What is the UMKC 6-Year B.A./M.D. program?
In case you are unfamiliar with this program’s structure and curriculum or are unsure about some aspects, I am going to explain it in as much detail as I’m able to. Keep in mind that I’m only a first-year so I don’t have the same first-hand knowledge that an upperclassman might, but I hope that I am able to provide enough information to give you a solid understanding of the program as a whole. I suggest you visit the UMKC School of Medicine’s website regarding the B.A./M.D. program in addition to this blog post – there, you might find more technical information.
The Basics
The UMKC 6-Year B.A./M.D. program is a combined accelerated medical program that allows students to earn both a Bachelor’s of Arts (BA) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in just six years. This unique benefit is accomplished by enrolling students year-round from the beginning (fall, spring, and summer semesters), taking an average of 22-23 credit hours per regular academic year, and about 10 hours per summer.
There are 2 features of the program that make it so appealing: exposure to clinical experiences from the start and my personal favorite, you will never need to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test). Yes, you heard that right. If accepted into the program, you are officially admitted to the UMKC School of Medicine thus negating any reason to take the MCAT. This is one of the biggest selling points in my opinion because this entrance exam is expensive. The test itself is about $320, but preparation books usually average around $500 and courses cost even more; not to mention that many students aren’t satisfied with their first score and take it again. As for the clinical experience, this is achieved through something called docent (discussed later in this post).
Admissions
This is a topic I would like to expand on in greater detail in another post, but I will give you the run-down here. You can be admitted to the program coming straight out of high school or as a college transfer student with less than 24 credits (like me). The first step is to apply for general admission at UMKC then submit a supplemental application specific to the program. A council will select a group of students to move forward in the admissions process to which they will next complete a chemistry placement exam and a multiple-mini-interview. In short terms, MMI is a sequence of interview stations in which you are prompted with a hypothetical situation or questions about yourself. These questions allow the council of admissions to better decide whether you possess the potential to thrive in the program. You can be either fully admitted, provisionally admitted, or rejected. Provisional admission is issued if you score low on the placement exam or if you’re a current college student. Further information about the admissions process can be found in my post:
Docent
When admitted into the program, you are assigned a docent team consisting of one psychiatric physician, another physician from a different specialty (Internal med, cardiology, family, emergency, etc) and about 10-12 other students from your class. This will be the your docent team for both years 1 and 2. You will attend docent (or clinicals) one to two times a week in your assigned hospital, which is where you will learn the basics of patient interviews and medical practices.
I’m not too familiar with the small details of docents in years 3 through 6, but the basics of it is that you are reassigned a new docent consisting of “12-15 students from your class, a docent, a clinical pharmacologist, a clinical medical librarian, an education team coordinator and other health care professionals.” This docent experience is different to that of years 1 and 2 because you will now be involved with patient care in an outpatient clinic for half a day out of the week.
Degree Options
You have three majors to choose from for your Bachelor of Arts degree: Biology, Chemistry, or Liberal Arts. The coursework for these majors is all very similar, but each degree has its own variances. UMKC has these very helpful curriculum layouts called “Major Maps” that outline all the courses you will be required to take for your degree. I suggest you take a look at it!
Most students that I know choose Liberal Arts because it’s said to be easier. For instance, with the Liberal Arts degree, you don’t have to take General Bio I (for bio majors) or Analytical Chemistry (for chemistry majors). It is also important to consider how much transferable credit there is between high school/undergraduate to the degrees in question. I am personally a biology major because that was the degree I originally chose as an undergraduate, and it was easiest to continue upon the transition into the program.
As you can see, the 6-year B.A./M.D. program here at UMKC is very unique in both its structure and rigor. I hope that I was able to provide an adequate summary that will get you acquainted with the foundation of the program, it is a design that I am very confident in placing my medical training upon and I’m excited to share more my experiences with you!
