Medicine Summer Discussion Series - How would YOU run the admissions process?

You're not necessarily restricted to less universities. You're just interviewed by only one. This means more people can get interviewed and less interviews for any given applicant so less stress.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Well yes that's quite a fundamental point that it would be interesting to try to assess the evidence for.

My personal feeling is that medicine is still an academically rigorous field. Making a diagnosis can still be a very complicated task. There may come a day when the volume and quality of evidence available enables a computer to do the calculations, at which point doctors would change to being data inputters and psychological supporters. That day isn't here yet though, and if i had a choice between someone with BBB and someone with AAA all else being the same, i think the choice is obvious.

Obviously you also want to choose the most empathetic, and most committed and the best communicators as well. A major draw-back in assessing these though is that they are very hard to get an objective measure of. The fact is, the entirety of a-levels and our education is set up to teach and then test us on academics. That same level of rigorous examination can't be replicated for something like comms skills. So even if we assess empathy to be the most important aspect of an application, that doesn't preclude making UMS (say) have the highest weight, just because its a (fairly) universal, objective, cheap measure of ability.

I would argue the opposite. One interview, everything rides on it - no?

there is the possibility of a 'bad day.' but also consider that, under this system everyone who gets the minimum grades should be interviewed despite having a bad day for the UKCAT/BMAT.

Personally, I think the admissions process should be more objective. Right now, there is a problem with 'scoring' personal statements as what one person thinks is good could be seen less highly by someone else. Obviously, academic score is objective but there is not enough discrimination as the majority of applicants get straight A/A*s. Maybe, medical schools could look at UMS (like Cambridge does). I think that more weightage should be given to academics and personal qualities should just be a pass/fail filter type thing.

Also, It might be more fair to have a centralised admissions process where applicants rank their medical schools, like the foundation programme applications.

Academics don't make a good doctor, those personal qualities you think aren't THAT important on the other hand DO.

Not necessarily a bad day, but lack of interview experience can really count against you. You could argue that one interview for each applicant means everyone has the same amount of interviews therefore it should be fair - but it wouldn't work like that in reality.

Can anyone actually give a good reason for the UKCAT, excluding SJA? (apart from it narrows down applicants). I'm saying this objectively because my UKCAT score was actually the strongest part of my application and the reason for me getting in but I still think it's a bit pointless.

Can anyone actually give a good reason for the UKCAT, excluding SJA? (apart from it narrows down applicants). I'm saying this objectively because my UKCAT score was actually the strongest part of my application and the reason for me getting in but I still think it's a bit pointless.

Lol why?

Can anyone actually give a good reason for the UKCAT, excluding SJA? (apart from it narrows down applicants). I'm saying this objectively because my UKCAT score was actually the strongest part of my application and the reason for me getting in but I still think it's a bit pointless.

Academics don't make a good doctor, those personal qualities you think aren't THAT important on the other hand DO.

Problem is, most people associate academics with intelligent people - the truth is intelligent people make the best doctors and have a greater net contribution to health care - abrring any medical condition.

Problem is, most people associate academics with intelligent people - the truth is intelligent people make the best doctors and have a greater net contribution to health care - abrring any medical condition.