Health leaders say medical schools can do more to teach preventive care.
Medical schools continue to react to the revamped MCAT, preventive care is given the attention it deserves, and the nation’s doctors demand changes in medical education. Let’s see what’s happening on the medical school landscape.
Medical schools react to the new MCAT
As pre-meds know, in April 2015, the MCAT saw its biggest changes since the early 1990s. The length, the scoring scale, the content were all radically revamped by the test makers in order to better prepare students for the rigors of medical school, life as a doctor, and the changing scientific landscape. Though medical schools had a part in helping change the direction of the exam, one year after the launch, many in medical education are taking a wait-and-see approach to the new MCAT when it comes to deciding if it better evaluates applicants’ ability to succeed. Note: It’s STILL the most important admissions factor for many schools, and you cannot get into a top program without doing exceptionally well on it.
As one official at the University of Texas’ Dell Medical School said of the new MCAT, “It remains to be seen whether the new test measures those factors well—as in, whether it gives an indication of an applicant’s ability to apply skills like psychology and sociology in ways that help physicians interact effectively with colleagues, members of the health care team and most importantly patients. But beginning to explore ways of testing these skills is a good start.” (The Daily Texan)
Preventive care
The best way to fight any serious illness is to catch it early. This involves doctors speaking candidly and firmly with patients about going for things like mammograms and prostate exams. Not pleasant experiences… but more pleasant than not finding out about medical problems until it’s too late. A recent conference called “The Medical School Startup: Reshaping Medical Education,” explored this topic.
“[Medical schools] have not the liberty but the responsibility to shape what medicine will look like,” said Dr. J. Gregory Fitz, the executive vice president for academic affairs, provost, and dean at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Maurizio Trevisan, founding dean of the CUNY School of Medicine, said that an additional consideration for medical school innovation was student diversity, while another medical education leader said that it’s important to recruit students from low-income backgrounds in the hopes they will counsel their communities and patients about preventive care: “These are the kids that get weeded out during the journey to medicine.” (U.S. News & World Report)
Central Florida’s new medical school
Just like when Walt Disney imagined his Magic Kingdom on the then-baron swamplands of central Florida over half a century ago, it didn’t look like much. But today, 10 years after its inception, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine is thriving, with MCAT scores for new students and a USMLE passage rate above the national average—and its low acceptance rate rivals those of Harvard and other top-ranked programs.
In-state tuition, at just $30,000, is lower than that of most other medical schools. “Everybody who comes here wants to build change,” said Deb German, the school’s vice president for medical affairs. “When I interview people, I tell them: ‘If you feel anxious about doing something different, turn us down. Because we’re trying to build something new.’” (The Orlando Sentinel)
Changes to medical education recommended
The American Medical Association, the organization that represents America’s doctors—not to be confused with the American Association of American Colleges, which represents and governs medical schools—is recommending some sweeping changes in medical education. Among the biggest changes they want to see is how medical schools teach care delivery.
“Over the last century, medical school curriculum organically incorporates new discovery and medical breakthroughs, but its focus and overall structure remain reflective of what it was in the early 20th century,” said AMA CEO Dr. James Madara. “The result has been an ever-widening gap between how physicians in the U.S. are trained and educated and the practical realities of the modern healthcare environment.” (Modern Healthcare)
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