Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program

COVID-19 Impacts on EY 2021 – Frequently Asked Questions

How will processing and review of applications be affected?

We expect to conduct our review of applications as usual, beginning in June, in chronological order, and on a rolling basis until we fill our interview sessions in mid-December or early January (if necessary).  However, we are cognizant of the limitations that colleges, universities and students may be subject to given the current COVID-19 crisis, and we will exercise appropriate flexibility.

Many institutions have moved courses online, how will these affect the application review process?

We will allow prerequisite coursework for medical school to be pass/fail, but if students have a choice of graded and P/F, we prefer that they choose graded.  The Admissions Committee would also prefer but not require that upper level science courses (BCPM) be graded if that option is available.  Similarly, the committee will exercise flexibility for applicants who may have to take online coursework and labs.

What will I do about interviews?

We will conduct virtual interviews using the live Zoom video conference platform in the traditional format (or one-on-one) along with our standardized patient exercises via our telehealth platform beginning July 16, 2020 and ending February 4, 2021.

Will I be bypassed if I haven’t taken my MCAT?

The Admissions Committee considers the MCAT as part of its review and decision-making process.  The review of an application will be conducted provided the application is complete with an official MCAT score report and taken no earlier than five years before the expected date of enrollment. However, we will exercise flexibility for applicants who had to reschedule their MCAT test date as a result of the March and April MCAT cancellations.  Documentation will be required to verify the rescheduling of the test.

If I finish courses remotely, will the courses still meet the requirement?

Yes, provided that the coursework is officially documented on your college or university transcript. 

Will there be any concessions for required coursework?

We review carefully the required coursework for our medical school and inform applicants if they are deficient or if a course(s) does not meet the requirement (s). We do assess these on a case by case basis and will exercise some flexibility depending upon other coursework that may satisfy a requirement (s). To make such decisions, we will require a detailed syllabus and other pertinent documentation.

MD Program Overview

Admission to the Texas A&M College of Medicine is highly competitive, and only individuals who have completed at least 90 semester credit hours (or equivalent quarter hours) of their undergraduate course work at a fully accredited college or university in the United States or Canada are considered.

The College of Medicine prefers that applicants have earned their baccalaureate degree by the time of enrollment. By state mandate, enrollment of individuals who are residents of states other than Texas may not exceed 10 percent.

Cost of Attendance

Texas A&M College of Medicine prides itself of on having a low cost of attendance.

At A Glance: Class of 2024

Campus Tracks

The Texas A&M College of Medicine currently enrolls 175 students per year, and distributes students across four campus tracks for clerkship training.

All students participate in an 18-month pre-clerkship phase of education before their clerkship training in one of the campus tracks. Students enrolling in the EnMed track (a fully integrated engineering and medical education curriculum) will be at the Houston campus all four years. Students on the Bryan-College Station (BCS) track participate in the AIM program, a longitudinal integrated curriculum, and will be on the BCS campus all four years.

Students on the campus tracks in Dallas and Temple will complete the 12 months of the pre-clerkship phase of education in BCS, and then transition to the campus tracks in Dallas or Temple to complete the pre-clerkship and clerkship phases of training. Students on the Houston campus track will complete 18 months of the pre-clerkship phase in BCS, then transition to Houston to complete the clerkship phase of training.

A&M Integrated Medicine Program

Students completing all four years in Bryan-College Station will participate in the A&M Integrated Medicine (AIM) program.

Through AIM, students participate in a longitudinal integrated clerkship. They work with physicians in core specialties continuously throughout the year while simultaneously following a panel of patients representing a wide spectrum of medical conditions. AIM reflects the development of enduring relationships with patients and the provision of personalized care.

MD Curriculum

MD students will participate in a 1.5-years pre-clerkship curriculum, followed by 2.5 years of clinical training. Highlights include:

• Shortened pre-clerkship training allowing for clinical exposure prior to taking USMLE Step 1
• Exposure to clinical electives earlier in the clinical training
• Synthesis case-based education in first 1.5 pre-clerkship years
• A pass/fail/honors grading system
• Scholarly opportunities and completion of a minor as part of year 4

Technical Standards for completion of the curriculum

It is the policy of the Texas A&M College of Medicine that no person shall be denied admission nor graduation on the basis of any disability, provided that the person demonstrates the abilities to meet the minimum standards set forth herein. Standards are developed as criteria to achieve the Doctor of Medicine degree in preparation for post-graduate training in any of the varied fields of medicine and for licensure as a practicing physician. Further, the safety of the patient, on whom the medical education process is largely focused, must be guarded as the final and ultimate consideration. Therefore, it is not only reasonable but essential for good patient care to require minimum standards for the education of physicians.

The College of Medicine recognizes that certain student disabilities can be accommodated without compromising the standards required by the College and the integrity of the curriculum. The College of Medicine is committed to the development of innovative and creative ways of opening the curriculum to competitive and qualified disabled candidates, while protecting the care of patients.

Development of the Medical Curriculum

The faculty of the College of Medicine is charged to: devise a curriculum that provides the student with the fundamental principles of medicine, acquire the skills of critical judgment based on evidence and experience, and develop an ability to use principles and skills wisely in solving problems of disease. In designing the curriculum, the faculty introduces current advances in the basic and clinical sciences, including therapy and technology, changes in the understanding of disease, and the effect of social needs and demands on medical care. The faculty should foster in students the ability to learn through self-directed, independent study throughout their professional lives.

Finally, the faculty of each discipline should set the standards of achievement for all students in the study of that discipline. Examinations should measure cognitive learning, mastery of basic clinical skills, the ability to use data in realistic problem solving, and respect for the rights and dignity of patients. This institution has in place a system of assessment which assures that students have acquired and can demonstrate on direct observation the core clinical skills and behaviors needed in subsequent medical training.

Abilities and Skills Requisite for Completion of the College of Medicine Curriculum

In the selection of students and in their progress through the curriculum, the College of Medicine faculty is guided by standards set by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME). The faculty places strong emphasis on the academic achievements of applicants, including performance in the sciences relevant to medicine. This includes evidence of satisfactory scholastic achievement as indicated by grade point averages (GPA) and scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Breadth of education and life experiences are deemed important in the selection process. The faculty is equally cognizant of its responsibilities to patients who will be a part of the educational process and to future patients who will entrust their welfare and lives to medical school graduates. They, therefore, consider carefully the personal and emotional characteristics, motivation, industry, maturity, resourcefulness, and personal health required of all students so that they become effective physicians.

Because the MD degree signifies that the holder is a physician prepared for entry into the practice of medicine within postgraduate training programs, it follows that graduates must acquire a foundation of knowledge in the basic and clinical sciences that will permit the pursuit of a variety of careers in medicine.

Candidates for the MD degree must have somatic sensation and the functional use of the senses of vision and hearing. Candidates must have the functional use of the senses of equilibrium, smell, and taste so as to be able to diagnose patients' problems. Additionally, they must have sufficient exteroceptive sense (touch, pain, and temperature), proprioceptive sense (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis and vibratory) and motor function to permit them to carry out the activities described in the sections which follow. They must be able consistently, quickly, and accurately to integrate all information received by whatever sense(s) employed, and they must have the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data.

A candidate for the MD degree must have abilities and skills in six essential areas:

1. 1. Observation
   2. Communication
   3. Motor
   4. Intellectual-conceptual
   5. Integrative and quantitative
   6. Behavioral and social
   7. Ethical

Technological compensation can be made for disabilities in some of these areas; but a candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a trained intermediary to observe or interpret information or to perform procedures compromises the essential function of the physician and may jeopardize the safety of the patient. The six areas of abilities/skills are detailed as follows:

Observation: The candidate must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences. A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation. It is enhanced by the functional use of the sense of smell.

Communication: A candidate should be able to speak; to hear; and to observe patients in order to elicit information, to describe changes in mood, activity and posture; and to perceive non-verbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively with patients. Communication includes not only speech but reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with patients and with all members of the health care team.

Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of physicians are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administration of intravenous medication, application of pressure to stop bleeding, opening of obstructed airways, suturing of simple wounds, and performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Problem-solving, the clinical skill demanded of physicians, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, the candidate should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.

Behavioral and Social Attributes: A candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his/her intellectual abilities; the exercise of good judgment; the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients; and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. Candidates must be able to function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties and ambiguities inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that should be assessed during the admissions and educational processes.

Ethical Standards: A candidate must demonstrate professional demeanor and behavior, and must perform in an ethical manner in all dealings with peers, faculty, staff, and patients. Questions of breech of ethical conduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions for resolution under the Student Code of Conduct.

In determining the minimum standards for completion of the medical curriculum, the TAMHSC College of Medicine recognizes that certain disabilities can be accommodated without compromising the standards required by the College of Medicine or the integrity of the curriculum. The College of Medicine is committed to the development of innovative and creative ways of opening the curriculum to competitive and qualified disabled candidates, while protecting the care of patients. At the same time, the college recognizes the essential need to preserve the standards and integrity of the curriculum, requisite for the competent and effective physician. Since the treatment of patients is an essential part of the educational program, the health and safety of those patients must be protected at all costs. Therefore, it is not only reasonable but essential for good patient care to require minimum standards for the education of physicians.

Dates and Deadlines