the pursuit of parkinson's - The University of Alabama at Birmingham

The Medical School Admissions Committee
“GATEKEEPERS” OF THE UASOM
By Dawn Mesa
Each year, anywhere from 48 to 55 committee members work
together to evaluate applicants to the UASOM. The members
of the Admissions Interview Committee and its subcommittee,
the Admissions Selection Committee, are directly
responsible for the current face of the UASOM’s matriculating student
body. For the 2003-2004 admissions year, there are 53 committee
members total, 35 men and 18 women; 44 are on the Interview
Committee and 9 on the Selection Committee.
The committee members themselves are a diverse group hailing from
many backgrounds and holding varied job titles; some are UASOM
alumni, while others are not. Most are appointed to three-year terms;
The UASOM interview process is just one part of the big picture that is
admissions, says Nathan Smith, M.D.
others, such as deans, serve on the committees as part of their administrative
responsibility. The committees consist of a variety of UASOM
and UAB faculty (M.D.s, Ph.D.s, and M.D./Ph.D.s from various specialty
areas), staff from medical student services, assistant deans, faculty
from the Huntsville and Tuscaloosa programs, Alabama physicians
from a variety of communities (rural, towns, and cities), and many
more, says Nathan B. Smith, M.D., assistant dean for admissions.
“There are also a few non-physicians and non-UASOM individuals on
the committees,” Smith adds. “We usually have one or two people on
the Interview Committee who are community leaders.”
IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERVIEW
The interview “season” begins on June 1 of each year when applicants
begin to prepare their applications through AMCAS, the American Medical
College Application Service. AMCAS then begins processing applications
on August 1. The UASOM typically begins receiving applications in late
July, and the interview process gets underway in September of each year.
Former Admissions Committee member Suzanne M. Bergman,
M.D., says that her favorite part of the evaluation process is speaking
with the applicants. “We look for their ability to interact with people,
how well they’ll be able to work with people from all walks of life,” she
says. “We also want to make sure that medicine is something that they
really want to do and not something they’ve been directed toward.” This
is an important consideration for the children of physician parents.
Bergman offers some words of advice for applicants: “Not only
should you have a real interest in and love for people, biology, and the
physiology of the body, but you should also know what you’re getting
into—how hard it really is. You should also spend time shadowing
physicians in clinics and hospitals, see people suffering, see what is
done to help them out and what can’t be done, and understand that.”
In addition to the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score,
grade-point average (GPA), and prerequisite course requirements for
acceptance into medical school, the UASOM considers the rigors of an
applicant’s academic curriculum, a composite or preprofessional committee
letter, the applicant’s communication skills (via the interview process
and written essay), service and volunteer activities, health-related experience
and/or “shadowing,” leadership roles, other extracurricular activities
and campus involvement, and letters of recommendation.
MAKING IT ON THEIR OWN
On occasion, anxious parents of medical-school applicants—including
physician parents of applicants—contact the admissions office to
make inquiries for their children. Given the level of maturity expected
from medical-school applicants, the admissions process is something the
UASOM Admissions Committee expects the applicants to handle
themselves, says Smith.
In addition, some parents often think that the only way they can really get
the ‘scoop’ on whether or not their child will be admitted is by knowing
someone on the committee. Not so, says Smith. “The reality is that anything
the committee has to share will be shared with the applicant. We want to
communicate directly with that individual; it’s the best way for them to find
out where they stand, and it prevents any miscommunication.”
The UASOM does its best to foster open lines of communication
with applicants. From the start, it’s made clear to applicants “that if
they have questions, ask us—we specifically advise them, ‘You ask
us,’ ” says Smith. “If they want to get feedback on their interview, ask
us. The way we give feedback is that we literally read them the comments
from the committee.”
In making decisions for admission, notes Smith, the Selection
Committee takes into consideration both objective and subjective
aspects of what an applicant brings to being a physician. While solid
academics are critical to becoming a physician, equally important are
subjective attributes such as compassion and concern for others. Adds
Smith, “no one wants this to be a process in which we simply accept
applicants with the highest grades and MCAT scores; there’s a lot
more than that to deciding who would likely be a good medical student—and
physician.”
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