Internet Resource Guide for Pre-Med Students

Transcription

1 Internet Resource Guide for Pre-Med Students

2 Table of Contents How To Use The Guide Contents and Scope... 2 Audience and Purpose... 2 Assumptions... 2 Organization... 3 Tips for Use... 3 Resources for Pursuing Medical Education Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Aspiring Docs Page... 4 Science Daily Top Health News... 5 The New England Journal of Medicine... 6 Resources for Undergraduate Lab Research Sigma-Aldrich... 7 SciFinder Chemistry Literature Index... 8 PubMed Biomedical Literature Index... 9 Catalog of U.S. Government Publications Statistical Abstract of the United States

3 How to Use the Guide

4 Contents and Scope This resource guide contains eight different abstracts which describe websites that may be of practical use to an undergraduate student pursuing a medical school education. The included websites are meant to both increase a students knowledge of medical education as well as help students with the lab reports they inevitably write in their undergraduate studies. The abstracts within this guide describe both the general uses of the listed websites and how a science-minded student would find the websites useful. All websites included within the abstracts are frequently updated and, therefore, contain the most relevant and recent scientific information. Since the information provided by the websites is current and detailed, the user of this guide is able to better understand the political and scientific environment of medicine and medical education by searching through the listed pages. To allow the user to determine which types of sites are most useful for their individual research, this resource guide contains various different forms of online data, including online journals, news databases and periodical indices. Despite the variety of content, the scope of the content is kept within the boundaries of useful scientific and medical data as to not overwhelm the user with extra information. Audience and Purpose The intended audience of this resource guide is undergraduate students who are studying science with the intent to pursue medical school. This guide will be useful to students of any year, from freshmen to seniors, as long as they are taking the prerequisite courses that are recommended by medical schools. Essentially, most of the abstracts within this guide pertain to biology and chemistry with an emphasis on health and medicine. The abstracts listed in the Resources for Pursuing Medical Education section may be more pertinent for upper classmen who are approaching matriculation to medical school and may want more information on how to prepare for medical school and the environment of medicine. The purpose of this guide is to help the aforementioned undergraduate students successfully complete their science classes by providing them with resources useful for researching and understanding lab reports. Also, the guide is meant to provide an understanding of the expectations and current climate of medical school and medicine that the undergraduates will eventually experience. Assumptions This guide assumes that the users have a general understanding of both scientific writing and research. Many of the websites listed in the abstracts connect students to databases of various journals and other scientific writings that may contain complex graphs and specific, scientific terminology. Some of the terms used within the guide itself may be unfamiliar to students who do not have at least a highschool level understanding of science. Also, some of the websites and full article texts can only be accessed if the student is enrolled in a university that has, through a contract with the website provider, access to the database s information. Though this guide provides useful websites and tips to help make navigating the websites easier, many of the sites require a significant allotment of time for searching due to the complexity and content of their databases. A student must be prepared to research by having a basic concept of the topics and questions that are being studied as well as an understanding that the information collection will take time and effort. Despite these implicit challenges that any undergraduate science student is likely to experience, the guide is organized to allow the abstracts to be read and understood quickly and to ease the transition into undergraduate research. 2

5 Organization The abstracts within this guide are organized into two distinct sections. The first section, titled Resources for Pursuing Medical Education, provides abstracts that are meant to help a pre-med undergraduate student learn more about how to pursue further medical education. The second section, titled Resources for Undergraduate Lab Research, provides abstracts that connect students with various databases useful for collecting qualitative and quantitative information. This collected data will be useful for reading and writing scientific lab reports. Within each abstract, the title, URL and publisher information is provided to identify the location and general biographical data of the site. Below the identifying information, a description of the website provides information on how to use the site and how the information within the site is pertinent to a science-minded undergraduate student. Finally, the tips within the abstracts, always located below the description, allow the student to streamline their site searching. Tips for Use Some of the websites within the guide may be intimidating without proper understanding of their usage and pertinence to medicine. It is recommended that, before going to the site, users read at least the description to understand the purpose of that particular entry. It is recommended that if users are utilizing this site for research, they begin that research with a narrowed topic. Many of the sites within this guide are large databases and will be difficult to navigate through if one is unsure of what he/she is trying to find. Though this internet resource guide contains many useful abstracts for researching and learning about medicine, the guide cannot replace the helpfulness of professors and advisors. Professors and advisors are professionals that are aware of how to do background research and how to prepare for medical school. While using this guide as a basis, consult professors and advisors for extra helpful hints and advice. 3

6 Resources for Pursuing Medical Education

7 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Aspiring Docs Page URL Publisher and Copyright Date Association of American Medical Colleges ( ) Description The AAMC page for aspiring doctors is a specialized resource for students that intend to pursue a medical career but still have many questions to answer. The page covers a wide range of topics in the form of commonly asked questions that link readers to detailed instructional pages. These topical pages provide clear steps to take to solve particular problems as well as detailed explanations for why those steps are necessary. The discussed topics range from finding financial support to considering what it s like to get married in medical school. The wide range of presented ideas allows undergraduates to answer the questions that they came with as well as find answers to questions they had not even considered. In the included Ask the Experts links, doctors, respond to questions submitted by students on specified topics in a conversational and relatable manner. For every doctor offering advice, a small biography of that doctor s experiences is included to provide credibility for those professionals as well as the site. Though the site answers many questions regarding preparing for medical education, it does not provide any links to applications and is not a connection to specific medical schools. Therefore, the site will help the reader learn about medical school but will not be able to facilitate the application process. The overall format provides undergraduate students with a feeling of casual mentorship as they try to answer their own important questions. The site provides a unique experience for undergraduate students to receive relatable answers to a variety of questions in a comprehensive yet unintimidating manner. Tips For descriptive steps on how to accomplish common undergraduate goals, click on one of the How Do I links. For personal insights from other young students and professionals in the medical field, the What s it Like to links provide honest opinions from a variety of students that describe the everyday experiences of someone pursuing medicine. If you are looking for advice from older, more experienced professionals on academics, shadowing, and application concerns, the Ask the Experts links provide insights from seasoned professionals on very specific topic areas. This site is especially useful for students who have specific questions regarding their medical education and future in mind. Since there are so many topics discussed, it is useful to visit the site with specific intention. Otherwise, it is easy to get caught up searching through all the links. 4

8 URL Publisher and Copyright Date ScienceDaily (2013) Description Science Daily Top Health News Science Daily s Top Health News page provides updated articles and videos on news happenings in many different health fields. These news articles can help keep a potential medical student current on new occurrences in various specialties of medicine. As listed on the bottom of the page, the site contains over 140,000 archived articles. For a student interested in health, the various labels on the left side of the page, including diseases, such as osteoporosis, and treatments, such as gene therapy, provide clear topical information to facilitate searching. The articles are organized based upon how recently they were published which insures that the information presented is current and relevant. Though the countless titles can be overwhelming, they are highly detailed and they provide quick and easy access to many different articles published in a variety of news forums. This increases the clarity and scope of the site. From the main health page, articles are tagged by title and subject so both specific articles and general topics are easy to search. Once a title is clicked on, the article appears on a separate page. At the top of the new page, the date, source and short summary of the article is presented so the reader is able to quickly identify what they are reading and whether or not it is relevant to them without having to scan the entire piece. The site also provides a list of featured news articles and trending topics for those who wish to expand their knowledge about popular science even if they are not searching for a specific field. Tips The search bar in the top right corner is exceptionally useful for searching specific medical topics. By typing in a topic, such as psychology, the site brings up various articles and the percent to which they match your inquiry. Also, at the top of the page, the site allows you to specify how recent you would like your articles to be. The brown links located in close proximity to the article titles list various tags for the articles they are placed next to. These links address various topics that are covered within the article. If an article discusses a specific area of interest that you want to learn more about, these links can connect you to other articles that discuss those topics. For those who just want to learn more about current science, the featured research section at the top of the page connects readers to the most current articles on a variety of subjects. These articles serve as great starting points for learning about new topics and gaining general scientific understanding.

9 5 The New England Journal of Medicine URL Publisher and Copyright Date Massachusetts Medical Society (2014) Description The online database for the New England Journal of Medicine maximizes the interactive nature of the internet by combining a comprehensive collection of the New England Journal of Medicine issues and a highly interactive and participant-driven website. The journal itself covers a variety of health specialties, all listed under the Specialties & Topics tab. This diverse medical subject matter makes the site a useful resource for perspective medical students interested in learning more about specialties they may wish to pursue. The articles are also easily accessible, with detailed graphs and comprehensive, well-organized paragraphs. Though many of the articles contain medical terms that may be unfamiliar to an undergraduate, with careful reading, the information can be inferred contextually and a wealth of knowledge can be gained on various fields. Different from a typical research journal, this site contains articles about not only medical cases and concerns, but also, articles about the condition of healthcare in the government and within hospitals. Even though the articles themselves are informative, the extra comments and interactive opportunities included on the site allow young students to learn more about medicine through the perspectives of others and virtual diagnostic experiences. It should be noted that some of the comments and simulations refer to knowledge that an undergraduate may not be familiar with yet and should be used with discretion. Despite the advanced language, a curious student can learn much from the site by looking through the articles, which span back to 1812, and reading the included editorials. Tips Under the Articles & Multimedia tab, the Interactive Medical Case link allows young doctors the opportunity to play a game where they are able to diagnose a virtual patient. Though this not recommended as a serious educational opportunity for an inexperienced undergraduate, it may provide a unique perspective to a student who will have to diagnose in the future. The Perspective link under the Articles & Multimedia tab connects students to information about the condition of healthcare in the entire country and the laws and stipulations related to practice. Though this may not be the primary interest of many pre-med students, it is vital that some basic understanding of the environment in which future medical students will be working is understood.

10 6 Resources for Undergraduate Lab Research

11 URL Publisher and Copyright Date Sigma-Aldrich Co. (2014) Description Sigma-Aldrich Sigma-Aldrich is a useful resource for reviewing the characteristics of chemical compounds that will be used in undergraduate labs, especially when working with organic chemistry. Though the primary use for the website is the purchase of laboratory materials for professional labs, researching compounds via the provided search mechanisms is useful for gaining compound information even without the intent to purchase. By typing in the name of a chemical compound in the search bar, detailed information regarding the important properties of that compound in its purest laboratory form can be located. The included MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) pages detail the basic properties of a compound of interest, and the safety precautions that must be taken when handling it. The chemical structures of the compounds are also provided with the safety information and can prove useful when reaction mechanisms need to be understood and drawn for lab assignments. This complete chemical profile, found easily via a simple search, allows a student to prepare for an upcoming lab by learning how to recognize and handle certain chemical compounds. Tips The easiest way to look for a compound of interest is to type the name of the chemical into the search bar in the upper right hand corner. Most of the materials used in an undergraduate lab are universally found in chemistry labs. Therefore, the desired compound usually comes up as one of the first few results after a search is submitted. Once the desired material is found, the safety information can be located by clicking on the blue MSDS link beneath the bold name of the compound. This page details basic characteristics and possible toxicities of the compound. A compound can also be searched by drawing its structure using the Structure Search. This can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the Structure Search image on the left side of the page.

12 SciFinder Chemistry Literature Index URL Publisher and Copyright Date American Chemical Society (2014) Description 7 SciFinder is useful for background and supporting research for chemistry lab reports. The site is an online database for various chemical journals. Since the site is specific chemistry, it is useful for students who are searching directly for chemical procedures and do not want to sift through superfluous scientific articles on more inclusive databases. Abstracts and full texts can be accessed through a username provided by a university to its students. The site allows for various types of search criteria, including name, journal, author, chemical structure and reaction. This specificity allows students to quickly and easily narrow their search by using one or a few of the aforementioned criteria. After searching and clicking on a title of interest, an abstract and a list of relevant chemicals, properties and reagents appear. Many of these listed chemicals have links that can connect the reader to other relevant journal articles that include experiments utilizing those chemicals. Most of the full journal articles can be accessed and cited via the SciFinder database as long as the reader s university has access. The database, with its various search methods and vast collection of articles, is a reliable resource for students searching for important chemicals or chemical processes they will be working with in lab. The categorizations of chemicals used and properties provided beneath article headings allow for quick information gathering and background research. SciFinder is a useful site for learning more about chemical reactions and compounds pertaining to undergraduate chemistry labs Tips The easiest way to search for the uses and reactions of a specific chemical compound is to utilize the chemical structure search on the left side bar listed under Substances. This allows one to draw the exact structure of a desired chemical and search for reactions and articles it is involved in. Just make sure to mark exact search on the right side of the window of the draw box. When a specific chemical is searched, the Get Reactions bar at the top of the page allows you to search for reactions where the given compound serves as a reactant, reagent or product, further narrowing your search. This is especially useful when doing research for a lab report. Other information about the chemical compound can be found by clicking on the blue link of its identifying number (ex ). If you scroll down to spectral data, the links to IR and NMR spectrums are especially useful for confirming the identity of compounds you produce in lab.

13 URL Publisher and Copyright Date U.S. National Library of Medicine (2009) Description 8 PubMed Biomedical Literature Index The PubMed website can be used in a variety of contexts, including determining the identification of a protein by its sequence and searching genomic maps. Despite this plethora of information, the most useful aspect of PubMed for a pre-med student is the accessibility of its biomedical literature. The included articles are useful for supplemental information for inclusion in lab reports, such as the functions of an identified protein sequenced in lab. It is also useful for finding background information when trying to learn more about a research subject or method, such as how to successfully complete gel electrophoresis. By typing a specific topic into the search bar at the top of the page, a student can access millions of articles, spanning over a hundred years of publishing dates, pertaining to that subject. The articles can be filtered by level of access, publication date and article type, thus increasing specificity. The author, journal, and page numbers are listed beneath the title links for easy and convenient citations. Many of the articles are offered in free, full-text pdf format, making it easy for students to read and print their desired articles. Most of the articles are written in the standard scientific paper format allowing students to learn, through reading examples, the proper way to succinctly write a lab report. The PubMed index is incredibly valuable for students trying to collect published data on specific topics in the biomedical field. Tips To avoid having to search determine articles are available for free and which are not individually, when conducting a search, click on the Free Full Link Available button beneath the Text Availability on the left side bar. One can quickly collect articles of interest by ing them to his/her personal . Just check the box next to the article you want and find under the send to pull-down bar. Enter a subject and an and the article will be immediately sent. Though the abstract is an obvious way to gain basic information on an article, quickly viewing the images provided with the article can be a useful tactic for determining whether or not the data collected is valuable for your study. If the graphs and images contain data that seems pertinent to a specific lab report, it is likely that the article will be useful.

14 9 Catalog of U.S. Government Publications URL Publisher U.S. Government Printing Office Description The catalog website is an online database of reports and informational handouts published by the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the government. Though the database only contains reports published after 1976, it captures a wide range of topics within its scope. When looking for medical information, the data is primarily found in the form of judicial hearings regarding medical concerns and informative pamphlets that were published by the government for public use. Therefore, the information ranges from highly complex government jargon to simple phrases that are easily digested by general audiences. It is not the most practical resource for a pre-med student because the judicial reports contain far too many law-specific terms that can be confusing for a science-focused student. Also, the pamphlets contain information that is generally too basic to be useful for an undergraduate research. An example of a judicial report that contains complex language is the hearing publication titled Addressing the Neglected Diseases Treatment Gap. The hearing addresses the prevalence of fatal neglected tropical diseases common in underdeveloped countries and the implications of those diseases on the American population. It explains that the U.S. government not only has a responsibility to protect the poor people of other countries with fe defenses against these diseases, but also, to protect the American people should these diseases be transported into the United States. Though this publication contains information on specific, neglected diseases that may be of interest to a medical professional, it is 106 pages long and contains far too much superfluous information to be useful to an undergraduate interested in fast, comprehensive research. Essentially, the catalog, via its vast collection of publications, is able to identify the government conversation and environment that exists regarding a certain medical topic, but cannot delve into the specific data and research topics that a science undergraduate is typically in search of. Bibliographic Data of Included Report Tips United States. Congress. Addressing the neglected diseases treatment gap: hearing before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 113 th Cong., 1 st Session. Washington: GPO, GPO. U.S. Government Printing Office. Web. 2 February For easy access to reports of interest, choose articles with blue links listed under the right-hand column, labeled Internet Access. That link will direct the reader to the online format of the report. Though they do not contain the detail that many undergraduate students look for in scientific articles, the government-published pamphlets provided on this site provide a general understanding of how medical knowledge is presented to the U.S. population. This may help a student learn about a future patient s awareness and understanding of certain disorders.

15 Statistical Abstract of the United States URL Publisher and Copyright Date U.S. Census Bureau (2013) Description 10 The Statistical Abstract is a unique resource because, instead of presenting a listing of articles filled with wordy methods and interpretation, it presents straightforward statistics collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in a series of organized charts and graphs. The statistics pertain to a wide variety of subjects and are collected from the entire nation. Most of abstracts listed on this site were created from statistics collected in 2012 and represent the most recent United States Census data. Each category listed on the left-hand bar of the main page connects the user to a series of subcategories. When those subcategories are clicked on, they lead to a page of individual statistical abstracts than can be viewed in either excel or pdf form. This presentation of categories and subcategories allows for easy accessibility of desired information through a clear organizational hierarchy. The abstracts themselves are comprehensive, breaking many of the main variables into subcategories so that the user can locate and extract exactly the data they are searching for. For a pre-med major, quantitative data is exceptionally important for strengthening scientific arguments. These abstracts provide quantitative data that can be collected and easily included in lab reports. Though the primary search category used may vary depending on the nature of the lab report written, the Health & Nutrition category provides a wealth of information regarding many aspects of the national environment of health and medicine and may be especially useful for pre-med undergraduates. Within this category, the Health Conditions and Diseases subcategory connects users to a listing of the prevalence and implications of a variety of diseases. For instance, one of the abstracts within this subcategory contains data on the asthma incidence in children. Within the abstract, the incidence of asthma is presented in light of many different demographic variables, including age, gender and race. This compact chart allows for easy location and comparison of quantitative data representative of the entire United States. Tips Many of the abstracts contain many variables that can be easily mixed up if they are not read carefully. Be careful to examine all titles and labels within the abstracts before extracting the data. For visual learners, the Census Data Mapper found beneath Geography and Maps and Data allows the user to view the distribution of specific variables geographically through colored maps of the United States. Though this may not be directly useful for researching lab reports, it is an interesting way to view information and get a greater sense of the bigger picture.

16 11