Which schools are very service oriented?

[sephora89]

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I've heard of Georgetown, SLU, Creighton, Loyola being very service oriented. Is this true?

Are there others? Does one need like 500+ hours work of volunteer work? What do the schools above and others generally look for in applicants?

 

[sazerac]

Besides the four Jesuit schools you named, Tulane goes gaga over service in your application. I got a discount on my application fees there because I did an AmeriCorps project.

Tulane also has required community service hours during years 1 and 2.

 

[tick_tock400]

Medicine is a very service oriented profession; I think you'll find ample service opportunities in all med schools if that's what you're looking for. Some med schools just emphasize it a lot more on their websites/interview dates, while others don't really mention it so heavily because I think they assume you already know there's plenty of opportunities to serve at their schools regardless.

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

Add Loma Linda to the list of the 4 Jesuit schools! Medical mission opportunities abound here - just look at their mission statement!

 

[NeuResurgens]

Most medical schools value service and some even have free clinics which are largely run by their medical students and faculty, if I remember correctly.

 

[gyngyn]

Any school affiliated with a government hospital.

 

[sovereign0]

Mayo Medical School is also extremely service oriented.

From what I've heard, they also place a huge emphasis on your personal statement and story (which I found interesting, considering that I've also heard that many committee members barely skim the PS). A good friend of mine was offered an interview with a 28 MCAT. He was in a really bad car accident and was in a neck brace for several of his teenage years, which ended up being part of the reason he wanted to be a doctor.

 

[sephora89]

Any school affiliated with a government hospital.

NYU has a VA hospital. I never imagined them as very service oriented!

 

[gyngyn]

NYU has a VA hospital. I never imagined them as very service oriented!

Is is their primary training hospital?

 

[WingedOx]

Seconded. Oakland is actually in Rochester/Royal Oak, which has a rather different population than Detroit, but I'm not that knowledgeable about the med school's mission.

Wayne State definitely places an emphasis on community service and involvement, in contrast with its non-focus on research. Faculty state this outright.

FWIW, Wayne isn't exactly a dwarf when it comes to research opportunities.

But yeah, the main populations you'll see at OU and Wayne aren't going to be remotely similar.

 

[italiancowgirl]

Are you wanting to know which ones weigh it heavily for decisions, or which ones emphasize it in the curriculum?

 

[The Real SVB]

NYU has a VA hospital. I never imagined them as very service oriented!

Most med schools have a VA hospital.

Is is their primary training hospital?

Not even close. NYC elitists would never let a VA be their flagship hospital.

 

[itsogre]

Most med schools have a VA hospital.
Not even close. NYC elitists would never let a VA be their flagship hospital.

tbh VA hospitals aren't exactly the most humane/caring of places for the nation's servicemen and women, or even the best places for physicians and others to work at. And the VA is constantly quagmired in scandals of mismanagement and dysfunction.
for reference: http://www.washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/politics/which-government-agency-is-best-to-work-for/670/

 

[sephora89]

Is is their primary training hospital?

I believe Tisch and Bellevue are their main hospitals.

 

[sephora89]

Are you wanting to know which ones weigh it heavily for decisions, or which ones emphasize it in the curriculum?

I should have made that clear in my first post. Sorry! I am more interested in learning schools that weigh it heavily.

 

[WingedOx]

Is is their primary training hospital?

tbh VA hospitals aren't exactly the most humane/caring of places for the nation's servicemen and women, or even the best places for physicians and others to work at. And the VA is constantly quagmired in scandals of mismanagement and dysfunction.
for reference: http://www.washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/politics/which-government-agency-is-best-to-work-for/670/

Eh, you need to look past the media hype. The quality of VA care is really site/department dependent, even within the same city/regional area. Like any place it depends on leadership.

That said, I'm not aware of any med school with a VA as their "primary" site, though a couple schools (Loyola being one) can expect to have their students spend significant amounts of time at their VA affiliate.

 

[vellez]

Tulane. I believe my community services was a big factor in why I got an interview.

 

[italiancowgirl]

IMHO, you should spend time evaluating the schoool's focuses and strengths. On the websites Virginia focuses Rural health, and Gw on global and health policy. Colorado has a big section discussing access to the military base. Schools with more focus on serving underserved communities will prefer applicants with a stronger service focus (bonuses for serving in their interest area). I reviewed dozens of sites to narrow down my list of schools (also looking for service focus among other things)

 

[WingedOx]

global

God, the worst buzzword of them all.

 

[randommedstudent8]

So which schools weigh service heavily in the application?

 

[RRNMD]

Oakland University

 

[vellez]

God, the worst buzzword of them all.

"Global health", "underserved" and "rural" should be banned for overuse amongst med school applicants.

 

[WingedOx]

"Global health", "underserved" and "rural" should be banned for overuse amongst med school applicants.

Eh, I've said a lot on the topic of underserved and rural medicine and the legit things with those... the problem is when students drop those terms without any awareness of what they entail.

As for "global", I just picture people I went to school with who consider themselves worldly because they got to go on expensive spring break trips to Prague and Vienna on their parents' credit cards. Plus, my program got feedback from an applicant this past cycle that we would have been ranked higher if we had a "global mental health track" whatever the hell that is, so I've been kinda rolling my eyes at that concept lately.