Table of Contents Handbook Home

 

Student Services

Medical Student Mental Health Services
Alcohol and Drug (AOD) Services
Student-to-Student Support Services
Academic and Other Counseling Services

 

Medical Student Mental Health Services (see Health Policy)

Alcohol And Drug (AOD) Services (see Health Policy)

Student-To-Student Support Services

Big Brother/Big Sister Mentoring Program

Contact Person: Marie Hartman, Director of Student Services, (215) 991-8219, MHartman@drexelmed.edu

The Big Brother/Big Sister Mentoring Program was established to make the transition to medical school easier for entering students, both academically and socially.  Second year students coordinate the program.  During the summer before the first year begins or during Orientation, each member of the first-year class is matched to a second-year student ("big").  The program can be a tremendous resource throughout medical school.  “Bigs” provide advice, support, student tips, notes and books, and are always willing to share their experiences about what lies ahead. First-year students meet their "bigs" at a social gathering usually held during the first week of school.

Peer Advisor Program

Contact Person: Sherita Glenn, Director of Minority Affairs - (215) 991-8213

This program assists first-year minority students during their transition to medical school.  Each first-year minority student is assigned a second-year student who facilitates the adjustment to medical school. Assignments and first contact are made prior to Orientation for the first year.

Academic and Other Counseling Services (see also Health Policy)

Supportive services for academic counseling, career guidance, short-term personal counseling and personal stress management are available.

For Academic Support Services – Contact…

Janet L. Moore, Psy.D.                                                               Pamela Gellar, PhD
Director of Academic Assessment and Enrichment Programs          Director, Counseling Center
(215) 991-8214                                                                          Center City Campus
                                                                                                215-762-4995

Sherita Glenn
Director of Minority Affairs
(215) 991-8213

At the College of Medicine Campus, the Office of Academic Assessment and Enrichment (Director, Janet L. Moore, Psy.D.) in the Office Student Affairs provides academic and personal counseling, diagnostic testing and instructive and support services.  Academic counseling relative to study skills, test taking strategies and skills, stress management, time management and memorization techniques are made available to students.  Peer tutoring is offered to all students, and a Medical Scholars Program provides enriching supplemental educational material and group tutoring for first year students.  A semester-long review program is facilitated through The Office of Academic Assessment and Enrichment for students preparing for Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

Medical Scholars Program

Contact Person: Janet L. Moore, Psy.D., Director of Student Assessment and Enrichment Programs, (215) 991-8214

The Medical Scholars Program is a peer-facilitated group student program for first-year students held on Saturday mornings.  Groups of approximately eight students complete a worksheet of questions prepared by second-year peer tutors.  The worksheet reinforces basic information covered in the major courses during the week prior to the session.  Students are encouraged to seek the answers among themselves with the tutors serving as facilitators.

Course Director Advising

Course directors meet with individual students who seek their help.  Course directors focus primarily on academic issues, but students may choose to share personal concerns with them.

Office of Academic Assessment and Enrichment

This office, Directed by Janet L. Moore, Psy.D., is the center for academic support services and is housed in the Office of Student Affairs.  The Director of Academic Assessment and Enrichment manages the tutoring program and arranges for individual and group tutors for students who desire academic help.

Confidential academic and personal counseling is available for students who are experiencing academic difficulty.  Psychoeducational testing is also available, as needed, as are support groups and tutoring.

Academic Diagnostic Testing

Contact Person: Janet L. Moore, Psy.D., 215-991-8214

Career Counseling

Career guidance is multifaceted.  Many opportunities exist to assist students in making a choice of medical discipline and choosing a residency program.

Clinical and Career Advising

A series of department and discipline-based Pathways have been established.  The Pathways form the core program for specialty advising, with the Pathway Directors and Advisors serving career information resources for medical students in all years of training.

The specific discipline-based Pathway curricula have been developed to support the career goals of students while assuring a comprehensive general professional education. Each Pathway allows the student to balance the structure and flexibility of his/her learning needs; prepares the student to enter postgraduate training with confidence; and maximizes the guidance and counseling available from preceptors. Each recognizes the influence of focused and diversified experiences in making future career plans; and meets the promotion and graduation requirements of Drexel University College of Medicine.

The fourth year discipline-based pathways allow the medical student to access and apply the counseling and advice of specific departmental Pathway preceptors in planning for course selection and sequencing, and in seeking career and residency application advice for that discipline.  Each Pathway has a Director and additional Pathway advisory faculty members to provide student support for students electing each.

Individual Counseling

The Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Director of Student Services provide or finds resources for career and residency-seeking advice for students in all years of medical school.  Any student may meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs for personal advice regarding career options, individual needs and/or review of his/her academic record to date.

Mock Interviews

Students are encouraged to ask their Pathway advisors or other trusted clinical faculty members to provide mock interviews.

Senior Day

Each spring the Office of Student Affairs coordinates Senior Day, an Orientation of third year students to the National Residency Matching Program.  Senior Day also provides information about the time line for the upcoming senior year.  The Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs describes the dean's letter and the process for preparation of the dean's letters, and discusses the process for students to obtain letters of recommendation from faculty members.  Members of the faculty from the core clinical clerkships answer students' questions about obtaining residencies in specific disciplines.  Faculty members and/or senior residents from all of the other medical specialties in which the students are interested, are available to meet with small groups who wish more defined information.  Fourth year students who have recently obtained their residency match results are available at lunch and throughout the afternoon to share their insights on the process with the third year students.  Each student receives useful resource materials for beginning the final year and seeking a residency. (see also Information for 4th Year Medical Students)

Meetings with Student Groups/Special Interest Groups

The Associate Dean for Student Affairs and other members of the OSA staff who are active in career guidance, are available on request to any student groups that would like to ask question about seeking residency positions and the NRMP.

Residency Information Resources

The Office of Student Affairs, together with the library and the Dean’s Office in Pittsburgh, maintains a file of brochures and informational material received from residency programs.  The AMA-sponsored FREIDA system is available on-line.  Students may link to it through Information for 4th Year Medical Students.

Advising for Graduates

Counseling is available for graduates upon request in the Office of Student Affairs to discuss career changes under consideration and to review the changing impact of health care finances on switching specialties.

Alumnae and Alumni

Alumnae and alumni may be invited to meet with groups of interested students to talk about their practices and to answer student questions about life in that specialty. 

Special Interest Groups for Individual Disciplines

There are student special interest clubs for several medical disciplines.  Each holds educational meetings as well as career-informational sessions.  The Special Interest Groups at this time include: