Helping Disadvantaged Children Prepare to Become Doctors
Have you always dreamed of raising children that grow up to become doctors? Well, experts say you should start encouraging them to learn about the world of medicine at the age of seven. Let’s cover about the future doctors should start prepping as early as age 7.
As a parent, there are things you can do to start encouraging your child to practice medicine early on in life. Allow them to meet medical professionals and encourage conversations with their own pediatricians and other physicians.
Take them to visit universities that offer science workshops and practical medicine courses. Encourage them to take part in summer internship programs for teens and children each year.
The Medical Schools Council (UK) published this advice due to concerns about disadvantaged youngsters not taking part in such programs. They want to encourage those with disadvantaged backgrounds to work toward someday becoming practicing physicians.
Believe it or now, medicine is extremely popular in terms of career choices. Competition to get into medical school, land residencies, and find good jobs as doctors is fierce. Although medical schools work diligently to come up with admissions processes that are fair to everyone, there are still those who are at a disadvantage.
But there is still more work to do to ensure that the profession of medicine is a direct representative of the society and communities it serves. Changes are still being made to provide diverse learning environments for medical students in the US.
In the meantime, parents can do their part by making sure students get well-rounded educations. Students must start taking science courses, workshops, etc… as early as elementary and middle school years to compete with the more advantaged students fighting to get into medical schools.
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The Journey of Becoming a Doctor Start in Childhood
According to the Council’s report, your children should be starting their journeys toward becoming doctors during elementary school. They need to participate in courses, volunteer programs, extracurricular activities, and internships related to science and research and/or linked to the medical profession.
Some of these activities may include:
- University campus visits
- Medical roadshows
- Science and research workshops
- Demonstrations related to medicine
- Summer internship programs
Grooming your child to become a doctor should definitely begin at an early age… seven is the age recommended by the Council. This won’t guarantee your child gets accepted into medical school or even chooses a career as a physician.
However, if your child’s calling is to become a doctor someday, why not start nurturing the process now, while the minor is still in elementary school? That way, they start to learn the critical skills needed to succeed in med school.
They also get a head-start on acquiring the research and science knowledge needed to successfully complete medical school and residencies. And that’s important in a field where they’ll be competing for the best clinical placements, residencies, internships, and jobs.
Prepare Your Child for the MCAT
Your child must submit an MCAT score when submitting medical school applications. The higher the score, the better the chance of beating out the competition for a spot at a quality institution.
Ensure your child is prepared to get a good score on the MCAT with quality test prep services. MedSmarter specializes in MCAT prep courses designed to help your child on the journey of becoming a doctor.
MedSmarter’s MCAT review refreshes minds when it comes to science and research. Learn what it takes to score high on the MCAT on the MedSmarter Suwanee, GA campus or live online. Click the button below for more details.
