FACTORS RELATED TO MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION AND ACCEPTANCE IN MINORITY SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM STUDENTS Valory N. Pavilk, MEd, Billy B. Rankin, Carlos Vallbona, MD, Robert J. Bacon, MD, and Michael P. Tristan, MD, MPH Houston, Texas
Baylor College of Medicine has conducted a summer enrichment program for minority/ disadvantaged premedical students since 1969. Follow-up data on medical school application and acceptance for participants from 1980 through 1984 were analyzed in relation to selected preprogram variables-cumulative college grade point average, total Scholastic Aptitude Test score, competitiveness of undergraduate college, sex, and ethnicity. Results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that: 1) females were significantly less likely to apply to medical school than males, 2) females had significantly lower mean MCAT scores (5.9 vs 7.2) even though their preprogram academic performance was comparable to that of the males, and 3) after controlling for MCAT scores, none of the preprogram variables were significant in predicting medical school acceptance. These findings suggest the need for research to explain the discrepancy between From the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas. Supported in part by Health Careers Opportunity Grant #D18 MB00084, US Department of Health and Human Services. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Mrs Valory N. Pavlik, Department of Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030. 628
male and female MCAT performance and frequency of medical school application in summer program participants. The findings also have implications for the type of counseling provided to female participants in summer enrichment programs. (J Nati Med Assoc. 1991 ;83:628-632.) Key words * enrichment program * sex * ethnicity * grade point average Beginning in the late 1960s, numerous medical schools established summer enrichment programs designed to enhance the preparedness of underrepresented minorities for medical school.1-9 While the programs differed in details of length and content, they generally contained an academic component, some clinical or laboratory experience, and personal counseling. Detailed evaluation of the outcome of these programs can provide valuable information to help current program directors refine their methods and identify recruitment techniques and curriculum content that may be more effective in encouraging greater minority representation in medicine. This article presents an analysis of the relationship between selected academic and demographic variables and career outcome of participants in the Baylor Summer Program for Premedical Minority/ Disadvantaged Students during the 1980 through 1984 program years. JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, VOL. 83, NO. 7
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM STUDENTS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Since its establishment in 1969 until 1985, the Baylor Summer Program was structured as an 8-week academic enrichment experience. The program also provided exposure to the clinical and research environments of an academic medical center, as well as personal and group counseling regarding the medical school application process, adjustment to the medical school environment, and sources of financial aid. Details of the participant selection criteria and process and long-term program outcome have been reported previously.8 In briet through 1984, the program gave preference to rising sophomores and juniors whose academic record indicated the need to improve their grades and standardized test-taking ability in order to ensure their competitiveness as medical school applicants. Thus, applicants with a college grade point average (GPA) of more than 3.5 and combined Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of more than 1100 were not admitted because they were not considered to need the intensive premedical sciences curriculum offered by the program. The goals of the program were to increase the size of the minority applicant pool and to increase the competitiveness of program participants for medical school admission. Thus, the program has been evaluated in terms of the numbers of participants applying to and being accepted to medical school. Of the 378 students who participated in the program through 1984, 68% eventually applied to medical school, and 73% of those who applied were accepted to a US medical school. In 1985, in keeping with Health Career Opportunity Grant program guidelines for priority funding, Baylor removed the academic enrichment component from the summer program activities. Baylor now offers a medical school familiarization experience heavily devoted to clinical exposure, interviewing skills development, and personal counseling regarding the medical school application process.
METHODS The present study was conducted to identify preprogram variables that are important in determining career outcome of program participants. Career outcome, in this context, was considered to be the step of applying to medical school and success in gaining acceptance to medical school. The study is limited to 116 participants in the 1980 through 1984 program years for whom complete follow-up data were available at the time of analysis. JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, VOL. 83, NO. 7
Participants from previous years were not included because of the possibility that social and economic trends or other unknown variables might alter the relationship between the predictor and outcome variables. The period from 1980 through 1984 was considered to be relatively uniform in terms of sociocultural, economic, and other factors. Students from more recent program years have not been included because insufficient time has elapsed between program participation and the medical school application and acceptance process. Sources of data for the analysis were those used for routine tracking of program participants. The following academic and demographic baseline variables were extracted from the participants' program application forms: * sex, * ethnicity, * number of college hours completed at the time of program application, * total SAT scores (ie, verbal plus quantitative), and * college attended. College attended was then rated for academic competitiveness using Barron's Profiles of Undergraduate Schools.'0 The Barron's rating is on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being least competitive and 6 being most competitive. Follow-up or outcome variables considered were: * MCAT score on the first sitting of the exam, * application to medical school, and * acceptance to medical school. Data sources for these variables were periodic mail surveys of program participants, and the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) routine listings of MCAT scores and individuals accepted to US medical schools each year. The mail survey was used primarily to obtain information on application to medical school. Premed advisors of nonrespondents to the mail surveys were contacted to supply missing data on application to medical school. In the 10% of cases for which data on medical school application could not be ascertained from the participant or the premed advisor, a participant was considered not to have applied to medical school if no MCAT score could be found in the AAMC listings from the time of program participation until the analysis was conducted. In this way, information on medical school application was obtained for all 116 participants in the
sample. After data coding and entry, descriptive statistics were calculated for the study variables. A univariate analysis of the association between baseline variables 629
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM STUDENTS
TABLE 1. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE AND APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCHOOL Applicants to Medical School by Sex* Males Females Total
(n=59)
(n=57)
(n=116)
45 (76%) 28 (49%) 73 (63%) Applicants to Medical School by Ethnicityt Mexican American Black American Indian Total (n= 116) (n=66) (n=48) (n=2) 44 (67%) 0 (0%) 29 (60%) 73 (63%)
*x2 = 8.03,
P
Baylor College of Medicine has conducted a summer enrichment program for minority/ disadvantaged premedical students since 1969. Follow-up data on medical school application and acceptance for participants from 1980 through 1984 were analyzed in relation to selected preprogram variables-cumulative college grade point average, total Scholastic Aptitude Test score, competitiveness of undergraduate college, sex, and ethnicity. Results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that: 1) females were significantly less likely to apply to medical school than males, 2) females had significantly lower mean MCAT scores (5.9 vs 7.2) even though their preprogram academic performance was comparable to that of the males, and 3) after controlling for MCAT scores, none of the preprogram variables were significant in predicting medical school acceptance. These findings suggest the need for research to explain the discrepancy between From the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas. Supported in part by Health Careers Opportunity Grant #D18 MB00084, US Department of Health and Human Services. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Mrs Valory N. Pavlik, Department of Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030. 628
male and female MCAT performance and frequency of medical school application in summer program participants. The findings also have implications for the type of counseling provided to female participants in summer enrichment programs. (J Nati Med Assoc. 1991 ;83:628-632.) Key words * enrichment program * sex * ethnicity * grade point average Beginning in the late 1960s, numerous medical schools established summer enrichment programs designed to enhance the preparedness of underrepresented minorities for medical school.1-9 While the programs differed in details of length and content, they generally contained an academic component, some clinical or laboratory experience, and personal counseling. Detailed evaluation of the outcome of these programs can provide valuable information to help current program directors refine their methods and identify recruitment techniques and curriculum content that may be more effective in encouraging greater minority representation in medicine. This article presents an analysis of the relationship between selected academic and demographic variables and career outcome of participants in the Baylor Summer Program for Premedical Minority/ Disadvantaged Students during the 1980 through 1984 program years. JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, VOL. 83, NO. 7
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM STUDENTS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Since its establishment in 1969 until 1985, the Baylor Summer Program was structured as an 8-week academic enrichment experience. The program also provided exposure to the clinical and research environments of an academic medical center, as well as personal and group counseling regarding the medical school application process, adjustment to the medical school environment, and sources of financial aid. Details of the participant selection criteria and process and long-term program outcome have been reported previously.8 In briet through 1984, the program gave preference to rising sophomores and juniors whose academic record indicated the need to improve their grades and standardized test-taking ability in order to ensure their competitiveness as medical school applicants. Thus, applicants with a college grade point average (GPA) of more than 3.5 and combined Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of more than 1100 were not admitted because they were not considered to need the intensive premedical sciences curriculum offered by the program. The goals of the program were to increase the size of the minority applicant pool and to increase the competitiveness of program participants for medical school admission. Thus, the program has been evaluated in terms of the numbers of participants applying to and being accepted to medical school. Of the 378 students who participated in the program through 1984, 68% eventually applied to medical school, and 73% of those who applied were accepted to a US medical school. In 1985, in keeping with Health Career Opportunity Grant program guidelines for priority funding, Baylor removed the academic enrichment component from the summer program activities. Baylor now offers a medical school familiarization experience heavily devoted to clinical exposure, interviewing skills development, and personal counseling regarding the medical school application process.
METHODS The present study was conducted to identify preprogram variables that are important in determining career outcome of program participants. Career outcome, in this context, was considered to be the step of applying to medical school and success in gaining acceptance to medical school. The study is limited to 116 participants in the 1980 through 1984 program years for whom complete follow-up data were available at the time of analysis. JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, VOL. 83, NO. 7
Participants from previous years were not included because of the possibility that social and economic trends or other unknown variables might alter the relationship between the predictor and outcome variables. The period from 1980 through 1984 was considered to be relatively uniform in terms of sociocultural, economic, and other factors. Students from more recent program years have not been included because insufficient time has elapsed between program participation and the medical school application and acceptance process. Sources of data for the analysis were those used for routine tracking of program participants. The following academic and demographic baseline variables were extracted from the participants' program application forms: * sex, * ethnicity, * number of college hours completed at the time of program application, * total SAT scores (ie, verbal plus quantitative), and * college attended. College attended was then rated for academic competitiveness using Barron's Profiles of Undergraduate Schools.'0 The Barron's rating is on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being least competitive and 6 being most competitive. Follow-up or outcome variables considered were: * MCAT score on the first sitting of the exam, * application to medical school, and * acceptance to medical school. Data sources for these variables were periodic mail surveys of program participants, and the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) routine listings of MCAT scores and individuals accepted to US medical schools each year. The mail survey was used primarily to obtain information on application to medical school. Premed advisors of nonrespondents to the mail surveys were contacted to supply missing data on application to medical school. In the 10% of cases for which data on medical school application could not be ascertained from the participant or the premed advisor, a participant was considered not to have applied to medical school if no MCAT score could be found in the AAMC listings from the time of program participation until the analysis was conducted. In this way, information on medical school application was obtained for all 116 participants in the
sample. After data coding and entry, descriptive statistics were calculated for the study variables. A univariate analysis of the association between baseline variables 629
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM STUDENTS
TABLE 1. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE AND APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCHOOL Applicants to Medical School by Sex* Males Females Total
(n=59)
(n=57)
(n=116)
45 (76%) 28 (49%) 73 (63%) Applicants to Medical School by Ethnicityt Mexican American Black American Indian Total (n= 116) (n=66) (n=48) (n=2) 44 (67%) 0 (0%) 29 (60%) 73 (63%)
*x2 = 8.03,
P
