Schools that have a commitment to the underserved

[starstruck20]

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I hear the best way to show commitment is to volunteer at soup kitchens, low income clinics, homeless shelters and so on.

I am applying to schools that have a underserved focus so I'm curious if the activities need to be done in a medically underserved area?

Soup kitchens, homeless shelters, low income clinics and such attract underserved populations no matter where they are located.

Thoughts? @Catalystik @gyngyn @Goro @LizzyM

 

[Psai]

most, if not every, school pays lip service to the underserved. it's just advertising while the administrations actually celebrate the people who publish or have great matches in competitive specialties

 

[whitemagic]

^ What is the connotation behind "lip service?" Is this to say that demonstrating an interest in medicine to help underserved and underrepresented people is subconsciously frowned upon? Because that was the centerfold of my entire application 🙁

 

[deleted480308]

^ What is the connotation behind "lip service?" Is this to say that demonstrating an interest in medicine to help underserved and underrepresented people is subconsciously frowned upon? Because that was the centerfold of my entire application 🙁

no...he's saying that they all will talk about it a lot. It's good for the brochures

 

[deleted577188]

Just get into medical school and volunteer as you wish.

 

[deleted577188]

It's like a family that has three kids. One is the CEO of a Forbes 500 company, one is a Supreme Court justice, and one is a nun. Even though the parents are most proud of the CEO and the Supreme Court justice, any time they go to a Christmas party they start off by talking about the nun.

Hahahaaaa omg

 

[whitemagic]

Lmao. Wow kudos to that analogy. That actually made a lot of sense.

 

[starstruck20]

Like USC and Georgetown apparently...

 

[starstruck20]

I ask because I'm targeting schools that have a focus on the underserved and I accordingly have to make sure my experiences match their mission. @onyisraw

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

Two threads, posted within minutes, about topics that have been beaten to death in other threads?

 

[starstruck20]

Two threads, posted within minutes, about topics that have been beaten to death in other threads?

My main question still hasn't been answered!

"I am applying to schools that have a underserved focus so I'm curious if the activities need to be done in a medically underserved area?"

 

[deleted480308]

My main question still hasn't been answered!

"I am applying to schools that have a underserved focus so I'm curious if the activities need to be done in a medically underserved area?"

You aren't paying attention to literally anything if you haven't figured out that 100% of the schools like it when students do things for poor and disenfranchised people.....it helps to stave off the evil rich doctor vibe

 

[starstruck20]

You aren't paying attention to literally anything if you haven't figured out that 100% of the schools like it when students do things for poor and disenfranchised people.....it helps to stave off the evil rich doctor vibe

Actually I was speaking to an adcom and I was like yes I volunteer at a hospice and they're like that's nice but we have a focus on underserved populations so we like evidence of that. Then they gave me examples of how to demonstrate commitment to the underserved (e.g., soup kitchen, homeless shelter).

 

[deleted480308]

Actually I was speaking to an adcom and I was like yes I volunteer at a hospice and they're like that's nice but we have a focus on underserved populations so we like evidence of that. Then they gave me examples of how to demonstrate commitment to the underserved (e.g., soup kitchen, homeless shelter).

do you not read the words that people type?

 

[starstruck20]

do you not read the words that people type?

Apparently not. W/e. I'm just going to continue to volunteer wherever I currently am at and hope that it works out.

 

[orangetea]

if you are interested in working with the underserved.. your activities SHOULD already match up because that is WHAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN right??????? never do something to look good on paper.. then ask it fits the mission statement of a school.. lol

 

[claduva94]

Volunteer in a free clinic

 

[BLACKMD]

I think it was gyngyn who just said the other day... If you're at a clinic serving people then they are NOT underserved. They might still be poor. But not underserved. Free clinics are a good way to go OP.

 

[jagster92]

I think it was gyngyn who just said the other day... If you're at a clinic serving people then they are NOT underserved. They might still be poor. But not underserved. Free clinics are a good way to go OP.

It was LizzyM i believe. Semantics aside do what your heart leads you to do OP. If you find a place where you serve a purpose and help others in a way that makes an impact, do it. A free clinic is a great place to do that if you own the experience and aren't simply doing it to meet mission statements.

 

[NeuResurgens]

All schools like to help underserved populations. It doesn't matter if your activities help the medically underserved or the generally underserved.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

Actually I was speaking to an adcom and I was like yes I volunteer at a hospice and they're like that's nice but we have a focus on underserved populations so we like evidence of that. Then they gave me examples of how to demonstrate commitment to the underserved (e.g., soup kitchen, homeless shelter).

Well yeah hospice isn't an underserved community... As everyone here has said, no medical school is going to tell you they don't focus on the underserved. If that's what you like to do that's pretty neat! Don't do it thinking it'll make you a special snow flake. Reality is they're looking for people who will score a 270 and match plastics at MGH.

 

[gyngyn]

Well yeah hospice isn't an underserved community... As everyone here has said, no medical school is going to tell you they don't focus on the underserved. If that's what you like to do that's pretty neat! Don't do it thinking it'll make you a special snow flake. Reality is they're looking for people who will score a 270 and match plastics at MGH.

Do you really think so little of us?

 

[deleted480308]

Do you really think so little of us?

I think that schools like being able to show off a match list with a bunch of high end specialties just as much as they enjoy talking about their goal of underserved primary care

 

[northernlights15]

Well yeah hospice isn't an underserved community... As everyone here has said, no medical school is going to tell you they don't focus on the underserved. If that's what you like to do that's pretty neat! Don't do it thinking it'll make you a special snow flake. Reality is they're looking for people who will score a 270 and match plastics at MGH.

I don't know, I think schools take their missions seriously. Of course they have to be qualified in terms of GPA and MCAT but finding people who fit their mission is really important for those schools.

 

[gyngyn]

I think that schools like being able to show off a match list with a bunch of high end specialties just as much as they enjoy talking about their goal of underserved primary care

The strength of a match list can only be known to the Deans involved in Career Advising.
I am most proud of the students who are well-matched in a field where they can do the most good.
I find it almost embarrassing if our "best" students go into an overpopulated field. It means we didn't show them how their gifts could be most usefully employed.

 

[deleted480308]

The strength of a match list can only be known to the Deans involved in Career Advising.
I am most proud of the students who are well-matched in a field where they can do the most good.
I find it almost embarrassing if our "best" students go into an overpopulated field. It means we didn't show them how their gifts could be most usefully employed.

The libertarian in me tends to dislike the idea that students should be going whereever medical hierarchy thinks them most valuable. They should go to the place that makes them happiest (given that they have the qualifications for it)

But......I see your point and think you are sincere

 

[gyngyn]

The libertarian in me tends to dislike the idea that students should be going whereever medical hierarchy thinks them most valuable. They should go to the place that makes them happiest (given that they have the qualifications for it)

But......I see your point and think you are sincere

"Happy" is independent of medicine, in my experience. Happy people are, well, happy.
Satisfaction and reward, however, should be expected in one's work.
There is nothing more satisfying than doing an excellent job in a field where you are needed.

 

[gyngyn]

It's been a while, but I distinctly remember interviewing at a school where they handed me a copy of their entire match list from that year. Don't many schools actually put this online?

Sure we do.
Good luck knowing which are the highs and lows in the outcomes, though.

 

[gyngyn]

Is it really that hard to figure out? Presumably anything Ortho is a "good" match. Community FP, less likely to be "good".

You are making my point.
The "best outcomes" in our last match had nothing to do with ortho or derm (though we had plenty of both).

 

[gyngyn]

There's something here I'm not getting.

Helping a student know himself and how he can make a mark on society is how we distinguish ourselves in academic medicine. This varies dramatically from student to student. The students with the highest scores and grades are often called by the siren song of fields to which they will add little. Better that they do something where their influence will make a difference in the world. Better this than going into a field just to avoid "wasting" a Step 1 score.

 

[gyngyn]

You think people make a difference in the world. This is why I have no idea what you're talking about in this thread. Good luck.

We are a profession that has a profound effect on the lives of the humans we care for.
This makes a difference in the world.

 

[deleted480308]

Profoundly disagree.

I think she has a point...a good doctor might not change 6billion people, but that can create a lot of change within their realm of influence, considerably more than most professions

 

[deleted480308]

Veering off topic, but I simply don't see where we do much of anything that wouldn't have happened even without our involvement.

I agree with you on that....the distinctive is that you are playing the role as opposed to someone else

 

[gyngyn]

Something as simple as effective contraception counseling has the effect of improving outcomes for everyone in that family. Doing a bad job adds to misery.

 

[jagster92]

Veering off topic, but I simply don't see where we do much of anything that wouldn't have happened even without our involvement.

look at a guy like Dr. Paul Farmer. Sure few are capable of making that type of impact but he certainly accomplished things that would not have happened if not for him.

 

[gyngyn]

look at a guy like Dr. Paul Farmer. Sure few are capable of making that type of impact but he certainly accomplished things that would not have happened if not for him.

We can all accomplish things that would not have happened but for us.

 

[jagster92]

We can all accomplish things that would not have happened but for us.

Oh I totally agree. Otherwise i wouldnt be on this forum with a pre med tag. Just figured even the poster above couldn't deny farmers impact.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

Do you really think so little of us?

Haha no not really. It's like others have said though. There's a real disconnect between saying you're all about helping the underserved but look look! Two plastics matches last year! I get it though. It gets the students in the door.

And just so we're clear I'm not some automaton who hates helping the needy. I caught the free clinic and medical mission bug when I came to school. It's cool stuff.

 

[WingedOx]

All schools like to help underserved populations. It doesn't matter if your activities help the medically underserved or the generally underserved.

Honestly, my med school couldn't have given less of a sh-t.

 

[WingedOx]

Which schools are you talking about? Because each school's focus is going to vary. Michigan State is going to like people who have a motivation with a very different type of underserved than UIC or Temple.

 

[starstruck20]

Which schools are you talking about? Because each school's focus is going to vary. Michigan State is going to like people who have a motivation with a very different type of underserved than UIC or Temple.

What kind of underserved groups are those schools aiming to help? I was talking to Georgetown. Apparently USC cares for the underserved as well.

 

[22031 Alum]

What kind of underserved groups are those schools aiming to help? I was talking to Georgetown. Apparently USC cares for the underserved as well.

I think the implication there may be the difference between rural and urban underserved populations? MSU sends students to more rural locations than UIC which is in the heart of downtown Chicago.

In any case, I think the majority of schools provide some opportunity to work with patients who have less access to care. Even if most students do not go on to focus on those populations. I'm of the feeling that if working with those groups is meant to be, it'll happen no matter where you go- but that's probably my bias since that's how things worked out for me.

Oh, and this concept of people no longer being underserved once they visit a clinic "and therefore are served" is the most asinine, literal-minded thing I've ever heard. It's about systematic deficiencies in healthcare.

 

[WingedOx]

Oh, and this concept of people no longer being underserved once they visit a clinic "and therefore are served" is the most asinine, literal-minded thing I've ever heard. It's about systematic deficiencies in healthcare.

thank you. Where the hell are people getting these garbage ideas from?

 

[22031 Alum]

thank you. Where the hell are people getting these garbage ideas from?

Maybe if the term was "completely un-served" or "never served" I might get it. But you cannot tell me that the patients I take care of are not underserved because I'm taking care of them. As if having one visit with me cancels out the fact that every aspect of getting to me, and following my recommendations after seeing me- even something as simple as "Obtain this $4 medication"- is a struggle.

 

[WingedOx]

Maybe if the term was "completely un-served" or "never served" I might get it. But you cannot tell me that the patients I take care of are not underserved because I'm taking care of them. As if having one visit with me cancels out the fact that every aspect of getting to me, and following my recommendations after seeing me- even something as simple as "Obtain this $4 medication"- is a struggle.

It's a combination of things: A poor understanding that access to a doctor alone is only one piece of what's necessary in the health system (I'll stay short of calling that narcissism); an intentional wearing of blinders to the results of the actions of politicians and political parties for which people advocate; a general ignorance of what public health even involves....

 

[22031 Alum]

You guys are missing the point. The reason that the "underserved" definition exists is to differentiate supply from demand access-to-care issues. Basic econ, right? There are patient (demand) factors that limit access to care (socioeconomics, education, life circumstances, mental disability, I can't find a babysitter, etc etc etc). There are supply factors (not enough clinics in an area, not enough doctors).

"Underserved" is the marker for the latter. Once there are enough doctors and clinics, it's mainly patient factors that limit access. This helps larger agencies and organizations know what type of resources to direct to specific areas.

I find it really weird that you two of all people don't see this.

In my field, and the circles I move in, "underserved" isn't restricted to any definition, federal or otherwise, that involves only provider/patient ratios. A woman could be literally surrounded by clinics but if her abusive husband won't let her obtain contraception she is underserved. If the only job she can get won't allow time off work for prenatal visits she is underserved. If she is a lesbian and a doctor refuses to provide STI screening she is underserved. Now is that how FQHCs are designated? Of course not. But if a student interested in treating those patients called them underserved, I can't name a single colleague who would argue that they were using the term incorrectly.

 

[whitemagic]

Profoundly disagree.

I would hate to have you as my physician.

 

[22031 Alum]

That's weird to me, but okay. I don't do the underserved thing so your opinion is definitely more relevant than mine.

Maybe it would help to no longer think of it as being served by a magic number of providers, but rather having access to all aspects of care considered standard medical "service." A woman who has to decide between prenatal care and keeping the job that feeds her other kids is not getting medically "served" at the level appropriate for her needs. Therefore under-served. Even if the AREA in which she lives is not under-served by practitioners.

 

[whitemagic]

Too bad I'm already licensed, huh? Otherwise you could go full pre-med cliche and say, "You'll never make a good doctor!"

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you're great at your job. Kudos to you for that. I just wouldn't want a physician who has such a pessimistic view of life and "profoundly disagrees" with some of the most widely agreed upon tenets of the field.

 

[22031 Alum]

This doesn't work from a larger level. This is about resource allocation. Lumping both types of access-to-care problems into one group leads to inappropriate allocation of resources.

Like we say, a good classification system will either guide treatment or define prognosis. The federal definition of "underserved" fulfills the former. What you propose doesn't.

Sure, but I never said that the federal definition of underserved governs what I do, or what I expect a medical student or premed to be considering when thinking about populations they are interested in working with. In fact I already acknowledged that it's not how the federal government would designate an FQHC. And there's enough work to be done already, without trying to come up with a new separate term just because... I'm not sure why, exactly. It doesn't really make a difference except in the pedantic conversations we have here. I don't know anyone in real life who only allows use of the term underserved when talking about low provider numbers.

Edit: I think this all boils down to how strict we want to be with semantics. Is there a federal definition of "underserved?" Sure. Is that the only accepted/acceptable use of the word? No. Is it possible to get a general grasp of what a medical student means when they say they want to work with the underserved, even if they are ignorant of specific agencies' definitions of the term? I think it is.

I also think it's hilarious that I'm discussing this while working on a lecture about caring for homeless pregnant patients- whom I and my audience will call "underserved" multiple times (and mean it!!), while we are providing care for them and cancelling out their underserved-ness.