2024 PreMed Summit, Saturday, September 28th, 2024 at Carroll College in Helena

Stay tuned here for registration, coming early to mid-August.

Please join us on Saturday, September 28th from 8:00am to 5:00pm for the 2024 Montana WWAMI Pre-Med Summit at Carroll College in Helena, MT. This conference is provided at a minimal cost of $15 to attendees and includes breakfast/snack bags and lunch. Registration is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For questions contact Lisa Benzel at [email protected], or Judi Sullivan at [email protected] or call 406-660-0246.

 

2023 Agenda (2024 Agenda coming soon) 

PDF version of agenda available for download 

7:30 a.m.                Registration (and breakfast snack bags) (Inspiration Hall, 2nd Floor)

8:00 a.m.                Welcome and Overview (Inspiration Hall), Jay Erickson, MD, & Martin Teintze, PhD                      

8:15 a.m.                Components of the Medical School Application (Inspiration Hall), Stella Yee, Admission Director, University of Washington School of Medicine

9:15 a.m.                Medical School Financing Options (Inspiration Hall),Jay Erickson, MD, & Zach Meyers, MD

9:45 a.m.                Break

10:00 a.m.              Breakout Session # 1(Please choose one of the following):

Loan Repayment Programs (Room 149)                    Zach Meyers, MD & Amy Unsworth, OCHE

MD PhD Program (Room 331)                                     Martin Teintze, PhD

Nuts & Bolts of MCAT (Room 153)                              Hilary Becker (MSU) & Laurie Rodriguez (Carroll)

Pre-Med Research Experience (Room 329)               Mark Pershouse, PhD (UM) & Grant Hokit, PhD (Carroll)

10:35 a.m.                Break to switch sessions

10:40 a.m.               Breakout Session # 2(Please choose one of the following):

Equity in Medicine (Room 325)                                       Estell Williams, MD Executive Director, WIHSE

MT WWAMI Students Q&A (Room 149)                      MT WWAMI students & Zach Meyers, MD, moderator

Nuts & Bolts of MCAT (Room 153)                                 Hilary Becker (MSU) & Laurie Rodriguez (Carroll)

Pre-Med Research Experience (Room 329)               Mark Pershouse, PhD (UM) & Grant Hokit, PhD (Carroll)

TRUST (Targeted Rural UnderServed Track) (Room 321)       Jay Erickson, MD/Lisa Benzel, MT TRUST Director

11:15 a.m.                  Break to move to buffet line (and eat)

11:35 a.m. – 12:30p.m. Lunch (Inspiration Hall) Table Breakout Discussions– (11:35-11:50; 11:55-12:10; 12:15-12:30)

12:30 p.m.                  Break to switch to Breakout Session 3

12:45 p.m.                  Breakout Session # 3(Please choose one of the following):

 Application/Interview Process Advice (Room 153) Jim Guyer, MD & Stella Yee, UWSOM

Equity in Medicine (Room 325)                                 Estell Williams, MD Executive Director, WIHSE

MCAT Tips from Students (Room 329)                    Q&A students from UM, MSU & Carroll

MT WWAMI Students Q&A (Room 149)                   MT WWAMI students & Zach Meyers, MD, moderator

TRUST (Targeted Rural UnderServed Track) (Room 321)      Jay Erickson, MD/Lisa Benzel, MT TRUST Director

1:20 p.m.                   Break to switch sessions

1:25 p.m.                   Breakout Session # 4 (Please choose one of the following):

Application/Interview Process Advice (Room 153)     Jim Guyer, MD & Stella Yee, UWSOM

Loan Repayment Programs (Room 149)                     Zach Meyers, MD & Amy Unsworth, OCHE

MCAT Tips from Students (Room 329)                        Q&A students from UM, MSU & Carroll

MD PhD Program (Room 331)                                     Martin Teintze, PhD

2:00 p.m.                    Break

2:05 p.m                     Creating Your Personal Statement(Room 165, 1st Floor), Mike Geurin, MD

3:05 p.m                     Medical School Interview Preparation (Room 165, 1st Floor), Stella Yee, Admissions Director, University of Washington School of Medicine

3:25 p.m.                 Mock Medical School Interviews (Room 165, 1st Floor),Zach Meyers, MD

4:50 p.m.                Closing Session - drawing for Grand Prize and door prizes(Room 165, 1st Floor)

 

MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN

Resources for PreMed Students 

Medical residency is post-graduate training after completion of medical school.  Residency provides more focused, in-depth training in one area of medicine

Before graduating medical school, typically between third and fourth year, most students research and apply to residency programs in their chosen specialty area. Residencies vary in length from 3-7 years depending on the specialty area. Below are several residency options, although there are more that could be added:

Three-Year Residencies:

Internal Medicine

Family Medicine

Pediatrics

Emergency Medicine

 

Four-Year Residencies:

Obstetrics-Gynecology

Psychiatry

Neurology

Dermatology

Ophthalmology

 

Five-Year Residencies:

General Surgery 5 years

Urology 5 years

 

Greater than Five-Year Residencies:

Neurosurgery 7 years

 

Additional helpful links for more information about residency:

https://students-residents.aamc.org/premed-navigator/whats-journey-residency

https://sites.uw.edu/uwgme/prospective-residents-and-fellows/

https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-students/preparing-residency/which-factors-do-applicants-weigh-most-when-picking-residency

Job-shadowing will give you a better understanding of what a doctor's typical day is like, allows you to get a clear sense of what it’s like to be a practicing physician, and gives you good experience to talk about in your applications and interviews for medical school. It's also a great way to gain familiarity with different specialties and medical environments. For this reason, many medical schools across the U.S. have a minimum requirement for shadowing hours. This may vary widely; some schools require 12–24 hours, while others require more than 75 hours. WWAMI sits in the middle with a strong recommendation of at least 40 hours.

 

If you don’t already have a personal connection with a physician, we can usually assist with making those connections, if you have flexibility in scheduling, locations, preferred specialties, etc. Feel free to reach out to the below contacts for assistance:

 

Ali McInnis, Montana WWAMI TRUST Assistant   

[email protected] or (208) 699-4134  

Rural shadowing opportunities available. 

 

Liz Kelsey, UM Pre-Med Job Shadow Program Manager

 [email protected]or (406) 243-4763  

 Robotic shadowing and/or webinar-based shadowing also available.

See below for a few suggested current event topics to be up to date on when interviewing for medical school (Note-this is not a complete list):

 

  1. COVID-19 and Effects on Health & Society
  2. Vaccinations
  3. United States Health Insurance and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare)
    1. Cost of healthcare versus outcomes in the US and other developed nations
  4. Mental Health & Physician Burnout
  5. Gun Violence & Mass Shootings
  6. Abortion & Contraception
  7. Cultural Curiosity in Patient Care and Diversity in Healthcare
  8. End-of-Life Care
  9. Opiod Crisis
  10. Artificial Intelligence & Applications to Healthcare
  11. Differences in health care outcomes based on socioeconomic status

 

Locations to look for up-to-date articles and information include:

New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)

Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA)

Annals of Internal Medicine

New York Times

Washington Post

Wall Street Journal

  • Drew Babcock, American Indian Outreach & Project Coordinator

 

 

Loan Repayment Information

NHSC Loan Repayment Program (LRP) Fact Sheet

NHSC Scholarship Program Fact Sheet

NHSC Student-to-Service (S2S) Fact Sheet

NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet