五年前, recent high-school graduate Alison 托马斯。 signed up to participate in a summer program hosted by a brand-new Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. One of the oldest participants in the group, a few short weeks from starting her undergraduate degree at Wayne State University, little did she know at the time that this program would introduce her to the medical school where, 四年后, 她将开始她的M.D. 旅程.

The Future Physicians Summer Enrichment Program (FPSEP) is a two-week program centered around biomedical sciences and human anatomy for high school students who have expressed interest in medicine and careers in health sciences. Co-sponsored by OUWB and Oakland University Public School Academies, the program aims to give students a deeper understanding of medical issues, the multiple systems and processes of the human body and how they are impacted by current social topics.

经历了不确定的第一天, 托马斯。, 现在是一个正在崛起的M3 OUWB学生, realized the scope of learning opportunities this program would offer her. “总有一天, 我们学习了所有关于心脏病学的知识, so we had one of the cardiologists from Beaumont come in and talk,托马斯说. “We also talked about anatomy, and they brought in different models; I got a lot out of it.” Not only did the program offer her hands-on exposure to different potential career paths within the medical field, but it put OUWB on her radar as a contending medical school.

Choosing OUWB; the ongoing experience

The West Bloomfield-native has always considered Beaumont to be her dream hospital at which to work; therefore, the collaboration between OUWB and Beaumont made the school more appealing to her. “I remember leaving interview day, and I was so in love with the school,她说。. “I knew I had to be here, no matter what.”

The other major factor was the engaging OUWB faculty and staff. “It was something I didn’t see at other schools – how much care they put into making sure that we are on the right path and that we have all the resources we need,她说。.

One faculty member in particular, Caryn Reed-Hendon, Ph.D., OUWB Director of 多元化和包容性, was a program director when 托马斯。 attended the FPSEP. The two reunited years later, during 托马斯。’s OUWB orientation week. “I saw her, and I remembered her, but I didn’t think she’d remember me,托马斯说. “And we made eye contact, and she said my name, and she said: ‘welcome home.’”

Upon beginning her 旅程 as an OUWB graduate student, 托马斯。 began to draw similarities between the principles practiced at the FPSEP and at OUWB, including an emphasis on hands-on interaction and collaboration with Beaumont physicians. “It’s hard first and second year to do anything hands-on, because we don’t know that much yet,她解释道. “But the school does a good job exposing us to patients; even the health fairs allow us to counsel people on flu shots and talk to them about blood pressure.”

回顾, 托马斯。 believes that FPSEP and other similar programs are beneficial for potential medical students because they take some of the guesswork out of medical school. “They explained what medical school is like, exposed us to holding brains and holding lungs and seeing parts of the human body that you normally wouldn’t have exposure to,她说。. “You can hear about a program as much as possible, 或者阅读或研究它, but it’s not the same as seeing things firsthand and talking to professors and physicians.”

Alison 托马斯。 met with the high school students in the Future Physicians Summer Enrichment Program to answer their questions about medical school.

托马斯的下一步

In pursuing her medical degree, 托马斯。 is carrying out the passion she’s held for years. “当我年轻的时候, my mom always said that I would get excited to go to my pediatrician,她解释道. “我想像她一样.”

Though she is unsure of her specific career goals within the medical field, she is excited about the path she is on and hopeful about the future. “One thing I took away from the program was that it was going to be a long road, if I wanted to go to medical school – that it was going to be difficult, but that I could do it if it really is my passion,托马斯说.