Allison M. Greene and Christopher R. Bailey

It used to be true that superior academic performance and heavy involvement in extracurricular activities were sufficient to guarantee a student acceptance to medical school.  But the application process is not what it used to be. Medical school admission committees realize that the caliber of an applicant does not always measure up to the quality of the application.  Over the past several years applying to medical school has become less formulaic and much more unpredictable. Candidates’ potential for success is no longer gauged entirely on scholastic aptitude. Instead, prospective physicians must show an affinity towards various intellectual and cultural enterprises.  Consider the following story.

On my first medical school interview I sat patiently with my fellow applicants waiting for our impending interviews. The room felt tense as we thought about the types of questions we would be asked to clarify our various academic attributes: What type of research did you do? Why did you pick your major? Why do you want to come to this medical school? After several minutes of waiting, the dean of admissions entered the room holding three stress balls. “Which one of you is Alex?” she asked.  Alex, confused, slowly raised his hand. The dean tossed Alex the three balls. “Your application said that you’re a fire juggler.  That’s awesome!  Show us.”

No other professional relationship requires such intimacy as that between patient and doctor and it is perhaps for this reason that doctors are so often criticized for conducting their work so dispassionately.  Doctors in training and well-trained doctors alike often lose sight of the reality that medical conditions are inextricably linked to the people they effect.   Medicine is a service oriented industry and just like other service providers, physicians must tailor their services to fit individuals’ unique needs.  Though thorough medical knowledge is essential to deliver proper care, other humanistic qualities are necessary to understand patients and their individual lifestyles, preferences, and needs. 

Medical schools know how to enrich students with knowledge.  Teaching interpersonal skills necessary to deliver care such as compassion, open-mindedness, and willingness to listen is much more complicated.  It is therefore more productive for medical schools to recruit students who possess these traits inherently. As Drexler writes “the touchstone of a good doctor is the ability to feel one’s heart” (1).  Success in medicine is as much a factor of human connection as it is a factor of medical expertise.  Patients understand this concept and now medical schools are aiming to create doctors who understand it as well.

References:

1. Drexler M. 18 Stethoscopes, 1 Heart Murmur and Many Missed Connections. The New York Times. February 28, 2011.