The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has put together a web page title “What Medical Schools are Looking For: The 15 Core Competencies,” which contains a list of core competencies many medical schools are looking for in an applicant. The article states that “successful medical school applicants are able to demonstrate skills, knowledge, and capabilities in these 15 areas:
Pre-Professional Competencies:
- Service Orientation
- Social Skills
- Cultural Competence
- Teamwork
- Oral Communication
- Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others
- Reliability and Dependability
- Resilience and Adaptability
- Capacity for Improvement
Thinking and Reasoning Competencies
- Critical Thinking
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Scientific Inquiry
- Written Communication
Science Competencies
- Living Systems
- Human Behavior
You can learn more about these competencies at https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/core-competencies/
The article also contains a section titled “How Can I Demonstrate the Competencies.”
Another helpful resource is “Anatomy of An Applicant: Competency Resources and Self-Assessment Guide to Medical School Applicants.” This resource is available as a PDF. So a good idea would be download this PDF and store it on your computer’s hard drive.