What is PSDO 630?

PSDO 630 is a 2-credit hour course for students who are post-graduate or currently in pre-health professional programs considering careers in medicine. The course provides access to medical professionals across the UAB system in clinical and classroom settings. The in-person component is dedicated to discussion of clinical and bench research careers, the professional school admissions process, life in training and as a practicing provider, and a variety of associated topics. Attendance at the weekly, 2-hour classroom-based interactive sessions is required. The other course component requires students to complete at least 15 shadowing hours from multiple established opportunities associated with the Physician Experience program.

If you have considered applying to medical school and/or MD/PhD programs, we encourage you to apply.

When is the course offered?

For Spring 2024, PSDO 630 will be held on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30PM-4:30PM. Please arrange your schedules accordingly.

Note: Students should NOT count on PSDO 630 fulfilling the minimum hours to be a full-time student until they have received permission from the instructor to enroll.

What would I be getting into?

Each student in the 2-credit hour course will be assigned a letter grade based upon:

• class attendance
• discussion participation, which includes classroom participation, online discussion participation, and completing brief reading assignments prior to some classes
• completion of shadowing (minimum of 15hrs) and journaling of patient encounters
• assembling a poster based on the specialty of one of your shadowing preceptors
• as part of the advanced program, 630 participants will also need to complete two essays by the end of the semester, discussing course reading materials and their shadowing experiences.

Shadowing

The course requires healthcare shadowing activities. As such, all potential students need to be prepared to complete HIPAA training, provide documentation of prior vaccinations, and will need to complete additional health screening measures (includes up to date flu shot, COVID Vaccination, and TB screening). To facilitate shadowing opportunities during the semester, students should do their best to protect a couple blocks of time, although the class also provides shadowing opportunities on nights and weekends.

Apply? 

PSDO 630 is designed for highly qualified students who have completed their undergraduate degree or are in a pre-professional health program such as the Accelerated Bachelors/Masters (ABM) program. Other non-traditional students may also be considered should space permit. If you are interested in enrolling in PSDO 630, please submit an application.

Due to the nature of the small group and interactive panels that will occur throughout the semester, as well as the patient interactions required of students, the course has limited enrollment, and registration will be granted by the instructor. All interested students are required to submit an online application, with only accepted applications receiving permission to enroll.

Applications are now being accepted for the spring, with enrollment offered on a rolling basis. There is not an application deadline. Applications will be considered pending until UAB Medicine provides approval for course enrollment.

What does the application require?

To apply, students will need to have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.3, provide web form responses to prompts about your background and career goals, and have at least one, but up to two recommenders complete a brief web form. Additional details and the application itself can be found on the Application Page.

Application Process

All applicants will need to have maintained a 3.3 GPA. Students will also be asked to answer the following prompts:

• • Who are you, and why are you interested in medicine?

• • What career do you think you want?

• • Why do you think this course will help you get where you want to go?

Applicants should take time to explain their interests and what they are hoping to gain from participating. Enrollment in the course is at the discretion of the course directors and is offered to students deemed most likely to benefit from the curriculum. .

Each applicant will need to have 1-2 (at least one, no more than two accepted) recommenders complete the web forms. Generally, we expect at least one of these recommenders to be UAB faculty. Once the student application is submitted the reference(s) listed on the application will receive an email with a link requesting he/she complete the brief form. Applicants should carefully choose references that can speak not only to their academic performance, but their engagement in activities outside the classroom and interest in the field of medicine.

Based upon prior offerings of this course, we anticipate entry to PSDO 630 will be competitive. Preference will be given to those applicants who can demonstrate that the course will benefit their career path. Thus, acceptance to the course depends on an individual’s background and career goals, in addition to GPA. The burden is on the student to submit a strong application that clearly conveys their career goals and how the course will further their professional development.

Contact Information

Nathaniel Erdmann, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Associate Clinical Director for PSDO
Med-Infectious Diseases
nerdmann@uab.edu