Volume 193 - Issue 7
National approaches for medical school entry
Authors: Christopher X J Wong, Adam J Nelson and Ross L Roberts-Thomson
Med J Aust 2010; 193 (7): 428. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03981.x
Published online: 4 October 2010
Published online: 4 October 2010
To the Editor: In recent years, medical school selection criteria have continued to evolve as new information and evidence have come to light.1,2 Increasingly, data are becoming available that shed light on local selection processes, and we commend Laurence and colleagues for their contribution to this.3
Diversity in selection processes is desirable because of the varying educational cultures and emphases between medical schools, and for maintaining variety among students who gain entry. The pursuit of “ideal” evidence-based selection criteria ought to continue, although the effect that a single, standard national selection process would have on the diversity of students entering medicine is unknown.
However, a national approach to offering places for medical school could have considerable advantages. Mutual recognition of admission processes by medical schools is one approach suggested by Laurence et al.3 This may not have as significant an impact on student diversity as might a single selection process, and it could reduce the substantial financial burden that the application process places on both applicants and medical schools.3 Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are often unable to apply to interstate medical schools due to the travel costs associated with attending interviews. This both reduces the number of opportunities they have of gaining a place at a medical school, and prevents them from gaining valuable interview experience, further reducing the likelihood of a successful application.3,4 Mutual recognition of and sharing of selection information would potentially level the playing field for applicants who cannot afford to attend multiple interviews.
Students commonly receive medical school offers as late as midway through the first semester — a consequence of students receiving offers from multiple universities, and universities having to make a number of rounds of offers until their quotas are complete. Universities already rank their applicants, and, if students were able to submit their medical school preferences, applications could be coordinated nationally through a centralised admissions system. This would result in fewer rounds of offers and a shorter admission process, reducing the cost for universities and enabling students to enrol earlier, with greater certainty. This may avoid the need for students to relocate and miss out on vital parts of their first year of study.
Competing interests
Ross Roberts-Thomson is the Australian Medical Students’ Association representative on the Australian Medical Association Federal Council.
References
- Wilkinson D, Zhang J, Byrne GJ, et al. Medical school selection criteria and the prediction of academic performance. Med J Aust 2008; 188: 349-354.
- McManus C, Powis D. Testing medical school selection tests [editorial]. Med J Aust 2007; 186: 118-119. 0_i1095414
- Laurence CO, Turnbull DA, Briggs NE, Robinson JS. Applicant characteristics and their influence on success: results from an analysis of applicants to the University of Adelaide Medical School, 2004–2007. Med J Aust 2010; 192: 212-216. 0_CBBFGHIG
- Griffin B, Harding DW, Wilson IG, Yeomans ND. Does practice make perfect? The effect of coaching and retesting on selection tests used for admission to an Australian medical school. Med J Aust 2008; 189: 270-273. 0_CBBFFGDA