Navigating the Medical School Admissions process is a different journey for everyone, and with the process constantly changing, the road to becoming a physician is not always easy.

Luckily, Dr. Emil Chuck, Director of Advising Services at the Health Professional Student Association and Editorial Board Member of the Student Doctor Network is an invaluable resource. In this episode of Prospective Doctor, Dr. Chuck sits down with host Dr. Erkeda DeRouen to discuss how he and his organization provide aspiring health professionals the insights they need to navigate the intricate pathways of healthcare education and practice.

With his background in cell biology and extensive experience in healthcare and academic realms, Dr. Chuck highlights the ever-evolving landscape of medical school admissions, the intricacies of situational judgment tests, like Casper and AAMC’s new assessment tools, as well as the crucial role of mentorship and networking in building a successful medical career.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Understanding the Admissions Landscape: Dr. Chuck offers valuable perspectives on how a research background can significantly influence your medical school application process, while also emphasizing the critical need for self-awareness about your motivations and potential impact in healthcare.

• Strong Networks Are Crucial: Both Dr. Chuck and our host, Dr. Erkeda DeRouen, discussed the importance of building robust support systems through mentorship and organizations. These networks can be vital in your journey toward a successful career in medicine.

• Navigating SJTs: Dr. Chuck sheds light on the relatively new situational judgment tests, including the Casper and AAMC's preview exam, highlighting the evolving challenges and the importance of staying informed about their use in medical program selections.

Jump into the Conversation:

[00:00] Introduction to The Prospective Doctor

[01:13] Introduction to Dr. Emil Chuck

[02:44] About the Student Doctor Network and HPSA

[04:57] How waitlists are managed

[06:25] The evolution of the admissions process

[08:41] Figuring out your why

[10:30] Advice on finding mentors and champions

[16:41] Situational Judgement Tests

[26:01] Connecting with Dr. Chuck and the HPSA

Resources:

You can find Dr. Chuck on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/etchuck

Learn more about Health Professional Student Association: https://www.hpsa.org/

Publications and Reports from HPSA: https://www.hpsa.org/programs/publications-and-reports/

To learn more about how MedSchoolCoach can help you along your medical school journey, visit us at Prospective Doctor.

You can also reach us through our social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedSchoolCoach

Dr. Erkeda’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctordgram/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MedSchoolCoach

While everyone’s journey into medicine is unique, it may not be unconventional. But those are the ones that bring an incredibly fresh perspective on carving one’s own path.

Dr. Kate Arnold, an OBGYN Hospitalist, Laborist, and co-founder of FemInnovation is one of those unconventional paths. Having started as a psychology major with no science background, she ventured into medicine a bit later than her peers, navigated through a post-baccalaureate pre-med program, and engaged with Alzheimer's patients before pursuing medical school at Georgetown. Her multifaceted career, including stints in academia, federally qualified health centers, and now in femtech, along with her personal life of adopting three children during her fourth year of medical school, provides a wealth of inspiration and guidance for both traditional and non-traditional medical students.

In this episode, Dr. Arnold not only speaks with Dr. Erkeda DeRouen about her journey into medicine but also the intersection between health tech and FemTech and the role of technology in medicine.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Career Flexibility: Medicine's beauty lies in its adaptability to life's changes. Learn how Dr. Arnold transitioned from a psychology major to an OBGYN, embraced family life by adopting three kids during med school, and transitioned into Femtech.

• The Impact of Femtech: Dr. Arnold illuminates the crucial need for physicians' involvement in Femtech to ensure accuracy and prevent the exacerbation of health disparities.

• Parenthood & Medicine: A candid discussion on adopting and raising children during medical training, offering honest insights into the challenges and triumphs of dual roles as a parent and doctor.

• [00:00] Introduction to The Prospective Doctor
• [00:53] Introduction to Dr. Kate Arnold
• [01:58] Dr. Arnold’s role as a laborist
• [04:21] The Intersection of Dr. Arnold’s Work and Family Life
• [12:40] Fem Tech and Health Tech
• [16:52] Risks in Health Tech
• [19:59] Healthcare Mindset vs. Tech Mindset
• [23:24] What Dr. Arnold Wishes She Knew Before She Started Medicine
• [26:00] Parting Words

Resources:

You can find Dr. Arnold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katecarnoldmdmba/

Learn more about FemInnovation: https://www.linkedin.com/company/feminnovation/

To learn more about how MedSchoolCoach can help you along your medical school journey, visit us at Prospective Doctor.

You can also reach us through our social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedSchoolCoach

Dr. Erkeda’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctordgram/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MedSchoolCoach

Dr. Erkeda DeRouen is joined by Dr. Jia Ng. She is a board-certified nephrologist and epidemiologist and today, she talks about the world of research for medical students. Dr. Jia describes the opportunities and procedures she encountered from doing research, as well as the conditions they need to be in for them to thrive in the field.

• [00:28] Introduction of Dr. Jia Ng
• [01:35] Transitioning and Opportunities in Research
• [03:18] Recommendation for Research Pursual
• [06:41] Importance of Research in Residency
• [11:51] Dr. Jia: Why the US over Australia?
• [15:47] How to Get Involved in Research

Research

Dr. Jia mentions that Research is more complex than students and experts should perceive. According to her, research is a field that not only takes on the basic know-hows of medicine, but also the data driving the knowledge that caters to how medicine works along the evolution of society. Research allows the industry to adapt new knowledge for medical practitioners to not only develop new medicines, but also the overall medical healthcare system application. These applications include the in and out flow of patient care from medications to consultations and prescriptions. For students who are interested to take up research, it’s important to note that they will be tasked on training with groups and mentors, working on large amounts of data that can be published in order to help a certain medical field in terms of innovative solutions to customer-friendly applications.

Paving Your Own Path

Medical students will have the opportunity to pave their own path in the field of research. The field may seem simple, but the avenue students take to be where they want to be may be more complex than they think. The key to having control over the path you want in the field of research is working around the knowledge that you are familiar with. Familiarity comes in the form of how well you know the healthcare system within a certain area and region or the connections you have with that set location as well. While it’s important not to look at it as a race, getting where you need to be in the industry takes time, and that is inevitable.

You can connect more with Dr. Ng through her website and YouTube channel.

To learn more about how MedSchoolCoach can help you along your medical school journey, visit us at Prospective Doctor or https://somedocs.com/.

You can also reach us through our social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/somedocspublic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somedocs/