Our Committee conducts Holistic Application Reviews that give equitable and balanced consideration to applicants' academic and nonacademic attributes. These Reviews are broad-based and address factors our Committee considers essential for achieving the various missions of our school. The factors considered by our Committee are outlined in the document "Assessing my competitiveness for medical school" and are further described below. These factors are used by the Committee in each step of evaluating an applicant and provide the framework for the content of the Admission Interviews.
ACADEMIC APPTITUDE AND PERFORMANCE: WHO HAS THE ACADEMIC ABILITY TO BECOME A PHYSICIAN?
Grades and MCAT Scores: Performance in premedical coursework and on the MCAT provides useful information for the Committee to answer the question, "Who could be a physician?" but do not answer the more important question, "Who would be the best or most effective physician?"
In order to become a physician, one must earn a medical degree and pass all parts of the United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE). Our Committee uses an applicant's undergraduate academic performance and MCAT score to estimate the applicant's potential to attain a medical degree and to pass the USMLE. Successful applicants must demonstrate the ability to manage challenging coursework at the same time they are managing personal challenges and the other commitments that are part of the preparation for medical school. Above average performance in the required science coursework is part of the evidence an applicant has the capacity to succeed in the challenging science curriculum of medical school. While there is no minimum GPA, successful applicants are likely to have GPAs of 3.5 or greater. Performance on the MCAT provides important information about an applicant's potential performance on the USMLE as well success in our curriculum. A total MCAT Score of 24 is required for consideration for admission. This requirement is based on evidence that previous students who scored lower than 24 on the MCAT were significantly more likely to have academic difficulty after they became students. The average MCAT score for successful applicants is 30, with sub-scores of eight or greater.
Our Committee believes undergraduates should pursue a degree in an area that matches the student's passions and resources. While a majority of successful applicants have degrees in an area of biological science, given the breadth of knowledge important for understanding and addressing the challenges of health care, applicants are encouraged to consider other areas of study that may promote their ability to address the broader issues in health care. Some useful areas of study include psychology, communication, economics, and administration and management.
NON-ACADEMIC FACTORS: WHO WOULD BE THE BEST PHYSICIAN?
Essential Experiences and Attributes: Preparation for applying to our school of medicine includes investment in specific kinds of activities. While physicians must have certain academic abilities to be effective physicians, academic ability alone is not sufficient for excellence. While the attributes of "Who would be the best physician?" requires an ability to master great quantities of knowledge, competent physicians are defined by a number of other equally important attributes. We view becoming a physician as a developmental process which is promoted by participation in activities that offer opportunities for personal growth and maturity. Our Committee is interested in ways applicants' experiences inside and outside the classroom will prepare them for a career as a health care professional. Professional competence has been defined as, "the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served." 1 Effective preparation for a career in medicine requires an investment of one's time in a range of experiences which provide occasion for reflection on ones motivation and commitment to a vocation which calls for compassionate service to others, skillful communication, effective time management and coping skills, attention to details, responsible behavior, sensitivity to diverse populations, and a capacity to adeptly give and receive feedback.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Essential interpersonal and communication skills for physicians include the ability to listen effectively, manage conflict, and engage in teamwork and teaching. Competent physicians demonstrate effective time management and responsible behavior, tolerance of ambiguity and anxiety, respect for and responsiveness to patients, peers, and support staff. Other important desirable attributes include awareness of one's own thinking and emotions, recognition of and response to personal cognitive and emotional biases, willingness to acknowledge and correct errors, and managing uncertainty, The Committee looks for applicants who have demonstrated behaviors consistent with skills and abilities. Students who are successful in medical school have demonstrated these abilities in their undergraduate and premedical school experiences.
Service and Volunteer Experiences: Our Committee values experiences that are designed to promote exploration of the purpose and meaning of service, such as formal service-learning projects and leadership studies programs. While most volunteering and service activities have value, commitment to serving others is most effectively demonstrated by uncompensated, on-going, hands-on, face-to-face engagement with individuals who are underserved, vulnerable, and have needs that can be addressed by the volunteer. Volunteer experiences in a medical setting may be informative about the medical setting; however, non-medical settings may provide better opportunity to engage directly with the individuals served.
Shadowing and Medically Related Experiences: While there are many opportunities for medically related experiences, shadowing experiences (occasions when the only task is to directly observe the engagement between a patient and the physician) are the most focused opportunity to understand the patient-doctor relationship. Much of the essential learning for becoming a competent physician comes from careful observation of and reflection on clinical experiences. We believe the initial understanding of the patient-doctor experience begins with a focus on the patient's experience. Shadowing offers a window for understanding the fears, concerns and interests of patients and the way patients and physicians engage to address matters of health and wellness. Other medically related experiences such as observing surgery and other procedures as well as working or volunteering in a medical setting provide opportunities to develop a greater awareness and understanding of health care.
Extracurricular Activities and Leadership: Well-prepared applicants have evidence of involvement in the community beyond the classroom. An applicant's participation in campus and community organizations is another way to gauge an applicant's investment in the process of becoming a physician professional.
Research/Academic medicine: One of primary missions of our school is to train physicians for careers in medical research and academic medicine. The Committee looks for evidence of activities and experiences that demonstrate an applicant's investment in medical research as a career path.
Diversity: A diverse mix of students in each class is essential to providing educational opportunities to promote understanding the depth and breadth of human experiences and values. Students bring important components of the curriculum that are shared as they learn from one another through small group activities. Our Committee looks for applicants who have distinctive as well as broad life experiences.
Meeting Other SOM Missions: Our school is committed to meeting health care service needs, particularly those of underserved populations in the state of Alabama. These needs include primary care medical needs of racial and ethnic minorities and rural populations.