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                        JeffNEWS, February 21, 1995
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Join JMC's AOA in Community-Oriented Activities
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Jefferson's chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honor medical 
society, has a dual focus. 

While the chapter is concerned with easing the passage of Jefferson 
Medical College (JMC) students through school and into their residencies, 
the members also turn their vision outward to the needs of the larger 
community and invite interested Jeffersonians and area neighbors to join 
them in several of their endeavors.

A project of long standing, which takes place in May, is participation 
in the Special Olympics. There are a variety of opportunities to help in 
that connection, among them is being a "buddy" - that means escorting a 
Special Olympian from one event to the next and being there to applaud when 
"your" Olympian is on the field. The students also run the event's first 
aid tent. Call Chris Martin, JMC '95, at 610-622-7622 to volunteer to help.

The following AOA community programs are also forming:

o An education campaign in collaboration with the department of obstetrics 
and gynecology and the Immunization Action Program of the Philadelphia 
Department of Health, to inform parents and parents-to-be about the 
importance, starting at birth, of having their children's immunizations and 
boosters against infectious diseases up to date. AOA students also have 
prepared talks on AIDS and smoking to present to schools and in other 
community settings. Call Audrey De Silva, JMC '95, at 790-9237, or Carol 
Smith, JMC '95, at 928-9565 for more information.

Two community activities by AOA medical students are:

o High-school teaching to stimulate teenagers' interest in healthy behaviors, 
such as wearing seat belts and avoiding smoking, drunk driving, and alcohol 
and drug abuse. Several AOA JMC students had an AIDS information discussion 
with two 11th-grade classes and 150 seventh graders at Brandywine Heights 
High School and, in the spring, expect to bring the discussion to 
Philadelphia schools, other Pennsylvania towns and to New Jersey schools. 
The coordinators of these activities are Craig Smith, JMC '95, 413-2460, 
and William Bond, JMC '95, 923-6740.

o College visits - Members of the AOA undergraduate advisory committee have 
shared their experiences in applying to medical school with students in 
several area colleges. This activity may involve other medical school 
students, as well. The committee also is available to answer questions that 
students accepted for their first year at Jefferson may have about JMC or 
about medical school in general. The coordinator is Steve Oberlender, JMC 
'95, 281-7780.

The principal student-oriented AOA activity is the tutoring program for 
first-and second-year students to help them become acclimated to medical 
school and to what at first may seem to be an overwhelming amount of 
difficult material to cover. Help with clinical rotations is available for 
third-year students, as well. Joseph Czarnecki, 627-5705, and Jim Harrop, 
923-8871, both JMC '95, are coordinating these programs.

Other programs open to Jefferson Medical College students include:

o The AOA/Hobart Amory Hare Lecture, delivered in the spring by a 
distinguished member of the medical community.

o Classes in basic medical techniques to help third-year students learn to 
draw blood, insert nasogastric tubes and Foley catheters, and perform 
electrocardiograms and a basic physical examination. Carol Smith, JMC '95, 
928-9565, is the coordinator.

o The residency interview catalog for fourth-year students distills the 
information gleaned by residents from their interviews for a variety of 
residencies in many hospitals across the country. Other tips include 
deadlines for letters of recommendation and photographs. Paul Protomastro, 
JMC '95, 625-0255, heads this project.

o A manual for third-year students tells about the different clinical 
rotations, gives directions to each affiliate, recommends texts and 
provides the hospitals' typical call schedules. Mr. Czarnecki directs this 
activity.

o A research seminar series exposes students to basic science research and 
its applications to clinical medicine, and encourages active participation 
in discussion of scientific activity being undertaken by Philadelphia-area 
scientists. This is also an opportunity to learn about available 
scholarships and fellowships. Six lectures were presented in the fall and 
another six will be offered in the spring. MD/PhD candidate Douglas Kerr, 
JMC/CGS '95, 574-0630, coordinates this activity.

To be selected for AOA, students must be in the top quarter of their 
class in grade point average, but only one-sixth of the class may be 
elected. Other selection criteria include evaluations by attendings and 
their classmates and extracurricular contributions to Jefferson and the 
community. One quarter of the total are elected in the spring of their 
third year and the remainder in the fall of their fourth year. Jay Rudd, 
JMC '95, is the Jefferson chapter president and Troy L. Thompson II, MD, 
the Daniel Lieberman Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and 
department chair, is the chapter councillor. Dr. Thompson is also a member 
of the National AOA Board of Directors.


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Information provided by:  Editor, JeffNEWS
                          (215) 955-6204
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