Pritzker School of Medicine


  Pritzker School of Medicine  

Introduction about Pritzker School of Medicine

In this article we will tell you about the study and life at the Pritzker School of Medicine. You can know all the admissions criteria, process of application and the Interview for the MD degree at the School.The Pritzker School of Medicine is a unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. The Pritzker School of Medicine is situated in the main campus of the University of Chicago. The school’s offers the M.D. degree and some others including joint degree programs. It also provides the graduate medical education and continuing medical education.


Ranking

The University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine is one of the most selective and competitive medical schools in the USA. As of now, it is 18th among research Institutions for medical education in the U.S.


Programs

There are many different programs, combined with or separate from the MD program.

    MD/ Ph.D. Programs

        The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

        The Growth, Development, and Disabilities Training Program (GDDTP)

        MD-PhD Programs in Medicine, the Social Sciences, and Humanities (MESH)

    Other Joint Degrees

        MD-MBA

        MD-AM in Public Policy


Admission Process

    Admission Requirements

    Entry Test

    The MCAT is the entrance test for students who seek to get admission in the Pritzker School of Medicine. The applicants should take the exam before the given deadline. However, an applicant can submit their MCAT scores from up to three years before the year in which they wish to enroll in the school.

    For more information on the MCAT, please visit www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm.

    Credit Hours and Major

    All the applicants are required to have completed 90 credit hours at the time of admission from a recognized U.S. or Canadian Institution. A baccalaureate degree is not a requirement but is looked at positively by the Admissions Committee. Other than that, any course that has been taken in other English-speaking countries is also considered.The University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine does not have a preference of major for the applicants. It accepts students of all the majors as the study of medicine seeks to include individuals with a wide variety of talents and academic backgrounds.

    Competencies

    Biology Competencies

    Gene expression, Cell Structure & Organization, Metabolism, Membrane Receptors, Signal Transduction & Signaling Pathways, Reproduction, Differentiation, Basic Physiology, Immunology are the main areas of mastery. An applicant can satisfy the Biology Competencies through a one-year college biology course with lab.

    Chemistry Competencies    

    Familiarity with biochemistry is a must requirement for an applicant. Biochemistry mastery also means that the knowledge of general and organic chemistry is essential. Chemistry Competencies can be satisfied by studying one semester of organic chemistry and one semester of biochemistry, or a year-long integrated organic/biochemistry course (including one semester of lab).

    Physics Competencies

    Physics Competencies include Mechanics, Electricity, Magnetism, Optics, Thermodynamics, Quantum Theory, and Nuclear Theory. One-year college physics with lab sequence can be used to satisfy the competency.

    Mathematics Competencies

    An applicant should be able to organize, analyze, and evaluate data is vital to medical and scientific education and investigation. This competency can be completed by taking a course in statistics or biomathematics or any other similar course.

    Humanities Competencies

    An applicant should have a basic cultural competence and possess some experience in the liberal arts. College coursework (minimum of 6 semester hours) in the arts, humanities, social sciences or language can be used to satisfy this competency.

    Writing & Analysis Competencies

    The ability to be able to analyze sources of evidence, thesis development, and forming a logical argument is a must. An applicant can take one year of coursework emphasizing writing and analysis to complete this competency.

    Interpersonal Skills Competencies

    The capability to work as a team member is crucial to the practice of medicine. All the applications should have evidence of a remarkable extracurricular, academic, or other experience that tells about the teamwork and leadership of the applicant.

    Clinical Exploration

    It is highly encouraged that applicants have some clinical exposure in clinics and healthcare facilities.


Application

The University of Chicago takes part in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). All the candidates who want to apply to the Pritzker School of Medicine should apply through the AMCAS.


Secondary Application

After successfully submitting the primary application through the AMCAS, the applicants will receive a Pritzker School of Medicine Secondary Application. The fee for the Secondary Application is $85. However, this can be waived for those applicants who have been granted the AMCAS Fee Waiver for the primary application.


Recommendation Letters

Moreover, all the applicants are required to submit a minimum of one committee letter or a premedical advisor’s letter. On the whole, the school demands at least three individual letters will also fulfill the letters of evaluation requirement. Also, there is no maximum letter limit.


Evaluation Process

As soon as the application process comes to an end, the Admissions Committee of the University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine starts to evaluate the applications. The evaluation process consists of the review of a candidate’s AMCAS application, secondary application, as well as the letters of recommendation.


Interviews

All those applicants whose credentials have been favorably reviewed are invited to the Pritzker campus for an interview. Note that, an applicant who has not been invited for an interview will not be considered for admission.


Final Decision

Once the Interview process is completed, the successful applicants will be notified of the admission committee’s final decision via mail.


Transfer Students

Currently, the Pritzker School of Medicine does not accept applications for transfer students.


Admissions Timeline

The applicants should keep a close eye on the admissions timeline available so they can stay update from all the admission related decisions.


Waivers in Admission Requirements

For a valid reason, an applicant may request a waiver for any of the admission requirements. To get a waiver, the candidate has to send a letter to the Admissions Committee at the address pritzkeradmissions@bsd.uchicago.edu. The letter should clearly state the reasons as to a waiver is reasonable, necessary, and appropriate. Moreover, the letter should be accompanied by a copy of a completed AMCAS application.


Tuition Fee and Financial Aid

The tuition budget of the students at the University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine can be looked at here. As the school is a private institution, so they keep the rates of tuition same for in- and out-of-state students https://pritzker.uchicago.edu/page/student-budget

The financial aid office at the Pritzker School of Medicine Students is a source of information and advice in the area of financial aid. The school has its generous financial aid program through which almost 80% of enrolled medical students are assisted each year.  The school provides financial assistance in the form of scholarships as well as loans. Almost 3/4 of Pritzker financial aid receivers are granted some form of scholarship from the Pritzker School of Medicine. Others can be catered by loans as the school also provides loans which are the low-interest rate.

The scholarships that are granted by the Pritzker School of Medicine do not require repayment in any form. The donors of the scholarships are alumni, families of alumni, grateful patients of the University Hospitals, former faculty, and a host of friends of the University and University Hospitals. However, the University uses this fund to provide for merit or need-based scholarships as well as for a particular course of study. The loans at the Pritzker School of Medicine help to fill ‘need-gap’ aid. The loans are part of a financial aid package which is assessed by the financial condition of a student. Moreover, the interest rate of the loans varies depending on the particular loan fund.


MD Program Curriculum

Pritzker understands that with the ever-evolving society, the medical school curricula should remain relevant and vibrant with time. In 2005, the Pritzker School of Medicine had laid out some key principles for the current MD curriculum. Those are:

        Promoting Active Learning

        Integration of disciplines (where applicable and appropriate)

        A compulsory scholarly project for all the medical students

The faculty members systematically examine the courses and clerkships annually so that they can recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. This in turn also brings out a very careful evaluation of the new teaching techniques being employed at the school. 

The MD curriculum at the University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine gives students a concrete foundation in the field of medical study on which they can build advanced knowledge. Moreover, the MD curriculum at Pritzker utilizes a Pass/Fail grading system to promote cooperation among students.


Research at the University of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine

The University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine recognizes the fact that classroom and hospital learning is only one part of medical education. Therefore, the Pritzker School of Medicine encourages its student body to enhance their conventional education through research experiences, summer externships, and various local and International conferences and seminars.  The most notable Research Programs at the Pritzker School of Medicine are given below. These programs are fully sponsored and are a great opportunity for students interested in research to broaden their horizon.

        Pritzker Summer Research Program: This is an 11-week summer research program at the University of Chicago. The program is one of the 3 NIH-funded Short-Term Research Training Programs for Health Professional Students. The program also provides stipend support for participating students.

        Pritzker Fellowships: The Pritzker Fellowship program started in 2008. In the program, selected students are provided financial support to participate in a one-year research project, international experience, or community service work. Each year, 1 or 2 students are selected, with each receiving a stipend of $20,000 per year.

        Calvin Fentress Fellowships: The Calvin Fentress Fellowships are open for the fourth year medical students. Almost, 10-14 students are granted the fellowships with a $1000 stipend to help support their research efforts.

        Senior Scientific Session: The Senior Scientific Session is designed to give senior medical students a platform for the presentation of their research work. The session is an annual symposium in which graduating seniors present their research. Generally, about 35-40% of students in the graduating class participate.

        Bucksbaum Institute:  The Bucksbaum Institute provides the second-year students to be a Student Scholar for Clinical Excellence. Selected students participate in specially designed activities that aim to look at issues in doctor-patient communication and clinical decision-making. The program spreads over a three-year term.


Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators

The Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators was established in 2006. The goal of the academy is to encourage and support research, innovation, and scholarship in medical education at the University of Chicago. The flagship event of the academy is the Medical Education Day. Other than that, the Academy is responsible for sponsoring numerous faculty development workshops all around the year.

Moreover, the academy is also an active donor for many scholarship programs in medical education. The core focus of the Academy is to promote distinction in teaching at the Pritzker School of Medicine, support scholarship among the Medical community, and improve the Pritzker curriculum. The academy also strives to assist the creation of a learning environment at the University of Chicago.


Pritzker Sibs

The Program “Pritzker Sibs” is launched in the Pritzker School of Medicine with the aim that medical students should get more opportunity to have peer mentors who are upperclassmen. This program allows the students to share their experience and knowledge of medical school training, with their fellows so they can also benefit from them.


Dr. Najeeb Lectures

For a medical school student, keeping up with the curricular activities is essential. One secondary resource that can help students manage their medical study is Dr. Najeeb Lectures.  Dr. Najeeb Lectures is one of the best medical lectures for the medical students. As of now, students from all over the globe are Dr. Najeeb Lecture’s subscribers. Their popularity is because of the fact that they are the most student-friendly video lectures. They are not lengthy, so a student does not find them redundant, but at the same time, the lectures are not too short that the topic is taught in a hurry. The lectures are concise, focused and to-the-point, and the material is kept simple. The purpose of each video lecture is to teach students the toughest of the topics in the medical sciences in the easiest way possible.

Apart from that, the process of subscription for the video lectures is simple, and the subscription fee is minimal. It is low because the team of Dr. Najeeb Lectures understands that its subscribers are mostly students, and a low subscription price will be greatly benefiting for them. Moreover, to facilitate students the option of trying a lecture for free is available. This helps a student knows everything about the teaching style of Dr. Najeeb before subscribing. Also, one can read the reviews from other medical students about their experience before signing up.

Moreover, the target of the video lectures is the students from all the medical schools globally. Therefore, the topics in the curriculum of all the recognized Institutions are considered. The lectures include the topics of so many areas in the medical and healthcare sciences. They cover a broad variety of subjects like Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology and many more. In this way, a student can rely entirely on Dr. Najeeb lectures without having to look for other resources. Not only this, more video lectures are frequently added to an existing subscriber will have access to all the lectures that will be added in the future. To put it simply, the lectures by Dr. Najeeb will be an essential tool for anyone who needs help with their medical school study.


Student Organizations

The student organizations at the Pritzker School of Medicine cover a wide array of Interests and hobbies. From politics to arts, community involvement to raise awareness about different topics, the student organizations provide numerous services. The complete list of all the organizations is:

        Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP)

        American Associations of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)

        American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI)

        American Medical Association (AMA)

        American Medical Student Association (AMSA)

        Anesthesiology Interest Group (AIG)

        Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA)

        Basic Life Support Program (BLS)

        Big Ideas in Medicine (BIM)

        Bridgeport Free Clinic (BFC)

        Bucksbaum Interest Group (BIG)

        Business in Medicine Interest Group (BMIG)

        Chicago Youth Programs (CYP)

        Community Health Clinic (CHC)

        Dermatology Interest Group (DIG)

        Diabetes Prevention and Management Group (DPMG)

        Doctors for America (DFA)

        Docs and Debate (DD)

        Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG)

        ENT Interest Group (ENT)

        Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG)

        Geriatrics Interest Group (GIG)

        Genetics in Medicine (GIM)

        HARM Rx Corps (HarmRx)

        Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Group (HPREP)

        Homebrewers of Pritzker Society (HOPS)

        Integrative Complementary and Alternative Medicine Interest Group (ICAM)

        Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG)

        Jewish Medical Students Association (JMSA)

        Journal Club (JC)

        Journeying Out to Underserved Regions of the Nation to Engage in Effective Service (JOURNEES)

        Knitzker Group

        Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)

        Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group

        Maria Shelter Medical Clinic

        Medical Chinese

        Medical Students 4 Choice (MS4C)

        Mission Nutrition (MN)

        Muslim Students Association (MSA)

        New Life Volunteering Society (NLVS)

        Obstetrics/Gynecology Interest Group (OGIG)

        Ophthalmology Interest Group/Sight Savers (OIG)

        Orthopedic Surgey Interest Group

        OUTPatient

        Pathology Interest Group (PATH)

        Pediatrics Interest Group (PIG)

        Peer Mentoring at Pritzker (PMAP)

        Physician Advocates for Surviors of Sexual Assult (PhASSA)

        Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)

        Plastic Surgery Interest Group (PSIG)

        Pritzker Book Club (PBC)

        Pritzker Christian Fellowship (PCF)

        Pritzker Community Services Fellowship (PCSF)

        Pritzker Dance Group (PDG)

        Pritzker Garden Club (PGC)

        Pritzker Health Policy Interest Group

        Pritzker Music Group (PMG)

        Pritzker Oncology Group (POG)

        Pritzker Outdoors Club (POC)

        Pritzker TECH (TECH)

        Pritzker Women in Medicine (PWM)

        Pritzker Writing Group (PWG)

        Psychiatry Interest Group (PsychIG)

        Radiology Interest Group (RIG)

        Reach Out and Read (ROR)

        REMEDY-UChicago

        Say Ahhh! Acapella

        South Side Science Scholars (S4)

        Sports Medicine Interest Group

        Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGNS)

        Student National Medical Association (SNMA)

        Students for the Advancement of Medical Spanish (SAMS)

        Student Transplant Action Team (STAT)

        Surgery Interest Group (SIG)

        Sustainable Pritzker (SP)

        Trauma Surgery Interest Group (TSIG)

        Uchicago ROCK (Rising Our Communities Knowledge)

        Vascular Surgery Interest Group (VSIG)

        Washington Park Children’s Free Health Clinic


Advising Societies at the Pritzker School of Medicine

The four Pritzker Advising Societies namely the Coggeshall Society, DeLee Society, Huggins Society, and Rowley Society, are established to help students provide a context and opportunity for gaining advice over the course of their study. The advice and career consultation comes from the peers well as the faculty. There are eight Career Advisors in each society. All the medical students become the members of these societies and get a career advisor.

Each Society contains a balanced number of students drawn from each class, breaking down barriers between classes and promoting peer-to-peer layered mentoring. The main aim of the Pritzker Societies is to provide students with career guidance and help them to connect with available resources and opportunities. The advising societies also create a sense of community within the student body.


Life in Hyde Park and Chicago

The University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine is situated in the neighborhood of Hyde Park, located almost seven miles away from downtown Chicago. Hyde Park is known best for its political and social activism and many historic and architectural landmarks. Hyde Park is also one of the most racially and economically integrated places in the entire United States. Numerous museums and cultural institutions present in the Hyde Park are also a major tourist attraction. There is also a wide variety of cafes and bakeries, and a lot of one-of-a-kind shops and independent bookstores that add to the overall experience of many. The Chicago downtown is only a twenty-minute train or bus ride from downtown Chicago, so from the School, it is very accessible. Chicago is the third-largest city in the USA. It is a great tourist attraction because of its more than 200 theaters and art galleries, 552 parks, and 26 miles of lakefront trails. Students can enjoy the city life of Chicago by utilizing the city’s robust public transit system which consists of buses, trains, and the elevated rapid transit trains.

 

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