Medical School During the Summertime

Have you ever thought to yourself, “What happens at a medical school during the summer? Does it differ from other four-year colleges or is it the same?”

At Northeast Ohio Medical University, there is always something going on no matter what semester students are in. During the summer, the institution prepares to welcome the first-year students for their orientations and white coat ceremonies.

The main goal of orientation is to help students:

• navigate the campus easily before going into their new classes for the semester,
• understand the values and mission of the NEOMED community, and
• connect with their peers and faculty so that they can have a support system while on campus.

Orientation is done at different times for the University’s Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy and Graduate Studies. The College of Medicine has its introduction for students July 18-21, 2022, the College of Pharmacy holds its orientation Aug. 15-18, 2022, and the College of Graduate Studies prepares its orientation for Aug. 22, 2022.  

After orientations, medicine and pharmacy students participate in their respective college’s highly anticipated White Coat Ceremony. This moment is exciting for both students and their family members. First-year students walk the stage and receive their white coat as a passage to their upcoming journey. It also symbolizes their duty to serve the community as a future health professional.

For first-year students, the summer is filled with monumental events at NEOMED to help them embark onto their new medical school expedition. There are also exciting moments happening for second-, third- and fourth-year medicine and pharmacy students, and graduate students.

Second-year medicine students participate in research, service and shadowing activities to ensure that individuals remain engaged during the summer. These activities may include the NEOMED Student Research Program, the annual Leroy A. Rodgers, M.D., Preceptorship Program of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) Foundation, and many other programs and fellowships that help students learn more about their intended pathways.

In the College of Pharmacy, second- and third-year students, along with first-year College of Medicine students and the first- and second-year College of Graduate Studies Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia students, have “Maymester” courses. As the name implies, these classes occur in May and are shortened semesters offered by the University.

Third-year pharmacy students also prepare for and complete their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) Ready Top 300 Drugs and Calculations Exams during the summer term. This test is helpful because it teaches future pharmacists about commonly prescribed drugs in clinical, hospital and ambulatory practices.

In addition to all of these activities, there are also clinical rotations happening for third- and fourth-year medicine students, fourth-year pharmacy students, and graduate students who are a part of the Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia program.

Rotations are meant to help students apply what they learned in their classes to real-world experiences in the field, and to give them a chance to home in on the area of expertise they are interested in practicing.

Orientations. White coat ceremonies. Research. Field experiences. Right from the start of their time at NEOMED, students are engaged in the rigor of medical education and practice.   

Meanwhile, the campus can also be quite busy on other days during the summer due to events, future health professional pathway and experiential programs, year-round research and many health and wellness services.

Stay tuned for more coverage on these and other events as the summer continues.