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News from the Postbac and Summer Research Program - february 14, 2013

Topic A: Factors Associated with Suboptimal Outcomes in Medical School 

 

Last week I introduced a study External Link  that examined various pre-matriculation variables and their association with suboptimal medical school outcomes (leaving prior to completing the degree or failing to pass USMLE Step 1 and/or Step 2 on the first try).

The first important fact to remember is that MOST medical students (96.7%) do graduate. Among those who graduate, only 8% fail to pass one or both USMLE exams on the first attempt.

The study found that the following variables were significantly associated with suboptimal outcomes (but remember that suboptimal outcomes are rare!):

  • Age > 24 at the time of matriculation
  • MCAT scores of 29 or less (the frequency of suboptimal outcomes increases progressively with decreasing MCAT score)
  • Undergraduate educational debt in excess of $50,000
  • An undergraduate degree from an institution that is NOT a research-intensive university
  • Being Asian or belonging to a minority group underrepresented in the sciences

So were any factors associated with a DECREASE in suboptimal outcomes, i.e., success?  Only being female and having completed an undergraduate research experience!

You can draw your own conclusions from these data or read those proposed by the authors. Some things that stand out to me are (1) if you enter medical school, you are VERY likely to complete it successfully; (2) your postbac experience at the NIH, if it can be favorably compared to an undergraduate research experience, is likely to predispose you to success in medical school (this is why medical schools clamor to attend the NIH Graduate & Professional School Fair each July to recruit YOU to their programs; (3) it is not unreasonable for medical schools to consider MCAT scores in the admissions process, and (4) if any of the bullets in the list above describe you, you may want to factor institutions' resources and programs aimed at fostering success into your decision of where to apply.

Spotlight on Grammar: Using Commas to Separate Items in a Series 


When you write a list of three or more items using a single conjunction, do you obsess about how many commas to use? For example, suppose you are talking about the American flag's being "red, white, and blue". Do you wonder whether you should include that comma after "white"?

This is another case of rules in transition. The rule has always been, use a comma after EVERY item in the series except the last (the one AFTER the "and"). Modern usage is moving towards eliminating that last comma.

I have three recommendations: (1) to be absolutely correct from the perspective of English teachers and picky readers, use the comma just before the "and"; (2) be especially certain to use that last comma anytime the meaning of the sentence would be ambiguous without it (see below); and (3) whichever convention you decide to follow, use it consistently throughout the document.

Check out the following sentence: When Sarah returned from the NIH, she told us all about the National Library of Medicine, the uncomfortable seats in Lipsett Amphitheater and Masur Auditorium. Does this sentence mean Sarah told us about (1) the Library of Medicine, (2) the uncomfortable seats in Lipsett Amphitheater, and (3) Masur Auditorium? Or were there uncomfortable seats in Masur too? Including a comma after "Amphitheater" dispels the confusion and speeds the reader along.

Oh, and while we're at it, remember that the elements in a series should be grammatically parallel.

Upcoming Events 

Improving Mentoring Relationships
Date/Time/Location: February 19 1:00 - 3:00 pm, Building 1, Wilson Hall
Speaker: Sharon MIlgram, PhD, Director, OITE Please register in advance.

Networking: A Cultural Perspective - NIH SACNAS Chapter Meeting
Date/Time/Location: February 20, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Building 10, Magnuson C-2116
Speaker: Julie Gold, OITE Leadership and Professional Development Coach

Postbac Seminar Series - February 26, 2013
Date/Time/Location: February 26, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Building 50, Room 1227
Speakers: Ally Girasole, NINDS, Cholinergic Modulation of Synaptic Inputs and Excitability of Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons; Antonia Pusso, NIAID, Novel INHAT Repressor (NIR) Is a Key p53 Inhibitor and a Crucial Survival Factor in the Early B and T-Lymphocytes Development

Opportunity

 
Informal Science Teaching at the Smithsonian

The National Human Genome Research Institute and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History will open a high-tech genomics exhibit in mid-June 2013: "Genome: Unlocking Life's Code" External Link . Public engagement will be essential in extending the outreach of this groundbreaking exhibit. Senior scientists and qualified trainee level scientists, as well as NIH professional staff, are invited to present in informal science teaching programs hosted by the Museum: "The Scientist Is In" and "Genomic Nerds".  Volunteers must attend a one-hour training session on the NIH campus in May focused on communicating science in an informal museum setting.

Read more and register. Informal Q&A sessions about the exhibit will be held on February 19 and 22 on the NIH campus. Please contact Belen Hurle for additional information.