Monthly Archives: March 2021

New Student Organization – Big Little Empowerment Program

Do you plan on attending med-school or dental-school? Do you need community service hours for your application? Did you know that most medical and dental school admissions directors recommend 100-200 community service hours in order to stand out on an application? 

This organization allows students who are busy and have had a hard time finding community service hours during COVID to record as many community service hours as desired while working around individual schedules!

The Big Little Empowerment Program empowers struggling k-12 students in the community by providing free, weekly, online, 1-on-1 tutoring sessions from volunteer Miami students that have been properly screened and trained.

They are looking for 10 students to join the club’s board of directors. Within 2 years they will achieve 501c3 status, and will work the remainder of this semester and over the summer to prepare the pilot program for a fall 2021 start date. Check out their business plan for more information on board member positions. If you’re not interested in becoming a board member you can still be one of the first 6 tutors that will start fall of 2021!

If you need community service hours, this is the way to go. You will have a big advantage over your peers if you can show grad schools that you have a large commitment to community service. After all, medicine is primarily service. You will be helping the community your entire career so it’s important you are committed to it! All that aside, you will be directly impacting the life of a struggling student! You can build their self-confidence and change their life! 

Does tutoring seem daunting? Don’t worry, we have a professional tutor that will train you and answer any questions you may have. 

Don’t want to tutor but like the program? Apply for a spot on the board of directors and you can help build something amazing that will help the community for years to come!

If you’re interested, please read the club constitution and non-profit business plan by clicking here. They are looking for 6 tutors to start in the fall of 2021, and would like to fill the board of directors before the end of the semester. The work-load will not be big, and it will look fantastic on your resume.

Follow them on Instagram: @biglittlempowermentprogram or email any questions to [email protected].

Pre-Occupational Therapy Summer Program

The online, five-day Pre-Occupational Therapy Program (PrOT) at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) in Claremont, CA, will provide participants interested in an occupational therapy career a chance to immersively explore the profession through a diverse range of voices and experiences.

Students will learn about the broad scope of occupational therapy—what occupational therapists do, where they work, and populations they serve. Additionally, participants will learn about innovative and emerging occupational therapy practice areas that meet diverse and real-world needs for participation in daily life to support health and well-being. Interactive and hands-on learning will enhance the understanding of the meaningful work of occupational therapy professionals. Participants will be able to reflectively consider a variety of occupational therapy career paths, educational options, and what is needed for a competitive application. Students will also learn tools to support their own wellness in educational contexts.

2021 Program Dates:

  • Session #1 (online): June 14-18, 2021
  • Session #2 (online): July 12-16, 2021

Program Activities

  • Occupational Therapy Fundamentals
    • It can be challenging to understand the scope of practice and theory that drives the profession of occupational therapy. Participants will gain an introductory insider perspective about why the work of occupational therapists can vary so widely across a wide range of practice settings and what principles, theories, and initiatives unify the work of the profession.
  • Occupational Therapy in Action
    • Participants will have opportunities throughout the three days to engage in active learning about what occupational therapists do in practice. Students will work in teams with each other to explore activity analysis, assessments, and interventions. Strategies for active engagement will cross all three days of the program.
  • Occupational Therapy Professional Voices
    • Students will hear from a variety of occupational therapy professionals, both new and seasoned, about their work and experiences in practice. Participants will have the opportunity to hear stories from practice and ask questions such as what lead professionals into the work or what their career paths have looked like. Additionally, current occupational therapy students will share what it is like to be in an occupational therapy program.

Click here to apply.

Scribe America Gap Year Opportunities for Pre-Med and Pre-Vet Students

Scribe America hires and trains medical and veterinary scribes to work alongside physicians and veterinarians in healthcare facilities Nationwide. They are actively hiring in the Cincinnati area and looking for motivated individuals to join their team!

For the medical scribe positions, they have full-time and part-time positions available in several outpatient clinics across the city. Candidates must be able to work at least 2 weekdays per week 8-5p for a minimum of a year.

The vet scribe positions are at a local emergency animal hospital and they cover shifts morning and evenings and weekends. Candidates must be able to work a min of 2-3 shifts per week for at least a year.  Scribes provide real-time charting for providers/veterinarians by shadowing them throughout their shifts.

As a scribe you will:

  • Work side by side with physicians/veterinarians as they see patients
  • Document the patient history, chief complaint, physical exam & procedures
  • Prepare plans for follow up care
  • Assist with other clerical duties for the provider So if you are looking for clinical experience I encourage you to check out our website at www.scribeamerica.com and fill out our online application. I have included the links below. Cincinnati Area Medical Scribe Application
  • Cincinnati Vet Scribe Application 

If you would like to learn more about ScribeAmerica and the medical scribe positions, they will be hosting several virtual info sessions over the next few weeks. If you are interested in attending you can RSVP here.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about the position, please contact Tara Bray Wade: [email protected]. 

Click here to apply to be a medical scribe

Click here to apply to be a vet scribe

PA Summer Success Program

The online, five-day PA Summer Success Program (PASS) at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) in Claremont, CA, is designed to inform, excite, and empower high school, college, and post-graduate students to pursue a career as a physician assistant (PA). This online program will begin by providing attendees with information about the profession, real PA perspectives, and engaging clinical scenarios.

The program will then conclude with information about applying to PA school, including admissions applications, financial aid, and successful interviewing. After the program, attendees will better understand the PA profession, possible career paths, and the tools needed to start the journey.

2021 Program Dates:

  • June 14-18, 2021 (online)

Click here to apply.

AMSAxBSOM Mentorship Opportunity

The American Medical Student Association chapter at Boonshoft School of Medicine is launching a mentorship program this coming fall semester aimed at offering premedical students the opportunity to speak directly with medical students and learn all about the medical journey. This program will place you in small “families” consisting of current medical students and other premedical students as you attend workshops about the medical school journey (MCAT, applications, courseload, etc.) as well as guest speakers (physicians, researchers, student interest groups at BSOM, etc.). This program will be a catalyst for premedical students to grow their social support networks while also offering useful advice and perspective on medical school.

As a sort of a preview for what’s to come next semester, AMSAxBSOM will be hosting a two day event (April 3rd and April 11th) called Med School Made Easy that touches on some of the key points of focus for the fall program such as talks with medical school admissions, MCAT preparation, and more! As part of the first day of this event (April 3rd) AMSA has partnered with Harvard Medical School’s MEDScience program to offer a select number of you a unique and powerful (virtually) hands-on experience with a realistic medical case. Signups for this event are limited and will be opened to you at 5:00 PM on March 18th!

Link to sign up for the mentorship program launching in the fall (limit 45)

Link to sign up for Med School Made Easy

Link to sign up for MEDScience case demo hosted by Harvard Medical School

If you have any questions email [email protected]

“A Neurosurgeon-Scientist Career Path”, Featuring Laura Ngwenya, MD, PhD

Laura B. Ngwenya, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She is the Director of the Neurotrauma Center at UC Gardner Neurosciences Institute. She joined UC Health in 2016.

Dr. Ngwenya is a graduate of Rutgers University and Boston University Medical School. She completed her neurological surgery residency training at The Ohio State University in Columbus and neurotrauma fellowship training at University of California San Francisco. 

Dr. Ngwenya’s clinical interest focuses on neurotrauma, which includes traumatic brain injuries and spine injuries. She also treats general neurosurgery conditions including degenerative disease of the spine, tumors of the brain and spine, adult hydrocephalus, and peripheral nerve disorders. Dr. Ngwenya is actively involved in translational research to find better outcomes for patients with traumatic brain injury. She is the site principal investigator for many national clinical trials and also leads a neurotrauma laboratory studying mechanisms underlying cognitive recovery after brain injury.

She has published numerous articles on general neurosurgery conditions with a focus on brain and spine injuries.  She is actively involved in both clinical and basic science research in traumatic brain injury.

Join us on Thursday, April 8th from 6:00-7:30pm to hear about her career as a neurosurgeon-scientist!

Click here for Zoom meeting!
Meeting ID: 832 6502 6804
Passcode: 124626

Dr. Burns C. Blaxall on Translational Research

Dr. Burns C. Blaxall is the director of the Precision Medicine program at The Christ Hospital. As a leading translational researcher, Dr. Blaxall works collaboratively with doctors and clinical care teams to expand the delivery of targeted therapeutics, and has agreed to share his experience with Miami students! 

Having earned his doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Dr. Blaxall completed a postdoctoral fellowship training at Duke University Medical Center. Since then, he was a professor of pharmacology and physiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and at the University of Cincinnati. During his time at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Dr. Blaxall was director of Translational Science, co-director of the Heart Institute Clinical Research Core & Biorepository, and professor of Pediatrics. His precision medicine research expands from oncology to cardiovascular disease and beyond, with an emphasis on identifying, developing, and accelerating therapeutic treatment approaches through pharmacogenomics. Dr. Blaxall will be presenting his work on the implementation of precision medicine in The Christ Hospital Health Network, also sharing further insight on his pathway to success as a translational research scientist.

Join us from 6:00-7:30pm on Wednesday, March 24th
Click here to access Zoom
Meeting ID: 854 2681 5401
Passcode: 720283

New Resources Through AAMC

There are new Aspiring Docs and Anatomy of An Application resources available through AAMC:

Aspiring Docs Blog:

Cancer is My Teacher
“Early on, I was faced with a decision: I could decide to let my illness work on me, and I could crumble under the randomness of it all, or I could decide that my illness was going to work for me. I was going to turn cancer into the greatest opportunity that I had ever been given.” Will Moody, a premed student diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, writes about his remarkable tale of resilience.

A Personal Plea to Premeds
“It is okay to love a career in medicine for more reasons than one; but serving your community has to be your Why, above anything else, for becoming a physician.” In our 300th blog post, first-year medical student Trisha K. encourages premeds to examine their motivations for pursuing medicine.

Anatomy of An Applicant:
Mentorship, volunteering, research, and scholarship combined with a deep dedication to the pursuit of medical education helped Jarrett Jackson achieve his dream of attending medical school at Howard University College of Medicine. Learn more about Jarrett’s journey: Real Stories Demonstrating Core Competencies

AAMC Virtual Fairs – Save the Dates

As the spread of COVID-19 continues to limit the ability to hold in-person recruitment and pre-health fairs, the AAMC is planning to help aspiring medical school applicants connect with US and Canadian medical schools during three upcoming virtual fairs:

April 22, 2021 – Demystifying the Application Process in the Era of COVID-19
Information sessions and content for applicants planning and preparing to apply to medical school this spring.
June 24, 2021 – The Road Less Traveled: Non-Traditional Pathways to Medical School
Information sessions and content for medical school aspirants taking glide years, career changers and non-traditional applicants.
September 16, 2021 – Pathways, Strategies, and Resources for Diverse Medical School Aspirants
Information sessions and content for first-generation, DACA, and those from underserved and underrepresented in medicine.

During each fair, participants will be able to learn more about resources, chat with booth representatives in either a group or one-on-one setting, and attend information sessions to help inform and prepare them for the application process. After the event concludes, attendees will have access booths, resources and content for an additional 30 days.

More information about registering and attending the events will be providing closer to the dates.

New Virtual Series on Optometry

The UIW Rosenberg School of Optometry (UIWRSO) presents the virtual series, EnVision Your Future: A Focus on Optometry. Given the pandemic has caused a number of disruptions in the lives of pre-optometry students, his virtual series is meant to help bridge the gap, offering students opportunities to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the profession.

This interactive Q&A virtual series will be delivered in a panel format with faculty, current students, administration, and alumni offering their unique perspectives on the optometric profession and highlighting their experiences at UIWRSO.

The Virtual Series Schedule includes:

  • Tuesday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m. – A Wide Lens: Optometry Scope of Practice
  • Tuesday, April 13 at 6:00 p.m. – How to Prepare for Optometry School
  • Tuesday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. – The Future of Optometry

Participation in this program will help pre-optometry students meet the UIWRSO Optometry Shadowing Hours admissions requirement.

Click here to learn more and register!