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Alumni panel offers
career advice
OU-COM graduates
meet new students,
tout Careers in
Medicine program
| From left, Douglas Stanley, D.O. (’82); Barbara Bennett, D.O. (’84); and Christopher Loyke, D.O. (’88) Sharon VanNostran, D.O. (’98) |
By Richard Heck
Aug. 21, 2009
Don’t be too hasty
in making a
specialty decision,
and take advantage
of the new Careers
in Medicine program,
a panel of
distinguished
OU-COM alumni told
first-year students.
“Think about what
you really like,”
said Sharon
VanNostran, D.O.
(’98), during
the August 14 panel
discussion, which
also included
Douglas Stanley,
D.O. (’82);
Barbara Bennett,
D.O. (’84); and
Christopher Loyke,
D.O. (’88).
Earlier this summer,
Loyke became
president of the
Ohio Osteopathic
Association after
Bennett’s term
ended.
VanNostran advised
students to utilize
OU-COM’s new Careers
in Medicine (CIM)
program, which
involves mentoring
and an interactive
web site that helps
students learn about
medical specialties
and assess their own
goals and values.
“You can learn a lot
about your
personality and what
you may like about
certain rotations
(with the program),”
she said.
The CIM program
connects students to
professional mentors
and encourages a
wide range of
experiences. Often
the “free” summer
between the first
and second years of
medical school can
prove useful, as
well as the year
following medical
school, said
VanNostran, who took
an extra year of
rotations to make
sure family medicine
was the field for
her. “Before, I
thought that I would
be a pediatrician,”
she said.
According to
Stanley, reactions
to clinical
rotations often
indicate a student’s
affinity for a
certain field. “The
rotation that
excites you—that
gets you up before
your alarm
clock—that’s the
field you should be
considering. If you
have to hit the
snooze button, then
it’s probably not
the one,” he said.
Stanley added that
when choosing a
specialty, students
shouldn’t make money
their primary
concern. “The
financial thing is a
small part of it. It
will fall in place,”
he said.
At the panel,
designed as a
question-and-answer
session about
osteopathic medical
education, students
inquired about
residencies and
other postgraduate
education
opportunities.
Bennett urged
students to consider
all aspects when
choosing a residency
program, including
lifestyle and
geographical
factors. She said
she chose family
medicine for its
variety. “I am
interested in
everything from
pediatrics to
internal medicine to
geriatrics,” she
said. “Family
medicine encompasses
all of that.”
Loyke advised
patience when
choosing a
specialty. “Most
people don’t make a
decision until
pretty late, and
even then they can
change their minds,”
he said, adding that
a strong network of
colleagues and peers
can help with the
decision-making.
“We’re here for
you,” Loyke said.
“At the CORE sites,
there are a lot of
OU-COM people,”
Bennett said. “They
would love to talk
to you. We are here
to help you—all of
our alumni are.”
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