Knowledge of the Health Care System

Students throughout the application process must be able to understand the role of the physician in the health care system. Students need to know the basic structure of the health care system and how patients utilize the system. The role of insurance, health maintenance organizations, the range as well as role of the various occupations involved in care of the patient are some of the concepts a premedical student should comprehend. Students need to know what the current health care issues are or “hot topics” as they go through the application process and especially when they are interviewed by the medical school. There are many ways to achieve the information such as conversations while shadowing physicians, reading the health/science sections of newspapers such as the NY Times or taking courses which discuss health care such as the Economics of Health Care (Economics 245) or Medical Anthropology (Sociology 267).

Several websites listed below will be useful in acquiring knowledge about current health care issues:

 

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