There isn’t necessarily just one path to medical school. Sure, you may plan to focus your undergraduate studies in a bachelor’s of science and narrow in on the key science curriculum in order to gain admission to med school. But what if you pursued a bachelor’s degree in arts, didn’t have the science background and wasn’t even sure if medical school was an option? That’s where programs like the University of Vermont’s Post-Baccalaureate Premedical program helps students who want a career in medicine but aren’t quite sure how to get there.
“When I began my medical school journey, I was not sure how I could go from being a humanities major to a successful medical school applicant,” said recent PBPM graduate Liberty Dupuis. “My post-bacc year was challenging, but the support and advice from the UVM Post-Bacc Program staff was crucial in helping me to orient my activities and academics to apply to medical school.”
A Premed Program Designed for Maximum Med School Preparation
UVM’s Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program (PBPM) is designed to provide students with the prerequisite coursework and access to research and direct patient care experiences prior to applying to health and medical school.
Sometimes student do enroll in the Post-Bacc Premed program right out of college but often students are pursuing their education after taking time off from school or are seeking to change careers. The 12-24-month customized program ensures that students will get the preparation and background needed for acceptance into health professional programs.
We caught up with recent Post-Bacc Premed graduate Anna Seeman a few hours after she had completed her first interview for medical school at the Robert Larner College of Medicine. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine as an MD and complement that learning with a Master’s in Public Health. Both of which she feels is obtainable because of her experience in the PBPM program. “I feel like I was prepared for my interview,” said Seeman. “The Post-Bacc program, because of the way that UVM is organized, the campus with the medical school and the hospital all on the same place, really sets you up to be so integrated right into the medical center and hospital. I worked as a scribe while I was here and I met medical students, emergency medical physicians, and other physicians too. I was so glad that UVM Larner College of Medicine was my first interview because I know it is truly a supportive environment.”
That supportive and collaborative environment is just one of the reasons why students highly recommend UVM’s PBPM program. Another top reason is the direct access to the Larner College of Medicine and to a Level 1 Trauma Center. “It’s physically right there, for me it was the opportunities to volunteer by walking from my class straight to the hospital,” said recent PBPM graduate Trevor MacDonald. “To be able to integrate class work and my volunteer work was huge.”
MacDonald also recently completed his first medical school interview and reflected back on how well he felt prepared thanks to his time at UVM. “It was a lot less stressful than I thought it was going to be. It felt good. It was a fun day, UVM Larner makes everyone feel comfortable. We had done practice interviews as a Post-Bacc and it really helped with the actual event, to have that experience under my belt. And just knowing what I had learned over the last year, that really helped.”
UVM’s Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program boasts a high acceptance rate into medical school and has helped students pursue medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, physical therapy, and other health professions. With specialized tracks that help students pursue a background in a specific medical field of interest, students can easily find the most relevant courses to help get them prepare for their medical career.
Ready to pursue your career in medicine? UVM can help.
