Readiness for Medical School: a Radical Proposal

Abstract

Readiness for medical school, like readiness for reading, includes physiological, psychological, educational, and sociological aspects of growth. Full cognitive and neurodevelopment including higher levels of adult thought order occur generally towards the ends of the third decade. Earlier patient care experiences and an understanding of the social and structural determinants of health demand some experiences in the world. We believe a requirement to prove medical school readiness should be to hold a job for a year that interfaces with the public and proves responsibility, reliability, and accountability as documented by a supervisor.

Assessment of dropout rates in the preclinical years and contributing factors: a study on one Thai medical school

“…Medical education ultimately requires comprehensive growth in a wide range of dimensions to serve the needs of patients and the society, shaped by the attitudes towards physicians in each cultural context [ 1 ]. Medical students with greater developmental maturity that comes with increasing age may be better prepared for medical education [ 2 ]. Higher exposure to humanities is reported to reduce burnout during medical education [ 3 ].…”

“…In contrast to some western countries, entry to medical education in Thailand begins immediately after a high school degree. In comparison with other countries where students enter medical school in their early 20 s [ 2 ], Thai students are required to commit to the long and hard process of becoming a physician at approximately eighteen years of age. The competition for university admission is one leading cause of significant stress among Thai high school students [ 4 ].…”