New Pre-SOMA Club

[fuzzwinkle11]

Hello SDN!
It's been a few months since I posted here, but I've got something new to offer and wanted to get some feedback. I recently got elected to head up a Pre-SOMA (Student Osteopathic Medical Association) position at KCUMB and I'm looking for any active/potential osteopathic applicants who might give me their two cents on what I can do to help them start a pre-osteopathic club at their undergraduate universities. Since this is a new position I'm open to suggestion as to how helpful this might be to you as an applicant.

(BTW, I don't have any special pull with the adcom at KCUMB, but I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about KCUMB as well.)

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[HunterGatherer]

How this may have been helpful to me as an applicant:

info on SDN
DO Shadowing opportunities
interaction with SOMA on some level
ability to network with students interested in Osteopathic medical schools
speaker (student/doctor) coming in to discuss OMM

Good luck.

 

[fuzzwinkle11]

Thanks HunterGatherer!

info on SDN: Do you mean your ideal pre-soma club would talk about points brought up on SDN? If so, I agree, SDN is the best resource I know for getting the "real" info applicants are looking for, although alot of it can be subjective and would benefit from pre-osteopathic club discussions.

DO Shadowing opportunities: I think this is really the biggest benefit to having a specifically pre-osteopathic club at your school. I went to undergrad in MS and grad school in VA and both states were difficult to find D.O.'s to shadow.

interaction with SOMA on some level: I'd like to hear more this....

ability to network with students interested in Osteopathic medical schools: Definately!

speaker (student/doctor) coming in to discuss OMM: Personally, I'd love the opportunity to go back to my undergrad (Millsaps College) and start the club personally! It may be possible to get student volunteers to travel to nearby schools over breaks to talk at clubs or to get alumni to drop by and say a word or two.....I think this is just a matter of starting the club and then calling up a few students/local D.O.'s and asking. This really is a whole lot easier than it may appear at first, especially if you're in a state with a D.O. school.

 

[Jamers]

How this may have been helpful to me as an applicant:

info on SDN
DO Shadowing opportunities
interaction with SOMA on some level
ability to network with students interested in Osteopathic medical schools
speaker (student/doctor) coming in to discuss OMM

Good luck.

I think a demonstration of OMM would be better than a discussion. Many people dont really know what it is until they see it. During a visit I did to PCOM, they did a great OMM demonstration. Also, during my interview at DMU, part of the tour included an OMM demonstration. Just my two cents, however.

 

[LT2]

hi fuzzwinkle-

i don't know if this will be of help or not, but our pre-soma does a number of things:

-invite speakers to explain differences between MD/DO and give OMM demonstrations. we like to invite alumnis back to speak so they can give a really personalized, applicable story...

-we've been trying to set up a mentor program so pre-osteo students can be in touch regularly with a current student.

-the appeal of leadership positions/experience is a great way to entice people

-health fairs to help pre-med students learn about/experience osteopathic medicine

-osteo awareness nights where we bring deans from schools to speak about admissions, etc (this is a big one)

-local volunteer opportunities (we try to work with other groups on campus to promote teamwork)


hope this helps...

 

[HunterGatherer]

further clarification:

info on SDN: I meant to introduce people to SDN as a resource.

DO Shadowing opportunities:
maybe have a contact person for volunteer and shadowing at hospitals that KCUMB student rotate through since there should probably be DO residents/attendings there. Hospital tours.

interaction with SOMA on some level:
Maybe visit osteopathic schools and meet SOMA members

speaker (student/doctor) coming in to discuss OMM:
I got a lot out of talking to DOs and especially their patients that received OMM treatment. Demonstrations are great as well.

I have no idea what pre-SOMA's main agenda is and I've never been involved in any premed clubs. I'm sure there are time constraints, money issues, etc. but just throwing out some things that would really attract me to a pre-SOMA club. I'm sure community service fits in there somewhere.

 

[mshheaddoc]

information sessions to help students apply, have an adcom member talk about interviews, personal statements, etc

 

[fuzzwinkle11]

If you guys already have Pre-osteopathic / pre-SOMA clubs established, could you send me your school's name and a way for me to contact the club president/VP/members.

It will be very easy for me to ask for volunteers at KCUMB SOMA to mentor someone on applications, why to choose osteopathic, why to choose KCUMB....
I just need a name and contact info, you can PM me and I won't give the info out except to a mentor or at the next SOMA meeting (not sure when next is). Please specify some generalities you'd like: Male/Female, Married, etc. and I'll match you with someone who will at least send you an email.

If you don't have a pre-osteopathic/pre-SOMA club and you think you and some classmates would like to start one, feel free to contact me and I can work with you to set up your guest speakers, etc for next semester.

thanks for your responses everyone!

 

[mshheaddoc]

How hard would it be to set up a pre-soma club if your school already has an AMSA student body? They advertise as Pre-Med ... anyone have any ideas with this?

 

[LT2]

How hard would it be to set up a pre-soma club if your school already has an AMSA student body? They advertise as Pre-Med ... anyone have any ideas with this?

it wouldn't be tough to start a pre-soma club, but from my experiences, it's been relatively difficult to bring people into pre-soma unless they are set on DO. unfortunately, most other pre-meds are interested in AMSA and other honor societies above soma. that's not to say we don't have members, but our numbers are SIGNIFICANTLY lower than the AMSA club on my campus. best thing to do is make an announcement in the AMSA meeting and publicize widely!! if you have other questions, feel free to ask...