December 2012
This Month's News
Medical education takes center stage at recent AMA meeting
Report examines variation in care, its importance in residency training
Culturally competent care is "critical" in treating military, veterans
Virtual Mentor looks at ethical issues in admissions, residency
Top Stories
Virtual Mentor looks at ethical issues in admissions, residency
Have medical school admissions and residency program matching these days become so competitive that ethical behavior has to take a back seat to ambition? In attempting to acknowledge the value of emotional intelligence and “intangibles,” admissions committees have added character tests and background checks for applicants. But it still seems difficult for students to be honest and succeed at the same time.
The December issue of the AMA’s Virtual Mentor steps back from the fray to analyze the medical school admission and residency application process and ask how the process could be made more ethical. Authors, including deans, faculty, students, and Samuel Shem, noted author of The House of God, propose improvements in these key areas of concern:
- Dean’s letters and their influence on future of a student’s educational career.
- The National Resident Matching Program’s all-in policy.
- The value of tools like the primary care orientation scale to predict medical students’ specialty choices.
- The ongoing need for affirmative action or a more effective substitute to achieve diversity.
Read the latest issue of Virtual Mentor online.
