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Here are some essays from 2007 Summer...

The Summer of 2007: Who I Have Become

by Charles Vang

The summer of 2007 is the initial year for the Minnesota’s Future Doctors program. The program is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota Medical School and Mayo Clinic Medical School and was developed to decrease the health disparities present in our communities through increasing the number of medical professionals from underserved communities. Health disparities refer to gaps in the quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. (Minnesota’s Future Doctors Manual)

This summer, the program accepted twenty-three highly qualified individuals who are from underserved communities from minority groups. The students are from colleges and universities all over Minnesota. The goal of the program is to make these students more competitive applicants for medical school.

I had high expectations for this program, and for the most part, they were fulfilled. The part that amazes me the most was the organization of courses, events, and presentations. If I had not known that this was the first year of the program, I could not have guessed from the way that the program was run. All of the administrators, instructors, presenters, and professors we encountered along the way were prompt and well prepared. The presenters exuded confidence, but they did not seem arrogant, which made it all more intimidating. Those we have met were knowledgeable individuals who are well respected because they have gained that respect through their actions. I have also noticed that the professionalism I have seen has a striking similarity to the way in which the elders in the Hmong community interact with each other. Through my encounters this summer, I have become a better professional.

In high school, I was in a program called Admission Possible. Admission Possible is a non-profit organization with the goal of helping underrepresented students in high school gain entrance into college. One component of the program that I thought was helpful was the practice ACT exams. From these exams, the students were able to gain the knowledge of the content and style of the ACT Exam.

The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) for medical school entrance is similar to the ACT for college entrance. Through the Minnesota’s Future Doctors program, I was exposed to MCAT preparatory resources and questions, something of which I would not have done on my own until my third year in undergraduate. I think that having an early start on admissions tests is essential. I have a bit of test anxiety, especially when it comes to something as important as the MCAT, so having this early experience has decreased that anxiety.

The main change that I have noticed is in the organization of my thoughts about becoming a physician. When I entered this program, I knew that I wanted to become a physician, but the reasons where scattered in the depths of my mind.

I had not previously given much thought to why I desired to be a physician, but through the program, I have written essays and spoken with others about my aspirations. We wrote five essays this summer, six including this one. The “My Road Map to Medical School” posting helped me see what I have accomplished thus far and what else I needed to do in order to become a more competitive applicant for medical school.

The “How do I Define World Class Medicine” posting has helped me identify characteristics that are associated with excellent health care and health care facilities, thus helping me picture the health care area which I would like to practice in the future. The “Health Disparities” posting has helped me focus my attention on one of the many different issues relating to the differences in health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. The “You: The Amazing Scholarship Investment” posting has helped me organize the qualities that I possess that will help me become a better member of society. The “Volunteering: The One Who Changed Me” posting has helped me remember the importance of teamwork and its relation to the quality of health care. The last one, “The Summer of 2007: Who I Have Become,” has helped me organize what I have experienced over the first year of the Minnesota’s Future Doctors summer internship program.

In addition to the electronic portfolio postings, we met with medical school students and administrators; they have helped me understand the processes and hardships that will be encountered along the way to medical school. The interviews that we have done with the administrators of the medical school have made me more confident during interviews. Everyone who has been involved in the program, in one way or another, has been changed. There were so many experiences, good and bad.

A fog has been lifted for me; what I still need to accomplish has become clearer.

My goal of becoming a physician is closer than it was before I started the program.

An Essay from Fatuma Omer, Future Doc

By Fatuma Omer, Minnesota's Future Doctor

Representing the College of St. Ben's.

The summer of 2007... Who I have become.

Minnesota's Future Doctors is for students who are in their undergraduate and those who are passionate about going into medical school.

The program was set up so that potential medical students who are of minory/challenged backgrounds could get exposure to the pathway of the medical school. This program goes for three summers, usually from the summer of your freshman year of your undergraduate to the summer of your senior year. During those three summers some of the things that we do include shadowing doctors, taking coarse that will better prepare us for the MCAT, and giving back to the community through volunteer service.

Through this program I have learned about how I can become a potential candidate for medical school, and how I can prepare for it. I have learned how to network with my peers and professionals who are in the field my interest, and the benefit of networking. I have been exposed to the MCAT, and what I need to do to prepare for it. The two courses, Biology and Chemistry that we took gave us some of the exposure to what the MCAT focuses on or looks for. Overall the program has changed my attitude about myself and I as a person have grown through the six week program.

I certainly have changed as a person.I have learned so much from the program and my peers that I can truly say yes, this program has changed me. What that means is that my views on how I see the medical field has changed, some of the views that my peers and others in the program has shared has changed my opinion, or I have learned from the views of others. Even though I have worked with teams before I have learned the importance of being able to work well with others. I have definitely learned to have confidence in myself. That is truly one of the most important things that I got out of the program, confidence. Believing in oneself was something that I learned to do better because of this program.

I have learned more than I would in six weeks on my own.I have really benefited from this program. The questions that I had about medical school and other school related questions were answered. I really learned a lot through this program and look forward to next year.