If you’re a Vanderbilt University School of Medicine faculty member and you’d like to play a vital role in advancing the education of future physicians, the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Doctor of Medicine Admissions Committee is seeking individuals to conduct applicant interviews.
If you have availability on Mondays or Fridays between Labor Day and Groundhog Day — September through February — the committee would like to hear from you.
Invitations for one-hour, Zoom-based interviews will be extended to approximately 600 prospective students selected from more than 7,000 applications received. Following the interview process, admissions decisions are released in waves from December through March.
“There’s a lot of interest across the Medical Center in medical school admissions,” said Ban Allos, MD, associate professor of Medicine and committee co-chair. “Everyone who’s a doctor went through it, and they remember what it’s like. A lot of people have kids that are coming to an age when they may be thinking about medical school, or they’ve got friends with young people who might be interested. This is a wonderful way to become more engaged.”
The committee is seeking to assemble a pool of interviewers whose broad range of career paths and life experiences will enrich the admissions process.
“We would love for everyone to participate because we need a variety of perspectives and experiences,” said Luke Finck, EdD, MA, assistant professor of Medical Education and Administration and committee co-chair. “Every physician along the spectrum from early career to those later in their careers has that wisdom and experience that will help us yield the kind of students that we want to be part of our community.”
While the role certainly requires commitment, the dates and one-hour time slots for the interviews are provided well in advance, so interviewers can select what works best for their schedules. And because the interviews are done virtually through Zoom, faculty can complete them from their home, office or really anywhere in the world.
“You just sign up for date and time that works best for you,” said Finck. “The biggest misconception about the commitment is that if you sign up for this, you’re going to be doing interviews all the time. If you can only do this for a couple of weeks, that’s totally fine. Ideally, we would like people to do a couple of interviews, so they get a sense of what the candidates look like and get a flow for how the interviews work.”
Successful interviewers are good communicators, friendly and genuinely interested in the process. In addition, it is great for interviewers to have good knowledge about VUSM as the interview should include space for the applicant to learn something more about Vanderbilt, Allos said.
“While you’re doing the interview, as much as you’re trying to understand the candidate’s experience, perspective, background, etc., to see if they fit with our community and that this curriculum is right for them, you’re also giving them an opportunity to see what it’s like here through the faculty lens. It’s not just a one-way conversation,” Finck added.
Interviewers have an orientation to familiarize them with the interview process and are provided a list of suggested questions. However, the conversations tend to be more organic and flow naturally. While each session is scheduled for an hour, the actual interview can last 30 to 40 minutes, allowing time for the interviewer to complete their post-interview report.
Interviewers assess applicants’ attributes, such as:
- Scholarship
- Engagement
- Persistence and commitment
- Fit for VUSM
- Interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively
- Motivation and commitment to pursuing a career in medicine
- Maturity and basic understanding of the medical profession
- Professionalism
Although candidates who make it to the interview stage typically have strong MCAT scores and academic records, it’s equally important to explore their lived experiences — how they’ve navigated challenges and the unique journey that led them to apply to medical school, Finck explained.
The process of learning more about the top applicants and then inviting those selected for admission to become a part of the VUSM community is both rewarding and meaningful, Allos said.
“People who participate in the admissions process, whether as interviewers or members of our committee, really seem to enjoy it,” said Allos. “We’re a fun group, and it’s an important job.”
Faculty members who are interested in becoming an interviewer for VUSM’s next class of medical students are asked to send an email inquiry to MDadmissions@vanderbilt.edu, ideally by Aug. 1.
