Curriculum pathways worth it?

[brofessor]

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I'm an incoming ms1. My school offers a few "curriculum pathways" that are meant to enrich our educational experience, including rural health, international health, research pathways, etc. Most of them you take a seminar or two, and during rotations you can choose some rural or international areas to go to, and you can do certain types of research during summers to complete the translational research pathway. You get some certificate and it's mentioned on your diploma that you completed one of these pathways. I'm not sure if I'm interested in any of those, but I feel like I'm going to be one of the few students in my class not signing up for one. Will this make me look bad? Is it ok that I don't have an interest in serving a particular group of people? I just want to practice medicine and I don't care (right now) if I practice in an urban or rural environment, or with rich, middle-class or poor people. Also, I'm interested more in clinical work than research, so I'm not sure I want to do that either. Will these pathway programs really make a difference? Thoughts?

 

[lrkoehle]

I'm an incoming ms1. My school offers a few "curriculum pathways" that are meant to enrich our educational experience, including rural health, international health, research pathways, etc. Most of them you take a seminar or two, and during rotations you can choose some rural or international areas to go to, and you can do certain types of research during summers to complete the translational research pathway. You get some certificate and it's mentioned on your diploma that you completed one of these pathways. I'm not sure if I'm interested in any of those, but I feel like I'm going to be one of the few students in my class not signing up for one. Will this make me look bad? Is it ok that I don't have an interest in serving a particular group of people? I just want to practice medicine and I don't care (right now) if I practice in an urban or rural environment, or with rich, middle-class or poor people. Also, I'm interested more in clinical work than research, so I'm not sure I want to do that either. Will these pathway programs really make a difference? Thoughts?

If you're not interested, don't do them. Don't fall into the trap of continuing with the pre-med mindset of doing all sorts of crap just to try to look better. Focus on learning everything in class and doing well on step-I and 3rd year rotations.

 

[Mr hawkings]

If you're not interested, don't do them. Don't fall into the trap of continuing with the pre-med mindset of doing all sorts of crap just to try to look better. Focus on learning everything in class and doing well on step-I and 3rd year rotations.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[brofessor]

Thanks. I just didn't want to look like the guy with the bad attitude who doesn't participate in anything more than the bare minimum. I guess I should be confident about what I want to do, and if what the school offers doesn't interest me, I won't do it.

 

[deuist]

Crushing STEP I and doing well on 3rd year clinicals is far beyond the bare minimum. People can do pathways and leadership opportunities all they want, but if the numbers aren't there, residencies don't care.