Prehealth

Newsletter

December 3 , 2021

Welcome!

Only if you have a sincere & genuine interest in becoming a Primary Care physician, and are a sophomore, junior or senior, even a gap year individual, then read on…

Hershey College of Medicine’s Primary Care Scholars program,

Sessions will take place during the week of May 16 2022.

For your consideration/ annual program in May with Penn State Hershey College of Medicine:

1] Applications are now available by contacting Dr Markle ram29@psu.edu. for Hershey’s “Primary Care Scholars Program for 2022”.  See Program Overview below. If interested in this program, email Dr. Markle (ram29@psu.edu) by DEC 15, 2021 to let him know of your interest. 

2] Important Note:  A reference letter from someone in your home community or college community is required. Your “Community Letter Writer” should email their letter directly to Dr. Markle by January 14, 2022.

3] Last, you will email to Dr. Markle your full application set in PDF format.

*Do NOT mail applications to Hershey. We anticipate 10 nominees and an alternate will be sent from the Premed Office.  Final selections are made by the program overseers at Hershey.

Our office will do the “Pre-Health Adviser” letter; the 3rd checklist item on page 2 of the Application Form. Our internal deadline for your fully completed application emailed to Dr. Markle is Friday, January 14, 2022.     

Program Overview for 2022

Students will have numerous opportunities to interact with medical students and faculty, and to learn about the philosophy and practice of primary care within the disciplines of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19, the exact format of this year’s program has yet to be determined. It is our hope to once again hold an in-person program here at the College of Medicine in Hershey the week of May 16, 2022. We are also exploring hybrid opportunities for students at more distant schools. If a live program is not possible, we will return to the virtual series format utilized this past year.

One particular highlight of the program is a clinical experience in which the student shadows a family physician, general pediatrician, or general internist. In 2021, we piloted a new virtual shadowing opportunity that has been a great success and will certainly be duplicated in 2022.

Applications are especially encouraged from Pennsylvania residents, students of under-represented groups and/or those interested in practicing in an underserved rural or urban area. 

There is no registration fee.

Description:

The Penn State College of Medicine Primary Care Scholars Program is an exceptional opportunity for undergraduate students to receive exposure to medical school and issues in primary care. Students in the program learn about the philosophy and practice of primary care within the disciplines of family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. Scholars will also learn about health care delivery, medical school admissions, special programs at the Penn State College of Medicine, and the medical school’s curriculum process.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the exact format of the 2022 program has yet to be determined. Whether we can do the program live or virtual or hybrid, there will still be numerous opportunities for students to interact with both faculty and students here at the College of Medicine through large group presentations, small discussion groups, panel discussions with students, individual application consults, and even a sample problem based learning session.

A particular highlight of the program is a clinical experience in which the student shadows a family physician, general pediatrician, or general internist. In 2021, we piloted a new virtual shadowing opportunity that has been a great success and will certainly be duplicated in 2022.

Registration Fee: None! – this program is free to qualified applicants.

Applicants:

College students who attend participating partner colleges and universities and who have completed their sophomore year are eligible. Post baccalaureate students may also apply. Students apply through their college pre-health advisors, who send the completed applications to the primary care office at Penn State University College of Medicine. A panel, similar in many respects to the admissions committee, reviews the applications and selects students to participate in the program.

Special consideration is given to students interested in primary care fields, those who are considered likely to practice in underserved rural or urban settings, and underrepresented minorities.

Completed applications are due by Monday, February 7, 2022.

Housing: 

In the event that the program can be held in person at the College of Medicine, on campus housing will be made available for a fee. More details will be provided, as they are available.

Content:
The Primary Care Scholars Program will present students with information on the wide range of practice opportunities in primary care medicine, as well as sessions covering the medical school application process, medical school curriculum, and the US healthcare system. Emphasis is placed on facilitating interactive discussion and opportunities for questions and answers.

While the exact schedule has not be finalized, sessions from previous years have included clinical topics such as:

• What is primary care?
• Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, and General Pediatrics
• Sports Medicine
• Women’s Health and Obstetrics
• Underserved Medicine including both Rural and Urban Practice
• Global Health
• Military Medicine
• Geriatrics including Nursing Home and Hospice
• Mental health and Addiction Medicine
• Osteopathic Medicine

Additional sessions will address:

• Medical School Admissions
• Accelerated Pathway Programs
• Medical School Curriculum
• Sample small group problem based learning session
• US Healthcare system
• Leadership in Primary Care

Opportunities for interaction with current medical students have included panel discussions on student life and tips on applying to medical school.

Testimonials from previous student participants:

“I enjoyed that it provided a comprehensive view at the different aspects of what constitutes Primary Care as well as the information provided on applying to medical school and what is involved in a medical school education. Also, speaking with current medical students allowed for a more personal view of what the experience involves.”

“I felt very engaged and informed after every speaker and I know I took away an incredible amount of useful information. This definitely fueled by excitement and motivation to pursue family medicine.”

“I honestly enjoyed every aspect of this program. I really liked all of the different doctors that came in to talk to us. I learned so much the last few days about primary care and the medical school here. I really liked how welcoming and friendly everyone was. All of the doctors were more than willing to share their emails, help us, and answer any questions we might of had. I also loved how many of my medical school admission questions were answered. In addition, being able to talk and ask questions to current medical school students was amazing.”

“I loved how diverse the subjects were. A common misconception of primary care is that you are limited, but all of the speakers proved otherwise. The speakers were very informative and very encouraging.”

“I really like that I was able to learn about every aspect of primary care. I learned more about the field than I've ever learned in my entire life. I also really appreciate that we were able to meet medical students and ask questions/learn about their path to medicine. Lastly I loved the consult portion because I was able to ask so many questions to doctors directly involved with the admissions to medical school.”

“The speakers were all very inspirational and provided very interesting information. Although I was always interested in primary care and had read a lot on the subject, each speaker provided me with a new perspective, which was both informative and simply cool.”