Health profession programs do not look solely at an academic record when deciding who to admit. There is a comprehensive initiative in the healthcare community and specifically within admissions to infuse a more holistic approach to evaluating applicants. Admissions officers do not focus on numbers alone, rather they are interested in finding applicants that bring a range of experiences, skills, and competencies. It is just as important to foster strong interpersonal, intrapersonal, and critical reasoning skills as it is to do well in your courses and achieve a good entrance exam score. These are skills you can develop through many interactions, including those with faculty, staff, alumni, peers, and the greater community as well as through internships, volunteering, employment, and extracurricular activities. Therefore, when preparing for your role as a healthcare professional, think about yourself beyond the numbers. These are the 17 Premed Competencies from the AAMC that medical schools use to evaluate applicants' readiness for medical schools.
| Category | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Professional | Commitment to Learning and Growth Cultural Awareness Cultural Humility Empathy and Compassion Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication Reliability and Dependability Resilience and Adaptability Service Orientation Teamwork and Collaboration |
| Science | Human Behavior Living Systems |
| Thinking & Reasoning | Critical Thinking Quantitative Reasoning Scientific Inquiry Written Communication |