Blog Archives

Numbers of Black and Hispanic Medical School Matriculants Have Declined, a Problem that May Intensify

A recent piece by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) predicts that numbers of underrepresented minorities in medical school may dwindle further amid recent executive orders regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion in federally funded programs. 

After the 2024 Supreme Court ruling that race-conscious college admissions policies violated the 14th Amendment, numbers of Black and Hispanic matriculants to medical school fell by double-digit percentages compared with the previous year. 

This downswing was particularly troubling, considering that higher proportions of Black primary care doctors are correlated with longer life expectancy and lower mortality rates for Black individuals, according to a 2023 JAMA Network research article. Furthermore, a variety of studies have shown insidious biases against Black patients.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, in 2024-5, Black medical school enrollees declined 11.6% and students of Hispanic origin fell 10.8%. The decline in enrollment of American Indian or Alaska Native students was 22.1%. New Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander enrollment declined 4.3%.

Here is the KFF piece.

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Avoid These Ten Common AMCAS Mistakes

Here’s a brief list of AMCAS Work and Activities section errors to avoid at all costs:

1. Don’t write to write. While you want to include many strong achievements, you do not want your AMCAS to be so wordy that your reader is tempted to skim.

2. While you need to be brief, don’t write in phrases; use full sentences. It’s a formal application, and you want to make your written materials as readable as possible.

3. Don’t assume your reader will carefully study the “header” section (including the title of the activity, hours, etc.). Make sure your descriptor could stand alone: Instead of “As an assistant, I conducted experiments…” use “As a research assistant at a Stanford Medical School neuroscience lab, I conducted experiments…”

4. Don’t be vague, dramatic, or trite. Make sure you spell out your accomplishments clearly and substantively. If your reader doesn’t understand an activity, you will not get “full credit” for what you’ve done. Make no assumptions.

5. Avoid abbreviations. Again, you want to be formal; plus, abbreviations you think are common might not be familiar to the reader.

6. Write about yourself and your role – not an organization. For example, don’t use the space to discuss Doctors without Borders. Use it to discuss the specifics of your role at Doctors without Borders.

7. Avoid generalities and consider using numbers to be persuasive. Saying that the conference you organized had 300 participants says it all.

8. Don’t merge the descriptors with the most meaningful paragraphs because they are separate sections: You can complete descriptors for up to 15 activities with up to 700 characters each plus up to three most meaningful paragraphs of up to 1325 characters each.

9. Unless your PI won the Nobel, avoid using supervisors’ and/or doctors’ names in your descriptors as they will be meaningless to the majority of your readers.

10. Choose the right category for each activity, so you get “full credit.” (Please note AMCAS added a category last year called “Social Justice/Advocacy.”)

Bonus: Get help. Do not submit your medical school application without having it reviewed by someone with a lot of experience. You do not want to showcase suboptimal materials for a process that is this important and competitive.

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Welcome to Match Week

This is Match Week:

Monday: Programs find out if they filled; applicants find out if they matched; SOAP begins. Here’s a 2025 primer on SOAP.
Tuesday through Thursday: SOAP process in play.
Friday: Match Day.

If you were one of my residency clients this year, I’d appreciate hearing from you when you have a moment to update me. I’m sending everyone the best of wishes.

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Medscape Physician Mental Health Report 2025: Burnout is Still Very High

The annual Medscape burnout survey is out, and, while the numbers are being touted as an improvement, a whopping 47% of physician respondents reported being burned out and 24% reported depression. (The burnout statistic is lower than it was over the last few years’ surveys.) When asked, “Can doctors in your specialty be happy and well-balanced?” only 63% of emergency physicians (my field) said yes, the lowest of all specialties surveyed. (Of note, 94% of allergy and immunology physicians gave an affirmative response, the highest of all specialties surveyed.) Additionally, 63% of physicians responded that they would accept a pay cut for better balance.

According to Medscape, “These results portray a profession that has work to do in finding happiness, balancing work and family demands, and developing friendships that sustain one in a demanding career.”

Here is a graphic representation of the survey results.

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Funky Away Rotations

The AAMC’s Stacy Weiner recently wrote a piece on creative away clerkships, highlighting interesting medical school rotations, including those in wilderness medicine, Emergency Medical Services, and autopsy medicine. See her piece here. Of note, international rotations are also a fantastic opportunity to explore something new for a manageable amount of time. In medical school and residency, my husband traveled to Kenya, China, Bali, and Argentina for rotations and other medical opportunities. He also spent six weeks in Santa Rosa, California for a family medicine rotation, living in a double-wide trailer with other medical students. (He describes it as “paradise.”)

Whether you’re interested in doing an “audition” rotation or something more unusual, it’s worth starting with the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLOs) website/database here.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: