Focus Group Sessions for Re-applicants

The Focus Group Sessions were held in a town hall format, open to re-applicants and prospective applicants. (To save costs, supporting materials were not printed out.) What follows are the presentation slides and audio, recommended resources and questions and answers both sent in and asked and answered in the sessions; please feel free to view and print the documents below.

• Preparing Your Application (146kb pdf); Text Version with Notes (102kb pdf)
  Presented May 11, 2009, topics include experiences, personal statements, academics and MCAT scores.

Relevant Q&A Topics: Admission Process - The Application - Coursework - Experience - GPA/MCAT - Letters of Rec - Statements

Letters of Recommendation Service Interfolio, http://www.interfolio.com/index.cfm, help@interfolio.com or (877) 77-FOLIO (877-773-6546) Commercial MCAT Prep Courses Kaplan: http://www.kaptest.com/enroll/MCAT Princeton Review: http://www.princetonreview.com/medical/mcat-courses.aspx UW Office of Minority Affairs, MCAT Prep Class: http://depts.washington.edu/ic/graphics/prep.php?style=graphics University Tutoring: 3232 NE 45th Street, Seattle WA 98105, http://www.universitytutoring.com/services_test.php Sandweis Test Prep: 4519 1/2 University Way NE, Suite 205, Seattle,Washington 98105, http://www.sandweisstestprep.com/mcat-prep-courses.php Columbia Review: http://www.columbiareview.com (physical classes in California)

• Why Medicine? (254kb pdf); Text Version with Notes (120kb pdf); Creating Your Personal Statement (14kb pdf)
  Presented May 13, 2009, topics include personal statements, life experiences, and self-assessment skills.

Relevant Q&A Topics: Admission Process - The Application - Experience - Letters of Rec - Reapplication - Shadowing - Statements

Resources for Gaining Experience ER Scribes http://www.scribeamerica.com/ http://www.pro-scribe.com/index.html Internships in the UW Intercollegiate Athletes Training Room http://www.uwhuskiesatc.com/internships.htm Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) http://www.smdep.org/ University of Washington SMDEP http://depts.washington.edu/omca/leadership/SMDEP.html Healthcare Alternative Spring Break at UW (HCASB) http://students.washington.edu/hcasb/ Washington Academy of Family Physicians http://www.wafp.net/programs/Students.aspx Volunteer Physicians for Shadowing Experiences Carl Plonsky – Pediatrics in Tacoma, Assistant: Patricia Davis - patriciad@unionavepeds.com Jonathan Bishop – Family Medicine in Snohomish, bishopfam@earthlink.net Ty Chun – Surgery in Silverdale, tychunmd@gmail.com David Henzler – Neurology in Spokane, drhenzler@nw-neurology.com

• The Interview (352kb pdf); Text Version with Notes (63kb pdf); Preparing for Your Interview (12kb pdf)
  Presented May 18, 2009, topics include communication skills, approaches to problem solving, knowledge of the practice of medicine, and societal and ethical issues.

Relevant Q&A Topics: Admission Process - The Application - Interviews - Reapplication

Resources for Considering Ethical Issues in Medicine Jonsen, Siegler, Winslade. Clinical Ethics (6th edition now, but any are fine). Excellent case/core issue book. Limited Preview available in Google Books. Thomasma, Kushner. Ward Ethics: Dilemmas for Medical Students and Doctors in Training. Focusing more on student issues, but still very relevant. Limited Preview available in Google Books. Atul Gawande, Complications. More contemporary and subtle issues, but very relevant for understanding challenges within the practice of medicine. Limited Preview available in Google Books. Greg Pence. Medical Ethics: Accounts of the Cases that Shaped and Define Medical Ethics. Many people like this book. More 'topical' than issue focused, like the Jonsen et al. Toastmasters The website address for the main Toastmasters is http://www.toastmasters.org/. If you do a search, it’ll show that there are three different Toastmasters groups affiliated with UW. More within the U-District.