Georgetown CAM program

[2wish]

Does anyone have any information about the CAM program other than what is said on the program's website. I am trying to decide between the CAM program and Boston MAMS and am having a hard time. CAM is a new program and you take a few science classes but it is not specifically aimed at helping students get into medical school. Does anyone know how many students have applied to medical school from the program and what kind of stats they had? Also, is the program competitive and academically demanding? How many hours do students spend studying and what kind of GPAs do students get in the program. Any information at all would be great!!! I will be speaking with Dr Mulroney later this week about the two programs but I wanted to get some student feedback before I make my decision.

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[rob14599]

I think it looks like a really cool program, although definitely not for everyone. If the reason you are doing a masters is to address a low undergraduate GPA or poor science grades as an undergrad, then go to Boston. Boston's MAMS will allow you lots of hard science and you can do research, which would be a big help in terms of sprucing up your med school app. If you are a borderline candidate just looking to add a little extra to your application to medical school, you might want to do Georgetown CAM. The CAM program would give you stuff to talk about during interviews. Also, if you want to go to an Osteopathic medical school, the CAM program would be a huge help because you would get hands on experience with osteopathic manipulative technique.

I applied to the CAM program but decided to attend another master's program. I might reapply to it next year and do it during my "glide year" because it looks like fun, but I want to do well in a hard sciences masters first.

 

[notimetokill]

I don't have a low undergrad or science gpa (well, i think it's decent but my mcat was low and i'm waiting for my new results from this past april. i've been advised that if my mcat is low again, to do the medical sciences program at BU but if not, to choose based on interest. Anyone have suggestions or any more info on CAM? It's a fairly new program so it's hard to get feedback and compare it to more seasoned programs.

I will be applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools. I'm also considering the Nutrition program at Columbia (but no one seems to know that much about it) and the MPH program at Dartmouth (all 1 year) I'm having the hardest time deciding!

 

[rob14599]

I will be applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools. I'm also considering the Nutrition program at Columbia (but no one seems to know that much about it) and the MPH program at Dartmouth (all 1 year) I'm having the hardest time deciding!

I just got pulled off of the waitlist for the 1-year CECS program at Dartmouth. I think I am going to defer it until next year though. I'm going to do a 1-year "hard sciences" masters program at Johns Hopkins and then I'd like to do the Dartmouth MS or MPH during my glide year.

 

[notimetokill]

I just got pulled off of the waitlist for the 1-year CECS program at Dartmouth. I think I am going to defer it until next year though. I'm going to do a 1-year "hard sciences" masters program at Johns Hopkins and then I'd like to do the Dartmouth MS or MPH during my glide year.

hey rob14599, have any more info on the Dartmouth program and why are u choosing to do it in your glide year over, let's say, other options? (want an mph?, general interest, like the school?, etc...)

 

[braluk]

CAM, so ive heard is not very useful for getting into traditional allopathic medical school because its courses are not in any way shape or form, related to the way that allopathic med schools base their courses on. It would be extremely useful to get into osteopathic school however

 

[rob14599]

hey rob14599, have any more info on the Dartmouth program and why are u choosing to do it in your glide year over, let's say, other options? (want an mph?, general interest, like the school?, etc...)

Yes to all of the above. I like the school (hey, it's Ivy League), general interest, and I want an MPH although I don't plan on making a career in the public health field. A lot of people will take time off during medical school to get their MPH or get it after they graduate and go to a place like Harvard or Yale or JHU. I would just like to get it out of the way now, while I'm still young.

As far as glide year programs go, if I didn't want to do Dartmouth then I would probably do the Georgetown CAM program or the Tulane Anatomy certificate program.

 

[nycpizza]

I'm sorry, but I do not completely agree that the CAM program would NOT help you for allopathic schools. If you look at the curriculum, it def includes science courses -- and really, at the end of the day you would be working towards a Master's in Physiology. And MS in Physio is going to be helpful in your career, esp if your ambitions are steered towards medicine. Also, even if you do not see yourself practicing CAM modalities as a physician, it wouldn't hurt to know about it! It will make you a well-rounded healthcare provider, end of story.

good luck to all ! just wanted to give my 2 cents.

 

[lawnboy313]

I'm sorry, but I do not completely agree that the CAM program would NOT help you for allopathic schools. If you look at the curriculum, it def includes science courses -- and really, at the end of the day you would be working towards a Master's in Physiology. And MS in Physio is going to be helpful in your career, esp if your ambitions are steered towards medicine. Also, even if you do not see yourself practicing CAM modalities as a physician, it wouldn't hurt to know about it! It will make you a well-rounded healthcare provider, end of story.

good luck to all ! just wanted to give my 2 cents.

I agree--a background in CAM definitely wouldn't hurt. About 35% of US citizens use some kind of CAM--that goes up to 60% if you include megavitamin therapy and prayer (according to the NIH). Med schools are starting to integrate CAM courses into their curriculums because they realize it's important to know about stuff your patients are using. Kudos if you learn it (in greater detail than you will in med school) before med school.

I have a handful of certificates in CAM therapies, and its part of what generated my interest in MD school. After I had no trouble at all getting into a competitive linked post-bac program with a relatively bland undergrad transcript, I have to think that had a big part. After all, my interviewer (a professor at the med school) said "I've never seen anyone with your qualifications" and we had a lot of fruitful stuff to talk about. I say its good to have something that distinguishes you from the boring, hardcore science-saturated dime a dozen applicants.

If your GPA is good and you've already proven that you can excel at the hard sciences, don't be afraid to go to the CAM program if you're interested in it. The nutrition program at Columbia also looks like a great option along those lines. After studying both those things for a while, I say that unless you really see yourself using CAM therapies as part of your practice, nutrition knowledge might be slightly more clinically useful, if not for your future patients, then for your own health enrichment.

Fill us in with anything you find out about either program and good luck!