Absolutely. Not only academically preparing me, but the opportunities for networking are definitely valuable.
Case Western MS in Medical Physiology 2018-2019
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How are the classes structured? Are they power point style?
Each lecturer has his/her own style. Mostly powerpoints, but the textbook was written by the chair of the department, and it is very important to read. The curriculum is broken down into organ blocks with both medical physiology and translational physiology for each.
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What do you think was your best study strategy? I am considering this program, and I have skimmed the book. It looks very dense (as expected for a school/MS of this caliber) but I'm sure it has to be doable
I relied on the book heavily. There are weekly quizzes, usually on monday from the previous week's material. Use the weekend to study for the quizzes like mini exams and then come exam time, you will just have to review. It is very fast paced and you cannot fall behind.What do you think was your best study strategy? I am considering this program, and I have skimmed the book. It looks very dense (as expected for a school/MS of this caliber) but I'm sure it has to be doable
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I have a few more questions if you (or anyone else) if you don't mind!
1. Do you feel as if this program helped you get into medical school?
2. Any specific electives that you recommend? I will likely be retaking the MCAT, so biochem is one that I am considering.
3. For anyone else that has gone through the program and has gotten into an MD/DO school, what was your GPA? >3.5?
4. Did you use any other sources for supplemental learning? BRS? UWorld?
5. Are the in-class exams NBME style? I remember reading something about the final exam being an NBME exam.
Thank you in advance!
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1. Yes, it helped a tremendous amount.
2. The electives that I took were very good and not too difficult. I can recommend what I took but like you said with biochem, you should probably tailor them to your strengths to ensure you get an A.
4. BRS Physiology is good. That and the textbook are the best resources.
5. Exams are meant to prepare you for the NBME. And yes, the NBME is only required if you take the traditional path, which most do. Alternatively, a few people take the research route where you don't have to take the NBME but instead have to write a thesis. For the NBME, it is only the Physiology and Neurophysiology portions. It is a very low threshold that you are expected to score in since the percentiles pertain to actual medical students who also take the exam. With that being said, I took this very seriously and studied really hard and scored very high. MY advisor added this to my letter of recommendation and it looks very good when applying.
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Hey guys I graduated from this program in '16, and it definitely helped me get into and succeed in medical school. In fact, all my close friends from Case have gotten in somewhere, either MD or DO. The larger class size is alarming, but if you seek help when you need it, you will do well!
*Just as an edit, the NBME is no longer offered and there will be a cumulative exam instead
It doesn't really test what you learned because of the evolution of the NBME. It has moved more towards pathophysiology and pharmacology in the realm of physiology rather than just strictly testing you on physiology. It's actually a huge benefit and will actually test you on what you should know, and I haven't heard of anyone getting into medical school because of their NBME score
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Thanks for the clarification!
I just graduated from this program and took the exam. You dont take the portions of the exam that you're talking about. YOu only take Physiology and Neurophysiology, both of which are at length in the program. There is zero pharm that you are tested on.
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Are students really highly discouraged from completing the program in 1 year? Did you know classmates who were completing it in 1 year and did it seem feasible? I'm interested in the program but not sure I want to spend 2 years as opposed to others that can be completed in 1 @999020 @Doctornoname @BurntFlower @doodlebop @bigindian4891
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Yes, students are really discouraged from completing the program in one year by the director and practically any professor you talk to. I don't know of anyone that has completed it in that short amount of time, but if you look at past threads there HAVE been SDN students who have done it. I know a couple of people who did it in 1.5 years. Maybe look into that?
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When I spoke with Dr. Nosek (he is awesome by the way!) he did discourage me from doing the program in 1 year. I like the idea of the 1.5 years after you get your footing in the program.
I completed it in 1 year. Yes, it definitely can be done. I would suggest not taking any electives for the first semester, just to get a handle on the workload. Then 1/2 electives Spring semester and 1/2 in the summer. This is what I did and it was hard, but not impossible if you are willing to put in the work.
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Wow, congrats on surviving! And thanks for the insight
Could you describe what your typical day/week was like?
Class is usually 10-12 everyday except Wednesday. Then there are translational physiology lectures on Tuesday/Thursday. Monday mornings, there are quizzes from the previous week of material. I would get home at about 1pm and study until about 10pm every day.Wow, congrats on surviving! And thanks for the insight
Could you describe what your typical day/week was like?
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How is this amount of studying in comparison to how much you are studying in med school?
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From the website: MSMP Our Outcomes
Class Matriculating in 2011
We have outcomes data on 100% of the 43 students matriculating in 2011. Of these students, 86% were admitted to MD/DO Schools, 9% to Dental Schools (constituting 100% of all students wishing to go to Dental School), and 5% to other medical programs (Podiatry, Physician Assistant, Anesthesiology Assistant, Pharmacy, Optometry, and Naturopathic Medicine).
Class Matriculating in 2012
We have outcomes data on 80% of the 82 students matriculating in 2011. Of these students, 76% were admitted to MD/DO Schools, 10% to Dental Schools, 9% to other medical programs, and 5% to Ph.D. programs.
Class Matriculating in 2013
We have outcomes data on 66% of the 82 students matriculating in 2013. Of these students, 82% were admitted to MD/DO Schools, 9% to Dental Schools (constituting 100% of all students wishing to go to Dental School), 7% to other medical programs, and 2% to Ph.D. programs."
Class Matriculating in 2011
We have outcomes data on 100% of the 43 students matriculating in 2011. Of these students, 86% were admitted to MD/DO Schools, 9% to Dental Schools (constituting 100% of all students wishing to go to Dental School), and 5% to other medical programs (Podiatry, Physician Assistant, Anesthesiology Assistant, Pharmacy, Optometry, and Naturopathic Medicine).
Class Matriculating in 2012
We have outcomes data on 80% of the 82 students matriculating in 2011. Of these students, 76% were admitted to MD/DO Schools, 10% to Dental Schools, 9% to other medical programs, and 5% to Ph.D. programs.
Class Matriculating in 2013
We have outcomes data on 66% of the 82 students matriculating in 2013. Of these students, 82% were admitted to MD/DO Schools, 9% to Dental Schools (constituting 100% of all students wishing to go to Dental School), 7% to other medical programs, and 2% to Ph.D. programs."
bigal123
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Those are some ridiculous statistics man. So you are telling me they have information on only 66% of the people who graduated in 2013? are they waiting for the other 36% to get accepted or something? And don't tell me they can't get a hold of them because they seem to have 100% of 2011 graduates data.
Also were are the statistics for 2014, 2015, 2016? Or do those numbers not look good yet to present? Isn't this program 2 years at most?
I would expect more for shelling out $50,000+
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I'll agree with you that they should have more data, but you sound awfully bitter towards Case.
Did they hurt your feelings somewhere along the line?
bigal123
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Nope I just don't like ripoffs, but if you want to play the Ad hominem attack instead of presenting a logical counter argument than maybe you do belong here, being your critical reasoning skills aren't that developed.
Because people are 1) applying after the first year, after the second year, and sometimes a few years after so it's difficult to get all of the data for 150+ people, which is way different than 43 people from 8 years ago 2) self-reporting so the admissions is relying on the students reporting what school they got into or didn't. They're working diligently to get hard data as they know it's important. Most prospective students know via word of mouth how successful people are with achieving their goals after completing this program.
no
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I agree with you in wishing the Physiology department would show more data about their outcomes, but you're acting like a jerk towards @frosted2.
And this is only anecdotal data coming from my part, but so far, it seems our 2017 graduating class did pretty well in getting into medical school (MD and DO).
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Hello everyone, I am looking into this program but did not see a minimum MCAT score for consideration into the program. My MCAT is below average but my cGPA is a 3.84. What are my chances of acceptance? Are there any other programs like this that you guys have considered applying to?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
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Successful applicants typically have:
- MCAT scores totaling around 25 (old scores) or 500 (new scores).
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Hello, what are some of the benefits of this program? Is there a guaranteed interview? What was your experience like?
Hello everyone,
I have been reading through the threads and i'm pretty much sold on case western. I just have a few questions really pertaining to the classes. My undergrad science GPA is not the highest, so I am really thinking about applying because I would like to boost my chances of getting into pa school. I had a family circumstance that did not allow to me put my full effort in. That being said, I was looking into moving and attending the courses in person, but do you know how the online program works? Because i understand that the program can be taken 100% online with proctored exams and it would save me from having to move from Florida. I am also really worried about doing bad in this program. I really need it to boost my gpa and I am committed to going above and beyond and studying every single day, however, I'm scared that it might not be enough with how rigorous the program looks. How do students typically preform in these classes? Are they impossible to get A's in? I was also wondering if it would be even more rigorous to complete the program in 4 semesters rather than 2 years. Thank you so much for all of your help!
@999020 @Doctornoname @BurntFlower @doodlebop @bigindian4891
I have been reading through the threads and i'm pretty much sold on case western. I just have a few questions really pertaining to the classes. My undergrad science GPA is not the highest, so I am really thinking about applying because I would like to boost my chances of getting into pa school. I had a family circumstance that did not allow to me put my full effort in. That being said, I was looking into moving and attending the courses in person, but do you know how the online program works? Because i understand that the program can be taken 100% online with proctored exams and it would save me from having to move from Florida. I am also really worried about doing bad in this program. I really need it to boost my gpa and I am committed to going above and beyond and studying every single day, however, I'm scared that it might not be enough with how rigorous the program looks. How do students typically preform in these classes? Are they impossible to get A's in? I was also wondering if it would be even more rigorous to complete the program in 4 semesters rather than 2 years. Thank you so much for all of your help!
@999020 @Doctornoname @BurntFlower @doodlebop @bigindian4891
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Hello, I was a pre-dent student entering this program so I'll speak from my own experience. The program does push you for sure. It allows you to learn how to absorb an immense amount of information so it's really good for these graduate programs to transition to after the MSMP. Getting A's is very doable. It took me one blocks worth to get the hang of it but I eventually got it. I would suggest to stick to the 2 year program so you can maximize your efforts and attention and get the highest grades possible. You can do 3 semesters if you want meaning, fall, spring, and summer but it will require a lot more work. The fall and spring are primarily physiology based with the research translational and regular physiology course. The summer with the remaining 10 hrs would all be elective courses. Exams are broken down by the block system. And each block is divided by organ system etc. Exams are curved (not 100% of the time), the biggest curve we got (and has typically been the largest curve every year) was for the cardio block which is the 3rd block. Most people end up with B's and a very good amount also get A's. It would be more rigorous to complete it in 3 but it is definitely doable. If you or anyone else has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
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Hello everyone, I was recently accepted into this program and I believe it seems the best for me. However, it is a very expensive tuition and I’m wondering how everyone else has done it in the past. Is it worth the 60k+living expenses? Also if I were to attend do you know how many people in this class are getting accepted into their next professional schools?
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I know it's been a while since this post, but I'm just wondering about that remark about retaking classes like general chemistry, etc. for free. I was recently accepted and committed to Case a little over three weeks ago. However, I will likely need to retake General Chemistry II (physical chemistry) either while in the program (summer) or after. Could you give more details about that? Thank you!
Im attempting to apply now and take it online. I live in Michigan. Anyone recommend this? I feel like this is a great program. I have a good feeling about it.
I'm in the process of getting my app in on a tight deadline. How long or short should the statement be? I didn't want to use the statement for med school. I just wrote a truncated 1.5 page version of it? Will that suffice? Thanks.
Do you recommend working? I will be.
I don't recommend it, but I also don't know your financial situation. I think it can be done, but its a risk. You need to kill it in this program and its like drinking from a fire hose.
Heh jeez. I need to work though I think the op said they did and they were fine?
Hmm ok. Whatd you take per semester?
Me too! I’m scared to commit to an online program, though. Do you have any insight on what med schools will think about completing it online? Do you plan on completing it in a year?
What was your reason to not move forward?
