You have decided to go to medical school. You made sure that you completed the necessary parts of your medical school application. However, have you made sure that you covered the AAMC Competencies?
The AAMC Core Competencies are a list of skills that medical schools use in their application process to further assess an applicant. They look for these skills because medical schools have identified these core competencies as important for incoming medical students.
There are 15 total AAMC Competencies split into four categories: Interpersonal Competencies, Intrapersonal Competencies, Thinking and Reasoning Competencies, and Science Competencies. One of the most important intrapersonal competencies that medical schools look for in applicants is ‘Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others.’
The AAMC defines ‘Ethical Responsibility’ as a person who “behaves in an honest and ethical manner, cultivates personal and academic integrity; adheres to ethical principles and follows rules and procedures; resists peer pressure to engage in unethical behavior and encourages others to behave in honest and ethical ways; develops and demonstrates ethical and moral reasoning.”
In other words, Ethical Responsibility is defined as the ability to recognize and act on tasks strictly following the standards in that field or context. Therefore, as an applicant, you have to demonstrate certain qualities in tasks related to Ethical Responsibility such as leadership and volunteering.
As a pre-med student, there are many ways you can portray the competency of having Ethical Responsibility to yourself and others. One way to show your Ethical Responsibility is by volunteering.
In terms of volunteering, a lot of premed students spend time checking off activities to fulfill certain requirements. This is one of the biggest mistakes that pre-med students make, which can hinder their chances of standing out from other applicants. It can hinder their chances because these common activities are on the majority of medical school applicants, so schools do not have a way to distinguish who is better. Medical schools are looking for students who can handle themselves in new situations and have vastly unique experiences.
Apart from typical volunteering experiences, exemplary/impressive volunteering activities come from a cause that you are truly passionate about. These activities do not have to be medically related, so creativity can be used to stand out as an applicant. More importantly, long-term commitment can also help with providing meaningful experiences to talk about.
Leadership and Teamwork are two of the biggest qualities that demonstrate Ethical Responsibility. Similar to volunteering, there are common ways to demonstrate leadership that almost all pre-med applicants show on their applications. However, again, these experiences do not distinguish you from other applicants.
Apart from typical leadership experiences, the only way to gain impressive leadership experiences is to think critically and inquisitively. Most pre-med students can think of the typical leadership experiences without an issue. However, thinking outside the box can provide you with an edge as an applicant. By thinking critically, you can gain unique experiences that will make you stand out as an applicant.
Leadership is one competency that has not been given enough attention compared to other competencies related to academics and technical ones. The value of leadership is higher now than ever due to rising health issues and problems in the world. There is high demand for leadership training for medical students, and by participating in various types of teamwork-related activities, you can stand out compared to other applicants.
According to the Division of Pharmacy Development at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy, “Today’s healthcare professionals have the burden of stepping up and assuming leadership roles. But there is a huge gap in leadership skills and training.”
Looking at various aspects, Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others is an important competency because there could be a possibility medical schools use this competency to distinguish ideal applicants from average candidates.
In order to meet modern healthcare needs, medical schools are looking for candidates with ethical and moral reasoning and that comes through teamwork, leadership, volunteering.
About the Author:
Saketh Ayyagari is an undergraduate student from Temple University who is pursuing a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. His aspiration is to become a physician specialized in either cardiology or neurology. He is currently a very active member of the community and provides clinical/non-clinical support to various organizations. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and reading books.
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