Schools with a strong service component

[Narmerguy]

Are there any med schools that have a strongly stated service component (that being service for the community, poor, disadvantaged, etc) that they make an emphasis in their curriculum?

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[Dianyla]

FWIW, the recent Social Mission study rankings may be of use:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/06/14/127838132/top-med-schools-score-poorly-on-social-mission

 

[BiochemGirlYay]

Ohsu

 

[Geekchick921]

Temple's big on serving the underserved community where the school is located.

 

[Narmerguy]

FWIW, the recent Social Mission study rankings may be of use:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/06/14/127838132/top-med-schools-score-poorly-on-social-mission

Is this really a good study though?

Geekchick, are you aware of how Temple tries to accomplish this with students?

 

[Geekchick921]

Here's a few of the ones from the medical student organizations list on the website. I don't believe any community service is required but they gave us the impression at interview day that a lot of students participate in one organization or another.

Big Friends. This is a tutoring program which provides 4th and 5th grade students from a local elementary school, Kenderton Elementary School, with assistance in various academic areas as well as social and cultural areas. Tutors donate two hours every other week. I think other things were mentioned to us but I can't remember what they might have been.

Prevention Point/Street Side Health Clinic. SSHC is a student-run clinic held in association with Prevention Point Philadelphia. Prevention Point is a harm-reduction center that conducts sterile syringe exchange referrals for legal, detox, medical and housing services and family planning sessions, all free of charge to Philadelphia residents. The SSHC seeks to provide non-judgmental medical care to the high risk populations of injection drug users and sex workers in the area. Students coming to the clinic will work closely with upperclassman and physicians and have the opportunity to practice interviewing, administration of vaccines and other skills. First-year students must attend an orientation before beginning the program. Clinic is held every Thursday from 3 to 5PM near TUSM.

SNACWell – SNACWell (Student Nutrition Advocacy & Community Wellness). This group aims to increase awareness among medical and health professional students about the issues of personal wellness and nutrition within both the Temple School of Medicine/Hospital and the North Philadelphia communities. In the upcoming year, we are planning events and an elective course that will address the challenges of integrating a healthy lifestyle into a busy student schedule (produce tastings, cooking clinics, group runs, etc.), as well as examine the barriers to a nutritionally balanced diet within urban communities such as North Philly. We are planning several community health education and service opportunties that highlight the potential role that medical students and professionals have in public health nutrition and preventative medicine.

Temple CARES (Community Advocacy, Referral & Education Services) Student Run Clinic. Temple CARES is the student-run clinic located in (but unaffiliated with) a local church near TUSM. Every Tuesday evening 1st and 2nd year medical students work closely with and interact with 3rd and 4th years as well as attending physicians to learn the fundamentals of medical care while helping the community. Newly added components of the program include patient education at a nearby homeless shelter, a "Temple CARES 4 Kids" component, and a website.

 

[Barcu]

Are there any med schools that have a strongly stated service component (that being service for the community, poor, disadvantaged, etc) that they make an emphasis in their curriculum?

Georgetown has a required service component. It's not very stringent I don't think but it's required.

I applied to all four of the Jesuit schools (Gtown, Loyola, SLU, and Creighton). All of them seemed to really stress service, and two of my interviews at these schools pretty much focused on my own work in underserved communities and it was something they really liked and looked for.

Of course, it's what you make of it. If you go to a school with any underserved population nearby (aka pretty much anywhere), then you will have opportunities. The schools I have been to all seem to have a hospital you can rotate at that sees lots of underserved pts.

 

[jckut10]

.

 

[patel2]

Community service is probably the number 1 component for admission at Tulane, besides for grades. There is a large amount of the class that comes from americorps/peace corps/teach for america. Also, the med students have a 40 hour per year requirement of community service (which apparently people easily exceed). Wanting to rebuild the city and being passionate about new orleans is a huge component of whether a person would or would not be a good fit at tulane.

 

[Longshanks]

Yeah, Tulane definitely does. I feel that being my one weak area on my application is what tanked me there (though I have a lot of community and campus involvement, its not "traditional" americorps type stuff, which they love).

On my interview day, Drexel exemplified their service activities in the Philadelphia community and what opportunities are available through the school, its health clinics, and outside organizations they are in contact with. They also have a 16 hour requirement for first years, which is light compared to some other schools, but its a good way to get you out there and find an organization you'd enjoy working with and obviously do more than that.

 

[Longshanks]

FWIW, the recent Social Mission study rankings may be of use:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/06/14/127838132/top-med-schools-score-poorly-on-social-mission

The "social mission score" rankings are more based on percentage of primary care physicians produced, and how many graduates end up practicing in the local community the med school claims to want to produce physicians for. It doesn't quantify any community service activities during school or what the school might be doing. An example of that is Albert Einstein, which it lists in its bottom 20 schools for "social mission" but they are very active in the Bronx community and I believe the school has a community service requirement or at least strongly recommends it, but they are in that bottom 20 for "social mission" because of the amount of graduates who specialize or practice outside of the Bronx. The rankings are interesting and speak to a greater issue at large with medical education, but they have their own faults just as much as the US World News rankings are a bunch of hogwash.

 

[Gifted Hands]

Mt Sinai has a big emphasis on service I believe.

Cornell has a good number of service organizations as well.

Pitt had some interesting ones too. Thats all I can remember for interview days

 

[tabascosauce]

USUHS
theres a 7 yr service committment!

 

[Narmerguy]

Jefferson has a program called JeffHOPE where students, under the supervision of an MD, provide primary care to the underserved in Philadelphia. Look into it.

Any idea how much of this is typically done? I'll look into it too, just curious how much you know.

 

[Dianyla]

Is this really a good study though?

I don't think it's particularly good, but it may identify a few schools that didn't otherwise come to mind. As others mentioned, the whole scoring system is based on production of primary care physicians. I think that's a good indicator but not the only one.

I would also look at specific MD/MPH combined programs at urban medical schools, since those often (but not always) have a focus on underserved and public health. For example, UCSF's PRIME-US program.

 

[Forthegood]

We just wrote a syllabus for a course in service at a free clinic we run. There are several service opportunities that about 50% of students actively (weekly) participate in. Most that count as course work are elective, but we do have IM M3s rotate through the clinic so there are some mandatory ones too.

 

[astrocreep96]

Any school in an urban community. They should all operate clinics that are heavily student staffed for the uninsured.