“I Thought I Wanted to Be a Doctor – Now What Do I

Do?”

A discussion on broadening the horizons of students focused on pursuing a career in medicine

by

Marcia O’Connell, Chair Medical Careers Advisory CommitteeAntonino Scarpati, Assistant Dean, Nursing and Health & Exercise Science

Patricia Van Hise, Assistant Dean, School of Science

I. IntroductionInstitutional ContextShared Advising Philosophy and Models 

II. Individual Advising Approaches / Examples

Marcia Marcia O’Connell - Pre-med studentsPat Van Hise - Open option science studentsAntonino Scarpati - Nursing, health & exercise science

students

II. Q&A  IV. Evaluation

AGENDA

Highly selective institution with national reputation as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the nation.

Strong liberal arts core with seven schools— The Arts & Communication; Business; Humanities & Social Sciences; Education; Science; Nursing, Health, & Exercise Science; and Engineering.

Proud of its public service mandate to educate leaders of New Jersey and the nation, the College will be a national exemplar in the education of those who seek to sustain and advance the communities in which they live.

The College regards education in the service of human welfare as its chief end.

The College of New Jersey

Undergraduate Enrollment Approximately 6,135 full-time students.

Average Class Size 21 studentsStudent-Faculty Ratio 13:1On-Campus Freshmen 95 percentFreshman-to-Sophomore Retention 95 percent

Graduation Rate 86 percent

Average SAT Score Nearly 1300 for General Admits (Critical Reading and Math Only)

AthleticsConsistently ranked among three best NCAA Division III programs in the nation.

Employers Recruiting on Campus 400+

The College of New Jersey

TCNJ Advising Structure and Roles:

All students with majors are assigned a faculty advisor in their academic department

All open option (undeclared) students are advised by the assistant dean in their school or the assistant provost for liberal learning (only students dismissed from majors)

Academic advisors collaborate with other professional advising resources and departments, e.g. Center for Academic Success, Career Center, EOF, Student Affairs, etc.

Viewing Students Holistically and Ecologically

Internal

Primary Groups

Academic

Career

Community

Academic Advising Model

Goal: Successful and Fulfilling Life

Academic Paths

Life & Career Paths

Personal Values and Aptitudes

The Advisor’s Balancing Act

Challenge

Support

Advising students focused on medical careers

1. Medical Careers Advisory Committee (MCAC) – Faculty advisors who assist students from all majors who are interested in medical careers

2. Challenge - How to assist and guide students who are:• Not yet ready • May never be ready

3. Change is coming……….2015 and beyond

Advising students focused on pursuing a career in medicine

1. The MCAC process:

• Timeline (developmental process)

• Committee decision-making (transparent process)

Reality check and … an opportunity for encouragement!

Advising students focused on pursuing a

career in medicine1. Guiding students who are not yet

ready for medical school:

• Take time before applying to medical school? (average age of entry, ~25!)

• Consider all options (MD vs. DO, other health careers)?

Advising students focused on pursuing a

career in medicine1. Guiding students who

may never be ready:

To be continued…………

Advising students focused on pursuing a

career in medicine1. Change is coming……….2015 and

beyond

• Entering class of 2012

• Areas of expertise vs. courses (psychology, sociology, biochemistry)

• “The Bridge Solution”

• National Association for Advisors of the Pre-Health Professions (NAAHP) and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)

Students at a critical crossroad in their lives may be on the verge of crisis

Students Need: • Genuine concern • Reassurance • Understanding of the value of liberal education

The Human Capital View

“ …develop students’ capacity for lifelong development of the most enduring transferable skills and prepare students to continually reinvent themselves to compete and advance in the rapidly evolving workplace.” (Shaffer, 1997/2009; Shaffer & Zalewski, 2011 [pp.64-74])

Outcomes of a Liberal Education• Good communication skills

• Enhanced critical thinking

• Cross-disciplinary awareness

• A sense of global citizenship

A liberal education prepares a person to fill almost any post.

Persuading Students of the Utility of Liberal Education

Ask “which of these would you not want to have?”• persuasive• well-rounded• charismatic• rational• analytical• adaptable• worldly-wise

(Rust,2011)

A Liberal Education Helps Students :

• Identify and develop your unique talents

• Understand the larger world, their place in it, and how they can impact it

• Learn how to become a life-long learners

Avenues to help students choose a major within liberal

education

(This is essential when a student seems to be making an uninformed decision about

his/her major!)

• Ask the student to delve deeply. “Was this choice of major based on personal interest and skills or other reasons?”

• Determine if the student has accurate and complete knowledge of the requirements of that major.

There Is More than One Path to the Same Goal

Can the reasons for the choice of a particular major be achieved by aiming for a similar career?

• For example, students often say that want to help people. What other careers in health care provide that opportunity?

• “Careers in Health Care” booklet

given to open option students at TCNJ.

Identifying Personal Priorities to Guide Career and Academic

Decision-MakingNEEDS(Non-negotiable)

Helping Others

Health Care Environment

Challenging Students to ExpandTheir Career and Academic Options

NeedWant

Challenging Students to ExpandTheir Career Options

NeedViable Options

Effective Advising Example

Goal: Successful and Fulfilling Life

Academic Path:Sociology, MSW

Career Path:Medical Social

Work

Values / Aptitudes:Helping Children

Remember this…

PG E

P

Remember this…

Passion

Good Enough

Perseverance

Thank you!

Bibliography

Citations:

• Shaffer, L. S., Zalewski, J. M. (2001) A human capital approach to career advising. NACADA Journal, 31(1); pp64-84

• Shaffer, L.S. (2009). A human capital approach to academic advising. NACADA Journal 29(1), 98-105.(Reprinted from NACADA Journal, 1997, 17[1], 5-12)

• Rust, M.M. (2011) The utility of liberal education: concepts and arguments for use in academic advising. NACADA Journal 31(1);5-13

URLs:

www.naahp.orgwww.aamc.orgwww.tcnj.edu/~biology/career/medadvisory.htm