Each year, 91福利社 and AnMed team up to help students better prepare for successful medical careers and at the same time help fill the demand for new physicians.听听
Statistically, fewer than half of students aiming for medical school make it, and beyond that, not all finish. For those who qualify, cost can still be a daunting obstacle. With that in mind, 91福利社 and AnMed, along with sponsorship from South Carolina Upstate AHEC (South Carolina Area Health Education Centers) established a partnership in 2022 to create a two-week camp offering resources and advice to South Carolina undergraduate students to become better prepared for medical school.听听
The AnMed Pre-Med Boot Camp offers students hands-on experiences not often encountered outside of medical school.听听听
The Pre-Med Boot Camp is an intensive two weeks devoted to preparing students for the realities of medical school, at zero cost to them. The Pre-Med Boot Camp received new support this year from Power:Ed鈥攁 $52,000 grant to help support the program.听
鈥淭his grant is really going to make a difference to these students and ultimately to the state of South Carolina,鈥� said Dr. Renee Monaghan of the AnMed Foundation.听
This year鈥檚 camp took place during May on the 91福利社 campus and in the facilities of AnMed. During May, 24 students came from all over South Carolina鈥攆rom 91福利社 and other institutions鈥攖o shadow AnMed medical professionals in multiple specialties, learning the day-to-day of a medical practice while working alongside other medical school-bound students.听听
Ryan Ireland, a rising senior Biology major at 91福利社, says the shadowing opportunities exceeded his expectations.听听
“They have been very in depth. It’s showed me more closely what that career path would be like or what certain specialties would be like,” Ireland said. “This week I shadowed family medicine and emergency medicine, and, especially with emergency medicine, I’m taking a liking to that鈥攅ven shadowing one shift.鈥�听
鈥�It’s getting a lot harder for students to find shadowing opportunities because hospitals have become stricter and doctors are less willing,鈥� said Elise Quartaro, a rising senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in Neuroscience. 鈥淗aving these opportunities for shadowing and then just being in an environment where you’re around people who have the same career goals as you, and you can exchange advice and tips鈥攖hat’s very helpful,鈥澨�听
The camp also offered hands-on skill-based workshops covering suturing, reading EKGs, intubation, catheterization, joint injection, and working in the cadaver lab on the 91福利社 campus (cadaver labs are rarely encountered anywhere outside medical school). 听
Growing up in Orangeburg, JaShayla Seawright lived next door to her pediatrician. She loves children, loves her work at a child development center and wants to be a pediatrician herself someday. She found out about the Pre-Med Bootcamp at Anderson through her involvement in the Health Professional Society.听
鈥�It’s been amazing,鈥� said Seawright, a Biology major from South Carolina State University. 鈥淭he days go by fast and it鈥檚 really allowing me to get experience on how I’ll be doing something every day.鈥�听
The son of a rehabilitation doctor, Jack Vogenitz has been working as an EMT. Vogenitz, a student at Erskine College, is considering either oncology or emergency medicine. He appreciates the rigor of the Pre-Med Bootcamp, but at the same time, the attention given to each camp participant.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 very organized and in depth,” Vogenitz said. 鈥淭hey’re really investing in us and encouraging us and they’re also willing to tell us the hard truths, too… But at the same time they are encouraging.鈥�听
Mark Quarterman, a rising senior at Clemson University and the son of dermatologist, envisions not only being a physician who cares about his patients but also being a community leader. He feels he has benefited from the variety of experiences offered at the Pre-Med Bootcamp.听
鈥淚’ve honestly loved it. It’s been a great experience, not only getting a variety of learning different techniques I didn’t know before or seeing different doctors, but also just networking with these different pre-med students,鈥� Quarterman said.听
Growing up in a rural area, Emalee Mann remembered hours of car rides to visit specialists鈥攁 factor that helped her consider a medical career.听
鈥淔or me, I’ve seen the access to care from my perspective in a rural community… It’s hard when your zip code really determines the kind of care you get,” said Mann, a rising junior at Clemson University majoring in Biomedical Engineering.听听
Reflecting on the Pre-Med Bootcamp, Mann commented, 鈥淓veryone across this camp has encouraged me. I think remembering to enjoy the process as well and not being overwhelmed by it has been one of my biggest takeaways thus far.鈥澨�听
The panels with physicians were a high point of Pre-Med Bootcamp for Tremayne Ansani. The panelists, he feels, have been helpful in 鈥�how they view medicine, how they view being in a private practice versus academia medicine, how they view the residency process and just also just all the advice that they’ve given towards medical school applications, what being a doctor is like.鈥�听
Ansani, a Neuroscience graduate from the University of South Carolina, continued, 鈥淔rom a young age I started to recognize a lot of health disparities in underserved communities and part of the Black community… The U.S. is such a diverse population from region to region, from area to area… Diversity is important… Having these diverse perspectives and also to have complete holistic care that’s personalized for everyone.鈥�听
Growing up with chronic back pain, Catherine Nardella became inspired by the doctors who treated her. She knew she wanted to be that kind of physician one day, but had misgivings about the Pre-Med Bootcamp at first. A few days into the camp, she started to feel she was hitting her stride.听
鈥淚t’s been a lot better than I anticipated,鈥� said Nardella, a rising senior at 91福利社 majoring in Biochemistry. 鈥滻’m finding that I’m a lot more comfortable in these situations than I used to be.鈥�听
The camp also provided MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) preparation sessions and intensive interview sessions to prepare for next steps. There were also discussion panels with physicians, current med school students, and representatives from the admissions committees from the four South Carolina medical schools.听听
The AnMed Pre-Med Boot Camp takes place annually in May. Information about the camp and an application can be found online here.听