where a student could go to my college for three years, then that med school for their medical degree. They would only have the medical degree not a bachelor's from my college. So it is possible to do what Paul did.

was looking for credits and prerequisites rather than a completed degree. I often see nursing schools advertising Associate-degree RN-to-MSN degree programs, I don't know if a BSN is actually awarded in those programs. Edit to add, though: If Paul was not awarded Bachelors degrees for his undergrad majors, he shouldn't claim them.

that allowed "advanced placement" in med school for some undergrads after the end of their junior year. I don't know if anyplace still does this.

University of Texas at San Antonio is one of them, I believe. With the right grades, you can knock a whole year off of your education and loans.

And I'm sure I've heard of medical schools doing this years ago.

but you usually get both degrees at the end

http://med.umkc.edu/bamd/

of the paper mills that hand out false degrees. I am not sure about this but know that there was something wrong with how he got it.

a paper mill.

thing he has said and saying he was not qualified to say it because of his degree.

B.A. degrees in Biology and in another discipline. False. He doesn't have Bachelor's degree at all.

is a branch of biology at Duke so he can say what he said. What he does not tell us is the he is a eye doctor. Either way the statement that he is a physician is somewhat misleading. I do not think of my eye doctor as someone I would go to treat my diabetes.

call himself an Opthalmologist. Almost all MD's are required to have a Board Certification in an area of specialization. This title is awarded follwing a prescribed post-MD program for a number of years and then passing one or more national examinations. Paul finessed this (to not say cheated) by not ever taking the Board exams to call himself an Opthalmologist. Instead he, along with a few friends created their own Board and promptly awarded themselves Specialist credentials, recognized by nobody but themselves.

was never going to vote for him anyhow.

And to think I wasted 6 years for and MSW when I could have been a doctor.

He did complete a residency program in Ophthalmology and is an Ophthalmologist.

It is the board certification that is at issue. While it is not necessary to be board certified to practice, many hospitals and groups do require it.

Getting board certified requires testing and not everyone passes. There is an oversight organization of the groups that can provide board certification.

He was never certified by a recognized board, but created his own.

This in no way would prohibit him from being called an Ophthalmologist. He just can't say he is board certified.

Ophthalmology is a medical specialty requiring an MD.

However, optometrists are not MDs.

I always thought he was an ophthalmologist.

He then went on to get specialty training in Ophthalmology.

But he is an M.D. who didn't finish his certification to be an eye specialist. There's not question about his being a doctor, but he's not a fully qualified specialist.

I don't see that they require a bachelor's degree.

http://medschool.duke.edu/education/frequently-asked-questions

Lying about having one is a different issue though..

where you go 3 years undergraduate and 4 years medical school.

Duke may be one of them.

He completed all of his requirements for med school at Baylor in 2 ½ years. He was then accepted into Duke, which did not have a requirement for an undergraduate degree at the time.

He completed four years and got his MD.

He never received undergraduate degrees in biology or english and his spokespeople are trying to make the case that he technically has a degree in biology because he has an MD.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/02/13/rand-pauls-claim-twice-in-one-day-that-he-has-a-biology-degree/


BTW, this is not new. It was covered in 2010.

http://www.kentucky.com/2010/08/05/1377392_contrary-to-some-media-reports.html?rh=1

It might not be new, but I don't think they went far enough digging into the story.

Even now, Duke SoM doesn't absolutely require an undergraduate degree for admission to their medical school (despite what the second article says). However, medical school admissions are competitive enough (and have been since the 80s) that an undergraduate degree is pretty much a de facto requirement, and not having one is a pretty big handicap. Excellent grades and good MCAT scores are a dime a dozen in med school applicants. A representative from Duke SoM says that exceptional candidates are occasionally admitted without degrees, but what exactly was so exceptional about Rand Paul that would overcome his lack of a degree handicap?

Could it be that Daddy Paul was an alumnus of the medical school and a Congressman? Wouldn't that be a bit hypocritical given Rand Paul's stance on Affirmative Action and the use of non-merit considerations in admissions? Did he check the box on his Duke Med School application for having an alumni parent? How many other med schools did he apply to and how many was he admitted to besides Duke?

His spokesman claims that a school like Duke wouldn't take legacy status into account, but many top medical schools, mine included, ask about parent or grandparent alumni even now.

I don't care that he doesn't have an undergraduate degree. Duke was aware of this when they admitted him to their medical school and his record is that he is a talented and capable physician. What I do care about is his hypocrisy in regards to admissions decisions based on non-merit considerations. It's okay for him to benefit from his status as a legacy admit, but not okay for schools to make decisions based on racial/ethnic diversity considerations? What a weasel!

I agree that the only thing exceptional about Rand Paul was his father.

I think all the questions you are asking are legitimate. He clearly has immense privilege.

Duke says they don't take legacy status into account? Ridiculous. They, like all medical schools, are highly dependent on donations from alumni.

Weasel seems kind.

For your information, , the high temperature here is forecast to be 16 degrees FAHRENHEIT!!!

It's hot and overcast, but supposed to get better tomorrow.

I feel for you, but I'm glad i'm not there!

Sorry it's overcast there; bright sun here!!! Would try to get a pic of the moon later, if the snow hazard were removed or if moon were visible from windows. NOT at the cottage, so options are limited!

and thanks for a well-reasoned post!

and went--back in the 60's--without ever completing his undergrad degree at Berkeley.


It's not that uncommon--but Rand Paul should be truthful and say he attended whatever college
he attended and that he had a double major. He should not say he graduated or that he has
any degrees in any major, because he doesn't.

but as I understand it, in the olden days (when Dad went to school; he passed on at 98 3 years ago,) undergraduate degree wasn't necessary to enter law school, so he attended NYU Law w/o a bachelors. That's the story I recall, any way.

He went to Duke Med from '85 to '88, when an undergraduate degree wasn't mandatory (it still isn't), but for all practical purposes pretty much was. If he was just any old schmo applying to medical school with just excellent grades and a reported decent (90th percentile) MCAT score, he probably wouldn't have gotten in on his own merits. But his daddy was an alumnus of the school and a Congressman, so he got an early admission without an undergraduate degree.

Rand Paul thinks that college and university admissions should be race-blind, presumably because he feels that admissions decisions should be based on merit only. Of course, that doesn't apply to him, apparently because he feels he worked hard to be the son of a congressman and an alumnus of the medical school.

He should be asked until he answers whether he checked the box on his Duke application indicating that he has a family legacy connection to the school. He should have to answer if he actually applied to Duke only, or others as well, which would indicate how sure he was that he would get into Duke. He should also answer if he was accepted into any other medical schools, which would indicate just how "exceptional" he truly was, or whether Daddy Paul had any influence on his acceptance.

I wish I had their little papers. I would shove it between my ass cheex and rub back and forth, hoping for fecal skids to grace the degrees!

Don't you have to have a bachelor's degree to get admitted into grad school, let alone med school?

I call bullshit on Rand Paul's alleged med degree. Personally, I think he's an impostor.