Skip to main content

Use Team Activities to Build Medical School Skills

By U.S. News & World Report

“All in!” was the rallying cry throughout Northeast Ohio this spring as the Cleveland Cavaliers came oh-so-close to clinching the NBA championship.

Cavs star forward LeBron James has played most of his career wearing his signature headband, but he shed it for part of the playoff season. According to an interview with the Northeast Ohio Media Group, James explained by saying he wanted to feel like a part of the team.

Medicine is fast becoming a team sport like basketball. Today’s patients aren’t saved by one superstar, but by an entire team. The doctor no longer gets all the credit for the success. Nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, social workers and others play active roles that help patients succeed.

[Learn to write a successful primary medical school essay.]

If you’re not yet involved in a team activity, choose a team whose mission you can embrace. You want to select a team that behaves with integrity and does the right thing. Even as an undergraduate, you can find teams with missions and behaviors you can support. Avoid teams that do not behave honorably.

For example, in the world of medicine, you would not want to choose the team that simply wants to perform the most surgeries, despite what’s in the best interest of patients.

Once you find your place, go out and have fun with your team. Be inspired, and be inspiring. Being an active member of a team will make you a better doctor and a better person.

As a future medical school applicant, the time to be a team player is now. Your participation in team activities will help you better function in the small group sessions and group projects that are prevalent in most medical school programs and help you build crucial attributes that medical schools are looking for. Here are a few of the skills that teamwork promotes.

1. An ability to share when playing with others: What matters in medicine today is being “all in,” and helping each other to be the best. Physicians don’t work in “The House of God,” in which author Samuel Shem described doctors as cowboys who often didn’t work together in the best interests of the patients. Times have changed since the book was published in the 1970s, and medicine demands teamwork.

When completing their applications, students should be sure to demonstrate how team activities have encouraged a willingness to share. If you played a sport, for example, think about highlighting a time when you thought about the good of your team and the ultimate outcome of the game rather than your individual statistics or performance. This will show medical schools that you have an ability to be humble and won’t have trouble accepting help or the opinions of others.

2. The ability to follow coaching instructions: When you are medical student, you’ll be taking instruction from basic science teachers, practicing physicians and many others. To get you through four years of school, you must learn to listen.

The number one reason I see students fail in medical school is that they think they know better than the teachers and advisers who are trying to help them. Following coaching instruction doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent. On the contrary, it means that you can learn from others.

A medical school interview is a good chance to talk about these coaching experiences. You might consider getting a letter of recommendation from a coach, a team leader or the head of the lab where you work, who can speak to your ability to take direction and follow through with instruction.

[Understand the factors behind medical school admissions.]

3. Good time management skills: When there are multiple things do at once and many responsibilities, how will you manage them? When you have to select between free time and team obligations, which do you prioritize?

If that decision isn’t crystal clear, you won’t be on the team for long. Every team member has to make sacrifices for the team, and this is certainly true in terms of time if not in other ways.

Medical school interviews are good opportunities to talk about time management skills. You can reiterate that you understand that medical school and medicine requires juggling many responsibilities, and that you’ve experienced that choice before in your team. You can also talk about how you are prepared to use your team experience when it comes time to sacrifice personally for the good of the medical team.

4. Having discipline to put in the extra effort: Discipline goes beyond time management. To be disciplined means to devote time to preparation. For example, your band may practice only once or twice a week, but if you are to truly contribute, you will likely practice your own part every day.

Discipline also involves focus — and maybe courage. The team may need something particular from you, and you need to deliver, even if you are a little anxious.

[Take a look at the evolution of medical school education.]

5. Being able to adapt to change and contribute, even during hard times: If you are a member of a committed team for years — and I hope you have that opportunity — you will see change after change. The other players, the coach, the strategy and the competitors may change.

During all of this, you can rely on the team family to weather these transitions and make them easier. You soon begin to look at failures and losses and plan how to cope with them. You will build on your strengths, alter your strategy and move ahead. Developing this ability is excellent preparation for lifelong learning.

More from U.S. News

4 Attributes to Demonstrate on Your Primary Medical School Essay

Address Mistakes, Weaknesses in Medical School Applications

Avoid Common Mistakes on the Medical School Personal Statement

Use Team Activities to Build Medical School Skills originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Kansas City beats San Francisco, 31-20, to win Super Bowl 54

Ryan Zimmerman reportedly agrees to 1-year deal with Nats

Crucial vote on widening Beltway, I-270 delayed