Touro University Nevada is preparing students in a graduate program to put them on the path to medical school or pursue another healthcare career.
The Medical Health Science program, overseen by its director, Dr. Vladimir Bondarenko, is a one-year program designed for undergraduates who may need to strengthen their academic base and improve their health science knowledge in order to apply to healthcare professional programs.
“They want to go (to those programs) but maybe their GPA is not there, or they don’t have all the prerequisites,” Bondarenko said. “They apply to our program, and we provide them with all necessary resources to get them prepared to apply to healthcare professional programs such as medical schools, PA programs, PT or OT schools – a variety of choices on campus or outside of campus.”
Established 14 years ago, the MHS program was originally designed as a feeder program into Touro’s medical school and physician assistant studies program.
“We have students who want to apply to medical school,” Bondarenko said. “Some of them want to apply to occupational therapy or physical therapy but because they lack some of the prerequisites or maybe they had a long break after they graduated from college, they come to our program to get ready for the next step.”
The faculty in the MHS program are the same as those teaching in the PA program and medical school. Those faculty are involved in developing the curriculum as well, which is close to the medical school curriculum during the first year, Bondarenko said.
“We use the latest technology in education and health care in our program,” Bondarenko said. “We don’t teach them clinical courses; we prepare them for the next step. We have several classes where we teach not just the new technology or information but how to learn. We have advanced studies where we provide them with the most efficient learning skills.”
The MHS program offers a variety of resources to help students be successful such as early tutoring, group tutoring, and peer tutoring. Each MHS student is also assigned to a faculty adviser who is always available to help with any student’s needs.
“We work with a study plan, study habit development and time management skills,” Bondarenko said.
The program takes up to 60 students a year and when applications are reviewed, Bondarenko said they want to ensure the applicants have some healthcare experience through shadowing, working as a scribe or assistant or volunteering in health care institutions. They require at least one recommendation letter from health care providers.
“We want to make sure they have the quality needed to be a healthcare professional,” Bondarenko said. “We tell them what the expectations are to be competitive when they apply to healthcare professional programs. The students already know what GPA they should have to be accepted to medical school or the PA program. We help them maintain and, in most cases, improve their GPA and skills when they go to professional programs.”
The Touro MHS program differs from others because most are two years instead of one like Touro, Bondarenko said. That makes it rigorous with two semesters that enable students to quickly adapt to medical school or PA program curriculum.
“MHS students don’t need to wait until graduation to apply to professional programs,” Bondarenko said. “We interview them and make a decision on acceptance based on their performance in the fall semester. The acceptance is conditional upon successful graduation.”
Among those who graduated with a Medical Health Sciences master’s degree is McKena Silva, who is now part of the PA program and said she chose Touro for a multitude of reasons.
“I chose Touro because one of my mentors during my time as a MA/Scribe was a PA who had graduated from Touro, and I respected how he conducted himself as a provider. I resonated with Touro’s mission of servant leadership and community outreach,” Silva said.
Silva said she started her journey in health care because the opportunity to meet, work and serve others was always something she found herself gravitating toward.
“I also love medicine because it poses problems daily that require professionals to sort through and I love the rigor and the challenge,” Silva said.
After she graduates, Silva said she would like to work in sports medicine, possibly as a member of a professional sports team.
“I feel, thus far, that my time at Touro has prepared me for these future roles because of their emphasis on leadership and service,” Silva said. “I think good providers require confidence and Touro is always pushing students to be the best they can be. They do this by providing us with the resources to further learn, expand our knowledge and techniques, and encourage collaboration.”
Silva talked about how Touro has been building and remodeling spaces to keep them modern. She said the school provides students with the means to be hands-on learners through research opportunities with faculty, in the library, in the cadaver lab or in the simulation center.
Silva said she’s had valuable face time from her faculty and staff and due to the open-door policy, she is able to get questions answered or feedback on exams and assignments anytime.
“My biggest piece of advice is to allow yourself the opportunity to use the resources Touro has,” Silva said. I am a firm believer that you will get out of school what you put in.”
To learn more about Touro University, click here.
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