by Kirsten Brown
Around this time of year,
medical school looms as a daunting prospect to premed students
finishing their undergraduate schooling. For some premed
students about to drop the “pre” portion of their title,
anxiety abounds over unfamiliar territory and complicated
admissions procedures.
PreCOM Day is one answer to
their worries.
The Office of Student Affairs
and the Office of Admissions have put together a new experience
called PreCOM, an OU-COM version of the university’s Pre-College
Orientation. This orientation day helps potential students and
their families acclimate to OU-COM and the Athens community,
says Jill Harman, associate director of admissions.
The event includes a spectrum of
preparatory activities for students and their families. The
event officially commences 9 a.m. with the dean’s welcome, but a
continental breakfast and check-in begins at 8 a.m.
Although soon-to-be med students
are strongly urged to attend the March 4 event, those who cannot
attend may attend a second PreCOM day on May 20.
“This is for people who either
couldn’t make it or didn’t have chance to be invited,” Harman
says. “We’ll still be admitting new students past the first
PreCOM date, of course, so they’ll be invited to the May 20
event. But we’re trying to get as many students as possible to
attend the March 4 date because of some important financial aid
deadlines we have coming up.”
Of course, no orientation
would be complete without ice breakers.
“There will be some activities
to help the new students bond as a class,” Harman says. “They’ll
get to know each other a little bit and get a feel for the
curricula.”
As another portion of the event,
the future doctors will receive information on required
immunizations, tuberculosis screenings and blood titers.
Detailed discussions will also be held on topics ranging from
the school’s basic life support requirements to the annual White
Coat Ceremony.
A relaxing lunch will provide an
interlude for students and their families, spouses and
significant others. While lunching, new students will also be
introduced to their respective COMrades, who are second-year
students assigned to help them adjust to medical school life.
Another part of the day is
devoted to giving students their new Oak ids as well as to
helping them get accustomed to the school’s network. In the
Learning Resource Center, future students are trained to log
onto the network and how to use OU-COM’s Blackboard.
While students familiarize
themselves with the technological aspects of medical school,
their families and significant others will attend an informal
question-and-answer session with those who’ve already
experienced life with a mate in medical school.
“Participants will be talking
about what it will be like for families now that the student is
in medical school,” Harman says. “They’ll discuss what parents,
spouses and significant others can expect and how to handle the
limited amounts of time their future doctors will have
available.”
Then, students and families
reunite to finish the day around 3:30 p.m., after a talk about
financial aid and an information fair.
“We’ll wrap the day up and talk
about housing in the area, banking and becoming a part of the
Athens community,” Harman says. “They’ll also get a chance to
buy OU-COM gear.”
The collaborative effort between
student affairs and admissions was brought about by a need for a
solid introduction to medical school before the freshmen begin
the immersion program in August.
“Many students need to know
what’s behind the osteopathic approach when they first arrive
here, but others also come in without any exposure to gross
anatomy,” Harman explains. “Immersion meets those needs with
four days of gross anatomy coupled with an intense day of OMM.”
With the experiences offered by
immersion and PreCOM, first year students will be fully equipped
for their fall studies, Harman says.
“We’re getting them off on the
right foot early on, so that when they get here in August, all
they have to do is concentrate on learning.”
Overall, the speakers and
administrators behind PreCOM hope to make attendees feel
comfortable and welcome at their new campus.
“It’s mainly a chance for
everyone to get another look at the school and for their
families to come in,” Harman says. “Hopefully, it will also
encourage any undecided students to matriculate to our school in
August.”
