Updated AAMC Competencies

Information taken from: https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/15396/download

For YEARS, I've used the AAMC Core Competencies to guide my work. I have always found it ironic that people are searching for the answers as to what the med schools are looking for, when there is literally a list created that tells us what they are measuring.

This year, the Competencies have expanded. They've always been the "15 Core Competencies" but like all things in the med school process, the list has expanded. Now there are 17, which doesn't have the same ring to it. But nonetheless, we shall use these competencies.

The changes this year are the inclusion of Cultural Humility, which I've already been talking about for years, and Empathy and Compassion, which I always joked about not being on there. Guess they heard my poking fun at that. Those who have worked with me in the past know that I've always pushed people to talk about cultural humility in their applications, so nothing new there; however, I have always cringed when people outwardly talk about being an empathetic person. My question when folks start talking about empathy is, "What does empathy LOOK like?" What did you do that demonstrated that empathy? Empathy and compassion originate as feelings, and it's difficult to measure feelings, so without demonstrating empathy through action, you have no choice but to declare your empathy. And you all know how I hate when people just declare things about themselves.

When writing all aspects of your application, it's important to be aware and intentional about how you're thinking about how your competencies are coming through. When I talk about writing a competency-based application, all I mean is that you are aware of which competencies you are attempting to highlight in each aspect of your application. Some people write apps to just show the "passion for medicine." That's cool, but what's even cooler is having a passion for medicine AND being competent at things.

Take a moment and read through the competencies. Look at the paragraphs in your personal statement and your experience descriptions (once they're written) and think about what you're showing through your writing.

Commitment to Learning and Growth (Former Capacity for Improvement):

Practices continuous personal and professional growth for improvement, including setting and communicating goals for learning and development; reflects on successes, challenges, and mistakes; pursues opportunities to improve knowledge and understanding; and asks for and incorporates feedback to learn and grow.

Cultural Awareness:

Appreciates how historical, sociocultural, political, and economic factors affect others’ interactions, behaviors, and well-being; values diversity; and demonstrates a desire to learn about different cultures, beliefs, and values.

Cultural Humility (NEW!):

Seeks out and engages diverse and divergent perspectives with a desire to understand and willingness to adjust one’s mindset; understands a situation or idea from alternative viewpoints; reflects on one’s values, beliefs, and identities and how they may affect others; reflects on and addresses bias in oneself and others; and fosters a supportive environment that values inclusivity.

Empathy and Compassion (NEW!):

Recognizes, understands, and acknowledges others’ experiences, feelings, perspectives, and reactions to situations; is sensitive to others’ needs and feelings; and demonstrates a desire to help others and alleviate others’ distress.

Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others:

Behaves with honesty and integrity; considers multiple and/or conflicting principles and values to inform decisions; adheres to ethical principles when carrying out professional obligations; resists pressure to engage in unethical behavior; and encourages others to behave honestly and ethically.

Interpersonal Skills:

Demonstrates an awareness of how social and behavioral cues affect people’s interactions and behaviors; adjusts behaviors appropriately in response to these cues; recognizes and manages one’s emotions and understands how emotions impact others or a situation; and treats others with dignity, courtesy, and respect.

Oral Communication:

Effectively conveys information to others using spoken words and sentences; actively listens to understand the meaning and intent behind what others say; and recognizes potential communication barriers and adjusts approach or clarifies information as needed.

Reliability and Dependability:

Demonstrates accountability for performance and responsibilities to self and others; prioritizes and fulfills obligations in a timely and satisfactory manner; and understands consequences of not fulfilling one’s responsibilities to self and others.

Resilience and Adaptability:

Perseveres in challenging, stressful, or ambiguous environments or situations by adjusting behavior or approach in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles, and recognizes and seeks help and support when needed; recovers from and reflects on setbacks; and balances personal well-being with responsibilities.

Service Orientation:

Shows a commitment to something larger than oneself; demonstrates dedication to service and a commitment to making meaningful contributions that meet the needs of communities.

Teamwork and Collaboration:

Collaborates with others to achieve shared goals and prioritizes shared goals; adjusts role between team member and leader based on one’s own and others’ expertise and experience; shares information with team members and encourages this behavior in others; and gives and accepts feedback to improve team performance.

Critical Thinking:

Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Quantitative Reasoning:

Applies quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics to describe or explain phenomena in the natural world.

Scientific Inquiry:

Applies knowledge of the scientific process to integrate and synthesize information, solve problems, and formulate research questions and hypotheses; is facile in the language of the sciences and uses it to participate in the discourse of science and explain how scientific knowledge is discovered and validated.

Written Communication:

Effectively conveys information to others by using written words and sentences.

Human Behavior:

Applies knowledge of the self, others, and social systems to solve problems related to the psychological, sociocultural, and biological factors that influence health and well-being.

Living Systems:

Applies knowledge and skill in the natural sciences to solve problems related to molecular and macro systems, including biomolecules, molecules, cells, and organs.

Anatomy_of_an_Applicant_Premed_Competencies_2023.pdf

Download PDF • 190KB

All of this information can be found on the AAMC's Anatomy of an Applicant website. I highly encourage everyone to use the AAMC website throughout their application process.