SMCM Premed

On-Campus

​

1. Become a Teaching Assistant (TA)

   • Offered for most first and second year courses

   • General Chemistry Peer Mentor

   • General Chemistry II Lab TA

   • Biology Lab Assistant

   • POB I & II TA

2. Peer Health Educator

• Receive nationally certified peer educator training through NASPA. Trained as a peer counselor to talk about general mental health and wellness issues, sexuality, and academics among other things

• Raise awareness about suicide prevention, sexual health and safety, the importance of mental and physical health, and alcohol and drug safety

1. Class Labs

   • SMCM offers many labs to accompany STEM courses. Many of these labs are requirements for medical school, PA school, and pharmacy school. Students can also learn various lab techniques that can be put on a resume. 

2. Research Groups

   • It is very easy for students to become involved with on campus research with faculty. All you have to do is ask a professor (likely in chemistry, biology, or a related field)! If you are a STEM major, you will likely do your SMP research in this lab. Because of this, who you choose to do your research with is important. To find more information about which lab might be best for you, ask your pre-med club execs, professors, and upperclassmen in research groups. 

3. Small class sizes

   • Many classes at SMCM are very small compared to class sizes at other institutions. This is very important for pre-health students:

     • Small class sizes allow you to have more one-on-one teaching/learning

     • You can easily get to know your professor so you can ask to join a research group or get a letter of recommendation

     • You will have easy access to TA’s that may even be able to help you outside of the scheduled TA sessions

1. Volunteering *Limited due to COVID-19 Precautions​

   • Local Hospital in St. Mary’s

     • MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital

     • https://www.medstarstmarys.org 

     • 25500 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650 

     • 301-475-8981

       • Update as of 07/15/2020- Likely not considering applications until 2021

   • Calvert Memorial Hospital 

     • 100 Hospital Rd, Prince Frederick, MD  20678, United States

     • https://www.calverthealthmedicine.org

     • 410-535-4000

   • EMS Volunteer

     • Lexington Park, Hollywood, Leonardtown, and Ridge rescue squads

     • https://www.lpvrs.org/

     • https://www.hvrs.org/

     • https://www.lvrs.org/

     • https://ridgevrs.org/​

       • Note: Great experience for those interested in EMT or looking for volunteer experience. 

   • Care Net Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland

     • 25484 Point Lookout Rd Suite 301A, Leonardtown, MD 20650

     • https://carenetsomd.org/

     • (301) 475-5333

   • Charlotte Hall Veterans Home

     • https://www.charhall.org/content/volunteering/

     • (301) 884-8171

       • Note: Closed as of 05/01/20. Feel free to ask Lauryn about updates on volunteering/news of opening the facility back up

2. Clinical Experience *Limited due to COVID-19 precautions

   • Shadowing

     • Medstar St. Mary’s Hospital

       • https://www.medstarstmarys.org 

       • 25500 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650 

       • 301-475-8981

         • Update as of 07/15/2020- Likely not accepting applications until 2021

     • Philip J. Bean Medical Center

       • http://shah-associates.com/

       • 24035 Three Notch Rd, Hollywood, MD 20636

       • 301-373-7900

       • Note from Lauryn- Called twice inquiring shadowing. No answer.

   • Link for advice on cold calling/emailing for shadowing opportunities

     • https://www.prospectivedoctor.com/how-to-write-a-cold-email-as-a-premed/

     • Inside advice from Lauryn:

       • As a local in St. Mary’s county, I can personally tell you that in order to have the best luck in finding shadowing opportunities, you MUST make an effort to cold email/ cold call physician offices. Many offices (not under COVID-19 precautions of course), are willing to offer student shadowing. However, this information is typically not advertised on their website. My advice would be to pick a specialty of interest, pick anywhere from 2-10 physicians you would like to call, and express your interest in shadowing. It can be frustrating to receive a no, but if you keep trying it is very likely that you will be able to find a physician willing to help. 

   • Medical Scribe

     • ScribeAmerica

       • https://www.scribeamerica.com/

       • Programs in Calvert and Charles regional hospital still operating if you are looking for a location near SMCM

       • Often require minimum of 1 year commitment and typically in Emergency Medicine

         • Note: Some Physician Assistant programs will NOT accept medical scribing as clinical experience. Make sure to check with your programs of interest to see if scribing will qualify.

   • Certified Nursing Assistant

     • Courses often 2-3 months long, offered at most community colleges

       • A Certified Nursing Assistant performs many basic care tasks for patients, like grooming, dressing, bathing, eating and exercising. They also assist the nursing staff with medical tasks like taking blood, monitoring vitals with medical equipment and reporting patient behavior and wellbeing. 

         • Note: Great for P.A programs that require hands- on experience

   • Emergency Medical Technician

     • Courses often 3-6 months long, offered for free with local rescue squads

       • Emergency medical technician and ambulance technician are terms used in some countries to denote a health care provider of emergency medical services. EMTs are clinicians, trained to respond quickly to emergency situations regarding medical issues, traumatic injuries and accident scenes.

       • Note: Also counts are hands-on clinical experience for those interest in P.A.