AMSA ARC and Sac State Medical School Visits: A Narrative

On March 23 and 24, 2005, students from ARC and Sac State visited two distinguished Northern California medical schools: Stanford and UCSF. The following is a narrative written by Travis Brown and Aubrey Winn, two attendants of these field trips, colorfully describing both events.

It was 4:45am. While most college kids on their Spring Break were still snoozing, a group of yawning AMSA members gathered in the parking lot of American River College. The Sac State and ARC AMSA groups chose to take their future careers into consideration by going on two medical school trips that would prove to be very beneficial. The plan was as follows: two days to see two medical schools. These trips provided us with a unique opportunity that we may not have experienced had we not been involved with AMSA. This occasion was especially helpful for those of us who do not have accessible medical school information from pre-health advisors. On Wednesday, March 25th, the groups visited UCSF Medical School. The next day, we saw the renowned Stanford University Medical School.

Walking into the UCSF medical building on our first day, the group stopped to admire pictures of past medical school chancellors. We eagerly waited to experience a day in the life of a medical student at UCSF. The group became familiarized with the learning environment of the first year students by sitting in on a couple of lectures and a small group session. The first lecture included extensive information about colorectal cancer (CRC) and its underlying genetic themes. Additionally, the lecturer described in detail how to diagnose HNPCC and FAP cancers. We observed that the lecture room was fairly large and in amphitheatre style. Looking around the room, we saw binders five inches thick and laptops with images of colorectal cancer. We hypothesized that the entire first year medical class was in the room, which later proved to be true. We noted that the class was comprised of about half men and half women with various ethnicities represented. Another observation: probably 85% of the students had some kind of coffee in hand! At the conclusion of the lecture, the class gave an enthusiastic round of applause to the lecturer.

Prior to the next lecture, our groups were offered a warm welcome by the medical students. Some of them spent time to ask us where we were from and about our goals in medicine. Soon afterwards, the next lecture began and we were bombarded with words like prophylactic oophrectomy and descriptions of the BRCA-1 gene. A woman named Beth Crawford, MS, CGC, was lecturing on breast and ovarian cancers. She was obviously very well informed, considering that fact that she was director of clinical services and operated the cancer risk center. Ms. Crawford discussed various complex gene mutations that increase the occurrence of many kinds of cancer, including breast, ovarian, prostate and possibly colorectal cancer. Another interesting topic she covered was the high occurrence of a gene mutation causing breast cancer in Ashkenazi Jews. The likelihood of the general population having this mutation is approximately one in five hundred, in contrast to the probability of an Ashkenazi Jew having it, which is one in every forty.

One of the most appealing features of the UCSF first year medical program is the small group discussion sessions immediately following morning lectures. The small group we attended was led by a female physician who empathized with the complaining students as they expressed their frustrations with the fast pace of the lectures. For the first fifteen minutes, they seemed to be very introspective and discussed the methods of lecture presentation that they believed would make it more beneficial. After that they proceeded to discuss the advantages and problems created by medical testing. We listened quietly over the next two hours while the small group of medical students asked questions about hypothetical situations given to them as homework. In the end, we left the small group session without feeling overwhelmed and noticed that each student seemed well prepared on their material. Medical school, we thought, really does seem feasible for those who put in the effort to be prepared.

Later in the day, we had the opportunity to visit more of the medical school. As we walked down a hallway, the classic smell of formaldehyde began searing our nostrils; we knew anatomy lab was right around the corner. Upon entering the room, we immediately saw the gorgeous view of San Francisco from the 13th floor of the medical school…then we noticed the cadavers. During the lab, we viewed specimens of prostate cancer and listened as doctors and anatomists presented the organ anatomy. We can see why UCSF is so hard to get into; the view from the anatomy lab is gorgeous!

Traveling back from San Francisco, the group was exhausted. Most of us fell sound asleep with the warm afternoon sun pouring through the windows. Though we were worn out, we were grateful for the opportunity to see the one of the top ten medical schools in the nation.

Less than twelve hours later, the AMSA group was at it again. This time, the destination was Stanford University. The group was giddy and excited to see the world-famous institution and wasted no time in arriving on time. In fact, we arrived an hour and a half early, so we stopped in Palo Alto for coffee and breakfast. Though the sites of Palo Alto were quaint, we were anxious to be moving along. We boarded the bus and headed for the medical school.

As we arrived on campus, we saw the famous Palm Avenue leading to the entrance of the picturesque university. We were greeted by a gentleman by the name of Fred Tovar. He described what our events for the day would be and introduced us to Ronald D. Garcia, PhD. Dr. Garcia enlightened us about the educational opportunities at the University. It was encouraging to hear some tips about undergraduate studies from a man on the admissions committee at Stanford.

After Dr. Garcia finished, we went inside one of the academic buildings nearby where we would be introduced to three currently enrolled medical students. Their names were Mike, Gabriel, and Melina. They each told us a little about themselves and offered useful advice about medical school. Their philosophies about school included taking time off to pursue other interests before applying to medical school. We found this information very interesting and unconventional, since the conventional idea is the “4-year undergrad” approach with medical school the very next year. They also described the medical school curriculum: the first year is basic sciences with the third quarter beginning the organ systems. Overall, this meeting was very informative for the group and provided many new ideas to aid in a successful career in medicine. We were privileged to have these students take time out of their spring break to spend with our groups.

Following this question-and-answer session, the group was split into three smaller units. Each of these followed one of the medical students. We followed Gabriel, or “Gabe”, as he liked to be called. He told us that he had never given a tour before and was very jovial about giving his first tour. We saw several unique buildings, one of which architecturally represented life and birth. This symbolism was accomplished through having transparent walls in the building so ideas could be “shared freely.” One of the most unique aspects of the building’s architecture was the fact that it was structured like the female reproductive system! We also saw their sparkling clean anatomy lab with several mounted skeletons for study. After that, we walked through the messy student lounge and realized that the college “cleanliness” exists everywhere, even at Stanford. After thanking Gabe for the tremendous tour, we headed back to have a final talk with Dr. Garcia.

Dr. Garcia left parting advice that was very beneficial to all that were present. He encouraged us to leave a legacy wherever we go. He also stated that we should get involved in the medical school that we wish to attend and make our name and face known. With this great advice in our minds, we departed from Stanford Medical School, enlightened and excited. We ended our trip to Stanford University with a leisurely tour of the main campus. We explored the gargantuan bookstore and, of course, the food court! After a satisfying lunch, we made a quick stop to pick up some valuable information from the Stanford Student Resource center. We then headed back to the buses to begin our journey home.

As we left that day, we realized how valuable trips like these can be. The knowledge that the medical school trips were planned, coordinated, funded, and put on by AMSA members gave each of us a sense of accomplishment and pride in our clubs. It was nice to experience such friendly and welcoming atmospheres at two of the top medical schools in the nation. All of the medical students we came in contact with were very helpful and accommodating, answering all of our questions. What they shared truly made us feel that we could someday be eligible for admission to either of these medical schools. Seeing and experiencing what could become our future in medicine was invaluable and will always be appreciated.