The Med School’s MMI Interview: Moral & Ethical Situations

In an MMI interview, the Moral & Ethical Situation prompts are the ones that terrify applicants. They feel so high stakes. For example: Decide which of these two patients gets an organ transplant. Geez Louise.

Many MMI questions—especially the ones about morals and ethics—may omit details you might've considered when contemplating your answer. Fill in those blanks and consider them still because your answer could be conditional from an ethical or legal standpoint. "Conditional" does not mean wishy-washy but rather "If X factor is present, then my answer is Y."

Think about how you would answer this ethical question: A minor teenage patient asks you for a prescription for birth control pills—and doesn't want their parents to know about it. How would you handle this request?

You might reflexively have an answer to this—but pause and consider potential conditional factors, even if you ultimately dismiss them. Beyond answering your patient's request, what else might you discuss with your patient? You might ponder these questions:

• Are there legal matters to consider?

• Are there health risks to consider?

• Is your patient sexually active already or considering becoming sexually active?

• Is your patient 13 or 17?

• Will your patient be using a second form of protection to prevent STIs?

• Are they being pressured into a sexual relationship?

• Is there anything you should know about their partner/partners—like how old they are?

• If those things were not factors in your decision-making, why not?

Here's an example of a response to this question:

"If there are neither state laws limiting my ability nor significant health risks present, I would give my teenage patient a prescription for birth control without their parents’ knowledge. I would not tell their parents because the teen is my patient and deserves doctor-patient confidentiality. But there are things I would want to discuss before providing this prescription.

I would first provide my patient with information on all their birth control options. I'd advise my patient to use condoms as a secondary form of contraception to prevent STIs and ask them what they know about STIs.

Next, I'd want to establish that they want to have sex and that this isn't a case of a partner pressuring them to have sex. If the latter is true, it wouldn't determine whether I'd prescribe birth control, but it would influence our conversation, as I'd want to take care of my patient's mental health as well as their physical health. I'd also ask about their partner's (or partners’) age. Many age of consent laws have a close-in-age exemption, but some do not. I’d inform my patient if that was the case in our state, just so they’re aware of certain risks. If my patient revealed that they were already sexually active with a partner who was older than 18, I'd refer to my state's age of consent. I am required by law to report any suspected child abuse. I would also direct my patient to information on predatory behaviors.

If their partner was their same age, I likely would not weigh in on a 16- or 17-year-old’s choices beyond asking the aforementioned questions and providing helpful resources. But I might respectfully discourage a younger patient from having sex in the same way that I'd encourage a young patient to take care of their still maturing body and mind in other ways. (I know I'd advise my 14-year-old cousin or niece to consider waiting to have sex.) But again, I would still give a prescription to any patient that I legally can prescribe to, whether I was a family doctor or practicing at a sexual health center."

This is not a gut reaction—it's thoughtful, it's careful. This response considers legality—that's important. It involves a thorough conversation between doctor and patient. Wanting to connect shows empathy and asking the patient questions and providing answers to questions that they have or haven’t asked shows strong communication skills. The answer also expresses the respondent's personal beliefs; they would advise a 14-year-old relative to think more before having sex at such a young age. You might think this info has no place in the answer, but the interviewer wants to hear your internal monologue, not only what you'd say aloud to the patient. What matters most is that your resulting action is based on facts and that you showed your patient respect, not harsh judgment. You may not agree with this sample answer—but you should understand why it's a strong one.

Related:

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Healthcare Policy Questions

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Role Playing Scenarios

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Teamwork Activities

The Med School’s MMI Interview: Writing and Picture Stations

Considering Applying to a Caribbean Medical School? Meet the “Big Four.”

Students with lower MCAT scores and GPAs are more likely to be accepted to allopathic schools abroad than in the U.S. Due to Israel’s 2022 announcement that foreign students may no longer matriculate to Israeli medical programs, you'll be looking at the islands. Schools in the Caribbean are especially interested in students from the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada.

While attending a school outside of the U.S. may not be your first choice, it's likely that way more doctors than you think graduated from international schools. From 2010 to 2020, the number of licensed physicians who graduated from international medical schools increased by 24%. "About one-quarter (24.7%) of active physicians in 2020 were international medical graduates (IMGs)," according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. "This includes U.S. citizens who studied abroad."

When to Apply

Off-shore schools have rolling admissions (and have multiple start dates). We think you should start submitting applications to these programs with your U.S.-based allopathic applications in June.

Where to Apply

Of the 80 Caribbean medical schools, we recommend "The Big Four" to clients. All have key international accreditations; they are recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education/Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (WFME/ FAIMER). They are also recognized by stricter state medical boards (like California's). These top Caribbean schools also have competitive residency placement rates and other boast-worthy qualities.

Let's take a closer look at each of The Big Four:

St. George's University / Grenada, West Indies: As of December 2020, the average MCAT score of matriculants was 498. Their average undergraduate GPA was 3.3. St. George's has a strong reputation for students passing the USMLE Step 1 (95%), USMLE Step 2 (91%), and for residency placement. SGU secured more than 990 U.S. residencies in 2022. The Grenada-based program has been the largest provider of doctors into first-year U.S. residencies for the last eight years.

Get ready for a Data Fest! SGU reported that 93% of its eligible 2017 U.S. graduates obtained a PGY-1 (a.k.a. first postgraduate year or internship year) position. (In 2022, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) reported that 92.9% of U.S. allopathic graduates matched into a PGY-1 position.) For even more perspective here, collectively, the 80 Caribbean medical schools had a PGY-1 match rate of 59% in 2019. (We're using different years here because the NRMP doesn't break down data by school, so our data sources are varied.) According to the FSMB, St. George's is the number one source of new primary care doctors in the U.S.

Saba University School of Medicine / Saba: Saba told us that as of April 2022, the average GPA of matriculants was 3.19 and the average MCAT was 497. Saba is smaller than SGU, so it has fewer graduates becoming residents—but their stats are strong. Between 2019 and 2021, 94% of graduates obtained residencies. The average first-time pass rate for the USMLE between 2015 and 2020 was 99%. Another thing the school highlights: The Saba Scholars Grant will pay the full tuition for the first semester of an academically qualified matriculant and can be combined with other scholarships. They also seem to weigh work history and recommendations heavily when offering U.S. students scholarships. Even an American student with a 480 MCAT or an overall GPA of 2.5 can qualify for a Faculty Scholarship of up to $25,000. A student with a 510 or above or a GPA of 3.7 can qualify for a Future Physician Scholarship of up to $110,000.

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine / St. Maarten: In January 2022, the average GPA for matriculants was 3.27; the average MCAT score was 496. AUC has a 93.2% pass rate for the USMLE Step 1, a 92.8% pass rate for the USMLE Step 2 CK, and 96% of 2021-2022 graduates attained residencies. AUC's clinical rotations take place at Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved hospitals. It has clinical teaching affiliates in the U.S. and the U.K., and students can take global health electives in the Dominican Republic, Russia, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Ross University School of Medicine / Bridgetown, Barbados: RUSM emphasizes remedying systemic bias in healthcare in their curriculum—and on campus. Diversity in the student body and faculty is highly valued. They have rolling admissions; prospective students can apply anytime. Matriculants can start school in January, May, or September. The majority of clinical training takes place in the United States. 2022 graduates had a residency match rate of 96% and the school has consistently had a 91% first-time pass rate for the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2. The school gave $50 million in scholarships and grants in 2020. 

Your Medical School Interview: Ways to Wing It

If you're doing interviews with multiple schools, you'll inevitably encounter an interviewer who has gone rogue. They might ask something completely bizarre because they're new at this or (and this is rare) in a terrible mood that you must ignore and overcome. Try not to visibly react to either. Instead, try this:

"Can you repeat that?"

If you're unclear on what they are talking about, ask for a repetition. Often, they won't just repeat what they've said but explain it differently, more clearly. If they repeat it verbatim, at least you'll have had 20 seconds to absorb it. If you did understand the question, you can ask for a repeat to give yourself that 20 seconds. Travel back to that childhood spelling bee. Sometimes you asked for the judges to use the word in a sentence because you were looking for contextual clues. Other times, you were buying yourself some think-time. Revisit that strategy.

You could also respond with: “That's an interesting question. I want to think about that for a moment.": Slight flattery, followed by a second to gather yourself. We had a client who was asked what she would do if she did not become a doctor. She took a beat and confidently answered a question she had not seen coming.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Interviewing is a nerve-wracking process. Ninety-nine percent of interviewers will encourage you to relax. They want to know you, not grill you. Then there is that one percent…

An interrogative interviewer might be testing your ability to maintain your composure. Or they might be a jerk who loves being a jerk. It doesn't matter. What matters is your focus on why you'd be an excellent addition to their school and a top-notch physician.

Once, an interviewer interjected as a client shared a college experience to say: "I've never even heard of where you went to college." Without displaying any negative emotion or slamming another school to praise her own, she explained that it was the college that offered her the most academic scholarship money and that she'd had so many hands-on experiences there. She was even credited on a professor's academic paper. Her response was calm and detailed because she'd utilized her brainstorm notes about her formative experiences so often when preparing her application. She nailed it: She was able to naturally remind this guy of her academic scholarship, prove her practicality, and mention a noteworthy accomplishment. Even her interview adversary had nothing negative to say about this response.

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Wildcard Questions

The Medical School Interview: Don’t Forget, You’re Interviewing Them Too.

Your Medical School Group Interview: A Team Sport

Your Medical School Application: Win the Waiting Game

After you’ve submitted your medical school application and/or completed your interview, you’ll want to be proactive as you wait for a school's decision. In the weeks after your interview, for example—say, two to three weeks in—you should send a letter reiterating your interest to keep the admissions office thinking about you. 

Here are your choices:

The Update Letter. 

We're going to go ahead and say that you should send an update letter to every school where you’ve interviewed, unless you absolutely hated one or two and are confident that you'll get in elsewhere. You should also be writing to schools you’ve yet to hear from to remind them that you’re eager to connect. 

You want to send a maximum of two Update Letters over a six to 10-week period that reiterate your interest in each school with program-specific details. And only send letters that include a substantive accomplishment. If you don’t think you have one—you do! You just have to find it. We like these examples of accomplishments that one might include in an Update Letter: 

• "Since submitting my application, I have increased my overall GPA to 3.8, earning an A+ in Biochemistry." 

• "As I mentioned during my interview, I began an internship doing clinical research at My Local Hospital in October. In the ensuing weeks, I have pre-screened 75 potential study subjects, gaining valuable research and patient-facing experience." 

• "Since applying, I gave a poster presentation on a novel postpartum hemorrhage treatment at The Very Cool National Conference." 

The Letter of Intent.

If a school is a top contender for you, go a step beyond an Update Letter, and send a Letter of Intent. Send a Letter of Intent one or two weeks after your interview or the instant you have been waitlisted. Your letter should include relevant updates since you submitted your application (what you'd put in an Update Letter). Plus, a reiteration of your interest in the program with shoutouts to favorite offerings. Be specific about why you are interested in the medical school and try to relate those interests to your background, accomplishments, and goals. Have you worked on a study that relates to something happening in one of their labs? Do you want to be a pediatric surgeon and they are affiliated with one of the best children's hospitals in the country? Tell them. 

And finally—and this is what makes a Letter of Intent different from an Update Letter—include the yield protection statement: "If admitted I will attend." Keep it tight. No more than one page. Three paragraphs, max. 

Medical schools have several reasons for wanting to accept people whom they know will attend. First, they want enthusiastic students who will add to the morale of the student body. They also like to know, especially as the date of matriculation nears, that the applicant they accept will attend because no medical school wants an open seat on the first day of classes. Finally, medical schools like the percentage of accepted applicants who matriculate to be as high as possible since this reflects the desirability of the medical school. (That's their "yield percentage" stat.)

The Quasi-Letter of Intent. 

Along with your updates, you can also tell up to two schools: "I will likely attend" or "X school is one of my top choices." But ensure that your language is tight. You can only send an "I will attend" letter to your top choice school.

The Medical School Interview: Don’t Forget, You’re Interviewing Them Too.

As your interview wraps up, your interviewers will ask if you have any questions. You must have them. Being interested and thoughtful demonstrates your commitment to the program. Perhaps you've visited this school before your interview day or spoken to current or past students. Terrific. But if everything you know about a program came from their website, this is your chance to find out more. You should be open to every school you're applying to—so this is about engaging, not interrogating. This Q&A flip is also a chance to show that you've done your due diligence. Be precise instead of broad. A weak question such as "What research opportunities are currently available?" will require your interviewer to launch into 1,000 things, most of which won't apply to you—oh, and that you could have read about on their website.

You should also keep your focus on the program. Asking an interviewing physician: "What made you choose your field?" is something you do at a lunch mixer. The questions you ask during an interview session should relate to how you and the school will fit together. If you're going to ask three questions, ask at least two meaty ones. You want to include details in your questions that show that you've done your homework on the school. After your third program-related question, close out by asking if you can contact them with other questions in the future. And if the school is your top choice, tell them right now. As we cover elsewhere in this guide, schools want to accept students who will definitely attend.

Some questions you might ask a faculty or admissions committee member include:

• I read about X clinical opportunity currently offered to medical students in their second year. Is that going to be available in the future? Can you tell me more about that opportunity?

• I worked on a Y study as a research coordinator, and I'm very interested in the Y research happening here. Are there plans to expand that?

• How diverse is the student body? Are there support services for minority students?

• I have not lived in an urban setting, but I have worked with underserved patients in a small town. About how many patients does the student-run clinic see a year?

With student interviewers, your questions can be more personal, but you still want to show that you know something about the school. It's also a good idea to ask a question that relates to something you've just discussed or about a commonality that you two share, or that you share with the school:

• You mentioned that you're involved in researching X. I, too, have a background in researching X. Or, if you’re into completely different areas of research: I’m very interested in pursuing research at Specific Lab. Can you tell me more about your work at Specific Lab?

• My grandfather was in the Army, and I value our veterans. I know that the medical school has partnered with the local VA center to address both chronic pain and mental health issues. Have you worked there? What is it like?

• I’ve read about X, Y, and Z organizations here. What clubs and student organizations do you belong to? Have they proven valuable to you?

Your Medical School Group Interview: A Team Sport

In a group interview, multiple applicants are interviewed at once. And, typically, by multiple interviewers. The most important thing to remember here is that the other interviewees are not your competition but your colleagues. You won't impress your interviewers by bulldozing the other applicants and dominating the session. Of course, you want to speak up, express your thoughts and opinions, and show leadership—but you must have a team in order to lead. 

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind for a successful group interview:

• Introduce yourself to your compatriots before you enter the room; try to remember their names and drop those names in throughout the interview. 

• Listen to and converse with the other interviewees and the panel. Your interviewers are looking to see your communication and collaboration styles. 

• When you answer a question, be sure to build on something someone else has said or compliment how others answered the question at the start of your own response. You don't have to compliment them if it doesn’t feel natural, but at least know what they've said so that you're adding to it. You don’t want to just repeat another’s answer. 

• Prep for a unique question mix. Some of the questions they'll ask in the group interview are similar to those used in a one-on-one, while others are more like the MMI prompts that place you in hypothetical ethical or teamwork scenarios.

Department of Education Increases Transparency in Graduate School Outcomes

Prospective graduate students are about to gain access to a lot more financial outcomes data, which they can use to compare programs. Last week the U.S. Department of Education (DoE) announced that it finalized the Financial Value Transparency framework to consolidate financial outcomes data.  

All qualifying graduate programs will be required to submit data to the DoE on program cost, debt, sources of financial aid, and graduates’ earnings starting next July. As applicable, the data compilation will also include licensing outcomes for graduates. For example, law schools will provide data on graduates’ admission to the bar. The data will be consolidated, published, maintained, and made available to the public on a DoE website. As of 2026, the regulations will also stipulate that programs that do not meet an established debt-to-earnings ratio will be subject to a disclosure requirement. For these programs, all prospective students must acknowledge that they have reviewed the data and understand the financial risk, prior to matriculating in the program. 

For medical schools, the DoE’s final regulations acknowledge the lengthy nature of medical training in the U.S. where medical school graduates continue in lower-paying residency training programs post-graduation. To accommodate this practice, the DoE extended the horizon for collecting earnings data for medical schools to six years post-graduation. 

For business, law, and other graduate programs, the data provided to the DoE will use graduates’ earnings three years post-graduation. 

Medical School Applicants: Are You Taking Care of Yourself?

If you're going to dedicate your life to healthcare, start at home. Medical students have a significantly higher rate of mental illness than similarly aged postsecondary graduates, according to a 2019 study in Academic Medicine. One harrowing quote: "Higher rates of distress and burnout in physicians and medical learners have been linked to poor academic performance, increased thoughts of dropping out of medical school, lower levels of professionalism, decreased empathy, increased medical errors, increased substance abuse, and increased suicidal ideation." 

Despite the intensity of the medical school application process, preparing yourself for the stress of attending medical school is important. Practicing mindfulness, getting rest, and being a person in the world are part of being ready for a rigorous academic environment and career. 

Stay social. This is not to say that you should be partying the night before a medical school interview. But you do need to leave your desk—or at least have interactions beyond your study group. Keeping your relationships strong also provides a safety net in hard times and helps you to be empathetic. 

Sleep. When sleep is in your control, try to maximize the opportunity. A study published in the December 2021 Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research found that anxiety and stress directly impacted medical students' sleep during the second wave of COVID-19. One thing that you can do to combat that right now is to put away your phone every night. You've heard it before—but it's especially relevant to you. In a study published in the January 2022 Journal of Affective Disorders, medical students’ anxiety was associated with problematic smartphone use and sleep deprivation. 

Move. Do whatever you comfortably can do in terms of a regular exercise regimen. You don't need to run a six-minute mile to be a strong candidate for medical school —exercise is just another way to relieve stress (and reduce your risk of a meltdown). A study published in Academic Medicine in 2017 surveyed 12,500 medical students across the country and found that those who met the CDC's exercise recommendations had a lower risk of burnout and a higher quality of life. 

Get professional help. Even if you're not feeling extreme turmoil right now, this could be something to explore. "Studies suggest medical students experience high levels of mental distress during training but are less likely than other students to access care due to stigma and concerns regarding career progression," according to a 2020 study published in BMC Medical Education. The University of Cambridge developed a mental health program for medical students. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy, or Cognitive Analytic Therapy was provided to 189 students. Stress, anxiety, and suicide risk were "significantly reduced" and students' functioning "significantly improved." 

Meditate. This is just a suggestion, if it's not for you, it's not. But you could try it. (And cynically speaking—schools might be into it if you mention meditation during your interview. It shows both openness and dedication.) Meditation isn't about having a blank mind; it's about acknowledging and letting go of intrusive thoughts and accepting what is happening at the moment. This can aid performance, according to George Mumford, a mindfulness coach who taught Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan how to meditate. "Mindfulness is the process of making yourself flow-ready," he says. And don't all doctors want to be ready for whatever happens next?

Another benefit of incorporating these healthy behaviors into your life is that they can strengthen your tolerance for ambiguity. Studies have measured this quality in medical students and physicians for years, and they have shown that a physician's ability to tolerate ambiguity correlates to their level of psychological well-being. Those with a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty "tend to report a higher rate of referrals, burnout, and anxiety, and lower level of satisfaction, less comfort in dealing with dying patients, and higher levels of dogmatism, rigidity, and conformism," according to a 2017 study in Medical Teacher, which utilizes many others' findings as well as their own assessments. 

Related

Narrative Medicine Helps Physicians Gain Empathy, Make Connections, and Accept Difficult Experiences

The Medical School Admissions Process is Long and Stressful. How are you Coping?

Two Questions to Expect in Your Osteopathic Medical School Interview

The interview process for osteopathic programs is basically the same as that of allopathic programs. Some schools will have you in-and-out of a one-on-one traditional interview. Others will utilize the MMI. And some will have a day-long extravaganza. “During our interview process, we have the first half of the day be an informational session,” says one admissions director. “In the morning, we have presentations on the curriculum and professionalism, financial aid, learning services, and inclusion. We also schedule a medical student panel where interviewees have the chance to ask questions of current medical students. This is followed by a traditional behavioral interview.” 

But there are two key questions you should expect to be asked in an osteopathic medical interview that won’t come up in allopathic interviews. They are: 

• Why are you interested in attending osteopathic medical school? A great answer will emphasize what you'd gain from an osteopathic program, why osteopathic values mean something to you, and will highlight an osteopathic clinical experience and how it impacted you. 

• Are you also applying to allopathic medical school? Just be honest. If the answer is yes, and it probably is, say you're exploring all possible paths to becoming a physician.

Related

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

Applying to Both Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Programs? Here’s What You Need to Know.

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Final Thoughts

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next six days, our new series will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the six question types you can expect.

Throughout this series, we’ve reviewed the key question types that you should expect to answer in your medical school interview. Now, some final thoughts:

• Know who you are presenting. The “you” at your interview should align with the one you presented in your primary and secondary application materials. Some of your interview questions will be like ones you answered in your application, so review your application to stay on message. We even recommend that you take a copy with you on interview day so that you can review it as you wait.

• Everything is on the table. All of the information you included in your application is fair game. The interviewer can ask about a hardship, emotional experience, or disciplinary action. Be prepared to address it calmly. During a Q&A, one dean shared that a prospective student cried during his interview. However sympathetic an interviewer may be, this lack of emotional regulation is not a good look. If there's a topic that could throw you off your game or elicit an emotional response, practice talking about it. 

• Use stories to make your point. We know this has come up a lot, but it’s important. Every answer you give should include a story about one of your experiences or something you've learned, even if the question doesn't outwardly demand a story. (For example, "Why medicine?") 

• Be direct. Keep your answers to most questions between one-and-a half and three minutes. Practice responses to our sample questions aloud. You don't have to memorize your answers. Just acclimate yourself to the topics and time limit. We like using flashcards to prepare for interviews. Put the Q on one side, and bullet points of what you want to say on the other.

• Medical schools are looking for real people. You don’t have to be perfect. Just be you. And within appropriate limits, don’t be afraid to expose some vulnerability.

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Situation, Action, Result Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Make a Claim and Back it Up” Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Why Our Medical School?

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Questions on Current Events in Healthcare

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Wildcard Questions

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Wildcard Questions

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next six days, our new series will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the six question types you can expect.

Wildcard Questions

In any interview you should expect something… unexpected. It could be a fun question about what makes you special, or it could be a logistical question like: "How will you pay for medical school?" 

As with all interview responses, how you back up an answer matters more than the answer itself. So, even if the question is something like "What do you do for fun?" it should subtly hint at one or two of your finer qualities. You don't have to say, "I study extra hard for fun! All I love is studying because I am a serious person!" That's disingenuous. But if you say, "I take salsa classes," share why in a revealing way: "I take salsa classes. I love Latin music and I am nothing but present on the dance floor. Having a partner reminds me to be attuned to her. And having a place to be every Tuesday night makes me even more diligent at work. I've come in early a few times just so I know I can be out the door by 5 PM to make it to my 6 o'clock class." 

Questions you may be asked:

• Teach me something.

• If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

• How would your best friend describe you?

• Who is someone you admire? Why?

• What do you do for exercise?

• Do you think the MCAT is a good measurement of one’s readiness for medical school?

• How do you think you did during this interview?

• What will you do if you're not accepted to medical school? (Oof, right? Is your plan to gain more clinical or research experience and try again? Try a post-bacc or Master's program and try again?)

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Situation, Action, Result Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Make a Claim and Back it Up” Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Why Our Medical School?

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Questions on Current Events in Healthcare

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Questions on Current Events in Healthcare

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next six days, our new series will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the six question types you can expect.

General Healthcare News

You will not be asked medical questions during your interview. No one is going to need you to walk them through setting a bone. But you should be prepared to speak about the medical field and current events related to it. Your interviewers want to know that you're keeping up with the times and that you've deeply considered some of the big questions that come with this work.

Spend some time each day reviewing the news. The New York Times is great for current events related to health care, as are MedPage Today, MedScape, and Stat News. We also recommend that you set up Google alerts for key phrases related to healthcare and/or your research interests and desired specialty to ensure you’re up to date.

You may be asked:

• What have you been following in healthcare news lately that is of particular interest to you?

• What healthcare-related or academic publications do you read?

• Do you have an opinion on the current [X medical news] controversy?

• What would you say is a major problem in the healthcare system today?

• What do you think is the greatest medical development in history?

• What's the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

• What can be done about rising healthcare costs?

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Situation, Action, Result Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Make a Claim and Back it Up” Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Why Our Medical School?

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Why Our Medical School?

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next six days, our new series will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the six question types you can expect and provide response structures and practice questions.

Why Our School?

Or: "Tell me why you are interested in this program," etc. This interview prompt will appear, in some form. Obviously, your response should include school-specific details, like what labs or research opportunities you'll take advantage of, what technologies or unique resources they utilize that maybe aren't available at other schools, which professors you're eager to learn from, the student clinics or affiliated hospitals you'd like to work at, and maybe even what you like about the area. And don’t forget to bridge these details with your past experiences and future goals to reinforce your interest in these offerings. 

Whatever you do, don't say something ingratiating and general: "It's an esteemed program where I'll learn from esteemed physicians who lead their esteemed fields." We're teasing about this phrasing, but "esteemed" gets thrown around a lot in responses like this, and what it reads as is essentially: "If I praise you enough, will you let me in?" 

Just answer the question with a couple of salient details and you'll be golden. 

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Situation, Action, Result Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Make a Claim and Back it Up” Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: “Make a Claim and Back it Up” Responses

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next six days, our new series will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the six question types you can expect and provide response structures, sample answers, and practice questions.

Make a Claim and Back it Up Responses

Claim Questions are simple and direct—but your answer should be complex and direct. Just like with your Situation-Action-Result (SAR) responses, you will want to use stories here, not just statements. The question may ask you about attributes or skills you have, but do not be fooled, they're not looking for a list. The interviewer wants to hear examples of when you’ve exhibited those things. Go ahead and use multiple examples! They don't all have to be long, but they should be detailed. 

Some questions will be about the hypothetical future, things you'd do as a medical student or doctor. Think: "What would you do if a colleague made a serious clinical mistake?" An ethical question like this should still be backed up with experiences, if possible, or anecdotes that prove that you have the qualities you claim to have. "In the past, I've been quick to remedy others' mistakes. During my work at a university lab…" You want to show your critical thinking too. Explain your thought process, "If I was close to this colleague, I would…”

Questions could also seem to require opinion-only responses. Something like: "What are your feelings about euthanasia?" But don't get it twisted. This is a "make a claim and back it up"-question. You believe or don't believe in it “because…”

One question that you'll almost certainly be asked: What qualities do you have that will make you a good physician? Here's an example of a strong answer: 
“I'm calm and precise under pressure: As a scribe in the ER, I was part of the intake for multiple patients involved in a three car accident. The ER was understaffed and very busy already, so the atmosphere was chaotic. I documented several patients' conditions, bouncing from one doctor's side to another. Later, my supervisor praised my calm demeanor and consistently accurate work. The ER was, of course, a generally hectic place, and I adapted to it quite well. 

I also think a good physician must be able to connect with a diverse array of patients. While volunteering and shadowing at a free clinic, I spoke with patients of all ages, most of them in underserved populations. In one instance, I was asked to give a 5-year-old child a PCR Covid test—but she was terrified and pulling away. Moreover, there was a language barrier; both the girl and her mother only spoke Spanish. I decided to take my time instead of rushing into the test. There was a stethoscope in the room, and I thought she might like listening to her own heart, so I showed her how it worked—mostly through gestures on my end. Her mother was able to translate what was happening as well. I let the young girl listen to my heart, her mother's, and then her own. She was amused and after that, she trusted me more. I then pulled out the PCR test kit again. I spoke soothingly, and I knew she understood my tone. She was uncomfortable during the test—the test is uncomfortable—but she endured it without pulling away. I praised her after the test. I've since begun Spanish lessons, as I think that is the most practical second language to learn in America. I also better understand social determinants of health after working with recent immigrants at the clinic.

Finally, I'm eager to learn and believe a physician must have intellectual curiosity. When I worked on a diabetes study at my university lab, I went beyond my daily responsibilities, reading previous studies unrelated to ours to be more informed about the disease. I now feel like I have a depth of knowledge on this topic.”

Other “make a claim and back it up”-questions that you may be asked:

• How will you add to the diversity of our school?

• What is your greatest strength?

• How do you deal with stress?

• Explain your academic path. (Here, focus on the positives and how they led you to medicine. Illustrate this with maybe three poignant experiences.)

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? (Here, you can share both past experiences and what you hope to learn in medical school that will help you achieve this goal.)

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Situation, Action, Result Responses

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Situation, Action, Result Responses

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next six days, our new series will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the six question types you can expect and provide response structures, sample answers, and practice questions.

Situation, Action, Result Responses

Using stories to make your point engages your interviewer, brings your personality and background to life, and makes your responses more memorable. Almost every answer you give should include a story about one of your experiences or something you've learned, even if the question doesn't outwardly demand a story. (For example, "Why medicine?")

However, there are some questions that you MUST answer with a story. These are "SAR responses" because you'll describe the situation (20% of the response), the action you took, and the result (collectively, 80% of the response). SAR questions are easily identified as they typically lead with prompts such as “Tell me about a time when…” However, questions such as “Tell me about your biggest failure/mistake/weakness.” also fall into the SAR category. Some SAR prompts will be familiar because many schools use them as Secondary questions. Go right ahead and reuse any applicable application responses. Those were your experiences and your takeaways, after all. 

Here's an example of a strong answer: 

“Tell me about a time you worked effectively under pressure.” 

“In my one year working as a certified EMT, I’ve learned a lot about staying calm and working effectively under pressure. However, one of my most memorable experiences occurred prior to my certification and played a key role in my decision to pursue the EMT certification. 

I was home from college during a break, when I agreed to babysit for a neighbor. I love children and am an experienced sitter. This particular child, Henry, was only about a year and a half old. And, on this particular night, I was tasked with feeding Henry the dinner his family had already prepared for him. After I did so, he began to show signs of an allergic reaction. Because I routinely babysat, I was aware of the signs to look out for although I had never before experienced an allergic reaction first-hand. Henry had not been previously diagnosed with food allergies so he did not have a prescription epi-pen. 

I watched him carefully as a few hives appeared around his mouth. I then cleaned his face and hands to remove any trace of a potential allergen and called his mother for instructions. She informed me that she was unaware of any existing food allergies but let me know where the anti-inflammatory medicine was stored. I dosed him appropriately, but noticed that the hives were continuing to spread and that his lips had started to swell. Noting that it was a multi-system reaction, I called 911, grabbed his packed diaper bag, and instructed his mother to meet us at the hospital via text. I’ll never forget holding Henry in my arms and watching his body turn on him, while in the background children’s songs continued to play. It was surreal. Upon arrival, the EMTs dosed Henry with epinephrine immediately, which paused the anaphylactic reaction and we went on safely to the hospital where his mother met us and he remained for observation. 

I received feedback from the physicians that I had followed the correct course of action and that Henry would be fine. My calm under pressure had ensured that he received the care he needed in time for it to be effective. 

That experience, my first with allergic reactions and my first with a medical emergency, gave me increased confidence in my own ability to remain calm under pressure. But it also led me to the realization that I wanted to be able to assist people in emergency situations. Beyond just staying calm and calling the experts, I want to be the expert—the one to relieve the hives and swelling, the one to save Henry or others in situations like him. So, one year later, as my schedule permitted, I sought EMT certification. 

As a certified EMT, I have now garnered a number of experiences with medical emergencies. And I rely on the same qualities that I used that day with Henry—an ability to stay calm, think clearly, communicate, and act accordingly. I know they will serve me well as I pursue medical school and a career as a physician.” 

Practice responses to prompts like these:

• Describe a failure and what you learned from it.

• Tell me about a time when you challenged the group consensus.

• Tell me about a time when you took on a leadership role.

• Tell me about an experience when you've learned from people different from yourself.

• Tell me about an ethical dilemma and what you decided to do.

• Tell me about a time when you came up with an imaginative solution to a problem.

Related:

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

What to Expect in Your Traditional Medical School Interview: Lead with a Confident Introduction

When it comes to your medical school interview, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety. But there are better ways to prepare than just churning through sample questions. Over the next six days, our new series will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for the traditional medical school interview. Check back daily as we discuss the six question types you can expect and provide response structures, sample answers, and practice questions.  

The First Response: The Three-Minute Elevator Pitch

The first question your interviewer asks will likely be something general that invites the widest-ranging answer. This question comes in many forms. It could be as short and blunt as: Tell me about yourself. It could be: Walk me through your resume. It could be: Can you talk to me about anything you believe will enhance your candidacy for admission? We had a client who told us her first interview question was: “So…?"

These opening questions require a three-minute answer. Think of it as an elevator pitch response. Naturally, you want to reiterate your commitment to studying medicine. It is okay to stay in a linear timeline: I did X and transitioned to Y. What's important is explaining the motivation behind your decisions. You can also share who you are via your three most impactful experiences. Practice some possible responses to ensure you're not going wildly under or over the three-minute mark. Don't try to memorize anything word-for-word as this will lead to fumbling with your words or coming off as wooden. But have an outline in mind—some milestones you know you want to pass. 

Some sub-questions you might answer to build your "Tell me about yourself"-answer are:

• What was your path to wanting to study medicine?

• How did your undergrad experience prepare you for medical school?

• Do you know what specialty you'd like to study? Why?

• Do you want to take this opportunity to expand on any meaningful clinical or research experiences and how they've impacted you?

• What fun fact about you could you close on?

Here's an example of a strong answer: 

“I'm 24 years old. I'm from Tiny Town, NY, and I'm one of three children raised by a single mom, a veterinarian. I did not grow up wanting to be a doctor. I started at Public University as a psychology major. After learning about the relationship between eating disorders and the brain, I was fascinated. I switched to the pre-med track. As a junior, I served as a T.A. for Biology 156, my favorite course when I was a sophomore. 

I'm currently taking Introduction to Neurobiology, a course at Local College to expand my knowledge of the brain. For the last year, I've worked as a clinical research assistant on a study for a new drug treatment for Parkinson's Disease at SuperCool Hospital. I wrote about this experience in a Most Meaningful response in my Work and Activities. But I'd like to expand on how it's further impacted me since my application. Doing this clinical research has allowed me to connect with patients more than in any of my other clinical experiences. Since applying to medical school, I've only grown closer to our returning patients. One patient, Denise, enrolled in the study after she couldn't hold her newborn grandson due to her tremors. Even simply talking about how the disorder affects her daily life seems to be helping her. Moreover, it's been incredible to see the impact of an emerging treatment that, so far, seems to be improving her and other patients' lives. 

As an undergraduate, I was also involved in a research study. This one incorporated lab rats. I so value the lab and critical thinking skills that I learned in this work—but I must say that I do prefer working with people. They're chattier. [Laughs] Eventually, I'd like to pursue neurology and look forward to participating in future clinical research studies in medical school and as a physician. 

In addition to being an enthusiastic student in my post-graduate course and a clinical research assistant, I'm also in charge of baking elaborate cupcakes for my family's birthday parties. I decided to learn how to bake after watching too many episodes of The Great British Bakeoff. I'm also very involved in planning my hometown's Centennial celebration. I loved growing up in my community, and I'm looking forward to this event.”

Admissions committees like it when applicants include personality in their answers, especially when answering this question. Revealing something fun about yourself encourages a connection between you and the interviewer.

Ten Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Personal Statement for the Medical School Application

Writing a Personal Statement is a massive undertaking. In a relatively short document, you’re trying to show the admissions committee who you are and what you value, while simultaneously building a case for why you will succeed in medical school and as a physician. It’s a lot. But we can help. 

Below are some of the most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach the Personal Statement. Try your best to avoid them. 

1. Trying to include everything: You cannot fit every medical experience you've ever had into this essay—and hey, that's why you have Work and Activities. Stick to one or two key experiences that prompted growth and reinforced your interest in medicine. The Personal Statement is about showing depth. 

2. Telling instead of showing: The admissions committee is looking for more than a list of your strengths and traits. Not only is that boring, it is unreliable. A good rule of writing is: “Show, don't tell." Listing off your qualities is meaningless if you're not backing them up with real-life examples. Instead of telling the reader, “I am a good leader because I am diligent and organized,” provide a leadership anecdote that will show you empowering your team. 

   Similarly, don’t tell the school what you will do in the future without showing them why you are capable of achieving such things. We've said it before: Sharing goals works when what comes before it exemplifies your strengths and abilities. More than what you want to do, what you have done tells us who you are.

3. Staying linear: You don’t need the essay to be linear. Imagine your intro paragraph as the opening sequence of a movie—the most thrilling ones start mid-scene. You want to see an action star in action, not waking up to a buzzing alarm clock. Don't save the excitement for many scenes later. Show yourself there, then explain how you got there. 

4. Being uptight: A personal essay is more like journalism than an academic paper. You're telling a story, and this one is about you. You want to sound intelligent and respectful but being a bit colloquial makes you appear confident and relaxed. As if to say, "This is who I am. This is who I plan to become." Boom.

   Also, a profound statement is often a simple one. We've heard more than one med school app reader complain about needing to consult a dictionary because an applicant had been over-consulting a thesaurus. Another reason to write less formally: You're going to interview at these schools. (Hopefully!) If you don't speak at all how you write, they're going to be confused about who you really are. 

5. Getting too poetic: Being a little poetic can show style, but if your point isn't clear, a beautiful turn of phrase is meaningless. One of our mottos is: "Clarity above all things." Leave no room for misinterpretation. The reader needs to see the story how you do. Crisp and untangled writing is also best given the character count limitation and how much you need to share. There is room for imagery but there isn't a lot of room for showiness. 

6. Overusing passive voice: Keep most of your sentences active. Passive voice can minimize your contributions and slow down your essay's momentum. Active sentences move the statement forward. 

   There is flexibility, of course. Some passive sentences aren't slow-going or unnatural. Take the passive "My research has been accepted for an oral presentation at the National Impressive Conference." vs. the active "The National Impressive Conference has accepted my research for an oral presentation." Honestly, both sentences are fine. Neither goes on too long nor is confusing. Both read as a natural way of speaking—the passive one might be a little more natural. 

   There are also times when you'll use passive voice for effect, accuracy, clarity, or flow. Just be mindful of how often you're doing it. 

7. Spouting off clichés: Nothing says, "I don't think outside of the box" quite like the phrase "I think outside of the box." We also read a lot of first drafts that include "puzzle pieces"—skip 'em, they're going to be in a thousand other essays. 

8. Using long quotes: A short conversation you had in an intense circumstance can be illustrative in a Personal Statement. It helps a reader picture the event. But making the point of your essay completely revolve around a long quote of someone else's thoughts about medicine, leadership, integrity, or whatever, makes it their essay, not yours. No literary celebrity, professor, doctor you worked with, or dad is supposed to be the star of this show. 

9. Dwelling on childhood stories: Saying you played doctor as a kid should not feature prominently in your Personal Statement. In fact, we'd skip it: It's not a unique sentiment. Schools don't care how long you've wanted to be a doctor—they care if you have the potential and drive to be one. 

   This doesn't mean that a flashback scene is never relevant. If your mom had cancer when you were eight years old, you grew up fast, and you learned things about the healthcare system and doctor-patient interactions that influenced your medical school goals. That is noteworthy. But you need this essay to focus on your recent impactful experiences. Ones that reinforced your interest in studying medicine and gave you the skills applicable to excelling in a program. 

10. Having too many readers: Having too many readers review your Personal Statement is a common mistake. If you're an Apply Point client, consider asking two people besides your two Apply Point advisors (who work as a team) to read your essays. If you're not working with a consultant, you could ask up to four people to read your work but make that the maximum just so you won't be overwhelmed by input. 

    This is certainly not us saying that you shouldn't have any readers at all. You want eyes or ears on this, especially if they're attached to someone you respect who knows you well. In fact, the top question you should ask them is: "Does this sound like me?" Friends, family members, or a mentor can confirm if your essay gets your personality and best qualities across. That said, send them the edited, polished draft rather than your raw first draft. This way their suggestions and questions won't psych you out because you already have a good idea of what you want to present in your statement. 

    One more note on having too many readers: Never post your essay in an online forum, such as Reddit. Sharing thoughts and advice on the overall application process online with other prospective students is great, but if you post your essay, you'll have too many strangers giving input and be vulnerable to plagiarizers. 

Culinary Course Offerings in Medical Schools Grow

Last April, when Yale Medical School, in partnership with the Yale New Haven Health System, opened the doors to the new Digestive Health Center in North Haven, it included the Irving and Alice Brown Teaching Kitchen. This kitchen has become the home for one of the medical school’s newest courses: Defining “Healthy”: Culinary Medicine for Chronic Disease Prevention. 

The course, co-taught by Nate Wood, MD, and Max Goldstein, the lead dietitian chef, integrates instruction in nutrition, cooking, and evidence-based science. Wood and Goldstein work with students to identify the health-promoting components of evidence-based diets and gain an understanding of how diet impacts disease. And students do all the cooking. 

Wood said that the motivation for the course stemmed from the knowledge gaps he saw between dietetics, medicine, and cooking. Dieticians know how to plan for a healthy diet but not necessarily how to cook. Chefs have the skills to make a meal but typically don’t receive training in nutrition. And physicians, who combat diseases brought on by a poor diet, often serve as a first point of contact for people interested in making better choices. 

“Food is a problem, but it can also be a solution, especially if we can bridge the gap among physicians, dietitians, chefs, and patients. Culinary medicine is not only vital to patient care, but it can also provide necessary nutrition education for students, medical trainees, and health care professionals,” Wood said.

Yale is not the only school to provide instruction in culinary medicine. The first training kitchen, the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University’s School of Medicine, opened in 2012 and the number of programs offering such courses continues to grow. The Health Meets Food culinary medicine curriculum has now been integrated into 33 medical schools, as well as some residency and nursing programs. 

More Medical Schools Reduce Debt-Burden on Students

According to a Medscape report, 11 medical schools in the last five years have eliminated or reduced tuition. The University of Houston waived tuition for its first class of students. And other programs, like the Yale School of Medicine, are demonstrating a longer-term commitment. The school recently announced that a large donor gift will ensure that all medical students with demonstrated financial need will take on no more than $10,000 in loans. 

On average, medical school tuition has increased by $1500 a year since 2015, which has significantly outpaced inflation. And the majority of students, almost three-quarters, take out loans to pay for its cost. Students bear an average debt burden of $200,000 to $215,000, although about 14 percent have loans worth more than $300,000. This is particularly noteworthy because tuition actually makes up a small percentage of schools’ operating budgets. While it varies between programs, at NYU Grossman, prior to it becoming tuition-free, tuition comprised just 0.25 percent of the budget. Via Medscape, Daniel Barron, MD, and a psychiatrist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, argued that most schools could cut tuition by belt-tightening and redirecting some existing funds. 

"Tuition can't keep rising without having unintended consequences. The resulting debt is putting a massive amount of pressure on future generations of physicians," said Robert Pearl, MD, and a professor at Stanford’s School of Medicine told Medscape.  

Below, we’ve compiled a list of schools that have created programs to reduce or waive tuition. The Education Data Initiative also provides a complete list of average costs for resident and non-resident attendees at the 193 accredited medical schools (allopathic and osteopathic). 

Schools With Eliminated or Reduced Tuition:

New York University Grossman School of Medicine: Provides full tuition for all admitted students, as well as student health insurance

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM): Provides full tuition and select administrative fees for all admitted students

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Offers the Vagelos Scholarship Program, which will meet 100 percent of a student’s demonstrated financial need

Weill Cornell School of Medicine: Offers need-based financial aid under a financial program that offers full-ride grants (debt-free) instead of loans

Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai :The Enhanced Scholarship Initiative (ESI) allows qualifying (financial need-based) medical students to graduate with a maximum total debt of $75,000.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis: Considers all admitted first-year students for a full or partial tuition scholarship for all four years of medical school based on need and/or merit (or a combination) 

Stanford School of Medicine: Provides scholarship funding to eliminate medical school debt for qualified students with demonstrated financial need

Geisinger Commonwealth Medical School: The Geisinger Primary Care Scholars Program provides debt-free medical school and living assistance to medical students who commit to work within primary care at the health system after graduating.

NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine: Provides full tuition, student health insurance, and offers debt-free scholarships to qualifying students for housing, food, books, and other miscellaneous expenses

Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine: Offers students, entering between 2019-2024, the school’s first five cohorts, a scholarship covering 100 percent of tuition for all four years of medical school

Yale School of Medicine: Beginning with the 2023–2024 academic year, Yale medical students with demonstrated financial need will not need to take out more than $10,000 in loans per year.

Stanford Medical School Offers New Course on Finding Meaning and Balance in Medicine

A new course at Stanford’s Medical School, “Meaning in Medicine: Staying Connected to What Matters Most,” seeks to “immunize” students from future physician burnout by inspiring them to explore and connect with their personal motivations for entering medicine. 

Examples of weekly topics include: What Wellness Means to You, Spirituality and Faith in Medical Care, and Grief and Suffering. And mini lectures cover topics such as how to manage conversations with patients facing serious illness, distinguishing values from goals and preferences, and finding mentors. Each of the weekly sessions also leave space for open dialogue where students can entertain questions of faith, empathy, and what it means to care for a patient while also caring for themselves and their own wellbeing.

The course, developed by Henry Bair, a resident physician and Stanford Med alum, and Tyler Johnson, an oncologist at Stanford Health Care, was inspired by a podcast the two host together. The podcast, A Doctor’s Art, explores themes that seek to reconnect the practice of medicine to its mission, which all too often gets lost in the day-to-day burdens of administration, electronic health records, staffing, and corporatization. 

The response to the course has been overwhelming. Nearly a quarter of Stanford’s pre-clinical students have expressed an interest in taking the course before and just after it opened. And, at the conclusion of the course, every student who participated said that they would recommend the course to others. 

“In medicine, where science converges with art, suffering meets solace, and the human spirit confronts the limits of the body, it is increasingly easy to lose sight of our purpose and of ourselves. But our students have shown an eagerness to cherish their personal, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual motives for entering the profession; this eagerness, in turn, instills the courage and wisdom to seek balance and meaning. All medical trainees ought to be afforded the opportunity to do so, for this, ultimately, is just about the most effective way to individually prepare future clinicians against burnout,” Bair and Johnson wrote in an article for MedPage Today.