P.A.T.H Hosts WVU School of Medicine Seminar

WVU Medical School visited Concord to give insight to aspiring medical students into their programs. Nick Yost, vice-president of PATH, organized this event in hopes of helping his fellow classmates with their future educational careers. 

    Yost states that WVU was on the top of the list of desired schools to come speak to Concord students. He went on to say that the majority of students in PATH desire to be future doctors, and that assisted him in making the decision on having WVU come speak to the students. PATH does not only cover one specific type of medicine; it covers all fields ranging from D.O. to M.D. physicians, to even physical therapy or optometry, giving its members plenty of options. 

    Students did not hesitate to take advantage of this visit. Pre-professional biology major, Raven Spencer, was one who did not pass up on the event. “I attended the seminar in order to acquire more information about WVU Medical School in general, from their curriculum to the admissions process,” says Spencer. He says that he is planning on applying to medical schools this summer, and until then, he wants to receive as much information from in-state schools as early as possible before making his final decision.

    When asked about the success of the visit, Yost said: “The visit definitely showed anyone who attended the possibilities that are available to them from getting an M.D. … as well as opportunities to practice medicine internationally or in the most rural areas of West Virginia.” Yost explains that the seminar was very helpful because it allowed the students to get one-on-one interactions with admissions staff and assisted them in becoming familiar faces to that school. “It is always a good thing to make a good impression on the admissions representatives,” Spencer adds. 

    Spencer confirms the benefits of the seminar. “Every single medical school seminar, open house, and campus tour I’ve taken has taught me something I didn’t know about the admissions processes, financial aid, and other cool things,” he says.  Spencer says that students need to attend seminars like this because they need to be informed about the school as well as seeing if it is a good fit for them personally.  Spencer says, “You wouldn’t buy a car before test-driving it, right? Seminars and tours are great resources for this reason.”

    Concerning non-medical driven science majors, Spencer gives insight, saying, “If any student has ever shown a single slither of interest in the medical field, the first thing I would encourage them to do is to attend an open house or campus event…” Spencer explains that there are many fields of medicine including, pharmacy, dental, and physical therapy. He says that seminars like these assist students in making future career decisions by getting a grasp on them before committing to a specific field.

WVU Medical School is not the only targeted graduate program to come to Concord. Yost states, “We have planned to bring students from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine to Concord in February to do activities and speak with us, a trip to WVU for Rural Health Day in April, and speakers who are graduates of CU [that] have become doctors to come speak to us…” Yost further explains that these are just some of the events that are currently scheduled for this semester.  Yost says that most of the events scheduled like this are dependent on the members’ initiatives. Once they decide on an event to bring to Concord, the club’s officers reach out to them so they can get the event set up, Yost explains.