Orientation for osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physical therapy, anatomy and biomedical science students starts August 3, and the physician assistant students have been in class since the beginning of June, so campus is starting to get busy! If you are just moving to Des Moines and getting settled into a new city, here are some links to help you find your way around:

Employment: School is pretty much a full-time job, but if you moved with a spouse or significant other who’s looking for a job check out DesMoinesHelpWanted.com and Iowa Workforce Development. There are some campus jobs for students here.

Other things to know about your new home:

Schools
Utilities
Faith-based organizations
Libraries
Hospitals
Trails and recreation

Posted in Anatomy, Biomedical Science, Life in Des Moines, New Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Prospective Students | Leave a Comment

Ever wonder what it’s really like to be a student at Des Moines University? Are you interested in checking out our campus and labs and visiting with faculty and students? If so, Discover DMU is the event for you! Our next Discover DMU is Wednesday, June 30 at 2:00 p.m.

Discover DMU is informal yet informational and lets you experience what it’s like to be a student at Des Moines University. You’ll learn about each of our nine academic programs, and then join a student-led tour group to visit our facilities.

At Discover DMU you will:

• Visit the Iowa Simulation Center and check out our human simulation lab, surgical skills lab and standardized performance assessment lab.
• Learn more about the workings of the human body with a visit to our gross anatomy lab.
• Gain insight into human movement at our human performance lab.
• Meet with DMU faculty, students and staff.

RSVP for Discover DMU today!  We look forward to meeting you and showing you our wonderful campus!

Posted in Anatomy, Biomedical Science, DMU Events, Health Care Administration, New Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Post-professional Physical Therapy, Prospective Students, Public Health | 1 Comment

Technology has become an essential part of many of our lives and medical students are no exception. DMU osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine and physician assistant students receive iPod Touches which are especially useful while they are on rotations.

Jonathan Thompson, D.P.M.’12 shares five of his favorite medical apps:

ePocrates
Price: Free
Info: A must-have in the clinic and on rotations.  This gives you all the information you need on drugs—interactions, dosages, mechanisms.  You should have an activation code for a full subscription, so if you do not, contact the IT Department for this information.

Pocket Lab Values
Price: $2.99
Info: Hundreds of lab values that can be accessed by a search, your favorites, or by category.  There are other cheaper apps out there that have similar functions, but this is one of the best.

Radiopaedia – Musculoskeletal (MSK Radiology Teaching File – Lite)
Price: Free
Info: Ten radiology cases that include musculoskeletal abnormalities, with many of them occurring in the lower extremity.  This is great practice in reading x-rays, MRI, CT and bone scans.  A full version with 50 cases will be coming soon.

Posted in Anatomy, Biomedical Science, Current Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Prospective Students | 3 Comments

Check out the anatomy lab!

Have you ever gone on a campus tour and felt like you didn’t really get to see the heart and guts of the school? We don’t want that to happen at DMU. We also don’t want you to visit and leave without every question answered. So if you’re thinking you want to enter the health care field (or your child or student does), then come check out Discover DMU on March 3.

It’s informal yet informative and you’ll get to see where students really learn and grow. You’ll hear about all 9 of our programs and go on a tour with a current student to our labs and classrooms and gym and all the other cool stuff that makes DMU awesome.

You’ll get to:

• Examine lifelike human simulators and sit in on a suturing session or laparoscope demonstration.
• Experience the simulated clinical setting students train in before entering a real clinic.
• Watch an osteopathic manual medicine demonstration.
• Meet DMU faculty, alumni and current students.

Come with questions! Our students are amazing and they are happy to share their experiences.

Posted in Anatomy, Biomedical Science, DMU Events, New Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Post-professional Physical Therapy, Prospective Students, Public Health | 1 Comment

I realize we talked about our fall travel last week, but it’s such a busy time of year for us, I thought we needed to mention it again. (Here’s our schedule if you want to see if we’re coming to your school!)

Last week I joined admissions coordinator Lisa Vroegh at the UNI Career Fair to see first-hand what these recruiting trips are all about.We talked to a variety of students from freshman who were still undecided about their majors to graduated seniors who were already applying to medical schools.

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions:

• What are the requirements for your ____ program? (insert Physical Therapy, Osteopathic Medicine, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Health Care Administration, Public Health, Anatomy or Biomedical Science)
• When should I apply? (Each program has a slightly different schedule, so check the website for specific dates. Regardless of the program, the sooner you get your application in the better!)
• What kind of financial aid is available?
• Do you have campus visits?

Posted in Anatomy, Biomedical Science, Health Care Administration, New Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Prospective Students, Public Health, Research, Rural Health | 1 Comment

Fall is my favorite time of year. It’s not just that I love the crisp temperatures, forests changing colors to vibrant reds and oranges or even the fantastic college football (GO HAWKS!)  I also love fall because it’s a busy and exciting time around campus. Fall is when we start our interviews for our clinical programs, and it’s also when our enrollment staff starts traveling to undergraduate schools to recruit new students. We visit classrooms, talk with student groups and attend fairs and expos. It’s an exciting time of the year!

I love fall because as a director of admissions I get to travel around the country and meet so many interesting students. People from all walks of life across the country are preparing for graduate school right now, and I have the pleasure of getting to meet many of them when I’m out traveling.

Last week I got to see the sunrise over the Sierra Nevada Mountains as I drove to the first recruiting event of the fall in Reno, Nevada. As much as I enjoyed the beautiful early-morning vistas, I was more excited to meet some students that day and introduce them to Des Moines University. Right now, I’m back in Des Moines, but I’ll soon be heading to Wisconsin (first thing next week) to visit students in Green Bay, River Falls, Eau Claire and Menomonie.  So, if you’re in central Wisconsin, you should find some time to stop by and say hi!

Posted in Anatomy, Biomedical Science, Health Care Administration, New Students, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Podiatric Medicine, Prospective Students, Public Health, Research, Rural Health | 1 Comment