Ref. No.: 40

When Dr. Amanda Tzenov applied to medical school at Memorial University, she knew her Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score was her weakness.

“I was in a bachelor of science degree at Memorial University and doing a federal student work experience program with Fisheries and Oceans,” said the assistant dean of admissions at Memorial's Faculty of Medicine and a Memorial alumna (MD'12). “After I’d finish a day out on the water, I’d come in and haul out my hand-me-down MCAT book and try to get some studying in.

“Because I was working, I didn’t have a lot of time to study or the money to do MCAT prep courses,” she added. “I think my score was why I had to apply three times to get into medical school, but I couldn’t afford to rewrite the test either. I had to hope that everything else I was doing would shine through eventually.”

Vision Program

So it is with an extra appreciation she is helping to usher in a program that will help eliminate the barrier to applying to medical school.

Memorial University’s Vision Program in the Faculty of Medicine will provide a pathway for low socio-economical status applicants to receive funding to cover fees for the Medical College Admission Test and Casper exam and up to $300 for Medical College Application Test preparatory materials, as well as a waiver of Memorial’s $255 application fee and a bursary to cover the $1,000 seat deposit.

“Before someone even gets into medical school there are all these costs,” said Dr. Tzenov. “Some people apply year after year and that can get expensive. Historically we’ve seen that people who apply generally come from higher income families.”

She says with increasing calls for social accountability and to increase the diversity of medical school classes, the program will go a long way toward everyone having an equal opportunity to apply.

“This program will ensure potential applicants will get help right from the onset.”

By making medicine a more accessible career to students in Newfoundland and Labrador, the hope is that, as they train and build their medical education network here, it will increase the likelihood they will choose to stay in the province.

Application process

Because of timelines, interested applicants are encouraged to apply to the Vision Program early, as the entire process can take nearly two years.

Applicants who are successfully admitted to the program in one year would be able to apply to medical school in the next year’s admissions cycle.

The number of applicants that can be assisted each year will be based on available funding and there will be a limit on the number of times students can be awarded support — a maximum of two times for the MCAT and three for the Casper exam.

For more information about the vision program, or to apply, visit here.

-30-

For more information, please contact Virginia Middleton, senior communications advisor, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, at vmiddleton@mun.ca or (709) 725-8157.