AZ India

F E E L A T H O M E www.azindiatimes.com PAGE - 18 Jan 2019 1-844-AZINDIA How to Get Accepted to a Direct Medical Program By Kristen Moon kristen@moonprep.com Everyone is a Doctor in India Dr. Jaswant Singh Sachdev, M.D., F.A.A.N* jaswantsachdev@gmail.com Getting accepted into a medical program isn’t easy. In 2017-2018, the average acceptance rate hovered around just 7 percent. Because of this, many students decide instead to compete for a coveted spot in a direct medical program, also referred to as BS/MD. A spot in this program guarantees the undergrad admission to medical school after completing program-specific criteria. These programs are very competitive, with many admitting less than 20 students per year. To stand out, there are a few tips that students should follow. Don't Try to Do Everything It can be incredibly challenging to stand out so students should develop a deep in- terest that they spend time and energy cultivating. You can achieve this through a shadowing position, volunteering, research work, or any other extracurricular activity. Concentrate on Science GPA, rigor of courses, course selection, class rank, and standardized testing scores are all carefully scrutinized. Therefore, students should create a resume that will attract the notice of the BS/MD admissions office. Students can do that by: ● Avoid taking too many AP courses and concentrate on ones that are science- focused. ● Not taking “easy” AP courses to bump up their GPA. ● Focusing their coursework around science-based classes. Spend Time Crafting a Stellar Personal Statement The application essay is your chance to come alive. A direct medical program is a massive commitment; therefore the student must convey their conviction to this career path. To write a persuasive essay, a student should: ● Tell a story with a purpose and emotion, that ultimately will bring the narrative back to you. ● Refrain from repeating extracurricular activities that can easily be found in the application. ● Do not procrastinate. It will most likely take you longer than you think to write a compelling essay. ● Answer the question “Why Medicine?” to convey your maturity and powerful intent to study medicine. With thousands of students applying for these intense programs, make sure every aspect of your application revolve around medicine and science. Show you are prepared for your selected career path to help beat the odds. The word ‘Doctor’ as per dictionary is ordinarily used for a person licensed to practice medicine as a physician, dentist or veterinarian. This word is also used for those awarded a doctorate’s degree i.e., a Doctor of Philosophy in addition to theologian such as a Doctor in study of a Faith and so on. However, back home this word has its own interpretation and implications. On recalling our childhood days in India during sickness times, the images of most of the elderly ladies of the neighborhood immediately start flashing in front of our eyes just like a movie. They often knocked at the door, one after the other, expressing sympathy with our parents by inquiring about our health and express their feeling in no uncertain terms as if they were the most concerned individuals on the earth. The closeness they exhibited, even if they did not have any previous contact was often out of this world and extraordinary. During discussions, they would start practicing medicine through unsolicited ad- vice to the parents as to what kind of treatment be undertaken to heal the child quickly. Use of herbs, natural remedies, potions and lotions as well as over the counter medicines other than what parents had already tried would be forcefully highlighted while recounting many instances of miraculous results albeit in a somewhat exaggerated form. It was of no concern to them that most the potions and lotions they suggested might have been in use over centuries without explo- ration of statically proven studies of their comparative efficiencies or side effects and without incorporating new scientific information. Instead they would always emphasize and focus upon a quick response in the oth- er sick children anecdotally once they began acting upon their suggested drugs, herbal product or house-hold remedies. If that were not enough, they would even not hesitate in personally delivering all kinds of medications i.e., potions and lotions without solicitation for any advice from parents and without asking for any compensation and without caring if par- ents would even act upon it. A subtle mental satisfaction always prevailed upon them hoping that their actions would now help the sick child and their selfless service would be worth their efforts. Their intent was not at fault at all. Everyone offering such an advice considered him or herself no less than a physician and perhaps a better-one than the so-called qualified ones who just wasted the re- sources of the parents. In retrospect, one could analyze their behavior in two ways; a service to the needy or subjecting the life of susceptible sick children at risk through the offer of un- proven treatment. From the Western perspective, it could have been considered no less than quackery with an un-asked-for intrusion in the personal affairs of others. Unfortunately, this kind of quackery abounds at all levels in India, espe- cially in villages where everyone considers himself a medical practitioner and as one gets older and more experienced in advising these formulae, one is consid- ered more useful commanding more respect and thus more listened. Thankfully, times moved forward as they were supposed to. Many of us, the grown-up finally said good bye to those bygone environments as well as their unsolicited advice. The question remains, however as to whether we have truly moved away from those influences and actions or even should we have? We can- not ignore the fact that the people of India, in general, were deeply caring in those times and many still are. Given the opportunity, they always wanted and still want to help sometimes even without being aware that their help might be inappropriate and rather harmful. Furthermore, not only these untrained el- derly men and women are in the business of advising non-scientific non-proven pre- scription, there indeed is a whole segment of so-called RMPs or Registered Medical Practitioners with their shops at every cor- ner of the street all over the country. They all are respectfully known as and called Doc- tors. To achieve this status of ‘Doctor’, they do not have to go to any medical school. All what is needed is to have some understanding of names of the medicines either by being a salesman at a chemist’s shop (shops selling medicines and other an- cillary stuffs,) or some work in any of the paramedical field. The public does not hesitate in seeking their advice for drugs, herbs or anything for that matter. And then there is a third group of Doctors; indeed, the true ‘Doctors’ in the real sense of this word. They may be in the business of diagnosing or treating sickness. but are not necessarily ‘Doctors of Medicine;’ rather are PhDs (Doctor of Philoso- phy and so on) in their chosen subjects of science, philosophy, religion and soci- ology or so on. Scientific innovations, philosophical interpretations and general understanding of their subject of study is much more wide spread in them. While they have every right and perhaps more so than medical Doctors, to be addressed and recognized so; it needs to be clarified however, that they should not and can- not be consulted for any kind of medical infirmity or medical guidance. To summarize, the word ‘Doctor’ has been often misused under the garb of medi- cal treatment of the helpless and elderly sick people and taken advantage of in India and in other weaker countries of the world. In fact, this happens to be the underlying stimulus here for this write up. Like any other profession, one ought to be careful in reserving this word only for the people to whom it belongs and not for any Tom, Dick or Harriet.