Premedical Program Research Articles

Development and Rasch Analysis of the Prior Knowledge of Chemistry Concepts Test for Pre-medical Students in the Philippines

Chemistry concepts are embedded in several contexts that are related to the future professional roles of pre-medical students. In the current academic landscape of pre-medical programs, an objective measurement of prior knowledge of chemistry concepts is necessary to promote students’ academic success. To address this issue, this study aimed to develop and validate the Prior Knowledge of Chemistry Concepts Test. This multiple-choice research instrument is designed to measure pre-medical students’ knowledge of essential chemistry concepts from pre-requisite chemistry courses in pre-medical programs in the Philippines. The final item pool, consisting of 26 general chemistry concepts and 21 general organic chemistry concepts was administered to 470 college students from four tertiary institutions in the Philippines. Item content validity indices (I-CVI) and kappa statistics guided initial revisions, while dichotomous Rasch analysis was utilized to determine the psychometric properties of the research instrument. The analysis provided evidence of adequate person and item reliability, item fit, local independence, and unidimensionality, although some items may be omitted in subsequent iterations. The application of the research instrument to assessment and evaluation was elaborated using the student ability and item difficulty logits along the person-item map. Suggestions for the improvement of the research instrument were also discussed.

Students' perspectives on their early dropout of medical school.

Enrolling in medical school launches a more demanding and stressful way of life for newly admitted students. Some students will struggle academically and will ultimately drop out from medical school. The study aims to understand the perspectives that dropped-out students have and their opinion regarding possible preventative solutions. This study uses a mixed-method approach. The results of students' examinations in the first 2 years of admission (within four academic years from 2016 until 2020) were collected from the medical school records. A questionnaire was developed to investigate the causes of early attrition during the study period. All dropped-out students who were admitted were included in this study. The study included 479 admitted students, 349 (72.9%) were females; 152 (31.7%) students dropped out in the premedical program (first two years); 104 (68.4%) of the dropped-out students were females. Thirty-five (23%) students responded to the questionnaire. Twenty-eight (80%) respondents believed that their low academic performance and leaving medical school was primarily related to psychological problems, 19 (54%) of respondents reported leaving for social reasons, and lack of self-organization in 13 (37.1%) respondents. Human anatomy was recorded as the most difficult course in the first year by 21 (63.6%) students. The cause of attrition is often multifactorial and complex. Psychological problems are one of the important factors in students with low academic performance and dropping out of the students. Some difficult courses in the curriculum may affect the students' academic performance leading to their attrition.

Pilot Study Exploring the Feasibility of Incorporating Radiation Oncology Into Pre-existing Early Pathway Programs for Diverse Premedical Students

Many medical schools in the United States have affiliated pathway, preparatory, and/or prematriculation programs that enroll a high percentage of students historically underrepresented in medicine (URiM). The purpose of this pilot study was to better characterize exposures to radiation oncology (RO) among students in these programs and determine the feasibility of incorporating a radiation oncologist within their pre-existing format if nonexistent. During the summers of 2021 and 2022, a radiation oncologist gave a presentation about basic principles of cancer care to 18 unique student groups in 12 premedical programs affiliated with 8 medical schools. Participating students were asked to complete an anonymous postpresentation questionnaire. Descriptive statistics are reported. A total of 467 students attended the presentations, and 241 completed the questionnaire (response rate 52.0%). The majority of participants reported being female (63.5%), URiM (66.4%), and low income (57.3%). Students were less likely to report previous teaching from a radiation oncologist (11.2%) than a surgical (17.0%) or medical oncologist (18.3%). Prior clinical shadowing with a radiation oncologist (2.9%) was also less likely than shadowing a surgical oncologist (5.0%), medical oncologist (6.6%), or any other physician (53.1%). Students were also less likely to previously believe that radiation could cure cancer (65.8%) compared with surgery (74.9%) or chemotherapy (89.3%). After the presentation, 168 students (69.7%) were more interested in a career in RO, and 211 students (87.6%) responded that the presentation was either quite or extremely valuable (median Likert-type score, 5; interquartile range, 4-5). Many of the students in premedical programs lack prior exposure to RO or knowledge of multidisciplinary cancer care, which was ameliorated by a simple yet effective presentation across a variety of different types of programs in this study. Longitudinal assessment of different types of educational initiatives and students' ultimate career trajectory will help optimize future RO initiatives among premedical URiM students.

Pilot Study Exploring the Feasibility and Value of Introducing Diverse Students in Premedical Programs to Multidisciplinary Oncology

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> The radiation oncology (RO) workforce has less racial and ethnic diversity than most medical specialties. Some important components of cultivating students' interest in RO include early access to the specialty, development of sustained mentor and sponsor relationships, and publication of oncology research. However, because RO is uncommonly incorporated into curricula at US medical schools, there is potentially value in efforts to expose premedical students to RO. Many US medical schools have affiliated pipeline, preparatory, and/or prematriculation programs that enroll a high percentage of students historically underrepresented in medicine (UIM), but only approximately one-fourth of academic RO departments report interacting with these programs. We hypothesize that it will be feasible for radiation oncologists to proactively engage students in these programs, and students' perceived interest in oncology will increase because of it. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> Leaders of 6 premedical programs designed primarily for UIM students affiliated with 4 US medical schools (each of which had an affiliated RO department) were emailed to assess their interest in a 45-minute virtual presentation introducing multidisciplinary cancer care. All programs lacked any similar didactic, and agreed. A presentation titled "Translating Scientific Principles into Practice in the Care of Patients with Cancer" was given to each program individually. An electronic survey of multiple choice and Likert-type questions was used to capture data from participating students. Descriptive statistics are reported. <h3>Results</h3> 96 students completed the survey, out of 284 attendees (response rate 34%). 66 students were female (69%). 34 students self-identified as Black (55%), 26 Asian (27%), 13 white (14%), 10 multi-racial (10%), and 18 other race (19%). 27 students identified as Hispanic ethnicity (28%). 46 students (48%) were post-baccalaureate medical school pre-matriculants, 18 (19%) were in college, 32 (31%) were in high school or younger. 88 (92%) plan to attend medical school. 61 participants (64%) were previously aware of the field of RO, whereas 9 (9%) had previously heard a presentation from a radiation oncologist. After the presentation, 74 students (77%) expressed increased interest in a career in oncology (including 64% more interested in RO, 68% in medical oncology, and 55% in surgical oncology). 77 students (80%) desired further clinical shadowing, 60 (63%) an oncology research project, 30 (31%) attending a tumor board, and 35 (36%) more virtual oncology educational content. <h3>Conclusion</h3> RO participation in premedical programs with predominantly UIM students was feasible in all programs contacted, and inspired interest in oncology among the majority of students. Future work will expand this outreach at similar programs affiliated with more US medical schools.

Medical students' self-directed learning skills during online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic in a Korean medical school.

PurposeThis study examined medical students’ self-directed learning skills in online learning contexts, and whether there were any differences among the student groups (from pre-medical program year 1 to medical program year 2) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It also explored the components of self-directed learning skills influencing their perceived learnring performance and satisfaction in online learning contexts.MethodsThis study used a cross-sectional survey design and convenience sampling. It was conducted in a Korean medical school, which delivered all courses online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The self-directed learning skill survey, which included student satisfaction and perceived learning performance items, was disseminated over two weeks through email to the participants. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and multiple regressions.ResultsThe survey response rate was 70% (140/200). The overall mean of self-directed learning skills was 3.85. Students in medical year 2 showed the highest score (4.15), while students in medical year 1 showed the lowest score (3.69). The learning plan category score (3.74) was the lowest among the three categories. The pre-medical program year 1 students showed the lowest score in the perceived learning performance (3.16), and only the learning plan category impacted student satisfaction (t=2.605, p=0.041) and perceived learning performance (t=3.022, p=0.003).ConclusionWhen designing online learning environments, it is imperative to provide features to help students set learning goals and search diverse online learning resources. In addition, it is an effective strategy to provide the students in medical program year 1 with self-directed learning skills training or support for successful online learning.

Sources of gender differences in competency beliefs and retention in an introductorypremedicalscience course

AbstractGender disparities in retention in pathways to science continue to vary widely by course. Undergraduates intending to study prehealth and premedicine often represent a majority of students enrolled in introductory science courses, contribute to a large number of eventual science degree earners, and are a population that typically includes a high number of women. However, gender differences in attrition, grades, and attitudes persist in the introductory science courses required by undergraduate preheath and premedical programs, particularly within the physical sciences (i.e., Chemistry and Physics). We use structural equation modeling to study 416 undergraduate students across multiple sections of an Algebra‐based Physics course, a common course on the prehealth and premedical track where large gender differences in grades, retention and competency beliefs have been documented. Our analysis focuses on identifying potential academic and attitudinal sources for gender differences in students' beliefs about their Physics abilities at the end of the course, and retention to the second physics course, which is often influenced by these competency beliefs. Results suggest that while men's ability beliefs in Physics are relatively stable and largely derived from early performance indicators, this is a smaller source of ability beliefs for women. Instead, women's ability beliefs are mediated during the course through their sense of belonging in Physics, and the extent to which they believe that Physics ability is fixed or malleable. These findings can inform the design of interventions in Physics courses that specifically target the development of ability beliefs for women intending medical careers.

Five Years' Experience With a Medical Scribe Fellowship: Shaping Future Health Professions Students While Addressing Provider Burnout.

Professional burnout has reached epidemic levels among U.S. medical providers. One key driver is the burden of clinical documentation in the electronic health record, which has given rise to medical scribes. Despite the demonstrated benefits of scribes, many providers-especially those in academic health systems-have been unable to make an economic case for them. With the aim of creating a cost-effective scribe program in which premedical students gain skills that better position them for professional schooling, while providers at risk of burnout obtain documentation support, the authors launched the Clinical Observation and Medical Transcription (COMET) Program in June 2015 at Stanford University School of Medicine. COMET is a new type of postbaccalaureate premedical program that combines an apprenticeship-like scribing experience and a package of teaching, advising, application support, and mentored scholarship that is supported by student tuition. Driven by strong demand from both participants and faculty, the program grew rapidly during its first 5 years (2015-2020). Program evaluations indicated high levels of satisfaction among participants and faculty with their mentors and mentees, respectively; that participants felt the experience better positioned them for professional schooling; and that faculty reported improved joy of practice. In summary, tuition-supported medical scribe programs, like COMET, appear to be feasible and cost-effective. The COMET model may have the potential to help shape future health professions students, while simultaneously combating provider burnout. While scalability and generalizability remain uncertain, this model may be worth exploring at other institutions.

Expanding Opportunities: An Evaluation of Uniformed Services University's Premedical Program for Enlisted Service Members.

Medical school leaders are seeking strategies to increase the diversity of their student populations. Post-baccalaureate premedical (PBPM) programs are one such pipeline that has supported diversity in medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Uniformed Services University's (USU's) PBPM program (the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program, EMDP2) to determine how well it prepares its learners for the School of Medicine (SOM). The National Board of Medical Examiners Clinical Science Subject Examination scores of EMDP2 learners from the SOM classes of 2020-2023 were compared to those of four similarly sized cohorts of their peers that varied by age and prior military service. We found that the performance of program graduates was comparable to their peers who followed more traditional and other alternative preparatory paths. The EMDP2 appears to prepare medical students on a par with their non-EMDP2 peers. The EMDP2 contributes to USU's commitment to train physicians who represent the nation and its citizens by making medical education available to enlisted service members, a population that closely mirrors the diversity of the nation.

Penn Access Summer Scholars program: a mixed method analysis of a virtual offering of a premedical diversity summer enrichment program

ABSTRACT In the USA, numerous summer programs are available for undergraduate students that seek to increase the number of individuals from groups underrepresented in medicine (URM) that matriculate to medical school. These programs have typically been conducted at research-focused institutions, involving hands-on-research and various enrichment experiences. For 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the suspension of on-campus student activities at American universities, necessitating a switch to a virtual format for these URM-focused programs. Outcomes, however, from these programs conducted virtually, necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have not been reported. The Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS) program at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) targets URM undergraduates, providing two consecutive summers of mentored research and enrichment experiences, with the goal of enabling participants’ matriculation to PSOM. PASS has been an 8 week on-campus experience, but during summer 2020, virtual programming of 6 weeks was provided due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants in the 2020 virtual offering of PASS completed pre- and post-program surveys that included 5-point Likert-style and open-ended questions to determine the impact of the programing on self-assessments of research skills, familiarity with the physician identity, and preparedness to be a PSOM student. Post-program, participants also assessed program administration and content. With respect to program objectives, participants reported significant increases in their self-reported confidence in conducting research, understanding of physician identity, and sense of preparedness for medical school. The educational value of the program content, their level of engagement in the program and the overall quality of the program were rated as excellent or outstanding by large majorities of respondents. Content analyses of participant comments were consistent with these quantitative results. Therefore, a premedical summer enrichment program targeting URM undergraduates can be successfully conducted virtually to achieve program objectives and may increase the availability to these initiatives.

Current Efforts in Diversity for Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows: Playing a Zero-sum Game

* Abbreviation: URiM — : underrepresented in medicine Medicine in the United States has been hampered by a lack of diversity for centuries. Over the past few decades, greater attention and efforts have been focused on tackling this problem. A diverse workforce is important for many reasons, including a commitment toward a representative workforce in the name of social justice, improved patient care in the form of increased access and patient satisfaction,1 and service to communities for whom we provide care.2 Programs aimed at increasing diversity exist at every level of medical training, from premedical programs to the subspecialty match. Programs throughout are important because structural and individual racism impede minority success at every level, but the earliest interventions are the most likely to succeed. Efforts aimed at increasing diversity will not succeed by simply targeting subspecialty trainees alone. In essence, at the subspecialty level, this is a zero-sum game. The gains made by any one program are exactly balanced by the losses borne by others. A significant impact on increasing the pool of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) candidates for fellowship positions requires that efforts begin early and continue throughout the entire educational journey. The Association of American Medical Colleges defines URiM as “racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.” This … Address correspondence to Angela C. Weyand, MD, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Dr, Medical Sciences Research Building III, Room 8220E, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. E-mail: acweyand{at}med.umich.edu

Queen's University Faculty of Health Sciences.

Queen's University Faculty of Health Sciences.

Leveraging the Medical School Admissions Process to Foster a Smart, Humanistic, and Diverse Physician Workforce.

An excellent physician has a range of talents, including the knowledge and critical thinking abilities to work with the rapidly changing biomedical and social science content of the profession as well as the interpersonal and communication skills to build meaningful relationships with patients and families. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was revised in 2015 to focus more on analytical reasoning skills and behavioral and social sciences knowledge to ensure that future physicians have the capabilities needed to care for patients in the 21st century and to allow admissions committees to identify applicants who have demonstrated proficiency in these areas. With these changes, scores continue to be predictive of student performance in the preclerkship curriculum.In this Invited Commentary, the author argues that, as educators struggle to define the characteristics of the "right" candidates for medical school and design processes to identify and admit those applicants, it is important to consider the message being sent by calls for the MCAT exam to play a reduced role in admissions decisions. Educators must avoid diminishing the importance of intellectual rigor and, while pursuing goals for a more diverse physician workforce, maintain standards that ensure medicine's commitment to patients. The author concludes with suggestions for how educators can work with under-resourced colleges and premedical programs to help disadvantaged students get the preparation they need to succeed in medical school and throughout their careers. Taking these steps will allow educators to support students, prepare them for practice, and fulfill their obligation to the public to produce excellent physicians.

Adapting Premedical Post-Baccalaureate Approaches to Support US-style Medical Education in the United Arab Emirates.

A recent academic paradigm shift in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduced US-style medical education to meet the nation’s growing need for medical practitioners. This newly established Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU) left gaps in student preparedness. To address this problem, KU simultaneously developed a post-bachelor’s premedical program, commonly known as a pre-medicine post-baccalaureate (PMPB) program, that prepared students for entry into the UAE’s first MD program. The authors adapted US-style post-baccalaureate approaches to create KU’s PMPB program that gave students unique opportunities to take coursework that filled gaps in previous knowledge and prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) exam. The 1-year bridging program harnessed academic strengths from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) post-baccalaureate premedical programs network and Kaplan, Inc. Overall, 19 (12 Emirati and 7 international) students achieved admissible MCAT scores (group’s minimum score = 485, average score = 492, and maximum score = 509) and gained research experiences that supported their entry into KU’s medical school. The PMPB program supplied two-thirds of the medical schools’ fall 2019 inaugural class, increased local awareness and interest in medicine and created a novel platform to help students pursue a career in medicine in the UAE.

Exploring the Relationship Between Endometriosis and Vascular Health: A Systematic Mini-Review

Santos JM1, Singh B2 and Xia P3* Author Affiliations 1Department of Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program, USA 2Johns Hopkins Medicine, Research 3Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Baltimore, USA Received: March 07, 2019 | Published: March 18, 2019 Corresponding author: Ping Xia, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2019.16.002798

Enhancing medical student diversity through a premedical program: A Caribbean school case study.

Physicians with backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM) are more likely to practice in underserved communities. Recruitment into and assistance during medical education has the potential to increase the number of URiM physicians. This study analyzes URiM students' academic performance at a well-established Caribbean school with and without prior successful completion of the Medical Education Readiness Program (MERP). A retrospective analysis of premedical school requirements and achievements in medical school were performed for URiM students enrolled in Ross University School of Medicine between 2006 and 2012, through either MERP or direct admission. For MERP and non-MERP students, an independent sample two-tailed Student t-test was used to compare prerequisite Grade Point Average (p GPA), Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores. Chi-square analysis was performed to compare the attrition rates for MERP and non-MERP URiM students in the first years of medical schools well as USMLE Step 1 pass rates. A total of 1299 students entering medical school directly (n = 981) or through MERP (n = 318) were evaluated. The mean MCAT (19.6 for MERP vs. 21.6 for non-MERP, P < 0.001) and prerequisite GPA (2.8 for MERP vs. 3.1 for non-MERP, P < 0.001) were significantly lower for the MERP students. A similar percentage of MERP and non-MERP students reached the 2nd year (83.0% and 80.9% respectively, P = 0.407) and 3rd year (80.5% and 79.0% respectively, P = 0.565) of medical school. USMLE Step 1 pass rates for MERP (90.6%) and non-MERP (92.3%) as well as USMLE Step 1 mean scores (208.9 and 210.0 for MERP and non-MERP, respectively) were also comparable. MERP-like programs can help URiM students with lower undergraduate scores succeed in medical school.

Development of Premedical Curriculum in Inje University’s College of Medicine

One important purpose of premedical education is to help students attain core competencies during the two-year premedical program. Since premedical curriculum is the foundation of medical education, it is necessary to develop the premedical curriculum in accordance with the overarching curriculum of a medical school. Inje University’s College of Medicine (IUCM) has attempted to integrate competency-based medical education into the premedical education curriculum. The revised premedical curriculum aims to develop students’ intrinsic competencies during premedical years. In an effort to do so, IUCM defined competencies for premedical education, analyzed and designed premedical courses according to the defined competencies, and suggested learner-centered instructional methods. As a result of implementing the revised premedical curriculum, students have reported both positive experiences and difficulties. Based on the results, it will be necessary to continuously improve the premedical curriculum as well as develop appropriate methods for evaluating student achievement of the defined competencies.

Teaching health-care trainees empathy and homelessness IQ through service learning, reflective practice, and altruistic attribution.

This article describes a novel inter-professional curriculum designed to address the needs of homeless patients in a Midwestern region of the United States which has high rates of poverty. The curriculum is intended for healthcare trainees coming from undergraduate pre-medical programs, nursing, pharmacy, social work, clinical psychology, medical school and post-graduate medical training in family medicine, medicine-pediatrics, and psychiatry. The clinical component is specifically designed to reach destitute patients and the curriculum is structured to reverse commonly held myths about homelessness among the trainees, thereby improving their Homelessness Information Quotient, the ability to more fully understand homelessness. Participants across all disciplines and specialties have shown greater empathy and helper behavior as determined by qualitative measures. Learners have also developed a greater understanding of health-care systems allowing them to more consistently address social determinants of health identified by the authors as their Disparity Information Quotient. This article outlines the process of initiating a homeless service program, a curriculum for addressing common myths about homelessness and the effective use of narrative methods, relational connections, and reflective practice to enable trainees to process their experience and decrease burnout by focusing on the value of altruism and finding meaning in their work.

The Latino Physician Shortage: How the Affordable Care Act Increases the Value of Latino Spanish-Speaking Physicians and What Efforts Can Increase Their Supply.

The United States Latino population is growing at a rapid pace and is set to reach nearly 30% by 2050. The demand for culturally and linguistically competent health care is increasing in lockstep with this growth; however, the supply of doctors with skills and experience suited for this care is lagging. In particular, there is a major shortage of Latino Spanish-speaking physicians, and the gap between demand and supply is widening. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased the capacity of the US healthcare system to care for the growing Latino Spanish-speaking population, through health insurance exchanges, increased funding for safety net institutions, and efforts to improve efficiency and coordination of care, particularly with Accountable Care Organizations and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. With these policies in mind, the authors discuss how the value of Latino Spanish-speaking physicians to the healthcare system has increased under the environment of the ACA. In addition, the authors highlight key efforts to increase the supply of this physician population, including the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, premedical pipeline programs, and academic medicine and medical school education initiatives to increase Latino representation among physicians.

Medical School Outcomes, Primary Care Specialty Choice, and Practice in Medically Underserved Areas by Physician Alumni of MEDPREP, a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program for Underrepresented and Disadvantaged Students

ABSTRACTProblem: Minorities continue to be underrepresented as physicians in medicine, and the United States currently has a number of medically underserved communities. MEDPREP, a postbaccalaureate medical school preparatory program for socioeconomically disadvantaged or underrepresented in medicine students, has a stated mission to increase the numbers of physicians from minority or disadvantaged backgrounds and physicians working with underserved populations. This study aims to determine how MEDPREP enhances U.S. physician diversity and practice within underserved communities. Intervention: MEDPREP recruits disadvantaged and underrepresented in medicine students to complete a 2-year academic enhancement program that includes science coursework, standardized test preparation, study/time management training, and emphasis on professional development. Five hundred twenty-five disadvantaged or underrepresented students over 15 years completed MEDPREP and were tracked through entry into medical practice. Context: MEDPREP accepts up to 36 students per year, with two thirds coming from the Midwest region and another 20% from nearby states in the South. Students complete science, test preparation, academic enhancement, and professionalism coursework taught predominantly by MEDPREP faculty on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus. Students apply broadly to medical schools in the region and nation but are also offered direct entry into our School of Medicine upon meeting articulation program requirements. Outcome: Seventy-nine percent of students completing MEDPREP became practicing physicians. Fifty-eight percent attended public medical schools, and 62% attended medical schools in the Midwest. Fifty-three percent of program alumni chose primary care specialties compared to 34% of U.S. physicians, and MEDPREP alumni were 2.7 times more likely to work in medically underserved areas than physicians nationally. Lessons Learned: MEDPREP increases the number of disadvantaged and underrepresented students entering and graduating from medical school, choosing primary care specialties, and working in medically underserved areas. MEDPREP may therefore serve as a model for increasing physician diversity and addressing the needs of medically underserved communities.

Raising awareness among health educators and educational institutions of the need to overcome the language barrier among Non-Native English speaking students of Health Sciences in Qatar: A needs analysis and solutions

Background: Improving healthcare starts by providing the best education possible for medical students. In the Gulf region, a new movement known as “Arabization of Health Sciences” is at the root of many of the last educational reforms regarding the language in the teaching of sciences. Those reforms created a non-negligible gap among medical students in terms of scientific terminology. Research questions: This report aims to answer two questions: [1] What is the nature of the language barrier facing non-native English speaking students in their understanding of biological terminology? [2] How can non-native English speaking students overcome this language barrier and what learning tools can be used to do that? Method: Study participants were enrolled in a foundation and a premedical program at a U.S. medical university located in Qatar. A questionnaire was proposed to students asking for: 1- their need for translation of scientific terms, 2- the language of study of sciences in high school, 3- their shyne...