Charlie Treinen wanted to beef up his application for medical school.
Ethan Schroeder wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to go in — perhaps medical school, as well — but he knew, after working at a hospital, that he wanted to get back in the classroom.
First-year success
Treinen and Schroeder’s success is not an anomaly. Of the 16 students who were admitted to the yearlong program in the 2014-15 academic year — its first year — four applied and were accepted to medical school, two applied and were admitted to physical therapy school, one applied and was waitlisted to a D.O. program, and one — Schroeder — applied and was admitted to a Ph.D. program. The remaining eight have applied to medical schools or physician assistant programs for 2016 admission.
Today, both have completed the UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy’s new Master’s of Science in Medical Anatomy program. Treinen is now a member of the UNMC College of Medicine’s class of 2019, and Schroeder is a Ph.D. student in anatomy at UNMC.
Treinen was a student “who just needed a little bit of a bump in my application,” he said. “(The program) really gave my application the boost I needed.
“But at the same time, I got a lot more confidence in my ability to succeed here. It helped give me another look at this career. You hear so many horror stories about medical school, but after taking all those classes, I knew I was interested in the coursework and that I could handle it.”
For Schroeder, the exposure to research through the program was a pivotal moment.
“I knew I wanted to teach anatomy, but the research aspect is what I was unsure of,” he said. “So doing that through the master’s program helped me solidify my decision.”
Treinen said the program was intense, but he’s entering medical school feeling sure of himself as a result of the coursework.
“The body of knowledge gives me confidence going into this really long journey of medical school and then practicing medicine,” he said.
Schroeder also gave the new program a rave review.
“You’re exposed to many different aspects of health care,” he said. “So students of all backgrounds can benefit.”
“It’s gratifying to see how the first group of students have used this new program to advance, refine, or in some cases discover their career goals,” said Karen Gould, Ph.D., who helped create the new program. “This inaugural year has been a great success.”
Shantaram Joshi, Ph.D., who worked with Dr. Gould on the new degree program, said he was pleased with the performance of the initial group of students.
“The program helped them to get admission into their health profession program of their choice or significantly strengthen their portfolio to seek admission to health professional schools,” he said.
CNGRATULATIONS, DR. J.
Outstanding! Congratulations, Dr. Joshi and the team!
Congratulations DRs Joshi and Band great initiative and contribution to foundation in solid education … !!!