DB on the Pre-Med Curriculum
In which I agree almost completely. I’d add in a course on medical ethics, and one on health policy as well.
I think Organic Chemistry serves a purpose, but it’s not because Orgo is useful to a clinician. It’s to see if a person has the dedication and ability to memorize an insane amount of very abstract material in a very short span of time, and then be able to apply said material to a specific problem. (Which you have to do in med school.) This also does a good job of weeding out people.
I’d love to see a mandatory second language of one’s choosing in there too (which most of my classmates probably already meet anyway). Similar to the organic chemistry metaphor, medicine is learning a language. (And it also comes in handy with patients. Just two days ago I was doing a second look at a program and helping an intern with a lumbar puncture, and my seemingly-useless French allowed me to communicate with our patient.)