INTRODUCTION
I decided to do this report because I want to become a doctor. This career choice requires extensive planning and research, and I’ve attempted to do so with this report. Furthermore, I am currently in the process of planning to apply to medical school and so the context of this report is from that perspective. In other words, categories such as the MCAT, diversity, and debt are given focus, as I’ve had to consider those topics deeply at the current stage of my life. A career in medicine certainly requires long term thinking and planning. According to the AAMC, “it typically takes from 11 to 16 years to complete your education, including four years of college (undergraduate school), four years of medical school and anywhere from …show more content…
This is the medical school admissions test. The test is usually taken during the undergraduate years and it has also recently been updated. The MCAT had last been revised in 1991. This means that many of today’s medical school applicants had not even been born since the last test update. It is no surprise then that the new MCAT is causing much angst. Prior to the update, the MCAT used to consist of four sections: physical sciences, biological sciences, verbal reasoning, and a writing sample that would test knowledge of basic sciences through questions about biology, chemistry, and physics. On the other hand, the new MCAT also contains four sections, but the concepts tested fall under interdisciplinary categories including Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. The MCAT questions are drawn from the intersection between knowledge and skills. To successfully complete a MCAT question, a student must be able to use his or her knowledge of the sciences along with the ability to inquire scientifically and reasoning skills. The time it takes to complete the old MCAT compared to the new one is 4 hours and 20 minutes to 6 hours and 15 minutes, but 7.5 hours with breaks and …show more content…
This change has made the test into one that is competencies based and requires the ability to integrate information from natural and social sciences. However, even this change may not be enough to keep up with the “information explosion and the increasingly rapid rate at which new knowledge is revising science.” The 2009 report Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians brought about the idea that medical training should shift from a focus on “fulfilling course requirements to building subject competencies.” The philosophy of such a decision is based around the idea that it would open up the doors of medicine to individuals from all walks of life, as well as allowing these individuals the most freedom in expressing and showcasing their integrity as future doctors. In addition, it is in the spirit of this philosophy with which changes to the new MCAT were crafted. The test is now one that requires proficiency in both natural and social sciences. Furthermore, these changes reflect the new wave of information and technology that is shifting the entire field of education. The test has elements of “educational theories, student learning outcomes and competencies instead of coursework” These shifts do not stop at the MCAT for those on the trajectory towards becoming doctors. Medical school “evaluate, select, and educate tomorrow’s
I decided to do this report because I want to become a doctor. This career choice requires extensive planning and research, and I’ve attempted to do so with this report. Furthermore, I am currently in the process of planning to apply to medical school and so the context of this report is from that perspective. In other words, categories such as the MCAT, diversity, and debt are given focus, as I’ve had to consider those topics deeply at the current stage of my life. A career in medicine certainly requires long term thinking and planning. According to the AAMC, “it typically takes from 11 to 16 years to complete your education, including four years of college (undergraduate school), four years of medical school and anywhere from …show more content…
This is the medical school admissions test. The test is usually taken during the undergraduate years and it has also recently been updated. The MCAT had last been revised in 1991. This means that many of today’s medical school applicants had not even been born since the last test update. It is no surprise then that the new MCAT is causing much angst. Prior to the update, the MCAT used to consist of four sections: physical sciences, biological sciences, verbal reasoning, and a writing sample that would test knowledge of basic sciences through questions about biology, chemistry, and physics. On the other hand, the new MCAT also contains four sections, but the concepts tested fall under interdisciplinary categories including Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. The MCAT questions are drawn from the intersection between knowledge and skills. To successfully complete a MCAT question, a student must be able to use his or her knowledge of the sciences along with the ability to inquire scientifically and reasoning skills. The time it takes to complete the old MCAT compared to the new one is 4 hours and 20 minutes to 6 hours and 15 minutes, but 7.5 hours with breaks and …show more content…
This change has made the test into one that is competencies based and requires the ability to integrate information from natural and social sciences. However, even this change may not be enough to keep up with the “information explosion and the increasingly rapid rate at which new knowledge is revising science.” The 2009 report Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians brought about the idea that medical training should shift from a focus on “fulfilling course requirements to building subject competencies.” The philosophy of such a decision is based around the idea that it would open up the doors of medicine to individuals from all walks of life, as well as allowing these individuals the most freedom in expressing and showcasing their integrity as future doctors. In addition, it is in the spirit of this philosophy with which changes to the new MCAT were crafted. The test is now one that requires proficiency in both natural and social sciences. Furthermore, these changes reflect the new wave of information and technology that is shifting the entire field of education. The test has elements of “educational theories, student learning outcomes and competencies instead of coursework” These shifts do not stop at the MCAT for those on the trajectory towards becoming doctors. Medical school “evaluate, select, and educate tomorrow’s