Medicine has its own unique language. Well before matriculating, the medical school applicant is bombarded with a litany of terms and acronyms. Being exposed to the nomenclature can help to ease the medical school application process.
The list below is not intended to be exhaustive nor is there the expectation that you become well versed in the vernacular — but a working knowledge of the language can help to demystify and potentially alleviate anxiety.
— ACGME : The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which reviews and accredits residencies and fellowships.
— Affordable Care Act: The comprehensive health care insurance reform act passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, it extends health insurance coverage to young adults — up until age 26 — on their parents’ insurance plan, among other things.
— Allopathic : The type of medicine that treats diseases through the use of remedies — what we think of as the traditional medical system.
— AMCAS : The American Medical College Application Service run by the Association of American Medical Colleges for centralized medical school application processing.
[Know what questions to ask your premed adviser.]
— Basic sciences (pre-clinical): These are science classes during the first two years of medical school before students embark on clinical rotations. These may include pathology, microbiology, embryology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, neuroanatomy and pharmacology.
— Boards: This can mean several things. It can refer to the three-step medical certification process, called the United States Medical Licensing Examination or USMLE. Successful passing of each of the three exams, or steps, is necessary for medical licensure. It can also mean the specialty certification by each specialty organizing body; for example, a physician can be boarded in internal medicine or board-certified in internal medicine.
— Clinicals: The last two years of medical school, which combine both basic sciences and patient experiences in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
— D . O . : A doctor of osteopathic medicine, a graduate of an osteopathic medical school.
— FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
— Fellow: A physician in his or her postresidency training program.
— Fellowship: Postresidency medical training in a specific subspecialty; for example, cardiology, pulmonary and nephrology.
[Avoid sloppy medical school applications with these tips.]
— FSA ID : Identification borrowers need to access federal student aid websites.
— Intern: A first-year physician, following medical school graduation.
— Internship: The first year of postgraduate training after graduation from medical school.
— Match: The process by which medical student residency preferences are matched with residency program selections, run by the National Resident Matching Program.
— MCAT: The Medical College Admission Test, a standardized entrance examination for medical school.
— M . D . : A medical degree, or a graduate of an allopathic medical school.
— Medicaid : A joint federal and state program signed into law in 1965 that helps to cover health care costs for people with limited income.
— Medicare: A federal program to provide health care assistance for people older than 65, people with end-stage renal disease and people younger than 65 years old with certain disabilities.
[Learn what to ask yourself if you want to go to medical school.]
— Osteopathic: Students of schools of osteopathic medicine, in addition to a traditional medical education, also receive training in manipulation.
— Residency: Post-medical-school graduate training in a specific specialty; for example, pediatrics, general surgery and radiology.
— Resident: A physician in postgraduate medical training.
— Rotation: A time period for an inpatient learning experience in the third and fourth year of medical school.
— Secondary applications: An additional application, sent by individual medical schools. Some schools screen initial AMCAS applications and decide which applicants will receive a secondary application. The additional information required may include an essay or essays and other documentation.
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A Glossary for Medical School Applicants originally appeared on usnews.com
