Pre-Health Information for International and ESL Students Dr. Melvin James Division of Health Professions Advising College of Arts and Sciences LIB 231
Welcome to USF Hopefully you have begun to adjust to your new environment for the next few years. Adjust and acclimatize to the United States culture, politics etc. Adjust to the academic structures, policies and regulations of USF, and the process of gaining acceptance to health professions schools
Academic Terminology Credit Hours Usually one credit hour represents 1 hour spent in the classroom weekly for each semester. Labs are an exception. Examples ENC 1101 3 credit hours 3 hrs. weekly in classroom CHM 2045-3, CHM 2045L -1credit (usually 2-3 hrs.) MAC 1147 4 hrs.
Grade Point Average Calculation Grade Point Average GPA = Quality Points / credit hours How do we determine quality points? A = 4, B = 3, C=2, D=1, F=0 Quality points are equal to assigned point multiplied by the number of credit hours. Thus an A in ENC 1101 would be 4 X 3 = 12 QPts
Calculating Term GPA ENC 1101 3 A Qpts = 4x3 =12 MAC 1147 4 B Qpts = 3x4= 12 CHM 2045 3 C Qpts = 2x3 = 6 CHM 2045L -1 D Qpts = 1x1 = 1 HUM 1020 3 F Qpts = 0x3 = 0 Total credit hrs. = 14 Total Qpts = 31 Term GPA = Qpts/Number of credit hours = 31/14 = 2.21
Transferring Credits to USF International Students usually bring international credits to USF from certain exams such as: Advanced International Certificate of Education AICE Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam CAPE General Certificate Exam A Level International Baccalaureate - IB
International Credits Medical schools do not accept these credits towards meeting their prerequisites. This can be confusing for some students since these credits are accepted towards their degree at USF, but are not accepted as prerequisites for medical school. Medical schools only accept prerequisites taken in the US. Thus, even if you may be given credit for General Chemistry, Calculus, General Biology and General Physics you will need to retake these courses at USF if applying to medical school and most other health professions schools.
What is a Major A major is an area of focus in which you obtain your degree. All baccalaureate degrees require a minimum of 120 hrs. All degrees are divided into three areas: 1. Major required courses 2. FKL Foundations of Knowledge courses Social Sciences, Humanities, etc. check Degree Works 3. Electives These are courses that are not required by your major and make up the required 120 credit hours. For example the Biomedical Science degree requires 61 hrs. of major, 30 hrs. of FKL and 29 hrs. of electives.
What is the Best Major for my Intended Health Profession? There is no best major. Students get into all health professions with a variety of majors. The key question is, How can I be competitive for my intended health profession? Remember, there are always more applicants than seats, thus, all students have to compete very strongly for those seats. Since most professions have limited seats for international students, the competition is greater than for US residents.
Advising Structure at USF At USF you have two advising offices. The first is your major advising office. Here you get information as to how to complete your degree. The second is your Health Professions Advising Office. Here you get information as to how to increase your competitiveness for your intended health profession. We know what Admissions Officers are looking for, and thus we guide you in that direction.
Role of the Division of Health Professions Advising (DHPA) To help you be competitive for admission to your profession To evaluate your academic and extra curricular requirements for your profession To recommend ways to enhance your credentials Remember to visit our website which is filled with great information www.cas.usf.edu/healthprofessions
Some Professions for which DHPA Advises Medicine Dentistry Physician Assistant Optometry Veterinary Medicine Pharmacy Physical Therapy Podiatry Chiropractic Medicine Occupational Therapy
Preparation for Medical School Academic Preparation that requires more than taking the prerequisites Premed semesters a minimum of 14-16 hrs./semester with 8-11 hrs. of sciences biology, chemistry, math, physics and getting a GPA of around a 3.6 or higher. Medical schools like to see at least 2 years of premed semesters.
Cocurricular Activities This requires shadowing, clinical volunteering, community volunteering, leadership. Most places require a Social Security Number to obtain the above experiences. You want to check with the International Student and Scholar Services for ways to obtain a SSN, and general regulations relevant to your F-I visa.
Timeline for Preparation for Medical School Medical school preparation takes four years which is the typical time for obtaining a baccalaureate degree Years 1-3 Obtain the academic and cocurricular requirements Summer of Third or Junior Year Take the MCAT and apply to medical school Fourth or Senior Year Go on interviews and get accepted.
Financial Considerations There is no Federal Student Aid for International students. Most US citizens and Permanent Residents obtain loans for their medical education usually over $200,000. There are very few scholarships or grants for International students Many medical schools will require accepted international students to deposit the tuition for the four years, which is around $200,000.
International Student MD Matriculation 2014 Number of applicants = 1901 Number accepted = 409 = 21.5% Number matriculated = 300 = 15.7%
Timeline to become a Physician 1. Undergraduate Degree Four Years 2. Medical School Four Years first two are called Basic Sciences, the last two are Clinical Sciences - clinical rotations. 3. Graduation 4. Residency Three to Five years depending on specialty 5. Practice medicine
Options for studying medicine 1. MD programs in the US most competitive accept once a year in the fall. 2. DO osteopathic programs in the US 3. MD international programs Caribbean, Australia etc. In these programs you complete the basic sciences (around 2 years) outside the US, then do your clinical rotations in the US, then your residency. Some of these programs accept twice a year, thus tend to have larger class sizes than MD in the US.
Congratulations USF MD Graduates