Duke Office of Health Professions Advising



Prehealth Guide for First and Second Year StudentsIf you are considering a career in a health profession, we encourage you to use your time at Duke to become an accomplished, unique individual who is knowledgeable about the world in which we live. After completing courses, choosing a major, and gaining a wide variety of experiences, you will make the decision to apply. There is no rush. There are many paths to medical school and other health professions and you should take a route that works best for you. Remember, your time at Duke is not just preparation for a health professions school. ?Your experiences at Duke can have a profound influence on life.1. WHAT I SHOULD DO AND WHY Health professions schools all look for achievement, passion, a commitment to service, an interest in making a positive difference in the lives of others, a strong foundation in the sciences and exposure to the health field in which you intend to work.? Life experiences that come through activities such as community service, volunteering, jobs, internships, study abroad, leadership, etc. will be important. Here are some goals for the next four years:* Academic achievement* Community service* Health care exposure where you are engaged with patients* Health care exposure where you shadow providers* ResearchThese experiences will allow you to show your:? * Capacity to learn, adapt, and persevere* Passion for science and the study of living systems* Desire to help others in need with compassion and empathy* Understanding of people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles* Ability to communicate in written and oral form* Behavior that is ethical and responsible, and not affected by peer pressure* Ability to think critically and solve problems * Knowledge of the social and behavioral determinants of health2. STATISTICS 83%Acceptance rate of Duke students applying to medical schools for the first time in 2020 M (national average is 40-45% typically)3.6 Average science GPA of Duke students accepted to medical schools in 2019M25 Average number of medical schools Duke students apply to in 2019M80% Percentage of Duke students who took one or more gap years in 2019M3. HOW DO I FIND MY ADVISOR?* Your prehealth advisor is based on your first year dorm: see prehealth.duke.edu/advising* Schedule an appointment whenever you need to, but not usually in the first 2 weeks of your first semester; it's best to take some time to see what courses are like and to consider your interests before doing any long-range planning. Your advisor’s calendar will let you know when to start scheduling.387731016510004. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW * Sign up for the weekly prehealth email newsletter using the QR code to the right *Check placement on your courses5. WHAT SHOULD I DO LATER THIS YEAR OR SOPHOMORE YEAR* Read the "Prepare" section of the website prehealth.duke.edu * Meet with your Prehealth Advisor each year* Learn to talk with professors with whom you share interests, they will help connect you to opportunities like research and can offer valuable support to your application* Be involved, start to volunteer in the community, gain experience outside of classes* Begin to check the websites of health professions schools in your home state (or ones that you are interested in) to see what they look for in applicants and their course requirements and policies 6. SOME ADDITIONAL USEFUL WEBSITES, HANDOUTS and INFORMATION * How to Find Health Care Experiences* How to Find Community Service Experiences* How to Find Research Experiences * Competencies - What medical and other health professions schools really look for* AP credit informationMedical Schools Admissions Requirements (MSAR) - listing and description of medical schools by stateRECOMMENDED COURSES FOR PREHEALTH STUDENTSBasic set of coursesExtra preparation for math, chemAP Bio 21AP Chem 20AP Chem 21AP Math 21AP Physics 25AP Physics 26Courses for BME/Pratt students-Chem 99D--------Chem 110DL-----Chem 101DLChem 101DL Chem 101DL--Chem 101DLChem 101DLChem 101DLChem 101DL, 110DL or APChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 201DLChem 202LChem 202LChem 202LChem 202LChem 202LChem 202LChem 202LChem 202LChem 202LChem 210DLChem 210DLChem 210DL-^Chem 210DLChem 210DLChem 210DLChem 210DL or AP Biochem 301Biochem 301Biochem 301Biochem 301Biochem 301Biochem 301Biochem 301Biochem 301Biology 201LBiology 201LBiology 203LBiology 201LBiology 201LBiology 201LBiology 201LBiology 201LBiology 201L or 203L*Biology 202LBiology 202LBio with lab*Biology 202LBiology 202LBiology 202LBiology 202LBiology 202LBiology 202L (optional)PhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiologyBME 244L-Math 105L-------Math 106L------Math 111L-Math 111LMath 111LMath 111L-Math 111LMath 111LMath 111L or higherPhysics 141LPhysics 141LPhysics 141LPhysics 141LPhysics 141LPhysics 141L-Physics 141LPhysics 151LPhysics 142LPhysics 142LPhysics 142LPhysics 142LPhysics 142LPhysics 142LPhysics 142L-Physics 152LAlso add:StatisticsStatisticsStatisticsStatisticsStatisticsStatisticsStatisticsStatistics-PsychologyPsychologyPsychologyPsychologyPsychologyPsychologyPsychologyPsychologyPsychologySociologySociologySociologySociologySociologySociologySociologySociologySociologyEnglish+WEnglish+WEnglish+WEnglish+WEnglish+WEnglish+WEnglish+WEnglish+WEnglish+WDental and veterinary schools have similar requirements. For other health professional schools, requirements may vary.^ A note on AP credit: Most medical schools will accept AP credit. However, there are a few that state on their website that they will not accept AP credit, or they will accept AP credit but require additional or advanced courses. It is not possible to predict if their policy will change in the coming years. Our recommendation is that you follow regular placement guidelines by Duke departments and then monitor the individual websites of medical schools in your home state or those to which you may apply later on. If you decide to apply to one of these schools and their restriction on AP credits remains, you can add additional courses in your junior or senior year. More information on AP credit: * If you have a 5 on the AP exam for Biology, you can take Biology 203L (offered in spring only) instead of Bio 201L and 202L. If you are a student in Trinity and enroll in Biology 203L, you will need to add a second biology lab course later. We recommend Bio 329L (Animal Physiology), but it might also be Bio 212L (Microbiology) or another lab course. If you are a student in Pratt majoring in BME, you should take Biology 203L and BME 244L (Quantative Physiology). Premedical Course Planning for Trinity StudentsMath:choose one (all are equivalent to Calculus I) Math 21 (AP) Math 105L and 106L Math 111L Math 121 (transfer)Chemistry: choose one series Chem 99D, 101DL, 201DL, 202L, 210DL, Biochem 301 Chem 101DL, 201DL, 202L, 210DL, Biochem 301 Chem 20 (AP), 110DL, 201DL, 202L, Biochem 301 Chem 21 (AP), 110DL, 201DL, 202L, Biochem 301 Chem 21 (AP), 201DL, 202L, Biochem 301 (a)Biology:choose one series (note: students applying to Texas state schools will need 4 biology courses) Biology 201L and 202L ... for MCAT prep we recommend you add a physiology course (Biology 329D, 329L, 278LA, EvAnth 330) Biology 203L and a second biology lab course... for MCAT prep we recommend you add a physiology course (Biology 329L, 278LA or other physiology course with lab)Physics:choose one series Physics 141L and 142L Physics 141L and AP credit Physics 26 Physics 142L and AP credit Physics 25 AP credit Physics 25, 26 (b)Statistics:choose one (note that some schools prefer statistics be taken in a “math” department, i.e., Statistical Sciences) Sta 101 or 102 or higher Biology 304 (c) Psy 201L or Psych 204L +205L(c) Sociol 333 (c)English:probably completed with Writing 101 and two W courses; if schools only accept English classes, then look for English among ALP/W options for Treqs (AP English may count as well) Psychology:choose one (usually just for MCAT prep, but some schools require a course) Psy 101 Psy 106/107 (cross-listed as Neuroscience 101/102) or Psy 102, 103, 104, 105, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 220 or others that address behavioral determinants of healthSociology:choose one (recommended for MCAT prep, look to make sure schools don’t require a course) Soc 110D Soc 250, 255, 257, 264, 265, 349, 361 or others that address the social determinants of health (recommended) and/or self-study(a) If you have Chem 21 AP credit and go directly into Chem 201DL and if you apply to one of the medical schools that still does not accept AP credit, you can add Chem 210DL and/or Biochem 302 in your junior or senior year.(b) If you have AP credit for both Physics 25 and 26, we recommend you take either Physics 141L or 142L as a review, or check the websites of the schools you will apply to, to see if they have a requirement for physics and to determine their policy on AP credit. (c) If you have AP credit in math and will not take any math or computer science course at Duke, then for statistics you might choose to take Sta 101 or higher instead of a biology, psychology or sociology statistics course. Sta 101 (or higher) provides a QS code that you need for Trinity curriculum requirements. One QS must be from the math, statistics or computer science department. Your second QS course is usually physics - both Physics 141L and 142L are coded QS.More information on AP credit: Course Planning for Pratt StudentsMath:math courses you take for Pratt will far exceed any health school requirementChemistry: choose one series Chem 101DL, 201DL, 202L, 210DL, Biochem 301 Chem 20 (AP), 110DL, 201DL, 202L, Biochem 301 Chem 21 (AP), 110DL, 201DL, 202L, Biochem 301 Chem 21 (AP), 201DL, 202L, Biochem 301 (a)Physics:choose one series Physics 151L and 152L Physics 151L and Physics 26 (AP) Physics 152L and Physics 25 (AP) Physics 153L and Physics 25, 26 (AP) (b)Biology:enroll in one series Biology 201L and BME 244L Biology 203L and BME 244L (BME 244L covers biology, statistics, and physiology) Optional: Biology 202L or self-review for the MCAT Statistics:included in BME 244L (c)Psychology:choose one (usually just for MCAT prep, but some schools require a course) Psy 101 Psy 106/107 (cross-listed as Neuroscience 101/102) or Psy 102, 103, 104, 105, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 220 or others that address behavioral determinants of healthSociology:choose one (recommended for MCAT prep, look to make sure schools don’t require a course) Soc 110D Soc 250, 255, 257, 264, 265, 349, 361 or others that address the social determinants of health (recommended) and/or self-studyEnglish:you need both Writing 101 one English/writing-coded course (AP English may count) (d)(a) If you have Chem 21 AP credit and go directly into Chem 201DL and if you apply to one of the medical schools that still does not accept AP credit, you can add Chem 210DL and/or Biochem 302 in your junior or senior year.(b) Pratt guidelines for AP credit in Physics: at least one Physics course must be taken at Duke to satisfy the Physics requirement in the Engineering curriculum. If you have AP credit for Phy 25 and 26, you have three choices: (i) take Physics 153L or a higher level course, or (ii) take Physics 152L (your AP credit for Phy 26 will no longer count toward the 34 credits for graduation), or (iii) take both Physics 151L and 152L (your AP credits for Phy 25 and 26 will no longer count toward the 34 credits for graduation).(c) Please note some medical schools may not allow a course like BME 244L to count for biology and statistics.(d) Some medical schools specify 2 English courses while others specify 2 writing courses. Check the websites of the schools you might apply to, or enroll in an English course with a W code. This requirement can be completed junior or senior year if you wish.More information on AP credit: ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download