Technical Standards for UMMS
The mission of the University of Massachusetts Medical School is to graduate the best possible physicians. It is the responsibility of the faculty to select applicants who are best qualified to complete the required training and most likely to become skilled, effective physicians.
Applicants and students will be judged not only on their scholastic achievement and ability, but also on their intellectual, physical and emotional capacities to meet the full requirements of the school's curriculum. The Admissions Committee is instructed to exercise judgment on behalf of the faculty to select the entering class, and to consider character, extracurricular achievement, and overall suitability for the medical profession based upon information in the application, letters of recommendation, and personal interviews.
Dan Nguyen, '98
Tewksbury, MA
BS, UMass Amherst, '94 |
"I've found that the administration and faculty at UMass are very supportive of the students and go out of their way to make sure student needs are met." |
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits the medical school, requires that the curriculum provide a general professional education, enabling each student to pursue graduate training in a variety of disciplines. Also, one of the missions of UMMS is to graduate a significant number of generalist physicians. This requires the development of broad knowledge, skills, and behaviors, enabling ongoing self-directed learning, further training, and delivery of competent medical care. The basic sciences curriculum includes anatomy, biochemistry, histology, pathology, and pharmacology and is designed to establish a core of knowledge necessary for clinical training. The clinical curriculum includes diverse experiences in primary care, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery, diagnostic imaging, pathology, emergency medicine, geriatrics, and rehabilitation medicine in ambulatory and in-patient settings. These rotations develop the ability to practice medicine independently, regardless of the future choice of specialty. Each student is required by the faculty to pass each required course and clinical rotation to graduate.
The following technical standards specify those attributes that the faculty considers necessary for completing medical school training, enabling each graduate to subsequently enter residency and clinical practice. These standards describe the essential functions students must demonstrate in order to fulfill the requirements of a general medical education, and thus, are prerequisites for entrance, continuation, and graduation from medical school.
UMMS will consider for admission to the medical school any applicant who demonstrates the ability to perform or to learn to perform the skills listed in this document. Applicants are not required to disclose the nature of their disability(ies) to the Admissions Committee; however, any applicant with questions about these technical requirements is strongly encouraged to discuss the issue with the Admissions Committee prior to the interview process. If appropriate, and upon request of the applicant/student, academic adjustments and/or reasonable accommodations may be provided.
Certain chronic or recurrent illnesses, including infectious, psychiatric or substance abuse problems that interfere with patient care or safety are not compatible with medical practice or training. Other illnesses, such as immune disorders, may lead to a high likelihood of student illness and should be carefully considered. Deficiencies in knowledge base, judgment, integrity, character, or professional attitude or demeanor which may jeopardize patient care may be grounds for course/rotation failure and possible dismissal.
A student must possess aptitude, abilities, and skills in five areas: observation; communication; sensory and motor coordination and function; conceptualization, integration and quantitation; and behavioral and social skills, abilities and aptitude.
Students must be able to independently perform the following functions:
Observation
Students must be able to observe demonstrations and conduct experiments in the basic sciences, including, but not limited to, physiologic and pharmacologic demonstrations in animals, microbiologic cultures, and microscopic studies of microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathologic states. A student must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand, noting non-verbal as well as verbal signals. Specific vision-related requirements include, but are not limited to, the following abilities: detecting and identifying changes in colors of fluids, skin, culture media, and dipstick tests; visualizing and discriminating findings on x-rays and other imaging tests; reading written and illustrated material; observing intracellular details through a microscope; observing demonstrations in the classroom, including projected slides and overheads; observing and differentiating changes in body movement; observing anatomic structures; discriminating numbers and patterns associated with diagnostic instruments and tests, such as sphygmomanometers and electrocardiograms, and using instruments competently, such as stethoscope, otoscope, ophthalmoscope, and microscope.
Communication
Students must be able to relate effectively and sensitively with patients, conveying a sense of compassion and empathy. A student must be able to communicate clearly with and observe patients in order to elicit information, accurately describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive verbal as well as nonverbal communications. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing. Medical education presents exceptional challenges in the volume and breadth of required reading and the necessity to impart information to others. Students must be able to communicate quickly, effectively and efficiently in oral and written English with all members of the health care team. Specific requirements include but are not limited to the following abilities: communicating rapidly and clearly with the medical team on rounds; eliciting a thorough history from patients; and communicating complex findings in appropriate terms to patients and to various members of the health care team (fellow students, physicians, nurses aides, therapists, social workers, and others). Students must learn to recognize and promptly respond to emotional communications such as sadness, worry, agitation, and lack of comprehension of physician communication. Each student must be able to read and record observations and plans legibly, efficiently and accurately in documents such as the patient record. Students must be able to prepare and communicate concise but complete summaries of individual encounters and complex, prolonged encounters, including hospitalizations. Students must be able to complete forms according to directions in a complete and timely fashion.
Sensory and Motor Function
Students must have sufficient sensory and motor function to perform a physical examination utilizing palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. In general, this requires sufficient exteroceptive sense (touch, pain and temperature), proprioceptive sense (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis, and vibratory), and motor function. A student should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. They must be able to respond promptly to urgencies within the hospital, and must not hinder the ability of their co-workers to provide prompt care. A student should be able to learn to perform basic laboratory test (urinalysis, completed blood count, etc.), and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (phlebotomy, arterial blood gas drawings, lumbar puncture, arthrocentesis, etc.). Examples of such emergency treatment reasonably required of physicians include arriving quickly when called and initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administering intravenous medication, applying pressure to stop bleeding, opening obstructed airways, suturing uncomplicated wounds, and performing uncomplicated obstetrical maneuvers. For example, cardiopulmonary resuscitation may require moving an adult patient, repeatedly applying considerable chest pressure, forcefully delivering artificial respiration, and calling for help. Administering intravenous medication requires a certain level of dexterity, sensation and visual acuity. Clinical rotations in ambulatory care settings require the ability to transport oneself to a variety of ambulatory settings in a timely manner, and inpatient rounds requires prolonged and rapid ambulation.
Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities
These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, judgment, numerical recognition and synthesis. Problem-solving, a critical skill demanded of physicians, requires all of these intellectual abilities, and must be performed quickly, especially in emergency situations. Students must be able to identify significant findings from history, physical examination, and laboratory data, provide a reasoned explanation for likely diagnoses, and prescribe medications and therapy, recalling and retaining information in an efficient and timely manner. The ability to incorporate new information from peers, teachers, and the medical literature in formulating diagnoses and plans is essential. Good judgment in patient assessment, diagnostic and therapeutic planning is essential; students must be able to identify and communicate the limits of their knowledge to others when appropriate. Students must be able to measure angles and diameters of various body structures using tape measure and goniometer, measure blood pressure and pulse, and interpret graphs describing biologic relationships. UMMS faculty believe that the MCAT examination, undergraduate grades, and other data provide important information in the evaluation of an applicant's academic ability.
Behavioral and Social Attributes
Empathy, integrity, honesty, concern for others, good interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that are required. Students must possess the emotional health required for full use of their 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. At times, this requires the ability to be aware of and appropriately react to one's own immediate emotional responses. For example, students must maintain a professional demeanor and organization in the face of long hours and personal fatigue, dissatisfied patients, and tired colleagues. Students must be able to develop professional relationships with patients, providing comfort and reassurance when appropriate while protecting patient confidentiality. Students must possess adequate endurance to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. All students are at times required to work for extended periods, occasionally with rotating shifts. Students must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Students are expected to accept appropriate suggestions and criticism and, if necessary, respond by modification of behavior.