New Undergraduate Medical Sciences Major Approved for COM

The College of Medicine will offer its first undergraduate major, a bachelor of science in medical sciences, beginning in the fall semester of 2015.

Forty students have been accepted to study the major, which will require 120 credits to complete and have a strong experiential learning component made possible through shadowing and research opportunities at the college, says Anil Menon, PhD, director of the undergraduate program in biomedical sciences and medicine and professor of molecular genetics.

The first year begins with a traditional foundation in biology, chemistry, calculus, statistics, English composition and general education courses. Unique features of the major include students conducting undergraduate research and participating in clinical experiences and service learning project at UC Medical Center and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Each student in the bachelor of medical sciences program will be paired with a medical student and a faculty member for mentoring and guidance. The undergraduate major's experiential learning component was piloted this past year when the college started a minor in medical sciences for undergrads, says Menon.

Graduates with a degree in medical sciences will be trained for medical school or advanced degrees in the sciences. They will also be trained to enter careers in the allied health sciences, pharmacy and dentistry or in medical laboratories.

"We have a large number of faculty and mentors that have been involved in this effort to build a medical sciences major," says Menon, who worked with a faculty-staff advisory board at UC that includes members of the College of Medicine along with administrative support from west campus.

Gisela Escoe, PhD, vice provost for undergraduate affairs at UC, says developing the new major has been a team effort.

"Faculty from the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences collaborated with COM faculty to identify a blend of courses that included a strong science foundation and more career specific courses from COM,” says Escoe. "The team also included faculty and administrative leaders from other colleges, from UC Forward, from the enrollment management, the provost’s office and from the pre-professional advising office. As a result, this is a very carefully constructed major that is truly designed to meet student needs and interests.”

Menon says a key goal in undergraduate education is to help 18- to 20-year-olds determine their place in the world.  He says students are trying to "find their best self.”

"There is a lot of education psychology research that says the best way to do that is to find it through experience,” says Menon. "If you think you like engineering, you should try a little engineering. If you think you like medicine, you should try a little medicine.

"Traditionally, there have not been opportunities to try a little medicine before they go into medical school. They do their undergraduate and then they just kind of jump into medical school and they are overwhelmed.
"We are developing programs which allow students to take little doses of medicine by allowing them to work in hospitals," adds Menon. "We have a service component so students can work in hospitals, homeless shelters and with indigent populations because the human aspect is very important.

"The second capstone is medical research, and between the College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s we have some of the best research labs in the world and students get to do research there. These are two very important components.

"Every student that enters is paired with a medical student buddy," says Menon, explaining that there will be one medical student mentor for every two undergraduates. "We call this near peer mentoring, and this is a concept that is gaining momentum in the nation. It’s been shown that near peer learning is a huge amount of value in addition to traditional teaching.”

The medical sciences major will be a very competitive program, with the College of Medicine recruiting its incoming class from major population centers throughout the country.

High school performance, standardized test scores and student portfolios matter, but student backgrounds and the potential for success are also important determinants for admission into the program.

"The world is not exactly what it seems," says Menon. "There are diamonds in the rough that look like lumps of coal, but in that hour of truth they are diamonds. Many people were not born with that polish.

"This is not just about students who get the best education before coming to college. It's important to build programs where we also reward the greatest distance traveled for a young person. Maybe this student didn't get all the AP credits because they were in the wrong school.  We want those kids, too, and can consider more than just an ACT score."

It is an important preparation program for medical school students, however, the medical sciences major isn’t the only pathway UC offers to medical school.

"There are many excellent programs at UC that prepare students for medical school," says Menon.  "The university caters to all different kinds of students at many different levels. We are but one pathway toward medical school through medical sciences.”

Escoe agrees with those sentiments.

"As a top 25 comprehensive public research institution with a vibrant medical school, UC offers many pathways—including majors, certificates and minors as well as courses, and experiential learning opportunities that are ideal for students interested in becoming a physician or other health professional,” she says. "This major is unique in it is built to include ongoing interactions   with medical school faculty and curriculum and research opportunities that anticipate the medical school experience.”