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As shared with other prehealth advisors, crediting the advisor at Calvin University, Michigan):
Rethinking shadowing for aspiring physicians (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2500697)
This article highlights concerns about traditional shadowing and provides some alternatives to shadowing and recommends reforms to medical school admission committees. The article does overlook where students gain valuable insights from observing and learning from a shadowing experience (i.e., learning from the patient, learning about the patient, insights from observing the physician-patient interaction, learning from positive interactions that take place during observations, etc).
We have also shared on Topics in Healthcare forum this article:
kevinmd.com
Key point of this op-ed piece from USUHS authors: 50 hours of shadowing looks to be enough. (We told you so!)
Application Overload – A Call to Reduce the Burden of Applying to Medical School
(https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2414572)
This is an article written by physician parents offering a perspective on medical school applications. The article refers to a case where advice given by a pre-health advisor led to a student applying to 49 medical schools(*). The implication is that pre-health advisors may be contributing to the "application overload" based on an n=1 example. The article also does not incorporate any perspective from admission officers, applicants, and advisors – as it is, it provides a one-sided narrative. Nonetheless, the authors provide some good suggestions that can be up for discussion.
(*) For what it's worth, many experts here I think don't encourage applying for more than 30-40 total schools... and that might be for extraordinary circumstances. Our lists are long, but we expect applicants to pare it to a reasonable number.
A letter of recommendation regarding impersonal personal statements
(https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2414494)
While this article is about writing personal statements for residency applications, it can also serve as a reminder of how overly polished personal statements to medical schools can fail to identify meaningful insights into an applicant's character. The article emphasizes the inclusion of personal narratives to stand out and questions the "play it safe" approach used by applicants.
Rethinking shadowing for aspiring physicians (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2500697)
This article highlights concerns about traditional shadowing and provides some alternatives to shadowing and recommends reforms to medical school admission committees. The article does overlook where students gain valuable insights from observing and learning from a shadowing experience (i.e., learning from the patient, learning about the patient, insights from observing the physician-patient interaction, learning from positive interactions that take place during observations, etc).
We have also shared on Topics in Healthcare forum this article:
The burden of shadowing and volunteering in medical school admissions: a hurdle, not a measure of commitment
The excessive emphasis on shadowing and volunteering in medical school admissions creates unnecessary barriers, favoring privilege over equity, and should be replaced with more authentic measures of empathy and readiness, such as structured interviews or reflective essays.
kevinmd.com
Application Overload – A Call to Reduce the Burden of Applying to Medical School
(https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2414572)
This is an article written by physician parents offering a perspective on medical school applications. The article refers to a case where advice given by a pre-health advisor led to a student applying to 49 medical schools(*). The implication is that pre-health advisors may be contributing to the "application overload" based on an n=1 example. The article also does not incorporate any perspective from admission officers, applicants, and advisors – as it is, it provides a one-sided narrative. Nonetheless, the authors provide some good suggestions that can be up for discussion.
(*) For what it's worth, many experts here I think don't encourage applying for more than 30-40 total schools... and that might be for extraordinary circumstances. Our lists are long, but we expect applicants to pare it to a reasonable number.
A letter of recommendation regarding impersonal personal statements
(https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2414494)
While this article is about writing personal statements for residency applications, it can also serve as a reminder of how overly polished personal statements to medical schools can fail to identify meaningful insights into an applicant's character. The article emphasizes the inclusion of personal narratives to stand out and questions the "play it safe" approach used by applicants.
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