“ I Thought I Wanted to Be a Doctor – Now What Do I Do?”

1. “I Thought I Wanted to Be a Doctor – Now What Do I Do?” A discussion on broadening the horizons of students focused on pursuing a career in medicine by Marcia O’Connell, Chair Medical Careers Advisory Committee Antonino Scarpati, Assistant Dean, Nursing and Health & Exercise Science Patricia Van Hise, Assistant Dean, School of Science

2. AGENDA I. Introduction Institutional Context Shared Advising Philosophy and Models II. Individual Advising Approaches / Examples Marcia Marcia O’Connell - Pre-med students Pat Van Hise - Open option science students Antonino Scarpati - Nursing, health & exercise science students II. Q&A IV. Evaluation

3. The College of New Jersey Highly selective institution with national reputation as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the nation. Strong liberal arts core with seven schools— The Arts & Communication; Business; Humanities & Social Sciences; Education; Science; Nursing, Health, & Exercise Science; and Engineering. Proud of its public service mandate to educate leaders of New Jersey and the nation, the College will be a national exemplar in the education of those who seek to sustain and advance the communities in which they live. The College regards education in the service of human welfare as its chief end.

4. The College of New Jersey

5. TCNJ Advising Structure and Roles:All students with majors are assigned a faculty advisor in their academic departmentAll open option (undeclared) students are advised by the assistant dean in their school or the assistant provost for liberal learning (only students dismissed from majors) Academic advisors collaborate with other professional advising resources and departments, e.g. Center for Academic Success, Career Center, EOF, Student Affairs, etc.

6. Viewing Students Holistically and Ecologically

7. Academic Advising Model Goal: Successful and Fulfilling Life

8. The Advisor’s Balancing Act

9. Advising students focused on medical careers • Medical Careers Advisory Committee (MCAC) – Faculty advisors who assist students from all majors who are interested in medical careers • Challenge - How to assist and guide students who are: • Not yet ready • May never be ready • Change is coming……….2015 and beyond

10. Advising students focused on pursuing a career in medicine • The MCAC process: • Timeline (developmental process) • Committee decision-making (transparent process) • Reality check and… an opportunity for encouragement!

11. Advising students focused on pursuing a career in medicine • Guiding students who are not yet ready for medical school: • Take time before applying to medical school? (average age of entry, ~25!) • Consider all options (MD vs. DO, other health careers)?

12. Advising students focused on pursuing a career in medicine • Guiding students who may never be ready: • To be continued…………

13. Advising students focused on pursuing a • career in medicine • Change is coming……….2015 and beyond • Entering class of 2012 • Areas of expertise vs. courses (psychology, sociology, biochemistry) • “The Bridge Solution” • National Association for Advisors of the Pre-Health Professions (NAAHP) and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)

14. Students at a critical crossroad in their lives may be on the verge of crisis • Students Need: • Genuine concern • Reassurance • Understanding of the value of • liberal education

15. The Human Capital View “ …develop students’ capacity for lifelong development of the most enduring transferable skills and prepare students to continually reinvent themselves to compete and advance in the rapidly evolving workplace.” (Shaffer, 1997/2009; Shaffer & Zalewski, 2011 [pp.64-74])

16. Outcomes of a Liberal Education • Good communication skills • Enhanced critical thinking • Cross-disciplinary awareness • A sense of global citizenship A liberal education prepares a person to fill almost any post.

17. Persuading Students of the • Utility of Liberal Education • Ask “which of these would you not want to have?” • persuasive • well-rounded • charismatic • rational • analytical • adaptable • worldly-wise • (Rust,2011)

18. A Liberal Education Helps Students : • Identify and develop your unique talents • Understand the larger world, their place • in it, and how they can impact it • Learn how to become a life-long learners

19. Avenues to help students choose a major within liberal education • Ask the student to delve deeply. “Was this choice of major based on personal interest and skills or other reasons?” • Determine if the student has accurate and complete knowledge of the requirements of that major. (This is essential when a student seems to be making an uninformed decision about his/her major!)

20. There Is More than One Path to the Same Goal • Can the reasons for the choice of a particular major be achieved by aiming for a similar career? • For example, students often say that want to help people. What other careers in health care provide that opportunity? • “Careers in Health Care” booklet given to open option students at TCNJ.

21. Identifying Personal Priorities to Guide Career and Academic Decision-Making

22. Challenging Students to Expand Their Career and Academic Options

23. Challenging Students to Expand Their Career Options

24. Effective Advising Example Goal: Successful and Fulfilling Life

25. Remember this… P G E P

26. Remember this… Passion Good Enough Perseverance

27. Thank you!

28. Bibliography • Citations: • Shaffer, L. S., Zalewski, J. M. (2001) A human capital approach to career advising. NACADA Journal, 31(1); pp64-84 • Shaffer, L.S. (2009). A human capital approach to academic advising. NACADA Journal 29(1), 98-105.(Reprinted from NACADA Journal, 1997, 17[1], 5-12) • Rust, M.M. (2011) The utility of liberal education: concepts and arguments for use in academic advising. NACADA Journal 31(1);5-13 • URLs: • www.naahp.org • www.aamc.org • www.tcnj.edu/~biology/career/medadvisory.htm