Table of Contents
Hippocrates Circle Mission Statement / ……... / 3Your Path to Becoming a Physician / ……... / 4
Student Success Manual / ……... / 8
Helpful tips for all around health / ……... / 10
Choosing Your Specialty / ……... / 12
Medical Glossary / ……... / 20
Resources / ……... / 22
Hippocrates Circle Team / ……... / 26
This resource booklet is made possible by the support from Southern California Kaiser Permanente Regional Direct Community Benefit Investment (DCBI Funds).
The Hippocrates Circle Program
Mission Statement
The Hippocrates Circle Program strives to provide 7th and 8th grade students from under-represented communities and diverse backgrounds with awareness that a physician career is possible. The program works through collaborations with local school districts, medical schools, and Kaiser Permanente’s own physicians and Community Benefit department. Hippocrates Circle aims to strengthen students’ self-esteem, encourage them to build healthy life habits, and empower them to pursue physician careers. Students selected for Hippocrates Circle will have the opportunity to interact with practicing physicians.
Your path to becoming a physician
Middle School:
- Attend all your classes ready to learn and participate in discussions.
- Practice good study habits.
- Strive to get good grades.
- Get involved in other activities such as music, dance, and sports and begin to volunteer in your community.
- Stay healthy, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep.
High School:
- Meet with your guidance counselor regularly to make sure you are taking the right classes for college admission.
- Keep up your grades to a B+ average and above (the higher the better)
- Develop good study habits, by taking time to review your notes from each day, set aside quite time at home to read, review class notes and work on school projects.
- It’s still important to stay healthy, develop outside interests and help your community – volunteer at a hospital.
- Get support from as many people in your family, teachers, leaders and friends – they all want to see you be successful.
- Attend college information nights, tour colleges with parents; obtain requirements from colleges you will be applying to.
College:
- Four years at a college or university to earn a Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) usually with a strong emphasis on basic sciences, such as biology, chemistry or physics. Some students may enter medical school with other majors (still need to have a lot of science courses.)
- Good academic performance – high grade point average – usually, between 3.5 and 4 on a 4-point scale.
- Get to know the nice people who work in the financial aid office, apply for scholarships, and find any way to help pay for college and medical school. There are many ways to pay for your education.
- In the back of your mind, you’re preparing for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
- Stay focused on your goal; continue good study habits, your hard work right now will pay off.
- Show interest in medicine, service, and leadership and develop good communication skills.
- Join a pre-med club on your college campus.
- Keep in touch with your support team (family, teachers, leaders, and friends.)
- Remember to meet all the deadlines for applications (medical school, MCAT, financial aid etc.)
- Pass the MCAT examination - you can take it more than once.
Medical School
- Four years at one of the United States medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
- Remember that there are many scholarships and loans you will want to take advantage of to help get you through medical school.
- After completing medical school, you earn a doctor of medicine degree (MD). You must complete more training before you can practice on your own.
Residency Program
- Enter into a residency program as a newly graduated MD.
- Specialty* training can be from three to seven years under the supervision of senior physician educators.
*See next section on Choosing a Specialty
Fellowship
- Additional training after residency in a subspecialty for doctors who want to be highly specialized.
License to Practice Medicine
- After completing undergraduate college, medical school and graduate medical education (residency), you still must get a license to practice medicine from the state or jurisdiction of the United States in which you are planning to practice.
- Apply for a permanent license after completing a series of exams and completed the minimum number of years of graduate medical education.
Congratulations! You’ve accomplished your dream.
Board Certification
- Voluntary certification, ensures that you, the doctor has been tested in your knowledge, skills and experience in a specialty and you are qualified to provide quality patient care in that specialty.
- Certification must be renewed after six to ten years.
Continuing Medical Education
- The learning process does not end; you will be required to receive continuing medical education (CME) credits each year.
- These CME credits need to be reported to a professional and/or hospital organization in order to keep up with your medical license.
STUDENT SUCCESS MANUAL
1. Prepare for exams, projects and assignments many days in advance.
2. When you are having difficulties with a class first seek help from the teacher and utilize a tutor if needed.
3. Always perform beyond what is normally expected of you, particularly in the more challenging courses. Do more problems, extra credit, reading, more research, and ask more questions until you have mastered the material at hand.
4. Make it one of your primary focuses to know what you will be tested on. Establish what the teacher emphasizes, their patterns, and priorities. Pretend that you are the teacher and pick out the material that will most likely be covered in the exam.
5. Consider joining study groups made up of motivated students as a good method to prepare for tests.
6. Get at least seven hours of sleep before a major exam.
7. Learn from your mistakes. Review and understand how and where you went wrong so that you do not repeat the same mistakes.
8. When studying for exams be absolutely clear about the material you know from what you don’t know. This will help you organize your study time.
9. Limit interruptions such as phone calls, TV, radio and music with lyrics during study time. It has been shown that listening to classical music while studying, enhances your memory and retention.
10. Be sure to involve your parents with the ups and downs of your efforts at school. Remember! They are on your side.
11. Take frequent breaks while doing you homework. This will aid your memory and keep you alert.
12. Take courses and invest in resources that will sharpen and improve your study skills. This will improve your reading comprehension and memory and can make a difference between getting an A or a B.
13. If at all possible, tutor students in the sciences and math either in your grade level or lower.
14. Remember! Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Helpful tips for all around health
1. You are what you eat. Try to eat 3 meals a day and eat healthy snacks. Consume less soda, candy, pastries, fast foods and high calorie snacks. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and salads. Drink water instead of diet soda and take more non fat dairy products.
2. Exercise regularly, a minimum of a combined 2 to 3 hours per week. You can swim, jog, walk your dog, bike, roller skate or work in your yard. If you don’t participate in organized sports, basketball, martial arts, and soccer are excellent cardiovascular activities.
3. Proper eating and sleeping habits and regular exercise will have a definite positive impact on school performance.
4. Read and educate yourself about proper dietary and physical fitness practices, because as a future Doctor you need to practice these things in our daily life and be a good example to your patients.
5. Develop the habit of becoming much better at listening to your parents and family. You will be amazed at what will happen.
6. Postpone dating until much later. It will interfere with your goals and family life. There is absolutely no need to rush into dating.
7. Pursue and nurture friendships with peers who share similar goals.
8. Develop other interest and hobbies outside of school. These may include playing a musical instrument, martial arts, volunteering in your community and expanding your knowledge about computers.
9. Self control, honesty, integrity, self discipline, respect for others and perseverance represent some of the most important values that if you treasure will surely help you to be successful as you pursue your goals beyond High School.
Choosing Your Specialty
You will have to select a specialty so that your residency training will focus on that medical specialty.
Training: is listed as the number of years that you will be in residency training.
Allergy & Immunology
Patients you will see: You’ll see patients with disorders of the immune system such as asthma, anaphylaxis, eczema and allergic reactions to drugs, foods, or insect stings.
Training: prior certification in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics, two years in allergy/immunology.
Anesthesiology
Patients you will see: You provide pain relief during an operation or diagnostic procedure. Helps manage pain for cancer patients or patients with very serious injuries. Prepare patients for surgery “putting patients to sleep.”
Training: Four years
Colon & Rectal Surgery
Patients you will see: Diagnose and treat diseases of the intestinal tract, colon, rectum, anal canal and other organs (liver, urinary and female reproductive system) when involved with an intestinal disease.
Training: Six years (including general surgery)
Dermatology
Patients you will see: You can treat pediatric and adult patients with disorders of the skin, mouth, external genitalia, hair and nails, sexually transmitted disease, and acne. You’re trained in the treatment of skin cancers, melanomas, moles and tumors of the skin, as well as cosmetic disorders such as hair loss and scars.
Training: Four years
Emergency Medicine
Patients you will see: Focuses on the immediate action necessary to prevent death or further disability by directing a variety of emergency medical technicians. You will treat diverse patients, in all age groups.
Training: Three years
Family Practice
Patients you will see: Concerned with the total health of the individual and the family and you are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of ailments in patients of all ages. You will be trained in a broad rage of training that includes internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry and geriatrics.
Training: Three years
General Surgery
Patients you will see: As a surgeon, you will be able to perform many types of surgeries, almost in any area of the body. You help decide the diagnosis the before, during and after surgery care of the patient. You will also be able to manage trauma patients who need surgery.
Training: Five years
Internal Medicine
Patients you will see: You would be a personal physician who provides long-term comprehensive care in the medical office and hospital. Internist are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, infections, and diseases affecting the heart, blood, kidneys, joints, digestive, respiratory and vascular systems. This specialty has the most subspecialties.
Training: Three years – plus additional training for the following subspecialties:
Adolescent Medicine
Cardiovascular Disease
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Clinical & Laboratory Immunology
Critical Care Medicine
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Gastroenterology
Geriatric Medicine
Hematology
Infectious Disease
Medical Oncology
Nephrology
Pulmonary Disease
Rheumatology
Sports Medicine
Medical Genetics
Patients you will see: Patients of all ages with genetically-linked diseases.
Training: Two or four years
Neurological Surgery
Patients you will see: As a neurological surgeon you will treat patients with disorders of the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous system, spinal cord and the brain.
Training: Seven years (including general surgery)
Nuclear Medicine
Patients you will see: A nuclear medicine specialist will use radioactive atoms and molecules to diagnose and treat diseases – by radiation detection.
Training: Three years
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Patients you will see: You will care for women in the area of their reproductive system, pregnancy and related disorders.
Training: Four years plus two years in clinical practice.
Ophthalmology
Patients you will see: You will be medically trained to diagnose, monitor and surgically treat all disorders of the eye
Training: Four years
Orthopedic Surgery
Patients you will see: As an orthopaedic surgeon you will be involved in the care of patients whose musculoskeletal problems include congenital deformities, trauma, infections, tumors, metabolic disturbances and degenerative diseases of the spine, hands, feet, knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow in children and adults.
Training: Five years (including general surgery training) plus two years in clinical practice before you get final certification.
Otolaryngology
Patients you will see: Also known as a head and neck surgeon, you will treat patients with diseases and disorders that affect the ears, nose, and throat, the respiratory and upper digestive system.
Training: Five years
Pathology
Patients you will see: As a pathologist you will use information from the microscope examination of tissue specimens, cells, and the body fluids to determine the causes and nature of diseases.
Training: Five to seven years. There are many subspecialties under Pathology, requires additional training and examination:
Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine
Chemical Pathology
Cytopathology
Dermapathology
Forensic Pathology
Pathology – con’t
Hematology
Medical Microbiology
Molecular Genetic Pathology
Neuropathology
Pediatric Pathology
Pediatrics
Patients you will see: As a pediatrician you will be concerned with the physical, emotional and social health of children from birth to young adulthood.
Training: Three years. There are many subspecialties in Pediatrics, which requires more training and examination.
Adolescent Medicine
Clinical & Laboratory Immunology
Development-Behavioral Pediatrics