The Useless Class

Check out this great article by Katherine Brooks in Psychology Today!

Society of Multicultural Medicine

First general meeting of the spring semester

Tuesday, January 31^st @ 7:00 PM at Clark 107.  

Come learn about our upcoming lecture series concerning global health and cross cultural medicine 

as well as many opportunities for pre-health students.

  Marco & Luca DUMPLINGS will be provided!!!

"Changing the World One Adventure at a Time"

Do you want to experience field clinical work firsthand in villages of Costa Rica, Panama, Tanzania, or Cancun? Interested in Dentistry, Public Health, Nursing, Pediatric or Prenatal Care? Travel to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Tanzania, or Cancun, Mexico  for 1-2 weeks over spring or summer break setting up medical clinics in underprivileged villages with fellow UVA students! Email isl.at.uva@gmail.com with questions and dates for the next interest meeting.

VCU Summer Academic Enrichment Program

The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health Sciences and Health Carreers Pipeline is excited to announce a new, six week, interdisciplinary program, Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP), for upper level undergraduate students. Students will apply to one of four tracks:
1- Dentistry (RAMpS)
2- Medicine
3- Pharmacy
4- Physical Therapy 
The program places a strong emphasis on enhancing the academic preparation of students approaching the application process. Upon completion of SAEP, participants will have the tools that will help them to assess their strengths and weaknesses in regards to successful application and matriculation into a health professions school.
The application deadline is March 1, 2012. SAEP will take place on the VCU Medical College of Virginia Campus from May 29, 2012- July 6, 2012. Please visit us online for more information, as well as the online application. Questions can be sent to pipelineapp@vcu.edu or 804-827-0982.

34th Annual Multicultural Recruitment Day Conference

The 34th Annual Multicultural Day Conference entitled "Medical School: Challenges and Opportunities", sponsored by the Office of Diversity at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, will take place on Saturday, March 24, 2012 from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. Students interested in applying to medical school will have an opportunity to learn firsthand about preparing, applying, and attending medical school. Each year, we have over 300 students in attendance. Admission to the conference is free and a continental breakfast will be provided.

Registration for this conference is available online and must be completed by March 12, 2012.

Hospice of the Piedmont Volunteer Training

It's time to prepare for Hospice Volunteer Training! The next series of classes is scheduled for May 7, 9, 14, 16, and 21, 2012 on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:30- 9:00 PM, and final class on September 20, 2012 5:30-7:30 PM.

Those who desire to wok in the hospice office and not visit patients are required to attend the first topic of the training only.

Visit our website for additional information

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Pediatric Cardiologist Speaker!

Come hear Dr. Tracey Hoke speak about her life as a pediatric cardiologist and her pathway to getting there! Come to the Women in Medicine Initiatives meeting on Thursday, February 2nd at 7 pm in CHEM  305. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome!

Pre-Optometry Club

Pre-Optometry Club 1st General Meeting

The newly founded Pre-Opt Club will be hosting its first General meeting of the year!
Please join us to learn more about the club and opportunities you can be involved in on Grounds and the Charlottesville community.

When: Tuesday, Jan. 31st
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Clark 101

Contact: Maera A. (maa3t) & Matt A. (mha8hf) for any questions.

Pre-Optometry Club - SUNY Recruiter

The Pre-Optometry Club will be hosting a recruiter from State University College of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry.
Come and learn more about optometry and their program on:

Wednesday, Feb. 15
3pm
Location: Newcomb Commonwealth Room

If you are attending, please email both Maera A.(maa3t) & Matt. A(mha8hf) by Feb. 13 for more details.

Medical Mission to Nicaragua

Interested in helping to shape the curriculum and goals of a Burn Care Prevention and Education medical mission to Nicaragua? The U.Va Physicians for Peace Student Chapter is leading efforts to develop the first Physicians for Peace undergraduate medical mission. Fill out this brief survey to express your interest and learn more!

https://docs.google.com/a/virginia.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dG95V0tMamtEZWFWZXR5b1dhRUQwV0E6MQ

An Open Letter From the AAMC to MCAT Examinees

Dear Advisors,

As your students prepare for their 2012 MCAT exams, please have them take a moment to review this important letter about the security of the MCAT and the safeguards that AAMC puts in place to protect against cheating and other compromises of the exam. These safeguards and the actions AAMC takes against examinees who compromise the exam are necessary to safeguard the public’s trust in the medical profession, to protect the examination process, and to ensure fairness to the overwhelming majority of examinees who follow the MCAT exam rules. Please remind them to read this letter before taking the exam.

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/272140/data/mcatexamineeagreementletter.pdf

Sincerely,

MCAT Program Office

Recreational Therapy

Want patient care experience? Volunteer in the community with different mentally and physically disabled residents of Charlottesville through Madison House's Recreational Therapy! Volunteers get to provide specialized recreation, rehabilitation, and companionship to people in various local agencies. Learn more and sign up at http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~madison/recreationaltherapy/index.php . 

It's Baldrick's Season

It's Baldrick's Season.

On March 24th, 2011, 121 UVA students, faculty, and community members shaved their heads in honor of children with cancer at Boylan Heights. The event raised over $100,000 for children's cancer research, and St. Baldrick's gave two grants to the UVA Health System this year! 

The St. Baldrick's Foundation is the #1 provider of research grants for children's cancer prevention and treatment in the country, which depend entirely on private donations and volunteer fundraising events like ours.

This year's St. Baldrick's event will be MARCH 22nd at THE BACKYARD in Charlottesville.

Our event page is live and active, join us now! http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/1603/2012

If you want to keep updated on fundraisers like bar nights and bake sales, join our listserv here: https://lists.virginia.edu/sympa/info/stbaldricks2012

This is your chance...there will never be a better time to advance treatment and find a cure.

BE BRAVE.  GO BALD.

U.Va Spring Job and Internship Fair

As the largest spring semester career fair at the University, the Spring Job and Internship Fair, hosted by University Career Services, seeks to provide students with the opportunity to explore internship AND full-time job opportunities.  There will be more than 100 organizations attending this two-day fair and we encourage ALL students to come out and explore the opportunities available to them.  

Spring Job and Internship Fair

Wed. & Thurs., February 1-2, 2012

10:00am-3:00pm

Newcomb Hall, 3^rd Floor

http://www.career.virginia.edu/students/events/sjif.php

Students can research the different organizations by utilizing several key search parameters:

·         Class Level Recruited (1^st Year, 2^nd Year, etc.)

·         Majors Recruited

·         Industry

·         Day Attending

·         Positions Recruited (Full-time, Part-time, Internship, etc.)

Please direct students here to research organizations: https://virginia-csm.symplicity.com/events/students.php?cf=SJIF12

The Spring Job and Internship Fair is generously sponsored SAIC-Science Applications International Corporation (http://www.saic.com/) and WillowTree Apps (http://www.willowtreeapps.com/).

Health Professions Spotlight- Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapist (OT)

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is a client-centered health profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate successfully in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists (OTs) achieve this outcome by enabling people to do things that will enhance their ability to live meaningful lives or by modifying the environment to better support participation.

What is the role of an Occupational Therapist?

Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include 

• an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals, 
• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

What are the educational requirements for becoming an Occupational Therapist?

One must have completed a bachelor’s degree and then go on to earn a master's degree or a more advanced degree in occupational therapy to work as an occupational therapist. Examples of what other students have majored in at the undergraduate level include biology, kinesiology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and anatomy. It is important that you contact accredited OT programs to which you are interested in applying and make sure you have taken the necessary prerequisites for admission into their programs. In order to be eligible to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination, one must graduate from an ACOTE (Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education) -accredited program.

What is an Occupational Therapist’s Typical Salary?

The median expected salary for a typical Occupational Therapist in the United States is $73,473. This basic market pricing report was prepared using certified compensation professionals' analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies.

Where can I learn more information?

-          Visit the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy website for more information about the OTR/COTA Certifying Exam

-          Visit the American Occupational Therapy Association website for more information regarding accredited programs, jobs in occupational therapy, and more specific OT information.   

-          Visit the World Federation of Occupational Therapists website to learn more about Occupational Therapy on a global scale. 

Resources Used Include:

-          healthcareers.about.com

-          nbcot.org

-          aota.org

-          wfot.org