Introduction
The number of students applying to medical professional schools (DVM, MD, DO, DDS, PA) each year far exceeds the number of seats available, and many highly motivated students apply multiple times as they endeavor to gain admission. Unfortunately, many persistent students improve their applications only minimally to moderately with each cycle. To provide support for these students, the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at Kansas State University launched a nonthesis master’s program, the One Year Masters (OYM) in Biomedical Sciences, to enhance and document their qualifications for admission and equip them to be successful in a professional school curriculum. The program is also designed to support underrepresented minority students, with the goal of increasing the number of qualified applicants to professional programs.
The OYM program prepares students for professional school
The OYM program is designed to provide a rigorous introduction to the medical sciences that are the foundation of a professional program. In 1 year, students complete graduate-level coursework in cell physiology, systems physiology, microanatomy, human and comparative anatomy, embryology, laboratory methods in biomedicine, and pharmacology. Students also complete coursework in science-based study methods and are given instruction in how to prepare compelling applications for professional schools. As a capstone project, students prepare and deliver a presentation on a disease or disorder of their choosing that allows them to integrate and apply the information learned in the program. This presentation, as well as a final oral examination, allows students to demonstrate the depth and breadth of knowledge they have gained in the OYM program.
The OYM program benefits students
The primary measurable outcome for the program is the percentage of students who submit successful applications and matriculate into a medical professional school. Data from the first 3 years of the program demonstrate that 89.5% of OYM students who applied to professional or graduate school have been accepted into DVM, MD, DDS, PA, and PhD programs. Feedback from graduates indicates that the OYM program prepared them well for professional school. For example, a 2022 graduate who is currently a DVM student at Michigan State University said, “I hope the master’s program is still going strong. It was honestly the best thing to happen to me! If it [weren’t] for the program, I would not be as successful as I am today.” Similarly, a 2021 graduate currently at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign said, “I feel as though I am miles ahead of my fellow classmates in the CVM program … I still refer to my notes and handouts from the program and am not as overwhelmed by the speed of learning in vet school because of all the help I got last year that prepared me for the curriculum. Overall, I’m doing great, and I owe a lot of it to the One Year Master’s program.”
Program outcomes.
Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 262, 9; 10.2460/javma.24.05.0320
The OYM program is a high-value gateway that positions and equips students for success. As indicated, most progress to a professional program. Some, however, redirect their focus to doctoral research programs (that allow the transfer of graduate course credits), and others choose employment that leverages the added credential of a master’s in biomedical science. There is great value in the OYM for all students! More information is available at the program website: https://www.vet.k-state.edu/academics/graduate-programs/Programs/one-year-masters/.
