Youngest Medical Class Ever Begins At U-M

The youngest group of future physicians ever admitted to a medical school in Michigan began classes at the University Friday and most appear certain that they won't be looked upon as "second class" doctors if they become physicians at age 22 as the pilot program permits. Fifty 17 and 18-year-old high school graduates have been admitted to a combined, accelerated program of the College of Literature, Science and Arts and the Medical School. Attending school 10 months out of the year, many are expected to earn -their MD degrees in five years. "When I first heard about the program I thought graduates would be considered second-class doctors," LOREN Ketai, 18, of Birmingham, told The News. "But I talked to several people and found out it wasn't true." All LAS students accepted for the fall term were informed óf the pilot program through the máil. "Total class time will be close to that spent by medical students who.take eight years to gradúate," said Loren. He isn't worried about becoming weary from the length of time out of the year which will be spent in class. "If we're cut out to be doctors it shouldn't be such a task," said Loren. "If it is, then we wouldn't make good doctors." "If I can make it through high school I can make it through this program," remarked another student, Aimee Hachigian, 17, of Detroit. The program is called "Interflex" of Integrated, Flexible Premedical-Mdical School Curriculum and is funded by a five-year $1.4 lion grant from the National Institures of Health. The goal oí Inteflex is to produce well-rounded, highly trained physicians in less than the traditional eight years of college(usually four years in Liberal Arts and four years in Medical School). A major benefit of the program, according to Dr. George R. DeMuth, associate dean for student affairs of the Medical School, will be to get doctors into practice earlier, before they are 30. "At present, a person normally takes three to six years of post-graduate training before he starts nis practice. A shortened medical school will put a doctor to productive work during his 20's which have some of the most creative years of a person's life," he said. Arte Pierce, 17, of Detroit, said his family doctor advised him that it would be a prestigious program, so he enrolled. He is particularly eager for the class in which freshmen will be working directly with doctors and patients. The course is called "Introduction to Patiënt Care" and will involve studying under private physicians, "preceptors," in their offices and community hospitals all over the state during the first half of U-M's spring-summer term. Another enthusiast for that program is Cindy Segal, 18, of Oak Park, who has wanted to be a doctor "ever since fourth grade." She is interested in pediatrics and will be taking chemistry and zoology her first semester in addition to a bi-weekly seminar, "Medicine and Society," which is required for all the students in the program. It will consist of 10 to 15 students meeting with faculty members - often in their homes - to discuss "relevant" social issues. Stuart Shipko, 18, of Southfield has "no idea" what type of medical practice he will enter, but is taking genetics and physiology in his first term besides the seminar. Local students in the program include Jack Juni of 1825 Waltham, Kathleen Makielski of 1518 Hanover, John Miller of 602 Pauline Blvd. and Alice Pentland of 1708 Pauline Blvd., all of Ann Arbor; and James Bruestle of 18 62 5 Pleasant Lake Rd., Manchester. Under Inteflex, the liberal arts and Medical School curriculums will be blended, coordinated and Consolidated, offering a smooth transition from basic to clinical sciences while maintaining a strong flavor of humánities and social science courses, said Dr. John A. Gronvall, dean and director of the Medical ter. Students will gradually progress more and more into the Medical School portion of thir studies and by the fifth year, at least, will be participating in patiënt care as do junior medical students, Dr. Cronvall noted. However, even in their final year of Medical School, Inteflex students will be taking such liberal arts courses as philosophy or sociology. Medical School f aculty feel that this introductory class of Inteflex has the ïntellectual fiber to perist through the fast-track program. They say the students are gifted, energetic, enthusiastic and unusually mature for their age. The students are from high schools in 31 Michigan communities. Only 10 members of the class are from out-ofstate, about the same percentage as in the regular Medical School curriculum. However, 40 per cent of the Inteflex group is female, which is three times the number of women students in regular Medical School classes. The 50 Inteflex students were selected from 600 applicants and have an average high school grade point average of 3.81 on a 4.0 scale. Ten are perfect all-A students. The average class rank is 97.8 and their combined mean score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test is 1.300. "These students have the same capabilities as those accepted for our M.D. program after completing four years of college," said Dr. Dorin L. Hinerman, who has spent 20 years as a member of the Medical School admïssions committee. "I was amazed and so were the other members of the committee that we had accepted (for Inteflex) virtually the same students, only they were four years younger," he said. Maturity and career motivation were two of the deciding factors in selecting the Inteflex students, Hinerman said. The Medical School wants to be as certain as possible that the youths will finish the program. In addition to test scores, reports from their high schools and written statements by the students on why they wanted to become physicians were scrutinized. Two separate interviews were given each of the 161 finalists by faculty members. The admissions committee thought that the interviews were so important that they made arrangements to have one girl interviewed by a faculty member who was in Paris, France. She was spending the summer studying there. (She was later accepted into the program.) Many of the students als o demonstrated a devotion to helping others, Dr. Hinerman said. One girl, he noted, had done efféctive work with chldren in the Detroit ghetto when she was 16. Others have worked as hospital volunteers, doctor's assistants, linie aides and some have done original I research in biochemistry. The students have a variéty I of outside interests. One in-l to go out for quarterback in freshman football, a girl Inteflex student relaxes by playing the bagpipes and another member of the class was signed up for the Julliard Academy before switching to U-M. The "Flex" in Inteflex recognizes these individual i differences, according to Dr Harvey V. Sparks, assistant Medical School dean. The 1 gram allows students to progress at their own pace. Dr. Sparks said five to 10 students are expected to 1 píete medical school in the j five-year period, with another 20 to 25 students taking six years. The remaining students are expected to continue their ' studies in allied fields or take 1onger to finish Medical School. The U-M's Residential College which has provided dormitory facilities for Inteflex students. Pïge