{"id":16696,"date":"2025-05-27T11:03:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T15:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/?page_id=16696"},"modified":"2025-06-30T09:23:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T13:23:54","slug":"medicine","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What does a Doctor do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Physicians support and manage the health care of people of all ages. They take medical histories, perform physical examinations, conduct diagnostic tests, recommend and provide treatment, conduct research, and advise patients on their overall health and well-being – Association of American Medical Colleges<\/a> (AAMC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing This Field<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When figuring out if this profession is right for you, make sure to look at various resources to inform you about careers in medicine, engage in self reflection regularly, and seek out clinical and service experiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Join the URI Pre-Health Community!<\/h2>

Complete our Handshake survey to be added to our newsletter and Brightspace resource page, Pre-Health Connect.
<\/p><\/div><\/div>

add me to the newsletter!<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has a variety of resources to help prospective pre-medical students explore the field, including: Ask the Experts: Exploring Medical Careers<\/a>, the Ask a Medical Student Video Series<\/a>, and Ask the Experts: Preparing for Medical School as an Undergraduate<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To explore similar resources in osteopathic medicine, explore the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine\u2019s (AACOM) page Preparing for DO School<\/a> and the Choose DO Explorer pages Qualities of a Successful DO Student<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our office also encourages you to explore the AAMC\u2019s What Can I Do With My Degree<\/a> page. There are opportunities to translate a medical school degree into research<\/a>, teaching, business, leadership, advocacy, journalism and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also learn more on the American Medical Association<\/a>\u2018s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the difference between MD (Allopathic) and DO (Osteopathic) medicine?<\/strong>
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Allopathic and osteopathic medicine are very similar to one another, both in terms of preparation and practice. The main difference between the two is that osteopathic students will receive additional training about the musculoskeletal system and the Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT), a hands-on diagnosis and treatment method. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See this graphic<\/a> from the AAMC to understand the differences and similarities. DO programs also offer more of a focus on preventative care and reducing the amount of pharmaceutical intervention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical students in DO programs have the same amount of opportunity to pursue clinical specialties and residencies as their MD counterparts. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about osteopathic medicine, explore the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine<\/a>\u2018s (AACOM) website. AACOM\u2019s Choose DO Explorer<\/a> site also has a host of resources for learning about the DO schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can I prepare for MD or DO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no required major<\/strong> for pre-medical students\u2014students are welcome to explore their major options<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a student completing an undergraduate degree, you will need to complete the necessary prerequisite course requirements<\/strong> for admittance to medical school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See below for a list of prerequisites and suggestions on experiential learning:<\/p>\n\n\nMedical School prerequisites<\/a>\n\n\n

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In addition to undergraduate preparation, both MD and DO applicant are required to take the Medical College Admission Test<\/a> (MCAT), a seven-and-a-half hour exam that tests on understanding of foundational concepts and big ideas from science and social science coursework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applicants are also expected to have accumulated experience caring for patients through clinical hours (direct patient care and shadowing experiences) and service hours (community service and volunteer work). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure to explore the AAMC\u2019s resources for gaining experience and exposure<\/a> to the medical profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical training is a seven to ten year commitment. Medical school requires four year of study and residency\/specialty training can range from three to eight years. Medical students will also need to pass a board exam known as the United States Medical Licensing Exam<\/a> (USMLE) for MD students and the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination<\/a> (COMLEX) for DO students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For information on the application process to MD schools, visit the AAMC\u2019s page Applying to Medical School with AMCAS<\/a>. For information on the application process to DO schools, visit the AACOM\u2019s page AACOMAS Applicant Help Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find a Program<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To find MD schools, explore the AAMC\u2019s Participating Medical Schools Directory<\/a> and consider purchasing a subscription to the Medical School Admission Requirements<\/a> (MSAR) tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find DO schools, explore the AACOM\u2019s U.S. Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Directory<\/a> and the free Choose DO Explorer<\/a> tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brown University \nEarly Identification Program (BEIP)<\/h1>

For applicants that have a passion for providing primary care for Rhode Island residents.<\/p>Brown Early Identification Program<\/a><\/div><\/div>

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What does a Doctor do? Physicians support and manage the health care of people of all ages. They take medical histories, perform physical examinations, conduct diagnostic tests, recommend and provide treatment, conduct research, and advise patients on their overall health and well-being – Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Choosing This Field When figuring out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5258,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-16696","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5258"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16696"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17101,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16696\/revisions\/17101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/prehealth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}