Your child may show signs that they’re interested in becoming a doctor during their early years. As a parent, your initial tendency is to encourage them to pursue a medical career and give them financial support.
However, you can do more than this to show your child that you support their dreams. You can help them prepare for the future and ensure they have all the necessary resources.
Here are four ways you can help your child prepare for medical school:
- Help Them Select An Undergraduate Degree
An undergraduate degree is essential before entering medical school because it gives your child a foundation for the next step in their education. Pre-med is a word for any four-year degree course aspiring physicians must take before entering med school. This will give them the skills and knowledge they need in more advanced courses.
You can support your child by helping them pick the right undergraduate major, whether it be chemistry, biology, psychology, and nursing. If your child prefers to select a social sciences or humanities major, you must inform them of the pre-requisite courses. These are usually classes in basic science and mathematics.
Providing your child an overall idea of what going to med school entails may help them decide which undergraduate degree best fits their interests. You may read this Medical Aid International Guide to help your child, which will help them with this process.
- Help Them Prepare For The Application Process
The application process can be a stressful time for any student. It includes figuring out which schools they can apply to, asking for letters of recommendation, and attending interviews. Applicants must be aware of the timeline of applications so they can keep track of the requirements to ensure they finish them on time.
Your child needs ample preparation for this process to avoid missing deadlines, which might reduce their chances of getting into their dream medical school. That’s why you must guide them in preparing for the application process.
You can do this by practicing an interview with your child to build their confidence during the interview. You may conduct mockup question-and-answer portions about why your child chose their undergraduate major. This way, they’ll have more confidence in their answers and boost their chances of getting accepted.
You can also help your child pick the right professor to ask for a recommendation letter from, be it through a letter, email, or conversation. This is because their chosen professors should be able to put your child in the best light, and it’s best they choose a professor that knows them well.
- Prepare Them For The MCAT
The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is a standardized test that future physicians will take as their first step into medical school. This is a rigorous test, so you must prepare your child for it. This way, you can help them get ready and boost their chances of passing it so they can get into their ideal school.
You may encourage them to take practice tests because this can help them familiarize themselves with the material and get used to the content and format of the actual test. You can also hire an MCAT tutor to guide them through this process and teach your child the best studying strategies.
You can also get rid of distractions that might affect their concentration. For instance, you may limit their time on their devices as they prepare for the test. This can also encourage them to prioritize the test and work on time management skills.
- Encourage Them To Read Medical Journals
Research published in medical journals is the spine of modern medicine. If you encourage your child to read these journals, they might appreciate the studies conducted for modern medicine to be what it is today.
Aside from that, it might also enable them to become familiar with the jargon and methodology of medicine, which might help them in their future medical career. You may motivate your child by subscribing to medical journals on their behalf and giving them access to it.
However, make sure to point out the importance of this strategy. You may tell your child that reading medical journals will prepare them to write reports for med schools. You may also motivate them by telling them they may write one of these medical journals in the future.
Key Takeaway
When your child is interested in taking medicine, your role as a parent is to support them. Aside from financial assistance, you can also follow these four tips to guide them on what they must do to get into med school.
You may help them keep up with deadlines regarding the application requirements. Or, you can outsource a professional mentor to answer their questions about the MCAT. This way, you can show them that you have their back and give them enough information to make the right choices for their future.