The Right Thing to Do, The Smart Thing to Do Enhancing Diversity in the Health Professions -- Summary of the Symposium on Diversity in Health Professions in Honor of Herbert W. Nickens, M.D. (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Rethinking the Admissions Process: Evaluation Techniques That Promote Inclusiveness in Admissions Decisions
Rethinking the Admissions Process: Evaluation Techniques That Promote Inclusiveness in Admissions Decisions
Pages 305-327
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From page 305... ...
The dismantling of affirmative action in Texasi has compelled its public institutions to rethink the process of selecting applicants. It has also evoked new and creative perspectives that can be used to examine unique attributes of applicants and to better understand how applicants' unusual or special life circumstances effect admissions decisions.
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BACKGROUND What can be said about the relevance of non-cognitive variables in identifying and selecting underrepresented minority and disadvantaged applicants? Many medical school admissions committees take the position that an applicant who is motivated and has knowledge of the profession through experience; the skill to lead; resilience, especially in the face of adversity; and a propensity for
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From page 307... ...
scores.8 9 This has compelled many medical schools to track how these students perform in medical school and whether they are succeeding. Madison's~4 research on medical school admission and generalist physicians suggests that it is useful to look back at these admitted students and examine the outcomes in order to determine the relationship of cognitive and noncognitive factors considered in the admissions process.
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Since the findings showed that MCAT scores were predictive of success for at-risk white students but not for at-risk African-American students, it was recommended that this finding be replicated and that the dynamics of the relationship between MCAT scores and noncognitive variables be explored. These findings provide very useful information about the relative contributions of noncogrutive variables and academic abilities in predicting academic success, and medical school admissions committees should use these findings to develop or augment programs to advise prospective applicants and provide intervention or support services for students considered at risk.
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From page 309... ...
Although the study concluded that increasing the weights on the interview scores consistently produced positive changes in the number of accepted underrepresented minority applicants, the numbers were nonetheless small. The study also set the stage for exploring whether different weighting of the interview score had an effect on the admission of problem students (those students who may require a disproportionate amount of faculty time and effort)
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The changes shown on this table would have occurred if the formula had instead weighted the academic scores at 30% and the interview scores at 70%. t Two of the three disadvantaged applicants were underrepresented.
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22 According to Cohen,2i medical schools in He past have not adequately focused their attention on matters of heal promotion and disease prevention. He pointed out Hat this shortcoming, along wad the scant attention paid to behavioral determinants of ill health In medical school curricula and He lack of a research agenda Hat emphasizes ways to modify unhealthy human behaviors '8 Huff KL, Koenig JA.
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The evidence clearly shows that the numbers of underrepresented minority medical students (African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans and Mainland Puerto Ricans) continue to be disproportionately low.25 26 Despite sufficient data proving that physicians from underrepresented minority groups tend to practice In medically underserved communities, white males continue to make 23 National Center for Policy Analysis.
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The evidence shows that the need to close He diversity gap in the medical profession has become increasingly urgent. For approximately 30 years, many medical schools have undertaken efforts to increase opportunities In medical education for qualified members of underrepresented groups.25 However, the current pressure to eradicate affirmative action policies 27 Komaromy M, Giumbach~ K, Drake M, et al.
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An important factor comprising this transition included the formation of three highly focused admissions committee task force groups to study criteria for interviewing applicants, the interview protocol, and admissions committee deliberations. With this focus, the admissions committee then imTexas Medical Schools: Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UT-Southwestern, UTMB-Galveston, UTHouston, UT-San Antonio, Baylor, U North Texas-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine t Texas Dental Schools: TAMUS Baylor-Dallas, UT-Houston, UT-San Antonio
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produced an "Academic Score," which was based on the admissions committee's judgment as to how well the knowledge and skills tested by the exam corresponded to the requirements of the medical school curriculum. This method was adopted in large part because of the findings of the AAMC's Predictive Validity Research Study,20 which utilized performance data of the 1992 and 1993 entering classes from 14 participating medical schools.
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Tables 3, 4, and 5 depict the applicants by race and ethnicity and provide a more detail breakdown as to He ranges of academic scores, GPAs, and MCAT scores. TABLE 3 1997-1998 Application Year (1,419 Total Applicants)
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Academic Score-HA applicants: VR-9 PS-9 BS-9 VR ~13 PS 7-13 BS 8-14 3.81 3.10~.00 836 317 TABLE 4 1997-1998 Application Year (1,419 Total Applicants) Middle of the Pool Applicants 959 (Academic Scores of 799 to 651)
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After analyzing the academic scores and post-interview committee scores, it became apparent that we were correct in expanding our hunch to expand our efforts to the middle of the pool. Our analyses also showed that while a substantial number of our middle-of-the-pool applicants enrolled in the medical school, at most, only 19% of our high-academic applicants did so.
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From page 319... ...
to examine existing and new screening criteria as well as the process used to evaluate applicants of the 1997-1998 cycle.30 The results of the study were presented to a subcornmittee of the admissions committee, who in turn discussed all facets of the instrument and made some revisions. The instrument was subsequently sent to full committee and was adopted unanimously as the screening instrument for upcoming application cycles.
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(See Barron.) 1 1 Academic Achievements Overall & Science GPAs, GPA for last 45~0 credit hours, Rigor of Major, Graduate courses or degree, Grades in premedical course requirements MCAT.
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Professors and Others Health professions committee or individual letters from professors and others: Supportive; Strongly supportive, Problematic 6 points Areas of Interest in Medicine (Refer to Secondary Application, Item 9) Evidence of interest in a practice in: Primary Care; Rural Medicine; Underserved Area 3 points Area in Which Applicant Lives (Refer to Secondary Application , Items 3 and 3B)
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For example, in committee deliberations, the admissions committee was principally charged with evaluating applicants selected for interview and making recommendations for admission to the dean of the College of Medicine. Based on the interview scores (using a scale of 1-10)
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Each week, committee scores for each applicant interviewed were calculated by simply determining the average from the ballots submitted by each committee member. Using the committee score in this way gave greater weight to the interview evaluations and committee deliberations.
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All in all, changing from a process that was largely quantitative to one involving more extensive evaluation and deliberation of noncognitive factors accomplished two important goals: 1) the criteria as set preserved a sound basis of academic qualifications, and 2)
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a, a' hi a, 'e v · · · o o c)
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Since the admissions committee increased its efforts to commit more time and to contemplate more deeply the admissions process for the entering classes of 1998, 1999, and 2000, more underrepresented minority applicants are being interviewed and have been accepted. However, the number of underrepresented minority applicants who enroll, despite the substantive changes in the evaluation process and the increased efforts to select applicants who fit the mission and ethos of the College of Medicine, still remains alarmingly low.
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Because those underlying causes are passive and narrow, such a medical school must invest in redesigning its admissions processes and recruitment of members of minority groups to select applicants who fit the mission and ethos of the institution and who will likely care for patients from rapidly growing minority groups.
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