Letter Regarding: The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical School Admissions: Challenges and Solutions

Gambril, John Alan; Egbaria, Jamal; Boyd, Carter J.

doi:10.1016/j.jss.2020.11.079

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Informal virtual experiences such as social events or themed breakout sessions that encouraged interpersonal connections and dialog also factored into success. 8 Since the pandemic, a few medical school admission teams have also reported similar observations and further recommended providing digital resources such as replicated orientation day packets and ensuring strong tech support, trained staff, and effective technology platforms. 2,10,11 By July 2020, most physician assistant (PA) programs had transitioned to remote or virtual interviews (73.9%) which included virtual tours or open houses (63.6%), according to PAEA's Rapid Response Report-2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Prospective advantages of using innovative technologies in formal recruitment processes included less-intimidating experiences for interviewees by allowing more comfortable, at-home interview settings and eliminating costly travel expenses. 1,3,7,8 Disadvantages of virtual experiences, such as limitations with natural conversations, were also expected. 1,3 Another major challenge seemed to lie with simulating valuable interactions that fostered prospective students' abilities to assess the culture and camaraderie of a program.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Prospective Physician Assistant Student Perspectives on an In-Person vs. Virtual Admissions Interview Process

Love,

Thompson,

Elliott

2023

J Physician Assist Educ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The pandemic strained many usual methods of communication and training, forcing changes to selection processes for health professions programs. The purpose of this study was to determine, through interviewee feedback, the effectiveness of a virtual interview process when compared with a previous in-person interview process at one physician assistant (PA) program. Methods During the pandemic, the PA program adapted to a virtual holistic interview process to include interaction with current students and faculty. The effectiveness of the virtual platform was measured comparatively using the program's existing interviewee evaluation format for previous in-person experiences. Results Prepandemic data showed high ratings from interviewees regarding the interview process. Intrapandemic data suggest an interview process can be duplicated in a virtual format without compromising experience and goals of the program. Conclusions Through virtual interviews during a pandemic, the PA program mirrored the effectiveness of their previous in-person experience.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective Physician Assistant Student Perspectives on an In-Person vs. Virtual Admissions Interview Process

Love,

Thompson,

Elliott

2023

J Physician Assist Educ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…From the start of the pandemic in March 2020, potential candidates studying for the MCAT faced both changes to the format of the examination and scheduling interruptions due to test site closures. 1,2 Undergraduate transition to virtual didactics and coursework also may have hindered the premedical student to be less prepared for the MCAT on college studies alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Gambril et al and Lucey et al, this transition possibly potentiated existing disparities among students with different nancial resources, such as access to costly MCAT preparatory materials. 2,3 Furthermore, the abrupt limit on opportunities to shadow in clinics/hospitals, volunteer in the community, and conduct research created a paucity of regular interpersonal interactions. 4,5 This also likely impacted the depth of experiences from which students could partake.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on medical school admissions at The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson

Mamaril-Davis

Nguyen

Yasmeh

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented unforeseen obstacles to prospective medical students such as Medical College of Admission Test (MCAT) scheduling postponements and technical challenges during virtual interviews. Students were also faced with difficult decisions post-submission such as having to choose a program without ever visiting a school in-person. Objective: The primary objective of the present study was to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical school admission preferences and application-related costs. This may also provide feedback to medical school administrators for future improvements to the application process. Methods: A retrospective survey of the class of 2024 (Co24; non-COVID-19 cohort) and class of 2025 (Co25; COVID-19 cohort) was conducted in the Fall of 2021 via the Qualtrics online survey software. Statistical analysis incorporated the chi-square test on the Likert scale. Results: There were 195 survey respondents: 77 students from the Co2024 and 89 students from the Co25. More students in the Co25 had to reschedule their MCAT compared to the Co24 (56.1% versus 14.3%; p <0.001). The in-person Co24 had higher travel-related expenses (>$500) compared to the Co25 who interviewed virtually (65.1% versus 2.4%; p <0.001). More students from the Co24 preferred the in-person interview format compared to the Co25 (85.7% versus 22.5%; p <0.001). Lastly, 87% of the Co24 and 24.7% of the Co25 felt they were able to gather a clear impression of the atmosphere and culture of a school from the interview trail alone (p <0.001). Conclusion: Matriculated medical students at an allopathic medical school who applied during the COVID-19 pandemic had more pre-application hurdles when compared to prior cohorts. Students in the COVID-19 cohort, who primarily had virtual interviews, had less travel-related costs but felt more limited in their experience of a school’s culture. Despite this, however, the COVID-19 cohort still expressed a preference for virtual interviews.

show abstract

“…The pandemic ushered in new obstacles and considerations for candidates applying to medical school such as Medical College of Admission Test (MCAT) postponements, financial barriers, and disruptions in clinical, volunteer, and/or research experiences. From the start of the pandemic in March 2020, potential candidates studying for the MCAT faced both changes to the format of the examination and scheduling interruptions due to test site closures [ 2 , 3 ]. Undergraduate transition to virtual didactics and coursework also hindered the premedical student’s ability to prepare for the MCAT, forcing them to rely on college studies alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical School Interview Preference in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Single Institution Experience

Mamaril-Davis,

Nguyen,

Yasmeh

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presented unforeseen obstacles to prospective medical students such as Medical College of Admission Test (MCAT) scheduling postponements and technical challenges during virtual interviews. Students were also faced with difficult decisions post-submission such as having to choose a program without ever visiting a school in person. The primary objective of the present study is to assess the changes in medical school interview preferences and experiences in the post-COVID-19 era. Methods: A retrospective survey of the class of 2024 (in-person interview group) and class of 2025 (virtual interview group) at an allopathic medical school was conducted in the Fall of 2021 via the Qualtrics XM online survey software (Qualtrics, Provo, UT, USA). Results: There were 195 survey respondents: 77 students from the in-person interview group and 89 students from the virtual group. More students in the virtual cohort had to reschedule their MCAT compared to the in-person cohort (56.1% versus 14.3%; p<0.001). The in-person group had higher travel-related expenses (>$500) compared to the group who interviewed virtually (65.1% versus 2.4%; p<0.001). More students from the in-person cohort preferred the in-person interview format compared to the virtual cohort (85.7% versus 22.5%; p<0.001). Lastly, 87% of the in-person group and 24.7% of the virtual group felt they were able to gather a clear impression of the atmosphere and culture of a school from the interview trail alone (p<0.001). Conclusion: Matriculated medical students at an allopathic medical school who applied during the COVID-19 pandemic had more pre-application hurdles when compared to the cohort who applied just prior to the pandemic. Students who primarily had virtual interviews during the pandemic had less travel-related costs but felt more limited in their experience of a school’s culture and ability to establish rapport with interviewers. Despite this, however, the virtual group still expressed a preference for virtual interviews.

show abstract

Letter Regarding: The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical School Admissions: Challenges and Solutions

Cited by 4 publications

References 5 publications

Prospective Physician Assistant Student Perspectives on an In-Person vs. Virtual Admissions Interview Process

Prospective Physician Assistant Student Perspectives on an In-Person vs. Virtual Admissions Interview Process

Impact of COVID-19 on medical school admissions at The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson

Medical School Interview Preference in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Single Institution Experience

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About