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PalmBeachPost.com

FAU taps passion of future doctors

By Kimberly Miller - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Sunday, January 11, 2009

It doesn't take a valedictorian's grade-point average or a Palm Beach bank account to go into medicine. At Florida Atlantic University, some mentoring - and a little head start on physiology - can make the difference for underprivileged students who have the drive, but not the grades or guidance, to pursue a medical degree, FAU officials say.

A new FAU program, which began in the fall, is working with 20 hand-picked sophomores from Lake Worth and Fort Pierce Central high schools to shepherd them through high school and into medical school. "We weren't looking for the 4.0 students who could get there whether we helped them or not," said Mark Goldstein, director of FAU's Disaster and Emergency Training Simulation Center, who oversees the new program. "These are more the 3.0 students who have high potential, but with some level of risk." Still in its pilot stage, the program brings the high school students to FAU two Saturdays each month for tutoring and lessons that prepare them for pre-med classes, and to make them feel comfortable on a college campus.

"FAU pre-med students, who are the tutors, also are expected to contact the high school students at least twice a week to help them with homework or other school problems. Goldstein said it is the only program of its kind in South Florida. It is modeled after one at the University of West Virginia, which now enrolls 1,200 students statewide. Of the 20 students in FAU's program, about 15 are minorities. "The goal is to encourage and support their desire to go into the health-care profession," Goldstein said. "We want to prepare them for the college and post-graduate environment, and provide them with the skills they need to compete."

In a recent class, students were asked to create parts of the body, such as the digestive and circulatory systems, with items including hoses, balloons, cereal and pantyhose. They then went into FAU's anatomy lab, where they examined cadavers and could see - and hold - the real thing. "If I had that kind of experience back in high school, it would have pushed me even harder to pursue medicine," said Oswald Ramos, 23, a pre-med student at FAU who is a tutor in the program. "We work on problem solving and cooperation a lot, skills they need for everyday life, not just school."

To get into the program, students have to be nominated by a teacher and write two short essays about why they want to participate. In one essay, they must describe their passion for pursuing a medical degree. In the other, they have to describe a lifechanging event. Shaun Plunkett, a Lake Worth High sophomore, said he knew right away what he would write about. When he was 6, Plunkett broke his arm and the doctor set it incorrectly, he said. He needed surgery to correct the problem and now has a 5- inch scar on his arm. "I want to be a doctor, make sure I'm careful and make a difference," said Plunkett, who hopes to become a pediatrician.

Goldstein said FAU is spending about $60,000 for the program this year. To continue it, and possibly add another class, he hopes to find state funding or donations to supplement the expenses. "Hopefully, we can make it grow bigger and stronger," Ramos said.