A Pre-Health Major

Guide to Success
Manelle Ramadan
Biology Major
English 202C
July, 2016

Table of Contents
Introduction to the Guide................................................................................................. 3
Content ........................................................................................................................................3
The Readers Expected Knowledge ..........................................................................................3
Organization ...............................................................................................................................3
Tips To Optimize Helpfulness of this Guide ............................................................................4
Governmental Resources.................................................................................................. 5
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications................................................................................5
Statistical Abstract of the United States ...................................................................................6
National Institute of Health .......................................................................................................7
Medical Resources ............................................................................................................ 8
American Medical Association ..................................................................................................8
PubMedNational Center for Biotechnology Information ...................................................9
Pharmaceutical Resource ............................................................................................... 10
Novavax .....................................................................................................................................10
Chemical Resource.......................................................................................................... 11
Khan Academy .........................................................................................................................11
Biological Resource ......................................................................................................... 12
BioOne .......................................................................................................................................12

Introduction to the Guide

Content
This guide consists of 8 different resources that fall under five possible pre-health
option approaches students might seek during their college careersgovernmental,
medical, pharmaceutical, biochemistry and biology. Is set up in this manner as pre-health
majors are quite diverse and all approaches must be considered to optimize a students
choice in their future careers. Often times, there is a stigma surrounding pre-health
majors seeming that biology or a pre-medicine bachelors degrees will increase the
chances of acceptance into the medical field, however, through with this guide I would
like to be known to pre-health majors that there are many more options available to them
that are just as enticing as biology and premed!
Each section of this guide will contain one to three resources. Within each
resource description there will be an abstract in which students will be informed of the
background and potential advantages of the resource along with an explanation on why
the student would choose to use this site. Finally, there will be tips and the specific
audience of each resource stated after the abstract.

Audience
This guide is designed for pre-health college students with a range of major
options. This guide will be useful for students who are seeking to find science related
information (i.e. publications, news reports, blogs) from a variety of sources. At the end
of each resource, the audience for the specific resource is noted. Differences in the
audiences were characterized by college year (freshman, sophomore, etc.) and interests
such immunology or public health.

The Readers Expected Knowledge

Ranging on the resource from this guide, there are different levels of expected
knowledge the reader must have. For instance, the resource Khan Academypg. ** little
background knowledge is necessary as this site is to be used as a education tool. Contrary
to the simplicity of Khan Academy, the resource American Medical Associationpg. is
labeled more specifically for upperclassmen and those with higher biomedical
understanding due its use of science heavy vocabulary.

Organization
The guide is organized by the major options labeled above and in the order of:
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Governmental Resources
Medical Resources
Pharmaceutical Resource
Chemical Resource
Biological Resource

Tips To Optimize Helpfulness of this Guide

Approach the guide in the order of

1. Which major option do I intend on researching?
2. Am I looking for a specific interest such as medicine or infectious
diseases?
3. Then dive into the resource specific detail such as
a. Does this source contain journals or publications?
b. Are there educational instructions found in the site?
If you focus on the audience level of knowledge of each specific resource, you
might be discouraged from checking out the resource if it exceeds your college/pre-health
experience. However, dont let the specific audience be the deciding factor. Despite the
level of complexity, each resource offers diverse and valuable information, which might
prove to be useful for your research.

Governmental Resources

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
Abstract:
The Catalog of U.S. Government Publication (CGP) is a gateway to a multitude of
governmental publications that can be easily accessed online. Publications found on the
site date back documents published earlier than 1976. This wide range of document
publication dates allows for a wonderful historical comparison between some of the U.S.
governments oldest and most recent documents. There are about 500,000 records found
in this online catalog, offering researchers a wide selection.
To readers interested in the pre-health field, there are a various governmental
medical publications found on the site including authors such as Materials Science and
Engineering Laboratory (U.S.) Polymers Division. Choosing the specific author, is a
feature that will allow a reader to compare the oldest to the newest medical publications
and evaluate the changes medicine has experienced over the years from one specific
institute.

Tips:

If a student desires to save a list of documents while they are searching, to place
the publication they desire to Bookmark. This will allow them easy access all
the saved publications they found the next time they visit.
Printed publications found in this catalog can be located in a library nearest to you
using the Federal Depository Library Direction (FDLD) at
http://catalog.gpo.gov/fdlpdir/FDLPdir.jsp
Website allows you to filter through these five specific options:
o Congressional Serial Set
o Congressional Publications
o Historic Shelflist
o Internet Publications
o Serials

Audience:
For all pre-health college studentsfreshman, sophomore, juniors and seniors

Statistical Abstract of the United States

http://www.census.gov/en.html
Abstract:
The United States Census Bureau website contains the oldest and newest US
statistical documents accessible online. Every Statistical abstract dating back to the 1870s
can be found in this source. Statistical reports are updates daily through news reports
posted on their front page.
This source may appeal to students performing retrospective research in which an
understanding and evidence of different comparative values are essential. Values found
on this site such as social and demographic changes, will provide the necessary
information for students to carry out the studies. Following this, common questions that
arise during medical research are gender statistics, regional population statistic, age
statistics, can be answered using this source.

Tips:

There are three types of statistical searches to consider when using this site,
deducing your research to one of the following will help you find your desired
statistical information:
o People
o Places
o Economy
Click on People to obtain the worlds changing population statistics, although
this is a US Governmental site, it reports on far beyond just national statistics!
Locate blogs from several different authors to broaden your understanding of the
Census Bureau and how these national and international statistics are measured
o Top right corner, the word Blog is hyperlinked to take you to the site
containing all the different blogs

Audience:
For all pre-health college studentsfreshman, sophomore, juniors and seniors

National Institute of Health

https://www.nih.gov
Abstract:
The National Institute of Health is a medical research institute that is part of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Their online site is a source of the
nations most recent dated diseases news. Research and news on the most precarious
disease outbreaks are posted on their site daily and are easily accessible to the general
audience.
Students geared towards broadening their knowledge on current public health
should consult this site for information. There are plenty of articles that provide sufficient
information on the medical procedures. It is not necessary to be a professional scientist in
order to understand the information on this site. For instance, an article published just one
day ago summarizes the combinations of data on the worlds Zika virus outbreak using
vocabulary comfortable for any reader of age. This site can allow students to catch daily
reports on the national and international public health.

Tips:
Pay attention to their In the News section, this will include the latest public
health reports published daily
Research and training opportunities for students seeking professions in research
and public health can check out their medical training site at
https://www.nih.gov/research-training

Audience:
For all college studentsfreshman, sophomore, juniors and seniorswith a focus on
public health

Medical Resources
American Medical Association
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/home.page
Abstract:

The American Medical Association (AMA) is an enterprise consisting of a range

of highly respected members including physicians and House of Delegates, ensuring
representation from each State. The AMAs mission is to work towards shaping the best
public health and medical education for the nation. By this, the site is a tool to many
excellent journals and medical resources.
For college students, this site may seem a bit overwhelming, however, it is a rich
source of information on the most recent medical news and medical publications. Science
intensive course for upper classmen, such as 400-level Mammalian Biology, may require
research outside of the course to further your understanding on the material; this site
contains very useful publications and reports for this purpose.

Tips:
Visit their Education tab for tips on career planning for the medical field
Intended medical students, the "Medical Students tab is an excellent resource to
the latest medical school news and opportunities found at http://www.amaassn.org/ama/pub/medical-students/medical-students.page?
o This tab also allows easy research access to several categories including
biochemistry, cardiovascular disease and clinical outcomes
AMA Wire includes some of the most recent news reports on physician and
medical practices, if further research is desired
Audience:
Mainly for pre-health college upperclassmenjuniors and seniors

PubMedNational Center for Biotechnology Information

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Abstract:

This is an online database containing millions of biomedical journals and
publications run by the National Institute of Health. This database is highly reliable and
contains well over 26 million publications to search through. It acts as a highly advanced
search engine facilitating biomedical and life sciences research.
As a sciences or premedical student, this database can be most helpful in a
multitude of ways, it is can used to locate specific or most recent publications on a certain
topic or even allow students to expand their own knowledge on sciences.

Tips:
If student is looking to expand their knowledge on a certain topic but does not
know of any specific publication, there is an advanced search tool that allows the
reader to optimally find a publication closest to their needs.
There are tools found throughout the site that can help a student understand
laboratory procedures as well.
Audience:
For all pre-health college studentsfreshman, sophomore, juniors and seniors

Pharmaceutical Resource

10

Novavax
http://novavax.com
Abstract:
Novavax is a clinical research company focusing on the latest vaccine studies and
improvements. It contains a compilation of the most recent vaccination reports and
programs for the improvement of global health. On the website you can find the clinical
trials being done at the research facility. Each clinical trial is hyperlinked to lead you to
the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) site containing the details of the studies which
include specifics on the nature of their studies and the researching methods.
This site might appeal the most to students interested in pharmaceutics,
immunology and infectious diseases specializations. The content is science heavy and
requires an understanding of clinical operations and biological immunology. Despite the
intensity, this site excels at informing the audience on the methods behind clinical trials
of these sorts. For upperclassmen seeking professions in this field, this source will give
them the opportunity to learn about professional clinical trial methods.
Tips:
Although the site may seem intimidating searching simple key words such as
Heart attack will guide you to their latest studies
Learn more about clinical trials methodoly and resources using their affiliated
NIH site at
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00888537?term=heart+attack&rank=1
Audience:
Mainly for college upperclassmenjuniors and seniorswith a focus on clinical
research, immunology and infectious diseases

Chemical Resource

11

Khan Academy
Sciences and EngineeringChemistry Section
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry
Abstract:
Khan Academic is a free-of-charge online education resource, it include
educational videos and lectures on various education subjects easing students through
many college courses. This site is run by a team of diverse and qualified experts and
includes partnerships with large and highly regarded institutes such as NASA, the
Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences and MIT.
All college students needing help in the sciences field can use their lectures. Their
education videos lay out clear and concise explains on subjects, I recommend this from
personal experience! Their chemistry section, I found this resource to be particularly
useful for chemistry. Organic chemistry, in particular, can be material heavy and hard to
understand, however, the educational videos posted by topics are very helpful in further
understanding the material.
Tips:

Creating an account, which can be linked to a social media account for easy
access, will allow you to save certain lectures and topics
Access Khan Academy quizzes on specific subjects such as Biology, Physics,
Chemistry and Differential Calculus to help cover exam material at
https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/134801744775/studying-forexams-get-personalized-help-and
Refer to their blog section in order to check out other students experiences with
Khan Academy
Audience:
For all pre-health college studentsfreshman, sophomore, juniors and seniorsenrolled
in chemistry courses ranging from introductory to organic

Biological Resource

12

BioOne
http://www.bioone.org
Abstract:
This source is a publishing site, which aims to create scientific literature more
accessible to the general audience. This site is geared to aid provide easy access to
journals for science major students and science professionals. is funded by various
credible organizations such as The University of Kansas and the American Institute of
Biological Sciences. Unlike most scientific journals and due to their well funding, many
of the journals are free to access. Most other sources require subscriptions or at least oneterm payments.
Science students may find this particularly helpful in obtaining publications
required for research in college assignments. Under their browsing sections students can
also find a list of publishers in related fields that can help them widen their research
sources.
Tips:
Creating a login will allow you to expand your options such as to save certain
publications to read for later.
Audience:
For all pre-health college studentsfreshman, sophomore, juniors and seniors