I'm an highschool student interested in going to med. school. I want to know what courses I should be taking in my Junior and Senior year.

- Good for you! Med school is a great thing. In high school, you don't NEED to do anything special.
- Some states have special programs for exceptional students in high school. For example, in Wisconsin, there is a program called "med scholars" which selects high school seniors for med school. Those who are accepted don't need to take the MCAT (big 7.5 hour test to get in to med school), all they need to do is get good grades and take the required courses. If you don't live in Wisconsin, check to see if a similar program exists in your state. If you get in, it will make your life MUCH easier in college.
- In college, you need to take the following: 1 year of chemistry, 1 year of organic chemistry with lab, 1 year of physics, 1 year of biology. This is the basic requirement. Some med schools require 1 year of english, some require extra courses in biology, some require extra math.
- If you take the above coursework in college, you are eligible to enter med school. You don't need to major in anything like biology, for example I majored in electrical engineering. I met one guy who majored in history, another in philosophy. Just be sure to get those courses in.
- Now then. If you are still in high school, you don't NEED to take anything special. BUT, if you do want to get a head start, take courses that will help you with those college requirements. So be sure to take BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, and PHYSICS. AP courses (if your high school has them) are really good. At the very least, they will prepare you better for the college courses. At the best, you can actually get college credit and skip some of the needed courses.
- I recommend ANATOMY if you can (because it is a required course IN med school). Also CALCULUS because many majors in college will require it, and it will be easier to understand PHYSICS if you study calculus.
- You also need to be aware of the MCAT. It is a giant test you need to take in your junior year of college. It has four parts: writing, verbal reasoning, biology/organic chem, physics/chemistry. In order to do well in last two sections, study hard. In order to do well in the first two sections you'll want to get lots of experience writing essays. I benefitted a lot from writing courses in high school, especially because I didn't have many essays in college (luckily). As for verbal reasoning, there is no way I could tell you to "study" for this, other than READ A LOT. Read science magazines and books and newspapers and anything you can get your hands on.
- Medical schools will not only look at your school work, they will also expect you to do community service and have been involved in interesting jobs and activities/sports. Be sure to work at a hospital at some point before applying to med school, preferably during college.
- Ok, lastly, the part that relates to nystagmus. Don't be afraid to ask your teachers for assistance if your vision prevents you from seeing something they do. I have consistently asked my professors to give me copies of any overhead slides, and I always sit up in the front row to make sure I can see the board.
- Last year I met a guy who is doing an MD/PhD, which is med school AND a PhD degree combined. He was particularly inspiring because he is COMPLETELY BLIND. If this guy can do it, anyone with nystagmus certainly can do it too.
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Good luck,
Daniel

My name is Wendy & I'm a 3rd year medical student in OK. I have had nystagmus since my congenital cataracts were removed in 1976. Had several scar tissue type removal surgeries. Also have chronic open angle glaucoma diagnosed in 1993. Have had two laser & two real surgeries for the COAG & take 3 eye drops a day. See about 20/200 L & 20/70 right. Have a daylight driving only restricted drivers license.

Daniel is right--you can do anything you want to if you have the guts to go for it. Med school is not easy, even for all my friends who see like 20/20. During 1st year, I had to have some special accommodations for gross anatomy lab (wore telescopes & had twice as much time) & microanatomy lab (got to take the video tests with the dental students & not have to look in the microscopes). But, I passed. Now that I've survived the first two years of book reading I'm onto the clinical years.

There are some things I can't do, like see in ears too good, or have the hand-eye coordination to take blood pressures. I can't see in the back of the eye, but I can see a red reflex. Its hard sometimes not to get bogged down by all the things I "can't do". I have to try to focus on the things I CAN do. I love talking to patients & getting histories & there are other parts of physical exams that I'm good at. Studying is hard b/c of the head tilt/reading-with-my-neck-more-than-my-eyes thing. I've compensated by using bright lights & a vertical reading stand (less headaches). I hated the surgery rotation b/c I could not SEE what was going on all the time & some prof's weren't great at describing it. I am definitely NOT procedure oriented!

But the thing about medicine you have to remember is that there are SOOOO many different fields that DON'T necessarily have to have perfect eyesight (and NOT just psychiatry either). I'm thinking about a subspecialty, maybe in endocrinology where I can use my head & my heart more than my eyes.

Just as with any career, you will have good days & bad days with low vision/nystagmus, but you have to learn how to deal with them & stay focused on your goal.