Pre-Health Prep Series: Informational Interviews

So, you know that you need shadowing to be a competitive candidate for professional programs, but you find yourself in the midst of a pandemic. Shadowing has been put on hold or canceled at most healthcare facilities for safety reasons. What do you do? You should try to find virtual shadowing, but while you are continuing the search for these rare opportunities, you can also be conducting informational interviews with professionals in your career field of choice. While these interviews shouldn't completely replace shadowing on your application, they can be great tools for career exploration and can still be discussed in your application as part of your pre-health experience. In this post, we will talk about conducting informational interviews with health professionals.

What are informational interviews?

Informational interviews are conversations that you arrange with a healthcare professional to ask them more about what they do and what their day-to-day looks like. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these interviews can be a way to learn more about the profession when shadowing and volunteering opportunities aren’t available.

How do I set up an informational interview?

First, identify who you’d like to interview. Start with personal connections that you may have through friends, family, or even your own providers. Ask around to see if anyone knows someone you might be able to shadow in the career of your interest. You can also ask your pre-health advisor to help you find someone to shadow. If you have a job or volunteer in a healthcare field, you might have connections to professionals through colleagues or supervisors. Finally, you can search online directories and call or write to professionals directly.

Reach out to professionals you’d like to interview via call or e-mail. Generally, texting is unprofessional, but it is okay to do so if a professional instructs you to text them directly. Let the person know who referred you if you don’t know the professional yourself. If the professional accepts your request for an interview, ask if you need to schedule with one of their office assistants or if you need to schedule with them directly. Plan for a short meeting of 20-30 minutes and set up a time that works within both of your schedules. You should always keep in mind that healthcare professionals are busy people, so be respectful of their time and polite if they decline your request for an interview.

Prepare for your interview by learning more about who you are interviewing (what they did as an undergraduate, where they did their professional training, what their specialty is, etc.) and by writing out questions ahead of time.

What do I do during the interview?

Call the professional on-time or log into your video chat early. Do not make them wait on you! As you begin the interview, remember that you are the person who needs to initiate and keep the conversation moving. Go through your prepared questions, but also let the conversation go in other directions as you talk. It is okay to not get through all of your questions. You should also be prepared to answer questions from them as well.

Make sure that you stick to your 20-30 minute time frame. These are busy people, so do not take up more of their time than the two of you agreed upon. Listen to what they have to say and remember that it is okay to not get all of your questions answered. You don’t want to rush through the interview and forget what they said just to ask everything you wanted to ask. If you don’t get through all of your questions, you can end the interview by asking if you can stay in contact with them to ask more questions via e-mail.

After the interview, you may want to ask for recommendations of other professionals to interview. If they give you a recommendation, be sure to ask if you can use their name as the person who recommended that you reach out. If things go well, you might ask if you can shadow them in the future (acknowledging that this may be the very distant future given the pandemic).

What kinds of things do I ask?

There are lots of good questions you can ask about their personal experiences, their work environment, and professional development. You can tailor your questions to specific individuals, but here are a few general questions you may want to ask:

• What does your typical workday look like? 
• What do you spend most of your time doing while at work?
• How would you describe your work environment?
• What are the most important skills you use every day?
• What kinds of problems/decisions do you face during your day?
• What makes a person in your position successful?
• Can you tell me about your career path and where you see the future of your career?
• Why did you study what you studied as an undergraduate? How did it help you prepare for a career in healthcare?
• How does this job affect your personal life?
• What did you look for when selecting a professional program?
• What are some things you wish you had known as an undergraduate?
• What advice do you have for someone starting a career in your field?
• If I have any questions that come up after this interview, may I stay in contact with you?

What do I do after the interview?

Be sure to send them an immediate thank-you e-mail for their time. It is also nice to send a written thank-you care within a week or two if you are able to do so. If the person was open to letting you shadow them, do not delay in getting a shadowing time scheduled. If you are setting up a tentative time in the distant future due to COVID-19 protocols, be flexible as things change and be sure to touch base later to confirm or reschedule as needed.

Pre-Health Prep Series: Student Burnout & Self-Care

We are nearing the end of what has been a strange and stressful semester. Many students have felt the weight of this trying year as they navigated virtual classes, tried to keep up with when to attend face-to-face components of hybrid classes, voted in a presidential election, engaged in conversations about social justice, oh yeah...and dealt with the challenges of living during a pandemic that has gripped the world over the past year. Pre-health students have had the added complication of trying to find replacements for traditional shadowing, trying to find ways to safely volunteer, and, in some cases, working on the front lines alongside healthcare providers battling the virus in our community. With so much to do and so much uncertainty, it is easy to get overwhelmed and to start feeling the effects of burnout.

So, what exactly is burnout?

Burnout is a state of total exhaustion (emotional, mental, and physical) caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Being a little bit stressed out during college is normal, but when that stress is pervasive and sustained over a long period of time and you are unable to manage it successfully because you are just too overwhelmed, that's when you cross into burnout territory. Reaching a state of burnout causes you to lose interest or motivation in pursing your career goals because they feel impossible. Individual symptoms of burnout vary, but some of the common symptoms include extreme exhaustion/fatigue, depression, negative feelings about yourself, and an inability to attend to necessary tasks. These emotions and mental blocks make you less productive by siphoning away your energy and leaving you to feel helpless and often hopeless or even resentful of your situation. If such feelings begin to dominate every day of your life, then you could be experiencing more than the typical college stress--you could be experiencing full-fledged burnout. 

Here are some of the warning signs of burnout that may go overlooked:

Mental Signs:

• Making careless mistakes that you wouldn't normally make
• Lacking opinions during classroom discussions
• Lacking ideas or opinions related to group projects
• Feeling incapable of making deadlines
• Losing motivation to continue working on assignments or studying
• Losing confidence in your abilities as a student

Physical Signs:

• Not sleeping well or constantly feeling exhausted despite getting sleep
• Habitually stress eating or forgetting to eat (or loss of appetite)
• Overthinking and catastrophizing situations
• Frequently indulging in habits that you know are bad for your health 
• Not noticing pain or tension in your body from working or constantly thinking about work
• Frequent headaches or dizzy spells
• Ocular migraines
• Finding yourself to be sick more often than usual with colds, stomach issues, etc.

Emotional Signs:

• Finding yourself to be uncharacteristically sensitive to small issues that arise
• Not being able to enjoy leisure activities (or not letting yourself have down time)
• Not being able to enjoy time spent with friends/family because you are stuck in your own head
• Constantly feeling bored or uninterested in things you once enjoyed
• Uncharacteristically lashing out at others out of frustration

Here are some things you can do to deal with burnout:

• Recognize that you have the signs of burnout and acknowledge that you need help
• Ignoring burnout will only make it worse!
• Understanding yourself and your current state is the first step
• When you know what you are dealing with, it is easier to manage!
• Talk to someone--start with a close friend or family member or maybe an advisor
• Ask if they've noticed any recent behavioral changes in you
• Discuss what is causing you stress and what you are doing to manage that stress
• Decide whether it would be good for you to talk to a professional counselor
• Remember that as a student, you can see one of our counselors for free
• Counselors can help you identify and manage your stressors
• Counselors have many tools and resources to help you move forward
• Learn coping strategies for managing your stress in healthy ways
  
• Physical activities can be good outlets 
• Engaging in your hobbies can help you get out of your own head
• Checking-in with friends/family can keep you feeling connected
• Prioritize your well-being by starting a self-care routine
• Remember that you can't control all of the things impacting you, but that you can control how you respond to those things
• Learn to recognize when you aren't acting like yourself
• Think about what motivates you to keep going when things get difficult
• Apologize to people if you lash out or say something hurtful out of frustration

Here are some things you can do to prevent burnout:

• Work on your organization and time management skills (even if you already think you are good at these things, there are always ways to improve)
• Maintain a planner or digital calendar that has all of your assignment due dates, exam dates, and study sessions scheduled well in advance
• Schedule specific times for studying each week and treat those plans as you would a class
• Make checklists and prioritize the most important tasks over those that can wait a bit
• Break your long-term goals and responsibilities into smaller, more manageable tasks 
• Create S.M.A.R.T. goals that you can reach in shorter time frames
• Start assignments and projects early instead of waiting until the last minute
• Study your notes from class periodically throughout the week instead of waiting until you are about to have an exam
• Celebrate reaching your short-term goals or checking things off of your to-do list
• Acknowledge your achievements and reward yourself for them
• Maintain good physical health
• Make good choices about what you eat
• Take vitamins as needed
• Take any medications as prescribed
• Get in a little bit of stretching/breathing exercises each day
• Get in some physical activity each day
• See a doctor annually for a check-up
• Maintain good emotional/mental health
• Give yourself permission to relax each day
• Engage in activities that you enjoy and try not to worry about work when you do them
• Spend time with people that you care about who add joy to your life
• Meditate, practice gratitude, or otherwise take time for self-reflection
• Disconnect from screens and social media from time-to-time to take a mental break
• Schedule in time for self-care
• Give yourself as little as 10 minutes of personal time EVERY DAY
• Do something enjoyable that helps you to recharge mentally
• At the end of each day, ask yourself what you did to take care of yourself that day
• Sometimes, that can be as simple as taking a longer shower or going for a walk
• Think about your mental, physical, and emotional/social well-being
• When are you disconnecting from your worries and living in the present?
• What are you doing to take care of your body's needs?
• Who in your social circle should you check-in with today?
• How are you feeling?
• Remember that there are people who care about you and want to see you succeed!
• Friends/family
• Peers/associates
• Advisors/mentors
• Professors/coaches
• Your counselor
• Your other healthcare providers

It is especially important for pre-health students to talk about and confront burnout. Learning how to cope and how to prevent burnout now will help you when you get into a professional program, where rates of burnout are much higher than they are among pre-health students. Developing skills in time management and self-care now will help you to identify and navigate future struggles with burnout during your professional training and on into your career. Healthcare workers experience some of the highest rates of burnout among public servants due to being in high-pressure environments, so it is critical for you, as a future healthcare worker, to understand how to take care of yourself so that you are capable of taking care of others.

PHEVERS Students Write Minerals in Medicine Booklet

This past spring, students in the Pre-Health Experiences in Volunteering, Education, Research, & Shadowing (PHEVERS) program were planning to host an outreach event called Minerals in Medicine. This event was going to be held in the Museum of Geology here on campus. It would have included readings from the play These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich as well as a series of presentations by the PHEVERS students on various minerals found throughout the museum. Our students were going to be hosting this event after hours exclusively for the medical students attending the Rapid City Campus of the University of South Dakota's Sanford School of Medicine. 

This would have been a wonderful event that would have given our pre-health students a chance to interact with (and even educate) current medical students. (And, I hear the hors d'oeuvres would have been fantastic!) However, with a pandemic breaking out long before the scheduled date of the event, which would have been held in April, we had to cancel for the safety of everyone involved and invited to the event.

The PHEVERS students had already been researching their selected minerals to get a better understanding of how those minerals have impacted human health and/or the healthcare industry. So, we decided to turn their work into short essays that could be made into a digital booklet. While we hope to be able to host the event sometime next spring if it is safe for us to do so, we are proud to present this digital booklet for your reading pleasure in the meantime!

Please enjoy Minerals in Medicine as a fun flipbook by going here: Minerals in Medicine Flipbook

FGLIMed Virtual Conference Recap

I recently attended the First Generation Low Income in Medicine (FGLIMed) Virtual Conference. This year’s theme was Becoming Invisible: Celebrating Community and Identity. This three-day conference featured many exciting speakers and provided lots of great information and resources for first-generation students interested in careers in medicine. While this conference was specifically for students interested in medicine, many of the stories, resources, and information were relevant for students interested in other careers in healthcare as well.

On the first day of the conference, Dr. Hilda Hutcherson, the Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at Columbia University, talked about her experiences in getting her MD as a first generation student. She spent a lot of time talking about owning your identity as a FGLI student and using that to propel your motivation and your career. She talked about education being the bridge out of poverty, saying that once you get knowledge into your head, no one can take it away from you. She discussed the difficulties of navigating her journey as a healthcare professional and how she learned to use her struggles to help others rather than letting them hold her back. You can check her out her great presentation video by going here: https://www.fglimed.org/june-9-highlights

After doctor Hutcherson spoke with us, we were broken into smaller groups so that we could meet other attendees of the conference. The faculty and staff were put together in a breakout room and we talked a little bit about who we were before chatting about how we support FGLI students. We only had about 20 minutes, which was not nearly enough time, so we decided to all meet again on our own on Friday after the conference to continue the conversation. After we returned to the larger group of conference attendees, we debriefed from our breakout conversations and had a larger discussion in a town hall format. (Watch the video by going here: https://www.fglimed.org/june-9-highlights) The major take-away from the session were that FGLI students should be proud of their background, embrace it, and remember that it is your superpower! Other take-aways were to learn to ask for help, to remember that you belong and deserve to be where you are, and to not be discouraged by the assumed knowledge about the structure of medicine that you were never taught by family/friends. There was some discussion on being proud of yourself even when you fall short of perfection. It reminded me of one of my favorite Ze Frank quotes, “Perfectionism may look good in his shiny shoes, but he's a little bit of an @$$**** and nobody invites him to their pool parties.” There was also some discussion about empathy and compassion as well as standing up to colleagues who make disparaging remarks about patients. The last major take-away from the discussion was remembering that being categorized as FGLI isn’t just one, specific background. There is a diversity of individual stories that fall under FGLI and all of our stories should be celebrated!

The next day at the conference, there were two different discussion panels that were hosted at the same time. As your pre health advisor, I thought it would be best for me to attend the Applying to Medical School panel over the Applying to Residency panel, so I did. (You can find both by going here: https://www.fglimed.org/june-10) During the Applying to Medical School panel, the speakers wanted all FGLI students to know that their backgrounds are strengths not weaknesses in medical school applications. FGLI students should be proud of their backgrounds and should embrace the strengths of their stories for showcasing things like resiliency and grit. The panelists shared various resources to help students navigate the often-murky waters of the application process and talked about things such as fee assistance programs, MCAT accommodations, and finding a pre-health advisor if your school doesn’t already have one. They also talked about what a disadvantage statement is and when it should be used. The goal of these statements, should you choose to submit one, is to provide context for helping the admissions committees to better understand the obstacles that you have faced. These obstacles are not your identity, but rather your circumstances, such as your economic situation, your medical conditions, or your learning disabilities that have impacted your journey as a pre-health student. The panelists emphasized that these statements should be filled with facts and should provide context, but should not speculate about what you could have achieved had you not had to face those obstacles.

The panelists stressed the importance of identifying your strengths and then both celebrating and playing to those strengths throughout your pre health journey and beyond. They encouraged students to be self-reflective and to develop a growth mindset. They talked about how healthcare is a team sport and how one of the best things you can do as an applicant is showcase how you've been both a leader and a good team player in the past. They discussed learning to construct healthy boundaries, a discussion that featured on of my favorite new quotes, “We don't have to light ourselves on fire to keep others warm.”

Other things that were discussed included the importance of reaching out and asking for help from people like pre-health advisors, diversity offices, or even the schools where you are applying. If you have economic struggles, you can reach out to specific programs or to the diversity offices within specific universities to ask for assistance in funding your interviews or other program specific expenses. For example, some programs will waive secondary application fees if you have financial hardships, but you might not know that if you never ask.

On the final day of the conference, Dr. David Acosta, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of the AAMC, shared his story and perspectives on FGLI in medicine. He spoke about the importance of embracing our own intersectionality and using the power of our different identities to help us be more creative, more innovative, and better at making decisions. He emphasized that students should always be bringing their full selves to the table. He talked about the realities of imposter syndrome, quoting a former student who said, “One of the hardest obstacles have to overcome in medical school/residency is the one inside your head.” He also talked about the value of mentorship and the changing dynamics of mentor-mentee relationships over time. He said mentors and mentees should set clear expectations of what they plan to get out of their relationship and that it is okay (and even healthy) for mentors/mentees to grow away from each other as they move forward in their careers. You can watch Dr. Acosta’s closing keynote by going here: https://www.fglimed.org/june-11

The conference concluded with the discussion about ongoing projects, scholarship opportunities, and ways to get involved in the FGL I'm Ed community. There was discussion about using existing tools so that you aren’t reinventing the wheel and documenting your efforts to promote sustainability. Much of the discussion centered on finding, growing, and maintaining your FGLI community, both on your campus and among peers at other institutions. Some of the panelists talked about the importance of establishing traditions first to build your community and then assessing what your community’s needs are for moving forward. They also mentioned that it is important to recognize that your FGLI community is complex and diverse and includes other students, faculty, and non-faculty staff.

All in all, the virtual conference was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about using your first generation experiences as the backdrop for your applications into medical programs. The conference was empowering and exciting and totally worth your time to catch on the replay, which you can do by going here: https://www.fglimed.org/2020webinar It also provided lots of great resources and tools for first generation students as well as growing and strengthening the FGLIMed community. To learn more about this community or to join so that you, too, have access to all of these wonderful tools and can start building your professional network of people with similar experiences, check out their website by going here: https://www.fglimed.org/

Advice from an Alumnus: Meet Alyssa Krautbauer!

SD Mines has a reputation for excellence that reverberates through our students long after they leave campus with their degrees in hand. Today, we are featuring on of our alumni, Alyssa Krautbauer, who earned her degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. She has just been accepted into the Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, Arizona, where she will soon be starting her training to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. We caught up with Alyssa to ask her about her time at SD Mines and how it helped to prepare her for a career in healthcare.

Hey, Alyssa! How are you using your degree from SD Mines in your current career path?

Currently, I don’t believe that I am fully utilizing my engineering degree in my career path. However, there are some valuable skills I learned in engineering that will apply in the short term to medical school, such as problem solving. In the future, there will be more opportunities to take advantage of my background to potentially assist in medical instrument design/or help tackle very complex diagnoses. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what the future holds, but I am eager to utilize my mechanical engineering background to help people in any way that I can.

How did your time at SD Mines prepare you for going to medical school?

In my opinion, there are three main areas in which SD Mines did a great job in preparing me for medical school (Note: I was not involved in any SD Mines pre-med programs at the time). First, I would say the mechanical engineering curriculum forced me to greatly improve my studying discipline. Secondly, the small class sizes allowed me to get to know my professors who not only could answer my questions on course material, but also were eager to help and support me in applying to medical school. Finally, there were many opportunities in each class to work as a team solving problems or collaborating on a project. Medicine is a team sport, so I found this experience invaluable.

What kind of shadowing did you do to get a better feel for careers in healthcare while you were a student?

I primarily shadowed and interned in ophthalmology clinics during the summers because of a personal interest in the field. I also shadowed in general surgery, dermatology, family medicine, and ENT.

What kinds of healthcare experiences did you do as a student to prepare for medical school?

I interned at ophthalmology clinics during two summers of undergrad. Not only did I get to be involved in patient care, I developed greater insight into the field of medicine.

What kinds of volunteering did you do during your undergraduate?

My volunteering during undergrad consisted of assistant coaching an elementary school girls basketball team, Caring Hands at Rapid City Regional Hospital, Mines Buddies, and also volunteering at my church.

Did you do any undergraduate research at SD Mines? 

I did not participate in any undergraduate research at SD Mines. However, during my semester abroad, I participated in some research on hands-free image manipulation for the operating room as well as some research in ophthalmology during a summer internship. Looking back, I wish I would have participated in a longer research project at SD Mines, because the research process is very important to learn and medical schools are looking for that experience.

In what other ways did you prepare for a career in healthcare? 

I have worked at a medical instrument company during my time until I start medical school. While working, I have had the opportunity to learn medical marketing skills and attend annual conferences where I can sit in on lectures and meet physicians. Since graduating, I have also volunteered at a local hospital in the Phoenix area helping in the nephrology department as well as in patient transport.

How did you prepare for the MCAT?

I used the Kaplan books to review/learn the material that would be on the test. I purchased all of the practice tests from the AAMC as well as each section question pack they offered. I went through each practice test and question bank, and for each question I answered incorrectly (or guessed correctly), I learned the reasoning behind it. I also looked up everything I needed to have memorized on test day (e.g. amino acids) and made sure to do that.

Additionally, I discovered UWorld two weeks before I took the MCAT, and I believe this resource brought my Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section up dramatically on test day. They have a huge bank of questions, and the real benefit of UWorld was the thorough explanation of the answers to each of the questions. I wish I had learned about UWorld earlier.

How did you balance studying, attending classes, other student commitments, and doing all of these extracurriculars to prepare for medical school with your personal life?

If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t manage it well at the time. Perhaps I’m the wrong person to answer this question. I put way too much pressure on myself to earn a 4.0 GPA, and in doing so, that took a lot away from my college experience. I think it is important to do well, but looking back I would have studied less and been more involved in research and getting more experience in the medical field, with the caveat of only doing them if I was genuinely interested. It is so much easier to talk during an interview or write a personal statement about experiences you are passionate about.

What techniques do you use to manage your time and stress levels?

For time management, I’ve learned to take a deep, introspective look at my Google calendar before making any commitment. I have the tendency to take on too much at one time and then I become unable to maintain my commitments with a sound mind.

For stress levels, I’m learning to mend the root of the issue in addition to finding an enjoyable way to cope with the stress. If I’m stressed about a work issue, I talk with colleague(s) and work through it until it is resolved or at least better than it was.

Cooking happens to be random stressor for me because it takes up so much time and I don’t particularly enjoy it, so what I’ve ended up doing is improving my meal prep skills at the beginning of the week as well as cooking easier, quicker recipes.

What were some of the major challenges you faced at SD Mines and how did you overcome those challenges?

Test anxiety has historically been an issue for me. A good thing about SD Mines is that it forces you to confront this issue by providing ample practice opportunities to test out different coping techniques. Going for a run the morning before the test, reminding myself that I did my best, and framing the test as a “challenge” rather than a “threat” all seemed to help me manage my test anxiety. By the end of my time at SD Mines I found myself significantly less anxious going into an exam.

What advice do you have for pre-health students at SD Mines?

1.  My advice to pre-health students would be to study hard and excel in your classes, but try and avoid perfectionism - it takes the joy out of studying. Give yourself grace to enjoy your courses and the people you are studying with.

2.   Get to know your professors and the pre-med department. SDSM&T has so many wonderful professors, and I have experienced great support from them in the medical school application process. I literally could not have gotten into medical school without them.

3. Take it with a grain of salt when people say how incredibly difficult something is. I think it is human nature to overemphasize difficulty level; things usually aren’t as hard as people say they are, including O-Chem, Biochemistry, the MCAT, or even getting into medical school. Sure these are all challenging, but I found that peoples’ horror stories scared me out of doing what I wanted to do.

4. Involve yourself in activities that you both genuinely enjoy, and that help give you insight into the medical field. Research is a valuable asset for a career in medicine, but if there aren’t any research opportunities on campus that genuinely interest you, ask a professor if they would help you start your own.

5. Get involved in different groups both on and off campus. You get to meet a lot of different people with differing backgrounds, and by doing so I believe that you would be more effective at treating the myriad patients you will encounter in medicine. Not only that, networking very often opens doors to new opportunities.

6. Try to study abroad! The cultural competence you gain from studying abroad will serve you well in understanding people better in medicine. If possible, center your study abroad experience around something related to medicine. I worked on an engineering project relating to medicine in Oslo, Norway, and many of my interviewers asked to hear about this experience. There was a significant scholarship at SDSM&T back when I was considering studying abroad, so if money is a concern there may be help. There are also more affordable exchange opportunities where you just pay for your tuition as usual and living expenses.

Thriving During a Pandemic as a Pre-Health Student

We find ourselves in interesting times. At home, on your couch, trying to figure out how to get

everything submitted in D2L and re-watching your professors' pre-recorded lectures while debating whether or not you should put on real pants today was not how you anticipated you'd be spending the last month of your Spring 2020 semester. You had plans to get more shadowing hours between classes this semester...to do more volunteering here in Rapid City...to apply for research positions, internships, and summer programs...to bring up your GPA after having a tough Fall semester...to attend a few pre-health events or Grand Rounds on Friday mornings at the local hospital. Some of you were planning to take the MCAT or GRE. Some of you were working on your personal statements and preparing for the application process. Then along came a virus...something so small and yet powerful enough to throw all of our lives into a chaotic state of uncertainty. Shadowing has been suspended almost everywhere. Volunteer opportunities have dramatically shifted. Summer programs are in flux. Many internships/research projects have been cancelled. Testing facilities are shutting down. Classes are abruptly moving to online formats. Events are being cancelled. No one is sure how much longer we will need to be socially distanced from other people and everyone is flying by the seat of their pajama pants. If you were to tell yourself a year ago that you'd be where you are today, you would have told yourself to stop watching so many movies about pandemics. Sure, we all knew that there were possibilities that something like this could happen, but few were actually prepared for the current situation and even fewer could have ever accurately envisioned how it would look for people in your positions. Like I said...interesting times.

As a pre-health student, you spend a lot of time thinking about your professional development. You have to if you want to be competitive as an applicant and prepared for a career in a field as demanding as healthcare. You now find yourself faced with some major obstacles to your professional development (as described above). Throughout your career as a healthcare professional, you will find yourself facing obstacles with no clear path to a resolution. You'll have patients who are difficult to diagnose. You'll have cases where the textbook treatment doesn't work. You may face logistical challenges with not having the specific tools you need to get the job done right and you'll have to be able to improvise. You'll have to make difficult decisions, sometimes without a lot of information to help you feel confident that you are making the best or right one. The lives of healthcare workers are filled with challenges and people in this field have to be adaptable to thrive in it. So here you are...facing your own big challenges and needing to be flexible and resilient as you confront those challenges.

But what does that even look like for a pre-health student? How do we move forward with so many things in flux and no clear understanding of when (or even if) things will get back to normal?

Time to troubleshoot!

Let's start with shadowing. You had planned on getting something set up or maybe you DID set something up, but it's been suspended for the foreseeable future. You know shadowing is important, so what do you do now? The short answer: Move it down on your priority list. Yes, it is still important, but there are other things that should be holding your attention right now and keep in mind that healthcare systems are overwhelmed, so workers have a million other things that need their attention right now. Your professional development is not a priority to people who are on the front lines of dealing with a public health crisis (nor should it be). While it is okay to feel disappointed, try to remember that this isn't about you and it doesn't mean that your whole future is in jeopardy. The fact that shadowing isn't available right now is beyond your control. Recognize that it's just not something you can do right now and don't spend your precious mental energy worrying about it. Instead, focus your attention on things you CAN control or things you CAN do during this crisis and do those things. Depending on how the situation develops, you can plan to do some shadowing in the fall or maybe next spring. If you are planning to apply this cycle, you really should have been shadowing sooner, but again, you can't change how things are now, so check that shadowing stress at your makeshift office door. (You can always contact schools later in the cycle to report new shadowing if you are able to get some before interview season starts. If you can't get any shadowing in, then focus on the other strengths that you have in your application.) In the meantime, find other ways to grow professionally, such as reading more about your field (I can send you a reading list or some suggestions if needed), attending webinars and virtual career fairs (find information about those in your This Week in Pre-Health e-mails), or finding new volunteer opportunities.

Speaking of, let's talk volunteerism in the time of social distancing. You probably can't continue https://www.volunteermatch.org/covid19 If you are in South Dakota, be sure to check out Helpline Center to find other ways to help your community during these interesting times: https://www.helplinecenter.org/  There's lots of ways to help and as a future healthcare professional, there's no better time for you to be serving your community. Do it because it is the right thing to do, but don't forget to log your volunteer hours so that you don't have to try to recall this blur of a semester later down the road with nothing but a fuzzy and overwhelmed memory to guide you.
volunteering at your local clinic/hospital or if you were planning to start that this semester, I'm guessing those plans have now changed. Like shadowing, this is outside of your control and you don't want to be more of a burden than a help during a public health crisis. If you have training or skills that are useful, then put those to good use. Help your community as an EMT or CNA wherever those kinds of certifications are needed. If you don't have healthcare-specific training, there are still lots of other ways to help. You can make PPE if you are a little bit crafty or organize community efforts to gather and distribute donations of supplies if you aren't. You can volunteer through textlines for suicide prevention or make courtesy calls to people in assisted living centers to help them make arrangements for getting prescriptions, groceries, or other things that they need without putting themselves at risk. Here's a great website with some additional information about volunteering remotely:

So, what about summer plans? Maybe you are still holding summer plans to attend workshops, conferences, training programs, or to engage in research. That's great if things are still moving forward as planned, but if those things have changed or been cancelled (or if they change/cancel in the future) try not to be discouraged even if you feel disappointed. Here's another chance for you to get creative in how you can grow professionally despite the loss of an opportunity. Keep seeking out resources and look for remote opportunities to get some training or develop your skills. Remember that EVERYONE is dealing with these changes, so there are a lot of new opportunities popping up every day in digital spaces to compensate for the loss of in-person events and programs.

While we are on the subject of adapting to digital spaces, let's talk about the big switch to online course formats. There's understandably a lot of anxiety surrounding this sudden and unexpected move from face to face classes to an all-online semester. No one was prepared to do this, so you aren't alone if you are feeling overwhelmed. Even your professors are experiencing those kinds of feelings. Remember that these are NOT your typical online classes. No one had time to build a really great online version of their course in the week between learning that they needed to move all of their content and adapt their teaching style and actually making that transition with their students after the extended spring break. Many of you (and your professors) are using things like Zoom for the very first time.
It's okay to fumble a bit as you make this transition. It's okay to not know how to move forward. There is no manual for this. No established protocols. We are all improvising. It may help you to reframe this a bit as an exercise in dealing with sudden, unexpected changes like those you will likely experience as a healthcare worker in the future. You can also think of this as unscheduled preparation for professional training, as many medical schools and other health programs record their lectures and allow students to watch them on their own and make their own schedules rather than requiring that they attend every class. These uncertain times are a good way for you to get some real experience in practicing self-discipline and honing your time management skills in addition to challenging you to creatively problem-solve. Also, we are all in this together and SD Mines has lots of incredible people working hard to help you face these challenges. The Student Success Center has put out some great videos (though I'm more than a little bias on that front) and has collected other resources for helping you to navigate these changes. Check them out here: https://www.sdsmt.edu/Academics/Student-Success-Center/Resources-for-Online-Learning/

Finally, for those of you currently preparing to apply to professional programs this cycle...Do Not Panic. The Pre-Health Pathways office is here to help you in any way that we can. Check your This Week in Pre-Health e-mails to get the latest updates and information from testing centers, centralized application systems, and professional programs about policy changes and responses to COVID-19. E-mail questions or set up Zoom meetings with your advisors or mentors. Don't be afraid to ask for help and gather all of the information that you can as you prepare your application.

I'll leave you with this final quote that I'm sure many of you bookworms have already thought about during these interesting times we are living in:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

--J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

TLDR: Re-focus on the things you can do. Do the best that you can with what you've got to work with. Take advantage of your resources. Don't panic. And ask for help. You've got this! ;)

FHSP-Sponsored Trip to the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Last week, 5 of our pre-health students visited the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine's main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. The trip was sponsored by our Future Health Science Professionals student organization and was largely coordinated by the organization's Vice President, Cade Nathan.

SD Mines students (left to right: Mariana Meza, Alex Reader, Isabel MacLachlan, Cade Nathan, & Austin Tennyson) pose in front of a shiny statue in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina.

Our adventure began on Saturday, February 22nd, when we flew from Rapid City to Charlotte, North Carolina, where we stayed the night in a nearby hotel. The next morning, we picked up our rental car and explored downtown Charlotte for a little while. We visited a couple of shops and ate at a yummy barbecue joint before starting our 3-hour journey to Blacksburg, Virginia. That night, we discovered a tasty Mediterranean restaurant and shared some hummus, baba ganoush, and baklava in addition to our equally delicious individual meals.

Each of us was given a packet of information
and some fun VCOM swag at breakfast.

Bright and early Monday morning, we arrived at the campus and picked up our visitor badges. The admissions staff served us a breakfast of bagels, fruit, and quiche and gave us a brief orientation to who they were and what medical school looks like on their campus. Two of their current students joined us for breakfast and shared with us their experiences as part of the VCOM program. Both of these students were also in the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), which offers prospective military physicians a paid medical education in exchange for service as a commissioned medical department officer. This was particularly exciting for a couple of the students on the trip who are considering applying for this program in the future.

After breakfast, the VCOM students took us on a tour of the main buildings to see where students take classes, study, recharge, and learn how to practice medicine. We saw the library, complete with a separate quiet space for studying, a couple of exercise bikes equipped with tables so that students can study while getting in some cardio, an open area for eating while you study, and a series of group study rooms, some of which had their own tables for practicing osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), which is one of the tools that osteopathic physicians use to treat their patients.

Students tour the various study areas on the VCOM campus.

We were able to enter the cadaver lab to see how students get first-hand exposure to learning about the anatomy of the human body. Unlike some cadaver labs, this one was on an upper story floor, which featured a wall of windows to let in sunlight while students examine the bodies of their donors. Each table holding a donor body was equipped with its own ventilation and drainage system, so the smell of preservative was less potent than typical cadaver labs. Our students were allowed to hold one of the donor brains (wearing gloves, of course!) as the VCOM students explained some of the key features of our brains and what those pieces do to keep us moving, thinking, and learning in life.

Students attend a real medical school lecture during their trip to VCOM.

Next, we walked over to one of the classrooms, where an embryology lecture was about to start. The topic of conversation for the day was about the pharyngeal arches and what happens to them in a developing fetus. The instructor also described some of the medical anomalies that can occur with different phases of early development go awry. While much of this content was at a higher level than anything a typical pre-health student has ever experienced, it gave our students a sense of the kinds of topics that are covered in medical school and the expectations for students in medical programs. They were also able to chat with a few more medical students before and after the lecture about live at VCOM.

Our students ask the VCOM students about their experiences.

Lunch was served in a conference room with a large table where we met two other VCOM students who were further into their program of studies. One was a non-traditional student who was able to talk about what it is like to be married and start a family while in medical school, the other student did her undergraduate work at SDSU right here in South Dakota, so she was able to talk about the cultural differences of moving from the midwest to the east coast. Both students shared their experiences and insights while answering all of our students' burning questions. They also demonstrated one of the many OMM techniques and talked to us about how OMM can help patients manage a variety of common health issues.

Students watching an OMM demonstration.

Finally, we were taken to the Simulation Center, where we met two of the VCOM faculty members who tech medical skills. They spoke to us about the various competencies that they help medical students develop in hands-on labs and through simulated scenarios that are built into the curriculum. The center features lab spaces for learning basic techniques, such as how to do a proper lumbar puncture, mock exam rooms for practicing physical examination skills with "standardized patients" (actors paid to pretend to be patients with specific conditions), and simulation rooms with robotic patients for running training scenarios. The rooms all feature cameras for recording what students are doing so that they can review their performance and critique one another to improve their skills in critical thinking/assessment, bedside manner, and technical know-how. The center features simulation mannequins of different ages who can present with a wide range of potential clinical issues. They even have a maternity room with two mothers who can "give birth" and infants who can be programmed to have various common newborn conditions. We learned about the "baby rocket" that pushes the infant doll out of the mother during birth simulations to teach medical students about labor and delivery.

Students learn about how simulations are integral parts of the medical curriculum at VCOM.

Students learn about the "baby rocket" used to teach medical students at VCOM about labor and delivery.

For dinner that night, we went to downtown Blacksburg and saw some of the cute shops and restaurants that filled the historic buildings along well-maintained brick streets. We ate at a fish taco place that had been recommended to us by one of the guys to talked to us at the simulation center. It was a great way to wrap up a wonderful visit to the area.

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and drove back to Charlotte to catch our flight home. As we traveled back to the middle of the country, students reflected on their experiences over the past few days and discussed plans for their futures in medicine. Two of the students even set up meetings with me to talk about the pre-med pathway and to put together their personal timeline while we were waiting in the airport. All in all, it was a fantastic trip that allowed our students to further explore their understanding of what it takes to get into and thrive in a medical program. It left the students feeling excited for what the future holds and contemplating the possibilities of what the next chapters of their lives are going to hold. I, for one, can't wait to read them in the coming years.

SD Mines students (left to right: Cade Nathan, Austin Tennyson, Isabel MacLachlan, Alex Reader, & Mariana Meza)
visit the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine's Virginia Campus in Blacksburg.