact: tracy.feazel@sparrow.org

 

Craig Boyd- MSU COM Admissions Officer

Tuesday 

(9/28/21)

​

• MSU COM Vision: To prepare physicians in the science of medicine, the art of caring and the power of touch, with a world view open to all people

• MSU COM is an osteopathic school​

• Important that students have pre-clerkship clinical experience before applying!

  • Admissions committees understand it's been difficult to complete in-person shadowing during the pandemic and have been accepting of virtual hours

• Curriculum

  • Pre-clerkship curriculum during years 1&2​​

  • Clerkship curriculum during years 3&4​​

• Offers global outreach engagement

  • Connections with numerous experiences through MSU Institute for Global Health ​

• Offers a DO-PhD Dual Degree Program & DO-MBA Dual Degree Program

• MSU COM has a 99% Match Rate 

​

Website: https://com.msu.edu/

Email: com.admissions@msu.edu

Craig Boyd: boydcra1@msu.edu

​

Fall 2021 Introductory Meeting

Tuesday

(9/14/21)

​

• Welcome everyone! The HBC is geared towards all majors seeking information about the pre-health track. We provide helpful tips on how to get involved in research at MSU, what classes/professors will lead to success, and have speakers from all fields of healthcare come and share their experiences with us.

• Guest Speakers

  • We will be having a guest speaker at our next meeting!​

• Volunteer opportunities

  • Haven House East Lansing: https://www.havenhouseel.org/volunteer.php​

• Club Social Events​​

• Membership Expectations and Dues

  • Dues are due by 10/12 and can be paid through Venmo @msuhumanbiology​

  • You must earn a total of four points per semester to remain in good standing

    • One point must come from a group volunteering event​

    • The other points can come from meeting attendance or participation in club social events 

• EBoard Introductions

• Pre-health Advising at MSU: https://prehealth.natsci.msu.edu/

• Next Meeting: 9/28/21

 

Tracy Feazel- Sparrow Hospital Volunteer Coordinator

 

Tuesday

(4/20/21)

​

• To learn more, please check out the Sparrow volunteer website: https://volunteers.sparrow.org/

• How to apply: Click on apply and complete the college application.  Log back into the system, go to My Information and complete the 5 online trainings.  Last step would be to get a TB test.  Because MSU is not supporting in-person volunteering, you will need to get the TB test on you own at your primary care, Rite Aid, Walgreens etc.   

• Tracy's email if you want more information: tracy.feazel@sparrow.org

​

Christina Race, PA-C- Dermatology Physician Assistant

 

Tuesday

(3/23/21)

​

• Graduated from Butler University in a Health Science degree

• She became a PA before the masters requirement so she only has a bachelors degree

• She has been a dermatology PA for 20+ years

• PAs have training in primary care which is super nice because you can specialize in and do a lot of different things

• PAs see all of their own patients and Ms. Race does research in her practice as well

• Some PAs do residencies but most of it is on the job training

• Ms. Race likes the schedule flexibility of being a PA

• She recommends getting medical experience for PA school

 

Dr. AJ Robison, PhD- Neuroscience Professor and Researcher

 

Tuesday

(3/9/21)

​

• Went to Rhodes College in Memphis to play football

• Took a class on fungus by chance in college and started doing research with that professor that taught it

• He emphasized that the topic of your research in undergrad isn't as important as learning good scientific concepts and having a good mentor

• He only applied to Vanderbilt for graduate school and went there, but he recommends applying to more than one

•  He moved around a lot with his wife who also is a professor for jobs and fellowship opportunities

• He designed and teaches a neuroscience class at MSU and also runs lab here 

• If you want to get involved in research as an undergrad, be persistent and show up to people's offices and email them a lot to stand out and make yourself known

• Dr. Robison's email if you have any questions: Robiso45@msu.edu 

• His lab's Twitter: @robisonlabmsu

• His lab's website: mazeirobisonlabs.org

 

MSUCOM Student Panel

 

Tuesday

(2/16/21)

​

• Why DO/MSUCOM- DO philosophy of holistic medicine, MSU is a top DO program with good name recognition, easy travel/close to home

• Recommends being a part of OMSP if possible in undergrad

• Taking time off before medical school if it's an option for you can be a nice break because medical school can be intense

• Everyone has a flaw in their application- you can still get in if you don't have the best MCAT score

• The panelists recommend self-studying or taking a MCAT course depending on your study style and how you learn best

• The personal statement is really important because it's your chance to set yourself apart and show what you're passionate about

• Prepare but don't stress too much about the MMI portion of your interview

• Feel free to contact any of our panelists if you have any questions: connol79@msu.edu oneillmo@msu.edu odowdbre@msu.edu chucindy@msu.edu macarai1@msu.edu
   

​

Lisa Goodman- Respiratory Therapist

 

Tuesday

(2/2/21)

​

• Has been in respiratory therapy for the last 36 years

• Received her associates from LCC

• Began in the intensive care unit in 1983

• Emphasizes taking care of our mental health and to put time aside for self care and to decompress from the world/work

• Has noticed that with covid patients, attention to detail has definitely gone up. Baseline oxygen levels have shot up with covid just for precautionary reasons.

• Her advice - Be kind and take care of the people you love, care for others!

• Email contact - mailto:lisasluxbb@gmail.com

 

Dr. Philip Arbit, MD- Anesthesiologist

 

Tuesday

(1/19/21)

​

• Dr. Arbit runs a surgery center in Novi

• He went to MSU for undergrad and went to a physiology major and Wayne State for medical school and then worked at Beaumont Hospital before opening his surgery center

• Dr. Arbit works on surgery procedures where the patient can walk out of the surgery center after

• Dr. Arbit emphasized that it's important to do what you love and that you can have a good schedule even if you're a doctor

• He mentioned that people can shadow his surgeries during non-COVID times; hopefully this opportunity will resume around September 2021

• He picked to be an anesthesiologist because he likes to do a lot of things and anesthesia sees a lot of things

• Dr. Arbit says that medical school is extremely difficult

• MD and DO degrees are equally valuable

• The first two years of medical school are mainly classroom based

• You learn from everyone in medicine, especially the nurses

• You do rotations the last two years of medical school, a core set and then electives

• Dr. Arbit does not work with PAs, but he does work with certified nurse anesthetists

• He said that in terms of personal statements for medical school, you should just not write something that's weird because you stand out in the interview; the personal statement matters less

• Dr. Arbit said that you should try to enjoy undergrad because it's just a pass through to medical school

• Feel free to call or text Dr. Arbit if you have any questions or if you want to shadow him sometime hopefully after September 2021: (248)310-7702

 

​

MSUCOM Medical Student- Navin Abro and Brandon Hana

 

Tuesday

(12/1/20)

​

• Navin is a 3rd year and Brandon is a 4th year at MSUCOM; they want to be EM doctors

• Navin was a part of OSMP at MSU and that's how he ended up going to MSUCOM

• His advice is to study over time and not just cram in undergrad and medical school because the same things are repeated over and over again

• Brandon went to Oakland University and studied biology

• Brandon took the MCAT four times and ended up getting into MSUCOM after taking a gap year

• Brandon said that besides an OMM class and two sets of boards, you learn everything in DO school as you do in MD school

• Navin said that he's been told by doctors that they think that DO students are more personable because they get to know people better

• Navin said he studied for two weeks for the MCAT and that was a bad idea; Brandon said that quality of studying is much better for the MCAT is a lot more important than quantity

• Navin said that everyone that did well on the MCAT were the people that made plans

• Brandon said that you do all of your core clinical rotations during your 3rd year and then you plan your own schedule during your 4th year

• Navin said that you have to do certain rotations to figure out what you like and where you can see yourself in your 3rd year and at the end you do rotations in order to get residency interviews

• Navin got involved in research by emailing people and got involved the summer after freshman year and then returned the following year and ended up getting published

• Brandon didn't do a lot of research but was super involved in volunteering in his community; he said research isn't everything and that it's better to be more well-rounded at that you don't have to do research if you didn't want to

• Navin said the best part of OMSP was not having to take the MCAT and that's why he applied but he said that it's a good group of people and that they provide you with a lot of good opportunities

• Most people don't have time to have a job in medical school

• Navin says that the first two years you have class and labs, starting with the basic science classes and then moving onto the body systems

• Brandon says you have a lot more free time your 3rd and 4th year

• Navin chose emergency medicine because you get to see everything and Brandon likes that you never know what is going to come through the door

• Navin hasn't done any research in medical school; he does more community service because giving back to the community is more important to him

• Navin didn't have a lot of clinical experience before medical school and he said that the best students are the ones that have had medical jobs before

• Brandon was a scribe for a little while and shadowed in undergrad

​

Feel free to contact Navin or Brandon if you have any questions!

Brandon Hana: brandon.hana@gmail.com (248)228-4598
Navin Abro: abronavi@msu.edu (248)212-1668

 

MSUCHM Medical Student- Ellanya Kallabat

 

Tuesday

(11/10/20)

​

• First year student at MSUCHM

• Graduated from Wayne State in Spring 2020

• Worked as an MA in an EMT office and as a scribe in the ER

• Was an LA and a tutor for organic chemistry at Wayne State

• Started studying for the MCAT over the summer after sophomore year and ended up taking it January of her junior year and applied after that

• Didn't like MCAT prep class because she's more of an independent learner but they work well for some people

• MCAT isn't a time to learn new study habits; stick with what works for you

• Try to work hard and only take the MCAT once after you've done everything you can to prepare

• Medical school is super overwhelming cause it's a lot of information and you can't learn all of it at first but it gets better as time goes on

• MSU is unique because they start clinical work early on

• In an interview try to sound as real and unscripted as possible; she watched interview videos before she did her interviews

• Do research on the school before the interview

• She applied to only 12 medical schools because she really wanted to stay in state

• Used AAMCAS to research and apply to medical school

• Time management and focusing on mental health is really important in medical school

• Studying in medical school is different than undergrad- in undergrad yo study to take the test and in medical school you're going to really need it later so it's important that you learn it

• Feel free to email Ellanya if you have any questions for her: ekallabat@gmail.com

​

​

Kaplan Representative- Molly Crusse

 

Tuesday

(10/20/20)

​

• Next meeting: Nov. 10th because of election day

• Email contact: molly.crusse@kaplan.com

• You can email molly if you want to be a student brand ambassador for Kaplan- you get a free prep course with the job!

• Link to free events through Kaplan: kaptest.com/free-events/mollyc

• Make sure to get your MCAT done as early as possible and account for when you want to apply to medical school

• Kaplan has many different options for test prep courses- check out their website for more information!

 

Dr. Christine Sims, DO and Dr. Melissa Benbow, MD - Pediatrics

 

Tuesday

(10/6/20)

​

Dr. Melissa Benbow

• Ohio College of Medicine

• Residency in children's hospital in Dayton, OH

• Worked for MSU Pediatrics for the last 5-6 years

• Works in outpatient setting, but does see newborns at the hospital and teaches students as well

​

Dr. Christine Sims

• Went to MSU as a Human Bio major

• Went to MSUCOM

• Graduated from residency in 2018 and has been teaching ever since

• Works in outpatient setting, but does see newborns at the hospital and teaches students as well

​

Questions

• Why pediatrics?

  • Dr. Benbow always knew she wanted to do primary care and work with children

  • Dr. Sims always knew she wanted to work with kids and liked continuity of care, but wasn't sure how she would do with sick kids so she decided to keep an open mind in medical school

  • Dr. Sims realized that adults usually have self-inflicted problems whereas kids do not, and with general pediatrics you see a lot of healthy kids which she liked

  • Dr. Sims said it's ok to not know your specialty and that some people even applied to two totally different residencies because they couldn't choose

• When do you have to choose you specialty?

  • In the fall of your fourth year of medical school you apply, you match in march, graduate in May, and you start residency July 1st​

• Work/life balance?

  • Dr. Sims wanted a family, flexible hours​, and wanted to be her own boss, and said you have to love what you do

  • Primary care is accommodating and some people even have kids in residency

  • Dr. Benbow had her first child at the end of medical school and her second at the end of residency; she said there's never a good time with so much training so you have to do it whenever you're ready rather than when your career allows it

  • They both have husbands with careers and it's possible

• Reasons for choosing MD or DO?

  • Dr. Sims said that she talked to and shadowed some DO's and she liked healing with her hands

  • DO schools don't get summers off because of the extra curriculum

  • Dr. Sims almost never uses OMM in her practice

  • Dr. Benbow is from Ohio and there was only one DO school in the state at the time, so she was more inclined to pick an MD school because she wanted to stay close to home

• What is most challenging about being a pediatrician?

  • Dr. Sims: metal health issues in children and teens because it's the one thing where people have to help themselves which is hard​

  • Dr. Benbow: pediatricians are mandated reporters and calls to CPS are necessary more frequently than she thought

• How much time do you teach?

  • Dr. Benbow: most of your time is spent in clinic​ (4 hour blocks /  6 days a week)

  • Some people do more teaching

  • Dr. Sims: 70/30 or 80/20 clinic/teaching ratio

  • Both say that almost every clinic they have a student with them

  • Both also have some on-call or weekend work, but their clinic is pretty standard hours, with one day a week working from 1 pm to  8 pm

  • Once every two months they do a weekend on-call

  • They usually don't have to go in if they get called, they usually just have to give advice to worried parents

• Is your residency and others typically 3 years?

  • All pediatric residencies are 3 years long, but you can add a fellowship to specialize in something specific like pediatric cardiology​

• What do medical schools struggle with?

  • Knowing what questions to ask the patients and how to relay it to others once you get out of the room​ can be challenging

• What activities did you do as an undergrad?

  • Ask people about what they do and try to figure out what you enjoy; everything you do doesn't have to be medically related​

  • Do what makes you happy and put a lot of effort into that, don't pick something because you think it'll make you look good

• Changes during COVID-19 with caring for children?

  • Started doing telemedicine and was trained within a week which was a hard transition​

  • Aren't seeing as many kids, which is worrisome because kids may not be getting the care hey need

• Is there anything you wish you would have done before medical school?

  • No, just enjoy it!​

  • Dr. Sims took a year off after getting waitlisted her fist application cycle, which she thought was the end of the world at the tie but she think's it was the best thing for her because she was able to save up money and travel

• Tip: don't worry about the money it's worth it!

• Contact Rebecca Reagan (reagan@msu.edu) if you want to shadow Dr. Sims or Dr. Benbow!

• If you have any questions feel free to also email them directly: Dr. Sims (csims@msu.edu) and Dr. Benbow: (benbowm@msu.edu)!

​

Chad Morris, PT - Physical Therapy

 

Tuesday

(9/22/20)

• Announcements

  • Physical therapy job opportunity ​in Novi- email us if you're interested

  • Virtual volunteer opportunities sent out to email list

  • No dues are going to be collected this semester

• Chad Morris, PT

  • Grand Valley for undergrad and PT school​

  • Being practicing physical therapy for the past 15 years

  • What is a physical therapist?

    • Sees people with pain or who can't do typical daily activities due to a lack of ability or control while moving​

  • History of PT

    • PT started at the end of the 1800s​

    • A need for PT arose during the polio epidemic around 1916

    • PT was institutionalized during WWI when women were recruited to rehabilitate soldiers

    • The American Physical Therapy Association was created and state licensure was created for PTs in the middle of the 20th century

    • You can go to a physical therapist without a doctor's referral, which is  known as direct access, as of 2016 in Michigan

  • Where is PT?

    • hospitals, nursing homes, schools, home care, etc​.

  • PTs work with many other medical professionals

  • PTs serve babies, children, teenagers, and adults

  • What got you into physical therapy?

    • was a cross country runner and got injured​ and was exposed to physical therapy through that

  • What happens in your daily life?

    • Outpatient Orthopedic PT and Clinic Manager​

    • Treat 10-30 patients

    • Supervise staff and do office-related paperwork

    • Communicate with other medical professionals

  • Specialties

    • Gait/swim/cycling analysis

    • Throwing/tennis analysis

    • Sport-specific, geriatric, spine, vestibular, neurological, orthopedic, etc.

    • Lots of specialty-specific certifications available

  • What is your specialty?

    • Video gait analysis for running​

  • Day in the life of pediatric PTs

    • Using play to work on developmental skills​

    • Braces, walkers, etc.

  • What can you do to become a PT?

    • Do clubs, shadowing, volunteering, etc. now​

    • Undergraduate degree, clinical doctorate degree

  • Admissions to PT school

    • Complete pre-reqs​

    • 50 hrs minimum observation hours

    • 2 letters of recommendation, one from a PT

    • Online application, tour campus and facility

  • Grand Valley PT school

    • lecture, lab, group work, clinical experience​

    • 3 years of classes, 119 credit hours, starting in August and ending in July

    • PT school is very exceptional

    • Very hard initially to help weed people out

    • Get licked out if you get lower than a B

    • 1st year- anatomy and orthopedics

    • 2nd year- neurological based classes, beginning of advanced classes

    • Third year is clinical rotations and advanced classes

    • Skills: want you to gain PT skills and people skills

  • After graduation

    • National exam​

    • Individual state requirements

    • High job growth

    • Medium wage is $85,000

  • Educational requirements Post Graduation

    • 24 hours of professional development courses every two years; 1 hr pain and 1 hr on human trafficing​

  • Advice

    • Ask questions​

    • Explore multiple settings and therapy options

    • Find a mentor

    • Explore PT, OT, and Speech as well

  • Questions

    • ​Email us and we can put you into contact with our speaker!​​

    • Home life/work balance- it's up to you; can have 50-60 hr weeks, but usually 45 hrs week​; some  PTs can choose their own schedule depending on the setting and your specialty

​​

Fall 2020 Introductory Meeting

​

Tuesday

(9/8/20)

• Introductions

• Club opportunities

  • virtual lectures from speakers of various medical/healthcare backgrounds planned for the semester, virtual volunteer opportunities, etc.

• Fall Semester Updates:

  • we have a list of virtual volunteer opportunities that we will be emailing out, potentially a mask making project

  • social games/activities planned so that we can all get to know each other better

  • let us know if there’s any speaker professions you guys want to see for this semester and we can try to arrange for someone in that profession to come speak at one of our meetings

  • we are still figuring out fundraising for this semester and we are open to any ideas, maybe a game night fundraiser

• Human Biology Advising: https://natsci.msu.edu/students/current-students/prehealth/advising/

• Great Read Program for Human Biology Majors: https://natsci.msu.edu/about/departments-and-programs/human-biology-program/2020-human-biology-great-read-program/

• Next Meeting: Sept. 22nd 7pm

 

Christine Nguyen-Koelzer - MSU Human Biology Advisor

 

Tuesday

(3/10/20)

• Meeting Minutes - 3/10/20 - Christine Nguyen-Koelzer MSU Human Bio Advisor

• Reminder: E-Board applications due March 16th

• Check the associated PDF of the application process

•  

• Professional school programs mostly have a centralized application system (CAS) such as CASPA for PA or AMCAS for Med School.

• Some schools have secondary applications also. May consist of essays and other extra information to find out more about you and why you’re specifically interested in their program.

• PLAN AHEAD FOR FEE’S! Each primary program has a fee as well as a fee for each additional program applied to. (Fee’s vary)

• Cast a wide net, programs are increasingly competitive so putting all of your eggs into one basket is not always recommended. Different professional programs recommend different amounts of schools to apply to.

• ​

• Materials commonly required:

• Work, activities, and other experiences

• Personal statement

• Letters of evaluation

• Clinical experiences

• Non-clinical experience

• Shadowing

• Research experience

• *Quality over quantity

• Personal Statements:

• Address the prompt

• Edit a ton!

• Stick to character limits

• Use your resources, talk about experiences and why they made you want to follow any given path

• If it is something that could prevent you from receiving an interview, elaborate on it

• Discuss motivations for professional schools

• Letters of Evaluation

• Some may require 2 science faculty, 1 non-science, 1 individual in the field you are pursuing, and 1-2 additional letters

• Ask early for them! Make sure they know you well, not a professor you talked to maybe once

• Make sure your letters paint a comprehensive picture of you

• Standardized tests:

• Plan and study 3-5 months in advance

• Take test at least 4 weeks prior to applying

• Utilize test prep resources ex: Kaplan

• When should you apply?

• A year in advance of starting

• Check program deadlines! They all may differ

• Check whether rolling or non-rolling admissions

• Contact (email or schedule an appointment) with advisors whenever you need help!

 

 

Dane Shiltz - Ferris State PharmD Program

 

Tuesday

(2/11/20)

• Ferris State University College of Pharmacy Speaker’s Information: Dr. Dane Shiltz, PharmD

• Contact information: Tara Lee, Director of Admissions Email: TaraLee@ferris.edu
  Website: https://www.ferris.edu/pharmacy/

• *Students come on rotation in their last year and do interactive simulations with actors and multiple medical-based students.

• *We were given a packet and taken through four, interactive scenarios. These scenarios resulted in members having to decide which medication to give the patient to remedy the situation. Then members learned how the drug worked within the body.

• *We learned about: -Naloxone

• -Enoxaparin -Albuterol -Epinephrine

• *Discuss these types of things in the classroom and in rotations.

 

 

MSU COM Students- DO/PhD Program

 

Tuesday

(1/28/20)

• Contact info: Basma Al Masraf almasra3@msu.edu; Maja Blake blakemaj@msu.edu, Brittany Ladson Ladsonbr@msu.edu

​

• Extracurriculars they did before DO school: Study abroad (get for letters of rec.), LA’s for classes, volunteering in clubs and in medical settings, research experience (very good for med school), shadowing, and tutoring. They want to see commitment.

 

• Study Abroad Q’s: Contact Brittany (email above)

 

• Letters of recommendation based on commitment in the setting are important. Some schools require letters from DO’s specifically as well. (Not necessarily MSU COM, however). Need around 5 letters and choose 3 that are actually sent. Letters should be within a year preferably. Can ask writer if they’re comfortable with you drafting it beforehand.

 

• Looking at the resources each school has is vital, some offer a lot more than others in terms of what comes after med school. Especially in terms of private institutions vs. university-associated programs like MSU COM.

 

• Gap year: Some benefits include work experience in-between degrees, allows you to appreciate going back. Also allows you to see if it really is what you want to do before commitment of time and money. Can allow for improvement of other areas on your application as well. OVERALL, no right or wrong way, it is subjective based on each student. Some disadvantages: Sometimes gap years can negatively impact your interests or take you out of the undergrad loop of doing everything all at once. Some students witness disadvantages in terms of studying and mental stamina as well as the motivation to do so much all at once. Studying is like training a muscle and a gap year could be like one long summer for some students.

 

• Research: Can be very beneficial to improve your application if you are involved and learn something. Some schools require research as part of their program.

 

• MCAT: Studied for around 2 months. Take lots of practice tests and utilize test courses if possible.

 

• Comparison to MSU CHM: Very different in terms of classes and how they are graded, they perform more clinical things in their program than does COM. They were happy with choosing COM over CHM but some people fit better into CHM. A lot of self-directed study in CHM which can be tough.

 

• MSU’s Dual Degree Program: One of the best funded dual programs there are, has been super beneficial to their learning.

 

• Personal Statement: Sometimes finding a complete stranger to read and critique your PS can be the closest thing to an admissions committee. Do they agree you will be a competent healthcare professional? Also, stepping back from your PS for some time and then reading it later can allow you to read it from a different perspective which is also helpful.

 

 

Tracy Feazel- Sparrow Hospital Volunteer Director

 

Tuesday

(10/29/19)

October 29th, 2019

 

Tracy Feazel

Volunteer Director at Sparrow Hospital

 

**look for email from us with link to application**

 

Apply to become an Adult Volunteer with Sparrow:

*serve between 2 to 4 times a month & shifts range from 2 to 4 hours

*day, evening & weekend roles offered

*if enrolled in college or university follow to college process to apply to volunteer

*volunteer for 1 semester in a 12 month period DO NOT need to reapply & interview – receive email

*#1 bus goes straight to Sparrow – Student Services building will give you free tokens to ride

 

Sparrow History:

*back in 1896 had to go to local jail for medical care if you did not have health care

*114 women found this unacceptable & each donated $5 to start city hospital

*” Women’s Board of Control” did everything from starting a nursing school, to hiring, to cooking & cleaning & all as volunteered

*1899 donation from Edward W. Sparrow

*hospital has never closed its doors for 123 years

 

Different opportunities & what to expect:

*volunteering in ER

           -4 hr. shift 1x per week

           -multiple volunteers per shift

           -patient rounds (not medical)

           -nurses will ask for help

           -escort visitors

           -trash removal

           -helped w/ splinting & casting bones

*volunteering on mother/baby unit:

           -3 hr. shift 1x per week

           -make folders, tour bags & take-home bags that go out to new mothers

           -trash removal

           -help discharge patients

           -help set up rooms

           -round on patients

           -eye witness & honor walk for a 4-year-old little boy (about to donate organs)

*volunteering on escort department:

           -discharge patients from all around the hospital

           -last face those patients see at Sparrow

           -help visitors that come in

           -trash removal

*volunteering environmental department: (EVS Department)

           -2 hr. 1x per week

           -very personal experience w/ patients (given 1 or 2 floors to round)

           -patients will confide things in you they won’t tell provider

           -conversing with patients

*volunteering on Cardiac floor:

           -round & ask if need anything to comfort them

           -restock blankets, clean counter, etc. & make nurses’ lives easier

           -talking with patients is amazing

           -getting patients to open up can turn their day around

           -helps with connections for internships, shadowing & medical school

*general questions:

           -how many volunteers do you work with?

                       >depends on when & where you volunteer

                       >weekdays have more high schoolers

                       >rounding is generally alone

                       >escort is about 2 people

                       >can work in groups if you request

           -how do you become a student coordinator?

                       >volunteer in that department for a semester

                       >application sent out in the spring (right before or after spring break)

                       >tough interviews, etc. to be chosen

                       >as a coordinator you can give interviews & gain experience in that sense

           -what made you want to volunteer in a specific department?

                       >are very similar & worthwhile

                       >some choose based on future plans

                       >sometimes get placed based on need, time commitment, or personality-type

           -volunteering over the summer?

                       SPRING:

                       >taking applications for spring semester right now

                       >beginning of November holding interviews

                       >interviews in January for spring semester as well (less opportunities)

                       >sometimes create time slots for you if NEEDED not the norm

                       SUMMER:

                       >after Feb. 1stapply for summer

                       >have placement by end of spring semester

                       >NEVER FULL in the summer volunteers can do shifts in different areas

 

 

Farha Abbasi, M.D.- MSU Psychiatry and Neurology

 

Tuesday

(10/15/19)

Dr. Farha Abbasi

Email: abbasif@msu.edu

Cellphone: 517-331-0376

Psychiatry & Neurology

 

Her story:

*been at MSU for 15 years

*foreign graduate

*medical school in Pakistan

*had to take all exams that an American grad would take when came here

*was Internal Medicine in Pakistan

*immigrated to U.S. with 3 young girls. a lot of anxiety. gave herself 6 months to do the exams.

*started career late when started residency. Had to wait about a year to get matched into a residency.

*did resident here in psychiatry at MSU

 

On becoming a physician:

*becoming a physician is like training & running a marathon

*learning to monitor anxiety now will help greatly later

*anxiety was helpful for avoiding predators back in caveman times

*anxiety helps drive us, but it sometimes can paralyze us

*Physiology happens in its own way, but when you become aware it can mean something is wrong

*goal is not to get rid of anxiety, because it can help us! it can motivate us! Don’t run away from stress, part of getting into graduate programs involves stress.

*how do we use anxiety to help us?

 

On anxiety:

*emphasize mental health hygiene

*SLEEP!! (7 to 8 hours) prioritize sleep. helps consolidate memory, which is important for school. decision making is as affected as with drinking with lack of sleep. you are more likely to get sick with lack of sleep as well. sleep deprivation can change your genetics. the more your brain is tired, the more you brain craves sugar. cortisol levels rise (stress hormone) which cause anxiety. no caffeine after 4pm, computer time close to bedtime makes you more awake.

*exercise!! whatever you can consistently do! sitting has negative side effects.

*you are what you eat! Processed food & sugars lower mood. natural gut bacteria get affected.

*drink water!

*sense of inadequacy. Waiting for admission are time periods where a lot of sense of stress or failure can come in. know that there are different paths to the summit.

*when you’re there you don’t look back & remember the time it took. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. You will catch up.

*right now you think this is what you want to do. as you move forward you will realize that interest changes.

*you have to have a passion to go into this field. It is a hard, difficult path.

*important that you enjoy what you are doing.

*self care: finding your authentic self. You have to get to your authentic self. It doesn’t mean the best you, but being realistic about who you are. You all are unique. You all have strengths & weaknesses. Places you excel & places you struggle. It doesn’t mean you're not cut out to be a physician if you are failing. Failing is not a failure. This is the time to learn & relearn. it’s just consolidating information & knowledge base.

*you CANNOT study the night before the exam & success. it’s all about building knowledge.

*everyday sit down & have that study hour. Time management is also like a money management. time is a currency.

*build in breaks to your studying. (even standing up & deep breathing)

*anxiety causes us to do shallow breathing. we retain carbon dioxide. deep breathing helps

*guided imagery!

*anxiety comes from feeling a lack of control. letting go! Firefighter said hardest thing is not getting them out of the burning house, but asking them to jump, but they hold on to those burning sills & the fear of letting go causes them to hold on & hurt themselves.

*life is going to happen. You can’t control life from happening, but you can be in a position to cope with what life brings.

*you’ve all made it to this point & overcame so much. You prevaled. 10% of the population makes it to this point.

*when you start to get overwhelmed remember what you overcame to get here.

*don’t put a time limit on it. You will burn yourself out getting to a “point in your career.”

*success is not getting to a point in your career, but getting to be content & happy with who you are.

*we always talk to ourselves critically. We are taught to get out of toxic relationships, but we treat ourselves that way.

*the most important relationship you need to change is the relationship with yourself.

*for residency forgive everyone that’s done bad to you. Do you forgive yourself? NO, because we were never taught to love ourselves. things flow from inside to outside.

We pick things from our own sense of inadequacy. next time pick your thoughts for the day as you would pick your clothes.

*we are never taught to take care of ourselves that way. Wellness starts from, “I am okay. I’m not the best or worse I AM OKAY.”

*you are strong & you can do this.

*FIND THE BALANCE

*as a society we have been taught that there should never be stress & boredom, but NO this is normal. It is not all fun & perfect.

*what is urgent? what is important?

*please, please be nice to yourself.

*give yourself a mantra! What are you going to tell yourself today?

*if i told you to say something nice to someone else could you? Why can’t you say something nice to yourself? Why is it so hard?

*”I’m living it! “I am making a difference.” “I am smart.” “I am resilient.” “I am grateful.” “I am motivated.” “I am hard-working.”

“Next time life throws you a curveball take a step back & hit it.”

 

On medical school:

*there is no straight path to medical school.

*persistence yields the best results & equates to succeed at the end.

*GPA & resume is important, but the focus of MCAT is shifting towards mental health, so the number is important, but interview & the whole person is becoming more & more important!

 

 

Amber McLean, D.O.- OBGYN

 

Tuesday

(10/1/19)

-Undergraduate here at MSU & got a bacheolor’s in Physiology.

-Med School at MSU Osteopathic Medicine.

-Step 1 in middle of med school, step 2 at end of med school & step 3 during residency for board exam. There’s a physical exam portion as well before graduation.

-4 year residency (OBGYN) & sat from MD board.

-10 years practicing.

-OBGYN board is every 4 years & is a written test. You can practice even if you don’t practice, but not board-certified until you pass your oral boards. Yearly you have to do articles to continue certification. Sparrow requires you to be certified for field monitoring.

 

-Care for women during pregnancy, surgeries, annual check ups.

-Works at Sparrow Hospital.

 

-Can decide how high risk you’ll do.

 

-5 in her group

-1 day of call a week (24 hr.)

-every residency different

           *internal med is 3 years

           *family medicine is 3 years

           *cardiology: internal med 3 years & then fellowship

-Can go in with any major. Science major is good to prep for MCAT.

-Med school is 4 years.

 

-Applied to DO school here, because she knew it & her family practitioner went the DO route here.

-DO is about treating the whole body. Learn those techniques while in school.

-It’s a generic application, so you don’t have to worry about hiding DO & MD schools from each other.

-1st 2 years are not just classroom work.

-Med School in the Caribbean? Look at board-pass rate, see if you feel comfortable. Some schools rank you.

-Can you have a selective C Section? Yes, but it’s recommended to attempt going through labor.

-Ectopic pregnancies can implant in a variety of places.

-In a hospital insurance doesn’t play as big of a role. If no insurance & need surgery they try to have them apply or work with a financial person. In Michigan if pregnant you can get insurance coverage.

-Private offices can pick & choose which insurances they work with.

-Push to go full 40 weeks in pregnancy.

 

-Grandmother was a nurse & she always liked the hospital. Was drawn to it.

-Wish she knew before med school: A lot of people take a gap year now. Also wished she would have studied abroad. Mission trips!

-Best way to shadow is to get in contact with a physician.

-Can also focus on breast with OBGYN. Fellowship for breast surgery.

-There are combined programs: MD/PHD or DO/PHD. Always pushing for research!

-Rotated at a clinic at Abbot as a medical assistant. Seeing that was fun & was one of the better experiences. Volunteered at a hospital. Interacting with patients exciting & helpful.

-Witnessed her cousin’s delivery which lead her to Obstetrics.

-Has a 4 year old daughter & 1 year old son. Variety of ages & lives in med school.

-Depends on what works for you family-wise.

-Trickier to balance when you start having kids. You make it work. COnstant juggling act with both parents working. Some families only 1 parent works, some have nannies, etc.

-Gets 6 weeks of vacation a year. In private practice take as much or as little as you want.

-Typical day: department meeting 1st Tuesday of every month. Mondays are call night, starting at 6pm. Do surgery at hospital & smaller clinic in St. Johns.

-Typically in the OR the room belongs to the Anesthesiology & Nurse Anesthetist, circulating nurse in the room, fellow & resident & surgical tech.

-OBGYN: Gynecology Oncology = lengthy surgeries. (That involves residency & fellowship.)

-OBGYN 60/40 Obstetrics/Gynecology based on personal preference.  

-If private practice you should have malpractice insurance.

-Laborist: A person that works in a hospital doing shifts for deliveries. They’re the ones there to see the patient when they arrive. You have set shifts.

 

-Take a look at business. Some doctors own their own business. The business knowledge comes in handy.

-What appeals to you? 1st year of med school is intense, but it does tend to get better. Some residencies are very competitive. You have to be realistic.

 

 

Research Opportunities + MPH degree

 

Tuesday

(4/9/19)

Disordered Eating in Athletes (DESA-6) Research Opportunity with the Department of Psychiatry

CONTACT: manciner@msu.edu

Include: Resume (or CV) and schedule for summer, fall, and spring

 

MSU Public Health Masters Program

• Applied program so no lecturing at you but instead applying what you’re learning

• Online program (43 credit)

• All professors are trained and work in the field of Public Health

• 1 year and 7 months to complete program

• 5 week trip offered to Ghana annually during the summer semester can be used as an elective or practicum experience

• GRE or MCAT taken for admission into the program

• Based in Flint, Michigan

• WEBSITE: mph.msu.edu

• CONTACT: corderke@msu.edu

• If you’re interested in Public Health, undergrads are able to take up to 9 credits of their courses

 

International Studies Abroad & Euro-Scholars

• International Studies Abroad (ISA)

• Partner institution to MSU for organizing study abroad programs

• She went to Stockholm, Sweden for an entire semester and gained 15 credits

• Worked 40 hours/week in a research lab of your choice

  • Gained very valuable technical skills

• Why should you do it?

  • Doing research AND study abroad are both great opportunities

  • Gain very important insights into science/medicine

  • Learn about a new country

  • Gain technical skills

• Scholarships can help you when paying for this program if you’re worried about finances

 

 

Dr. Andrea Shank, O.D.- Optometry

 

Tuesday

(3/12/19)

Dr. Andrea Shank OD, FAAO

VisionCare associates in EL

 

• Difference between optometrist and ophthalmologist is that ophthalmologist performs eye surgery whereas optometrist performs vision therapy

• Schools

  • Undergrad: ferris state

  • Michigan college of optometry (at ferris state)

    • Went to early admittance after completing 3 years of undergraduate and first year of optometric education doubled as last year of undergrad

    • You will graduate with an undergrad degree in BS in vision science at the end of the first year of optometry school

  • 1 year pediatric residency

  • Associate optometrist at VisionCare

 

Dr. Shank’s Application Suggestions

• Take OAT the summer before you apply

• Apply early!!

  • OptomCAS opens in August

  • MCO works on a rolling admissions policy

• Boost up your CV with the following

  • Multiple hrs of job shadowing

  • Community service

  • Pre-professional clubs

 

Optometry School

• 4 years of class/clinical education

• Between 18-24 credit hrs

• 1st year

  • Mainly classroom education/labs

• 2nd year

  • classroom/labs

  • First semester in clinic

• 3rd year

  • classroom/labs

  • Increased hours in clinic

  • Boards

• 4th year

  • Rotations

  • Boards

• Residency option (optional)

  • Specialize in a particular subject

  • Paid position

  • Multiple locations across the country

  • Types

    • Ocular disease

    • Primary care (any age)

    • Contact lens

    • pediatrics/vision therapy

    • Low vision/neuro-rehabilitation

 

Daily Schedule

• ~40hrs/week

• Comprehensive eye exams

  • glasses/contacts/routine health exams

• Office visits

• Follow-ups

• Vision therapy

• Cataract post-ops

 

Vision therapy

• A set of individualized eye exercises focusing on the patient’s weak area(s)

• Helps re-train the brain to coordinate eye movements

• 1-3 times per week

• Various length of treatment time

 

 

Dr. Dane Shiltz, PharmD- Pharmacy

 

Tuesday

(2/26/19)

Ferris State University College of Pharmacy Speaker’s Information: Dr. Dane Shiltz, PharmD

Contact information: Tara Lee, Director of Admissions Email: TaraLee@ferris.edu
Website: https://www.ferris.edu/pharmacy/

*Students come on rotation in their last year and do interactive simulations with actors and multiple medical-based students.

*We were given a packet and taken through four, interactive scenarios. These scenarios resulted in members having to decide which medication to give the patient to remedy the situation. Then members learned how the drug worked within the body.

*We learned about: -Naloxone

-Enoxaparin -Albuterol -Epinephrine

*Discuss these types of things in the classroom and in rotations.

 

 

Dr. Amber McLean, D.O.- OBGYN

 

Tuesday

(2/12/19)

MSUCOM mentorship program:

Rachel, the president of AWMA at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, came in to speak about the upcoming mentorship opportunity. We will be pairing HBC members with medical students in their club for the opportunity to have a contact with somebody in medical school. You can use this person to ask questions and to help you through the grueling process of applying to medical school by somebody who has successfully gone through it themselves. If interested, contact Rachel at the email address below and you will be set up with somebody soon.

Rachel: alexa527@msu.edu

​

​

Dr. Amber McLean DO

Practicing OB/GYN

Works for sparrow medical group

Email: mcleana1@msu.edu

• Can contact her for potential shadowing opportunities

 

Always wanted to go in medicine

Went to UofM for a year, then transferred to MSU

Went to MSUCOM

Residency for OB/GYN for 4 years at Sparrow

Part of mid Michigan physicians and sold practice to McLaren in 2015 and became employed by sparrow medical program since

 

QUESTIONS:

Experiences in undergrad that you took into your medical school career

• Worked as a medical assistant and phlebotomist which allowed her to become more involved in the system of medical

 

Consolation vs. surgery with OB/GYN

• Part of the reason chose OB was because the diversity/variety. Liked how not always in the office all week 9-5. Will be on call for the hospital 6PM-6PM next day.

 

Pay for private practice vs. hospital employed

• Not much different but can go about it differently. Private

 

Balancing family vs. work

• Supportive spouse that doesn’t work full time. Not always on call and know when you’re going to be on call so you can time stuff and coordinate. Electronic medical records make it so you can go home and finish work compared to paper records that you can’t leave the office.

 

How often are you in call/actually go in for calls

• Split between 5 physicians so normally one day a week and typically the same day each week. If working with residents, it’s more because there always needs to be an attending with them. Usually stays through the night at the hospital if on call because it’s easier than running in from their house compared to already there.

 

Residency

• For their personal residency, will do 6AM-6PM for day time residency and then night time residency switch and you’re on that layout for a couple weeks before switching shift times. This allows for all residents to witness all kinds of cases

 

When do they start allowing you do become solo in residency

• 1st year & 2nd (junior resident): just assisting attending physicians (second assist sometimes just holding equipment and observing) then move into more and more involvement

• 3rd year & 4th (senior resident): move around for months in different programs within OB and GYN to see different specialties. Develop more surgical skills

• Each year in residency pay increases

 

Any specialties for a family

• ER is good because it’s shifts

• Work part time (but this gets complicated with on call)

• Previous partner had 6 children and it was fine. You just need to be able to schedule and juggle responsibilities.

• Not one specific specialty

 

Why did you choose to go private at first and what’s the biggest difference between private or hospital

• Had trained with the private practice so decided to stay with them

• Given a guaranteed salary each year but could do production where you get paid based on how many patients you see

• Other specialties were selling in the private practice and so decided to sell because didn’t think it would be good to just have an OB/GYN in that

• Pressure to work more and make more in private practice compared to hospital

• There’s an amount of money called “tail” that covers if you were to get sued and hospitals pay it for you when you leave whereas private practice you have to pay that yourself if you want to leave

 

Men in OB/GYN

• Not as many as women but there is a male in her practice. There seems to be less men than there used to be

• Older women are used to male gynecologists because that’s what used to be in the past but younger people are more timid to have a male gynecologist

 

 

First meeting of SS19

 

Tuesday

(1/15/19)

ATLANTIS FELLOWSHIP

• Hands on experience in hospitals in Europe and South America

• Shadowing doctors in different countries throughout European countries

• 30 + hours of AAMC compliant clinical shadowing hours per week

• Global perspective of medical field

• Winter and summer programs

  • 2-6 weeks

  • Shadow new specialty each week

  • Weekend group excursions

• MCAT courses offered

• FAQ

  • Housing- stayed in small house

  • Don’t need to fluent in native language

  • Do not get credit but can get close to 100 clinical experience hours

  • Excursion examples- kayaking, cave tours, beach days and trips to the city

• Pricing

  • Varies by length and country (more information on the website)

    • Financial aid available

• Contact Info

  • Greta Gast

    • Gastgret@msu.edu

    • (517) 881-3687

​

KAPLAN PARTNERSHIP

• CLUB10 - Use this code to get 10% off Kaplan courses

• ADCON15 - 15% off Med School Admissions Consulting

• Click the purple Kaplan box below to be taken to the powerpoint presentation for more information and discounts!

• Contact Info

  • Sidney Howe

  • sidney.howe@kaplan.com

 

 

Dr. David PW Rastall, D.O.- Neurology

 

Tuesday

(11/6/18)

Dr. Rastall, DO came in and talked to us about being a resident in Neurology. He attended Indiana University as an undergrad and got a major in Art. Worked as an artist until he decided he wanted to change lives and cure diseases. Chose to go back to school to complete his medical school requirements and applied for medical school and ended up attending MSUCOM.

​

Included various interesting case studies that allowed us to see how versatile Neurology can be. If you want to contact him and ask for advice or have him answer any questions you may have, he said you can look him up on Facebook and add him.

​

 

 

Resume Workshop

 

Tuesday

(10/23/18)

Talked about what you should include on your resume

• Recent jobs (not just medical)

• Extracurriculars

• Skills

• No high school activities unless actively involved in them still

 

 

Dr. Melissa Benbow, M.D.- Pediatrics

 

Tuesday

(10/9/18)

Dr. Melissa Benbow, MD came in and talked to us about what life is really like as a pediatrician. Went to medical school at Ohio State University School of Medicine and explained her journey to medical school.

 

 

Informative Meeting

 

Tuesday

(9/25/18)

Informed members of potential upcoming events such as:

• Volunteering opportunities

• Social events

  • Hayride​

• MSUCOM AMWA Mentorship Opportunity

• Upcoming speakers--who do you guys want to hear from?

 

 

Introduction Meeting

 

Tuesday

(9/11/18)

Introduced the club and executive board to new and returning members. Excited to have you all here and for this upcoming school year!

​

Executive board:

• Aimee Montambeau (President)

• Allison Rochon (Secretary)

• Haley Scott (Technology Coordinator)

• Allyssa Grayson (Treasurer)

• Autumn Hoerauf (Social Chair)

• Chika Manu (VP of Career and Academics)

• Janet Wetzel (VP of Volunteering)

• Anthony Curvey (Public Relations)