通过指导建立一个“家庭”

医学院的第一年可能会让人不知所措. But OUWB's Big Sib/Little Sib program helps ease the acclimation process by establishing lasting mentorships between first-year medical students (M1s) and second-year medical students (M2s).

 参加Big Sib/Little Sib是自愿的, but the vast majority of M1s apply for the program and are then paired with an M2 who serves as their "Big" for their entire time at OUWB. 

"It's really nice talking to someone who's been where you are, because sometimes you can lose sight of the big picture when you have so many things going on,M1 Rima Stepanian说.

"We can just text our Bigs if we're struggling with something and they'll say, “是的, 这是艰难的, 但一两周内就会结束.'" 

Big Sib/Little Sib was established in 2012, as soon as OUWB's second class began their studies. 伯克利·布朗博士.D., 公开商学院负责学生事务的临时副院长, says the program is part of OUWB's effort "to create a med school culture that is focused on collaboration and community, 而不是竞争." 

"Especially for our new students who don't have strong ties or many ties to Michigan, sometimes their Big Sib is the only family or community that they have at the med school in the first couple of weeks,她说. "This program has been really critical (to build) that culture of community among the students."

这当然是Stepanian的情况. She and her Big, Davit Meliksetyan, are both of Armenian heritage. Stepanian says she's deeply appreciated being able to text Meliksetyan in Armenian and otherwise bond over their shared cultural background. Thoughtful Big-Little pairings like theirs are the result of a thorough application review process conducted by members of OUWB's Medical 学生 Government (MSG). 今年, MSG成员Revelle Gappy, 里达阿里这样解释, 法里斯Alkhouri, 亚辛领域, 凯特·罗梅罗总共审核了227份项目申请, 未来的大人物和小人物会列出他们的爱好吗, background, 医学院专业, and what they hope to get out of their mentor-mentee relationship.

As chair of MSG's social committee, Gappy was lead coordinator for Big Sib/Little Sib this year. 现在是M2, Gappy says her Big has been available to answer "every annoying question that I have at a moment's notice,但也成为了她的好朋友. That positive experience inspired her to try and make great matches for other Bigs and Littles in her current role with MSG. 

“医学总体上是一项团队运动，”Gappy说. “我们都想让下一代变得更好, 提升我们领域的人才, 互相帮助."

Sahin's past positive experiences with mentorship also inspired him to work on Big Sib/Little Sib. He appreciated the thoughtful support he received at OUWB from his Big, who would check in with Sahin regularly even if he hadn't reached out for support. Sahin现在有了自己的Little, with whom he's enjoyed bonding over their mutual love of live music in addition to the shared experience of med school. 

“你投入多少就会得到多少，”沙欣说. "If you want friendship, and that's the way it works out, that's great. 如果你想要很多建议，你可以每天给你的大发短信. If you want some advice in the beginning and then you never need advice again, your Big will probably still check up on you every once in a while, 但这不是强迫的." 

Although OUWB's 学生 Affairs team managed Big Sib/Little Sib in its early days, Browne says MSG has "taken ownership" of the program with 学生 Affairs’ continued support as OUWB and its student community have grown. She says the student-driven nature of the program has been "really important" in getting more students engaged, 以及建立一个持久的big and little社区. 

"Every Big Sib and Little Sib is an individual person connecting with each other, but they're also part of a larger network of mentors and mentees,布朗说. "There's an attachment there, kind of a family lineage at this point, 我们现在在哪里有校友, some of whom have completed residency and some of whom are now on the faculty of OUWB, who are able to connect with current students as part of their Big/Little Sib family line so-to-speak."  

尽管她在欧博商学院的第一年才过了一半, Stepanian says she's already "really excited" about joining that family by becoming a Big herself next year. Meliksetyan is eager to mentor Stepanian through that process, and to cheer her on through the remainder of her OUWB career. 

"This is what med school should be all about: mentorship and showing direction to somebody who is lost and overwhelmed with all these things that are going on,他说. "It's so important to have a mentor to direct the students and help them not panic. It would have been so much harder if I didn't have anybody to show me direction."