2008 Woodie Awards
Goats, gurneys help prep Pre-Med members for difficult profession
Students learn what to expect from club leaders
By: Raelene Willis
Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: Features
The trigger was pulled and in a flash there was a painful cry as a bullet hit flesh.
The goat was bleeding profusely and junior Joe Sivalingam had only a few minutes before the goat would die.
He ran through the obstacle course desperately trying to keep the goat alive. Stress started to build as the goat lost consciousness and Sivalingam's instructors screamed at him from the sidelines.
As he raced against the clock, one thing ran through Sivalingam's mind: "Don't die on me."
But it was too late. The goat had bled to death and Sivalingam failed the test.
While training at 18 Team Delta, or "Goat School," Sivalingam, vice president of the Pre-Med Association, trained under extreme conditions to handle the stress that comes with being a doctor, he said. His second attempt was successful.
Getting accepted to medical school is difficult and competitive.
In 2007 there were 41,017 medical school applicants with 17,307 accepted, said Jonathan Day, the Pre-Med Association's adviser. People skills and experience in the hospital and on the battlefield, such as Sivalingam's, are key to making it in the medical field.
Medical school is extremely competitive and compacted, said club President Francesca Di Lorenzo, a junior. Because of this, even students who are highly qualified sometimes can't get in.
The association is a group of about 25 students who want to have careers in the medical field, she said. Over the past 20 years they have been providing volunteer opportunities and information about the journey to medical school.
"They like seeing you volunteer in the hospital," Di Lorenzo said. "It shows you're not afraid of the gory stuff."
Sivalingam has shown he isn't afraid to see some blood by being in the operating room and on the battlefield.
While serving on the Marines Corps. special operations unit, he had to deal with gunshot wounds and injuries from explosions.
"You've got your medical bag that you carry with you, and you're only limited to what's in there and what's around you," Sivalingam said.
The Pre-Med Association will have its first meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 2 in Holt Hall Room 268.
A good doctor needs social skills, Di Lorenzo said, and if a potential doctor is boring, hospitals won't want to hire them.
"Just because you're book smart doesn't mean you're going to be a smart doctor," she said.
Acquiring the skills and the experience to become successful on the long and treacherous road to medical school is what the group concentrates on, Di Lorenzo said. The group wants to expand itself next year with a new medical chapter, Phi Delta Epsilon.
The group gives students experience in the field so they know what they're getting themselves into, Sivalingam said.
"It's not like 'Grey's Anatomy,'" he said.
Raelene Willis can be reached at
rwillis@theorion.com
Related links
Chico State premed Web site
The goat was bleeding profusely and junior Joe Sivalingam had only a few minutes before the goat would die.
He ran through the obstacle course desperately trying to keep the goat alive. Stress started to build as the goat lost consciousness and Sivalingam's instructors screamed at him from the sidelines.
As he raced against the clock, one thing ran through Sivalingam's mind: "Don't die on me."
But it was too late. The goat had bled to death and Sivalingam failed the test.
While training at 18 Team Delta, or "Goat School," Sivalingam, vice president of the Pre-Med Association, trained under extreme conditions to handle the stress that comes with being a doctor, he said. His second attempt was successful.
Getting accepted to medical school is difficult and competitive.
In 2007 there were 41,017 medical school applicants with 17,307 accepted, said Jonathan Day, the Pre-Med Association's adviser. People skills and experience in the hospital and on the battlefield, such as Sivalingam's, are key to making it in the medical field.
Medical school is extremely competitive and compacted, said club President Francesca Di Lorenzo, a junior. Because of this, even students who are highly qualified sometimes can't get in.
The association is a group of about 25 students who want to have careers in the medical field, she said. Over the past 20 years they have been providing volunteer opportunities and information about the journey to medical school.
"They like seeing you volunteer in the hospital," Di Lorenzo said. "It shows you're not afraid of the gory stuff."
Sivalingam has shown he isn't afraid to see some blood by being in the operating room and on the battlefield.
While serving on the Marines Corps. special operations unit, he had to deal with gunshot wounds and injuries from explosions.
"You've got your medical bag that you carry with you, and you're only limited to what's in there and what's around you," Sivalingam said.
The Pre-Med Association will have its first meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 2 in Holt Hall Room 268.
A good doctor needs social skills, Di Lorenzo said, and if a potential doctor is boring, hospitals won't want to hire them.
"Just because you're book smart doesn't mean you're going to be a smart doctor," she said.
Acquiring the skills and the experience to become successful on the long and treacherous road to medical school is what the group concentrates on, Di Lorenzo said. The group wants to expand itself next year with a new medical chapter, Phi Delta Epsilon.
The group gives students experience in the field so they know what they're getting themselves into, Sivalingam said.
"It's not like 'Grey's Anatomy,'" he said.
Raelene Willis can be reached at
rwillis@theorion.com
Related links
Chico State premed Web site
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Damian
posted 8/27/08 @ 11:24 AM PST
Killing goats inhumanely to prepare "would-be" doctors for potentially stressful situations seems immoral. I have no problem with thorough training, but shooting a goat and watching it bleed out until it dies seems inhumane. (Continued…)
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