Category Archives: Medical School

Newswise — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Physicians at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJ) and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) are among the first in the nation to offer a groundbreaking aortic valve replacement technique that provides new treatment options and hope for patients diagnosed with severe aortic valve disease who are suffering from end-stage heart disease.

The Cardiovascular Center of Excellence at RWJ was recently selected by Edwards Lifesciences to be one of the first sites in the nation to offer Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) since the procedure received FDA approval. It is the latest in cardiac treatment breakthroughs being offered by RWJ.

TAVR allows a multidisciplinary team of cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists and cardiac anesthesiologists at RWJUH and RWJMS to replace a patient’s diseased aortic valve without using traditional open-heart surgery and while the heart continues to beat, avoiding the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.

In performing the TAVR procedure, the valve is pinched to fit onto a catheter-based transfemoral delivery system, which is inserted into the body through a small cut in the patient’s groin area. Once delivered to the site of the patient's diseased valve, the replacement valve is expanded with a balloon and immediately functions in place of the patient's existing valve. Major surgical incisions are not required, which creates less stress on medically compromised patients and can lead to faster recovery times.

“This innovative technique provides a new option for patients who have been diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis and need valve replacement, but may be too high risk for open heart surgery,” explains Mark B. Anderson, Professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “TAVR can contribute to an enhanced quality of life for these patients, many of whom have no other options.”

RWJ and RWJMS anticipate making TAVR available to patients in early 2012.

For information about TAVR, please visit rwjuh.edu/TAVR or call 1-855-RWJ-TAVR.
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About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. RWJUH is the first hospital in the nation to implant the AbioCor self-contained artificial heart since the device received FDA approval in 2006. RWJUH is one of only three sites in the nation approved to offer this groundbreaking technology. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. RWJUH ranks among the best hospitals in America, according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2011 ranking of “America’s Best Hospitals.” It is the fifth consecutive year that RWJUH has achieved this prestigious ranking. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated RWJUH as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. RWJUH is also a four-time recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence. Visit us online at http://www.rwjuh.edu.

About Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region, and as one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,500 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs.

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Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and UMDNJ-RWJMS Among The First Nationally to Offer Groundbreaking Aortic ...

Applications for the Next Class of FAU’s New Medical School Doubles from Last Year to Nearly 3,000 for 64 Positions

Newswise — Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E.Schmidt College of Medicine recently closed its application process for the second round of admissions to its new medical school. The college has received nearly 3,000 applications from prospective students in Florida and throughout the country for 64 positions in its next class, doubling the number of applications received from the previous year for the inaugural class.

“Our new medical school has an incredible combination of advantages that we are able to provide to our current students as well as prospective students,” said Dr. David J. Bjorkman, M.D., M.S.P.H., the new dean of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “Our great faculty, a state-of-the-art facility, personal attention from having a smaller class size, and an innovative curriculum that gives them hands-on experience with patients very early in their training, are just some of the key benefits that are attracting students from all over the state and country who want to come here for our student-centered medical program.”

Demographics of the applicants show that 57 percent are Florida residents (nearly half of these applicants are from South Florida – Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties) and 43 percent are from out-of-state. Fifty-four percent are male and 46 percent are female. Qualified students from groups currently underrepresented in medicine are included in the applicant pool—21 percent are Asian/Asian Indian; 16 percent are Hispanic; and 13 percent are African/American.

“The near doubling of applications we have received this year is a testament to the popularity and desirability of the innovative educational program we have put in place at the College of Medicine,” said Robert Hinkley, Ph.D., associate dean for admissions in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “The academic credentials and personal accomplishments of the members of our first class admitted in 2011 were competitive with those of classes admitted to older, more established medical schools and our second class promises to exceed our first class.”

One of America’s newest medical schools, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU welcomed its inaugural class of 64 students in August 2011. The college has developed a new and innovative curriculum, which features early and continuous community-based clinical experiences and problem-based learning with emphasis on small-group and self-directed learning. The curriculum includes a student-centered and patient-focused approach and clinical experiences with local physicians, health departments and hospitals, and a state-of-the-art simulation center. A key component of the innovative curriculum is early exposure to patients and the actual practice of medicine. To that end, the college has established relationships with several prominent area hospitals that are serving as sites for clerkships, hospital-based electives and residencies. During clinical trainings, students have the opportunity to work side-by-side with physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, applying knowledge learned from the first two years of study to real-life situations.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu.

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FAU Receives 3,000 Applications for 64 Positions in New Medical School

By Scott Travis February 13, 2012 03:07 PM

If student interest is any indication, Florida Atlantic University’s new medical school won’t suffer a sophomore slump.

FAU’s College of Medicine opened on FAU’s Boca Raton campus this August, and received an impressive 1,500 applications for 64 slots. This year, applications have doubled to nearly 3,000 for the same number of seats.

The increase is a “testament to the popularity and desirability of the innovative educational program we have put in place at the College of Medicine,” said Robert Hinkley associate dean for admissions for the medical school. “The academic credentials and personal accomplishments of the members of our first class admitted in 2011 were competitive with those of classes admitted to older, more established medical schools and our second class promises to exceed our first class.”

FAU also boasts a diverse pool of applicants, with 43 percent from out of state, 46 percent are women, 21 percent Asian, 16 percent Hispanic and 13 percent black.

The medical school has a partnership with The Scripps Research Institute, allowing some students the chance to pursue a PhD from the Scripps Kellogg School of Science at the same time they’re working on their medical degree.

Medical education has greatly expanded in Florida in the past few years, with Florida International University and the University of Central Florida both opening medical schools in 2009. The University of Miami has expanded its medical offerings in recent years. And a for-profit college called Palm Beach Medical College hopes to open in the next few years.

Based on FAU’s applications, it looks like there’s plenty of room for more expansion.

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FAU med school gets 3,000 applications for 64 spots

Community colleges can be stepping stones for students interested in a variety of fields, including aspiring medical students. However, as a premedical student, your primary concern should be to learn and understand the information and principles reinforced in the premedical requirements, while strategically positioning yourself to stand out to medical school admissions committees.

Many students have asked if and how transferring from a community college to a four-year institution will impact how the admissions committee will view them. There is no single answer to this question, but we will address it from a few angles, so you can think about how it relates to your situation, and hopefully help make the right decision for you.

[Learn how to select undergraduate premed coursework.]

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who becomes a doctor knew since kindergarten that they were destined for medical school. In fact, some of the most passionate and interesting applicants are late bloomers who did not succeed in high school. And for many of them, community college was their best (or only) choice.

Admissions committees are interested in determining if candidates are academically and emotionally prepared to succeed in the rigorous preclinical curriculum and if they have the maturity and interpersonal skills required of a caring, empathic physician. If an applicant begins his or her undergraduate education at a community college, excels academically, transfers to a four-year institution, and continues an upward trend by maintaining an excellent GPA, scoring well on the MCAT, and demonstrating a proclivity toward patient care and research, their educational path can be seen as an asset.

However, if applicants are matriculated at four-year institutions but decide to take many of their premedical requirements at community colleges, because they feel that it will be easier, this may be viewed unfavorably and lead the committee to question the applicants' motivations and level of preparedness.

[Learn what to do differently when reapplying to med school.]

The prerequisite courses are the foundation that students build upon during the preclinical years of medical school. Consequently, these courses are often given more consideration during the admissions process. If the applicant does not appear to have a strong foundation, the committee is less likely to admit the applicant, especially given the competitiveness of the medical school admissions process.

One caveat: If you have successfully completed the majority of your requirements at a four-year institution, especially the general biology, chemistry, and organic chemistry requirements, you will not hurt your admissions prospects by taking a summer course or two at a community college. The take-home point here is that taking your most difficult and important courses (from a premedical perspective) at a community college, with the hopes of securing a better grade, is not recommended.

[Don't apply to medical school without a purpose.]

The way admissions committees view community college credits truly depends on the circumstances. If an applicant decides to take many premedical requirements at a community college because the courses might be easier, that applicant risks being viewed as less competitive. Conversely, an aspiring medical student can use the experience as a bridge to a four-year university. With continued academic success, a strong performance on the MCAT, as well as clinical and leadership experience, one can realize the dream of being accepted to medical school.

Mark D'Agostino, M.D., M.S., M.Sc. is a Brigade Surgeon in the United States Army. As a Marshall Scholar, he earned a master's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Nottingham Medical School, and a second master's in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics (LSE) and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). After graduating from Brown Medical School, he trained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

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How Medical Schools View Community College Credits

Public release date: 13-Feb-2012
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Contact: Stephanie Burns
sburns@bmjgroup.com
44-207-383-6920
BMJ-British Medical Journal

Wide variations in doctors' pass rates, for a professional exam that is essential for one type of specialty training, seem to be linked to the particular medical school where the student graduated, indicates research published online in Postgraduate Medical Journal.

The authors assessed the first time pass rate for doctors who had graduated from UK medical schools for both parts of the membership exam of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) between 1998 and 2008.

Membership is a prerequisite for doctors who want to complete specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology.

In all, 1335 doctors took Part 1 and 822 took Part 2 MRCOG during the study period. The researchers assessed the potential impact of medical school, gender, and overall academic (A level) performance of the university's students on the pass rate.

Their analysis revealed considerable variations in the pass rate, depending on the medical school the candidate had attended.

Doctors who had studied medicine at Oxford had the highest pass rate (82.5%+), followed by graduates from Cambridge (75%), Bristol (just under 60%), and Edinburgh (57.5%) for the Part 1 exam.

At the other end of the spectrum, graduates from Southampton (just under 22%), and Wales (18%) had the lowest pass rates.

For Part 2, graduates from Newcastle upon Tyne had the highest pass rate at just under 89%, followed by those from Oxford (82%+), Cambridge (81%), and Edinburgh (78%+).

Conversely, only around half of those from Glasgow (49%+) and just over a third of those from Leicester (36%+) passed the written exam.

Overall academic performance of the university's students was associated with the pass rate in Part 1, but not in Part 2, the findings showed.

There were no gender differences in the pass rate for Part 1, but women outshone men in Part 2, with around two thirds of them making the grade (65.5%+) compared with just over half (almost 53%) of the men.

But even after taking account of the gender difference, the variation among medical school pass rates still remained.

The authors caution that variations in the performance of candidates from different medical schools are likely to be attributable to several factors, so should not be considered the sole indicator of a medical school's excellence, or otherwise.

They point to other research showing variations in medical school performance for the membership exams of the Royal Colleges of General Practitioners and Physicians, and the fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

And they highlight the various reforms to UK undergraduate medical education that have taken place over the past two decades.

"Undergraduate and postgraduate medical education are now considered as a continuum in the training of a specialist in all fields of medicine," they write, but "little consideration is given to the effect that changes in style of learning, the curriculum and objectives of undergraduate education might have on postgraduate performance."

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Medical school link to wide variations in pass rate for specialist exam

Mercer University and the two major hospitals in Columbus are expected to unveil plans this morning for a physician training program that could have far-reaching impact on local health care.

Macon, Ga.-based Mercer, Columbus Regional Healthcare System and St. Francis Hospital are scheduled to make their announcement at the Main Library on Macon Road, with officials laying out the details of the program, which is likely to include a two-year medical school for doctors.

“We’re looking forward to being in Columbus in the morning to make an announcement about a medical education partnership between our School of Medicine and The Medical Center and St. Francis,” Mercer Chief of Staff Larry Brumley said Thursday.

He declined to go into specifics about the plan, although Mercer and the two hospitals have been negotiating more than a year the possibility and logistics of setting up a third- and fourth-year physician training program that could eventually lead to a four-year school.

“Tomorrow we’re going to be announcing the results of all those discussions,” Brumley said.

Columbus is the largest metropolitan area in Georgia that doesn’t have a medical school of some form, Mercer President Bill Underwood said in a previous Ledger-Enquirer interview. The basic goal is to train more doctors and create a bond with them in hopes they will remain in the state, which is experiencing a critical physician shortage as the population ages and health care reform unfolds nationally.

“I think Georgia today is 40th in the nation per capita in physicians and we’re losing ground,” Underwood said previously. “So there certainly was a need for more physicians. And from the hospital’s perspective I think it’s generally accepted that academic medical centers can enhance the quality of patient care in a community.”

For the Columbus heath care sector, the ultimate goal would be to evolve into a four-year medical school with its own bricks-and-mortar campus. The first two years of a physicians’ education is primarily classroom, while training and work in hospitals such as The Medical Center and St. Francis takes place in the third and fourth years.

That’s what happened in late 2008, when Mercer and Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga., created an affiliation for a four-year program. For more than a decade prior, the school featured a two-year clinical rotation program.

Mercer School of Medicine has graduated more than 1,000 physicians since its founding in 1982, with nearly 70 percent of them remaining in Georgia.

Under the two-year medical school scenario, classroom studies for future doctors would take place at Mercer’s main campus in Macon. The students would then move here for their third and fourth years of clinical work, which features interaction with actual patients.

Columbus Regional and St. Francis traditionally have been competitors in the Columbus area, which has developed into a regional health-care hub. St. Francis is well known for its cardiology treatment and care, while Columbus Regional owns Doctors Hospital and The Medical Center. Its specialties include a regional trauma center, high-risk infant care and cancer treatment.

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Mercer medical school to unveil area ‘partnership’ with Columbus Regional, St. Francis