Does “Underrepresented” Really Mean “Unprecedented” Danger To The American Public?

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) has been administered since 1947. However, now approximately 40 medical schools across the U.S. and Canada have dropped the test. The test consists of multiple-choice questions and helps to determine a person’s critical thinking ability, problem solving capabilities as well as conceptual understanding of medical study and situations.

This is yet another example of weakening and lowering standards, while hiding behind the farce of “inclusion.” No profession should be watered down, by the mirage of Diversity, Equity, and inclusion. Merit should determine hiring and advancement within any corporation. That said, to even think about spreading this “smoke and mirrors” concept to the medical profession is not only dangerous, it should be considered criminally negligent.

It’s obvious that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), has gone completely woke. The MCAT is developed and administered by the AAMC, but recent changes in how they now view the exam are becoming obvious. For instance, a survey was recently sent to medical schools across the country in order to gauge their commitment to DEI practices, to which about 100 schools responded. The survey is part of the AAMC’s attempt to advance a more “holistic” approach to be considered for admission. The ill-conceived notion is that a person’s “experience and attributes” should be considered in addition to their academic achievements.

The problem with DEI in the first place is that all the left really cares about is the “D.” Diversity is their goal. (E) Equity, and (I) Inclusion are just along for the ride. By eliminating “merit” as a consideration, equity is lost. How is excluding someone that is more qualified for admission to a college or a position at a company for the sake of diversity equitable? The same fact applies to Inclusion. By including someone only for the sake of diversity, you are excluding a more deserved applicant. The undeniable truth is that by pursuing DEI, you are inevitably lowering standards. Diversion, Equity, and Inclusion is a dangerous oxymoron that sounds nice and is embraced by elites of the far left and bleeding-heart liberals.

The AAMC’s gravitation toward a supposed more “holistic” approach is just more window dressing to allow for deception. By definition, “holistic” means taking all parts into consideration. So explain to me how those schools that have chosen to eliminate the MCAT are taking everything into consideration? By eliminating the MCAT, you are elevating those imprecise and frankly, immeasurable “experiences and attributes” against a measurable standard like the MCAT. So the AAMC’s holistic approach isn’t holistic at all.

Do No Harm is a group that is against the politicizing of medicine. This is how they describe themselves on their website:

“We are a diverse group of physicians, healthcare professionals, medical students, patients, and policymakers united by a moral mission: Protect healthcare from a radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideology. We believe in making healthcare better for all, not undermining it in pursuit of a political agenda.”

In an interview with the Daily Caller, Laura Morgan, the Program Manager for Do No Harm defended the effectiveness of the MCAT:

“The MCAT has been shown to predict who has the best chance to be successful in medical school. “Eliminating it removes a proven standard for schools to consider when admitting students who demonstrate the aptitude to be good doctors.”

“Standardized tests are backed by evidence and can be objectively evaluated. To conduct a “holistic review,” some schools are requiring their admissions committee members to take training on how to evaluate applicants based on experiences and attributes.” The AAMC permits race and ethnicity to be used as an admission factor when it aligns with the school’s diversity-based mission and goals. “It’s not adequate because it is subjective, as opposed to standardized tests which are objective metrics.”

Javarro Russell, is the AAMC’s Senior Director of Admissions Testing Services. In an interview with Daily Caller on this subject he described the process in this way:

“The MCAT exam was created with the input of medical schools for their use in the admissions process. The AAMC does not, and cannot mandate if or how medical schools use the MCAT exam. Every medical school sets its own criteria for selecting the students who will contribute to its mission and successfully complete rigorous medical school curricula.”

Russell went on to explain that “U.S. M.D. granting medical schools require the MCAT exam.” However, there are some exceptions through BS/MD programs.

One example can be found at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine. The school has chosen to exempt minority students if they can complete a summer research program that is offered through five black colleges and universities. The students that have been exempted from the MCAT, must maintain a 3.6 grade point average, and showcase their “character, leadership and motivation for a career in medicine.”

Again, this method of evaluation is highly questionable. Maintain a 3.6 GPA on what subjects? Also, character, leadership and motivation are highly subjective characteristics.

Russell continued:

“Medical school admission committees recognize that identifying and admitting students who have the potential to be good doctors requires more information than test scores and consider the MCAT exam alongside the entire application to understand scores in context. Medical schools carefully consider each application using holistic admissions, considering the full range of each applicant’s background and portfolio.”

Russell continues to try and blur reality with his continued use of the word holistic. If a school eliminates the MCAT, a “standardized” test that the AAMC themselves depended on until recently, how can the evaluation be considered “holistic?”

The U.S. Medical Licensing’s Step 1 exam is one of three exams required for licensing. In January of last year, the exam was changed from a given grade to a pass/fail result. In other words, rather than having passing and failing grades, the final test score becomes irrelevant. Passing or failing becomes subjective based on some magical discernment by a third party.

Dr. Stanley Goldfarb is the Chairman at Do No Harm. He was warning against these changes before the group even existed. In a 2022 op-ed in Newsweek, he wrote, “Rather than revisit the means by which they are pursuing diversity, however, the medical elite want to double down on their failing course.”

He went on to write:

“People of every race and background are fully capable of becoming world-class physicians. Medical schools should seek out the best candidates who are most likely to provide the best care for patients, regardless of what they look like or where they come from. Anything less jeopardizes the very purpose of these institutions. The medical elite may not want to admit it, but their current approach to achieving diversity has a steep cost, and it’s wrong to ask patients to pay it.”

Goldfarb is correct. People of every race, and background can become great physicians. Yet, to reach that degree of accomplishment, certain standards must be met. Requirements can’t be necessary for some and waived or diminished for others. Diversity means nothing if it is achieved through subversive or questionable methods. The integrity of medical schools and the practice of medicine cannot be subject to quotas. It must be based on the highest standards of merit.