An SMDEP Experience

I would like to introduce a new contributer to PreM.D. Heang Chi. This summer he participated in the AAMC's Summer Medical and Dental Education Program. He approached me about sharing his experience and I thought it was a terrific idea. His experience can be read below...

Hello, let me first introduce myself as Heang Chi. I am a sophomore at Pima Community College. I expect to transfer into the University of Arizona system by Spring or Fall 2007. My current major is Molecular and Cellular Biology.

This past summer I had the opportunity to attend the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Many past students may recognize the program as the Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP) or the Summer Medical Education Program (SMEP). This is the first year the program will implement both educational and clinical experiences in dentistry at their sites. According to the AAMC, “SMDEP is a free (full tuition, housing, and meals) six-week summer medical and dental school preparatory program that offers eligible students intensive and personalized medical and dental school preparation.”

Here is an outline of my experiences in the program:

• Spotlights
  

• Presentations made by guest speakers who specialize in medicine, dentistry, admissions, and study/learning techniques.

• There were at least two spotlights presented each week. The dean of admissions from the medical and the dental school spoke to us on what they expect and look for in applications.

• Presentations

• There were several presentations provided to introduce the schools and hospitals located in Cleveland. They also highlighted the application process and what you should focus on.

• One presentation I found interesting was a two day presentation provided by Dr. Hy Doyle, who teaches learning strategies at UCLA and visits a few SMDEP programs throughout the summer. Dr. Doyle helped us identify what our weaknesses and strengths in the test-taking process. Along with this presentations he highlighted some great note-taking techniques and study habits that some of should focus on.

• Clinical Experiences

• One of my favorite clinical experiences was the Den Sum Simulator. It uses some of the latest technologies in dentistry and it is helpful for first year students before practicing on real patients. The simulator works as a teaching aid where you can program what kind of case you are working on. The sensors in the mannequin detect if you performing it correctly. It is also used for exams. I had the opportunity to perform two fillings. After working at a dental office for a few months, I thought I knew what I was doing, but I had a horrible score on my first attempt! My second attempt was a little better, a score of 72.

• If you plan on attending programs like this, I strongly recommend that you make friends with the person in charge of assigning surgeries and also be able to negotiate your own surgeries around the program with fellow classmates or find surgeons on your free time. Clinical experiences are given out randomly. I was able to get more than 8 opportunities.

• Introduction to the medical and dental programs at CWRU

• Included a brief introduction to their new degree program, M.D/D.M.D, which allows students to receive both a medical and dental education in a very intense and competitive program. This is something I was very interested in.

• Admissions Interview

• I was fortunate to get both a medical and dental admissions interview. You attend it like an actual interview. The whole interview process was great. Each interviewer gave me both positive and negative feedback that has been really helpful. They have your transcripts and application so they can point out what your weak points are.
  

• Classes

• Four days a week from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm by CWRU professors. Each class was an hour long and there were four different sections: Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics. The four sections were also divided into sub-categories of those classes. You could either choose classes to prepare for upcoming classes or review for a class you really didn’t understand.

• Math: Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Concepts beyond Calculus.
• Biology: Only one class, but covered many topics. These topics included: DNA and Replication, RNA Transcription, Gene Regulation, Protein Translation, Metabolism, Virology, Pharmacology, and Public Health.
• Chemistry: Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Neuroscience.
• Physics: No option. All students present.

The program was one of the best experiences I have ever had. A few weeks before the program began we were sent a book that we had to be read before arriving, and once we arrived we were given another novel to read in a few weeks. The novels were used in a reading group discussions. The program director loves to read, and believes that reading at least an hour a day will increase your MCAT score. There was an optional course available to half of the students to help with writing their personal statement for admissions. In addition to the classes, we were also required to work in groups and develop a public policy. Presentations were made the last week. Yes, the workload did seem like too much at times, but overall I would say it was worth it. I had tons of fun.

Feel free to contact me with any questions about the program or applying to it.

Heang Chi

kinggasdelimart@yahoo.com