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Pre-Medicine
Background Information
Graduates of medical programs receive a either a Medical Doctor (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) degree. Following an internship, appropriate post-graduate training, and licensure certifications, physicians may serve as primary care providers or specialists. Approximately a third of physicians currently serve as primary care physicians (e.g., general internists, family practitioners, general pediatricians). Residency training requirements following medical school vary, depending upon the area and the level of certification. For example, to become board certified in family medicine requires a minimum of 36 months of training beyond medical school. Specialization in neurological surgery requires a minimum of 72 months of post-graduate training.
A recent article entitled Educational Programs in US Medical Schools, 1999-2000 noted that the number of applicants to medical school has decreased over the last few years, and the applicant to acceptance ratio fell to 2.2:1 in 1999-2000. The full article may be accessed through the linked pdf file from JAMA (Educational Programs in US Medical Schools, 1999-2000).
There are 19 colleges of osteopathic medicine and 125 LCME-accredited US medical schools. The application process is coordinated through either the
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine or the Association of American Medical Colleges, depending upon the degree sought.
Examples of Prerequisites
Application requirements are similar for medical schools and osteopathic colleges. As an example of application requirements, the requirements for admission to the Indiana University School of Medicine are:
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores - http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm -
College courses (minimum required or highly recommended):
General Biology/Zoology - 2 semester courses with labs General Chemistry - 2 semester courses with labs Organic Chemistry - 2 semester courses with labs Physics - 2 semester courses with labs English - 2 semester courses with writing components
Recommendation letters Interview - to assess motivation, degree of maturity, and general character Practical experience (e.g., volunteer work) in the health professionals highly recommended
Primary Contact Information:
Medical School Admissions Office
Fesler Hall 213
1120 South Drive
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5113
Phone: (317) 274-3772
FAX: (765) 496-1261
http://www.medicine.iu.edu/
Professional Societies
Other Career Options
Students interested in a career in health care have an almost unlimited list of professions available. Schools of medicine also have Master’s and Doctoral degree programs for those interested in research on topics ranging from molecular biology to epidemiology and public health. Combined programs (e.g., M.D./Ph.D.) are available for those interested in both research and clinical practice. See the Indiana University School of Medicine web site (http://www.medicine.iu.edu/~gradschl/) for an example of graduate programs available.
One health care career pathway is as a Physician's Assistant (PA). PAs provide health care services with supervision by physicians. PAs are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, and they may treat minor injuries by suturing, splinting, and casting. PAs must pass a certification exam, and in 46 states and the District of Columbia, physician assistants may prescribe medications.
Admission requirements vary for PA schools, but many programs require 2 years of college and some work experience in health care. For specific information refer to the web site for the Association of Physician Assistant Programs. A listing of PA schools by state is available at:
http://www.aapa.org/pgmlist.php3.
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