Date of Presentation
5-2-2024 12:00 AM
College
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
Each year, medical school admissions committees use various predictive factors to determine the demographics of their incoming cohorts, including undergraduate or graduate GPAs, MCAT scores, socioeconomic background, gap years, and more. Put together, these factors can paint a picture of how ready an applicant is to face the rigors of medical school. Once applicants are accepted, they face similar life stressors accompanied by the transition to medical school, but the amount of time they have to handle these life stressors is variable depending on when they are admitted. This study aimed to determine if late acceptance into medical school would significantly increase life stressors' impact on academic performance due to decreased transition time. While no significant relationships were found between the chosen predictive factors, transition time, and academic performance, we found which stressors burden students most when transitioning to medical school. The most burdensome stressors reported by participants included major changes in living conditions, financial state, and personal habits. Future recommendations for this research include recruiting a larger sample size to represent incoming cohorts fully and using an inventory specific to medical school-related stressors.
Keywords
Academic Success, Medical Education, Medical Students, Psychological Stress, Life Stress
Disciplines
Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychological Phenomena and Processes
Document Type
Poster
DOI
10.31986/issn.2689-0690_rdw.stratford_research_day.100_2024
Included in
Medical Education Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons
Impact of Acceptance Date on Medical Students' Stress & Academic Success
Each year, medical school admissions committees use various predictive factors to determine the demographics of their incoming cohorts, including undergraduate or graduate GPAs, MCAT scores, socioeconomic background, gap years, and more. Put together, these factors can paint a picture of how ready an applicant is to face the rigors of medical school. Once applicants are accepted, they face similar life stressors accompanied by the transition to medical school, but the amount of time they have to handle these life stressors is variable depending on when they are admitted. This study aimed to determine if late acceptance into medical school would significantly increase life stressors' impact on academic performance due to decreased transition time. While no significant relationships were found between the chosen predictive factors, transition time, and academic performance, we found which stressors burden students most when transitioning to medical school. The most burdensome stressors reported by participants included major changes in living conditions, financial state, and personal habits. Future recommendations for this research include recruiting a larger sample size to represent incoming cohorts fully and using an inventory specific to medical school-related stressors.