Welcome To the Official BYU Hawaii Pre Medical site

The BYU Hawaii Premedical resource and events guide is designed with the future medical school student in mind.  The information contained on this website will aid applicants in preparing for a career in medicine.  You will find everything you need to know from information regarding the application process, medical schools, career exploration, the MCAT as well as advice to realize your dream of practicing medicine.  Comments and suggestions are encouraged to help us help one another find success in such a competitive field.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Good Reads for over the break!!

ComplicationsIn gripping accounts of true cases, surgeon Atul Gawande explores the power and the limits of medicine, offering an unflinching view from the scalpel’s edge. Complications lays bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually is—uncertain, perplexing, and profoundly human.


Mountains Beyond Mountains
Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the GatesFoundation, George Soros, the U.N.’s World Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.


King of Hearts: The True Story of the Maverick Who Pioneered Open Heart Surgery

Few of the great stories of medicine are as palpably dramatic as the advent of open heart surgery, yet until now, no journalist has ever brought to life all of the thrilling specifics of this triumph. G. Wayne Miller tells the story of Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, who, along with colleagues at University Hospital in Minneapolis and a small band of pioneers elsewhere, accomplished what many experts considered to be an impossible feat: he opened the heart, repaired fatal defects, and made the miraculous routine.


Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

Gawande gives us an inside look at his own life as a practicing surgeon, offering a searingly honest firsthand account of work in a field where mistakes are both unavoidable and unthinkable. At once unflinching and compassionate, Better is an exhilarating journey narrated by arguably the best nonfiction doctor-writer around. Gawande's investigation into medical professionals and how they progress from merely good to great provides rare insight into the elements of success, illuminating every area of human endeavor

On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story


Blood-and-guts accounts of Fallujah are not in short supply, but Jadick—a career Marine officer and brigade surgeon who took a demotion to battalion surgeon to volunteer for service in Iraq in 2004—tells the story through the eyes of a doctor. Unlike colleagues who remained in battalion aid stations behind the lines, Jadick and his medics accompanied their unit in makeshift ambulances as it battled through the streets. This was not bravado, he writes, but a calculated strategy to reach, stabilize and rush wounded troops to hospitals more quickly. He makes his case many times over, with dramatic accounts of catastrophically injured men from his unit and others who would not have survived a journey to the aid station. This remarkable man's story is well worth telling, although his writer should have discouraged him from frequent pauses for memorial essays on every soldier who died, and to remind readers of the Marines' bravery, of the dedication of the medics, and how much he loves his wife, the Marines and America. Readers who can skim past these segments will find the book a memorable experience.

How Doctors Think


Jerome Groopman pinpoints the forces and thought processes behind the decisions doctors make. He explores why doctors err and shows when and how they can, with our help, avoid snap judgments, embrace uncertainty, communicate effectively, and deploy other skills that can have a profound impact on our health.


Outliers: The Story of Success In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band. Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking

In this best-seller, a staff writer for The New Yorker weighs the factors that determine good decision-making. Drawing on recent cognitive research, Gladwell concludes that those who quickly filter out extraneous information generally make better decisions than those who discount their first impressions.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers


For 2,000 years, cadavers---some willingly, some unwittingly---have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and, in so doing, tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.







Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Medical Insiders seminar

Aloha BYUH Students :
If you're thinking about going to medical school, you know that it's a competitive process. With competition to medical school increasing each year, you need to get an edge on the competition. On November 18, 2008 in Honolulu, Kaplan, the leader in MCAT prep and admissions, will provide invaluable admissions information at a FREE Medical School Insider Seminar. Here, you'll learn: ·What really matters when schools are evaluating applicants ·Admissions into the John A Burns School of Medicine by Dr. Satoru Izutsu, SeniorAssociate Dean · Valuable MCAT test-taking strategies · Career options a medical degree can provide in a panel format so you can ask questions Panelists include:Satoru Izutsu, PhD, JABSOM Senior Associate Dean for Administration- Admissions CommitteeNathan Fujita, PhD, Department Chief OB GYN Queen's Medical CenterLarry Day, MD, Hospitalist and Infectious Disease Specialist, Queen's Medical CenterNanette Judd, PhD, Director of Imi Ho'ola and Native Hawaiian Health, JABSOMKenneth Sakata, JABSOM 4th year student and Medical School Mentorship Program Mentor Here are the details: November 18, 2008 6:00pm-8:00pm John A Burns School of Medicine - Medical Education Building 315 Auditorium651 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI 96813(Attendees Parking in Lot C)

Friday, October 24, 2008

Careers in Medicine part1 Physical therapy & Anesthegiology


Not to burst anyone's bubble but chances are many of us will not end up working in the professions we've dreamed about for years, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing either.
There are lot of factors why people desire a certain career: economic incentives, reputation, freedom, expression, admiration, and personal experience. Chances are though most of us aren't going to become orthopedic surgeons pulling down $600K a year, just getting into medical school could be one factor, the residency program is VERY competitive among other things. You'll be OK though if you're prepared. If you get into medical school you'll probably find another specialty that fits your intended lifestyle (there are probably careers that would give you greater job satisfaction). If you have a hard time getting into medical school you might find out you really like research and may ultimately decide to go that rout, you may go into nursing a find fulfillment there.
The other day I talked to a RN who planned on becoming a PA. He went to Pacific Lutheran University in Washington where the PA program suffered and died while he attended school there. After graduating with a bachelors in Biology he contemplated medical school and applied and while he was waiting he found a 3 month EMT certification program, he loved his job and was offered a position with the hospital where they paid for him to to become an RN and he's been there for 15 years. He told me he was glad he was working where he was it fit his life style, he leaves work at work, no malpractice insurance, good benefits, works as little or as much as he wants, he has a lot more patient contact then the doctors do and that is what brings him satisfaction with his job.
I'm not telling you to go into nursing (unless that's what you want to do) but be flexible and open minded, he could have reapplied and probably gotten in (he only applied to University of Washington, and University of Hawaii) but he found something that fit the lifestyle he wanted and that he truly loved doing. With that said consider the following careers.

Physical Therapy:Aspiring PTs have the option to go for a bachelors or doctorate program (however the number of masters programs is shrinking). The prerequisites are similar to medical school but differ with each school and you would take the GRE. Like medical school getting into PT school is competitive.
People who go into physical therapy can specialize and switch specialties in mid career if they want to. Many work in hospitals or make home visits but the majority work in clinics which provides the opportunity to run and manage your own business. You don't have to ever be "on call" and malpractice insurance is nothing in comparison to what and M.D. has to pay.
Depending on where you live the average yearly salary is roughly $60K-70K but it is possible to make much more since a large portion of PTs only work part time.
PT's can focus on rehabilitation for specific injuries, geriatrics, pediatrics, and injury prevention.
Careers similar to physical therapy include: athletic training, occupational therapy, and personal training.

Anesthesiology:
Anesthesiologist go to medical school and then take an additional 4 years of residency training followed by 1-4 more years of internship. Anesthesiologists determine whether someone is fit for anesthesia and then monitors them so the surgeon can focus solely on the operation. Anesthesiologists also have the choice to become pain specialists which is a rapidly growing and much needed field. Anesthesiologist typically have extraordinary math and memorization skills. They preform complex calculations on the fly to adjust drug dosages/rates and they must know how and when to safely use the millions of drugs at their disposal.
Anesthesiologists don't have much continuation of same patient contact they typically meet with the patient before the operation and are with them as they come out of anesthesia, most of their time is spent with the patient unconscious. The anesthesiologist must identify and treat conditions such as high blood pressure in as little as a few heart beats to prevent serious damage.
Anesthesiologists don't have to build up their practices since they are usually employed by hospitals and surgery centers and that also means that they don't have to take work home with them (unless they're on call).
Anesthesiologists average between $400K-600K a year but their malpractice insurance is among the highest. Recently there has been a trend in hospitals hiring nurse anesthetists making finding a job more difficult.
Similar careers: Nurse anesthetist, pharmacist




Tuesday, October 21, 2008

FOODFEST SUCCESS!!





Our first foodfest as a club went off without a hitch despite mother nature trying to foul things up. Thanks to all who participated especially for Aisake and his wife Kaycee for getting the tent and working so hard buying and preparing the food and another thank you goes out to Vaughn who was entertaining kids and making balloon animals pretty much the entirety of the event.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Careers in medicine exploration night!!




Join us Wednesday October 26th at 7:00PM for our latest club activity



------ "mini presentations of careers in medicine"-------



this will give you an opportunity to explore the various careers medicine has to offer with things you should know about school, working conditions, and money. The carreers we have prepared to discuss include: Oncology, Radiology, Kinestesiology, Podiatry, Alternative Medicine, Optometry, public health, Physical therapy, Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Nursing, Dermatology, plastic surgery, Family practice, pediatrics, Physician's Assistant, EMT/Paramedic.



Bring your friends, this is an excellent outreach opportunity all those interested in any of the above mentioned careers. Even if you decided on 'what you want to be when you grow up" you should come especially since Ashlee will be making



.....Surgery pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.....






Also don't forget to support our FOODFEST BOOTH we will be making: Hurricane Popcorn
Corn Dogs, Go-gurt, Drinks, Muffins, and String Cheese. Which will be far more affordable and healthy than any of the other booths.



Thursday, October 16, 2008

University of Medicine and Health Sciences St. Kitts





I just stumbled upon another school I think many of you might be interested in considering. UMHS is a new school in the Caribbean brought to you by the same man who owned and founded Ross University (if you remember their Representative came last year). This medical school is a similar format as Ross, you do approximately 1.5 years (4 semesters without summer break) on St. Kitts in the Caribbean then you do 1 semester in Portland, Maine followed by rotations at one of many different teaching hospitals located throughout the country. You may consider this option if you are worried about getting in because of low grades or test scores or just really love Tropical islands. Things to consider: it is a new school and their first graduating class is July 2010, they accept students 3 times a year.