December 2005
Problem Students Make Problem Doctors, Study Finds
Doctors who were disciplined
by state medical boards were three times more likely than other physicians to have
exhibited unprofessional behavior
while in medical school, according to a study recently published in the
New England Journal of Medicine. "We found that for physicians disciplined by licensing boards, the strongest association in
medical school was unprofessional behavior," researcher Maxine Papadakis, dean for student affairs at the University of
California-San Francisco School of Medicine, told USA Today. Student behaviors categorized as unprofessional in the report included
taking an
irresponsible attitude toward patient care; refusing to accept
constructive criticism; being unreliable in attending clinics; and, to a
lesser degree, exhibiting a pattern of problematic relationships with
faculty, colleagues, and peers.
Illinois Requires Background Checks for Med Students
Illinois is the latest state to require criminal background checks
for prospective medical students. Erin Graham, director of medical
admissions at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, told
the SIU student paper, the Daily Egyptian, that SIU will conduct
background checks of accepted students over the summer prior to their
matriculation. If a student is found to have committed a felony, school
officials will review the case to determine whether the offense merits
withdrawing the student’s admission offer. “Mainly, they are looking for
crimes against persons,” Graham was quoted as saying in the December 12
article. “If they are a hazard to someone in any way, that would be
[considered] a serious offense." Background checks will require students
to undergo fingerprinting and are expected to take about 20 days to
complete.
November 2005
Caribbean-Based Medical School Training Under Review
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that 10 states have
placed special restrictions on the licensing of graduates of "offshore"
medical schools. The move comes in light of the growing popularity of
Caribbean-based medical schools that primarily educate North American
applicants. In 2004, over 1,300 Americans holding foreign medical
degrees applied for certification from the Educational Commission for
Foreign Medical Graduates; an unspecified but significant proportion of
them had studied at Caribbean schools. State licensing boards are
concerned that the ECFMG cannot adequately evaluate the quality of
education provided by such programs. The Federation of State Medical
boards has convened a panel to look into the matter. In the meantime,
individual state licensing boards are establishing their own
restrictions on granting licenses to Caribbean-based medical school
graduates.
October 2005
Medical School Application Volume Increased in 2004 - AAMC
The American Association of Medical Colleges reported that the number
of applications to US medical schools increased by 4.6% last year. This
marks the third year in a row that application volume has increased. The
only sector of the applicant pool that did not grow was applications
from black students, which stayed at about last year's level. The AAMC
expressed concern both that the number of black students applying to
medical schools was not increasing and that the pool of black applicants
was disproportionately female -- 70% of last year's black medical school
applicants were women.
Medical school enrollment also increased, hitting a record high of
17,000 first-year students. Increased enrollment reflects the efforts of
medical schools to expand their class sizes, in an effort to head off an
expected shortage of trained doctors over the next decade.
September 2005
Vanderbilt Attracts Bigger, Better Applicant Pool
Both the number and the quality of applications to Vanderbilt
University's School of Medicine increased last year, according to an
article in the university newspaper. This year the school has received
almost 4,500 applications for 104 seats. The mean GPA of admitted students
last year was 3.74, and the average MCAT was 11.2. Vanderbilt expects to
send secondary applications to about one-quarter of the 2006 applicant
pool. Vanderbilt's deadline for 2006 applications
is November 15.
Top 10 Medical Schools for Hispanic Students
The September 2005 issue of Hispanic Business lists the top 10 medical schools in
the US for Hispanic students. Criteria include the number of Hispanic students and alumni, school efforts to
recruit and retain Hispanic students, and recognition of diversity and cross-cultural issues. The schools are:
- Stanford University
- Johns Hopkins University
- The University of New Mexico
- Texas A&M University Health Science Center
- The University of North Texas Health Science Center
- The Univesity of Kansas
- The University of Arizona
- East Carolina University
- Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Note: awards D.O., not M.D., degree
- Ohio State University
Med Schools Closed by Katrina Make Contingency Plans
Two medical schools were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and the evacuation of New Orleans. Both schools are making
contingency plans to contiue classes during the evacuation. LSU-New Orleans is reported to be moving
its M1 and M2 classes to the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in
Baton Rouge, while its M3 and M4 students should be able to continue with clinical study as already planned. Tulane, on the
other hand, is temporarily relocating to Texas. It is
working with the Alliance of South Texas Academic Medical Centers to place all of its students in
Texas programs by Sept 26. New Orleans schools hope to be able to open again for the spring 2006 semester.
August 2005
2006 Application Deadlines Approaching
2006 application deadlines for medical schools will start
falling in mid-October. (AMCAS maintains a
Web page with a
comprehensive list of deadlines, by school.) By all means, make sure you meet
the deadlines for the schools you're interested in - but get your applications
in earlier than that, if you can. Keep in mind that early applicants enjoy an
admissions advantage, especially at schools with rolling admissions.
July 2005
MCAT To Be Computer Based by 2007
The American Association of Medical Colleges is converting the MCAT to a computerized format. The computerized MCAT will offer
more flexibility in test locations and dates, faster score reports,
and a shorter test day. It will also have fewer questions than the paper test does. Thomas Prometric,
which AAMC contracted to develop and administer the test, already offers a pilot version of the computerized MCAT at selected
locations. If all goes
according to plan, the first computer-only MCAT will be administered in August 2006, and the paper version of the test
phased out completely by the end of that year.
June 2005
Want To Be a Doctor? You've Got Lots of Company
A May Gallup Poll found that 1 out of 5 Americans would be happy to see their child become a doctor, making
“be a doctor” the most common career advice that American parents give their children. Medicine was also one
of the two most popular career choices among teenagers polled, with 'teacher' and 'doctor' in a tie as the top career
choice among 13 to 17 year olds. This is good news
in that it shows ongoing respect for the medical profession, but it also suggests
that medical school admissions will continue to be highly competitive. So what should you do? Our advice is 1) don't panic,
2) work on making yourself the best medical school applicant you can be, and 3) think about how you will persuade an admissions
committee that they should want you as a student and an alumni.
More Schools Running Student Background Checks
The UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine will require criminal background checks of incoming students effective this fall,
according to a June 30 article in the Winston-Salem Journal.
The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) recently advised member colleges to initiate such checks on
accepted applicants. The recommendation is based on career viability as well as on safety and liability issues. More and more, state
medical licensing boards require, or can choose to require, a criminal background check as part of the licensure process. There
seems little point to providing a medical education to someone who already has a record that will prevent him or her from ever
practicing medicine. AAMC reports that approximately 22 medical schools are or soon will require background checks of
incoming students.
May 2005
Financial Aid Feature Article
In deciding which medical schools to apply to, you've looked at rankings, you've
looked at GPAs, you've looked at average MCATs and
faculty-to-student ratios – but have you sized up your potential student debt load? Click
here to see why you
should, and what you can do about it.
Medical School Admissions Requirements (2006-2007)
This is now available from the
AAMC. It can be purchased online for $25 through
this link.
April 2005
Harvard University
has expanded its MD/PhD program to include a social
sciences track, to serve the needs of students who want to combine a career in
medicine with research in government, economics, anthropology, or other social
science disciplines. For more information, click
here.
There's no question that being invited to a medical school interview means
you've passed an important hurdle in the admissions process – or that interviews
weigh heavily in admissions decisions. But a
University of Pittsburgh professor
takes issue with the notion that interview performance is the single
make-or-break factor in getting into medical school.
We encourage you to take the US News rankings – and all rankings for that
matter – with a grain of salt and not to choose one school over another solely
because it is ranked a point or two higher at one particular moment. You can
learn more about medical school rankings by clicking here.
March 2005
Learn more about post-bacc programs in our newest
feature content article!
January 2005
Learn about the medical school waitlist from the perspective of an expert
consultant!
