Pre-health studies: Program gives students an edge
John Vaughan, director of pre-health education, advises Matt Summers, ’07, and Beatrice Grasu, ’07, about what to expect in medical school.
By Joan Tupponce
Matt Summers, ’07, might have attended another college if it hadn’t been for Richmond’s Pre-Health Education program. The biochemistry and molecular biology major was swayed by not only the small size of the University, but also the fact that the Pre-Health Education program had a dedicated advisor.
“I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to go into medicine [when I applied to Richmond],” Summers says, noting that he had volunteered in the emergency room at a local hospital during high school. “I also loved science. I wanted to make sure that I kept getting medical exposure [while studying science].”
Summers is one of 26 students who will graduate from the program in May. Twenty-two of them have already been accepted to medical schools. Summers received a much sought-after full scholarship to Mayo Clinic College of Medicine—the school’s acceptance rate is only 2.3 percent.
“There were almost 3,000 applications,” Summers notes, “and only about 40 students got into the class.”
The pre-health program gave Summers an edge over other applicants.
“It really helps with the process,” he says. “Going before the Health Professional Advisory Committee and through the interview process with them helps prepare you for the medical school interview. In fact, it’s more intensive than the actual medical school interview.”
Beatrice Grasu, ’07, is one of 12 pre-med students to be accepted by more than one medical school so far this year. A biochemistry and molecular biology major, she will have to decide between programs at Tulane and Marshall universities. She has high praise for the pre-med track at Richmond.
“It has been quite a positive experience, preparing me for medical school next year while befriending some incredible fellow pre-med students,” she says. “We all work hard and have found the non-competitive atmosphere advantageous, propelling us forward to the next step.”
Dr. John Vaughan serves as director of pre-health education, which encompasses all health professions. Some 70 percent of enrolled students in the program are on a pre-med track.
“The program ideally begins in the freshman year,” Vaughan explains. “The majority of students coming into the program believe that a health career suits them. It serves as a resource for students who are interested in those types of career options.”
The program’s curriculum varies, depending on the interests of the students. A pre-med student might take different courses than a student interested in dentistry, for example.
“I make sure that students take appropriate courses to best prepare them for their intended careers,” Vaughan says. “In addition to traditional pre-med science classes, we offer supplemental courses in the medical humanities to enhance students’ understanding of the health-care field.” These courses focus on important aspects of medical practice beyond the science of medicine,” he explains. Chief among them are ethical decision making in health care, interpersonal communication, health-care policy and legal issues in medicine. A recent grant from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation supported the development of three such courses this year and set the stage for a new medical humanities minor that will be available to students in the fall. Vaughan will coordinate the new minor, which includes two physician-led courses.
Currently, the pre-health program includes a two-semester Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation course.
“The class is team taught,” Vaughan explains. “We have four faculty members who teach in the area of their expertise—biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics.”
The University is one of only a few schools that offer an in-house MCAT review course. Most rely on commercial companies such as Kaplan and the Princeton Review to teach the course.
“I am not aware of any other undergraduate school that offers a faculty-led two-semester review that is similar to our program,” Vaughan says.
The number of students interested in the health-care profession has been fairly significant since 2002 when the program began. In fact, a new chapter of the American Medical Student Association recently opened on campus.
“The program has grown,” Vaughan acknowledges. “The numbers of students have been going up. At present, approximately 300 students across the four years are on a pre-health track.”
From 2003–06, the average acceptance rate of Richmond students to medical schools is 84 percent for first-time applicants and 90 percent overall, compared to a national acceptance rate of 51 percent.
The program also offers students clinical opportunities through a network of health-care providers. Students are matched with a health-care practitioner in the specialty they want to pursue.
“They work in preceptorships,” Vaughan explains. “It’s a good way to get first-hand experience. We want to make sure the student is comfortable in that environment.”
Summers shadowed an orthopedic surgeon twice a week.
“Once a week, I got to scrub up and watch the surgeries,” he says.
Three years after the program began, Richmond joined the Virginia-Nebraska Alliance, a consortium of colleges and universities working to increase minority representation in the health care professions. As a member, Richmond offers a summer preparation course for the MCAT that includes living expenses and a stipend for up to 10 students from Virginia’s historically black colleges and universities. The summer program was introduced last year.
“We had full capacity last year, so this year we are increasing the enrollment to 15,” Vaughan says. “We did see an improvement in MCAT scores over the course of the summer. One of the students from last year has already been accepted to medical school following an increase in her MCAT scores.”