We often hear the following concerns from students who are unfamiliar with the relationship of Biomedical Sciences (BMS) to medicine and health. In solving these problems, we found that most of them stem from student misconceptions, outdated advice, misinformation, or misguided prejudices. If you share any of these concerns, you'll find our answers below. Read them and make an informed decision. If doubts persist, make an appointment with any of the pre-medical advisors listed at the bottom of the page.
List of expressed concerns listened to by our consultants
“When I enrolled in SOAR, I told my SOAR advisor that I was completing my pre-medical studies. The SOAR advisor told me that in order to get into medical school, I had to complete a {specific course and choose a specific specialization}.”
"I was told that the Biomedical Sciences major is 'highly specialized' and that medical schools are looking for students with a more general, 'broader' background than the Biomedical Sciences major."
"I was advised to choose a major other than 'medical' or 'humanities' because medical school would give me the necessary medical knowledge."
"A friend told me I could take recommended biomedical science courses as part of open classes in other majors."
“My academic adviser told me that the Biomedical Sciences major is not the traditional major that pre-med students come from. The fields of biomedical sciences have no experience, which may be disadvantageous for a candidate for pre-medical studies"
“Doctor {advisor's name} has attracted many students to medical schools. If you want to get into medical school, you should work with {advisor name}.”
"I was told that the biomedical sciences course is a 'human biology' course and therefore 'very narrow in scope'."
"When I asked my doctor what major I should choose as a medical student, he told me to major in (name of major other than BMS)."
Answers to any reported concerns
“When I enrolled in SOAR, I told my SOAR advisor that I was completing my pre-medical studies. The SOAR advisor told me that in order to get into medical school, I had to complete a {specific course and choose a specific specialization}.”
Answer: We encourage all medical students to start the four-semester chemistry sequence and pass CHM 160 in the first semester. However, for the rest of the first semester schedule, the math or biology classes typically chosen will depend on the student's qualifications, preferences, and consideration of the order of classes for the intended academic course. Typically, the department will have special introductory courses designed for majors and minors. Unfortunately, some courses recommended by the SOAR advisor may not be appropriate for the academic field that the student may later choose as a medical student. Unless a student has previously considered the possibility of an academic specialization, they must refrain from enrolling in any course that does not count as the first course in that specialization. If you are undecided about your preferred course, the one-semester grace period allows you to familiarize yourself with the course selection. Taking CHM 160 is mandatory for all pre-medicals and will not miss you if you choose to enroll in any of the sciences.
"I was told that the Biomedical Sciences major is very specialized and that medical schools are looking for students with a more general, 'broader' background than the Biomedical Sciences major."
Answer: When medical school recruiters talk about seeking applicants with a "broad background", they mean the full range of undergraduate education experiences in the humanities, arts and sciences,rather than the scope of study within a specific academic field. Premedical biomedical science advisers strongly support the recommended broad educational experience when advising on our premedical courses. However, biomedical sciences remain one of the fastest-growing fields of scientific knowledge and are as relevant, if not more so, to pre-medical students as other fields of science are becoming.it is their interest. The scope and knowledge in this field now exceeds that of many other recognized sciences. Just as physics and chemistry are defined fields of physical sciences, biomedical sciences are becoming one of the largest defined fields in life sciences. While other sciences develop and extend in more detail what is already known, biomedical sciences continue to discover the basic mechanisms of living systems and their interactions in the cellular environment. Biomedical sciences are no longer "just a focus or group of electives in the biology curriculum" but an approach to understanding the lower levels of the biological continuum of organizations, i.e. a field called the "systems integrator" concept. in medical education. The potential scope of this field is expressed in the fact that all life processes are expressed at the levels of cellular and molecular organization where life mechanisms take place. Physicians dealing with the consequences of deficiencies and interactions in life processes need knowledge in the field of biomedical sciences, knowledge that is now integrated into many subjects in the medical school curriculum, but is not always represented by the subject title in medical school. Instead of being a specialist field, biomedical sciences have become an important general topic in medical education and practice, unifying the knowledge that a physician must now have in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
"I was advised to choose a bachelor's degree in a field other than 'medicine' or 'humanities' because I would have acquired the necessary medical knowledge in medical school."
Answer: This is an often misunderstood statement by medical school administrators and others to correct criticisms of medical school education. Everyone is trying to make doctors more humanistic, communicative and compassionate. However,being humane and compassionate are personal qualities that are not tied to a specific important issue.. Most agree that medical school admissions boards are very successful in admitting students who have these strong personality traits. The biomedical sciences program looks at the common and universal aspects of all living systems, but uses man as the prime example. "Human biology" should not be confused with "human focus" in our biomedical sciences specialization. We offer both at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, but the Biomedical Sciences course doesSohuman biology, albeit human-centered. Shouldn't biomedical preparation for medical practice in science be based on such knowledge based on human examples? For students interested in practicing medicine and preparing for medical school, this close connection of knowledge with application should be a priority.
The volume and pace of acquiring biomedical knowledge during the first two years of medical studies are among the greatest challenges faced by medical students. Mostly a medical studentspends 38 to 48 hours a week in the classroom, which corresponds to a semester course load of 25 to 27 credit hours. Moreover, the required learning time increases significantly with the amount and rate of learning. The student's ability to cope with stress and good time management are key here. Almost without exception, it is recommended by medical students who have completed or are undergoing this "rite of passage."as an undergraduate student, get as much training as you can in biomedical sciences. Alumni of our BMS School of Medicine say that the required and elective biomedical science subjects allowed them to focus on "new" or "extended" knowledge, rather than learning everything at once. only one. We also remember that medicine is not only science. Therefore, in addition to providing a solid foundation in biomedical sciences, we encourage our pre-medical students to choose non-scientific subjects that promote awareness and development of humanistic qualities. With all the required and many recommended biomedical science courses included in one comprehensive BMS course, as a biomedical science student you have more time to do it.
"A friend told me I could take recommended courses in biomedical sciences as part of the 'open electives' in other majors."
Answer: This includes many biomedical science electives recommended by medical schools. The Department of Biomedical Sciences strives to accept students from outside the faculty who wish to enroll in these courses. Most commonly, these courses are human anatomy, human physiology, histology, embryology, cancer biology, virology, and pharmacology. However, if you choose a different specialization, it can be difficult to meet the requirements of that specialization and schedule the desired subjects as electives. In addition to the Biomedical Sciences degree, suggested pre-medical electives may be required as part of your degree. In addition, the BMS course enables the student to incorporate valuable extracurricular activities as part of the BMS student electives. These electives include Microbiology and Immunology offered by other departments. In fact, sophomores often find themselves in a situation where they have to choose between medical school-recommended science subjects and other worthwhile humanities subjects.
“My advisor told me that the Biomedical Sciences major is not one of the 'traditional majors' that pre-med students come from. The field of biomedical sciences has no experience, which may be disadvantageous for a candidate for pre-medical studies.
Answer: BMS coursehe isfocus on understanding the mechanisms of life generally related to health and disease. Through faculty electives, basic BMS coursehe isprovide clinical and human laboratory experiences related to biomedical sciences. Main BMShe isattract the majority of students preparing for a career in healthcare.Over the past 5 years, over 50% of our BMS graduates have gone on to careers in healthcare related professions and 42% have gone on to medical school (BMS Program Review, Spring 2003).These achievements are very good and steadily increasing considering that the BMS course itself is less than ten years old. Our reputation among medical schools is growing as our medical school graduates continue to excel and popularize the benefits of BMS preparation. Whenever medical school recruiters hear about our BMS program, they are excited about our innovations and the innovative model we are presenting for future premedical education. Medical school curricula have changed rapidly over the past decade. In addition to traditional biomedical sciences, medical schools now often include cell biology and molecular biology title courses as part of their biomedical science preparation. It took longer to adjust to the undergraduate pre-med program. The number of biomedical sciences departments that focus on human biology and the body of knowledge needed to prepare health professionals is increasing and becoming more common at the undergraduate level. Traditional life science departments at many major universities have divided their life science units as here at MSU, or have moved their life science curriculum more into the focus of the BMS department here at MSU. Students should understand that the study of biomedical sciences is a broad program that prepares for many careers in health sciences - it is a good choice for pre-health professions, it is a good choice for pre-health professions, it is a biomedical sciences major, but it is not a "medical sciences program ” – is a medical school acting as a school. An important mission of BMS is to provide a foundation in the biomedical sciences and to advise students planning a career in healthcare related professions. In an expanded educational role, our faculty also helps prepare healthcare professionals for other healthcare professional programs on our campus, including graduate programs such as becoming a medical assistant, physical therapist, or nurse anesthesiologist.
“Doctor {advisor's name} has attracted many students to medical schools. If you want to get into medical school, you should work with {advisor name}.”
Answer: First, students apply to medical schools, not their advisors. The recruitment system evaluates the references of the candidate, not the adviser. The role of the pre-medical advisor is to help in the preparation and recruitment process of diverse students with different characteristics and skills. The mentor's success depends on how well the student is guided to become a competitive candidate. Admission to the medical school is decided by the admissions committee of the medical school for the professional field to which the student is applying, and not by the career counselor. The counselor cannot tell the student that he has no chance of getting into medical school; however, this does not prevent the adviser from providing estimates of the likelihood of acceptance based on experience. Counselors are often torn between the roles of student "advocates" and "guardians" of the profession. It is the counselor's "guardian's" responsibility to make available to the Admissions Committee any information that could adversely affect the medical profession, such as a student's drug knowledge or criminal conviction. From a legal point of view, the important word here is "belief", not hearsay. An advisor who knows the candidate well over a period of time is able to write meaningful evaluation letters about the candidate. This is much more valuable for the candidate than letters based on impressions from a short interview, which also contain information that the selection committee already has from other sources. In short, medical students should not confuse an adviser's reputation for good advice with the rumor that an adviser has a "privileged path" into medical school.
"I was told that the biomedical sciences course is a 'human biology' course and therefore 'very narrow in scope'."
Answer: Here we have to face the facts -an interest in medicine and health means an interest in people and their well-being. Medicine is a human enterprise – human in its goals, methods and tools. However, the biomedical sciences course didI'm not an expert in human biology, but specializes in biomedical sciences, as the name suggests. This should not be confusedhuman focusBMS course. Like physics and chemistry, the content of the biomedical sciences is relatively elusive to our experience. The human focus in this specialization helps make content more relevant and tangible to students through the use of human examples and applications.
Continuing the core curriculum, the BMS 110 introductory course, Concepts in Biomedical Sciences, is closest to a "Human Biology" course. The aim of the course is to make students human-centric; however, the course covers the same basic biological principles as any other introductory biology course. In fact, over the last decade, the human accent has become the "standard" in most introductory biology courses at colleges and universities across the country. BMS 110 also worksrole in supporting other programs and courses in the Department of Biomedical Sciences that deal with human biology.Courses primarily referred to as human biology courses such as human anatomy and human physiology are often considered electives and offer BMS courses that incorporate the best of both worlds to cater to specific interests. The human biology electives available in BMS courses provide students with learning strategies such as "problem-based learning" and "clinical presentations" that prepare students for professional programs in medicine and health sciences.
"When I asked my doctor what major I should choose as a medical student, he told me to major in (name of major other than BMS)."
Answer: This answer is to be expected. Majors like biomedical sciences didn't exist when most of today's physicians were undergraduate students. The field of biomedical sciences is still relatively young. MSU's biomedical sciences program is less than ten years old. At MSU, the Biomedical Sciences course was developed by a group of biologists and biochemists interested in providing a foundation of biomedical sciences to serve students interested in medical and health related professions. The most important question future physicians should ask today's physicians is, "What undergraduate preparation and content would a physician recommend today?" Invariably, physicians respond by identifying the curriculum found in the Biomedical Sciences course and the Department of Biomedical Sciences. It should be remembered that medicine is rapidly developing and changing, and these changes are largely due to the knowledge coming from the field of biomedical sciences.
If the answers above do not address your specific concerns, we suggest you contact and speak with one of the pre-medical consultants at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. Their names, email addresses and phone numbers are at the bottom of this document.
For more information
Contact one of the following pre-medical advisors:
Dr. Colette Witkowski* 417-836-5603, Kampeter Hall of Health Sciences, pokój 404
Doctor Scott Zimmerman* 417-836-6123, Kampeter Hall of Health Sciences, pokój 353
Dr. Richard Garrad* 417-836-5372, Kampeter Hall of Health Sciences, pokój 345
dr. Amanda Brodeur* 417-836-5478, Kampeter Hall of Health Sciences, pokój 352
Doktor Lyon Hough417-836-6485, Kampeter Health Center, Room 409
Dr.417-836-6140, Kampeter Hall of Health Sciences, pokój 339
senior417-836-6782, Kampeter Hall of Health Sciences, pokój 347
* denotes a current member of the Pre-Medical Committee
Institute of Biomedical Sciences
Missouri State University
Avenida Nacional Sul, 901
Springfield, Missouri 65897
417-836-5603