We should require premedical student data science prerequisites to apply to medical school

Upskilling the medical professional workforce has taken front and center.

As an undergraduate many years ago, I took an elective course in "data science" that required I demonstrate some competency in using Fortran.

Information systems and AI are changing how health professionals do their work every day.

Still, today, 85% of contemporary medical students were biological science majors in college.

With emerging innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) poised to substantially impact medical practice, interest in training current and future physicians about the technology is growing. Alongside comes the question of what, precisely, should medical students, trainees and active clinicians be taught. Or, for that matter, whether medical students, for example, should be taught AI at all.

Here are some suggested competencies.

We need to teach health professionals data literacy and digital dexterity.

But what about requiring these competencies in undergraduate premedical students? Should organic chemistry still be a doctor killer or should we rethink the prerequisites to apply that would include data literacy, data dexterity and other relevant computer science subjects i.,e. computer science for premeds.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. JOHN KWAKU MENSAH MAWUTOR has announced an ambitious initiative to make coding a compulsory course for all undergraduate students. The bold initiative is aimed at equipping graduates of the university with essential IT and computer programming skills to enable them to thrive in the rapidly evolving global economy. "We want to create an environment where every student who passes through UPSA must know basic coding regardless of their program of study,” Prof. Mawutor announced during an orientation program for freshman students. https://lnkd.in/ek3C5Z9E

Computer Society (CS), along with industry partners ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), released the latest iteration of its guidance for undergraduates on careers in computer science. “Computer Science Curricula 2023” (CS2023) outlines the knowledge and competencies students should attain for degrees in computer science and related disciplines at the undergraduate level.

The collaboration with IEEE CS, ACM, and AAAI on the CS2023 curriculum highlights its broad and significant impact.

Suppose you are a computer science major and want to apply to medical school? Should you still have to take advanced courses in biological sciences?

Medical schools need to answer what business they are in.

I graduated with a major in biology and minored in humanities. But these days many premeds are taking the road less traveled.

Some patients now know more about AI than many of their doctors.

The medical education industry has lost touch with its customers and stakeholders. When that happens, we know how the movie ends. It’s been proven time and again that when organizations are unable or unwilling to adapt to disruption, technological advancements, and evolving customer demands, they simply cannot survive in the long term.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs on Substack