Stanford- Not Smart Q

[KK82]

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I know I should know what each subset entails, but can anyone maybe define or give examples of these:

1. Private Practice

2. Health Policy

3. Academic Medicine

4. Public Health

5. Health Care Administration

i may want to do something i have not done research in, is that okay?

 

[KK82]

one more thing....

I did diabetes research in a lab, so is this public health efforts?

 

[NapeSpikes]

Yes, I find it odd that they don't even have a Primary Care box, which isn't necessarily private practice. They are heavy into research, but not having Primary Care as even a choice??

 

[coco]

Yes, I find it odd that they don't even have a Primary Care box, which isn't necessarily private practice. They are heavy into research, but not having Primary Care as even a choice??

yeah thats exactly what i was thinking! im glad to see im not the only one confused with this....but still..if i wanna do research, is that academic medicine? what category does it fit in?

 

[DrBowtie]

I would think primarily your run of the mill doc would be classified as private practice.

Health Policy would be like ethics research and lobbying with AMA and such.

Academic Medicine would be a mix of teaching, clinical, research. Work for an affiliated medical school. Usually less pay than PP.

Public Health - MPH or related stuff. I would say this would be more with the underserved and uninsured population. Possibly free clinic type stuff.

Healthcare Admin - Have a primarily behind the scenes role in the hospital. Serve on various committees. Could work in insurance or HMO. Less clinical focus.

That is how I would interpret things. I think it is hard since most people want to do a mix of many of those things.

 

[Karl Hungus]

Last year I decided to be honest and picked "private practice." Got screwed, no interview. I had competitive stats (36R, 3.8, research, etc) and had gone there for undergrad. I'm most definitely not saying that I should have gotten an interview, but I wonder how much of a factor my essay about wanting to go into "private practice" contributed to my rejection.

I know the adcom is probably looking for a well-rounded and diverse class - with a mix of students who want to go into academic, public, and private sectors - but I'm guessing (literally) that the best answer to give would be "academic medicine."

 

[DrBowtie]

but do you guys think if i have not done research and say i want to do pub health or policy with underserved, that opposes a lot of stanford's mission. I know they are huge researchers, but am not sure if they are into underserved pops and stuff.

I think it would be silly to be anything but honest. They will accept you if they feel you will fit. If you put your into public health and they take only researchers then you would be miserable there regardless. However, I think that they probably take atleast a few people from each category.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

Last year I decided to be honest and picked "private practice." Got screwed, no interview. I had competitive stats (36R, 3.8, research, etc) and had gone there for undergrad. I'm most definitely not saying that I should have gotten an interview, but I wonder how much of a factor my essay about wanting to go into "private practice" contributed to my rejection.

I know the adcom is probably looking for a well-rounded and diverse class - with a mix of students who want to go into academic, public, and private sectors - but I'm guessing (literally) that the best answer to give would be "academic medicine."

Their class size is so small that it's difficult to know what they want. I know 5 docs to have graduated from Stanford Med. All 5 are faculty members of some sort.

 

[DrCarebear]

but do you guys think if i have not done research and say i want to do pub health or policy with underserved, that opposes a lot of stanford's mission. I know they are huge researchers, but am not sure if they are into underserved pops and stuff.

SUSM conducts *excellent* research (one of the main reasons I love their school), but it also offers a diverse array of opportunities for its students. If you are truly interested in working with underserved populations, then I would suggest that you check out both the combined MD/MPH degree program and the student-run free clinics.

As a general note, Stanford prides itself on having a diverse student body of individuals who are truly passionate about what they do. For the essay, choose the option that best fits your goals and then write about what fuels you as you work towards medical school and your future medical career.

 

[NapeSpikes]

I have no interest in academic medicine, not now anyway. I didn't realize working in free clinics/uninsured was public health, but I guess it makes sense. I'll probably put that.

 

[DrBowtie]

Health Policy is like political lobbying, ethics research, committee work.

 

[45408]

Last year I decided to be honest and picked "private practice." Got screwed, no interview. I had competitive stats (36R, 3.8, research, etc) and had gone there for undergrad. I'm most definitely not saying that I should have gotten an interview, but I wonder how much of a factor my essay about wanting to go into "private practice" contributed to my rejection.

I know the adcom is probably looking for a well-rounded and diverse class - with a mix of students who want to go into academic, public, and private sectors - but I'm guessing (literally) that the best answer to give would be "academic medicine."

I'm gonna go for honest and put "private practice," I think. I would like to implement some research into my clinical work, and I'd like to volunteer my time with some underserved areas or even something like MSF, but I don't want to be med school faculty or be a PI. I understand the value of tailoring your responses based on the questions and such, but if they are trying to attract a different type of candidate than I truly am, then it's better to realize that now.