I remember when I was trying to sort out what I wanted to do with my life after I graduated from Saint Joseph's University back in 2009... I was a younger man than I am now with spunk in my step and a motivation to match. However, I wasn't sure as to where or how I wanted to channel all of this new energy and diploma. I had completed my bachelor's degree in biology, but at the time wasn't certain with how I wanted to continue on with my education. Did I want to enter the law field... or was a career within the medicine where I would be best suited? Four years came and went too fast, and now that the day had finally arrived, I didn't want to jump into any decision with too much haste. Although only twenty-two, I was already intimately familiar with the bite and burden of student loans. As necessary an evil as they are, I was in no rush to compound what I already owed back to Uncle Sam and our [all too willing] banker friends. This called for some introspective thought; I decided on taking some time off from pursuing any type of graduate education until I was certain on what trail I wanted to blaze.
Fast forward a few years and I'm now one of many focused, hardworking students within PCOM's biomedical sciences program. After much thought, and reflection, I felt my calling was a career in medicine. The biomed program is providing me with a wide spectrum of knowledge pertinent to any individual who aspires to perform at their peak not just in the medical field, but also in areas of scientific research, leadership and forensic study. Classes range from the study of microbiology and immunology to gross anatomy with several of the classes being accompanied by a laboratory component to supplement the didactic teaching approach.
As my inaugural Biomedventures blog post, I wanted to give myself a quick introduction and also talk about some key points of the biomed degree that many incoming and prospective students often have questions about. Thusly (it's rare that I get the chance to use these kinds of words so hang with me here because you'll see them often), I decided that this posting will cover a summary of the program as a whole. I'm a second year biomed student, so rest assured that my words here can be trusted as they've been forged by experience through the "Hot Gates" of PCOM (that's a 300 reference... there are actually no flowing springs on campus aside from maybe the fountain adjacent to the Levin Administration Building).
The biomedical sciences graduate program can be completed in two ways: you can either earn a master's degree in science (two years) or be awarded a certificate of completion (one year). The certificate of study can be helpful to many in proving their grit when applying to professional school (medical, dental, podiatry, etc) and aids in supplementing their application packet and GPA. For those who go on to pursue the MS: prior to starting their second year, students must decide upon one of three specific concentration tracks: research, organizational development & leadership (ODL) or forensic biology. The name of each track is pretty self explanatory in regards to what's the focus of study therein. Important to note, unlike the ODL and forensic concentrations, those who wish to pursue the research track must make arrangements in assisting with one of the teaching faculty's specific project. There are several research opportunities to choose from every year, so if hitting the [lab] bench and getting down with the light microscope is your thing, fear not.
A very popular topic of discussion which seems to cycle within the first year biomed body is that of how acceptances correlate between PCOM's osteopathic and biomedical program. In other words: how likely it is that a biomed will be accepted into the following year's DO class. For those that aren't savvy, PCOM's MS and DO classes are in no way linked in a fashion whereby acceptance into one program is an automatic acceptance into the other. However, whether you're a first or second year biomed student, if you're in good standing with at least a 3.0 GPA and 24 MCAT, you are guaranteed an interview by the DO admission committee. Keep in mind- as with any competitive program- it's always to your benefit to try and far surpass the bare minimum.
That about sums up my introductory post on the biomedical sciences program at PCOM. My next blog will include a lot of information on what to expect as a first year biomed. Details pertaining to classes, schedule, professors and expected required text over the course of the trimesters will be discussed at length. Also some other answers to popular questions such as, but not limited to: "Can I work during my first year?", "How much do I need to study?" and "Do I really need to attend class?"
I'm going to try and blog at least once a fortnight (another underused word, imo). Eventually I'll be leading the topics of my posts towards running parallel with my current coursework within the forensic biology track. If you have any questions or comments throughout my blogging trek please feel free to post them!
Rich
