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5 Ways Nonscience Courses Prepare Students for Medical School

By U.S. News & World Report

Excelling in medical school requires more than just dissecting cadavers in anatomy lab, memorizing biochemical pathways or remembering the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain before rounds. Successful medical students must also employ empathy, cultural awareness, an understanding of ethics and abstract thinking — all of which can be gained from nonscience courses. For this reason, some medical schools are experimenting with admitting medical students who have a limited background in science but more extensive coursework in the humanities.

To get the most out of the time dedicated to a premedical education, students should understand how they can benefit from a diverse education . Here are five ways nonscience courses can prepare students for medical school.

[Learn to shine on medical school applications without a premed major.]

1. Connecting with patients: Courses like history and anthropology can help individuals gain a better grasp of how people live in a society defined by various cultures. These courses can enable premedical students to appreciate differences in people’s lives and their views about the world. In medical school, this appreciation allows students to connect with patients from diverse cultures, relate to their stories and more easily earn their trust.

Art and music can help people experience emotions and delve deeper into the human condition. This can be priceless for medical students embarking on their clinical rotations and confronting patients and family members dealing with the anxiety of illness or facing the end of life.

Courses in the humanities can also help cultivate curiosity, which translates into a desire to learn patients’ stories.

2. Abstract thinking: Learning pathology as medical students can be black and white, but caring for patients is often a gray area, requiring the ability to think abstractly. Successful medical students understand more than just their patients’ diseases, and they also have a grasp on the psychosocial, cultural and ethical issues that may influence health care delivery.

A patient who refuses medical treatment because of religious beliefs or who is incapable of making decisions and has no next of kin can pose myriad challenges for medical students. Premedical nonscience courses, especially courses in ethics or philosophy, can help premed students develop a more abstract framework.

During medical school as they begin to assume responsibility for taking care of patients, such a framework can be vital for tackling complex ethical, social and cultural issues that are an inevitable part of everyday patient care.

[Get tips on choosing the right undergraduate major for medical school.]

3. Enhanced learning: A strong background in the humanities and arts can enhance imagination and creativity. These so-called “right brain” skills are invaluable in a biomedical education because they enable students to visualize concepts like biochemical pathways, anatomic structures or physiologic processes in a way that improves learning.

Great scientists like Albert Einstein are said to have used skills such as a strong imagination to think about complex scientific concepts like relativity.

There are also parallels between how people learn language and how they learn medical science. Both require repetition and the constant application of ideas. It is no surprise that multilingual medical students often perform well in medical school.

4. Improved communication: Two key responsibilities of third-year medical students are to be able to walk into a room and understand a patient’s narrative and to communicate this narrative with their supervising physicians through their patient notes and presentations. In fact, on medical school rotations, the quality of patient notes and presentations weighs heavily in students’ evaluations. Writing courses or courses in speech and communication can help medical students better communicate orally and in writing.

[Learn how to cultivate communication skills for med school admissions success.]

5. Better understanding of the health care system: In today’s convoluted health care system, medical care is not provided in silos. Legal and financial issues directly impact the care doctors provide for patients, for example.

Having a basic understanding of finance, law and political science can help medical students better navigate the health care system and take into account the external forces — such as access to health care and health care equity — that directly influence health outcomes in their patients.

After all, medicine is an art and a science — students with a strong background in nonscience courses may have an easier time excelling in the art of medicine when they embark on their medical education. Furthermore, cultivating an interest in nonscience disciplines can help prevent burnout, bring joy and enable students to find balance and unwind after a long day of dissecting cadavers in the anatomy lab.

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5 Ways Nonscience Courses Prepare Students for Medical School 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
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