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Acing the Medical School Admission Process. Dr. Paul Toote
Читать онлайн.Название Acing the Medical School Admission Process
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isbn 9781456601058
Автор произведения Dr. Paul Toote
Жанр Учебная литература
Издательство Ingram
Acing the Medical School Admission Process
by
Dr. Paul Toote
Copyright 2011 Dr. Paul Toote,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0105-8
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Paul Toote became a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in 2001, after graduating from Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, where he was both a class president as well as Graduation Class Dinner Speaker. He was certified as an Emergency Medicine Physician by the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine in 2009 and was also the recipient of the Highest Achievement Award from the Dale Carnegie Effective Communications and Human Relations Course.
While serving as an Emergency Medicine Physician at leading hospitals and medical centers in communities all across Texas, including Corpus Christi, Amarillo, San Antonio, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Paris, Dr. Toote found he was energized by coaching trained residents and medical school students and helping them reach their professional goals.
Wishing to do more to help those with medical ambitions, he began National Premed Consulting to share his expertise and insider knowledge with those who have the necessary qualifications, capabilities and desire to successfully navigate the difficult demands of medical school. He regularly speaks on this topic to college and high school audiences and consults one-on-one with clients as well.
Dr. Toote resides in McKinney, Texas and is married with two children.
INTRODUCTION
Many people dream of becoming a doctor – and the key word in that statement is “many.”
The competition for admission to medical school is incredible. There are only 159 medical schools in America as of this writing – and over half of all the applicants to those schools are rejected every year.
Why do those applicants fail to get admitted? Is it their grades? Their test scores? Surprisingly, academics frequently have little to do with the medical schools’ decision-making process.
Obviously, to be a viable candidate for medical school, you have to display high academic achievement as an undergraduate student – but most applicants are aware of that requirement and fulfill it. Therefore, the medical schools often have to choose between students with similar educational credentials.
What then makes the difference?
Even though I had successfully gone through the process myself, I still didn’t know the answer. Was I just lucky enough to have done all the right things? I was curious enough to want to know why I had succeeded when most of the other applicants had failed; especially since, the fact was that many of them had good grades and good scores just like I had.
As a doctor, I was able to talk with the medical school from which I had graduated, as well as other medical schools, about their selection criteria. Once I was an “insider” in the medical profession, this elusive knowledge was easy to obtain. As I discovered more and more of the “secrets” of the medical school admissions process, I was also inspired to share those secrets with those who had the same medical ambitions as I did.
You are now about to read the results of my research. I have no qualms about sharing this information, as the road to becoming a doctor is still difficult.
However, if you are determined, you can take certain steps to tip the odds of success in your favor when you apply to medical school. For simplicity’s sake, I have broken these steps down into seven.
If you dedicate yourself to following the seven steps I am about to relate to you, and are able to accomplish them at a high level, I guarantee you will achieve the results that you desire. If you decide to disregard any one of these steps, or not put your full effort into them, those results might not be forthcoming.
I wish you all the best and great success in pursuing your dream of becoming a doctor.
Paul Toote, D.O.
President & CEO
National Premed Consulting
STEP 1: BE CLEAR ON YOUR GOAL
What do you want to do with your life?
You probably didn’t expect that question – because, in your mind, you’ve already decided to be a doctor. Otherwise, why would you be interested in this subject matter?
The question, however, has to be asked and this is the time to ask it – because, before you go any further, you need to be sure this is what you want to do.
There are many reasons people want to become a doctor. To be honest, the top four highest-paying jobs in America are all in the medical field, according to a CNN Money study. That means money is frequently a motivator.
There’s also the prestige factor. Others are impressed by doctors – according to a national survey, it’s the second most-respected profession in America. Number one is “astronaut,” and that’s not really a realistic ambition in this day and age.
So, yes, the potential prestige and money are certainly attractive. At the same time, however, the road to becoming a doctor can be long and difficult. It requires a tremendous investment of time, effort and financial resources on your part.
If you’re only after the superficial rewards that come with being a doctor, and don’t really enjoy what the job demands, you could easily decide down the line that the struggle just isn’t worth it and give up. That would mean your tremendous investment would have all been for nothing.
This is why the very first step you need to take is to be sure that being a doctor is what you want. You can do this in three phases.
1.KNOW YOUR “WHY”
Start with the core question: WHY do you want to become a doctor? What are your motives? Is there any other profession that you have a real passion for that you’re not considering?
Again, it’s incredibly difficult to become a doctor. And it’s a sad thing to sacrifice so much in pursuit of this objective, only to feel like you have no choice but to quit before you’ve achieved your goal - because you discovered it isn’t what you really want.
That’s why this is the time for a great deal of self-reflection, in which you ask yourself the tough questions – such as:
•Am I ready to make this kind of major commitment?
•Would I be good at this? Does it play into my natural talents?
•Am I willing to do what it takes to become a doctor?
•Can I picture myself doing this for the rest of my life?
If you don’t feel you have the proper enthusiasm, passion and drive to become a doctor, it’s better to rethink your goals at this point, rather than later on, when you’ve already put a great deal into this effort. Your “Why” of wanting to become a doctor will be extremely important in the years to come.
2.TALK TO OTHERS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD
If you believe you really do want to become a doctor, the next important step to take is to give that belief a reality check.
To do that, try to find friends, family members and acquaintances who are either in the process of becoming a doctor or are already doctors.