Pre-med students to learn what becoming a physician entails

Pre-med students to learn what becoming a physician entails

By Michelle J. Jones
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 4, 1996

For students applying to medical school, the process is often an intimidating path of endless paperwork and deadlines. The Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, however, is trying to help students get through the maze.
For the third time, the clinic is offering a free workshop to college students who are seriously considering a career in medicine. The workshop will be held Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Ashton B. Taylor Auditorium at the Clinic east of Phoenix.
It will focus on the medical school application process and what students can expect during their interviews and will provide a general timeline for students to follow, said Wendy Hattery, one of the workshop's coordinators.
"For students, it is often difficult to get a grasp on what (applying to medical school) really entails, and on what opportunities are available," Hattery said.
Robert McGinness, a general biology junior, agreed. He said he has had a difficult time getting up-to-date information on what to do.
"I think the workshop will be really helpful because I haven't heard of anyone here to get help from, even the advisers," he said.
The workshop will not only be geared toward helping students understand the process of applying to medical schools, but will also provide valuable information to academic advisers, Hattery said.
McGinness said even the doctors he has talked to are not always helpful because they do not usually have current information, and because they have not recently gone through the process.
At the workshop, there will also be a panel of medical students and residents available for questions from the audience, Hattery said. She said the panel has been a favorite because it allows students to ask anything and everything of others who have recently been through the same process.
"We are also going to have the dean of academic affairs and the assistant dean of the medical school in Minnesota here to give presentations and to really give students more information on what it takes to become a physician," Hattery said.
She said more than 100 people have registered for the event and that there is still space available. For registration or more information, call (602) 301-7080.