(Mentorship
application here)
The Academy of Medicine
and The University of Toledo Pre-Med Honor Society Launch Second year of
Student Mentoring
by
James L. North, MD
The Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County
and The University of Toledo Pre-Med Honor Society, Alpha Epsilon Delta,
is about to launch its second year of mentoring pre-medical students at
UT. The Academy of Medicine’s Mentoring Program (AMP) pairs member
physicians in the community with pre-med students, in an informal
mentoring environment. This can take many forms, including shadowing in
the office, communicating by phone or email or just discussing medicine as
a career over lunch or a cup of coffee.
Last year approximately 20 UT students were mentored
in the program’s first year. Some of the students involved had no prior
contact with a physician, other than in a doctor/patient relationship. It
is particularly useful for these students to have someone in the community
to provide guidance on career choice. For those who participated, the
program provided a forum for answering questions about career choice,
application procedures and physician lifestyles. Many of the students
attended The Academy of Medicine Annual Dinner Meeting in January as a
guest of The Academy of Medicine.
The physicians who participated last year found the
program to be very rewarding and fun. The experiences varied, but most
met at least once, face to face, with their student. Many developed
lasting relationships that may continue far beyond the student’s
undergraduate life.
The program will have a kick off dinner in October
that will allow students to meet their mentor. It is hoped that this will
get the program off to a quick start, putting students and mentors
together early in the Academic year. Many returning students will have the
same mentor, but The Academy will need new mentors for those incoming
members of the AED chapter at UT.
The Academy of Medicine’s Mentoring Program is open
to all Academy members who have an interest in working with pre-med
students. Any one interested in participating can contact Lee Wealton at
The Academy offices. There is also a mentoring application on the Academy
Website, (www.toledomedicine.org).
The AMP is directed at those UT students who are members of the AED Honor
Society. These students, who maintain a three semester history of pre-med
curriculum, and a GPA of 3.2 or greater, will be those most likely to
eventually matriculate in a medical school. Information about the program
is available via the AED Website (www.ohiobetaaed.utoledo.edu) or from the
Pre-med advisory office at UT.
Original Article from January 2007
The Academy of Medicine is “amping up”
for a new Community Program
by
James North, MD
The Toledo Lucas County Academy of Medicine, the
local chapter of the Ohio State Medical Association, is preparing to
launch a new community program to benefit pre-medical students enrolled at
The University of Toledo. The Academy of Medicine Mentorship Program or
AMP, will link local community physicians with students early in their
academic career. The idea is to not only support the students with
information but also help pre-med students clarify their career choice.
Medical training is a long and difficult process and some pre-med students
may have little or no contact with it prior to selecting medicine as a
career option. The program will assist by linking them with someone who
can provide information about all aspects of a career in medicine.
Over the next several months, local physicians, of
all specialties, will be recruited to participate in the program. They
will be asked to consider speaking to groups of pre-med students or to
serve as a one-on-one mentor. Pre-medical students have questions about
all aspects of a medical career, including things like personal time,
lifestyle and interests, time commitment. They also want to know about
various medical specialties, training requirements, how the healthcare
system really works. Our community physicians will be asked to share a
bit of themselves with the students to give them the real flavor of what
it is like to be a physician in Toledo. Students will find that images of
physicians created by the media, especially television comedies and
dramas, do not always reflect reality.
It is hoped that the mentorship program will become a
lasting community benefit for UT students, strengthening its already
strong pre-med program. It will be another way for the members of the
local medical community to provide service to the Toledo area’s needs.
You may see or hear more about it as the summer progresses and when the
program launches with the start of fall classes at UT. If you have
questions, you can contact the Academy of Medicine at
www.toledomedicine.org or 419-473-3200.
