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Kristen Jadelrab, a UC Berkeley Alum, recently graduated from Johns Hopkins Nursing Program. She will be at UC Berkeley for the Graduate School Fair on October 11th & 12th in the Pauley Ballroom. She is also happy to meet with students outside of the Fair to provide an inside perspective on Johns Hopkins Nursing Program.
Quite a few of you have been calling up the Career Center concerned about your MCAT scores. In an effort to keep you informed we thought we'd post some FAQs and answers here on the blog:
1. Now that I have my MCAT scores should I choose schools accordingly?
The MSAR presents you with the median scores and GPAs of the incoming class for each school. This piece of information is only marginally useful. After all, half of the MCAT scores were above, half below the reported score. Schools look at many other factors besides scores; if you have outstanding personal qualities and experience and an average MCAT score, many schools won't weigh the score very heavily. Choose schools based on their teaching methods, location, and other factors aside from scores. Make sure that you select some schools that are less-than-ideal for one reason or another as "back-ups." Do remember, however, that ANY AND EVERY medical school acceptance is a major achievement, don't be seduced by name-brand schools alone...and don't assume that if you do apply to a handful of the heavyweights they're only gonna want you for your MCAT score...although it may be a more important factor.
2. My score stinks. Should I re-take the MCAT?
First of all, does it really stink? How does it compare to the national average? If your score is truly below average and you are considering retaking the MCAT, ask yourself the following questions:
-Was I sick that day? Where there other major factors that influenced my ability to do well on the test? Extenuating circumstances?
-Did I prepare to the best of my ability? Did I study enough?
If you answered "no" to one or both of these questions, consider retaking the MCAT. But please be cognizant of the fact that you will not be taking the same test you took the first time. Your scores may drop in some categories unless you make sure to brush up on ALL the sections. Many students receive a lower score in their verbal section, study, study, study to retake the MCAT, then succeed in raising their verbal score while their physical or biological plummets. Not good.
If your score is 30 or higher, really think twice about retaking the MCAT. Aside from having to answer all of those tough questions again, if your score drops you'll feel terrible. Many people do manage to raise their scores the second time around, but it is no less work than the first time.
3. I don't care what you say, my verbal is terrible and I'm re-taking the MCAT! How can I do better the next time around?
As a veteran pre-med advisor used to tell us, read the newspaper EVERY morning. Understand the tacit content, the overall theme, and what is being SAID vs. what is IMPLIED. Remember, if English is your second language, medical schools definitely take that information into account!
Your health team shares the following perspective: Apply only when you are the strongest applicant you can be. If you did your best on the MCAT, gracefully accept that and focus on addressing other parts of your application.
260 Mulford Hall, SLC
5 :00-6 :30
Join us for the first portion of a two-part series on allied health careers. Learn how you can enter these exciting fields, and network with current practitioners!
PANELISTS
Bridget Scadeng
Certified Childbirth Educator
Summit Medical Center
Bridget Scadeng is a leader in childbirth and massage education. She has over 30 years of experience as a Certified Childbirth Educator, teaching childbirth preparation classes at Summit Medical Center, Maia Midwifery, as well as private classes. In addition, Scadeng has over 20 years of experience as a Massage Therapist. She recently added Reiki energy work to her practice. She also trains massage therapists and doulas on pre, post partum and labor massage, allowing her to perfectly combine her two loves: massage and teaching.
Amber Rose
Occupational Therapist
Fairmont Hospital/South Shore Convalescent Hospital
Amber Brose is an occupational therapist for Fairmont Hospital’s Acute Rehabilitation Department and works per diem at South Shore Convalescent Hospital. She recently graduated from Samuel Merritt College
where she earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, MOT. She earned her BA degree in Kinesiology at California StateUniversity, Sacramento.
It was the profession’s Mind/Body approach that appealed to Brose and prompted her to choose a career in occupational therapy. As a graduate student, Brose provided occupational therapy services through community based pediatric and mental health clinics and gained extensive experience in the acute care setting. She enjoys working with the adult and older adult populations and is particularly interested in Neuro-Rehabilitation and Complementary Alternative Medicines.Brose states, “A person who is flexible, creative, open-minded, and compassionate should consider a career in occupational therapy. If interested, inquire locally, pick a population of interest, and request to shadow a therapist. If you remain intrigued, follow your heart, it will lead to someone doing the impossible!”
Marie T. Nolan, MPH, PhD, RN
Associate Professor
Director, PhD Program
School of Nursing, Johns HopkinsUniversity
Dr. Marie Nolan is internationally known for her empirical and theoretical work on the decision making of patients and their families facing critical illness. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing and is Director of the PhD Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She is also Johns Hopkins University Co-Director with Dr. Victoria Mock of the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) School of Nursing Doctoral Program Partnership with JohnsHopkinsUniversity
to establish the first doctoral program in nursing in China.
Dr. Nolan has a joint faculty appointment in the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and has served on advisory panels the National Institutes of Health and professional organizations regarding research and care issues of patients and their families at the end of life. Funding for her studies of decision making at the end of life and studies of living organ donation has been provided by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) at the National Institutes of Health. She also serves as Measurement Core Director for the NINR funded Center for Collaborative Intervention Research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She has edited two books, Measuring Patient Outcomes, Sage Publications, Nolan MT & Mock V. (2000) and Transplantation nursing: Acute and long-term management, Appleton & Lange, Nolan MT & Augustine S. (1995).
During one of my commutes I was listening to a radio story on NPR (
Avdou, like many other places with hot climes, shuts down every day for a “siesta” so that citizens can escape the midday heat to nap and “re-charge” for the evening. The town resisted the modern practice of being open 24/7 and follows a different clock dictated more by weather than by minutes and hours.
The story ended with an astute observation of the American lifestyle by Harvard researcher, Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, who recently published a study on the protective nature of naps against heart attacks: “In the way life is organized here, you start with stress commuting…and you finish with stress, which is again commuting…” And there I was in my car doing exactly that: “starting my day with stress.”
Dr. Trichopoulos’s comment made me question the wisdom of our modern lifestyle and got me thinking about our state of health in general. In the process of making a living, have we lost our common sense and have forgotten how to live well? There’s a lot to learn from the Greek villagers of Avdou as well as centenarians from Okinawa, Japan and Sardinia, Italy…but who do we look to here, in our society for models of wellness?
My role models of wellness aren’t necessarily health care providers, but rather individuals who model healthy behavior. In this ongoing blog, I will be interviewing and highlighting diverse leaders of wellness who inspire us to live better. As future healthcare providers, I’m also curious to know who your modern role models of wellness are. Please email me with your wellness heroes and how you intend to reshape health care in our “nap-less” society, and let me know if I may post your contributions on our blog. ~Liza
In the meantime, stay tuned as we kick off this “Wellness Series” with a
profile and conversation with one of my wellness heroes, yoga instructor,
Michael Coleman.
We're very excited to announce that Liza Osoteo, our graduate counseling intern and Edith Bretado, a peer health advisor are now part of your health advising team. Read their profiles here! (Pictures soon to follow...)
Edith Bretado: I am a 4th year student majoring in Development Studies and taking Pre-Med. Courses. I am currently involved in student organizations such as DULCE, CHE, AMSA and Trenza. I am also in BSP (Biology Scholars Program) and play volleyball with the BSP team . . . Go BSP! I have worked in the Financial Aid Office at Cal and Bath & Body Works. I have volunteered at Kaiser Permanente and will continue volunteering at Children’s Hospital. My plans for the future are to travel with doctors internationally and deliver affordable health care around the world. I also plan to become an ER surgeon and start free clinics in other countries as well as here in the United States. Hmmm, what else . . . I love to play all kinds of sports, enjoy reading and writing, listening to music, cooking and meeting new people. I grew up in South Central LA and I enjoy going back home to see my family. I am very approachable and friendly so whenever you need help with anything or just want to stop by for a chitchat, come to the Career Center and say “Hello!”
Liza Osoteo: Liza Osoteo is completing her MA In Career Development from John F. Kennedy University. She received her BA in English from Cal. Liza currently works as an Admission Counselor at Samuel Merritt College with students in allied health fields, and previously worked as an Outreach Coordinator for JFKU. She will be here Mondays and Thursdays, and is looking forward to meeting with pre-health/pre-med students!
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