Knowledge of the Profession 

It is your responsibility to become informed about health care professions. This will help you validate your medical interest and strengthen your conviction and motivation toward that direction. (It is also helpful during the interview). Your knowledge base can be shaped within the context of your academic and extracurricular activities. Medical schools look for evidence that applicants demonstrate a few key features about themselves to indicate some understanding of the medical profession as a career. Seek information on issues of ethics, health services, decision analysis, and philosophy. Read the latest on health care issues in the New York Times health section, Journal of the American Medical Association and other relevant journals. Review Principles of Biomedical Ethics 3rd ed. by Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress. N.Y.: Oxford University Press,1989.

Each fall, Western hosts a Health Career Programs Information Fair. This event offers a good opportunity to meet with representatives of schools offering a variety of programs of study in health to help you explore possible career alternatives.

If you would like to work with practicing physicians in the state of Washington, the Washington Academy of Family Physicians will give you the name of an interested, local family physician. Call 1-800-621-8424 for information. Contact the Pre-Healthcare Professions Advising office (OM 280M) if you are interested in a professional "shadow" match.