Change medical school admissions

US medical schools face 5 big issues. One of them is recruiting the right talent resulting in a diverse talent pipeline with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies they will need to win the 4th industrial revolution. The present system of recruiting and interviewing applicants is rife with bias, expensive and time-consuming and does not correlate with the eventual performance of a doctor. In addition, the faculty who do the interviewing lack formal training in how to conduct the interview and how to score the results using a rubric with clearly identified metrics.

One way to ensure success is to admit the top tier students from Ivy League schools.

The Supreme Court found it unconstitutional?to consider race ?in university admissions, eliminating the principal tool the nation’s most selective schools have used to diversify their campuses.

Thursday’s?6-3 decision ?will force a reworking of admissions criteria throughout American higher education, including professional schools, where for decades the pursuit of diversity has been an article of faith.

They say that would mean widening recruiting efforts, looking more closely at applicants’ backgrounds, and proactively offering spots to students before they even apply.

These authors found that American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, Hawaiian Native or Pacific Islander, and Hispanic students had the highest unsuccessful GME placement rates, particularly URIM men and low-income URIM students. Low-income status seemed to only influence placement rates for URIM students.

Medical education is not alone, as noted in a recent HBR article describing how Goldman Sachs changed how they recruited new hires. It is time for medical schools to adopt these ways of recruiting and accepting medical students:

1. Asynchronous video interviews. Candidates are asked to submit their answers to interview questions. Recruiters record standardized questions to applicants who have three days to return videos of their answers. Selected applicants are invited for a subsequent face to face interview
2. Structured questioning and assessments. Candidates are asked about specific experiences they have had that are similar to situations they are likely to experience in the practice of medicine. Interviewers are provided training and a rubric how to rate responses on a five-point scale.
3. Eliminating the MCATs Here are some arguments that standardized tests are not necessarily racist.
4. Eliminate cover letters
5. Use artificial intelligence to pick applicants, particularly when the volume to those that offer free tuition is excessive.
6. Eliminate race, sex and age on medical school applications
7. Change how we admit students to college

Maybe it's time to choose medical students randomly.

On the eve of the first debate of the 2024 presidential race, trust in government is rivaling historic lows . Officials have been working hard to safeguard elections and assure citizens of their integrity. But if we want public office to have integrity, we might be better off eliminating elections altogether.

If you think that sounds anti-democratic, think again. The ancient Greeks invented democracy, and in Athens many government officials were selected through sortition — a random lottery from a pool of candidates. In the United States, we already use a version of a lottery to select jurors. What if we did the same with mayors, governors, legislators, justices and even presidents? Or medical students and residents?

??The importance of building diverse organizations has been well-established.?Diversity is linked to greater innovation?and performance, and research has shown?that more diverse companies have higher profits than their more homogeneous counterparts. But building teams with different skill sets and life experiences requires intention. By designing inclusive hiring practices — and letting go of the notion that there’s one ideal candidate type for a role — you can create more opportunities for a range of candidates who are more than capable. It requires thinking beyond the confines of traditional hiring.

In addition to meeting diversity goals and casting a wider net of applicants, the process creates a "learning lab" to better understand what applicants want and how to better measure competencies. Here's the case for diversity and inclusion. Curriculum reform and design starts with a market based needs assessment, information that can be derived from the video interviews.

Here is the case for replacing or supplementing MD/MBA programs with MD/MBE programs

Here's why you should invest in unconventional premeds.

Here are reasons why undergraduate entrepreneurs can make better medical students.

Medical schools need to rethink how they are recruiting applicants. Being complacent because the number of applicants vastly exceeds the number of slots is another part of the craniorectal inversion syndrome.

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