MCAT Changes and Evaluations by Admissions, particularly regarding the service component

MCAT and Family Medicine new regression study

Cohen Encourages Admissions to Look Beyond MCAT

Annotated Bibliography of MCAT Reseach at http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/

Healthy medical school admissions without the MCAT http://www.fairtest.org/facts/mcat.html

Will going Electronic impact admissions, particularly cutting out those students who might be more likely to choose rural and underserved?  see Admissions Package

Not being intimately involved with the electronics, I need some help translating that only those experienced with AMCAS and who have reviewed the new application can provide.

Can the electronic application, as it is fixed now, enable and admission committee member or staff to evaluate the service orientation of the candidate, in work history or personal statement?

Service orientation is important for predicting primary care (Madison study at UNC) and predicting the candidates potential for serving the underserved (AAMC GQ study by me, at least the rural component Rural Interested Students), something AAMC uses regularly in public statements.

If this has been compromised, this is not good and inconsistent with AAMC statements.

If this is better I will be happy to spread the good news and we can take this on the road to admissions committees.

If this needs evaluation then we better press for studies ASAP.

Robert C. Bowman, M.D, Co-Chairman
Rural Medical Educators Group of the National Rural Health Association
UNMC Department of Family Medicine Director of Rural Health Education and
Research
983075 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-3075
(402) 559-8873 or fax at -8118
Email: rbowman@unmc.edu
http://www.unmc.edu/Community/ruralmeded/
 

Thanks for your question.

Applicants have dual options by which they can exemplify service orientation. In the application's Post-Secondary Experiences section, applicants should include service experiences using two experience types: 1) Community Service/Volunteer--Non-Medical/Clinical and 2) Community Service/Volunteer--Medical/Clinical. Applicants are also given an opportunity to provide an explanation of such experiences (approximately ¼ page). Applicants can further describe their service orientation using the Personal Comments essay, should they choose to use the essay in that way.

Medical Schools using the AWS can sort experiences by type, allowing admissions committee members and staff to evaluate service experiences in one fell swoop. Experiences are listed chronologically in Interim Plan Print Products.

Best,

Stephen J. Fitzpatrick, AMCAS Senior Staff Associate, Association of American Medical Colleges

Annotated Bibliography of MCAT Reseach at http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/

PreProfessional Advice

Physician Workforce Studies

Education - the entire pipeline

www.ruralmedicaleducation.org