Medical School Admission Requirement for Previous Clinical Experience and Marketing of Short Term Medical Missions

Abstract

Abstract Background: The number of overseas Short Term Medical Missions (STMMs) marketing to students has grown dramatically in the last decade and can be associated with ethical and quality concerns. United States Allopathic medical schools rate prospective students on many factors, including their level of prior clinical experience. Students may seek out STMM experiences, which offer flexibility, affordability, and travel to a foreign land to meet application expectations and increase the chance of being accepted. This study examined whether medical school expectations for having prior clinical experience are contributing to the development of STMM’s marketing to students to meet this need. Methods: This was an exploratory, qualitative-quantitative, mixed-methods study. Allopathic medical schools were randomly chosen via purposive sampling to receive an online survey. Descriptive statistics were collected and comparative evaluations performed using quantitative analysis with chi-square and one-way ANOVA testing. Of the schools surveyed, their web pages were also evaluated for communication on whether they expected applicants to have prior clinical experience. The top twenty websites for STMMs were chosen via saturation sampling for qualitative coding. Qualitative coding was performed utilizing a code book. Results: Eight schools participated with 97 surveys completed. Web site searches for requirements on prior clinical experience: 50% no indication, 38% implicit requirement, and 12% explicit requirement. Sixty percent of respondents who review applications or are involved in interviewing students felt that “previous clinical experience” was either “very important” (37%) or “extremely important” (23%), and 51% felt a student would not be accepted in the institution without prior clinical experience. Ethical concerns with pre-medical students participating in STMM’s were reported in 64% of all respondents. However, more than 70% of those reviewing applications or involved in interviewing students felt STMM participation would at least moderately increase a student’s chance of acceptance. Qualitative analysis of STMM websites showed the top six themes included 1. targeting to students, 2. promoting the idea of helping others, 3. “future projection” of students in the field of medicine (images of volunteers dressed like, or performing tasks associated with, medical professionals), 4. tourism, 5. offering flexibility, and 6. offering self-improvement (career, application, resume-building). Conclusion: Medical school expectations for prior clinical experience are not explicitly stated in most cases, yet opinions exist that having prior clinical experience is an important part of U.S. Allopathic medical school applications with regards to increasing the chance of acceptance. Survey results showed that despite an awareness of ethical problems with pre-med students participating in STMMs, their participation was felt by most respondents who reviewed applications or interviewed students to increase the chance of acceptance to medical school at least moderately. Marketing of STMMs to students is growing in conjunction with the increasing competition for getting into medical school. The research is suggestive that a probable driver of STMM growth and marketing to students are medical school expectations for prior clinical experience in applicants.