Doctors said medical schools should begin assessing applicants “holistically” and pull back significant weight on their grade point average and MCAT scores in order to create more diversity in the medical profession, according to an article published in a medical journal.
“In several decades…[we] have practiced medicine, no patient has ever asked us our GPA or MCAT score. Looking solely at these metrics is a troubling and regressive way to assess the excellence – let alone the potential – of those seeking to join the profession,” the authors said in Journal of the American Medical Association on April 25.
The authors included President Dr. Holly J. Humphrey of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation – which is involved in providing grants for medical education – and Dr. Keme Carter is a professor and doctor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.
“Where have such practices brought us? It is clear that the profession of medicine has not historically trained a diverse group of people. Medical schools have struggled to admit classes of students whose identities reflect those of the public,” the article states.
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Doctors speak out against the MCAT at the Journal of the American Medical Association (YouTube/screenshot | Adobe Stock)
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The authors emphasized that medical schools are corrupting the admissions process by considering the importance of an applicant’s grades.
“[The admissions] process should not be corrupted by external factors, such as giving far too much weight in the admission process to slightly higher but often statistically insignificant differences in GPA and MCAT scores,” the authors said.
The authors emphasized that medical schools are corrupting the admissions process by considering the importance of an applicant’s grades. (iStock)
The authors listed out qualities of they deemed important for future doctors, such as passion, curiosity, resilience and commitment to lifelong learning.
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“There is also strong evidence that medical schools can identify individuals who possess the attributes, experiences, and foundational knowledge to be successful as future physicians through the holistic review practices,” they said.
Fox News Digital asked why qualities sought by the American Association of Medical Colleges – who administer the MCAT – was missing, including critical thinking and intelligence, but did not receive a response.