When Alexander Ball started medical school at Stanford University a few years ago, he wasn’t sure what type of health career he wanted to pursue.
“Coming into medical school, I wasn’t necessarily set on one particular path,” says Ball, who’s now a third-year student.
He got some direction after completing a scholarly concentration from the summer after his first year through his second year in school.
Scholarly concentrations, a requirement of medical school students at Stanford who aren’t pursuing a dual degree, allow students to specialize in an aspect of medicine while also juggling standard classes and extracurricular activities. Ball’s concentration was in clinical research. He analyzed data and assessed the quality of life for children with moyamoya disease, which causes strokes.
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The experience allowed him to get up close and personal with patients who have this illness.
“I think having that experience of research has helped me figure out the kind of work I want to do as a physician,” he says.
Concentrations can vary from school to school, ranging from bioinformatics and aging to ethics and medical education. Medical school experts say they are a great way to allow students who want to do research to get that experience. In schools that require students to complete a concentration, it can help students who wouldn’t naturally gravitate to research discover a new interest.
“There always were a set of students who wouldn’t find their way into research projects and who wouldn’t end up doing scholarly activity if they didn’t get a bit of a nudge to do that,” says Laurence Baker, a professor of health research and policy and director of the scholarly concentration programs at Stanford’s medical school.
Not all medical schools offer concentrations, but those that do usually allow students to select their concentration after they’ve enrolled and have had a few months to weigh their options.
At Brown University’s Alpert Medical School, first-year students who want to pursue a concentration have much of the school year to explore their options.
“We introduce the program itself at orientation, and then throughout fall semester we allow various concentration area directors to introduce the concentrations to any student that’s interested,” says Thais Mather, associate director of preclinical curriculum and director of the scholarly concentrations program at Alpert Medical School.
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Between fall and spring, “the students are encouraged to find a mentor, discuss projects, a concentration area of interest. When they do find a mentor and an area of interest, they write a formal research application, describing an independent project under the guidance of a mentor,” she says.
Alpert implemented concentrations in 2007. About 35 percent of Brown students participate in concentrations, says Richard Dollase, director of Alpert’s office of medical education. Students typically work on their concentrations through their last year of medial school.
At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, about 20 students graduate each year with a certificate for completing a concentration, says Joan Harvey, the medical school’s associate dean for student affairs. Each incoming class has around 150 students, she says.
Concentrations are offered in topics like global health, neuroscience and integrative medicine.
One benefit to having a concentration is that it allows medical students to build relationships with school leaders, Harvey says.
“They get involved with the faculty mentors in that area, and they get to know them really well,” she says. “They have role models to work with.”
Concentrations can also help students who are pursuing job and training opportunities after medical school, experts say.
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Baker, from Stanford, says the concentrations have given students something to talk about during residency interviews. Concentrations also show that students can pursue an area of medicine or health care in an in-depth way, says Harvey.
Ball, the student from Stanford, says that it can be challenging to find the time to balance concentration requirements with other school work, but you learn to make room for it all.
He encourages medical school applicants to consider schools with concentrations because they may offer career opportunities that they won’t have later in life.
“I think it’s really hard after medical school to create time to do research and explore other aspects of medicine,” he says.
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Concentrations Give Medical School Students Expanded Research Opportunities originally appeared on usnews.com
